Regarding the Public:

Attention General Public: Bugout and Doug York are back at it again. One of my favorite hip hop groups, Granite State, has finally followed up to their 2006 debut release, The Breaking Point. I always wondered how their sophomore album would turn out, since the first effort took nearly a decade to finally bring into full production. A time span which would certainly allow for some polished up, fine tuning. Just three years later their 2^nd release, RE:Public, dropped in January. Let me just say, the breaking point has passed… now comes the flash floods, or whatever havoc when granite breaks limit.

The reason why Granite State has become such a solid force in my eyes is because they are the perfect example of what hip-hop is about. Just ordinary individuals making music to express themselves in hope of making a career as an artist. No glitz and glamour, no glorification of violence, crime or hate. In the 21^st century, when everyone is an emcee or producer, GS is a perfect example of the capable possibilities of young men making music for the love of the music, and doing it successfully. Granite State sets themselves apart by staying true to their reality while keeping it simple and relatable. A large portion of their songs are about the ins-and-outs most people face when moving at the speed of life. The first track gets right into the subtlety soulful, modern boom-bappin’ melodies the entire album explores.

The beautiful intro to the first track, Hectic, is a signal of the non-stop, sonic aesthetics to come, from producers such as Statik Selektah, Evidence (Dilated), and DC the MIDI Alien. Just as their debut did, RE:Public gets into the socially conscious element always present in Bugout and Doug York’s material. The larger difference this effort is a shift from their personal issues and how society affects them on an individual basis (as in Breaking Point), versus expressing their circumstances, and the issues that they deal with, as an idiosyncratic, micro-representation of society (as in RE:Public). Make sense? Probably not. Let the title speak for itself. RE:Public. Regarding the Public.

The two focus on a range of social issues. While maintain a steady, easy listening hip-hop vibe, they are able to address, rather simplistically, the complexities of class status and career, to addiction, misogyny and other social crises. The pair strikes an attitude of even balance in their verses, lying between dark, pessimistic and fateful tones, to critical deliveries of self motivation and individual empowerment. Even if barley visible, in the hazy distance, off the foggy New England coastline.

Under the Influence is a song about addiction using shadowy, chemical substance depictions as a metaphor for their music. The drug imagery, (such as needles) is well crafted to seamlessly allow for a ‘hip-hop addiction’ (I’m getting that popular picture of the turntable stylus sinking into some guy’s arm-- Guy: Your doing it wrong). However, I do believe the lyrics are a reflection of the artist’s own struggles with abuse at some point. I could be wrong, but coming from a person who has admittedly overindulged in toxic pleasures in my day, this track took me back to those hopeless moments of disenfranchisement that come with it. “I’m an addict-- need it all the time, always on my mind/ searching for that line, that I’m never gonna find.” Metaphorical hip-hop or true reflections of drug abuse, it continues to add to the social dilemmas presented throughout the album.

So far, it appears that I’ve excluded any particular characteristics differentiating the emcees Doug York and Bugout. That is primary because the two are so similar. Notable differences do exist; The Breaking Point gave us an individual track from each artist: What Up B?! and Out Of Site, Out Of Mind, were the solo features from Bugout and Doug York, respectively. Check them out to familiarize yourself bit with each artist separately-- they are both amazing songs as well. However talented in their own right, these two bolster one other. Together they create full length songs with double verses of granite-hard depth and substance, dropped by both emcees. I haven’t seen an emcee/emcee pair this strong together since Binary Star, which is quite ironic considering Granite State without a doubt shines most bright together.

Their mutually strong verses also share similar ideological outlooks on a wide array of issues. On American Beauty, GS explores the materialistic and beautification ideals in our society, often leading to vanity driven, self-obsessive qualities in our women. “They say beauty’s in the eye of the beholder/ She’s staring in the mirror, looking at herself all over[…] A material girl, living in a fantasy world.” Another example of equally outstanding lyrics is the shout out to all the “working class heroes.” Work is a blue collar tribute that reflects the everyday struggles of employment. This one hits hard in the current state of our economy at the moment. “Working just to make it up to upper management/ By the time I finally get there the jobs start vanishing/ Outsourced and laid off, where presidents get paid off/ This is the trade-off, we’re told to keep handling?”

Throughout RE:Public, Granite State makes a consorted effort to elevate their music in hopes of finally achieving stardom. Whether they’ve already done that or not (already receiving critical acclaim independently), is up to comparability I suppose. But I guarantee GS isn’t anywhere near satisfied with their current status, and with their talent I can understand that. Just some ordinary guys, putting in the extra work, to make some extraordinary music. These boys are making some serious moves, so check their steps don’t step on you now. Pure granite tends to be a bit top heavy, innit? P.E.A.C.E.

Link: http://www.granitestatemusic.com

Granite State - Hectic