Artist: Paris
Album: Sleeping With The Enemy
Year: 1992
Genre: Hip Hop
I won’t sit here and
write some false pretense about how deep I am in the hip hop scene. I’m not.
With that said, I love when hip hop gets aggressive. Give me energetic grooves, bass drop
backgrounds, synth accompaniment and a raucous MC with cool tone, timing and
context. I am not one for slow rhythms
or a heavy R&B influence. Paris is an extremely competent composer and has major
vocalization talent. More importantly,
this record lights a fire inside of me every time I listen to it and reminds me
to get off my complacent ass and be aware of politics and social issues that effect me, my family, my friends and my community. Being a fan of bellicose music, this record
speaks volumes to me. Paris is enraged and what he was spewing 25 years ago is
just as relevant as it is today. When I
listen to this album, I think of the timeline that has passed since 1992. It presents a doomed reflection of society as
I realize nothing has changed. Paris has a message and a mission; to call out societal
atrocities along with governmental failures and crimes. He does not relent and his combative
mentality is compelling and inspiring.
There is no hidden message. There
is no sugar coating. Much like the
protest music of the 60s or the “Reagan years” of punk rock, he is creating
awareness that is direct and unambiguous.
Artists like Paris are a necessity and more people in all styles of
music need to take a lesson from him.
Oh, and yes, the whole album rules.
Listen to "Guerillas In The Mist" here.
No comments:
Post a Comment