Music Review
Anti-Pop Consortium
ÊEnds Against the Middle
(WARP Records)
I havent taken the majority of mainstream rap seriously since 1992,
when things started to get too glossy. Dont get me wrong. Its not that
I dont appreciate a smooth product. Its just that rap has found itself
so deep in the throes of corporate-rockdome that, barring the few hopeful
gems, there hasnt been much to hope for.
Anti-Pop Consortiums Ends in the Middle challenges this barren landscape
in serious and subtle ways. Since their pioneering Tragic Epilogue, theyve
succeeded in kicking the excess glitz of corporate hip-hop to the curb.
Ends in the Middle marks part III of APCs criticism of all things gangsta,
with an organic resonance that steers it clear of the monotony of diatribe.
New York based members Priest, Beans, M. Sayid and E. Blaize have been
redefining the genre since 1997, continuously stretching the boundaries
of hip-hop beyond the halls of commodification. I wont go into a track-by
track commentary; albums as deep as this need to generate a dialogue of
their own accord. I will say that tracks like "Splinter" and "Vector" reminded
me of the best microphone wars of the 80s. If Rakim and KRS-One found a
DJ courageous enough to host a battle, APC would be the judges.
The poet-emcees of Anti-Pop Consortium first started to deliver their
message in New Yorks famous Nuyorican Café in the early 90s. It
was there that their spoken-word "Rap Meets Poetry" series opened the door
to a cross-cultural melding of hip-hop styles that has influenced the complex
artistry of performers like Mos Def, The Roots and Common. Ends Against
the Middle acts as a nice commentary to where we are and where were going
in hip-hop. These are important questions. And they need to be asked.
- Jonathan Hanemann
