Hate rap? Give this a try.
Written: May 12 '00 (Updated May 15 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Brilliant fusion of rap and jazz
Cons: Not appropriate for kids, may not be accessible even to some jazz fans
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| lionhill's Full Review: Hand on the Torch by Us3 |
The friend who first urged me to listened to "Hand on the Torch" by Us3 put it perfectly: "If this is the future of rap, I approve." Unfortunately, they haven't seen much play since the buzz around this album and the single "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" died down. I'm genuinely surprised more groups haven't popped up emulating their sound.
The sound, which I'll call "jazz rap" for lack of anything better, sounds to me like a real leap in rap's evolution. Not that rap isn't or hasn't been influenced by jazz in the past - on the contrary, I think it could be argued that jazz and its cousin funk have always been near the heart of the rap aesthetic. But the jazz element in this album goes beyond mere influence or flavor.
Most rap rests heavily on percussion (human or machine) and bass, often with rock or funk samples (guitar and horn are common) looped to provide melody. More talented groups will also include original instrumental performances, but in the end, the feel is almost always distinctly descended from funk or rock. (Note to rap aficionados: I know it's not that simple - I'm generalizing here for the sake of comparison. Please don't think I don't know better about the breadth of the genre.)
By contrast, "Hand on the Torch" has an undeniably jazzy feel. There are some inspired original instrumental work on the album, and the samples are all culled from various recordings produced by Alfred Lion of Blue Note Records. For those not familiar with the label, it's recorded such well known names as Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, and Donald Byrd (to name just a few). The elements of rap are still there - the tight, quickly-delivered rhymes, the emphasis on steady percussion, looped samples as sonic background - but all set, with surprisingly good results, on a foundation of jazz music.
If you were awake at all during the mid-90's, you probably heard their big hit, "Cantaloop", featuring the can't-get-it-out-of-your-head looped Herbie Hancock piano sample, the melodic trumpet chops of Gerard Presencer (one of a number of memorable original instrumental performances on the disc), and the smooth, steady voice of Rahsaan delivering the corny but infectious rap.
Another pleasure on this album is "It's Like That", the understated but obligatory ego trip track that no rap album seems to escape. I don't claim that the song is deep or in any way enlightening, but I like kicking back and listening to Kobie Powell delivering long verses of rhyme at an unwavering pace. The effect is somewhat mesmerizing, especially when combined with the brush-on-cymbals percussion and repetitive but catchy bassline, all sampled from Blue Note gigs by Big John Patton and Lou Donaldson.
I'd argue against the idea that rap and jazz are exclusively the domain of any one race, but it can't be denied that they have their roots in African American music, culture, and experience, and this experience is thrust at you in "Just Another Brother". Kobie Powell, accompanied by Ed Jones' high-flying sax, offers up three vignettes of the untenable life of urban poverty that comprises the environment of too many blacks in this country, describing the life of few choices that leads to black men being disproportionately represented in America's prisons - "Just another brother on lockdown". As a plush-butt white guy living in the 'burbs, it surprises me a little that I'm drawn to this song, but it's a good piece of storytelling.
My favorite song on the album is probably "Lazy Day", a meandering narrative of one day of leisure, the archetypal weekend afternoon full of lounging, daydreaming, and the company of friends. Even in the absence of the lyrics, the music and the background vocals by Marie Harper perfectly evoke the mood of having a beer on the porch on a temperate Sunday afternoon, taking joy in self-consciously sedentary leisure. Ed Jones turns in another memorable sax performance.
As much as I liked this album, I still wonder what could have happened had they pushed farther. How about rap over nothing but live jazz musicians - no samples? I don't begrudge the artists their concessions to convention, but I hope to see this style expanded upon someday.
This album offers something familiar and something new to both the rap aficionado and the jazz connoisseur, and makes a potent statement about the artistic potential of both genres. Some may be inclined to dismiss it out of hand for its unfamiliarity, but a music lover with a penchant for novelty will find something different and perhaps even inspiring in Us3's debut album.
Note: Due to some mention of drug use and mild sexual content, this is adult fare - though, to disclaim this disclaimer, it should be said that these things don't occur with anywhere near the same frequency as in most rap albums.
My Recommendation: Listen with an open mind, and enjoy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lionhill
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Member: Brad Heintz
Location: Dorchester, MA
Reviews written: 44
Trusted by: 27 members
About Me:
Writer and geek from the snowy Northeast
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