Immortal Technique
The 3rd World
Viper (2008)
With the likes of T-Pain and Lil Jon being the pop music representatives of hip-hop, it seems that the narcissistic materialist is officially the new standard. Fighting the power is just not all that cool. The average kid today associates rap with the glamor of Lil Wayne and Soulja Boy rather than the fury of Ice-T and NWA. Meanwhile, Ice Cube and his suburban-friendly movies have him looking more like Bryant Gumbel than Malcolm X, and Flavor Flav has been reduced to a pathetic court jester. What the hell happened? Although this cultural trend seems to only be gaining momentum, there is at least one formidable force working against it. As an independent artist, Immortal Technique might not be armed with the promotional forces that allowed Public Enemy and NWA to be commercial successes, but his rapping skills and razor-sharp sociopolitical commentary have netted him a surprisingly large audience. Like a tornado siren shrieking directly into the ear of the privileged world, Tech's presence cannot be tuned out. After arriving with the first and second volumes of his Revolutionary series in 2001 and 2003, Tech quickly established himself as worthy of the album monikers. As lyrically fierce as these releases … Read more
Ladyfinger (ne)
Dusk
Saddle Creek (2009)
I thought rock was a dead scene. The radio repeatedly fed me the term since my early teens, pushing different … Read more
Static Radio (NJ)
An Evening of Bad Decisions...
Black Numbers (2008)
Here's another band that's right up my alley. I know.. I love fellow SPB writer Zach and how he pigeonholes … Read more
The Constellation Branch
The Dream Life, The Real Life, The Empty Glass
Independent (2008)
"To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub." Hamlet (III, i, 65-68) Man's relationship to his dreams has … Read more
The Acacia Strain
Continent
Prosthetic (2008)
Oh, the wasted potential. Sweet, sweet potential, flushed away like nothing. The Acacia Strain has been building a name by … Read more
Protestant
The Hate. The Hollow.
Halo of Flies/Rust and Machine (2008)
Sometimes bands lose sight of what they originally set out to accomplish. They get whipped up in their popularity and … Read more
