Northern State: Too Shouty?

(serious qn btw)

Local NY faves:
http://www.northernstate.net/press.asp

Spoiled little rich girls who listen to too much Bestie Boys?? Yes.

Hmmm...Inasmuch as I understand it (I pretty much have no idea what "reading a prolog" or "c+++ program" or "refinement elimination and rule-construction" mean), this more or less describes any rap before Rakim turned it into prog-rock worried about complexity to the detriment of most everything else, doesn't it? Just kidding. But it refers to most rap before "The Message", at least. Which as far as I'm concerned as the best rap there ever was. So Sterling -- what do you think of Spoonie Gee or the Funky Four Plus One?? I'm curious. To me it seems how this kinda stuff builds *is* how it goes somewhere.

Really??? I think it's not nearly as great a name as Guinea Love or Hesta Prynn! But maybe I just don't know much about sprouts.

Then again, maybe Scott's baiting me again. Oops.

it refers to most rap before "The Message", at least. Which as far as I'm concerned as the best rap there ever was. So Sterling -- what do you think of Spoonie Gee or the Funky Four Plus One?? I'm curious. To me it seems how this kinda stuff builds *is* how it goes somewhere.

Like spoonie gee is totally narrative, for example on spoonin' rap:

"Say I was drivin down the street on a stormy night
Say up ahead there was this terrible fright
There was a big fine lady, she was crossin the street
She had a box with the disco beat
So I hit my brakes, but they're not all there
I missed the young lady by only a hair"

And funky four announce themselves for sure but they manage to meld themselves to a more consistant thematic set on each song even if that song is "that's the joint" and the theme is what the joint is. But really look at Sequence for the best example with "Here Comes The Bride". I mean this set for example is part of a very focused metaphoric edifice:

"I married the funk, so I could never be alone
The music, the voices, and the microphone
The stagelights, and the fancy cars
is a matrimony for superstars
The Doctor asked me to be his girl
so he could groove provides, and rock my world"

And christ the best part of Rappers Delight is the extended bit about going to his friends house and pretending to like the mother's nasty food. Or look at "The Birthday Party" with grandmaster flash for something spectacularly absurd but thematically tight. (You've made me get out my Sugar Hill boxset, can you tell?)

Northern State sound more like Sequence or L'Trimm or Gillette than the Beastie Boys.

& okay I do like Northern State just find them shouty in large doses (i.e. more than one song at once) and I really only meant beastie boys production as in that sort of hard beat bricolage circa 87 or so (decidedly post Run DMC) where Sequence had the slightly chopped up disco sound of Sugar Hill at the time and L'Trimm were electro and gillette was house production at least with 20 fingers which is the only stuff I know. Gillette was more of a house diva than rapper on "short dick man" or "lick it" (which has only two very short verses and is all about boom-badadada and the chorus) and it's really a nasty talk-sing thing she has going.

L'trimm might be the best choice just for the east coast accent thing actually but I think the closest comparison is the Yeastie girls with maybe a bit of MC Lyte.

My copy of the NS album isn't here for me to listen now and compare further. But the thing that got me about shoutiness was partially how proud they seemed of each punchline. Like you know that one skit by some SNL alumni (anyone remember?) about grunge bands and he imitates a grunge dude and does this bit where they treat a chord change like they're doing a magic trick? Some of the poetry slam types flow like that (like each rhyme is a big deal) and I get the feeling NS want to impress me with every damn mildly absurdist couplet -- also respect for the intricate rhyme-trading which is beyond what they did in the 80s but like what the Jurassic 5 do right now -- so my equation of the week (music critics should only be allowed one or two i think) is "Northern State = Jurassic 5 * Beck / DJ Premier"

Also I think princess superstar is way funnier, if less head-spinning.

For those who are curious, there are sound samples available on the site:

www.northernstate.net

omg 2003. absolute shit

I still remember walking around smacking my head that anyone liked them.

haha, jeri curlan!

I just realized I've never heard the Yeastie Girls. Wonder if I'd like them.

uh, they are still around

yeah...im listening to the new northern state, now.

not sure what to think about it.

holy fuck, i just realised that they sound like dahv.

http://www.dahv.com">=http://www.dahv.com

who was jeri curlan