Welcome to the Golden Age (just don’t O.G.)


Close to a decade ago, as the calendar closed in on the turn of the century, my homeboy Jonn Nubian and I would often discuss how, as children, we were promised flying cars. Years have passed since, and we still don’t have flying cars. But over the past week a number of technological innovations were introduced to my daily existence. First, I broke down and bought one of the slim new iPods. I’d resisted giving Steve Jobs my money for a long time, but after only a few short days of iPod ownership the world seems like a totally different place to me. Second, I experienced the magic of the Slingbox, which allows one to remotely view cable television on any broadband connected computer. My boy Emeyesi reacted to the latter with the exclamation “welcome to the Golden Age.” And I’m inclined to agree, even if I still haven’t seen those flying cars they promised us.

With all the new-and-improved shiny stuff foisted upon us by the geniuses of industry every day it’s sometimes nice to know that the tried-and-true methods of creation are still effective. Hip-Hop duo Y Society, made up of Boston-bred emcee and producer Insight (who already has a reputation as a true-school revivalist) and Washington D.C.-based DJ and producer Damu the Fudgemunk demonstrate precisely that on their Tres Records debut Travel at Your Own Pace. The album is an unabashed throwback to the Hip-Hop of the “Golden Age,” built around lo-fi samples and loops, crate-dug interludes, dirty drum-breaks, boom-bap drum-programming, and lots of scratching from Damu backing up Insight’s syllable-heavy wordplay which calls to mind the likes of Kool G Rap, Percee P and Hollywood Basic-era Organized Konfusion. But rather than coming off as a quaint tribute to a largely abandoned art-form it’s really a testament to the relevance of authentic Hip-Hop, proving that it’s still possible to do it like they did back in the “olden days” while sounding fresh and speaking to the contemporary consciousness.

Listen to “This Advice”

Brooklyn-raised graphic-designer, beatmaker and emcee Ohmega Watts makes a similar case for the traditional values and creative disciplines associated with true-school Rap on his new double-disc Ubiquity Records LP Watts Happening. Striking a balance between the straightforward dusty samples and breakbeats of Hip-Hop’s most prolific and influential years and the warm, somewhat spacey vibe of our post-Dilla era where keyboards and synthesizers have become commonplace, the album is an example of how “old world” craftsmanship and attention to detail can impart a feeling of genuine quality in a product that it’s mechanically fabricated competition doesn’t have. But it’s really the way Ohmega and his guests, including Jneiro Jarel, use their music both as a vehicle for fun and enjoyment, and as a call for responsibility and social change alike, that most hearkens back to the spirit of the “good old days.”

Listen to “Model Citizen”

So while I might be enraptured by new technology, especially the ability to walk around my neighborhood immersed in music I love, I can’t help but remember I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, itself an homage to an earlier era, and feel like a movie hero triumphantly strutting to the sound of his own personal soundtrack. But I’m still not doing it in a flying car…

-El Keter

This entry was written by El Keter, posted on December 3, 2007 at 12:49 pm, filed under Music and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

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