Dave Chamberlain

Hip-hop has had the greatest social impact of any genre of music since Elvis first picked up a guitar and got funky with the country and the blues. Like rock 'n' roll after Elvis, hip-hop transcended music and became a lifestyle, an attitude, a pulse of street culture and a voice for the oppressed.

So why, in the last year, has hip-hop dropped the proverbial ball? Its artists have the public's ear, but those artists have consistently, categorically ignored what's happened to the U.S. since September 11, 2001. Although the same can be said about most music, people look towards hip-hop for social commentary more than other forms of music.

"I don't know what the fuck is up with that," says Mr. Lif (nee Jeffrey Haynes), a Berkeley-via-Boston rapper who's the latest young phenom on El P's Definitive Jux record label. "A couple years ago I remember saying in an interview that I was sure things were gonna happen globally, and it would be such an event or tragedy, that it would make politics impossible to ignore. And something like September 11 was a prime example. OK, thousands of people died, two huge buildings collapsed. Maybe it has happened to an extent, where you've got the most thugged-out rapper being able to make a comment about something like that, about what they felt. But I don't sense any level of increased awareness, unfortunately."

He's not including himself, however. Lif's released two records to date this year: a full-length, "I Phantom," and the extremely impressive "Emergency Rations," which he released earlier this year as an answer to the American government's response to September 11. In the span of seven tracks, Lif touches on America's scapegoatism, blood-thirst and global economic policy, naming names (from "The Unorthodox": "Bush/yeah you guessed it/I could smell the dawn of Armageddon when this dick was elected.") and doing it against scratchy, old-school snare beats and El P's typically lush, New Jack-production style.

"Emergency Rations" gets out what Lif feels needs to be said. "If anything, to me it just raised the stakes," he explains. "To me, it was an emergency situation. Suddenly you have, I won't say a more intense level of programming going on by the media, in terms of how they need the public to perceive the world situation, but it definitely was a huge advantage. They had an onslaught of misinformation going out, and I felt it was very important to put a counter-perception out there."

But, again, aside from uncritical pandering (see Bruce Springsteen), pop music has ignored the current American climate. "Yeah, it's like nothing happened," he says. "Because people just want to shake their ass man. The situation has gotten so drastic as far as the cost of living is concerned, people now are more concerned with numbing themselves than actually trying to stand up and do anything else. Including myself, people don't know a way out."

Lif reiterates what he says on "Home of the Brave" from "Emergency Rations." "Its very important for this country to have an enemy. If we don't have an enemy, what are we going to fear? And if there's no fear, why do people have to look towards the government. Cause they sure as hell aren't providing us with health care or education. Basically, we look to them for defense."

Catch Mr. Lif September 24 at the Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-4140.

Worth mentioning:

Openers for Dead Moon, the Baseball Furies, are slowly peeling off the "best-kept-secret-in-Chicago tag, playing a hybrid of punk/hardcore-inflected garage rock that's as sloppy as it is intense. The band's lone release to date, "Greater Than Ever" (Big Neck Records), runs the buzzsaw-guitar sound through sheet rock, exploding off the record with a surprising freshness. Especially notable is the track "Outcast," a breakneck-paced blast from hardcore's past that amalgamates everything from "Group Sex"-era Circle Jerks to Poison Idea to the lot of nineties garage-punk bands.

Last time High on Fire came through town, the apocalyptic/doom/evil-stoner metal band (featuring Matt Pike from Sleep) opted to shy away from its slower, more textured material and cranked the speed. I came away disappointed (and deaf) by the show, but intrigued by an interesting cultural dynamic. That same night, the White Stripes played at the Metro, and it was hard not to compare crowds. At the Stripes, a full-on radio band, Playboy-reading flexed-up guys felt compelled to turn around and give high-fives and cowboy-whoop to each other whenever the Stripes started a new song, elbowing their way through crowds, hitting on every girl in sight and proudly following a me-first mentality. High on Fire's crowd? Not so much. The metal headz--flagged with tattoos, long hair, dirty denim and oppressively ugly and loud music--marked the most polite rock crowd I've ever been around, with fans actually turning around to make sure they weren't blocking someone else's line of sight. Not that High on Fire's fans weren't into the band, they just displayed an actual awareness that other people were present--all without a single high-five. High on Fire returns, September 19 at the Beat Kitchen, playing with smart-metal duet Jucifer.

Block headz:

Summer officially ends for music junkies this weekend when the Hideout throws its sixth annual Block Party, which--for those who've never been--is the closest thing Chicago has to a South by Southwest music event. Beginning Friday at 5pm (for the after-work crowd), the first day features mostly local bands (including Kelly Hogan, the Drapes, Leroy Bach), but Saturday brings the Hideout's highest profile headliner to date: Guided by Voices.

(2002-09-18)

Also by Dave Chamberlain

Tip of the Week
Anyone who caught the Queens show at the Metro during their secret, pre-record-release club tour this summer already knows that, in terms of the live show, it doesn't really get much better than this.
(2002-09-11)

Plugged in
"Wire is only good when it's culturally relevant. When it loses touch, when it doesn't relate with what's going on in the culture, it's less good." So explains Colin Newman, guitarist and founding member of Wire, speaking from his home studio in London.
(2002-09-11)

Raw Material
When you smother yourself in local music, it's hard to be caught off-guard by a local band, but when the record landed in my hands, the first questions that occurred to me were: Who are these guys, and how did they get on a major label?
(2002-09-11)

Raw Material
Although Earthlings? share the same Joshua Tree, California hometown as Queens of the Stone Age, the terrestrial band's output in no way resembles Josh Homme's crew.
(2002-09-04)

Raw Material
(2002-08-28)

Fire Starter
(2002-08-28)

Tip of the Week
(2002-08-21)

Raw Material
(2002-08-21)

Rock Tip of the Week
(2002-08-14)

Raw Material
(2002-08-14)

RAW MATERIAL
(2002-08-07)

TIP OF THE WEEK
(2002-08-01)

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