Re-enter the Wu Tang Clan or could it be “Killer Bees” part three?Str8 Buttah – Str8 From Da ArtThe Most Indepent and Conservative Hiphop Album.Re-enter the Wu Tang Clan or could it be “Killer Bees” part three? When last did your hear a rap album where you can’t sayWhen last did your hear a rap album where you can’t say “Hey, that’s my favourite track”. Str8 Buttah blow doors off the hinges with their Album “Str8 from the Art”.Since rap’s East coast style is my favourite,I dare to say since it ain’t where you from it’s where you at then hip hop is definitely where Str8 Buttah is at. With an 18 track offering, XYZ, Teck, Deck, Mr. Rae, Enigma and R-Cube hit you with a sound similar to the abstract feel of the Wu Tang era fused with a lot of soul. It’s tough at this stage to not call it close to classic by Hip hop standards and at the same time, but if I were to be mistakenly quoted in the near future, I wouldn’t deny.The steady drums, kicks and soulful samples go a long to show their influences except of course you don’t understand the tenets of ‘94 type hip hop, you might not get with the program as you ought to. With lines like “I know who I rep man,Rakim in my left hand,Fela in my right hand, and in my past life, I was Shakespeare’s hype man” You get to understand the sincerity of their approach to hip hop /rap music.With skits and an album arrangement that would almost make producer RZA of the Wu Tang Clan blush heavily.For instance,listening to the hook and beat of “reunion’ gives you nostalgic feelings of the entire “W” era,unfortuanately more Nigerians recognise the Logo than ones who know what it rpresents.The Buttah crew run through an 18 track masterpiece that will put aspiring Nigeria Rap crews on their toes, it is hopefully geared towards a universal audience, a serious and seemingly ambitious step considering the rap scape in Nigeria. Coming fresh off their SMVA award winning video for Last Stand ,”this is how Hip Hop’s supposed to sound” Str8 Buttah show somewhat why rap is not necessarily American but universal so did I say before “it ain’t where you from, it’s where you art?” if rap/beats and lyricism is an art, then the Buttah crew studied well!!Downsides of the album would a relegation to the underground as a result of heavy samples apart from a lack of conscious attempts to reach the new mainstream Naija music consumer who is stuck in reggae-ton beats and “henessey”,”swagger” and ginger infested lyrics but that’s secondary,since “stra8 from the art” makes flawless listening to the Naija rap 1%(one percenters)…..“live ones” ,”showtime” featuring Kel and “Fly” feature MI-Fliss…adapt classic lines like “1 for the treble and 2 for the bass,” …..and if you didnt’ follow hip hop before 97,this album’s not for you, apologies due!
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