Author Topic: Festival Preview: Slaughterhouse + Paid Dues Festival = Super Indie Hip Hop  (Read 77 times)

pootypooty

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http://www.festivalpreview.com/story/slaughterhousepaid-dues-festivalsuper-indie-hip-hop

Slaughterhouse+Paid Dues Festival=Super Indie Hip Hop


Submitted by Boothism on Wed, 02/11/2009 - 02:26.
Keywords: Array, Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joelle Ortiz, Murs 3:16, Paid Dues Festival, Royce Da 5'9, Slaughterhouse
Kwan Booth



Slaughterhouse image courtesy of http://www.musiconplay.net

On Monday the powers that be over at the Paid Dues Festival unveiled a late stage edition to their March 28 lineup, announcing the West Coast premier of Slaughterhouse, hip hop's newest supergroup comprised of Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9, Crooked I and Joelle Ortiz.

It's undestandable if you get a little chill down your spine whenever you hear The S Word. Supergroups, in whatever genre, can be a bit of a hype beast. Depending on the lineup and stage in the artists' careers, these mega collabs can easily come across as a last stab at success or just a lackluster combo of otherwise great talent-just ask any of the members of 213, Audioslave or Zwan.

But on the occasions when it's done right-The Firm, The Highwaymen, Lucy Pearl, A Perfect Circle-you can find yourself having one of those rare moments of musical bliss that's becoming harder to find on most recent major releases.

And if early buzz surrounding Slaughterhouse's music and performance are any indication, the latest crew of MC's to form like Voltron falls squarely into the "Good Idea Whose Time Has Come" category.

With only one internet single and a sole live performance on their resume, the new fantastic four of hip hop have been getting underground junkies, journalists and the whole damned internet wet since they made their official debut last November with the single "Onslaught."

But while the group may be fresh, the members are well seasoned, having made waves individually for years. Keeping in line with the DIY, quality over quantity ethos of Paid Dues, they've all seen their share of critical respect, industry buzz and modest sales through singles, mixtapes and indie releases.

And, unfortunately, like many independent artists, they've all done time in the development hell of major studios. Royce went through the ringer with Aftermath and Bad Boy, Crooked with Virgin and Death Row, Budden with Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam and Ortiz with So So Def and Aftermath.

In a time when hip hop is pretty evenly divided between the Champagne and Rims set and the Underground Purists, Slaughterhouse has been getting the messiah treatment from hip hop fans who praise potent punchlines and lyrical wordplay over club bangers and catchy hooks. And with the track's slick production even some of the Bling crowd has been paying attention.

But to be honest, no matter where you fall on hip hop's style over substance debate it's hard to deny that the respect these attention these four have received is well earned. Bottom line, these MC's CAN REALLY RHYME. All subscribe to the multi syllabic, dense metaphor, rewind it twice just to get it, 1990's school of MC's. And while debate has been raging around if the group is one of the greatest of all time, it's no doubt that they're 4 of the most talented MC's of today. The fact that they're being considered for GOAT status, after one single, is an indication of their impact.

And it sounds like the crew over at Paid Dues knew a good thing when they heard it and jumped on the chance to include Slaughterhouse in the lineup-even if it meant breaking the bank in the process.

In a statement from the festival, Paid Dues founder and uber underground MC Murs 3:16 admitted that the group appealed to the hip hop purist in a way most recent acts haven't. "It's been a long time since I've heard so many real hip-hop heads so excited about anything. That's why we had to reach out and grab them for Paid Dues even though it was last minute and it put us over budget. We said, ‘screw it!'"

Hopefully their gamble will pay off with a large crowd turnout. While Paid Dues has sold out most of it's shows in the last 5 years, hard economic times and last year's cancellation of a scheduled performance in Berkeley, CA have led some to wonder about the health of the franchise, co-founded by production company Guerilla Union, who also run the annual Rock the Bells festival.

If nothing else, if a skinny economy gets to be too much for the festival to withstand, it's lineups since it's inception have gained it a place in hip hop history-indie, commercial or otherwise. Until that time though, you can grab tickets over here
 

Jaydc555

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Did they just say the firm was a rare exception to supergroups failing?the firm was a flop in artistically and commercially