Thursday, July 2, 2009

Rap Battle: Hilltop Hoods vs. Mos Def

What better way to present hip-hop albums than in head to head competition? Todays bout pitches the Aussie MC's, Hilltop Hoods, 2009 release 'State of the Art' against Mos Def and his middle eastern tinged 'The Ecstatic'. I like to think of these albums as fairly underground in nature, but seeing as how 'SotA' debuted at #1 down under and Mos Def has an acting career in feature films and television, I guess that just goes to show that the use of the term 'underground' in the hip-hop community should be taken relatively. Perhaps it's nothing more than the complete lack of auto-tune on either outing that draws me to these two albums. Crank dat beat up- let's get this thing rolling:

Album Opener: We find both records hitting the ground running from the start. The Hoods fire off with "The Return", a guitar driven track that fills a void left empty since the break-up of Rage Against the Machine. This track is supposed to make a statement, and it does. Is 'incendiary' too high of praise? Thats certainly what their going for here and they pull it off pretty well. Mos Def's "Supermagic" is similiarly a high paced hard hitting, if a slightly less straightforward track. The song introduces the middle eastern flavors you will soon become accustomed to throughout the record, and couples them with a garage rock guitar riff. Think if 13th Floor Elevators had an MC. The track starts off with some socially conscious sampling, but pretty much drops that tone entirely to develop into a playful, fun, tune. Both tracks are excellent, but Mos Def's hits just a little harder in context of the entire album, and is inevitably more musically interesting.

Singles: Despite the records only debuting three days apart, Def has managed to release three singles to the Hoods one. To even the odds we'll throw out "Casa Bey", as we'll be discussing it later, and throw in "Chris Farley" from the Aussies. Both "Chris Farley" and MD's "Life In Marvelous Times" characterize the lone 'in the club' moments on either album. Meaning simply that its not too hard to picture the rappers in an obnoxious video, wearing Kanye sunglasses, and surrounded by women and bottles of Patron with these tracks backing. That said, "Life in Marvelous Times" is obviously tongue in cheek, and throws in some production flourish to good effect. The two superior singles, "Chase That Feeling" for HH and "Quiet Dog Bite Hard" from MD are undeniably excellent. MD's track is stripped almost bare for maximum impact. On "Chase That Feeling" however, the Hoods lay a clean, jazzy piano riff under a thick backbeat that harkens back to Henrik Schwartz, and is more immediately satisfying than anything else on either of these records. Tally one up for the Hoods.

The Filler: Here both albums make the mistake of supplying us with too much of the same. 50 minutes of Australians barking into your ear drums is, well, it can get a little old. When every song comes in like a car chase through your living room, eventually the adrenaline that should accompany this starts to fade, and you just get annoyed. The lyrics for the most part remain cocky, smart, and fun. At one point they even quote 'The Big Lebowski', which while some would present as an argument for why white guys shouldn't rap, never fails to put a smile on my face. Mos Def, throughout 'The Ecstatic', has the annoying habit of clipping his tracks at or under the two minute mark. The more interesting musical elements are a true strength of his record, but only really pay off when he fully develops them (as on "Auditorium", "Roses", or "Pretty Danger"). The rest of the time we are left with way too many half baked good ideas. This category is a wash.

Album Closer: This category goes over to Mos Def and the hypnotic "Casa Bey". The track is fun, playful lyrically and in production, musically muscular, and plays well off what is anything but a conventional hip-hop beat. HH with closer "Fifty in Five" offer one of the most chilled out numbers on their record, this time stretched out to five and a half minutes. The lyrics are overtly political in nature; don't worry though, nothing on bills to protect the kangaroo or boomerang exports. The Hoods actually have just as much to say about American and world politics as anyone else. As is typical, they establish a substantial groove and ride it adeptly, but in the end "Casa Bey" and its unique sounds take the cake.

Production: It's hard to imagine two albums from the same genre coming from such completely separate places in terms of production. Where 'SotA' is clean to a fine polish, 'The Ecstatic' is certainly not lo-fi, but content to let authenticity hum away on the background of many of its tracks. Where 'SotA' tends to always throw one more sample into the mix 'The Ecstatic' lets its world-bent backings pretty much stand alone. As a result, 'The Ecstatic' breathes a little more easliy as an album, and thus will easily lend itself to repeat listens. Don't get me wrong, a number of tracks off 'SotA' will remain on your work-out playlist for time to come, but to get through the record in one sitting takes a whole separate kind of stamina.

Well folks, its been a doozy, and for a while there I didn't know who was gonna take it- the Hilltop Hoods with their spitfire lyrics and unrelenting sonic energy or Mos Def with his Thievery Corporation inspired ethnic cool. The first rap battle of 2009 however goes to 'The Ecstatic'. In the end what we have here are two pretty good albums from two of the best in the biz. Do yourself a favor and check em both out.


'State of the Art'- Hilltop Hoods
Best Tracks: "The Return", "Chase That Feeling"

'The Ecstatic'- Mos Def
Best Tracks: "Supermagic", "Auditorium", "Quiet Dog Bite Hard"

1 comment: