A 2010 hip-hop review (Part 3/3)

By Willem Thomas

Imost as important as the A final four, here is 4-1 of

my “Top 12 of 2010” hip-hop retrospective. For those just tuning in (does a more cliche term exist? I haven’t found it if so) this week, here are the past eight, in order from 12"-5": Backhand

Fam — Backhand Fam Mixtape; Soul

Khan — Soul Like Khan; Earl Sweatshirt — Earl; Shad — TSOL; Celph — Tilted & Buckwild — Nineteen Ninety Now; Tyler, The Creator — Bastard; Mac Lethal — Blood In The Water Mixtape; Mellowhype — Blackenedwhite.

4) Ghostface Killah - “Apollo Kids” After taking a brief apnea from his usual stream of conscious-focused flow to drop an admittedly strange R&B-rap crossover science project last year with “Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City”, Ghostface is back (although he didn’t exactly “leave”, he just tried a bad choice of new direction) with Apollo Kids, and brings the per diem line-up of most of his Wu-Tang brethren along with him. Following the mild critical acclaim/ success of 2010’s Wu-Massacre project (look it up) with Raekwon and Method Man, it was clear our boy Ghostface was back on the (correct) track in both style and aim. A true veteran of the rap-game, Ghostface Killah gives us solid wordplay/ flow all through the record and some great production and soul samples. It’s just another day in the office for GFK but it’s that old-school familiarity that makes everything affiliated with the clan (Wu-

Tang Clan, ahem) so enjoyable still, all these years later.

3) Dark Time Sunshine - “Vessel”

It seems like the latter part of the decade was spent declaring “hip-hop is dead” and other blasphemous remarks by many mainstream rappers and reviewers from major-sources—such as Rolling Stone or Pitchfork—and if you look at many ultra-popular hip-hop artists right now (Lil Wayne, Jeezy, Jay-Z, Drake, Rick Ross, Eminem, etc) it’s true that mainstream-rap has definitely reached a fairly stagnant point in its evolution (ie: it isn’t evolving at all anymore). That’s why more need to look to underground hip-hop for their listening experience: Underground/independent hip-hop is quite possibly at the best state it’s even been and while I’d like to say a few reasons as to why I believe that, it would just take up far too much space here. Dark Time Sunshine is a duo embodying this as well as any other. Dropping not one but two grade-A rap LP’s is no small feat, but they did it in 2010. The better of the two, Vessel, mixes Aesop Rock-level lyrical skill with club ready beats and production. Vessel has a long run-time, but the entire listening experience is like no other this year. It was a hard decision putting this in at number three, but I now feel it’s well deserved.

’ 2) Big Boi - “Sir Luscious Left Foot:

The Son of Chico Dusty”

What is there to say really about the better half of Outkast’s (sorry Andre) - game-changing debut that hasn’t already

been said? It’s taken General Patton (one of his many self-chosen nicknames) four years to gather his troops and prepare Sir Luscious Left Foot following the hiatus of Outkast in 2006, but those four years have only made for one of the strongest rap albums of the year. Almost every featured artist on the tracks drop their best guest- verses of the year (although I dismissed him way back earlier this year, I’ve taken another listen to Yelawolf following his performance on “You Ain’t No DJ’). The production/song-writing on every track is slick, big, and with myriad influences, but its Big Boi’s huge-personality, dexterous _ flow, and lyrical chops that set this album up as hip-hop record of the year. It is as widely-accessible as it needs to be but

can be appreciated by the harshest of rap pundits.

1) Kanye West - “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”

Really, what did you think would be number one? Have you read or followed ANY music or entertainment outlet this year? Or a much more important question would be: Have you listened to “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in full? Kanye West shows the world (up) with the most ambitious and far- reaching musical endeavour of the year by far. Even though everything Kanye seems to do is done with hypocrisy and attention-seeking in the forefront, it can’t be denied that he is indeed a genius.

His choices, both in what he does in the public eye and with what

Bink.

he portrays with his music are calculated to a fine point many seem to dismiss. - Dismissing MBDTF is a mistake you’ ll surely not want to make. He may just be both the most cynical and most arrogant rapper alive today (and that’s saying a lot), but both of those qualities bring out the absolute best in Kanye. His David Bowie-esque retreat from the spotlight over a year ago and the events that led to said disappearance (Google “I’mma let you finish” for a start if you really have no idea) gave the man time to settle down and re-evaluate his then-current path of degradation, idiocy, and pillaging and plan his return. Although it might not be my favourite overall counting all other genres or most-listened-to records of the year, MBDTF is a musical triumph that deserves the universal hype and acclaim it’s received. I’mma let you finish but Kanye West had one of the best records of all time! Of all time!

ADVISORY]

Speak softly and carry a steady rhythm

Canada’s Braids make a grand entrance with Native Speaker

By Angela Espinoza, Arts Reviewer

riginally hailing from Calgary, O- experimental art rock quartet Braids recently debuted

with their new album, Native Speaker. After changing their name from The Neighbourhood Council and relocating to Montreal, the group oddly chose to simultaneously tour while the album was just starting to cultivate. During the months building up to Native Speaker’s release, dozens of live recordings and remixes began popping up around the internet. With their intensely captivating performances gaining notoriety, the critical response following their album’s release was much larger than expected. Seems pretty impressive for a bunch of Canadians in their early twenties; but did the final product live up to all the hype?

First off, no matter whom you chat with online or at the local Starbucks

with, the comparisons between Braids and Animal Collective are inevitable. Braids’ sound is distinctively reminiscent of other bands sharing their genre, but some have pushed it as far as to say they’re stealing their sound. That may be going a bit far, especially with singer-guitarist Raphaelle Standell- Preston’s vocals standing out as they do.

While a solid effort overall, it’s clear that Native Speaker is Braids’ first official

album. Their consistent blending of synth beats and ‘natural’ sounds flow together for the most part, but in tracks

such as the titular “Native Speaker”, they occasionally become disjointed. It sometimes gets to the point where

fe the instrumentals me seem to be fighting over each other, haphazardly pulling the listener’s attention in multiple directions. But

for the tracks

that get it right (as most of them do), the result is beautifully enigmatic. Right away the seven-minute opener, “Lemonade,”

fluidly rises and recedes with the sound of running water as Standell-Preston’s resonating vocals bubble throughout.

The album features only seven songs, with the shortest lengths belonging to “Plath Heart” and “Lemmicken” (4:30). Keeping their developing sound in mind (along with the removal of “Lemmicken” and “Native Speaker”), the album probably would’ve worked best as an EP. Braids definitely have something going on between them, but despite their five years together, it’s apparent that the four long- time friends have some kinks to work out.

With all that in mind, Native Speaker is nonetheless an impressive feat for this young Canadian band. The album, released on January 18, is in stores now, and includes two bonus remixes if bought online through iTunes.

3/5