Hip-Hop, R&B Artist, Producer from Middle Tennessee Ashton Rich releases his Sober Enough EP an inventive take on Trap, Hip-Hop, and R&B. “Pretend” has Ashton speaking on his grievances with modern rappers and fabricated personas over a hard hitting 808 bass heavy beat and alternating snares. “Ride Wit It” juxtaposes this with a lyrical heavy swagger over a Boom-Bap piano loop groove, not only showing range but an overall encompassing understanding of the genre. Ashton Rich takes another sharp turn immediately after further flexing his versatility on “How You Get”, the closer on the EP is a mellow R&B track steeped with emotion and feeling intertwined with an equally emotionally deep soundscape, a half filtered and half muted ominous beat. In 6 tracks Ashton Rich proves he’s a valid contender in at least 3 different genres and if we count production he is easily a quadruple threat. Listen Below:
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Is Black Thought The #1 Mumble Rapper??
The number one scorer in any athletic sport is the person who has simply scored the most points at a professional level than all of the other players. After deep analysis Black Thought of the legendary Roots crew may be the number one Mumble Rapper, a term normally given as a derogatory classification for a certain type of modern rap that does not emphasize the once core component of lyricism. Is mumbling bad though? Spontaneity, rhythm and improvisation are key elements in music and specifically in black music. The human voice, the first instrument discovered on planet Earth, most likely quickly followed by the drum or the concept of percussion, is just another layer of sound manipulated on top of a rhythm. You can’t mumble on an instrument because you can’t speak on an instrument but nonsensical lyrics are not foreign to music and where never looked down upon before. Jazz, and other highly rhythmic improvisational music, tends to naturally gravitate to this concept. Scatting supposedly goes back as early as 1911 though most credit Louis Armstrong’s 1926 single “Heebie Jeebies” for starting this trend, and off one listen one can hear how he is using his voice as if it is an instrument to ride the rhythm and improvise with.
Funk was no stranger to this innovation either, comedian Eddie Murphy has an entire bit in his Delirious special explaining how he has no idea “what the fuck James (Brown) is saying”. As upbeat, groove heavy and funky as James Brown’s band was it’s no wonder lyrics were an unnecessary after thought if an addition at all. Many James Brown tracks are just instrumentals with the band alone and some are even instrumentals with a repeating vamp or chant chimed in by James every few bars, not to mention the lack of clarity and pronunciation in his delivery anyway when he does decide to vocalize. For James Brown the show and stage was his main medium, he’s not the traditional song writer, song writing was just a piece of the puzzle. Most art in this arena of music -pure expression- did not over emphasize the intellectual aspect of the process like it would later be with artists like Bob Dylan, who lacked the other previous essential pieces of the puzzle. That’s not to say no thought is used, like a Jackson Pollock painting, the thought to create with the absent of thought is perhaps the most intellectual insight one can have when creating.
If we take the final product as a complete piece of art, one that does not have to follow a set criteria of a certain amount of snares, hooks, or lyrics with depth per song we can appreciate mumbling or songs without actual words. It’s no coincidence that Hip-Hop can travel and resonate with people all across the globe in countries that don’t even speak or understand the language the artists are rapping in. It connects at a deeper level. De La Soul were one of the first groups to recognize this and on their 1993 LP Buhloone Mindstate they bring in Japanese Hip-Hop guests Scha Dara Parr and Takagi Kan for their track “Long Island Wildin” to do guest verses in their native tongue (pun intended). Another Long Island Hip-Hop legend years earlier, Flavor Flav of Public Enemy, would bring in his own form of non-sequitur lyrics and mumbling on the 1987 LP It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back with his solo track ‘Cold Lampin With Flavor’. Lyrics like “We got magnum brown, shoothki, valoothki/ Super-calafraga-hestik-alagoothki/ You could put dat in ya don’t know what I said book/ Took-look-yuk-duk-wuk”not only rhythmically flow but more importantly they fit the image of Flavor.
