Song Share: who's producin'? eh-eh-eeedit
As mentioned previously, a taste of glitch hop. edIT's "Straight Heat", off of his sophomore album Certified Air Raid Material.
Truth be told, I've maintained and defended a 'meh' stance on hiphop/rap (mostly due to figuring they were the same thing) until this year. After finally going through a lot of ATCQ, Eazy, Biggie, basically all of NWA, etc. and giving them a chance, I discovered how much less retarded they are/were compared to the trash being put out these days. Lyrically, at least. Musically... eh, it's hit or miss for me. Musicality in hiphop has never been anything I've had much appreciation for -- which should be no surprise to those who know me -- as it's obviously not meant to be the spotlight of the tracks, rather the lyricism instead. Now before hurling bricks, I'm not at all saying it's bad, but me... well, my ears are trained and conditioned to listening to tracks that somebody's given more than an hour's worth of engineering work on, along with some actual depth and variety (something 95% of hiphop has always lacked according to my ears) to the layers and instrumentation. It's hard to argue against saying production value -- even on the crunky, hyphy, toilet flush beats these days -- has increased with the times, though. Advancements in audio production technology since the days of the greats have come a dime a dozen, and while some still can't find their way around a proper drum cut, the vast majority seem to get things right.
That being said, after listening to as many sides of the hiphop spectrum I could possibly find, I've finally found what I've been looking for out of the genre: glitch hop. Heavy hitting basses, meticulously cut 'n spliced synths and dancefloor killing melodies fusing under glitchy vfx samples and verses reminiscent of the days when a track didn't have to be about multiple bank accounts, mile-high rims or pimping hoes to sell records comprise the sub-genre's infectious and, for lack of a quainter term, badass sound. With actual production value that not only exceeds my expectations, but a fresh sound that I can actually dig and find myself listening to for hours on end, as well.
Check out edIT and the rest of The Glitch Mob on Myspace for more hotness.
Comments
Myes, as you've figured out, not all hiphop produced today is "trash." It's the MTV stuff (for the most part) that's all style and no substance.
As for not being impressed by the musicality of the genre, hiphop is generally beat-centric and yeah you don't hear as many instrument tracks and melodies. Still, there are exceptions: a good instrumental hiphop band to check out is The Roots. They're also one of the few groups in the mainstream today that remains true to the music.
Finally, while a rap track shouldn't have to be about "multiple bank accounts, mile-high rims or pimping hoes to sell records," there is a certain appeal to it if the rhyming is tight and original enough. Mac Dre, for instance.
Good song btw