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| El-P - i'll sleep when you're dead |
Ear-Pollution CD |
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| April 20th, 2007 08:02 |
 Ahh, looks like the self-imposed sabbatical is over. I finally got my music collection back, and life seems to be stabilizing enough that I can devote some time to the extra shit that I care about. Like this new El-P album.
"i'll sleep when you're dead" (I can't do Italics, so I am gonna use quotes) is the antithesis of popular rap, there is no bling, no bitches and/or hoes, and no 24s or 28s or whatever size rim is in this week. El-P is a master lyricist, his flow is turbocharged molasses, whipsmart and full of stark imagery. The beats and samples play second fiddle, used to pace and complement the non-stop barrage of rap coming out of El-Producto's mouth. This is rap that doesn't need to rely on a chorus that gets repeated every 15 seconds, El-P has way too much to say to rely on catchy hooks or some silly whistled refrain (I'm talking to you, Jewlz Santana, or however the fuck you spell your name).
Hip hop is arguably the most groundbreaking genre in the last 25 years, but popular rap has crawled up it's own violent, misogynist ass. Everyone's got the most money, the most drugs, the most bitches, the biggest dick. I am over it, I can't take the fakeness. I will save the rest of that diatribe for some other time. But there is still ground to be broken, and guys like El-P are on the forefront of where rap should be heading.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention, this album is like a who's who of underground rap and indie rock, the guest list is stellar: Mr Lif, Murs, Slug, Aesop Rock, Chan Marshall (!), Trent Reznor, and Cedric and Omar from The Mars Volta. So there you have it, "i'll sleep when you're dead" (wish I had Italics) is one hell of an underground rap album, and everything that most rap isn't. If I haven't sold you by now, you should just go turn on MTV or something. And get off my lawn.
Roy Starin
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