Stones Throw stronghold Guilty Simpson is anything but easy
listening. He attacks verses with a blunt attitude and equally crass delivery,
and his lyrics sometimes border on violent and misogynistic. Yet Simpson is
currently sitting on one of the most anticipated albums in underground hip-hop,
due out in early 2008 on Stones Throw Records. His aggressivly raw music speaks
for itself — and when J Dilla, Wajeed, Madlib and D12’s Mr. Porter are
producing that music, it speaks volumes.
But Simpson is in no danger of being drowned out, neither in
voice nor content — which makes sense, considering he comes from Detroit, whose
disenfranchised inner-city neighborhoods (similar to most major urban clusters
in the U.S.) are consciously reflected in Simpson’s rhymes. “It’s definitely
music for the inner-city,” he explained over the phone earlier this year. “You
could still say my music is hood, but at the same time you could say it’s
definitely hip-hop, because it’s lyric-driven.”
We’re always quick to throw labels on rappers, but it’d be a
mistake to think of Simpson as either gangster or backpack. “I wanna be able to
get on someone that has some get-money music, and at the same time, be able to
get with someone who’s not stressing any of those things,” he said.
So far, so good. Simpson’s raps were featured heavily on J
Dilla’s The Shining; his indie label, Stones Throw Records, is quickly on the
rise; and he’s performing locally November 9th, as part of the Kava Lounge’s
monthly Get Live! series, hosted by Mr. Brady and Dannu of the Visionaries.
Scheduled to perform alongside Simpson is fellow Motor City native DJ House
Shoes — so look out, hip-hop and vinyl enthusiasts, because Shoes’ crates run
deep and he’s been known to pull out the rare gem on a whim. Now this should be
good.
Guilty Simpson & DJ House Shoes will perform live Nov. 9
at the Kava Lounge. Doors open at 9 p.m. and tickets are $7.