bush bashing
Lateef and the Chief y'all:
The Maroons are Lateef the Truthspeaker (sometimes of Latyrx) together with Chief Xcel (the non-emcee half of Blackalicious), and represent an internal shuffle within the ranks of the Quannum artists. while they're constantly doing spots on each other's albums, this is the first full-length released from these two released as a collaborative effort outside of their previous/current projects. and frankly, I've been watering at the mouth for this one. Lateef can blow the roof off any show (he's constantly raised the bar every time I've seen him live), and Xcel's production continues to evolve in ways that bring fresh sounds to the now somewhat formulaic feel of indie hip-hop production. together, they've created an LP that's infused with politics, personal narratives and plenty of wit on the lyrical side, while bringing in a healthy dose of audio elements that are jazzy, soulful, bang-your-head-rock-ish, and other innovative styles on the production end. if anything, the album comes across as shockingly personal, and stands out from the typical hip-hop bragging and rib-jabbing that most emcees tend to fall back on.
these two tracks capture the two polar extremes of the Maroons' first LP, Ambush. Beautiful You has a slow, haunting beat with vocal samples and a hook to match, wheras Lester Hayes makes you pound your fist on the table and watch the silverware jump up and down. both tracks show off Lateef's gift for bending words around rhythmic corners that would otherwise seem unlikely, but somehow sound incredible with his ability to use tone and cadence with total precision. it doesn't hurt to have an equally solid guest vocal from Gift of Gab either. on the production end, Xcel brings an almost gypsy-like mystique to Beautiful You, whereas the samples in Hayes have the same rockstar aural blasts that you'd expect from old Rage Against the Machine or AC/DC tracks.
the album will be released on vinyl on Oct 19th, and CD Oct 26th. Lateef is also featured on two tracks on Fatboy Slim's new album (links go to iTunes music store). you'll be able to snag your copy of Ambush on the iTunes music store on the 26th, or at local dealers like The Giant Peach or the Lab. recommended.
p.s. a huge thanks to the folks over at Quannum for the promo materials, and note that these tracks come with their blessing. so if you like what you hear, support a label that is supporting all of us (robots and readers alike) in return.