Unbought and unbiased music review #1

Here is a first in a series of reviews of underground hip hop from around the world. But what makes these reviews different from any that you would see in a magazine is that they are from the perspective of a hip hop consumer and music lover. Unlike most reviewers, record labels, producers and/or artists do not have me in their pockets so my opinions are unbiased. If it’s good, it gets the peace sign, and if it’s not, it gets the finger. With that said. On with the show.



Small Professor - Slowbus.

Many people say that hip hop has become over saturated and stagnant while simultaneously ignoring the underground. Enter Small Professor from Philadelphia. Just like a lot of music from Detroit, I have also been a big supporter of the music from Philly. From The old school Philly soul of Teddy P, the O’Jays and Jean Carne, to the Neo-Soul of Jill Scott to the organic hip hop of the Roots and everything in between. Small Pro is poised to become another chapter in those history books. Influenced by the late J Dilla (and by influenced, I don’t mean a blatant rip off) and Large Professor (hence the name), Slowbus goes hard with 13 tracks of straight heat. No corny synth riffs, no dumb ass dance moves and no incessant “yeahs”, “whats”, grunts or any other hip hop cliches. Just dope ass beats. The main head nodders are “John Henry”, “Winter Leaves pt. 0" and “December 6"...but those are just my favorites. I strongly recommend you cop this album as there is something you will dig. So it gets an emphatic peace sign from me.

Small Professor - Slowbus is available at:

Amazon.com
Beatsource.com
junodownload.com
and iTunes

and you can visit his myspace page : http://www.myspace.com/smallprofessor

Motor City Blues

I grew up in a family full of auto workers. My grandfather was among the thousands who migrated up north for a job with Ford. I also had 2 uncles that worked for Ford, another uncle that worked for Chrysler, and I myself worked for GM. So the financial crisis with the big 3 hits home. But the big 3 only have themselves to blame. Being that I am from an automotive family...Suggesting that I drive a foreign car is analogouss of disrespecting your parents. You just don’t do it and not expect an ass whoopin’. I am somewhat loyal to the big 3, as is a lot of the old school auto workers that came up in my parents and grandparents’ generations as well as a lot of good old fashioned Detroit muscle. And before I drive a Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi or Honda, I’d rather not have a car at all. With that being said, The big 3 hasn’t been very loyal to us over the last few years. They didn’t understand that everyone does not want an SUV with gas prices as unpredictable as they are. They don’t understand that not everyone can afford a decent GM vehicle unless you are a rapper signed with a major label, a pimp or a drug dealer. Ford makes shitty cars, and no one wants to keep taking their Ford whatever to the shop because of another recall, and Chrysler products are just butt ugly to begin with in addition to being prone to recalls. So what happens? People stop buying them. And before you UAW members start with your amens and hallelujahs, you all have a lot to do with the automotive crisis as well. You already make a decent living and have decent benefits but your wanting more has placed a tremendous burden on the industry by way of astronomical labor costs and simultaneously cock-blocking those who are willing to work for half. And because of it, the entire US economy which largely depends on the auto industry will be fucked (and guess what city will be hit the hardest). In a way I hope that the government bails out the big 3 but in another way I hope they don’t. I saw first hand how an economy that depends on the auto industry can be devastated when Chrysler left Highland Park back in the early 90s, and it wasn’t pretty. I don’t even WANT to think about if it were to happen to the entire state or the entire country. But on the other hand if they do get the bailout money, will they really get their shit together? Or will they be back a year later trying to hit us taxpayers up for more money to pay for their fuck-ups.