Chicago's Best Hip-Hop, Congo's Best Band, and Video Dave
After a few editions focused much more on either straight-ahead or indie rock, it’s time for the 6OGs to change gears a bit and take a tour of current and classic Chicago hip-hop, in honor of the genre (and most of us OGs) turning 50, with Congolese guitar/funk thrown in for fun. In each case, the goal is to take the excessive heat warnings of the summer across so much of the US (and world) and translate them into musical fever and excitement. It can be hard to want to move when it’s sweltering, but we are confident these will get you going. Happy 50th to hip-hop (and us).
New album: Articulated TexTiles by Video Dave x Controller 7. It’s rare to go to a hip-hop show, or any show really, and have the artist navigate his performance with a PowerPoint. But that was Video Dave last December, when opening for Quelle Chris and Open Mike Eagle. And as someone who sits through his share of PowerPoints for work and volunteer activities, this was one that not only entertained, it actually drove the action forward (if only my colleagues trying to explain how economic sanctions work could learn from, or rap like, Video Dave).
But there was a way in which the performance felt shtick-y. So, I was admittedly a bit skeptical when I came upon the new Video Dave record, produced with DJ Controller 7, wondering if he could capture the energy of his live show, given that there is no PowerPoint for the liner notes (this is an old guys substack, so we imagine everyone knows what “liner notes” are). Happily, it way exceeds expectations and has quickly become a summer favorite, at least in channeling the airy, yet never vacuous, feel of late 80s/early 90s old school hip-hop, especially from the Native Tongues (see 6OGs discussions of Native Tongues records here (De La Soul) and here (Black Sheep)) lane.
In fact, the record wears its homage to the Tongues artists on its sleeve, starting with the standout and catchiest track, called “ThePlugTune” (named for the De La Soul MCs, who went by a number of names, including Plug 1 and Plug 2). The lyrics make it plain why Video Dave is who he is – “Due to a clue of the naughty noise called plug tunin/I drew my own views on what I should be doin/I run around the world chasin money makin music” – and the beat takes you straight back to the roots of what Maseo/Plug 3 and Prince Paul put together for those early De La Soul records. Then on “Soup Joumou,” Dave simply lifts the opening lyrics to “The Hop” by A Tribe Called Quest (“Inside the ghetto/Or in a sunny meadow/Ima make you dance whether woman or fellow”), but then makes the song his own with a sly blend of humor, storytelling, and honesty (“I got no words to describe this/Inside this is wildness/and anger/and danger/Room holo-deck/I got retrospecs/And they x-ray/I owe rain checks”).
Dave’s flow is easy-going, as you might imagine for someone channeling the Native Tongues, and occasionally almost sing-songy, but most importantly he rides the beats as if he’s surfing a rolling wave. On “You Tell Me,” Dave covers an enormous amount of ground with a simple beat, a sampled Herb Alpert-esque trumpet, and an epic set of lyrics that cover his philosophies of life, his encouragement to everyone to do and be better people (“look back at who you used to be/think about how you would feel if you were me/that’s called being considerate/reading and writing that is being literate/you can gift your kid the world if you read to em every night”), and just that little smirk underneath (“two cheers/let’s hear it for the girl/she’s my Bullwinkle/I could be her Rocky J Squirrel/I wanna jump but I’ll probably end up dipping a toe again/We’re going thru the same thing/Here we go again”).
As individual a performer as Dave is, the record has a number of fantastic guest verses, starting with Open Mike Eagle on “PardonInterruptions,” and Open Mike is clearly a more modern inspiration for Dave, carrying the tradition of the Tongues forward. He picks up from his own unique records and delivers some genius twists (“My notebook is flame hardened/Fruit of an inner city gang garden/Sometimes I’m out of shape/Overweight/Like the great James Harden”). On “Passing Lane,” an incredible and breezy track with an earworm of a bassline and drum track about the thrill of driving, which takes you back to elements of “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” Doomtree rapper Dessa cleans things up at the end, sounding like a friendlier and more mature version of the female MC in “Bitties in the Bk Lounge,” this time happy to riding alongside Dave but clearly every much his equal (“Quarters in the cupholder/Brought ‘em for the tollbooth/Used to ball in high school/so lemme throw aceoss you/Barefoot on the dash/Petty cash for little snacks/Goin nowhere pretty fast/If they mad, let em pass/Out here the dust settles/Then the dust devils”).
