GROUP FOR A WEEK: EPMD

There is no better "fresh discovery" to begin your week with than the tasteless irony of a group that have been around longer than most of our neo-philistine hip hop fan's lives.

The monotone sounds of classic hip hop became the voluptuous ingredient by which the original duo known as EPMD based their whole career around. It was a time when the instrumental side of rap had no airs or graces about it, allowing for the individual talent of a group's members to take full effect.

 EPMD joined an entourage of emerging hip hop artists such as Redman (whom they frequently collaborated with) in the late 80's early 90's that began the transition from safe hip hop to underground, explicit rap that would flourish and grow throughout the latter years of the decade.


 Founding members Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith made their presence known immediately with the release of their bold debut album entitled Strictly Business. The track of the same name off the album became their first big hit, drawing on a never before heard poetic harmony, with similes and metaphors amalgamated within lyrics.

They became one of the first groups to openly discuss gang life and it's close association with narcotics, something which for maestros such as Run Dmc was very much the ghost at the feast. The group came back again in 1991 with Unfinished Business. Chic white sneakers, gold chains and fashionable sports cars were displayed on an album cover no less lubricious than any Snoop Dogg track.
Nevertheless the album dispelled any ideas of the group suffering the turmoil of "second album syndrome". If anything the album went over much better than their debut drop, with notable tracks including Get The Bozack, Please Listen to my Demo and So What Ya Sayin'. Evidence of the albums success and more notably the group's rapid rise to fame was clear as a priest's conscience when their third and most accessible album became laced with collaborations.

In the golden year of '99, artists including Method Man, Redman and Busta Rhymes rushed to become apart of the veracious rap album Out of Business . All that made EPMD famous historically was laid bare from the Intro track to the close of Jane 6. The album also brought the best out of it's collaborating artists, in particular Symphony 2000 feat Redman, who replaced his usual colloquial attempts at cheap thrills for the more intellectual approach we all know him to be capable of. In a year synonymous with the fastidious production of a certain Operation: Doomsday album, Out of Business kept true to form with simplistic beats that allow the listener to explore the rugged lyrics with the attention they deserve.

It was very much the "sit up and listen" attitude that held EPMD in such high regard. They brought a unique realism that rap was lacking at the time or had not seen since the early days of Public Enemy or GrandMaster Flash. In many ways it was that very realism that justifies their position amongst such high echelons of hip hop.

90's Hip Hop in Full Effect

The Best Flex You Never Had

Far from the hegemonic culture of a nation lies a diverse blend of artists that many will never hear unless it is in this case brought to their attention.

What has always made rap unique is it's ability to resonate with anyone regardless of the language. So let autonomy guide us, taking these pristine examples as the necessary building blocks with which to broaden our horizons.

PEZET- (POLAND)

From the heart of a country no less than a decade into it's liberation from Communism came a hip hop artist deeply embroiled with a message of just how tough life in Eastern Europe can be.
That said, Pezet quickly became the success story of the late 90's. In a country renowned for employing it's passion ( one need only look towards historical figures such as Pilsudski or the powerful patriotism of the nation's anthem Mazurek Dąbrowskiego)  came a breeding ground for a new, slightly unorthodox style of hip hop.

Pezet was never the pin up, poster boy rapper. Skinny, white and sporting some draconian styled bifocals, he never had much to work with from the beginning. This only served to benefit him; a lack of image placed all the emphasis on talent (or moreover whether or not he possessed any). The jury was certainly out from the get go, particularly when you bear in mind that the country itself did not have much of a rap scene to speak of at the time.

Three albums in a '98 collaboration with fellow MC Onar and two in 2002 with producer Noon were all it took to successfully quell the reproaches of the most conservative of critics. 
In 2004, his album Muzyka Poważna, produced by Noon, finally warranted  him great aplomb  as a solo artist. It was this album that featured one of Pezet's best known songs, Nie Jestem Dawno. It details a life of destitution and parallels it (with articulate detail) to a feeling of death, which the title suggests,  or more importantly the comfort death may possess over the rapper's life. It was this heart-felt honesty that would define Pezet.

Though in recent years his work has moved more towards the material aspects of rap, the evidence of which can be found in tracks such as Supergirl, his importance for both a country and genre must not be underestimated. In a way his music helped to loosen the shackles of a country synonymous with oppression. Rap during the golden years of Pezet's career in Poland grew to insatiable heights. 

It permitted the success of Polish rappers such as Lukasyno, although him and others like him will always play second fiddle to the originality Pezet brought to his music, evidence of which can be seen in how most of the beats in Polish hip hop tracks today seem to sound the same ( and absurdly Arabian, if you disagree simply click here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz5pW9dMGB8 ). Pezet was fortunate enough to have worked with some great producers, who served as the extra ingredient to an already talented rapper.

Check out Nie Jestem Dawno here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYpxnEIu1aY

DOWN LOW- (GERMANY)

The group, who came to fruition in the mid 90's, based themselves in Kaiserslautern and are credited as being the first rap group to bring a European style to the rap scene. 

Listening to their tracks will bring to mind a young Coolio as the beats blend a mixture of a customary snare kick with the disco dance music that became popular during the decade in Europe.

Founding members Darren Tucker and Joe Thompson began work on a number of singles during the years '95 and '96.

While their first drop Don't Look Any further received about as much attention as a Catholic priest's sermon, the second entitled Vision of Life grabbed the masses in a vice grip that has failed to loosen as time passes us by. Shortly after in 1997, the group produced their first and most significant album Visions.

What made the album so appealing was the broad range of issues it attempted to tackle, such as the track Murder which parodied the calamity that was the O.J Simpson murder trial to a comic on-stage soliloquy.

Group member Tucker's place is occupied these days by Mike Dalien as they continue to work with emerging artists such as C- Blok and Nana from K-Studio in Kaiserslautern.

Endemic of the group is the benevolence in their work. In '98 they began the Rapper Against Racism campaign, which aimed to tackle the still prevalent issue of racism in Germany. 

The group have taken many breaks from the rap scene over their illustrious carrer yet always seem to return to do what they know best. 

The release of a 2006 album Return of the Trendsetter  pricked the ears of nostalgic fans. Rather than getting with the times, as many infamous 90's rappers tend to do, the group stuck to what made them big in the first place. Each track was laced with the aforementioned "Europeanisation" attributed to the group and much credit must be given for their utter refusal to change who they are.

The influence they had on rap worldwide continues to go unnoticed, although that only serves as a perfect depiction of the modesty encompassed in European hip hop. 

To experience the talent of Get Low check out the track Murder right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BjKepsu-rQ

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