Let's push things forward

Hip Hop Hump Days #9:

Various Artists – Rough Trade Shops Hip Hop 2015: Beats, Bass + Rhymes

Listen. Can you hear it? Something’s happening.

Hip hop is a strange beast. At its very worst, it is little more than diluted factory line chart fodder designed to secure airplay and make the bloated even fatter – think Nicki Minaj doing Crazy Frog impressions backed by nauseatingly overproduced landfill EDM or Pitbull’s bewildering lack of anything remotely resembling talent.

At its best, however, hip hop has the power to be one of the most creatively rich and diverse forms of artistic expression, constantly finding bold and inventive new ways to surprise and enlighten.

Right now, hip hop seems to be bursting at the seams with artists striving to be different, rather than simply trying to fit in with any sort of preconceived notion of what the genre should be about. It’s hip hop, Slim, but not as we knew it.

It seems the good people at the Rough Trade shops, themselves standard-bearers for exquisite musical taste, have also noticed this, prompting them to put together a compilation of 35 tracks from some of contemporary US and UK hip hop’s more forward-thinking exponents.

The resulting double CD is an exhilarating snapshot of a multi-faceted musical movement which still refuses to be confined by so-called boundaries, acknowledging its roots but still managing to sound vibrant, fresh and, above all, like the work of artists brimming with actual ideas.

This is hip hop as it was always intended to be: groundbreaking, inventive, creative, original… and, crucially, free from interference from major label executives looking for a generic, polished product to spoonfeed commercial radio listeners between adverts for household insurance and local carpet warehouses. No one gives a shit what Nick Grimshaw thinks or whether they’ll appear on the next Now compilation.

For me, what’s interesting here is how comfortably tracks from opposite sides of the pond sit alongside each other. From the US, we have Earl Sweatshirt’s piano-led ‘Chum’ which suddenly breaks into sci-fi prog rock, Sub Pop signings (and can you imagine Sub Pop putting out hip hop albums even a decade ago?) THEESatisfaction and Shabazz Palaces and their own unique (and sometimes psychedelic) take on the genre, and the consistent brilliance of Run The Jewels. Longer-established artists such as Ghostface Killah and Pharoahe Monch also get a look-in, proving that keeping things fresh isn’t solely the preserve of the new skool. Also worthy of a mention are the free-jazz stylings of Hail Mary Mallon, Sonnymoon and Your Old Droog.

The UK is superbly represented. Young Fathers are as good as ever, steadfastly forging their own distinct musical path, while Foreign Beggars kick off 'Sirens' with droplets of eerie digital pizzicato before erupting (if that's the right word) into bass-heavy minimalism and super-sharp lyrical delivery. Ocean Wisdom’s collaboration with kidkanevil layers dark, grimy basslines over organic-sounding drum and bass reminiscent of Breakbeat Era, while Novelist and Mumdance’s mighty ‘Shook’ impresses with snatches of euphoric synth piercing through stabs of deep, vibrating, buzzing feedback, like shards of sunlight penetrating storm clouds. A mention too for Jehst and Strange U's brilliantly unsettling 'Dolph Lundgren'. And you will not find a more deliciously British take on hip hop than West Country MC Spye’s closer ‘Oops Sorry’ – trust me.

Thirty-five tracks. All individual in their own way and yet at the same time sharing a common characteristic in that they are all pushing boundaries and daring to do something different without pandering to the mainstream. This is what hip hop was about when the likes of Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash were cutting up old funk and soul records to create something completely new: pay your dues to those who came before you, but take those influences and keep on moving forward.

And on the strength of this album, hip hop has never been in finer creative health.  

Listen. It’s happening right now. Be a part of it.