Albums

Coming from Aurora, not too far from Chicago, Marco Jacobo explored a similar style as Galapagos4's beatmakers. His first album, actually, was similar to Meaty Ogre's Leo Vs. Pisces. In both cases, it was some well crafted work based on samples, alternating rapped songs with instrumental tracks. Both men knew each other well, actually, since they had recorded jointly another record, Meet your Maker Vol. 1. And Birthwrite Records, Pugslee Atomz's label, where the producer would release Honestly, was somehow a twin to Galapagos4. However, thanks to his outstanding finesse, Maker was surpassing all other beatmakers on this scene.

According to his press kit, Existereo was influenced by the likes of Hank Williams III, Black Sabbath and Gram Parsons, in addition to some rappers. This sounded just ridiculous, these people covering genres as diverse as country, metal or hip-hop. And though, it was credible, to whoever was familiar with this rapper - and graffiti artist. His records, indeed, were all incredibly eclectic, even for a member of the Shape Shifters, starting with his first album, Dirty Deeds & Dead Flowers.

By the early 00's, it became more and more arduous to find one's way in the hip-hop underground. This scene was just too crowded. So many indie records were now available on the marketplace, that it was difficult to understand what their pedigree was. By chance, though, sometimes, a compilation would propose the best of such or such collective, or such or such label, providing us with useful clues about its value. A Jeep Jack Affair had been one of those. It directed the happy few toward a silly named but intriguing label, Record Company Records.

A poetess come to rap, after practicing slam; the author of a book as well, Spiral Bound, in 2009; and a music teacher. Dessa Darling is all of these. She is a dream come true, for those who like hip-hop when it is respectable, and consider that ignorant and gangsta raps are incarnations of the devil. The only woman in the Doomtree collective, though, shouldn't be despised by the others, the clever ones, those who know that moral prejudices should have no say when talking about music. Margret Wander, indeed, could be your grandmother's best friend. But she knows how to make great albums, primarily her very first, A Badly Broken Code.

Usually, this kind of rap is boring. Nothing duller, indeed, than a collection of conscious rappers, declaiming some political sermons on sluggish beats. In Miami, though, with the Botanica del Jibaro collective, this formula worked, maybe because its members, all close to the active local electronica scene, didn't invest all in their lyrics: they also made some great music; they were real composers.