The urban lifestyle has always been a hive of activity in the world of hip-hop culture. First there is the visually arresting images of graffiti, then there is the hypnotic rotation of turntables. You can't forget the acrobatic display of b-boys or the oral expression of MCing.
The lyricist or the MC has long been the center of attention in the sub-culture of underground hip-hop. There are often many questions about who is the best lyricist or who can beat who in a battle. The topic of discussion also centers on who's new record is wack, and who's new record is heat, or which newcomers sound good and shows promise. Lyrics, delivery and production all play key roles in judging the quality of underground hip-hop. Noncommercial rap has
always had more poetic value than its corporate under produced counterpart.
This week we feature new music from Washington D.C. natives, The Cornel West Theory. Their new joint called "22+2" features the voice of the worlds most famous political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal. The always poised Mumia explains "...now you have the Prison Industrial Complex, that's the reality of the world we live in. And blacks, Latinos, Hispanics, Mexicans in the west and Puerto Ricans in the east and so-called white trash/ poor whites are the raw material, because there are no laws. Think about it. You don't hear anybody talking about Search And Seizure, Fourth Amendment or any other Amendment. What you hear in popular discourse on talk radio stations or in the newspaper is lock 'em up..."
This powerful commentary From Mumia is heard over a slow hypnotic track with Jazzy chords and the boom-bap we have come to expect from underground Hip-Hop- the hook says "the sun doesn't shine down on my street", speaking to the misery that is the life of Mumia and plenty of other political prisoners. The Cornel West Theory is always worth a listen.