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August 23, 2007If All Natural Records is the elder statesman of indie, Chicago Hip-Hop then Galapagos4 and EV are the recently elected senators, soap-boxing about reform across party platforms. Since the turn of the century, both labels have released their fair share of future classics and in the process, crafted a signature sound. Where G4 leans towards the psychedelic, EV focuses on the soulful.Functioning as one third of the beat-making backbone at EV, Copperpot started producing as a way to get out of debt, and the result was his solo debut Chapter 7. Since then, he has produced a full length with MC Longshot, and has recently returned with his sophomore LP WYLA? Not content to simply bang out beats on his MPC, Copperpot enlisted the help of Jeff Parker and Dan Bitney of the indie rock group Tortoise, as well as bassist Josh Abrams (of The Roots Organix fame.) The result is a wholly organic boom bap affair that manages to stay out of schlocky live Hip-Hop territory. This is largely because the live instrumentation is generally in service to the pre-programmed beats, instead of vice versa. This is best heard on the album opener “Come Back Home” featuring KRS One where Rodney Anderson’s bluesy guitar licks float unassumingly in the background, while the basslines and flute samples stomp heavily in the foreground. KRS appears three times on WYLA? with the highlight performance arriving in the form of the reggae/dancehall tinged remix of “Dem Know” which is also the album’s only track to feature an entirely live band backing. Copperpot’s affinity for UK Hip-Hop makes its presence known on two tracks, “Demo” featuring Braintax, and “Modern Vampires” featuring Rodney P. I’ve never been the biggest fan of UK Hip-Hop, and overall the genre gets a bad rap from U.S. consumers, but these two cuts go a long way towards redeeming Rap from across the pond. Flexing his skill as an instrumentalist, Copperpot doles out a handful of lyrics-free interludes, “I Am a Banana,” “Water the Manatee,” and “Do You Really?” which serve as segues, acting as ‘glue’ between tracks with dissimilar vibes. And while one may imagine that a Chicago producer album would feature a who’s who of Windy City MC’s, Copperpot relies mostly on underground journeymen like the aforementioned KRS One, Prince Po, Truth Enola, Ed OG, and Masta Ace. But in the end, what’s most impressive about WYLA? is that although technically a producer album, it successfully avoids the usual trappings of a producer album, managing to achieve cohesiveness despite varied guest appearances. - DJ Trew Link to ARTICLE |
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