There are two things I wondered after listening to the aptly titled Fresh Rhymes and Videotape album: 1) Why wasn’t I at this concert and 2) why haven’t these dudes collaborated on an album before now? I mean sure, 88-Keys was the obscure producer (crafting noteworthy gems for Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Beanie Sigel) with a minute fan base, Aceyalone was probably rocking the local Los Angeles underground venue, The Alchemist was most likely cooking up sonic eargasms for subsequent releases and Dilated Peoples were (at least I like to think so) busy plotting another album. Whether I’m right or wrong doesn’t really mater, though. What does matter, however, is that the 6-track album/ quasi-EP’which is accompanied by a DVD highlighting comical tour moments’is the perfect blend of polished production (’The Last is First’, ‘I’m Like’) and thought-provoking narratives. Really, the album is a teaser of what the veteran artists are capable of. And just under 20 minutes long, the DJ Babu-laced ‘Legendary Status’ is the shining track of the bunch. Whimsical wordsmiths Aceyalone and Rakaa spit over a sped-up ‘ABC’ Jackson 5 sample, exercising their lyrical prowess. ‘L.A. undergound, B-boy colossal/ With apostles whose rappers get hostile/ Back to docile I promise I will never lose/ And fair-weather blues can knock a brotha out his shoes/ But I chose to just fuse with the elements/ Follow my path and use my intelligence/ If hip-hop dies it’s due to my negligence/ But I know I’m heaven sent from the benevolent,’ Aceyalone raps over the soul-induced beat. It’s a welcomed remake/remix of the Jackson’s 1970s cult classic.
The album is actually the result of Decon Media’s hard work. The company sponsored the “Fresh Rhymes and Videotape Tour” this past summer and have previously worked with Dilated Peoples on their The Release Party DVD, as well as on Common’s ‘1-9-9-9′ video. Aside from the CD, the DVD provides an insiders look into the life of the beloved artists while on tour’it’s split between a short documentary of the tour and live performance footage. Yet, listeners are left wanting more of Ev’s cool and cocky flow, 88’s pristine production, and DJ Babu’s hyperactive soundscapes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The chemistry among the artists, both depicted on the DVD and heard on the album, is a promising omen that there might be more collaborations in the near, near future. In the end, though, it’s no substitute for the real concert. But it gets the job done for unlucky souls, like myself, who missed out on the tour.
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