Albums

Japan, among others, is the paradise of hip-hop as we like it. When the Japanese don't release exciting rap albums, they do the same with records from others. Concerning indie hip-hop, for example, we had already noticed the remarkable work done by Hue Records. And though the CD in itself was not extraordinarily packaged, we can also praise the label Nature Bliss for having rereleased Knowself's unofficial first album.

More than a rapper, Saul Williams is a poet. The guy built his career at NY's Nuyorican Poets Cafe, published books and became exposed to a large audience when a movie where he featured, Slam, received an award at the Festival de Cannes. All of this is great, but slam and spoken word are significantly different from rap, and practitioners are not always successful when time comes to record their lyrics. Amethyst Rock Star, the first album Williams released by 2001, demonstrated this. Despite his fame and the support he received from Rick Rubin at this time, it had been a huge disappointment.

Quite recently, while reviewing the sales list for 2010 on the Access website, one could notice that the Living Legends were still monopolizing the top positions, with their most recent solo or collective projects. Truth be told, they are a bit at home with this online shop specialized in the backpacker rap genre. But still, this relative popularity is somehow surprising, considering that they release much too many records, and that their creativity is not exactly at its top. How is it that the aging Living Legends, up to this day, still look like the quintessential indie rap band?