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Che Grand - Official Bootleg Import |
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Thursday, 29 December 2005 11:59 |
The Lessondary crew is the main roster on Loud Minority Music and extended family of the Justus League and Nicolay. One of their brightest stars currently below the radar is Che Grand out of Brooklyn by way of Virginia. Frustrated with hip-hop's present state of existence, Che has been on the grind in the lab and ripping stages in preparation for his full length debut Conceptus Opus due in the coming months. The Official Bootleg Import EP is based around the idea that international audiences care enough to discover lesser known talent from the US before these artists gain a buzz over here. This project reflects both Che Grand's personal and musical growth since releasing the Final Countdown mixtape earlier this year.
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It's clear that Che is intent on only being himself and depicting his reality throughout the EP. From the onset, Gold Chains details his struggles as a starving artist speaking on everything from working a 9-5 job to what his family might have to say about his rap aspirations and the duality between downloading another artist's music without paying for it while wanting people to support his. The beat by Suburb, with its powerful impact and sped up sample, could easily be mistaken for something from the Heatmakerz (Dipset) arsenal and completing the song is the strong hook from soulful rock songstress PS. Work Flow is another introspective moment detailing Che's daily grind and attempts at maintaining his sanity through the struggle.
When he isn't focused on the stresses of life, Che wears different hats: he effortlessly switches from ladies man to fed up hip-hop purist to comedian. A highlight is Trainspottin, covering one of the few concepts unexplored on record until now - women riding New York's train system. The production by The Beatmaker is heavenly, making the perfect backdrop for this everyman's ode. Brown Study finds Che taking a trip through female fantasies over a Suburb beat, one that doesn't sound pop yet is suitable for clubs. Vigilante has him at his fiercest, attacking an energetic track accentuated by cymbals wherein he breaks down his problems with the rap game and artists perpetuating fake images. Unafraid to cut loose and have fun is Che on the Naija Interval and a true gem is the bonus track, which samples the Soul Glow jingle from Coming To America. He sounds intoxicated with rhymes making reference to the movie, but he manages to hold it all together in the end.
The Official Bootleg Import EP shows Che Grand more focused than ever on making complete quality songs. With a wider range in topic material, and grown man rhymes over fine production he proves why he is one to watch for in the coming year. Listeners are taken on a serious and at times light journey through the life of a developing rap phenomenon.
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- Label(s) Loud Minority Music
- Release Date January 24, 2006
- Producer(s) Big Nan, Che Grand, Suburb, The Beatmaker
- Executive Producer(s) Big Nan
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01. Gold Chains (feat. PS) 02. Import Intro 03. Trainspottin (feat. Tanya Morgan) 04. Naija Interval (Turned Out) 05. Vigilante 06. Brown Study 07. Work Flow 08. Soul Glow [Bonus]
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:27 )
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