| Company Flow is largely credited with articulating the vision for a wing of hip-hop that was proudly independent, political and lyrical. Many groups before CoFlow, certainly, embodied such principles, but El-P, Bigg Jus and Mr. Len were one of the only groups to stake its ethos and future on such. So when one of the band’s principals puts out a new recording, particularly one as heatedly conscious as Jus’ Poor People’s Day, you’d think more people would be on it. No luck. Aside from a CD description and a link to other links, Poor People’s Day’s great wordplay, sharp soundscape and urgency have not gotten the respect it deserves. Yet. This is a great recording, perhaps one of the best of 2005, not just for the lyrics, but for its fearless pursuit of unconventionality. What makes Poor People’s Day such a powerful CD is that fact that it’s really an entire package. From open to close, Bigg Jus seems like he came to this release with a solid concept and determination to keep it consistent throughout. In this case, the concept is about talking about the struggles of oppressed people globally. And the music is understated enough where it never takes the mantle from the lyricism. Minor missteps, like "Supa Nigga," were short enough to not detract from what is a relentless mental bombing on the powers-that-be. And, rest assured, Jus brings the A-game all the way, doing that genre-defying, vocab-busting sound that puts in the most esoteric Wu rhyme to shame. He helped innovate that unusual reference style in CoFlow, and solo, Jus continues to please. On "This is Poor People’s Day," Jus raps in a stream-of-consciousness flow, "While poverty is spreadin’ like wildfire/You let ‘em drown in debt and compounded interest/Disease/Pollution/Prostitution/Child labor/Millions live under repression every day/While history is written by the conqueror/Expropriating all your wealth/JP Morgan, Citigroup and World Bank/This is Poor People’s Day/We exercise the right to redistribute resources/We want self-reliance and equitable consideration/We don’t need no IMF structural readjustment!" Jus defies the beat with lyrics that tear all over the spectrum, hitting reparations, dissent, rebellion and more. Other songs, like "Memories of You" and "Night Before," are a good deal more focused, with a story to tell. "You can’t just crush a bullet on truth/That’s what happens when you start to feel immortal/the chickens come home/And people feel like they need some kind of vindication," Jus delivers. "Cultural repression is a hulking beast/Feeding on hatred/So it grew up strong and stupid/Programmed by fake information." All of the CD is deep lyrically, but it reminded me a little of that PE style, quick reference, on to the next. The effect is still heady, and well worth your purchase. - Street Knowledge |
1XLP/Out Of Print