![3D""=20](3D"http://www.whatsupyukon.com/images/stories/mini_masts/discourse.pn=)
Rap=20
and hip hop has been repudiated by some for being overtly =
violent=20
and misogynistic. While some of this reputation may be =
deserved, I=20
think sometimes a cigar is just a smoke.
I=E2=80=99m not =
an expert when=20
it comes to hip hop. I do understand, as with most musical =
styles=20
that, once popularity sets in, major labels start pumping it =
out=20
like cheap cheese. It seems to me that the best of the genre =
still=20
comes from the underground.
33onethird is part of that =
same=20
underground.
They have released a CD, Scratch Off The =
Surface,=20
which uses the lingua franca of hip hop to create a message =
that has=20
been universal since the 60s.
For all the chest-beating,=20
rat-a-tat verbosity and rhythmical gymnastic fantastic that=20
encompasses rap, one can look back superficially to the =
theme of the=20
TV show, The Monkees, or deeper =E2=80=93 to the MC5 =
=E2=80=93 to see similar=20
attitudes.![3D""=20](3D"http://www.whatsupyukon.com/images/stories/2009/April9/cd.jpg"=20)
For an example, check out the track March =
Of The=20
Ants, the standout track of this CD in my opinion, as it =
combines=20
both critique and expression.
A drone, a clone that =
seldom thinks=20
on its own /made up of metal and wires instead of flesh and =
bone=20
/all he knows is his program his function is rote/he =
doesn=E2=80=99t make=20
the decisions he only does what he=E2=80=99s told.
The =
lyrics of this=20
song fuse social commentary through poetry to good effect. =
Adding a=20
sample of a children=E2=80=99s version of The Ants Go =
Marching, as an=20
introductory segment, creates an audio reference, nearly a =
non=20
sequitur, until the original song kicks in.
Whenever I =
hear a=20
song that uses samples, rather than think copyright =
infringement, my=20
mind fixes on the modernist movement that brought together =
separate=20
media ideas to create a new, unified expression.
If you =
have the=20
right eyes and ears, you can recognize this legacy in hip =
hop.=20
33onethird has expressed the best qualities of the form in =
this=20
recording.
Using samples from movies such as Fight Club, =
Blow and=20
Office Space, tracks segue using a similar device that we =
recognize=20
when a novelist inserts thematic quotes at the beginning of =
a=20
chapter.
=E2=80=9CThroughout my lifetime, I've left =
pieces of my heart=20
here and there. And now, there's almost not enough to stay =
alive.=20
But I force a smile, knowing that my ambition far exceeded =
my=20
talent. There are no more white horses or pretty ladies at =
my door,=E2=80=9D=20
from Blow.
I particularly like the bit about =E2=80=9Cno =
more white=20
horses=E2=80=9D, perhaps as a tip of the hat to a town that =
spawned members=20
of this group. Although Whitehorse has a committed hip-hop=20
community, I can totally understand how an ambitious artist =
might=20
forsake our peaceful paradise for a career move to the =
bright lights=20
of Vancouver.
It is a brave new world out there, and =
though the=20
clothes and hairstyle has changed, it is the attitude that =
has=20
remained the same.
=E2=80=9CEverybody=E2=80=99s =
talkin=E2=80=99 bout a new sound. Funny,=20
cause it=E2=80=99s just rock and roll to =
me.=E2=80=9D
Check out 33onethird at=20
www.myspace.com/33onethird.The CD, Scratch Off The Surface, =
can be=20
found at Triple J=E2=80=99s Music or by contacting the =
band.
Bill Polonsky is a =
radio geek=20
with community radio at CJUC 92.5 FM and occasionally lurks =
on=20
Facebook. He can be contacted at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You =
need=20
JavaScript enabled to view it
. |
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