The New Rap Language Vol.4: Senescence Edition
Camp Lo-”Another Heist” (prod. by Ski)
Cormega-”Make It Clear” (prod. by DJ Premier)
Redman ft. Ready Roc-”Cock Back”
Royce Da 5′9″ ft. Joell Ortiz & Bun B-”Hood Love” (prod. by DJ Premier)
Roughly half of the year’s 10 best hip-hop albums (UGK 4 Life, Born Like This, BlaQKout, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, Blackout 2) have been made by rappers whose careers are approaching uncharted areas that Age of Exploration cartographers would’ve filled with sea serpents, dancing mermaids, and the occasional fabricated continent (word to Thule).For those with Muggsy Bogues memories, it’s a stark contrast to the days before Zshare, when rappers pushing 40 typically received Eskimo kiss-offs from their old labels or released largely unheard records on imprints owned by Joan Jett.
The mathematics make sense: when you factor in a graying but still substantial fanbase of people weaned on aging artists’ catalogues, an architecture of blogs equally ready to post on KRS-One or Wiz Khalifa, and iTunes’ ability to minimize or even eliminate manufacturing costs, it creates a much more ideal environment for both fans and veteran artists (who would’ve likely bricked regardless of web piracy).
It’s difficult to imagine checking for Camp Lo at 50, but then again, without the need to please the most fickle elements of their fan base, veteran rappers are free to make hard-core compromise-free rap for people raised on hard-core compromise free rap. As Sasha Frere-Jones pointed out in his recent New Yorker piece, “the movement reminds me of metal and jazz, areas where artists work in a larger number of established subgenres that do small but consistent business with loyal audiences.”
The Land of Thule: Where Charles Hamilton’s Career is Rumored to Be Hiding
None of the songs above will ever compete with Drake for a spot on the radio, and whereas, even five years ago, these artists may have harbored a lingering discontent at their fading commercial prospects, they now seem content to channel why they started rhyming in the first place. Perhaps there’s a sense of diminishing returns. Royce and Primo will probably never make another “Boom.” Chiba, Suede, and Ski will never cook up another “Luchini.” And Redman, for his incredible resilience at mining new ways to rhyme about smoking guns and sour diesel, will never match Muddy Waters. But relieved of unfair comparisons to their old heights, the four tracks above boast a pleasure that extends beyond cheap nostalgia. Even if they break little new ground, these are good songs.
The full-lengths attached to these singles will never be confused with any of the artists’ apogees either, yet all have a half-dozen or more worthwhile moments. In particular, Camp Lo’s Another Heist, is their most consistently realized record since Uptown Saturday Night. Like the aforementioned great old-man records listed above, the Lo ignore any of the trends of the last decade and half. There are no token trap-rap songs, no auto-tune, no limp R&B collabos at the behest of the label. They stick to the basics, and in the process make you remember why they were our building blocks. In a year in which many of the vaunted freshman prospects have Kwame’d (both the polka dots and the Michael Jordan casualty), it’s nice to see the veterans fill the void. 2009: The Year of Matlock Rap.
Stumble It!
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 am
all these guys are incredibly skilled and entertaining emcees, but i wish they could write a decent hook.
they’re great on the verses, but all these tracks are plagued with a weak-ass chorus bringing it all down a notch.
‘cock back, spit it out (x 6)
lyrical bang bang on the track, man down’?
it’s tragically weak, and that’s the best that’s on offer here.
not that i don’t enjoy these tracks. they’re decent songs. i can’t help wanting better, though.
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:32 am
That’s a fair criticism, though I’d argue the Primo songs don’t need hooks because the scratched vocal hooks have always been his thing.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:34 am
i probably expect too much. at the end of the day, i’m just glad that these guys are still going strong. and thankful that Primo is still as prolific as he is.
gotta love that last line on the Camp Lo track: “they said i was lucky the first time. pfft. guess my luck’s back.”
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Thomas, you mean to tell me that Redman chorus doesn’t make you want to lift the whole gym or drive 100 mile per hour? I thought that hook was much better on record than it looks on paper.
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Yeah, i wouldnt say the Redman hook is week just uninspired. However, when shouted out it does have that hype appeal.
Old Man Rap is defo on the up this year and Hip Hop is good for it as plenty of younger emcees have come with the goods as well.
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:50 am
Yeah Victor, I think its pretty cool that my favorite MC’s are still getting it. Even if they can’t compete on a commercial level, the fan base these guys from the 90’s have built over the years allow them to continue to do what they were always good at. As fickle and disloyal as hiphop fans can be, we’re being far kinder to guys from the 90’s than we were to artists from the 80’s.
The question is what’s old man rap in 2009? Kanye West, The Game, Lil Wayne, and Jay Electronica are all damn near 30 or past that. A few years ago that would have been considered ancient, but no one looks at thise guys as old man rap.
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
“Thomas, you mean to tell me that Redman chorus doesn’t make you want to lift the whole gym or drive 100 mile per hour?”
that emotional impact is what makes it the best chorus of the bunch. but lyrically, it could be much better. if i was constructing my chorus around a violent barrage of “cock back spit it out”s, i’d finish it up with something more sick than “lyrical bang bang on the track, man down”. that shit might impress IF he was spitting it in a freestyle battle rap.
but enough criticism. as i said, it’s still a decent track.
October 25th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
man give me all these “old-man” albums over any of the new shit coming out nowadays. I’m so serious. I am now used to checking for rappers that even the heads at Amoeba don’t remember (got a blank stare last week when I asked about the new A.G. & O.C.) and I fucking prefer it that way. It’s almost unnecessary to look for the next hot sensation when these veteran artists are still putting it down so hard. When somebody complains about how a record doesn’t really “break any new ground,” that’s usually my cue to tune out. A lot of my favorite artists (dudes like the Beatnuts and the whole D.I.T.C.) never try to break any new ground; they just keep perfecting the same classic formula. i think that’s the approach that pays off in the long run anyway, since the listeners most concerned with novelty and experimentation are those least likely to pay money for music (word to the clipse)