Perhaps Dave’s self-deprecating motto comes on “NothinMuch,” where again over top a banger of a boom-bap track and an organ sample, Dave declares “I ain’t never claim I’m writing scripture/I ain’t never aim so I missed ya/I ain’t never sat upon a pedestal/I stand atop a stage but that’s mainly for the better view.” With the strength of this record, it is likely Video Dave will be standing on much bigger stages; I just hope he keeps the PowerPoint (Brad).
Album from an upcoming/recent live show: Kin Sonic by Jupiter & Okwess. I have had the privilege to spend a good bit of my day jobs over the last 17 years focused on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and even to visit the country. It is a remarkable place with a tragic history and, with apologies for the slight navel-gaze, one that a former Congolese colleague and I have noted before is connected to most every critical era of Western development for the last 500 years: from people to rubber to the uranium used by Oppenheimer in WWII to the minerals in our phones to the minerals used in our electric batteries to gold to diamonds and beyond. The forests of the DRC are known as the world’s second lung. It is an essential place to all of human existence, yet wildly misunderstood.
Its history is also incredibly sad, through to this day. From the brutal colonization by Belgian’s King Leopold (yes, he personally colonized the country) to the corrupt and violent post-colonial dictatorial rule for decades by Mobutu Sese Sekou to the 21st century rule mostly by the Kabila family and now Felix Tshisekedi. Throughout each era, the country has been mostly known for terrible conflict (the late 1990s war was known as “Africa’s world war” because of how many neighbors got involved), corruption, and humanitarian needs, despite – perhaps because – of its incredible riches in natural resources.
But despite – again, perhaps because -- all of this tragedy and violence, the DRC is also one of the most important centers of music on the continent, with multiple styles of music either invented or popularized there, from African jazz to rumba to a style called soukous. Congolese music is known for its rhythms, its complexity, and its joy.
And joy is where Jupiter & Okwess records begin and end. On this older record from 2016, the first track, “Hello,” starts with a deep bass groove and guitar line before you hear the first vocal – a laugh and Jupiter’s quintessential “yeah” that I could not possibly try to transcribe in letters. The song proceeds apace, but it is the periodic laughs and other joyous incantations that stick out the most. It tells you from the get-go that even if the subjects are serious (Jupiter sings in a range of languages, but not English, so I am trusting this NYT profile), the underlying push of the record is one of joy, of laughter, of movement.
That sets the table for the standout track of the album, and really of all of Jupiter & Okwess’ catalogue, “Musonsu.” Again, the vocalizations of “yeah” perk your ears up but then a guitar riff as infectious as anything you’ve heard (from the DRC or elsewhere) begins, and the song just takes off. The NYT piece says this song is a “call for unity,” but you don’t need to know that in order to feel the unifying groove and urgency to move and dance. It’s hard for me to think of a song in the last five years that has made me move my head and shoulders more immediately and almost unconsciously.
After a few more straightahead tracks, you get to “Emikele Ngamo,” which again opens with an incredible and inimitable laugh from Jupiter on top of a driving drumbeat, then another rhythmic riff, and the song is off and running. And so are you, often singing words you don’t understand but with a feeling you can sense in your bones. The second half of the record slows down, for the most part, before ending with a couple of bangers, “Ekombe” into “Bengai Yo,” which takes the tempo down but drives just as hard.
According to the NYT story, the translation of the central verse of “Bengai Yo” is “How many deaths and wars because of men’s injustice?,” but as with so much of his music, the answer, or alternative, he offers is not one of hand-wringing or chest-beating but of dancing and embracing. After working on the DRC and its tragedies for so long, those seem like much better options than most of the policies the international community has suggested or implemented.
A recent live show – for free, at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage – brought that reality home. The crowd was a Kennedy Center crowd, rather than a Congolese crowd (though there were clearly some folks from the Congolese community), meaning that it consisted mainly of tourists, season ticket holders (who tend to be an older crowd), and even passers-by who drop in just to see what’s on. Within a few minutes, Jupiter had the crowd in his hands, and even got a usually reticent crowd up and moving. It was clear almost no one knew what words he was singing, but thanks to the music, the energy, and the feeling, everyone understood and came along. (Brad)
Album(s) being rediscovered: A Chicago hip-hop Top 10. As we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Big Bang of hip-hop at 1520 Sedgewick Avenue in the Bronx, Kool Herc’s party for his sister’s back to school shopping needs, the Interwebs are rife with “best of,” “greatest,” “hip-hop wouldn’t be hip-hop without…” and similar lists, articles, and listicles.
