INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

The hip-hop beat 05/14/08

Here’s my guide to my top seven personal favorite (at this time) Naptown hip-hop songs available on the Internet. These are the local artists I’ve been bumping lately. Download this music and hear a sampling of the dope ish Indy has to offer.
p.s. If your music isn’t on here, do a better job of getting it to me.

1. “12 Steps” by Alpha (Myspace.com/alphaisforever)
Alpha is one-half of the group Class of 93 (the other being DJ Metrognome). Now I don’t know who made this beat, but it’s sick and very 2008. You can hear why these guys were chosen to open up for the Cool Kids at the Vogue recently. This cool flow is the definitive dedication to sneaker culture, complete with the confession of having “more kicks than a baby.”

2. “Smokescreen” by Twilight Sentinels (Myspace.com/twilightsentinels)
Top-notch production on this one. There’s golden age scratching and a slew of sample layers, but it still sounds space-age. Mic L. Night and Joe Harvey’s voices complement each other well in a back and forth flow. But that beat, man. DAMN!

3. “Bon Voyage” by Rocco (Myspace.com/rocco05)
A ghostly loop and upbeat drums make this an instantaneous head-nodder. Feel-good braggadocio ensues, with Rocco’s baritone leading the way. The subject of the rhyme spends most of his time either fighting off or giving in to the temptations of the night. Quick couplet: “I’m confident, ain’t it obvious?/It’s just the vibe I get off an audience.”

4. “Wishin’” by Organic Soul (Myspace.com/organicsoulband)
What happens when four extremely talented musicians/spoken word artists join forces in one group? Well, hopefully you get something close to what Organic Soul has done on this track. Acoustic swells, a beautiful and powerful chorus, and tastefully understated verses create a moody track I have kept on repeat.

5. “Fancy Dub” by Children of the Corn (Myspace.com/childrenofthecornwormusic)
This is a sneak peak of that Naptown collaborative hip-hop project I told you about last column, The Children of the Corn. This song features a bouncy, feel-good beat, anchored by a chopped-up, twangy electric guitar. Ace One is first up, and dons a rude-boy accent, letting the local scene hear why, “God sent me to earth to breathe life into this blood clot game.” Next up is Son of Thought, who paints a picture of an ill night chillin’ at the Casba, complete with Mpozi shout out. An emcee named OD brings a decent flow, and project coordinator Richard Cook bats clean-up, knocking the track out of the park with his trademark scratchy ebb and flow.

6. “Highper” by Grey Granite (Myspace.com/greygranite)
Even though this is a mixtape track, it’s still dope enough to make the list. Granite has the ability to rock over a variety at beats, and “Highper” is a perfect example. Over a hype electro-dance beat, the emcee still commands the listeners’ attention. You can easily hear this working up a crowd to a frenzy.

7.  “Get at Me” by Concrete Beats (Myspace.com/concretebeats)
This is rap music with a harder edge. Saw-tooth keyboard melodies set the tone for the emcees to brag about the efficiency of their hustle. Their hustle is music: “If you’re looking for the illest emcees on a track, if you need a hot beat then you know where we at, get at me!

8. “Facetime” by Skittz (Myspace.com/mudkidskitz)
Is he still part of the Mudkids? Um, I’m not sure, but I do know the stuff I’ve been hearing from him lately is next level Skittles. This laid back lesson is all about the cool flow Skittz rides the beat with.