Let’s put it simply, Ghetto Pop Life
is one hell of a record. In sixteen tracks spread over
just under an hour, MC Jemini and producer extraordinaire
Danger Mouse rewrite the whole history of hip-hop only
to pull it apart again and again. Released on the excellent
hip-hop arm of Warp, Lex, Ghetto Pop Life is
simply the best album the label has released so far,
and it is not a small performance.
Ghetto Pop Life is the first collaborative
effort between Jemini and Danger Mouse. Jemini The Gifted
One first appeared back in 1995 for just one quick round
with his seminal Brooklyn Kids/Funk Soul Sensation
EP and a series of critically acclaimed live performances.
Eight years on, he and new producer Danger Mouse embark
on one of the most ambitious hip-hop projects heard
this side of the century. Hailing from Athens, Georgia,
home of REM and The B-52’s, Danger Mouse provides
here a classic soundtrack for Jemini’s lyrics.
Breaking up his heavy beats with elements of country,
rock, soul and classical and humorous vocal samples,
DM carves an impressive collection of funky soundscapes
with great ease, always ensuring he maintains the fine
balance between convincing grooves and party atmosphere.
Tackling issues as diverse as women, parties, drugs,
his own lyricism, poverty and Iraq, Jemini’s rhymes
are as fluid and unpredictable as they are sharp and
dense. Constantly shifting between serious matters and
a lighter take on life, Jemini provides a performance
that reaches far beyond the realm of traditional rap.
From the opening moment of Born-A-MC, string
whirlwinds around Jemini’s vocals and you know
you’ve hit something impressive. With Jemini introducing
his art, this track is his way to introduce himself
to his audience. The title track further asserts the
unusual aspect of this record by featuring a choral
performance from the London Ghetto Pop Choir combined
with DM’s heavy groove and Jemini’s assertive
vocals. If the pair occasionally tone their compositions
down (Yoo-hoo!, Here We Go Again),
it is when their work reaches anthemic proportion that
the true atmosphere of this album shows its full impact.
That Brooklyn Shit, The Only One,
Take Care Of Business or the political Bush
Boys, which features a sample of a speech by the
current American President and an interestingly wacky
interlude, will have crowds weaving their hands in the
air, but it is on Copy Cats, perhaps the most
upfront and catchy piece here that the whole spirit
of this album is captured in the meanest and most perfect
way.
Gravitating around the Danger Mouse-Jemini nucleus is
an impressive collection of talents, from West Coast
trio Tha Licks, formerly known as Tha Alkaholiks on
What U Sitting On?, and The Pharcyde (Medieval)
to Organized Konfusion’s Prince Poetry (Copy
Cats) and New York-based J-Zone aka Captain Back$slap
(Take Care Of Business), all providing some
extra lyrical textures.
With this first collaboration, Danger Mouse and Jemini
offer an interesting take on hip-hop, classic and modern,
and produce one of the most exhilarating albums of the
year so far. Their unique blend of sounds and rhymes
is utterly essential, whether you’re into hip-hop
or not.
5/5 |
