MOG

Less than a year ago, I barely listened to early and mid 90's hip-hop. It wasn't that I believe it to be bad; the more recent underground scene simply hadn't let me go. But sure enough, it did let me go and allowed me to reacquaint myself with what I consider to be the best slice of time for hip-hop.

There are two common themes throughout my posts: lo-fi samples, and smack-in-the-face funk-based hip-hop drums. This song absolutely captures the essence of both themes.

The drums here are a throwback to James Brown; a tribute to Clyde Stubblefield infused with the character of a smoky basement freestyle session. Adding to the rhythmic sensibility is the actual quality of the drums themselves. Even as a drummer myself, I'm having trouble figuring out whether or not these drums are sampled, or if they are being played live. Lacking that distinguishable ability may seem like a problem, but on the contrary, it's exactly what I look for. It means, for all intents and purposes, that I'm getting the real thing -- not some 808'd rip-off.

Adding to the drums is the bass, which isn't pumping notes of any particular importance. But, the bass sounds like it was recorded at a distance, giving it a distinct ambience. It also creates a slight lack in quality, but again, this bit-rate-like reduction does nothing but add to the song.

The rhythm of the words, to me, sounds distinctly like a late 80's/very-early 90's jam. I won't comment much on them -- as you know, I'm not a huge lyrics guy.

* Update -- it took an arm and a leg to find this song online. Two hours of searching for one song! *

Enjoy