Summertime is creepin'-on-a-come-up, but the livin' ain't ever easy 'round SS headquarters. All those summer programs cost money, and my soon-to-be 3-year-old acts like she's too good to get a job. So we do what we do – keep pushin' hip-hop. We'll have it for you here on Fridays, or every damn day over at our blog, The Boogie Spot at QuickDFW .com. In the past week, you got Ol' Dirty Bastard, Rick Carlisle and the chick in Atlanta. So crucial.
Got a good lead on employment options for a semi-competent 3-year-old? Please e-mail the pertinent info to skin@quickdfw.com.
'HUNT CLUB' SCORES DIRECT HIT
We get so much hip-hop that it's hard to cover it all in a timely fashion. So some quality good- good slips through the cracks now and then. We discovered such an item this past week with another listen to The Hunt Club from Reflect June and Semantic Noise (above), released in February.
This is music that would get branded as "underground," or "backpacker," or whatever label folks who feel compelled to label stuff are currently using. Team SS just thinks it's fresh.
It's not full of singles or catchy sing-alongs. It's full of original ideas and urgent creativity. It's also easily Reflect June's most accessible vocal effort since he's been on the scene.
He's a painter who has traveled the globe, and he filters his surroundings through an aesthetic lens. He describes what he does as "guerrilla poetry," and it's an apt title. But he's also refined his delivery and flow with great results.
As for Semantic Noise's production, he's on some futuristic boom-bap wow. The most obvious reference point might be Atlanta's Prefuse, but it certainly doesn't sound derivative. Finely chopped samples synthesize with unexpected rhythmic textures to evoke a soulfully blissful atmosphere. His tracks create mood, and RJ uses that mood to full effect.
In true indie spirit, they want you to have this for free. Download it at lonestar hiphop.com. It gets the Sure Shot seal of approval.
Get your rooftop hip-hop hunger satiated tomorrow night at The Bone in Deep Ellum with the Rock the Rooftop show starting at 9. A nice card of fighters includes Imaginary Friends, Subchronicles and Playdough. Your $7 cover goes to the charity of "rappers want money when they spit."
As previously mentioned, the Texas Summer Music Conference is putting on the full-court press for its annual event that starts Aug. 28. It's at the Westin City Center Hotel; reservations are being taken. Call 214-336- 4313 or go to texassummermusicconference.com for the haps.
