Saw a bunch of people go wild for this on RateYourMusic earlier this year and figured it was some hipster hype, especially considering their New Zealand roots. But this is a pretty pure realization of the promise of Kendrick's "For Free?" most specifically but a whole lot of stuff that's been bubbling under the surface from Los Angeles to Houston to Minneapolis to New York since the early 2000s. True straight up modal jazz married to a white dude doing a Kendrick impression and being all confessional.

Kinda neat.


https://avantdalebowlingclub.bandcamp.com/album/avantdale-bowling-club

Years Gone By: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSYv7_8ZJ7k


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

"True straight
>up modal jazz married to a white dude doing a Kendrick
>impression and being all confessional."


Because that sounds like something I would never ever want.

But...

So far, this is really dope. Years Gone By is incredible.

The MC is much better than I expected so far, and the production is fantastic.

I wish the Roots would go this route.


Anyway, nice find.

>most specifically but a whole lot of stuff that's been
>bubbling under the surface from Los Angeles to Houston to
>Minneapolis to New York since the early 2000s.


Such as?

>"True straight
>>up modal jazz married to a white dude doing a Kendrick
>>impression and being all confessional."
>
>
>Because that sounds like something I would never ever want.
>
>But...
>
>So far, this is really dope. Years Gone By is incredible.
>
>The MC is much better than I expected so far, and the
>production is fantastic.
>
>I wish the Roots would go this route.


Agreed all way around. It's why I paid no attention. I truly dislike most NZ rap, it's so nakedly reminiscint of an era they didn't even live. Like a lot of German rap that "crosses over". This one, when I finally gave it a shot, immediately hit. I'll also say, beyond the NZ thing, the group's name felt like some try-hard.


>Anyway, nice find.
>
>>most specifically but a whole lot of stuff that's been
>>bubbling under the surface from Los Angeles to Houston to
>>Minneapolis to New York since the early 2000s.
>
>
>Such as?


I was mostly thinking of the Hellfyre Club when they buckle down and get away from the glitch stuff, Dessa from Doomtree who I always wish would get more time to shine, and Helio Sequence from the late 2000s who advertised themselves as this but never doubled down or had a emcee fresh enough to propel them. There are more, but I write about music infrequently enough I couldn't say, I just have this memory of it.



~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

The emcee is impressive in a refreshing kind of way.

but too much biting

The guy's been rapping like this for over a decade.

so kendrick took this guys style u saying?

cuz there are parts of this that sound like kendrick ghostwrote and laid a reference track for him

I could get mad at a thousand rappers if I were getting mad at this guy


I mostly made those comparisons to draw ears and eyes

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

>I could get mad at a thousand rappers if I were getting mad
>at this guy
>
>
>I mostly made those comparisons to draw ears and eyes
>
>~~~~~~~~~
>"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
>http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
>Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

nah... u had it right. he's a white guy doing a kendrick impression

Doesn't sound like kendrick except on a few tracks to me.

His catalogue is deep if you're interested also.

He started with a group called Homebrew, who have some dope shit, but IMO his best work comes with the group @peace. Their debut album is probably my favorite ever NZ release, but may not be as easy to appreciate for an international audience.

@peace's third (I think) project is an absolutely incredible concept album called @peace and the Plutonian Noise Symphony. I'd highly recommend this - I'd be surprised if you didn't like this if you're enjoying ABC.

He also had a really cool EP under the name Max Marx & Friedrich Calloway. If you weren't already sold on him lyrically, this verse here is one of the greatest verses I've ever heard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOrA_8aLxic

This is fantastic.

If this album was completely instrumental, then I would end up loving this (maybe that's why I also liked "Tea Break"), but the rapping isn't what I liked at all, but his flow on "Water (Melody)" was pretty good.

I wonder who's the musicians on this, or is he playing all the instruments on this?

It's a group; I also don't know who, but as others have mentioned the rapper himself goes out and raps, happened to find himself a good band.