Hip-hop, as Americans know it, rarely get out of our cypher. Lyricism is barely acknowledged nor accepted outside of the continental forty-eight states, and even less if the artist and producer are not Black, since culturally it is widely treated as theft, similar to what happened to blues, jazz, soul, disco, and every other dominate Black artist genre America has woven. With such a cultural problem of accepting outsiders sans Eminem (who, for sake of argument I will not count as a hip-hop lyricist but as a rapper), it is extremely hard for hip-hop to get international in the right way, especially when artists for other countries stay true to its origins and creates various degrees of expression of under a perfect beat that speaks to their existence in their corner of the world.
Configa and Tommy Evans are the dynamic duo that break through across the pond.
In their latest release Jolicoeur (which I’m sure is in honor of David “Trugoy” Jolicoeur from De La Soul), the cats from the United Kingdom bring a classic hip-hop sound with modern sensibilities, reflecting their transcontinental hip-hop and R&B roots in a way that would make the late Guru proud. In a perfect world Jolicoeur would be the album of the summer in the United States, with various singles in rotation multiple times a day from Clear Channel controlled radio stations, and a thirty city tour already in motion in support of the release. However, as most hip-hop heads know, positive music with a feel good vibe are a cardinal sin on American radio stations and commercially banned from penetrating the youth’s musical tastes in a positive direction, making the album an underground find but with a lot of shelf life discovery in its future.
Yeah, it’s like that in America, or as they say, the way it is.
For those of you not hip to the cats holding it down, Configa, the short shorn red head bloke from the United Kingdom, has held the mantle as being one of the most prolific producers in hip-hop not consciously known for over twenty years. The tragedy of this is that his production skills are not spoken alongside his peers such as Q-Tip, DJ Premiere, Pete Rock, Guru, and others that have made legendary sounds that have defined a generation. A Configa beat goes as hard as the best of them, and while the rest of them feign in and out of retirement he’s still in the cypher making the faders slide and the rhythm glide.
Tommy Evans, the Gene Wilderesque wild man from Leeds who, as rumor has it, pioneered UK hip-hop just to walk away for a religious pilgrimage via Islam, has held down the mic in the hip-hop trenches with international pop stars like Nenah Cherry and hip-hop veterans like Speech from Arrested Development the core of his career. To be honest I had not heard of him until this album ran across my desk, but after checking out his catalog and his career, there no refuting that he is one of the most prolific lyricists in hip-hop, with over eighty releases and almost ten solo albums. No lyricist that is known has that kind of catalog that consistently brings fire to the hip-hop pit.
In other words, Jolicoeur is an epic reunion of two pioneers going back to their roots.
The lead single Summertime fits the season perfectly, with a throwback 1990s Jamiroquai vibe mixed into DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince’s vision of the summer by the same name. The sexy, light, cocktail type jam is just pure unadulterated party song fun that hasn’t been done fashionably in quite some time. Speech from Arrested Development gets in on the actions with the visceral They Not Expecting Us To Fight, a cypher blitzkrieg of lyrical warnings about corporate interests interfering with life, love, and pursuit of happiness of the common citizen. It’s rock hard, solid, and goes back to the uncompromised activist roots of classic hip-hop. It’s pure Configa boom bap on the track, backing up the explosive lyrics that gives without coming up for breath.
Love Like This pours out the classic hip-hop double entendre love tip, interwoven on the ups and downs of living the lifestyle and navigating its hard waters while maintaining a relationship with the genre. It’s a catchy little tune that gives you just enough upbeat fun not to be saddled with the heartbreak moments Evans transcribes in the verses. Memory Lane 4 continues with this vibe, taking us back to a simpler time of hip-hop when it was about the love of the culture instead of the business that comes with having a career of it. The smooth late night Wu-Tang inspired beat gives the right groove for Evans’ iambic pentameter love letter. However, the highlight of the album is Every Situation, which gives us that late night ride vibe while pulling the listeners’ coat tails to consequences of reactions without forethought into the action itself. Everything about the song is flawless, from its production to Evans’ sincere but serious lyrical cypher that lulls you in to hitting the repeat button more than you care to acknowledge.
Our cousins, as we like to say in Chicago when we bring someone into the fold, have done their due diligence holding down the hip-hop mantle with fire on the decks. Jolicoeur is the type of album that should be in mainstream America’s sights but isn’t, because the fight on its fists is trying to be heard without contempt. It is a sad day in hip-hop when an album that discusses the issues of today without glorifying violence or peruses the joys of life without forcing a depression narrative as the end result is not considered marketable. Good hip-hop is balance. It’s not an all or nothing solution, even in its militancy. Jolicoeur gives us just a little nudge of everything without being angry as hell on every bar or beating us over the head about it through every verse. Overall, it’s just a listening eargasm that sounds fresh and new. There’s nothing like it on the radio.
Jolicoeur breathes life not death to the soul, something the world needs now more than ever.
