True
Live is a "rap orchestra". They play cello, violin, double bass
and piano, load on the thumping hip hop beats, and rap intelligently
over that fascinating backdrop. It's a rap first, orchestra second.
Not a gimmick. It's all done with a lot of taste, sense of drama
and purpose. The music is as adventurous as the lyrical content.
The rhymes, without violence or swear words or machismo, speak of
the real world (as rap can and should), what that world's like,
how to cope with it while celebrating life and music. It raises
questions, offers answers, and entertains. In short, this is a sensational
record, a daring hiphop hybrid like New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop,
but more accessible than that. Rap like punk rock was a cultural
tsunami, handing a means of self-expression to the masses. You didn't
have to play instruments to play punk, you don't have to be able
to sing to rap. That also opens the door for a lot of crap, and
phoniness. Designer ripped t-shirts for punk, bling and attitude
rather than substance for rap. In the end to be "good" you still
need to be creative. The easier it is to do the harder it is to
be different and creative. With American culture so pervasive most
of the innovative rap has been lost of the general public, but it's
out there, Dizzee Rascal, Roots Manuva and Ty in England, and True
Live in Australia.
True
Live is a "rap orchestra". They play cello, violin, double bass
and piano, load on the thumping hip hop beats, and rap intelligently
over that fascinating backdrop. It's a rap first, orchestra second.
Not a gimmick. It's all done with a lot of taste, sense of drama
and purpose. The music is as adventurous as the lyrical content.
The rhymes, without violence or swear words or machismo, speak of
the real world (as rap can and should), what that world's like,
how to cope with it while celebrating life and music. It raises
questions, offers answers, and entertains. In short, this is a sensational
record, a daring hiphop hybrid like New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop,
but more accessible than that. Rap like punk rock was a cultural
tsunami, handing a means of self-expression to the masses. You didn't
have to play instruments to play punk, you don't have to be able
to sing to rap. That also opens the door for a lot of crap, and
phoniness. Designer ripped t-shirts for punk, bling and attitude
rather than substance for rap. In the end to be "good" you still
need to be creative. The easier it is to do the harder it is to
be different and creative. With American culture so pervasive most
of the innovative rap has been lost of the general public, but it's
out there, Dizzee Rascal, Roots Manuva and Ty in England, and True
Live in Australia.