Not wanting to be left out, but also not wanting to just recycle what you’ll find elsewhere, here’s a list of 10, in roughly order of “favorite” rather than “best” (after all, you can make an argument for Common’s Like Water for Chocolate as being one of the best from the city, but it never clicked for me) records from the past 25 years (some, but not all, are at least 10 years old, but we hope you’ll let that slide for this category) that show why Chicago is where you can find OG Brad’s favorite beats, rhymes, and life.
Chicago is arguably the most important music city in the U.S., given its founding and essential role in multiple genres (including country, it turns out); like with country, it’s often left out of the hip-hop discussion when compared to NYC, LA, Atlanta, and even Houston and Charlotte.
But that’s a mistake, especially if, like me, your preference is wordy and poetic rhyming, slower and gospel-infused beats, and diverse instrumentation. At its best – and why it’s proven to be “real music” despite the early critics -- hip-hop blends many worlds and makes them new again. Given how many musical worlds Chicago has either birthed or reared, it’s not surprising that it has produced one of the most innovative and mature scenes in the genre. Here are 10 of my favorites:
Legacy! Legacy! by Jamila Woods – I wrote recently about how rare it is for there to be “unique” performers. Jamila Woods is entirely unique, and a rare combination of music, message, inspiration, and innovation. She has a new record coming in October, and it will no doubt make her a much bigger star. She doesn’t rap as much as sing and you may often see her called R&B, but to me, this is still quintessential hip-hop.
Late Registration by Kanye West – I know, I know. How can I follow someone as uplifting as Jamila with Kanye and all that he has become? I’ll admit I’m torn about it, but it’s just not possible to argue he’s not one of the greatest MCs of all time, and he’s made a handful of the Top 50-100 of all time. This is the one I go back to the most and the one that reminds me most of Chicago.
Acid Rap by Chance the Rapper – This album contains my favorite lyric of all time: “Sometimes the truth don’t rhyme.” After releasing many mixtapes, this one made him a bigger name and launched his excellent and more mainstream debut record, and he helped launch a whole stable of Chicago-born and bred stars. But he himself has since lost his way a bit. It’s not at all surprising he’s looking back to this release to restart his future.
Care for Me by Saba – One of the stars to come from Chance’s world, this record focuses on the MC’s personal losses, including the killing of his cousin. The first verse of the opening track ends with the brutal and brilliant line: “Jesus got killed for our sins, Walter got killed for a coat.” It won NPR’s best hip-hop album of 2018 and still packs a punch every time I listen.
Typical Cats by Typical Cats – This album is over 20 years old, but I only discovered it in 2021. It’s been in heavy rotation ever since, especially the brilliant track, “Any Day.” Unlike everyone else on this list, this is a group, rather than solo artist, and features the interplay of 3 three brilliant MCs.
Telefone by Noname – Noname is perhaps now best known for her June 2020 implied feud with J Cole, but she has produced several laid back but incisive records, as well as numerous mixtapes and singles, covering everything from her youth on the south side of Chicago to the need to preserve the rain forests and take away the wealth of billionaires.
Dark Comedy by Open Mike Eagle – As noted in an early post, there is no funnier rapper in hip-hop, and this is the album that set the template. But his last few records just keep getting better and better, and a new is one on the way in late August.
The Healing Component by Mick Jenkins – Mick Jenkins has delved into many directions and styles on his recent records, becoming as much poet as MC. But this record always feels like his most genuine, weaving together themes of love, religion, personal growth, and THC.
Love & Nappyness by Matt Muse – Another album that interweaves love and religion in unique, and uniquely Chicago ways, Matt Muse has taken celebrating nappy-ness beyond song to supporting people in his community.
Fast Food by Free Snacks – Although we tend to think of Chicago through the lens of Chance and his crew above, there are many other parts to the scene, including Why? Records and the talents of Joshua Virtue and Ruby Watson. In what was a year of amazing songs, “Guud” was my favorite song of 2020. (Brad)
