Dear Jessica,
Yes, Peter Fox is what passes for domestic hip-hop here in DE (not, however unlikely this may be, to be confused with Delaware). The pisser is that Fox is as good as it gets, and easily has the most musically sophisticated production. Here's the most popular *ahem* hip-hop group in Germany, Fettes Brot (Fatty Bread), from Hamburg:
And you thought anyone who still thought "Whoop! (There It Is)" is the bollocks was now confined to sharing a padded cell in a Miami psych ward with Luther Campbell. At least, contextually it renders the fact the Bloodhound Gang still have a career in this country a little less flabbergasting. But I don't give a shit if Thom Yorke rates 'em, Modeselektor are persona non grata on my stereo just for producing this tune.
Meanwhile, here's Berlin's godfather of gangsta, Bushido:
Ignore the fact that he nicked the backing synth pads from Madonna's "Power of Goodbye". And finally, here's Sido, who I've heard is supposed to be Germany's answer to both ODB and Jay-Z, but you tell me how that works. Actually, just tell me what the hell this guy's on about in the first place. Here's your RDA of WTF:
Of course, here I am slagging off Deutsche hip-hop when I'm about to move back to Japan. Bless the Japanese, man, 'cuz they can outdo anyone at garage-rock hissy-fits or brain-burning psych-noise, but they can not fucking do hip-hop:
So there's the second big backslap of the week, my Yankee comrade: y'all elected a liberal-leaning black intellectual, plus you're still the only nation on the planet that does hip-hop properly.
Monday, November 10, 2008
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2 comments:
roots manuva's "brand new second hand" was better than 95% of US hiphop of the times, and "witness the fitness" is in the top five hip hop tunes of the last ten years imo...been listening to some ol John Peel tapes from the late 80's/early 90's , and you can add Sons of Noise and Ruthless Rap Assassins to the Brits who were turning out top notch underground hiphop, also Jehst, Hardnoise, Skinnyman, Baby J and Mark B and Blade get an honourable mention. Don't like Dizzy Rascal tho!!
Thanks for the tip. I'm right there with you on Manuva; I listen more to his records than anything that's come out of the States in the past five years. (Still think he peaked with Run Come Save Me, though.)
As for Dizzy... I think he's impressively dexterous and has a wicked sense of humour, but he - along with most Brit "hip-hop" - seems rooted in something a little different than American MCs. What gets called "hip-hop" in Britain, and especially grime, strike me as a logical extension of garage & reggae toasting. It's a parallel but separate cultural evolution (or so it seems to a north american rockist).
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