"The history of hip hop is replete with its share of crews, posses and outfits who have come and gone leaving behind a few hit records and a lot of hype as traces of their former existence. Very few have been able to last longer than five years, and of that select few only a handful have been able to stay fresh and creative while still maintaining respectable sales figures.
For nearly a decade the Atlanta based musical collective known the world over as the Dungeon Family has been consistently dropping gem after gem and received nothing but high critical praise while at the same time seeing the majority of their projects hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Pop and R & B charts. Modeled after Parliament/Funkadelic, the Family is a loose federation of musicians, MCs and singers who came together to do one thing, make good, meaningful music that is rooted in the past while keeping its branches reaching for the future. Comprised of the production team of Organized Noize (Rico Wade, Patrick "Sleepy" Brown, and Ray Murray), songwriters Marqueze Etheridge and Brandon Bennett and their collective of MCs which includes Outkast, Goodie Mob, Backbone, Cool Breeze, Witch Doctor, and Big Rube, the Dungeon Family is not only one of the thickest crews they are also one of the most diverse, doing everything from funk to rock to soul to hip hop to jazz.
The Dungeon Family had their humble beginnings in the early 90s when DF's creative nucleus gathered at Rico's mom's basement to record demos. One of those demos caught the attention of La Face's LA Reid, who eventually singed the young duo, Outkast to a record deal. Their debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) went on to sell a million copies and introduced hip hop culture to the live instrumentation and deep Soulful melodies that would later come to dominate Southern Hip Hop. Outkast was quickly followed by the Goodie Mob's monumental debut Soul Food, which solidified the Dungeons Crew's place in hip hop history. Subsequent albums by critically acclaimed artists like Cool Breeze, Witchdoctor, Lil Will (which was never released), Society of Soul along with Organized Noize Productions (ONP) earning a Grammy nominations for their production of TLC's mega-hit "Waterfalls," En Vogue's "Don't Let Go" and Outkast's critically acclaimed Aquemini LP. In addition to the duo delivering critical and commercially successful LPs in Aquemini, which earned the Source's coveted five mic rating and their current LP, Stankonia (almost 4,000,000 albums sold worldwide) etched the collective in the minds of hip hop fans around the globe.
Now, in an unprecedented familial move, the Dungeon Family step into the new millennium with their album entitled Even in Darkness. Once again the Atlanta based collective find themselves raising the creative bar yet another notch. Infused with an eclectic blend of jazz, funk, deep soul, gospel and hip hop Even in Darkness boldly celebrates both the Dungeon Family's artistic achievement and the human spirit's ability to triumph over immense adversity. "Even in negativity you have to look for the positive," says ONP's Rico Wade. "Like during this time of tragedy people are looking for something to help them ease their pain, hopefully our music can help them do that."
"Crooked Booty" is a roaring hip hop/funk jam that celebrates the joy of being alive through the healing act of dance. Named after the dance invented by the guitar player in Outkast tour band, the song celebrates how poor people use both music and dance to cope with the hard times and frustration that comes with ghetto life. The track also celebrates the Dungeons Family's ten year musical legacy and features Khudjo on the mic with Cee-Lo and Andre 3000 and Sleepy Brown providing the funky vocals. The song's theatrical flair borrows inspiration from sources as diverse as rock singer Meatloaf, rock operas like Tommy and funk epics like Parliament's Dr. Funkinstien or Motor Booty Affair.
Augmented by a rapid-fire machine gun beat, a thumping bass line and sharp percussive horn inspired by the classic riffs of James Brown or Parliament/Funkadelic, "Crooked Booty" pays homage to hip hop's connection to funk music. In addition to boasting one mean ass groove, it also boast two of the Dungeon Family's most thought provoking MCs Outkast's Andre 3000 and Khudjo of the Goodie Mob dropping tight lyrics full of insightful social commentary. Check out this lyrical jewel of Khudjo who says: "It's the brand new craze that is coming your way/ It was started in slum by the dun fam-i-ly/ It's not very hard, it kind easy to do/ All you have to be is poor and broke and have no loot/Yo, it's called the "Crooked Booty" with the story and text/It's like trying to stop the IRS from taking your tax/ It's like trying to store the cheese from all the rats/It's like trying to stop a nigga from breaking your back on this track/ It's like trying to tell a dog that he can't chase the cat/it's like trying to stop a boss jack from slanging his crack/ And it's on like that." With its funky syncopated beat jamming on the one and penetrating lyrics steep in social commentary "Crooked Booty" is jam that is bound to free a few minds as well a whole lot of asses out on the dance floors. It is a jam that is sure to make both hip hop and funk fan more than proud to dance to.