None of this would compare to what the legendary MC Black Thought would do in 1999 on a bonus track for the Roots live album The Roots Come Alive. Before we go into Black Thought’s mysterious Mumble Rap Magnum Opus we must first dive into the mind of the master himself. By 2004’s The Tipping Point Black Thought was 10 years into his professional career, earlier videos show a High School aged Black Thought walking around Philly flawlessly incorporating whatever drummer Questlove points at in the surrounding scenery into his rhyme all while showing obvious signs of his Big Daddy Kane influence. When we arrive at “BOOM!” on The Tipping Point the BDK influence is gone and now has evolved into complete homage, Thought’s play with delivery unfolds on the last two verses into full musical method acting and the roles he’s playing are of two of Hip-Hop’s best: Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap (impressions done so well one may be confused as to why the guest features weren’t listed). On this same album Thought’s earlier Mumble Rap experiments hit their most acceptable and formatted version on “Don’t Say Nuthin'” with a hook that literally had a contest to figure out what he was saying (we still don’t know). Now to qualify as the number one Mumble Rapper you have to do it professionally -Lanze’s “Bring Me That Shit” single unfortunately is not eligible- 5 years prior to The Tipping Point The Roots put out a live album and on this album a hidden track birthed Mumble Rapper. It is probably no coincidence that the track is produced by legendary Hip-Hop producer J Dilla (Jay Dee then) as his group at the time Slum Village was notorious for their winged verses and free form loosely structured lyrics, at times mumbling, stuttering or repeating themselves as if they had not even written down their lyrics. Thought takes this idea to the extreme on “New Years At Jay Dee’s”
Now we know Black Thought can be the most precise and technically proficient MC on the planet, which was never more obvious to the world than with his 10min one-take Funk Master Flex freestyle at Hot97’s radio studio in 2017, die-hard fans already knew of this caliber of skill with songs like “Thought @ Work” “Web” and “75 Bars”, but even lesser known is his ability to be the most abstract lyricist. Those who complain about “Mumble Rap” -newer Hip-Hop artists who clearly understand themselves and who are even less worried about listeners who don’t like them understanding them anyway- can lock in to “New Years At Jay Dee’s” a lot easier due to the BPM, the swing of J Dilla’s un-quantized drums, the low end, and the style in which Thought is “rhyming”. Most would not go to this song for any substance or to use it as an example of the depth of Hip-Hop but it says a lot that a band as artistically elite as The Roots not only recorded it but decided to put it out- almost 20 years before “Mumble Rapper”. They recognized the artistic value of it and the true originality of it. This makes Black Thought the number one Mumble Rapper. Most fans would argue the fact that Black Thought being arguably one of the best MCs of all time is what allows songs like this to be accepted but the same creative genius that can beautifully assemble words or paint a portrait can also just as profoundly deconstruct language into rhythmic nonsense or abstract an image into nonuniform shapes and colors. It is all part of the same process and if you are discounting a song for mumbling then you are missing a large part of what it is to listen to a song.
Greg P. The MC ‘The Most Overlooked’ EP
Greg P may think he is the most overlooked but that won’t be for long after this EP. The Paterson New Jersey MC keeps the culture alive on his latest EP titled The Most Overlooked, combining boom-bap, soul, trap and lofi for his soundscape. Introspective lyrics paint vivid pictures over top this soundscape ‘Searching” and “Intro” show an artist very self-aware and also socially aware, self doubt and grand ambitions both occupy the same mind and the battle transmutes into heartfelt tracks, songs that show personal vulnerability and optimism for his culture and community. “NJ Finest” has the ‘microphone gorilla’ in battle mode with a lyrical assault on the beat featuring Stephen Xavier and Bali Wop. “99 Losses” has the MC showcasing intricate flows and bars all with matching visuals. Greg P. The MC may be overlooked for now but no one will overlook a diamond in the dirt for long. Listen Below:
Conductor Williams ( @DwillBeats ) ‘Winter Forever Cries’ Album Out Now.
