Don't let it get you down

I only realized recently that, for the most part, I've been ignoring the Twin Cities hip-hop scene. Lame, I know, and I'm not sure how that happened. We've got some great hip-hop here, from Atmosphere, POS and the Doomtree guys to countless others.

For no particular reason, I thougt I'd start by concentrating on Unknown Prophets. The group consists of Madson, Robots alumnus Big Jess, and DJ Willy Lose (voted best DJ of 2006 by City Pages). The UPs err on the side of old-school, which usually works greatly in their favor. I saw them at the Pizza Luce Block Party this year (Lyn-Lake, what!?), and I can tell you that these guys know how to put on a show.

Unknown Prophets - Let It Loose.

I think this track is interesting, because it's got a real dance-pop feel to it, and a melody catchy enough to get stuck in your head. Come to think of it, Unknown Prophets are almost more like a pop band (not meant as an insult, guys, I promise) - a lot of their songs have a pop structure, with refrains and melodies, albeit with beats and able rapping. (A fine example is their track "Summer Heat", which the UPs offer as a free download on their site. They get bonus points on that track, by the way, for sampling local meteorologists Ken Barlow and Paul Douglas. Stayin' true to the weatherman crew!)

You can order the self-released The Road Less Traveled from the Unknown Prophets themselves. If you live in the Twin Cities area, you can find the disc in most area record stores, including Cheapo and Electric Fetus.