This EP dropped more than a month ago but better late than never…Good looking Fatgums!
[Click Picture to Buy From The BEATROCK Store!]
This past year has been a f*ckin wild one. While getting married to my partner of 7 years, quitting my job of 3 years as an After School Program Coordinator, taking care of and losing my shero/Bachan (grandma), I have spent the entire past 9 months examining critically, (my) Asian American Hip-Hopper identity, masculinity/manhood, and issues regarding “authenticity” in SF State’s Asian American Studies M.A. Program. Needless to say, I am ridiculously blessed to have been able to allow my brain this roller-coaster ride, and am feeling stronger than ever after my first year of graduate school.
I recently changed the title of my Master’s Thesis to Goldyn Chyld (Remix): Asian American Men Authoring “Authenticity” in Hip-Hop, and I am hard pressed to think of a better example today in terms of the emceeing aspect, than former Native Gunner, Bambu.
A “Hip-Hopper” by KRS-ONE’s definition, is someone who is not only a lover of the music/lifestyle, but also participates in its practice (deejaying, emceeing, graff, b-boy/girl, beatbox, etc.). As a Hip-Hopper, when I listen to new Hip-Hop projects, I do my best to pay close attention to the intricacies of each and every syllable, hi-hat, bassline, hook, etc. and what I can say without a shadow of a doubt, is that Nikkei DJ/Producer Fatgums and Pinoy Emcee Bambu were f*cking meticulous in their care of, and practice of Hip-Hop as an art, lifestyle, and expression in their new EP “A Peaceful Riot.”
[Bambu X Fatgums]
From my frame of reference, Hip-Hop has been a saving grace to myself and so many others due to its therapeutic aspects (among many other things). The space it allows people (primarily coming from a place of marginalization) to offer their own version of the world, is one of the most liberating things I have ever wittnessed and taken part of in my life.
[Fatgums X Bambu - Won't Walk Away]
Bambu seems to have a 2Pac-like knack for dissecting the sh*t out of his internalized pain/oppression, and relaying it to the listener in a way that is incredibly easy to understand and digest. Where I see him differing from many other artists who are able to communicate their feelings/grief as men, is that Bambu never tends to wallow in self-pity or feel sorry for himself. Misery loves company and at times, getting stuck in self-pity is something I have definitely struggled with. When I hear a song like “Won’t Walk Away,” it reminds me to tap into the resilience my elders taught me and to keep it movin’ the f*ck forward regardless of the little hater in my head that tells me I should go numb and give it all up. I also definitiely have a HUGE soft-spot for bluesy/introspective/melancholoy melodies, and Fatgums absolutely laced this track (as well as the entire Extended Play album) with absolute dynamic muhf*ckin’ magic.
“…A Peaceful Riot…” definitely came into my life at the exact time it needed to (arigato gozaimashita again, brother Fatgums). In this past year, with my being stuck in 3 hour seminars and my face in books on critical research methodologies, post-colonialism, marx, feminist/queer pedagogy, Black, Raza, mixed heritage and Asiancentric thought, it was at times extremely difficult to remember how big the world is and how insignificant I am; but also that Hip-Hop allows so many people that have been silenced, the power to love, respect, and interrogate themselves (and their perfect imperfections) in a way that pushes the world forward.
FATGUMS = Syncopated Soul by the Cotdam Kiloton
BAMBU = Intelligent Gangster/Revolutionary Wordsmith
FATGUMS X BAMBU = …A PEACEFUL RIOT…
Buy that sh*t HERE.
ColinResponse
p.s.
[Fatgums X Bambu - Gunslinger II (R.I.P. Oscar Grant, Gary King, and too many countless others.)]