"Six Minutes" borrows its hook from the hip hop classic "The Show" by Doug E. Fresh featuring Slick Rick. "Six Minutes" is a cool feel-good track that harks back to the mellow sounds of 70s funk group Brick, a group that ONP member Sleepy Brown's father is a member of. The track celebrates the Dungeon Family's ten year tenure in hip hop by demonstrating the Atlanta based collective's creative spirit at its finest.
Done in the grand hip hop tradition of the posse cut, such as Cool Breeze's "Watch for the Hook," this lyrical romp features Big Rube, Big, Boi, Cool Breeze, Khudjo, Witchdoctor, T-Mo, Ice Cold Water (aka Backbone), Cee-Lo and others literally ripping the microphone to shreds with lyrics of fire. Check out this morsel from the Goodie Mob's T-Mo: "Five minutes and fifty-nine seconds gone by/ Are you really ready for this lyrical high/ We can shoot without bullets/DF to the fullest/Should it ever come to light/It's true art, not hype/ Coming strong take the mike/Make sure it's tight/ I rock a party all night/with my team on my right/Straight ready for the light, camera action/Ms. Jackson." Centered around a choppy orchestra hit and a punchy rhythmic guitar riff and a neck-snapping had clap that subtly drives this happy-go-lucky rhythm. Look for this one to be a favorite with radio as well as mix-tape DJs.
"Emergency", featuring Big Gipp, PA's Mello-Capone, Scham Don (from the second generation Dungeon family), and Backbone is a straight up hardcore club banger steeped in the Atlanta crunk style. It is the closet thing to an outright civil disturbance on wax that you can get and still be safe. This is a record that was tailor-made for throwing bows and "tearing the club up." Driven by a highly aggressive bounce beat, an eerie piano riff, a thunderous rolling bass line that keep the track moving at break-neck speed and a rowdy chant, "we crunk," that accentuates the track's pounding hypnotic rhythm. No doubt, it will certainly cause its share of dance riots in hole-in-the-wall clubs throughout the Dirty South.
"What Is Rap" featuring Witchdoctor and the Dungeon Family resident guru/griot Big Rube, lacing the listener with some serious pondering over the meaning of rap music. Recognizing that hip hop culture is much more than become a marketing tool for expensive clothing, fancy cars and iced out jewels, both Family members take the time to school unsuspecting rap fans that rap is far deeper than what they see and hear on TV and radio. Chalked full of with blistering lines like these from the poet/scholar Big Rube: "It's heart and soul of these niggas in the dirty red walls and holes/ It's the story of the day we lost all control/ Not the time we boss hogged with hoes/ Not the rhymes we crossed jaws with those/ They flossed all they gold and platinum too/ let me school these muthafuckas about on rap be through/ What happened to wave 'em side to side/ Throw em in the air/ Let me see your hands/ Now we smoke and ride/ Nigga's ganstafied/Now all they want to show is straps, ice and brands/ Nigga might be bad been mistreated enough/ Ya think they need they brother to misled 'em another inch/ Beat 'em another inch?" Built around a bluesy guitar lick, a lilting flute, a rumbling bass line and tight beat punctuated with a rhythmic rim shot, "What Iz Rap" has the soothing hypnotic feel that entices you into receiving the two MCs words of wisdom and makes this definitely one of the highlights of the record.
"Excalibur" highlights the lyrical onslaught of Goodie Mob's Big Gipp, the poetic flow of Big Rube, the fiery rhymes of Khudjo, the inspirational vocal styling of Cee-Lo and the DF Chorale, a group of the ATL's best gospel singer hand picked by Organized Noise's Rico Wade. According to Wade "Excalibur" is a metaphor for the power of knowledge. It takes it cue from Camelot's Knight of Round table where the swords wielded by knights like Sir Lance-A-Lot were symbol for power. In this case, the thirteen members of the Dungeon family are the knights and beats and rhymes are their swords of choice. Sporting a gospel influenced organ, a tight horn arrangement, and a swaying smooth beat seasoned with handclaps and tambourines, Excalibur will have more than one or two new convert entering to the temple of Organized Noize, for it is a powerful and uplifting offering and yet another standout on this smashing album.
"Trans D.F. Express" is party joint with a slight West Coast feel to it. Featuring Cee-Lo, Andre 3000, Big Gipp Backbone, and Sleepy Brown blowing on the hook, "Trans D.F. Express" is another feel-good joint that will have club hoppers dancing the "Crooked Booty" and kissing their troubles goodbye. It has a sort of mystical hypnotic feel that takes you away to a different time and space, a spot where all your troubles are melted into one big sweaty dance orgy." |
