Montage One and "Beat2Def" - Music

The news that Montage One had just released an original single from his next album onto the hip-hop scene is good, indeed. He’s representative of the new breed of rap artist where innovative sounds, literary-worthy lyrics and unique vision are parts to the whole machine. I feel bad saying it, but with lesser artists, it's common to end up with two out of three.

By that I mean Montage One stands out from the impressive population of hip-hop artists out here in California because with his music, it’s not just the words, as much as I like them. Sure, with Montage One lyrical excellence is pretty much a given. Hip-hop is defined by rap, which is delineated by poetic genius. If you cannot compose rhymes that reference modern concepts listeners can relate to in fresh and inventive ways, you will be lost against the thousands of other voices that sound just like you who are also operating in the industry.

“Beat2Def,” Montage One’s latest single, is a solid piece of work. The title alone is worth the price of admission. “Beat2Def.” I’m going to beat you to death. Better yet, these beats are def. No, wait, these beats are so def that you will literally have your music sensibilities beat to death by the power of this song’s coolness. Better yet, on one hand this song has beats, but on the other hand it's def. Word up to Montage One for bringing back one of my favorite 80's hip-hop slang terms. 

But “Beat2Def” is also a solid song, even without the lyrics. I’m a listener who has been enjoying this stuff since Yo! MTV Raps. I was jamming to Easy E in junior high. Kool Mo Dee still makes me become very quiet out of sheer respect for the magnitude of philosophy he put into every rhyme he wrote. Sure I love the Beastie Boys, but I really wish people talked about 3rd Bass more. I remember buying Ice-T’s singles on cassette tape at Music Plus, when they came in little cardboard boxes wrapped in plastic. You gotta work hard to impress my experienced tastes, sorry.

So I was very pleased with how Montage One’s single delivered because of the instant, classical vibe it expressed in the first few seconds. I mentioned old-skool rap in the last paragraph to underline how pleased I was with hearing ice cold, completely groovy, 70's funk-worthy organ tones with so much soul all you can do is listen.

At that point the song could probably jet across the stratosphere on it's own, but the MC's choice to throw in 80's-worthy scratching effects was impressive. I was suddenly back in junior high, listening to Herbie Hancock's "Rockit." Remember how fucking cool that song was the first time you ever heard it? That's ok because with "Beat2Def" the scratch is back, a parallel and contrast to the luscious tones coming out of the synthesizers. Producer Jlisted has done some great engineering, here, and the diligence shows. 

This was gratifying because when it comes to singles, there are rules. It has to be representative of what the artist has done and can do. When "Shadrach" came out as a single before Paul's Boutique, you knew the Beastie Boys were making a promise to you that their album was going to keep. I remember listening to "Higher Ground" before Mother's Milk came out, relieved that the Red Hot Chili Peppers next record was going to rock.

Let's face it, we like the artists we listen to and all of us attempt to preach accordingly. I had a few friends over, and to show off Montage One I blasted "Beat2Def" as loud as the rattling windows would allow. They were totally won over by what they were hearing. A proper single should do that.

Ras Kass and Guilty Simpson brings some serious heavy artillery to the song, too. This is in addition to the cuts being performed by DJ Revolution. Part of why "Beat2Def" has so much power is because of the talent that's been packed into it. You have to respect lyrics that combine references to Nebuchadnezzar, the regenerative power of amphibians and the prowess of MMA superstar Randy Couture, plus flying saucers. You probably have to replace the batteries on your thesaurus after composing something like that.

If the single is a promise of things to come, 10.6.3 OGX looks guaranteed to make it one hot autumn. The LP is set for release on September 11, 2012. If you like what you hear, you can find it all here.

Hip-hop and Reggae Week - Commentary

Yes, I have been covering a lot of hip-hop and reggae this week. That is a good thing. Here is some very swank, authentic Jamaican dub for you to enjoy:

As you approach the Gates of Heaven it will sound like this.

Before I go on, a moment of deep appreciation.

I would like to thank everyone, including my friends, for promoting the blog and visiting this part of the Internet. I've only been putting the word out since late September, and it's already gone past 1,000 legitimate pageviews in ten countries around the world including India, France, China, South America, Russia and Poland. 

I promise to use my power wisely.

A very special thanks to hip-hop superhero Montage One, who was ultra-cool in posting a hyperlink to this blog on his own website. You, sir, rock the house.

More thanks to Bay Area hip-hop musicians Jahn the Baptist and Illuminati Congo. They put up a link to my blog on their site as well, and I can't think of a nicer compliment. I very much appreciate it!

