DC
has never really had a sound that the average person could identify
with as being solely from DC. Sure, there have been acts who are
synonymous with the area: Minot Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, and The
Thievery Corporation. When it comes to music in the realm of funk,
jazz, RnB, or hip-hop there isn't much. One thing that many music
lovers point to is either influential punk or the "go-go"
sound. This is what sets Kooth apart from other artists that have, or
could have, come from DC. Sans the punk influence, this emcee has
taken a hip-hop spin on the go-go sound and mixed it with the
down-tempo aesthetic of The Thievery Corporation. A blending of heavy
(and sometimes aggressive) lo-if beats, lush electronic sounds, and a
flow unlike many of his contemporaries sets Kooth apart from the
garden variety hip-hop artists trying to make it big in today's
compartmentalized music industry.
Whether
the combination of these two styles are intentional or just a product
of the area is not the point. What it comes down to is trying to find
a way to describe this young emcee and the production to people who
may not have ventured into the realm of hip-hop. As well as those who
have not ventured into the idea of digging digitally. Most have the
thought of digging as going through the bins at record stores,
Salvation Armies, and yard sales. With the advent of high speed
internet, the world of music is at our finger tips. The act of
finding something new that excites the imagination online is just
like going through the musty smell of a record store.
Just
the act of scavenging for music has taken a new turn in this digital
age. Unlike in days gone by many people don't find themselves
wandering for hours in the aisles of a record store looking for
something new. There is a new sense of discovery as one takes to the
internet. This record store is much larger with a greater vastness of
what can be dialed in from downloads, internet radio, and YouTube.
The one musical culture that seems to have embraced the new frontier
is hip-hop. It seems to be that way after the success of Lil Wayne.
His appearances after appearances on mixtapes until he blew up with
“Tha Carter III.”
The
sound of the latest mixtape from Kooth continues the with what
appeared on “Airborne.” It is the sound of DC. It is the
combination of an older style and the lushness of down-tempo. Don't
think for a minute that because the music has a lushness that he is
the second coming of P.M. Dawn (no offense to P.M. Dawn.) That is not
the case. There is a drive and determination that makes Kooth's flow
different from many of the other up-and-coming emcees. Instead of the
pounding of chests and false aires, Kooth makes it very clear that he
is going to make it. Most of the songs that appear on this mixtape is
about him working his way up and creating the lifestyle he wants from
hip-hop. There is an honesty that doesn't appear very often.
Just
the message of making something of yourself is ultimately infectious.
Hearing someone who wants something bad enough makes others believe
they too can make it. Starting from the bottom and working their way
up to achieve what they dream of. Kooth's rhymes are the embodiment
of the American dream. Not that American dream of a suburban home,
white picket fence, a wife, two kids, a dog, and all the other
trappings that middle class comfort can buy. The American Dream that
no matter what you want to do, you can work your way up and get to
where you are going. The happiness of creating a life for yourself.
Kooths
voice is what you hear on the majority of these songs. By today's
standards it is something of an oddity in hip-hop. More often than
not many of these mixtapes feature guest appearance after guest
appearance. These are used to garner some sort of street creed and do
not work within the context of the song they appear on. For one emcee
to carry the bulk of an album on the strength of his (or her) rhymes
alone is a feet unto itself these days.
“Daydreaming”
does feature a couple guest appearances. Unlike most guest
appearances, these fit perfectly with the song and the other emcees
offset the timbre of Kooth's voice. The two songs (out of 14) feature
Jace and Big 6. The first of which is a club anthem, “She A Killa.”
With each voice and verse these emcees move the song forward. The
last of the guest appearances comes in the song “Cold Hearted”
with Big 6. Both of whom rhyme of love and friendships gone bad. Each
of them take their verses all the while reminding us that they are
going to move on and make it to the top.
One
of the great surprises of this mixtape is the track “Want It All.”
For what seems like years, Coldplay has been willing to showcase
their love for hip-hop to a world that seems to either not understand
it or hide it under the bed until it is time to dress up and go out
for a few drinks. It seems to be fair turnaround that Kooth does the
same. Taking a melody and keyboard hook from the song “Paradise”
by Coldplay, offering up a fitting musical tribute of his own.
The
music has a great accessibility making it easy to get lost within.
These sounds can easily belong in the car, the club, chilling at
home, or broadcast through radio waves. There is only a matter of
time before these sounds and words find their way to the masses. They
are messages many need to hear. There is nothing wrong with
daydreaming, and we need those daydreams so that we can move forward
in life and love.
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Follow on Twitter:
@Therealkooth
