A Blow to the State
Various Artists
Coup d’Etat
Despite what the title claims, this is not an anarchistic wet-dream Molotov in the face of the Bush Empire. No, Wolfowitz will not suddenly wake up in the middle of the night surprisingly dry because his dreams of “democracy” carnage were interrupted by this CD. But Scott La Rock is definitely head-nodding in his grave, listening to A Blow to the State. Hip-hop’s underground’s got to advance, and this compilation puts its best foot forward. A groundswell’s forming around Coup d’Etat, and this disc will certainly tell you why.
With artists like Akrobatik, J-Live, Rasco and Fakts One, the label and this CD are definitely impressive. The beats are tight and banging, and these MCs are not full of shit. Fakts One’s “We Gonna…” is a good, old-fashioned hip-hop instrumental that reeks with the funk. Rasco comes with his usual testosterone overdrive. MC Paul Barman’s “Bleeding Brain Grow” is a hysterical, Sesame Street slash of social commentary. J-Live gives us a clever, deconstructionist, hyper-sex romp with “One for the Griot.” Akrobatik always comes with it, and Embedded offers up a “mixtape” delight with “Another Blow to the State,” a startling reprise of the whole album.
Coup d’Etat: http://www.coupdetat.tv/