A few days ago I interviewed Unity Lewis for Culture Magazine. What a scholar. He schooled me on the connection between hip-hop and reggae, and I got into authentic Jamaican reggae and dub in a much bigger way because of him. The interview will be published in November, and I will certainly post a copy of it over here.

I'm putting together a blog post about an artist from the United Kingdom named Tricky. I've been looking forward to writing about this producer and hip-hop musician, and I promise that his approach to the genre is one worth appreciating for fans of the music.

Until then, here's one of my favorite all-time songs from my hardcore ska days, "Soundsystem" by Operation Ivy, from the album Unity. Thanks to Unity Lewis, I finally understand what the title of the song is referencing.

I always loved ska, hip-hop and reggae, and now I understand how they are all fundamentally connected.

Montage One and the Art of the Dis - Music

Good hip-hop musicians like Montage One use a combination of aggressive and defensive lyrics to make a point. This wordplay can be poetic or logical, straightforward or stealthy.

The yin-yang is more than just a cool symbol to market kung fu films, it also represents a fundamental, philosophical understanding of the positive and negative qualities of the self and the universe.

When one hip-hop musician goes after another musician using his lyrics, he can adopt a yin or a yang approach, using logical argumentation and poetic expression to nullify his opposition's qualities while at the same time assaulting their character with the power of words.

The yin, which represents the dark, feminine, mysterious, oceanic, wise and hidden nature of things, can be used as a way to insult rivals with an attack that robs them of their perceived invincibility using humor and imagery.

In "Mic Acrobats" Montage One uses both approaches. "Hated by the wack niggaz/feared by the weak/watch what they speak/talk on the low when we present..." is not only yin, it's also good logic.

Does the opposition hate Montage One? Well, then they are wack. Do they fear him? Then, they are weak, and have to be careful what they say when Montage One is around, so they speak low.

Now when you walk into a room, and see your opposition plotting a conspiracy, you can feel better knowing it's not because they are stronger than you, it's because they are afraid of you. This philosophy, courtesy of Montage One, can give you a much more positive perspective. 

The yin-yang has a dark and a light side, though. There's water and fire in the universe, so a hip-hop musician can take a much more direct approach to fortify his logical position with excoriating blasts of fact-based rhetoric. Yang represents this fire, but can also symbolize rage and aggression. 

Montage One's latest single from DJBooth's Event 20/20, "Black SpaceShip" featuring Gold Chain Military, has plenty of fire for the opposition to eat up. For example, check out aggressive lyrics like, "I'm rolling on you niggaz like a monster truck," and, "The black Magneto...my war is rap."

Warrior civilizations have always utilized art to reinforce courage and symbolically destroy enemies. We name our warplanes after predatory animals, decorate our family crests with monsters, and conjure up similar powerful images to fortify our spirit and scare our enemies off the battlefield. 

Traditional Muay Thai boxers perform the Ram Muay, a dance not only for showing proper respect to the martial origins of the art, but also to symbolically slay one's opponent. Some Ram Muay dances even incorporate movements that mimic digging a grave and burying a body in it. By doing this, the Muay Thai boxer inspire's his own courage. 

Ancient Maori warriors would pose with their weapons and give out a Haka, a combination of a battle cry and a challenging insult, intended to cause their enemies to flee in terror. 

When hip-hop artists talk about having a deep posse, high-caliber firearms, or driving monster trucks to crush their rivals it's no different than the way ancient warriors, like the samurai of feudal Japan, embellished their arms and armor with fearsome creatures, mythological or otherwise. 

Grant Morrison is an award-winning comic book author who is a giant in the field. He's made millions writing about the X-Men, Superman and Batman, and is a respected critic of the superhero genre. 

His latest book, "Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero" is a discussion of how superheroes are no different than previous mythological archetypes humanity has called upon to dream of being more than humanly powerful.  

When Montage One and Gold Chain Military rap in "Black SpaceShip" about being the black Magneto (one of the most powerful supervillains the X-Men have ever faced) and going to war, it's the same metaphor as describing an athlete's strength as Herculean, or saying that someone fights like Thor. 

Hip-hop music is there for each of us to enjoy in our own way. I analyze the art because it's how I pay the bills, but we all listen to the genre because of the yin and the yang, the poetry and the anger. The music can raise our motivation and help us win whatever war we might have to face.

Producer FredWreck has once again given us hip-hop with solid musical and literary integrity. Montage One's 10.6.3 OGX album is due out in January of 2012.