BLUEPRINT
Adventures in Counter-Culture
2011-05-15
All Tracks are FCC Clean
Label – Rhymesayers Entertainment
Released – 5 April, 2011
It has been nearly 6 years since Blueprint released his first solo album “1988” to much critical acclaim and man has he changed it up since then. Where “1988” was a send up to classic hip hop, “Adventures” is a genre-smashing monster of an album. Using elements of electronic music, rock, R&B, krautrock, soul, and many other styles without category, sometimes within the same song, he has transcended what it means to do a traditional hip hop record.
I’m not saying that it all works and he does get caught up in the trappings of contemporary hip hop trends like Kid Cudi-style auto-tune but even when he is rapping about cliché topics like girls, money and getting drunk, your opinion quickly flips when you realize that what he is really rapping about is alcoholism and poor choices.
Another great record from the twin cities based, independent hip hop label, Rhymesayers. Some other well respected artists on the label are: atmosphere, brother ali, Los Nativos, MF Doom and P.O.S.
Recommended tracks: My Culture (6) includes the awesome line “so when these rappers only rap about a home or a broad, its cause they don’t know what’s happening at home or abroad”.
So Alive (8) is a great soul sampling, rocking track about uncontrollable problems but striving to overcome them.
The Clouds (13) is a down tempo rap track with breezy electronic orchestration.
Reviewed by Devon Cunningham Quick Links:
