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In an effort to tame the untameable, I’m working on creating a regular template for my column here on Side One: Track One. This week I’m taking a look at three samples from brand new or upcoming releases and one from an old school group you might have forgotten. Hopefully this approach will make for easier reading on your part and, as always, provide some indelible hip hop tunes for you to chew on until my next column! As always, any feedback is appreciated.
:Ancient
Astronauts - Oblivion (Featuring Azeem And DJ Zeph):
The Ancient Astronauts may be,
according to their PR, "coy about their beginnings," but the
heady mix of old school and new age beats lends credence to
their name. Two DJs, Kabanjak and Dogu, ostensibly from
Germany, have mixed tracks for Zion I and Digable Planets
and others before, but We Are to Answer is their
first full-length release; the album features cameos by The
Pharcyde, Azeem & DJ Zeph, Rashaan Ahmad and many more. This
track, with great MC and slam poet Azeem, had me at "witches
and wizards," and the ambient jungle sounds don’t hurt.
:Audio Two - Top Billin': This week’s old school flashback is the Brooklyn duo Audio Two, made up of Milk Dee and Gizmo. My absolute favorite part about this group is that the two members are brothers, and even better: they are in fact the two older brothers of the far more famous MC Lyte. True, they’re not the most positive of rappers regarding women or homosexuals, but this ’88 classic is relatively tame, and is one of the most used samples in hip hop that isn’t James Brown.
- Leah Manners
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