When the average music fan thinks of Philly Hip Hop, names like The Roots, Will Smith (hee, hee; but he did drop some good stuff when he was with DJ Jazzy Jeff) and Beanie Sigel come to mind. For those a bit deeper into the music scene, artists like Jedi Mind Tricks, Bahamadia (who recently dropped an album after so long - thank you), and Reef the Lost Cauze (the man is nice if you didn’t know) can be found in their music collection. But on the strength, these artists can be easily found in Tower Records (even though the prices are ridiculously high, Tower does sell independent rap music). It is well known that Philly is full of great artists, but where are they? They are all around - hitting up open mic sessions, in the newspaper, performing shows at smaller venues, and of course…on the internet. So Freshout is about to put our readers on to one of Philly’s “unheard”: Philadelphia Slick.
Philadelphia Slick is a group for the hip hop heads. For those who are devout Roots fans, Philadelphia Slick consists of a live band and an emcee. To further break it down, the band can support the emcee, as well as hold it down on their own. Consisting of two heads on the keys, a bass player, a small horn section (trumpet and sax) and a drummer, Philadelphia Slick is a full, cohesive band. The emcee, Noesis, not only has lyrics, but also has a confident swagger over the instrumental. Their song “Hear Me” is a clear example of the band’s talent and the emcee’s presence.
The song begins with the mellow playing of the band, which sets the listener up for a smooth instrumental track that provides the sonic canvas for the emcee. The band keeps a steady instrumental going, with a few instances in which the key players hit off a few extra notes in the background to add to the soundscape. The hook, the third verse and the break is where the horns really get a chance to shine. The break is actually the hottest part of the song, where Noesis seems to feed off of the energy of the changed instrumental. The short sax solo at the end really establishes them as a full out band, a bit different than The Roots in that one could imagine Philly Slick holding down a number of tracks (maybe an album) without an emcee (The Roots may not be that successful or accepted if Black Thought took the backseat for more than one track). The changes in the track’s instrumental make the song a gem, and display the versatility of the band.
But one should not forget the emcee.
When the rhyming starts, Noesis sets up the concept of the song: introduce the world to Philadelphia Slick and let you know that they make meaningful music. As the band plays on, Noesis flips between a steady flowing cadence and a rapid fire delivery. This flipping between styles is continued throughout the song, keeping it interesting and anti-monotonous. The lyrics are nice; he pays homage to true hip hop music and artists with the line “here we go yo/here we go/like ‘Scenario’,” then flips into a braggadocios barrage of lines that fluidly blend into the rest of the first verse, which is a social/political commentary. After listening to the first verse, it becomes apparent that the group has a strong political and social standpoint. The hook is interesting as it seems to be a story within itself saying that so many things are going on around the group, but no one is hearing their message or paying attention to what they are trying to do with their music. The second verse deals more with the struggles of a hip hop group trying to make it in an anti-hip hop world. The end of this verse is a proclamation that Philly Slick is an honest music group that does not front like so many cookie cutter rap acts that are popular in the mainstream. This notion of honesty is carried out in the third verse, as Noesis spits double duty, in that he promotes the realness of his group’s music while condemning phony rap acts. Overall, the lyrics and concepts are to the point, and the band can freak a beat, solidifying that Philly Slick reps for real Hip Hop.
Philly Slick is the face of Philly Hip Hop. Their music is a refreshing change from radio monotony and quasi-gangsta repetition that is so commonly heard by so many Philly rappers. Further more, since everything is live, Philly Slick has the potential to experiment and change what qualifies as rap music.
(Current Standing ~ 4 out of 5)
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July 25th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
But you don’t hear me though…