Artists give hip-hop a good rap

Tuesday, November 19, 1996

CONCERT:

Innovative groups Above the Law and SoleSides play UCLABy Nelson
Saldua

Daily Bruin Contributor

The fad of rap music will become stagnant and eventually die.
That was the common prediction made by many popular music critics
during the embryonic stages of the genre of rap music. What these
so-called critics failed to realize was rap music’s ability to
progress and expand its scope to become a heterogeneous genre.

Rap groups Above the Law and SoleSides, both of whom are
scheduled to perform at Westwood Plaza at noon Wednesday, are prime
examples of innovation and trend-setting. Both musically and in
business matters, these two groups seem to be at opposite ends of
the rap music spectrum. The tie that binds both groups is that they
continually overcome obstacles in the process of recording
memorable hip-hop music.

The UCLA Cultural Affairs-sponsored show will begin with the
SoleSides crew, both a coalition of rappers and deejays and an
independent recording label based out of Northern California. The
crew consists of DJ Shadow, the duo Blackalicious, Lateef the Truth
Speaker and Lyrics Born.

The major obstacle the SoleSides crew continues to deal with is
that, as an artist-owned, independent label, they do not have the
promotional capabilities enjoyed by the major labels. But their
independent status does have its advantages.

"We don’t have anybody looking over our shoulders, telling us
what to put out and trying to define who we are and what we do,"
says an optimistic Lateef.

The SoleSides crew has created a haven for musical
inventiveness. "Nowadays [rapper’s] careers are blown up and cut
short solely at the discretion of rich folks outside of the music,"
explains Jeff Chang, a managing partner of SoleSides. "This lack of
control by the musicians themselves leads to a musical
standardization, a ‘cookie-cutter’ sound."

The SoleSides crew have used their freedom as protection from
meddling music executives and cultivated their creativity as
musicians. They continually push the envelope and break boundaries
while challenging their listeners’ expectations of how hip-hop is
supposed to sound.

DJ Shadow’s forthcoming debut album "Entroducing…" is a
sample-filled, instrumental hip-hop album. Those who wish to
dismiss DJ Shadow’s work with the label "trip-hop" should recognize
that hip-hop began as an instrumental art form. With the present
emphasis on the rappers themselves, the foundation of the deejay is
often forgotten.

"Basically hip-hop is hip-hop," explains Chang regarding the
SoleSides crew’s refusal to be pigeon-holed with labels like
trip-hop and acid jazz.

The show’s headliners, gangster-rap pioneers Above the Law, have
not dwelt with the difficulties of being on an independent label,
but that is not to say that being on a major label is easy.

"Industry rule No. 4,080: Record company people are shady,"
rapper Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest summarized. Above the Law,
composed of Hutch, KMG and K-oss, know rule No. 4,080 all too well.
Originally signed to Ruthless Records, the pioneering trio never
received the necessary promotion and marketing for their four
albums. Whether during the disagreements with the distribution
company, the break-up of their labelmates N.W.A., or Ruthless
Records CEO Eazy E’s death, Above the Law album releases always
seemed to be the victim of bad timing.

Rather than bitterly trying to get out of their contract with
Ruthless Records, Above the Law waited patiently until they could
sign with another label. Now on Tommy Boy Records and with a new
album entitled "Time Will Reveal," the trio can enjoy major-label
promotion. But this promotion has not sacrificed Above the Law’s
artistic integrity.

"In many ways, Tommy Boy allowed us to keep it [the album]
ruthless," explains Hutch. "We have creative control."

Creating rap music is what Above the Law does best. Their first
four albums were hailed as street classics as the southern
California trio paved the way for the g-funk era. Since their debut
in ’90 with the album "Livin’ Like Hustlers," Above the Law has set
trends that many would follow with their grim tales of hustling on
the streets of Los Angeles.

But the group was not content to fit into the stereotypical mold
of only dealing with guns, money, sex and alcohol. They balanced
their street-hustler raps with lyrics that dealt with important
issues without ever sounding preachy. Songs like "Freedom of
Speech" called for a fight against censorship and "Gangster
Madness" prescribed a revolution to cure the ills of the inner
city. These message-oriented raps may have alienated some fans, a
fact that Hutch laments.

"If you spoon feed people, give them what they know, then it’s
cool with them," explains Hutch. "They don’t want to dig deep into
it and find a real meaning."

While on stage at Westwood Plaza, Above the Law will undoubtedly
try to reach their audience on a deeper level.

Tommy Boy Records’

Above the Law will play with SoleSides Wednesday at noon in
Westwood Plaza.