14. "i hate to be that guy but..." In response to Reply # 0 Tue Apr-22-14 11:49 AM by bearfield
are people really checking for zach de la rocha in 2014? my recollection of him is that he was a serviceable rapper that nicely complemented his band's energy ~2 decades ago. he supposedly recorded a few albums worth of tracks with some big names but didn't release most of it
21. "a fair point" In response to Reply # 19 Tue Apr-22-14 01:38 PM by bearfield
>What's scary is at times his delivery overpowers his band, and >considering that band is Rage Against The Machine...lol.
i feel like el-p's beats are the overpowering thing that i want to hear and not zach but we'll see how it goes. el uses a lot of sounds in the same general area (pitch-wise) of zach's voice since he usually produces beats for rappers with lower (than zach's) voices. it will be interesting to see if el can modify his beats to let zach's voice complement instead of overpower
23. "This could be special" In response to Reply # 0
El-P is creating some of the best music of his career. Killer Mike is the best MC going right now in my opinion and having a couple of tracks featuring Quest, Zack and Trent Reznor could add just the right flavor to this already great mix. I'm excited for this album.
31. "RE: This could be special" In response to Reply # 23
>El-P is creating some of the best music of his career. Killer >Mike is the best MC going right now in my opinion and having a >couple of tracks featuring Quest, Zack and Trent Reznor could >add just the right flavor to this already great mix. I'm >excited for this album.
Killer Mike should get huge props just for lighting the fire under El-P's ass to get him to be much much more prolific than he normally is in terms of releasing music. He normally takes 4-5 year breaks between projects. Look at the quick turnaround for RTJ2.
37. "No doubt about that" In response to Reply # 31
>Killer Mike should get huge props just for lighting the fire >under El-P's ass to get him to be much much more prolific than >he normally is in terms of releasing music. He normally takes >4-5 year breaks between projects. Look at the quick turnaround >for RTJ2.
Even just the back to back of Rap Music and Run The Jewels. El-P sounds like an artist who has had his creative fire sparked again. He even sounds much happier in interviews that I've recently seen him in. This whole match up shows how important chemistry and the right musical collaborator can be to getting the best out of an artist.
40. "yeah. seems like he's pushing for more mainstream exposure" In response to Reply # 39 Thu Apr-24-14 02:15 AM by bearfield
with that lineup. if mainstream is a thing anymore (everything is so fragmented these days). maybe "non-rap exposure" is a more accurate term
i actually thought a large portion of RTJ sounded like he was trying to break out of "indie fame" harder than ever with its sing-songy hooks, more user-friendly chord progressions, etc.
there was a moment regarding el-p that has stuck with me for years: when he first performed on late night with conan o'brien in 2007 he had this "i REALLY want more people to hear this shit" energy about him, gripping and tipping the mic stand like a traditional rock singer. something about that performance made me think that he would at some point really try very hard to elevate beyond his current "indie darling" status. RTJ2 may be that moment
but if anyone deserves mainstream success, it's him. he's put in so much work over the years. his hip hop legacy is sealed, cemented, bronzed, and then frozen in carbonite for good measure. hopefully he can achieve success beyond hip hop nerds and critics
43. "They seem to be doing fine without a major" In response to Reply # 42
They do their thing, have a huge push on social media, sell out shows, festival appearances, etc. I get the impression that neither want to get pegged down by a major. As long as someone can press up some vinyl, that's dope. Can't wait for this record - RTJ still gets steady play
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