The listener arrives at the station moments before their train departs and Conductor Williams immediately transports them on an instrumental journey as trippy and spaced out as his visual Instagram videos. “If We Die” is never a phrase you want to hear your conductor say while beginning a journey but played as a funky instrumental title to a soundscape of hard hitting drums, atmospheric chords, digital blips and Moog like bass lines the passenger is ironically set at ease. The key elements to this project only amplify as the train picks up momentum, ‘Re-Learn to F.L.Y.” takes the funky bass line up another notch, and the spacious chords elevate to a beautifully meditative state. Conductor Williams is an amalgamation of Roy Ayers if he made beats, an 80s synth bass funk session-musician, Black Milk and J Dilla student, and a well studied and enthusiastic 90s sound engineer. “Oscar” sounds like a master producer orchestrating a mellow jam session for a Jazz band’s modernized revival album, ghost-notes and intricate drum patterns accent in and out of even more beautifully ominous chords. “Nikki Neptune” is an open and up to date all around vibe, trap-like drums and synths replace the jazz chords and lofi drums but maintain the same essence and spirit of the project. “Maybe” follows a open musical soundscape which features live instrumentation and no drums, this is juxtaposed with the Boom-Bap of this final track, a Tribe Called Quest-like instrumental that continues the space-age grit and a fitting finale to a journey that most passengers did not want to end.
Listen below:
Beastie Boys Book Review. @BeastieBoys @BeastieBoysBook
Hip-Hop as a genre only being in it’s mid-forties gives little to a list of current groups that survived the torrential journey that is the career of a band; Public Enemy, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called quest – though their 18 year hiatus may disqualify them for this exclusive list- are among the only bands in Hip-Hop that continued to innovate and maintain stability through the 80s to the present day. As a product of the youth of the genre their story is as close to a chronological unfolding of the evolution of the genre as it is a telling of their personal evolution.
The Beastie Boys began as a Punk Rock band, founding members Mike D & MCA actually met at a Bad Brains show, the punk attitude is always on display throughout their entire career but reevaluated through the lens this book cleans allows new comers to clearly see the band’s intent even amidst their most disingenuous ‘Licensed To Ill’ phase. Ad Rock calls it the “become what you hate” theory, Punk tends to turn concepts on their head, poke holes in facades, and mock the unquestioned accepted norm. The Beastie Boys proved that this can backfire as ‘Licensed To Ill’, their landmark debut album (selling more than 10 million copies) was more tongue-in-cheek than literal, the Punks were poking fun at jock culture, party life and macho-ism (the album’s original title was “Don’t Be A Faggot”- something they make note to apologize for in the book and also further explain that that was a satirical title based on the overly masculine jock ideology) fortunately and unfortunately for the band the public did not know this. This created immense success but also internal identity issues for the band, ex-communicated drummer Kate Schellenbach (who gets her own chapter in the book specifically to explain this crisis) states “I think it still holds up as one of the funniest comedy records of all time. But I was in on the joke- sadly most of the world wasn’t, and eventually even the Beasties forgot it was a joke.” The book does a great job in displaying the 3 MC’s true character prior to their debut and also their remorse for their behavior during that era. A product of it’s time it is also evident to note that this book dedicates a lot of time to expunging any inappropriate behavior – that any diehard fan knows is well documented(still on Youtube)- from the story. Tell-All books wont be as “Tell-All’ in today’s era and the band consciously or subconsciously lets this be know when they devote a whole section to feminists explaining why the Beastie Boys weren’t misogynistic, ironically, during their most misogynistic phase, a section that in and of itself is a give away to the fact that they obviously were. The reasons given are somewhat perplexing, (one said they just knew they were nice middle class boys at heart, another said that they were cute and let them have a pass) all reasons that in ‘cancel culture’ today may even get the defender in hot water. Had the story ended here due to the vacuum of moral absolutism MCA would never have helped thousands of Tibetan Monks escape and raise awareness of a global genocide to a public that was completely ignorant to a massive humanitarian crisis, another testament not only to the band’s evolution but the spiritual and personal evolution of every human being.
