Anyone who knows their hip-hop history will understand the importance of Digital Underground. Not only one of the earliest and most influential bands of that scene but a group responsible for launching the careers of Money B, DJ Fuze, and a then 18-year-old Tupac Amaru Shakur, their 1990 album Sex Packets was a vital signpost, inspiration, and point of reference for those who followed.
With Digital Underground celebrating 35 years in the game and hip-hop recently heading past its 50th anniversary, it makes sense that the time has come to revisit that iconic album. And who better than D.U.Nx.G, aka Digital Underground Next Generation?
Sex Packets 2: The ReUp is, as the name suggests, the album being reimagined, honored, and reexplored via a collection of whimsical renditions and new, funk-filled, cosmically tinged offerings. And who better to do so than SOTU, the son of the iconic group’s co-founder Jimi “Chopmaster J” Dright?
So, expect the funky, pre-gangster, pre-politicized, tongue-in-check blend of deft raps and dexterous sonics of Digital Underground, only that the sound of that scene made over for a more modern yet equally discerning audience. And that, my friends, is known as getting the best of both worlds.
Check out SOTU and D.U.Nx.G. at Dunxgmusic.com.
Tune in on August 20 to “The Chop Shop,” on http://pantheonpodcasts.com