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Raging Against The RNC

By Dillon Wallin | September 6, 2008

Following closely on the heels of their free show in Denver during the Democrats’ Convention, Los Angeles rock activists Rage Against The Machine made sure they were in the Twin Cities during the Republicans’ time in the national spotlight.

On Monday, guitarist Tom Morello performed solo (as The Nightwatchman) at the “Take Back Labor Day” benefit in St. Paul, alongside Mos Def, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle and Atmosphere, among others.

On Tuesday evening, Rage Against The Machine made an unscheduled appearance at the Ripple Effect festival on the front lawn of the Minnesota State Capitol building.  The police, however, citing a lack of permit, refused to let the thousands of fans assembled hear the band play.  Instead, Morello and frontman Zack de la Rocha grabbed megaphones and led the crowd in a cappella renditions of two songs. 

Wednesday night saw the band across the river in Minneapolis, playing at a Target Center surrounded by riot police.  Rage took the stage, to the delight of the progressive-leaning crowd, wearing Guantanamo Bay prisoner uniforms, playing their first song with heads covered.  They played a roaring set, the crowd exploding during every song. 

After their encore, the band stayed onstage and explained to the crowd that it was possible to face the police outside “peacefully” without being “passive.”  The crowd must have listened, because although there were some arrests on the streets of Minneapolis, there was no violence.

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The Rise Of Underground Hip-Hop

By Dillon Wallin | August 1, 2008

A crew like Doomtree makes you wonder if someone like Lil’ Wayne even knows what real hip-hop is.

The difference between mainstream hip-hop and the underground has been growing faster than 50 Cent’s garage, but it is that kind of unbalanced gap that both hip-hop fans and scientists can agree will eventually
collapse.  Even now, underground hip-hop sounds like the golden age, while most hip-pop radio hits don’t make it past this summer.

With hip-hop’s rise to mainstream prominence in the last ten years, a healthy underground has flourished everywhere.  That same rise to prominence has corroded some of what made hip-hop vital in the first place
though.

The idea of the crew has largely disappeared, at least as it was manifested with all MCs on equal footing.  Most “crews” now are nothing more than entourages that resemble royal courts, with courtesan MCs trying
to gain favor with the king.

Doomtree, a collective structure of 5 MCs and 6 producer/DJs, released their self-titled third album last week.  After about a decade of writing beats in their bedrooms and working on their flow, Doomtree is about to go all Atmosphere on us.  The new album is strong from beginning to end, and any fan is getting twice their money’s worth in the sweat of the crew.

Hip-hop’s potential is sadly something missing from most “club hits”: explosive creative intelligence. Doomtree has it in spades, and knows how to use the power of the crew; pay particular attention to P.O.S., the uppercut of the crew (when he lands, it’s a k.o.) and Dessa, who flows like Ladybug from Digable Planets and sings like Nina Simone.

What we now call “underground” is actually the future of hip-hop - multi-cultural, multi-gender, highly local but potentially global - not in any bleeding heart way, but as a stone cold fact.  Doomtree is headed is exactly the right direction.  They’re not there yet - and their latest album is not a perfect album.  But maybe the next one will be.

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