Shake n Bake is a playlist that speaks volumes about not only where grassroots urban music is at the moment but also how rebel musicians and creatives can subvert and change the agenda and do so without playing the traditional record label/big studio/big bucks game.
The music found here shows an eclectic array of references, from old school hip-hop to Latin dance grooves and from avant-garde electronica to warped R&B creations.
If Se Te Notaz comes on like a marriage of underground dance meets stoner mariachi music then Sumthing About U sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, an intimate and unadorned piece of swirling electronic soundscaping. I.D.G.A.F. is a slow grooving and slinky, spoken-word urban ballad and Bust It Down lifts the dynamic slightly to create a more urgent hip-pop meets rhythm and blues vibe.
You could argue that the production here is a little off and that it would be great to hear what these songs would sound like if there was a bigger budget behind them, but I think that is to miss the point. The point, I think, is to get in there, leave people something to think about musically and then get out again and on to the next creative idea. Like a creative hit and run or a night time burglar who actually leaves something as a gift rather than takes what doesn’t belong to them.
Underground music for underground people!
