The Best (and Worst) of Grand Rapids' Electro and Hip-Hop

Grand Rapids has always been a hot spot of the Michigan music scene... dominated by ska, punk, and hardcore, occasionally a band of a different persuasion will rise to the top. After the rise of hyphy (E40 anyone?), electro-dance (Daft Punk, I see ya'll), and, of course, a million DIY beatmaking programs, electronic music and hip-hop scenes everywhere are thriving right now, and the Murder Mitten is never one to be the exception. However, like any scene, GR hip-hop has its ups and downs. Here's a little bit of what's going on in the scene right now...

(For fun, there's going to be a point system, from 1 to 10:)

1 (they straight triflin') - - - 5 (they aiight) - - - - 10 (DAYUMN!)

[A.B! and Coconut Brown]
     My official favorite band today.
     This funk-hip-hop 6 piece (guitar, bass and synth filled out by a horn section) led by GR-area MC Adrian Butler plays hook-heavy, dance floor-ready hip-hop jams. With fearless, intelligent and articulate rhymes alongside smooth, funky hip-hop a la the Roots (see "Astro-Cool," available on their Myspace), these guys are a breath of fresh air in a scene crowded with indie and rock bands (both locally and nationally). While their strongest work lies in their fresh style of party-starting, warm-summer-night-driving hip-hop, AB&BC at times borrow from rap-rock ("The Breaks") and straight-up ska (the quirky, wake'n'bake-y "Apricot") with impressive competence and versatility. 

Song pick: "Japanese Denim." This surprisingly simple gem, built around a classic hip-hop beat (complete with a Sugar Hill Gang reference) and set off by a horn-based hook as well as AB's memorable rhymes (it's probably the only hip-hop song to ever contain the totally un-"street" phrase "Quality control: the thread count is too low!") would be worth a trip to one of their shows in and of itself.
Honorable mention: "E Squared." AB shows off his rapping skills; he is undeniably impressive, if not a little cocky ("Am I the only black dude/ in Advanced Placement?"). This one also highlights guitar player Biggie G with (SPOILER ALERT) a killer solo.

Alas, we leave AB&CB with my favorite rhymes from their MySpace selections (from "Astro-Cool"):
"I'm an astronaut, baby,/ wit astronaut boots/ chocolate ice cream I got astronaut scoops/ The dude gets sick, I got astronaut soup/ Astronaut warfare wit astronaut troops./ Astronaut pimps and astronaut coops/ Astronaut beats wit astronaut loops/ Astronaut cufflinks wit astronaut suits/ Your girl wants to play the astronaut crew." 
[Editor's Note: In case you get the feeling these guys know how to party (I sure do) they are playing a Cinco de Mayo show at the Intersection if you feel like putting the "rage" in "outrageous."]

POINTS: 10 (DAYYUUUMMN!)

[Almost Famous]
      This GR duo (comprised of rappers "Goob" and "J-Zav") brings white-boy hip hop to a new low. With a conspicuously homemade sound, and laughable humorous rhymes, these guys are following in the Puma-laden footsteps of LMFAO and other such novelty rappers. But, hey, at least they're memorable: in a song directly addressing their haters, "Don't Kid Yourself," contains not only an obscure "Family Matters" reference ("And my flow, you can't step on/ You're Steve Erkel/ and I'm fuckin' Stefan") alongside unabashed spoiled-suburban-kid cliches: "I'd rather kill myself than sell out like Cobain/ For every single person weeping over my grave/ I'd raise from the dead and I'd slap 'em in the face/ I'd tell em they should be ashamed, cause the pain of being lame is worse than worms in my brain." They even flex their Autotune muscles on "I'd Rather Have Nightmares."
     Through Almost Famous' lackluster beats and monotonous vocals don't stoke the hip-hop fires in my soul, their sense of humor shines through their rhymes and they are definitely good for a chuckle or two...

Song pick: "Party Dudes." "P-A-R-T-Y, cause we got to/ well, we don't have to/ but we really ought to/ Booze in the glasses, beer in the bong/ Dude, fill up the cups, we're gonna play pong."  Oddly, I can see this song catching on... 

POINTS: 5

[SuperDre]
     What might be more accurately described as trip-hop, this experimental DJ weaves simple beats with trippy loops that would be just as at-home in a nightclub as the soundtrack to a black-lighted, at-home chill sesh... a "just-sit-back-and-enjoy-the-ride" kind of vibe. Experimenting with a mindblowing range of sounds-- from the spaced-out "A Lot On My Mind" to the porn-y "Bouncy Spacekids" to the mod-disco and then highly-psychedelic "Down Below," DJ SuperDre takes her listeners for a mind adventure the likes of which the world just might be ready for.  
     While SuperDre certainly holds one's attention, I couldn't help but feel that a lot of her beats would be more satisfying if they were complemented with a consistent rapper or vocalist (rather than mostly beat-oriented work with a few featured vocalists). Alas, for those of you with a taste for instrumental electro/ trance and/or slightly "weirder" musical palates, this is guaranteed to hit the spot.

Song Pick: "With A Certain Style." This song is the musical embodiment of a sweaty basement rave... in a good way. With echoed, spoken-word-poetry vocals over an absolutely hypnotizing beat, this song is a psychedelic journey grounded by thought-provoking insight-- think of it as a 60's Greenwich Village poetry slam from inside the mind of an acid-tripping Beatnik. But don't panic. As one of my most notorious heroes once said, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."
     We might even have something to learn from SuperDre's guest poet-vocalist on this track: "So people, I want everybody to come together, come together, come together/ under the roof/ of a funky sky."

POINTS: 8 

***
Well, that's all for tonight, folks... it's Saturday night; hope this post made you want to get your groove on. I know I do.

XOXO
--Meg (thevolumejunkie)