The title is the argument. "Manifesto" is a statement of principles craft, independence, knowledge of the culture, respect for what came before and it says so in the writing: "When foundations are weak / The house crumbles." There's a line that could be a motto for the whole independent lane: "Underground / even if it's not prosperous." Awon is the voice. Born in Brooklyn, raised in Newport News, Virginia, he has been releasing independently since 2008 and co-founded Don't Sleep Records with Phoniks in 2014. His delivery is smooth but commanding, and his subject here is the usual one, delivered unusually well "My 16s are scarier / My name rings bells in every area," and a closing couplet that lands the whole thing: "It was written I will rise / From the underground / My entrance is their demise." Whatafunk produces from Berlin, working in dusty samples and hard drums with cuts through the middle boom bap, filed under conscious hip-hop and rebel music. At the centre of the track sits a scratched phrase lifted from AZ's "The Come Up," the DJ Premier production from 2005: "I'm from the place where hardcore is beautiful." It's more than a sample. It's the record's thesis, and two decades on it still does the work. Mix and mastering by Lorenzo Chiabotti. This is the second single from Life of an Underground Rebel, and it costs two euros.
Transparency Note: Content & research created independently by HHHEADZ. AI tools are strictly used for translation and language refinement.
No comments:
Post a Comment