There are thousands of free albums on Bandcamp, so how does a person decide to actually download and listen to one of the many? For me, it was easy. At least in this case. I saw the name Hasan Salaam and hit the link as fast as possible. Salaam’s “Children of God” was one of the top 10 albums of 2008, and he’s earned my ears in a major way. True, he’s only one one of the cuts of One Eyed Kings’ 5-song EP, but that alone is worth the price (free) and time it takes to cop a listen. How does it rate?
Overall, Colorado’s One Eyed Kings are a little clunky, but their spirit and lyrics have to be appreciated. Any rapper who can spit about the war in Iraq and the Tea Party Movement making him “ashamed to be American” warrants a shout-out. This kind of hip hop is never easy to write–it’s intensely political and conscious, lacking street-machismo or humor, so it’s playing against the strengths of the genre–but they do it pretty damn well. At least enough so I’m curious to hear what else these guys can do.
Available for free on Bandcamp.
All Roads Lead Home feat. Hasan Salaam
Tags: Extended Player (EP), Hip Hop
Carol Bui looks hot and sounds hot, in a 1990s postpunk alt/rock kinda way. But amidst all the punk you’ll hear world beats–like MIA meets Liz Phair.
