Handsome Boy sets new hip-hop standard
Todd Callais
Scene Music Critic
Every once in a while an album comes around that may not get continuous play in every music fan's discman, but definitely has the potential to be a trendsetter and hold a spot in the "what album most motivated your music?" space in future music magazine interviews. "So … How's Your Girl" by Handsome Boy Modeling School, the collaborative effort of Dan "the Automator" and production genius Prince Paul, is one of those albums.
Over the last year it has torn up the CMJ album charts and become a permanent fixture on the hip-hop top 25 countdown. Combining great sampling, blues and rock instrumentals, techno beats and diverse vocals, the album cannot be simply limited to the genre of rap music, however. That would not do justice to the hypnotic music and the talented all-star cast of people that lend their crafts to this disc.
Question: What do the Beastie Boys, Fine Young Cannibals, Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, the Eels, Everlast, the Gravediggaz, A Tribe Called Quest, Peter Wolf and Chris Rock have in common?
Answer: They are just some of the artists that Prince Paul has produced in his illustrious career. Although he mainly focuses his attention to the hip-hop scene, he demonstrates his crossover abilities on this album. In his own right, Dan "the Automator" Nakamura has lent his production talents to names like Cibo Mato, Dr. Octagon, DJ Shadow and John Spencer's Blues Explosion. Together, these two men are Handsome Boy Modeling School, a duo that has created something truly unique.
The album starts with the song "Rock 'n' Roll (Could never hip hop like this)" which sets the stage for the album and is oddly reminiscent of some of the Beastie Boys instrumentals from "Ill Communications." The second track, "Magnetizing," is what gained HBMS attention — and justifiably so. A song with inventive tempo changes and the smooth vocal stylings of Del the Funkee Homosapien serves as the bands hip-hopmanifesto. Track 5, "Waterworld," answers the high rap standards set by "Magnetizing" by demonstrating the talents of lyricist Encore. The song also makes effective use of water sampling that creates the dreary mood for the song.
This mood continues into the song "Once Again," which shows the electronic music background of Dan the Automator. This song will remind you of the Gravediggaz, and it is made by the creative vocals of Grand Puba and the sampling in the chorus from the Three Dog Night hit "Old Fashioned Love Song."
"The Projects" is another great track because of its harmonica instrumentals and rhymes from Dave of De La Soul.
Jazz pours out of the song "The Truth," which features Eryka Badu. A first-hand account of how one can't hide from the truth, this song will make people wonder what exactly the song is all about and wear out the repeat button on their stereo.
DJ shadow enters the scene on the song "Holy Calamity." The track, which also features DJ Quest, is a song that is the definition of good crossover music. It has a chorus reminiscent of both '70s funk and '80s breakdance music. In addition, it is just another great DJ Shadow song.
The album gets most creative on the song "Sunshine," featuring the vocals of Beatles legend's son, Sean Lennon. Then it strangely mixes it with samples from the old "Saturday Night Live" character, Father Guido Sarducci. You know the producers are talented when they can make a line like, "Forget about your sorrows, life is but a shadow without your sunshine" sound good. Finally, there is the song "Megaton B-Boy 2000," which features Alec Empire. This song can best be described as Atari Teenage Riot meets Mos Def.
This album is not without flaw, however. The songs "Metaphysical," "Look at this Face" and "Modeling Sucks" are — at best — forgettable. "The Runway Song," featuring rising techno star Kid Koala, is downright horrible. This may not necessarily be a great closing, but the album is something that you should consider buying.
"So ... How's Your Girl" has been around for about nine months now, so it is not new, but it has been unappreciated in the music world. If you like creativity in music you should consider getting this album. It is sure to be remembered by music junkies for a long time.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, April 18, 2000
