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Concert Wed Apr 11 2012
Preview: Company Flow at Metro
I've always had a soft spot for the founding fathers of a genre, the foundation of a type of sound or style. Those acts that are super influential to a community, but are are overlooked for the most part by popular culture. Call it respecting your elders or knowing your roots, but sometimes the best albums can be found when you trace back what writers and musicians cite as their favorite and most influential pieces of work.
One of the acts that influenced much of the underground hip hop world in the 90s was the trio Company Flow. Made up of three rapper/producers (El-P, Mr. Len, and Bigg Jus), the groups debut album, Funcrusher Plus, was a cacophony of heavy beats and jarring samples that somehow blended into an impressive album of work. The lyrics ranged from abstract to social commentary, and with three innovative producers in the mix, the album became a creative touchstone of what was becoming the East Coast sound of that time. The album garnered critical claim (it still has a lot of love online from Pitchfork), but the band had severe problems with their label, and ended up disbanding to go their own way with solo work.
Personally I've followed El-P's solo stuff the most, which includes an impressive body of work ranging from collaborating with Trent Reznor to creating his label Def Jux to the wonderful instrumental and remix work he produces. I had the pleasure of chatting with him when he performed at Pitchfork Festival a few years back, and it was obvious the extreme care and dedication he has with all his work. But I know I'm not the only one excited to see Company Flow together again onstage. Since breaking up they've had a few shows here and there (including a set for Portishead's curated ATP fest), but this is the first show they have ever done in Chicago. There is no guarantee when and if they'll be back, so spend Thursday night educating yourself in hip hop history by celebrating the return of Company Flow.
Company Flow is tomorrow night, Thursday April 12th at the Metro. Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 the day of the show, and you can purchase them here. Doors open at 8pm and show starts at 9pm. There are four openers, so expect a long night of music (not that you'll mind at all).
Rhymes and Reasons / April 12, 2012 6:16 AM
If you like hip-hop, you might like my blog, Rhymes and Reasons. It’s a series of interviews with hip-hop heads who discuss their lives and a few songs that matter to them. Pretty powerful stuff. Check’em out here:
http://thisisrhymesandreasons.wordpress.com/