Blue Scholars and Junk Science - Yeah!

For many people, including those I spend quality time with, hip hop is a genre of music that they do not subscribe to. Their reasons vary: too negative; too aggressive; the artists don't have anything to say, etc. But they don't know the hip hop that I know and love.

I am a self-professed hip hop head. I will travel to a hip hop show - alone - because that is my thing! For me, I often find the positive in the negative induced hip hop commercial world. I seek out the creativity, which is paramount as well as seek out the socially conscious lyrics. I encounter the good stuff on a regular basis primarily because I handle the hip hop music for WMCO 90.7 at Muskingum College. I am blessed with exposure to numerous independent hip hop artists who have something to contribute to the artform. It is my belief that in many cases, the hip hop artists that are played on WMCO have produced a product out of passion and not for other, more material reasons.

I take much pride in the music that is aired on my weekly hip hop show. It is, indeed, the best three hours of radio that you can pick up in east central Ohio (Sunday night @ 9 p.m.). You know that I am #1 in my mind and in my world, right...?

This week I plan to play some tracks from two artists who I've consistently listened to over the past few days: Junk Science and Blue Scholars.

Both have a little bit of profanity, which is what it is, but that alone forces me to listen with a keen ear because I often have to perform meticulous audio edits on each track that I would like to have aired on my show and/or on the radio station in general.

Blue Scholars is one dj and one emcee. The project is is cool and smooth and is infused with jazz, but it still has a great deal of tempo to it. Most importantly the lyrics are creatively and purposefully strung together (and believe it not, not all lyricists flow with something to say).

Junk Science's "Feeding Einstein" did not grab me at first - the first few tracks just did not seem to stand out and the profanity threw me for a loop. But I persevered and gravitated to several tracks near the end of the disc.

Both duos have some tight lyrics and on several tracks the beats are deep and slow; in some cases, slower than I prefer, but I really like both cds as a whole. Both projects are worth whatever you put other there to obtain them for your personal collection. I promise that listening to either of these will not run the neighbors away (depending on who your neighbors are...and even then, maybe you shouldn't be neighbors with them anyway, eh...?).

That's it for now...and for the non-hip hop heads: follow my lead not only for what I believe will be a pleasant surprise, but an ear opening experience as well. For the folks who already know what is good...much love.

My Grammy awards recap is forthcoming...aha!

stay true...kfox