ArtOfficial - Fist Fights and Foot Races EP

Artist: ArtOfficial
Album: Fist Fights and Foot Races EP
Genre: Funk/Hip-Hop
Link to the Music: ArtOfficial - Fist Fights and Foot Races EP

Happy New Year readers. I have been away from the blog for the first couple days of the year because of the whirlwind of activities that were happening in Trinidad. I left Trinidad today and instead of heading to the cold of St. Louis, I stopped off in Miami for a quick visit with my sister. Readers, cold weather is overrated. I don't know why anybody yearns to see snow. Today I have been to the beach, walked down the street in a t-shirt, and sipped frozen margaritas on the beach. It's January, this weather baffles me.

To add to it all I found a new band today to share with you that comes from, you guessed it, Miami. The band, ArtOfficial, is a Jazz/Hip-Hop fusion project. The band arose a glorious phoenix from the ashes of two previous bands, one Jazz and one Hip-Hop. The conglomeration of the two styles results in a sound that makes you want to sit up, listen and groove. When you're not listening to the sick sax/flute melodies, the pumping bass or the drums that don't quit, you hear the seamless lyrical styling of two emcee's sharing a stage flawlessly. The lyrics are intelligent, quick and creative. For instance in Word Bending the emcee's spit out for the hook:

This ain't rapping, its word bending,

 Lyrical acupuncture for your nerve endings.

 Ya'll ain't rhyming, ya'll just pretending 

you can't fathom the way that we we twist a sentence.

The verses only get better from the hook but were too quick for me to catch and write down. The lyrics however aren't the only ingenious area in the song. The saxaphone at the song's conclusion really steals the stage with a solo that keeps pace with the lyrics and coupled with a flute melody they really drive the song home. Throughout the album the combination of the two emcee's, keys, sax, flute, bass and drums stays fresh and each song has its own ipseity, yet remains a coherent flowing album.  

ArtOfficial  identifies their sound with that of the bands Soulive and The Roots. The comparison between the bands, particularly The Roots during the  Do you Want More? to Phrenology phase and Soulive's songs with Black Thought (surprise?), is understandable, those are two of most well known Jazz/Hip-Hop bands. Although they undoubtedly draw inspiration between these two titans of the genre, ArtOfficial has managed to carve out their own distinct sound that certainly has the potential to make it to the big time.

This album is only two dollars on bandcamp and I highly recommend spending the cash for it, you won't regret it and this is music that after hearing you will want to support.

Art Official

I am headed back to the 'Lou tomorrow, but for you Miami readers January 8th there will be an ArtOfficial show at the Electric Pickle on the 8th, from what I've heard their shows are sick, if you have a chance check it out. Details for the show can be found on the ArtOfficial Facebook page: ArtOfficial Facebook Page

Keep Rocking.