What would Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke want for Hip-Hop were they still alive? I can’t pretend to answer that question, however my intuition is that each would say something to the tune of “keep it soulful”.

With that in mind it’s safe to say many an old school crooner have been spinning in their grave over the past few decades as much of the heart and sweat has been sucked from mainstream R&B music and has been replaced with narcissism and shallow lyrics.

For the most part, the best place in the last 10 years to find really dirty, grizzly soul music has been in the camp of underground hip-hop. From the Rawkus heads in the late nineties, and into the current roster at Glow-in-the-Dark Records, the soul is different, but somehow very much the same. The key lies in having something bright to say, and a good bit of passion behind what you’re saying. Any old beat can make my body shake, but it takes some real soulful shit to make my head nod.

Time Machine DJ and beatmaker Mekalek’s new solo album, Live and Learn captures what can be so soulful about Hip-Hop, with its seamless pairing of solid MCs and beats that feel like gravy poured over some breezy ass potatoes. Veteran MC Percee P highlights this rappers delight along with lesser known but extremely promising MCs like Shawn Jackson, Fedd Hill, and Cool Calm Pete.

The California-based Mekalek has managed on this project to capture the part of Hip-Hop I love to see and hear the most. The raw purity, the grime ridden beauty that made it so special in the first place. It’s a nod to Hip-Hop purists, from Hip-Hop purists as if to say, “it’s cool man..we got this..just go relax”. Some of these beats are ridiculous…I mean like never heard before ridiculous. At times Mekalek comes off as some kind of futuristic DJ Premier love child. This album establishes him as one of the more promising beat makers to emerge this decade. It’s a good bet that Mekalek will be around for quite some time.

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