Background: Cunninlynguists
The Cunninlynguists are one of my favorite groups from the South region, along with Outkast, and Little Brother. They consist of Kno (also a producer), Mr. Natti, and Deacon the Villain. To date, the group has 4 albums released, with the most recent being Dirty Acres in 2007. Kno has recieved acclaim from many mainstream media outlets for his remix of Jay-Z's the Black Album, and is responsible for most of the group's beats.
The Track: Seasons, from the Southernunderground album
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9khJP_mR8Iw
Track Download here (Top of Page)
Also Check Out: Dirty Acres, Will Rap for Food, A Piece of Strange (albums) People think that their best album is APoS, but I personally like Southernunderground more than any of their material. Take that however you will.
In the similar vein as "I Used to Love H.E.R", the 'Lynguists (along with the help of Masta Ace) have crafted a similarly clever comparison between the seasons and the cycling of Hip-hop. I love this track for every reason, the vibe, the lyricism, the spirit, everything. Take a listen!
The Breakdown:
Lyrics
S.O.S posted:
By the dawn of the new millennium we saw bright chains
Winter brought along platinum causing the ice age
No more Gold, no more YO! MTV RAPS
Now we got R&B cats stealing classic rap tracks
In winter it's snowed in like the temperature's below ten
Citizens open up shows for more snowmen
Scrawny boys rock bubblegooses to pose like grown men
And you can catch freezer burn from women when they show skin
Jolly, fat, white men get paid when rap hits the shelves
And artists themselves get treated like Elves
Matter of fact, Santa's gotten so greedy when a rapper sells
You even need clearance to sample Jingle Bells
What the hell! You need cells and 2 ways for chicks to bone ya?
And so much ice on ya body that you can get pneumonia
Even at the beaches of Daytona it's gotten colder
But it's about time for the cycle to start over (echo)
Today, I selected former member S.O.S to highlight, as the ending of the song is what's important. I want to draw attention to the line "it's about time for the cycle to start over", which is, basically, the rebirth of hip-hop, before mainstreamization (described by Santa - fat old white guys). It's alot to think about, and honestly, while hip-hop isn't dead, it's taken a very wrong turn for the last few years. And this song really sort of encapsulates that hope we have for hip-hop returning to it's roots.
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