Play More Music

Generally I try to keep politics on the sidelines with this blog. I personally do not give a fuck what people think or do as long as it doesn't get in the way of me or my life. But I especially don't care to have it shoved in my face with the token condescension of you typical activist know-it-all. With that being said, introducing the late-80's activist trio known as Consolidated. While their painfully persistent left-wing diatribes can grind the nerves after a while (I mean really, is there fucking anything they don't complain about?) the music is really fucking good. Mostly hip-hop with a slight industrial/electronic sound - the sampling and beats are absolutely off the hook. They vocals are reminiscent of Chuck D but are so pessimistic they make the Public Enemy frontman look positively pollyanna. It's no surprise the group recruited activist rapper Paris for guest vocals on "Guerillas In The Mist" - he fits perfectly with the group's "let me tell you how rich white men are fucking me over" vibe. Unfortunately that's my one gripe with the album - the vitriol is so interminable that it eventually just sounds like a bunch of pissed off teenagers bitching for the sake of bitching. Life ain't that fucking bad dudes, take a minute to smell the roses. Interestingly, the album is speckled with sound clips from their live shows in which audience members are encouraged to participate in praising or condemning the band (and all end up sounding like idiots). It's a pretty cool listen and was definitely ahead of its time. Enjoy.

White Boys Need Not Apply

The Devil Made Me Do It

It was the only album in the pathetic "Rap - MISC" section of my local mall's Alwilk Records that I didn't have - I grudgingly slapped down $12 for a rapper named after the fucking French capital. Man, what a surprise. Ignoring the fact that nearly everything he says on the album is a not-so-veiled hatred of my white suburban ass, Devil Made Me Do It got some serious rotation on my CD player during my freshman year at college (to my loser upstate-NY metalhead roomate's eternal agony). The tone of the record is incredibly dark, beats are definitely Public Enemy-influenced with a cool bass-heavy synthesizer in the background. Paris incorporated what fellow Californian Ice-T was popularizing at the time, adding some sick guitar licks to a few songs, namely the amazing title song. "Brutal" is probably my favorite track; and I can't tell you how many times I sampled the beginning of "Scarface Groove" into awful homemade rap songs that (fortunately for the world) have long been taped over. I've never actually checked out any of Paris's other albums - I know he's had some controversy associated with them; as far as I'm concerned this album is more than enough. Enjoy, crackers.

This Is A Test