#10-Show Review-Aesop Rock/Rob Sonic/DJ Big Wiz @ the Mohawk ...1/23/2010

As Saturday night rolled around, I was trying my damndest to get through the day...was planning on going to see AR but was scared I wasn't gonna get in. Contrary to popular belief, I don't just sit in my apartment and spin my vinyl copy of Illmatic all day and night. Blogmaster Marty likes to leave the house, typically for rock/hip hop shows, cheap beer, record stores, and tacos. anything else isn't worth getting up for. Ok, joking aside Aesop is starting to gain some serious momentum while becoming more and more prolific. The crowds keep getting bigger and bigger, and for good reason.

Upon parking downtown, I received a text that confirmed my aforementioned suspicion; the show had in fact, sold out. Thanks to my friend Coby, (stage right) I was able to get in...his roommate had an extra ticket, and as I walked in, Aesop and Rob Sonic were ripping through "Coffee". As we scurried towards the bar, I saw just how PACKED the mohawk was....as much as I wanted to jump outside and nod my head w/ the rest of the crowd, I knew I had to get some type of libation. Coby and I grabbed 4 lonestar 16-ouncers and headed outside. From there, AR and Rob Sonic ripped through much of 2008's None Shall Pass; cuts from Bazooka Tooth, Float, and Labor Days also wafted high into the red river district air. The Hail Mary Mallon track "D Up" was also done....followed by an encore of "The Yes and the Ya'll", which I might have gotten a little too excited about.

Unfortunately my Finepix has been a little under the weather as of late so I couldn't shoot the show-This picture the only one I could find that kind of captured the essence of the show...those are my friends Coby and Andrea above.

All in all was a great, great show. Thanks to Coby, Andrea, and Brian (who had the extra ticket) for making it an insanely fun night!!

-Marty.

# 9 ....Gravediggaz-"6 Feet Deep" (1994)

First off, Happy New Year!! Hope all of you had a fresh 2009 and here's to a DOPE 2010. Today's entry takes a closer look at Prince Paul and the RZA's side project GRAVEDIGGAZ 6 Feet Deep. This would also be the seminal release from the short lived "Horrorcore" segment-genre. To pigeonhole this record into a silly sub genre would not be doing it any justice, however. Seriously, Prince Paul and the RZA making a record should be means for a national holiday.

I know I kind of beat a dead horse at times within the confines of onlyhiphopblog by showcasing what I like about a particular album and then, in turn what, or who, it influenced. The fact of the matter is that, (and not just in the realm of popular music) but in life-even in terms of the world, all of the things we take for granted wouldn't have been possible without those who came before and laid the groundwork.

Within the material itself, Prince Paul and the RZA take us on a midnight walk through the cemetary but not without digging up influences that scream Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson before even looking for Eric B or Grandmaster Flash. Slow, dusty grooves play juxtapose alongside Frukwan and Too Poetic; these two carry most of the rhyming while the "RZArector" and Prince Paul primarily stay behind the boards....they definitely come out and shine on most of the tracks, even if just for a minute.

Records like 6 Feet Deep gave hip hop crossover appeal. By using unconventional production methods and mastering the use of genre-defying samples, RZA and PP brought in a new audience...and I can tell you first-hand when all the alt kids fell for hip hop....around '96-'97. I went to the neighborhood music store. (okay, so the closest thing resembling a music store where I grew up was circuit city) the dude behind the counter had longer hair, a skull cap, looked like he had just stepped out of any 90's grunge coming of age picture (Singles, Reality Bites, etc) He had Jane's Addiction's Kettle Whistle playing at his counter. I walked up to the counter with my purchase, (Genius/GZA's Liquid Swords) and he asked me if I had heard the Gravediggaz. He pointed me to 6 Feet Deep....I'm pretty sure I walked out with two cd's that day.

That experience made me realize that while hip hop at the time was an extremely formidable venture, I could listen to other kinds of music and those experiences would enrich my life that much more. Kind of funny and ironic that a record called 6 Feet Deep showed me all of the life I had in front of me.


-Marty.