Preview video for the Zoo On MARS EP from Z.O.M.E. Rap-wise, Z.O.M.E keep their inner city Baltimore upbringing floating in the background (this was true on Mike-Mike’s “Bmore Better Be Afraid” too) and it’s a nice skipping over of street-cred. The only time they mention Baltimore, it’s to tell you that it’s “more than homicides.” There’s a very head-down, “yeah, we’re from the streets, whatever.” attitude that’s really captivating and affecting. Even the whole Mars, aliens, etc. angle works because it’s less about next-level-ness and more on some G-Side/Sun Ra sense of space as escapism: space as an appealing place because shit, it’s not here. There’s also a tradition of this kind of stuff in Baltimore specifically, back to the city’s house music and club music roots and the Egyptology cosmic rap weirdness of Labtekwon–brought together in the Doo-Dew Kidz/Labtekwon project 410 Pharoahs or Unruly producer King Tutt.
Murder Mark’s production is actually worthy of all this other galaxy talk too. The beat here’s more in the mold of club music–in that he’s just stacking strange sounds on top of stranger sounds–but he’s creating a claustrophobic, in-the-red intensity to the whole thing. As a result, the raps are urgent and excited, not laid-back and spacey like a lot of the radio and underground rap Z.O.M.E superficially resemble.
What also makes Z.O.M.E so appealing is that these guys aren’t in a bubble. They’re part of a scene. They’ve done shows in Baltimore. You can see them perform live. And when you see them in their bedroom here, they’re working on their rhymes and making beats together, not on some closed-circuit solitary rap shit like so many dudes lately. Totally not trying to turn this into a Baltimore blog as of late, but this is some of the only new stuff that’s grabbing me right now.
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I definitely agree with you. When artists can show that they are down to earth individuals, that makes them and their music even more appealing.
Jared
21 Oct 10 at 10:20 pm