The creative evolution of the Beastie Boys obviously shows in their music, 3 completely different incarnations span over their first 3 LPs, but the creativity spills out into their book as well, which is just as innovative, unique and clever with all the anti-minimalism they are known for. ‘Beastie Boys Book’ reads like a combination between a popular blog, an AOL Instant Messenger chat room, a comic book, and a Monty Python script. Due to the fact that the Beasties may be the oldest currently active (releasing music as recently as 2011) group in Hip-Hop other than Public Enemy who’s debut didn’t come out to after ‘Licensed To Ill’ was already a success, we get to read the story of Hip-Hop itself unfold with all the humor and idiosyncratic wit of the Beastie Boys. Save for them we would only get this first hand account of one of the most unique genre’s unfolding from a journalist’s viewpoint, not a participant’s. Old friends chime in to correct accounts, Rick Rubin clarifies details about his college dorm room, Spike Jonez takes over to detail the beginning of the Beasties costume phase, Mix Master Mike radios in from outer-space, and even 3 mystery men detail time at a summer camp with MCA pre-fame. ‘Beastie Boys Book’ is one of the most unique autobiographies ever written, Mike D and Ad Rock take turns authoring chapters (til it seems like Mike D got tired and just let Ad Rock take over for chapters on end at times), the fact that MCA’s perspective is missing is sad but adds to the mystique of perhaps the band’s most intriguing member, a producer, video editor, humanitarian, avid snow boarder, photographer, and more. Though the band always acted and came across as one single entity, due to MCA’s views on life and his complex theories on religion and suffering -not to mention the most obvious 180 degree switch out of the 3 members – leads one to beg to hear his take on the career and journey of the band more than anyone else’s. This is immediately acknowledged by Ad Rock before the book even starts. Nonetheless we have a book on a band who’s perspective on Hip-Hop covers “The 80s, the 90s, 2000s and so” written almost 40 years after the band formed.
Another anachronistic trait of Hip-Hop pre-1994, when some would claim Illmatic forever altered the course of album production, is in-house beat making. Public Enemy had the Bomb Squad, De La Soul had Prince Paul -as an overseer mostly-, KRS One had BDP, and even Slick Rick was making his beats. What most don’t know is that Chuck D was part of the Bomb Squad, De La made all their beats on their first 3 LPs (and a good portion of them afterward), KRS One worked on his production as well along with Scott La Rock, and Slick Rick had his on production mis-credited to more famous producers during the making of his debut LP. Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-tip alternated on beats until wonder-kid J Dilla joined The Ummah after their 3rd LP. Most “Golden Era” Hip Hop was created this way, the band did everything, Ad Rock one Sway In The Morning states in a relatively recent interview how “weird” it is that bands and artists today aren’t involved in their production and even their album artwork. Hip-Hop and Punk grew up as long lost brothers (that weren’t so lost, they were actually neighbors) and the DIY (Do It Yourself) attitude was evident in both mostly as a necessity. Both were so far from mainstream the only assistance they could get in bringing their ideas into fruition was the assistance immediately at hand or their own personal impromptu learn-on-the-fly personal assistance. This kind of culture leads to extremely unique sounds and visions from each band, why the Beasties sound and look nothing like Public Enemy, Run DMC, Slick Rick or any other act of the “Golden Era”. Rick Rubin plays the role Prince Paul would play 3 years later for De La Soul, in a time when “producer” did not have the same meaning it has today, “overseer” would be more fitting. All with some sort of musical knowledge and talent (they started out as a Punk band all playing their own instruments) the Beastie never get the full credit they deserve as beatmakers and producers. Fast forward 20 years to the Kanye Producer/Rapper days and doing both is accepted and heralded -even if Kanye is the first one to bridge the gap-. Had the Beastie Boys come out in 2006 instead Ad Rock would have had an interesting and lucrative side career as a super-producer, producing hits for his contemporaries. The self proclaimed “Benihana chef on the SP12 (popular drum machine used at the time)” who “chop(s) the fuck out the beats left on the shelf” was the innovative mind that programmed the Go-Go style percussion pattern on “Hold It Now, Hit It!” the break out single of “Licensed To Ill” that was funky enough to get 3 unknown white rappers clout in the all black Hip-Hop world of the 1980s. “Hold It Now” was played in clubs and spread like wild fire, as soon as Russell Simmons heard it he told them to release it and rushed to press up copies. The Beasties get credit for the tidal wave they sent through music with their persona and hits but never enough for the soundscapes they created underneath those hits. “You be like ‘HELLO NASTY!, where you been? It’s time you brought the grimy beats out the dungeon!'” Ad Rock later states on their 1998 masterpiece “Hello Nasty” an LP when the band was fully formed, now flawlessly integrating instrumental tracks, hardcore tracks, break beats, dub and alternative rock into one album. MCA and Mike D as well had their weapons of choice when it came to beat making, MCA created a room-long tape loop of the open drum break from “When The Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin which ended up becoming their opening track on their debut. MCA would later strip down a song on their last album and re-do the entire record from drums to bass without the rest of the band’s knowledge, or Nas’- the guest feature on the song- till they were ready to mix the record and finalize it. Ad Rock’s Roland 808 would also be used for many of the early Def Jam productions as well, strange how a Hip-Hop record label didn’t even have a drum machine for their artists till the Beastie Boys came along.
