Off the 2008 album The 3rd World by Immortal Technique:

Inflicting wrath upon the politicians and oligarchs. It’s an old bill that needs paying…

Anti-Pop Consortium is attempting to establish a connection. Four Tet decrypts and relays the signal:

Anti-Pop Consortium – Volcano (Four Tet Remix)

Before Lil Jon freaked the synthesizers in club hip-hop tracks, there was Anti-Pop Consortium. After listening to their new album from Big Dada/Ninja Tune, you’ll wonder who influences who.  You either love them or you can’t stand them, but this album might change a few minds. On both sides. I should disclaim that the Four Tet remix above doesn’t really represent the album well, but it’s a sick remix so I had to post.

In my mind, Anti-Pop Consortium represents possibilities in music. Many of their past tracks bring you into the fuzzy zone between genius and insanity, a flavor of electronic hip-hop that earned qualifiers like “alternative” and “experimental”. APC’s new album Fluorescent Black embraces a wider range of musical styles without sacrificing their signature sci-fi flavor.

Overall, Fluorescent Black sounded less raw and more disciplined than I expected. Hardcore avant garde fans of APC might be a little disappointed, but they’ll get over it when they realize this album covers familiar territory while exploring new terrain.

Zion I has just dropped a new video from their album The Take Over. This one is a club banger titled “Juicy Juice”. You can listen to the rest of the tracks from the album for free at zioni-thetakeover.com.

As usual Zion I come with a solid album that shows a wide variety of musical influences, from old school to future school without ditching pop sensibilities. The Take Over gets some guest support from Brother Ali, Devin the Dude, K.Flay, Ty and Jennifer Johns.

When you listen to the top 40 rap hits nowadays, sometimes you hear lyrics so ridiculous that you wonder if the mc really believes his own hype, or if it’s just an act to gain exposure. Eminem reached superstar status with his raw humor and shock factor. Outkast has shown enough overall depth in their music so that their playful tracks don’t come off so shallow. But putting a positive message in hip-hop has gone out of style, and few are able to pull it off in a balanced way.

In 2009 the purpose of music is entertainment, but leave it up to this subversive mc from Alabama to bring the ruckus and rock a message. Thed Weller is like a good guy pro wrestler: he’s trying to do the right thing, but ain’t afraid to kick a little ass along the way. With battle raps like this, you’ll think about joining the good guys.

I’ve been rappin since Nissans was Datsuns / my rhymes connect like Al Graham Bell pagin Watson
I’m from a whole other world / it is my space that you lost in / wack mcs set their soul for sale, that’s what it’s costin
I’m like frosting over any cake track / I’ll take the dopest mc and make him think he can’t rap / In fact
That’s what Thed Weller thrives on / I’ll rap your ears to death and won’t stop until I rap your eyes gone…

- Better Than I Can Tell You

Don’t get it twisted though, Thed Weller’s Better Than I Can Tell You LP isn’t the typical ego-driven chant-down-babylon manifesto against the mainstream. The track Grown Man Music expresses his music’s maturity, while Hold it in the Road (some serious production on this track by Constantine the Emcee) speaks on walking the straight path in a world that rewards shortcuts. The album weaves together organic instruments and raw sampling, ranging from melodic hip-hop ballad to old school banger. Thed also sprinkles in some soul, featuring several guest singers who add to the musical possibilities and keep the album from stagnating.

The full album is available for free mp3 download at ThedWeller.com until Jan. 20. All proceeds from this album go to benefit the Hip-Hop is Music Foundation (HHIM) so if you download the free album, think about kicking down a couple bucks to promote the art form.