| Living in Compton or Brooklyn with neighbors like Ice-T or Mos Def (respectively) doesn't give you and your ersatz beat-box skills the right to a record deal and world tour. As Erik B. said, "It doesn't matter where you're from; it's where you're at." That makes sense when you consider the intriguing tradition and location-specific work made by artists with a geographical handicap - like these two Kansas kids and their remarkable hip-hop. Straight outta Lawrence, iD and Sleeper create the kind of music that many of the new crop of underground hip-hop kids on Mush, Plug Research and Anticon do: an invention fashioned from influences but heavily dyed by own unique ethnocentric flavor. Sleeper's production draws upon the minimalist old school with a gritty 8-bit production style, creeping along in a timeless style and never gunning for "flavor of the month" status. Complementing this direct approach is the equally no-nonsense iD, whose words and delivery stalk and slink without an identifiable foothold - despite the fact that he's as obstinate in his beliefs as Ice Cube, as dark and pessimistic as Dälek, as passive-aggressive as Aesop Rock and (sometimes) as enigmatic as MF Doom. The scientific sample over the opening instrumental, "The Idea," sets the mood as it proclaims iD and Sleeper's manifesto and challenge to themselves and their listeners: "his second important ability was the knack or skill of writing about his findings in such a way that it's instantly understood, intellectually / but what is perhaps even more important with this particular subject, understood emotionally as well." In case this statement and the album-title aren't enough, iD comes out slugging, addressing the duo's fish-out-of-water nature on the first vocal track, "Entropy." He offers, "In relation to passing crews of passing fools / I've got my own flashlight / don't huff on gas pipes, and need no package of plastic crap like that is," while Sleeper's string-swell and grainy, sloppy, flaming beats drive him forward to offer, "From scattered pieces, we build / only the fragments are real / let the life reveal what's right." From here, iD and Sleeper continue their mission, focusing on the concept of you as your own worst enemy, as well as our inability to change a flawed world, offering it in a package of few colors. That is, the production and iD's performances and topics follow a very consistent approach and aesthetic - which is a bit frustrating and offputting during the first few listens. However, patience is a virtue, and you might visually relate Displacement to a Rothko painting: "Orange and Yellow" is a large canvas drenched with the titular colors, but did you think about the organic feel fostered by the choice of brush strokes? Are you paying attention to the subtle details, such as how the picture looks under natural light as opposed to a fluorescent bulb? By the same token, iD and Sleeper work in a style that's not immediately attention-grabbing. These guys don't care about the flaky idiot who's easily suckered with hooks, bouncing beats and something he can hum along with; they play to people who dig in and read the lyrics (printed on the sleeve for your pleasure) and fans who can respect Sleeper's talent for avoiding melody by compensating with textures formed from layers of brittle, sludgy. mashed-up sounds. ID and Sleeper don't pretend to have played a part in hip-hop's original tradition or Generation Escalade; they push their own struggle. Their plan is to overshadow bling with musicianship, to avoid gimmicks that might propel them into a spotlight that grants them only fifteen minutes, to be heard without mainstream radio play and to attempt to achieve recognition in a world dominated by flashy disposable artists remembered (and soon forgotten) for their superficial catch-phrases. Noble. - Splendid |
1XLP/Out Of Print