Important overlooked gems like this are essential in understanding the significance of a band and ‘Beastie Boys Book’ does a great job of shedding light on these without glorifying or overstating. Though this book is massive, diehard fans will notice some stories that can be found on interviews on YouTube that don’t make it to the book. The more juvenile or gossipy ones like the stories of their egging spree on the public once they moved to LA which is covered in the track “Egg Man” on “Paul’s Boutique” but could be taken as fiction until one sees an interview where a more matured Beastie Boys are looking back on that album and discussing each track and then they go into detail about how they literally were egging random people around town. The more gossipy stories go back to beefs with Russell Simmons, literally dissing him on records as late as 1994’s “Ill Communication” and even subliminally on “To The 5 Boroughs” and also MCA’s fling with Madonna while the Beasties were opening up for her on her first major tour. These stories are either omitted or reduced to seem innocent and wholesome, perhaps a part do to their obvious growth as people or due to a different climate in admittance to one’s past missteps or inappropriate behavior today. They do mention going on tour with a giant inflatable penis, which would be hard to breeze by such a perplexing detail like that anyway. Sure the Beasties have a lot to be ashamed of but what adult isn’t ashamed of their behavior as a teenager and a 20 year old later? They tapped into the youth of America through satire (that was not so easily picked up on) and connected with the collective teenage mind through commonality, nothing that should be looked down on or that is shame worthy, they spoke their particular truth at that time. Their work later would prove their true intent as artists, they would go on to speak up against sexual assault at festivals during acceptance speeches at award shows, racism, anti-Muslim rhetoric, oppose overt exploitative advertisement, and always give credit to the legends who came before them in a culture they were aware they were guests in.
‘Beastie Boys Book’ not only is a great read, it is an innovative endeavor in it’s scope and approach. You will literally laugh out loud, you will get a peek into the inside jokes we have heard on record but never knew we didn’t even understand. “Pray Mantis on the court and I can’t be beat/Yo Tip what’s up with the boots on your feet?” MCA raps to Q-Tip, “I got the timbo’s on my toes and this is how it goes” Q-Tip responds on the 1994 song “Get It Together”. A funny non-sequitur it seems at first until the chapter explaining Q-Tip’s appearances at their G-Son recording studio that was fixed with a skate ramp and indoor basketball court. The Beasties explain how Tip would play Basketball with one of the members of the Jungle Brothers in full Hip-Hop (of the time) attire: Dashikis, gold chains, headbands and even Timberland boots, all while being on magic mushrooms at times and missing numerous shots. They don’t even mention how this story relates to the line but any true fan would connect the dots and find how self-referential the Beasties really are, carelessly rapping lyrics that they themselves would only understand, proving that an artist true to their self will reach the world quicker than one catering to what the audience is expected to want to hear. Also further solidifying the fact that though they are a commercially successful band they are always just 3 friends enjoying life, we just happen to be enjoying the art that comes out of that friendship.
Rating 10/10