If you’ve been out with Premier, chances are you’ve seen a white kid, short in stature in front of the DJ booth, or at the table, going absolutely crazy whenever good hip hop music is played; you can find him rapping just about every lyric to every song at our events.  Yes, I (Warren English) happen to be that white kid and it is of no surprise that when offered the opportunity to write a blog for Premier Chicago, I chose to do my blog on quality hip hop.  Again, let me repeat myself, this blog will be on quality hip HOP, not to be confused with hip POP.

To give you a brief background, I was put on to hip hop music at the age of four by my father.  While most kids’ parents were buying their kids sing-a-long tapes, mine were buying my brother and I tapes of  groups and lyricists such as:  Run-DMC, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Beastie Boys, and Onyx.  From the time I was four through writing this post I’ve been enamored by hip hop music; to me, there’s nothing better than finding that track that gives you that “WOO” factor the first time, and every time after, that you hear it.

In this blog you will NOT find the likings of Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, or Drake.  I want to subject you (the reader) to a style of storytelling, intellectual delivery, and vicious punch lines and metaphors that make your head nod and animate your eardrums.  Each week I will be releasing to you five new picks of the week that subject you to an art form that is unfortunately slowly decaying.  Ultimately, I hope I can introduce you to some great music that you can at the very least gain an appreciation for.  I also gladly recommend criticisms or compliments, so don’t be shy.  I’ve also linked the file to the artist and song title for download and provided a YouTube video for your listening pleasure. 

1.)    Common ft. John Legend- The Believer

-          Chicago’s finest lyricist teams up with the vocal talents of John Legend to bring you a rhythmic and story-telling style of progression and life’s hardships that made previous albums such as “Can I Borrow a Dollar”, “Like Water for Chocolate”, and “Be” hip hop classics.

2.)    ChrisCo ft. Jon Connor and Marvwon- We Run It

-          This track features three of Michigan’s hottest and up and coming emcees and is produced by the world famous Alchemist.  The Nas backed Jon Connor doesn’t disappoint as he sets the bar high with his first verse.  ChrisCo follows up with his raw delivery on the hook and smooth ability to ride the beat on the second verse, while Marvwon closes on the final verse of the track with packed strategic punch lines.  “We Run It” proves that ChrisCo has the ability and potential to be Detroit’s next big thing in the hip hop scene.

3.)    Black Star- Fix Up

-          Black Star is made up of the dynamic duo Yasin Bey aka Mos Def and Talib Kweli.  Yasin Bey opens the heavy hitting first single that sends the message of what hip hop has unfortunately become, “I resolve/ me and mine involved/ a lot of cats talk live/ they ain’t live at all.”    This politically motivated and revolutionary group teams up with Madlib on the track and leaves backpackers and hip hop heads alike ecstatic and in high anticipation of their fourth album. 

4.)    Outerspace- Bodega Gospel

-          Philly’s own Outerspace made up of Planetary and Crypt the Warchild go blow for blow with a deadly one two combination of verbal annihilation on Bodega Gospel.  If you’re a fan of Jedi Mind Tricks or Army of the Pharaohs, this will not disappoint you.  

5.)    The Roots- The OtherSide

-          The world famous Roots crew has done it again with another hip hop classic.  The album “Undun” is a conceptual piece precisely put together by Black Thought, ?uestlove, and company about the life of a fictional character named Redford Stephens that starts at the end of his life and works backwards.  The OtherSide finds Redford Stephens coming to terms with his decision to choose a life of crime over the straight and narrow that ultimately leads to his demise, while the soulful sample represents a cathartic experience for Stephens.  This piece is a perfect example of why The Roots haven’t fallen off of hip hop for the past twenty years.

Enjoy!

- Warren