data entry:
in addition to showcasing the artists featured in this post, I'd also like to highlight the label responsible for bringing them to mine ears: Datura Records. while their website is somewhat minimal, be sure to visit their free (FREE!) online compilation Datload III (where one of the tracks below came from) for an excellent selection of strong lyrical and instrumental tracks. anyhow, onto today's artist.
the Deep Thinkers hail from Kansas City, and it's clear that these guys like playing with rhythm. you can see it in their cadence, hear it in the production - it's clear that their music is rooted in the marraige of all the rhythmic elements. which, a drooling retard might point out, is a given in solid hip-hop production and mc'ing. what makes these guys stick out is that they draw on a HUGE range of stylistic influence; dub, trip-hop, jazz, classic hip-hop, even a little New Forms-ish dummybass. lyrically, they sound off with touches of west coast sounds, and more playful rhyme schemes that remind me of Cee-lo or even Luda in places. whatever. what is consistent through all the tracks I've heard is their lyrical strength - rhymesayers as storytellers to the core, with a message that's as political as it is bumpin, and measures up to their namesake.
you can pre-order their album Necks Move [here], and if you're in NYC you can see them at the Knitting Factory on Feb 26th.
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Bonus! from the aforementioned Datload III mixtape, one of my favorite "oh yeah, I have that EP somewhere!" artists throwing together a fun little track using my absolute favorite music palette.
Caural - They'll Make A Video Game Out Of Killing People
an entire fucking song made with chopped up Metroid samples! fuck yeah! Caural comes to us via the excellent Chocolate Industries label, and his releases feature my third favorite sleeve art series (after Lex artists and Mr. Scruff). you can see the goofyness and buy his real music [here]. I can vouch for the one EP I have, Blurred July, which I'm pretty sure has an excellent Prefuse 73 remix as a bonus.
Screw Attack!