Monday, March 20, 2017

Street spirit

Episode 14 of Sounding Bored finds Josh Wells making a solid debut alongside returning contributor (and conspiracy theory fanatic) David Cox and regular host Rob Langham, with the panel discussing hip hop, gangsta rap and the crucial significance of the LA riots in 1992 and the murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. in 1997. The conversation ranges over everything from artistry, politics, violence, pseudonyms and homophobia/misogyny, with enthusiastic endorsements of the likes of Wu Tang Clan, Kendrick Lamar, Run The Jewels and Outkast.

The episode's featured album is Sleaford Mods' English Tapas, their first LP for Rough Trade, which the panel regards as symptomatic of the current political and economic climate but a rather joyless perspective that doesn't have much positive to say or a particularly interesting way in which to say it. (I'd disagree, but it's definitely for the best that I wasn't on the panel to do so, as I would have been hopelessly out of my depth for the bulk of the discussion...)

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