One of the very first hip hop albums I fell in love with was Drums by Midwestern pioneers Oddjobs. I was staying in the Twin Cities area and was getting an education on indie rap by a friend I'd met there. He gave me a list of "essentials" full of basically anticon., Rhymesayers, 1200 Hobos, you get the idea. He was actually fairly closed minded and judgemental about the more radio friendly stuff (he actually didn't like Mind Over Matter by Zion I which was offensive) but I am grateful for some of the stuff he introduced me to, these guys being one of them.
Oddjobs music is beautiful. It is dark, it is fun, it is funny, it is intricate but simple in a bleak and hardhitting way. It's all about contradictions I guess. Conflict and compromise. Wow this got poetic.
Anyway this album is great. If I remember right the rhymes are on point, the production is simple but effective, and the overall skill level is doubly impressive when one remembers these folks were in their teens when this was made.
All of them went on to do great things. This album is an essential for any fans of the Midwest sound. Enjoy it!
I used to hang out with Alexei and Eyedea around the time of Oddjobs second full-length. Great times with all of them.
ReplyDelete@Fosterakahunter That's pretty dope.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any interesting stories from then?
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DeleteI would mostly hang with them on small tours dates throughout the Midwest. I was really close with Eyedea and Alexei was his friend, so Alexei became my friend. We'd just talk about shows, things we'd see after shows, fans of the artists, etc. Being an indie artist, at least at that time, could sometimes be a mundane experience.
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