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The Budapest Brothas Of Hungarian Hip Hop

[ 1 Comment ]Posted on January 5, 2010 by admin in Music

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

.Hu knew there was a thriving hip hop scene in Hungary in the 90′s? And does GEG mean gay? And is orange the new pink?


Hungarian rapper, or redneck
at Karaoke night? You decide.

I’ve never been a big fan of most straight up American rap; I guess when I’ve got a Glock on me or I just got drunk or had sex, I just don’t think it’s something to build a song around. And then add insult to injury by not even bothering with a melody. Which is why I originally got into French rap, especially artists like Assassin or MC Solaar. French was made for rap; with its guttural vowels, you can sound kind of angry no matter what you’re saying. And the music had the added benefit that I didn’t have to care what was being said, I don’t speak French. I love stuff like Daddy Yankee and the artists on collections like Putumayo’s Arabic Groove for the same reason. Great jams, and no banal, self-aggrandizing lyrics (at least that I can understand) to distract me. Which is why I was ecstatic when – while I was actually looking for some good Desi or Indian Hip Hop – I got totally sidetracked and discovered the joys of Hungarian Hip Hop. The Fun began with Funktasztikus (aka Interfunk or Funk’n'Stein), and his insane speed rapping in Próbálj meg lassan beszélni. Coming on like a crank-fueled Eminem, it’s amazing his teeth don’t fly out, given their overall condition. After a little research (and a lot of Google Translate) I found a few other Hungarian artists like Ganxsta Zolee. Zolee looks like some American guy you might run into in a redneck bar, and in videos like A szerb határ felé, well, he kind of acts like one. If you find breasts and bottoms offensive, Read the rest of this entry »

Del tha Funkee Homosapien – Funk Man (The Stimulus Package)

[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 25, 2009 by admin in Music

Monday, May 25th, 2009

How Del Tha Funkee Homosapien started a hip-hop revival on my hard drive.

I was so busy grinding my own music career into oblivion in the early 90′s that I was too busy to dig deeper into a lot of the cooler music that was going down, especially upbeat hip-hop as defined by bands like (these are all YouTube links) Digable Planets, Dream Warriors, Arrested Development, Digital Underground and others. Which is why I have to thank Del tha Funkee Homosapien for releasing his latest collection for free; I’m a cheap bastard, and I couldn’t resist seeing what he’s been up to. Del was only eighteen when he recorded the infectiously brilliant Mistadobalina, featured in the clip at left, and unfortunately a lot of what hip hop was about at that time got buried in popular perception by the gangsta crap bullshit that followed. Fortunately all the fools who used music to promote hatred and violence have done a pretty good job of offing each other, and now some of the more positive 90′s hip-hop acts are enjoying a little revival this summer, at least in Boston (and on my computer). Take a minute to download Del’s new release Funk Man (The Stimulus Package), it’s worth a spin, and the price is right. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but he definitely foments some downtempo funk with a crunchy mix (which sounds almost like it was done on tape) that puts to use a lot of heavy compressed bass, Fender Rhodes, and clavinet. Even if Del doesn’t stimulate your package, it’s an excellent stress test for your woofers. Read the rest of this entry »

Peter Fox & Seeed Prove German Reggae’s Not An Oxymoron

[ 4 Comments ]Posted on October 24, 2008 by admin in Music

Friday, October 24th, 2008

Two words you don’t often see next to each other: “German” and “Reggae”

The lyrics are in German.
Found a translation here.

If you’re in a funk today, check out the Peter Fox clip at left. If you’re not feeling a bit chippier by the end of the tune, call your doctor for an emergency dose of Zoloft. Your case may be terminal. I had heard of Seeed, the German reggae-ish hip-hoppish band before, but never given them a good listen until recently, when I discovered singer Peter Fox’s solo material. This is the freshest sound I’ve heard in a long time, somehow fusing string sections, the beatboxy-ness of M.I.A., and a kind of laid-back über-sunshine. By the way, if the idea of German reggae sounds a bit at odds with itself, get in touch with the fact that German music even had an influence on Mexican music. Coincidentally, the Peter Fox material is slated for U.S. release on election day. Order a copy now. You may need something to cheer you up that day. For another cool clip check out Alles Neu, also from the release Stadtaffe, which BabelFish tells me means “city ape”.

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