Falling Behind...

So, clearly I owe you (the world) an Obama post. Obviously. What conscious, conscientious blogger has not posted about our 44th President yet... present company excluded? While that post is coming, suffice it to say that I was like an old man in a rocking chair last Tuesday night... silently reveling in the moment, crying subtly (and then weeping overtly), and in deep, reflective thought about what I just witnessed.

Amen to that.

All of that aside, I have been on a serious music-seeking mission these last few days as I attempt to reconnect with myself (once again). In my search, I ran across what may be one of the dopest conceptual albums that I have found in quite some time. It's rare that you find an album that tells a story from track 1 to track n, but man... this one definitely does, and it does it over refreshingly original beats and samples. Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't some earth-shattering, Illmatic/Reasonable Doubt type shit. It's not heavy like that. But it is FUN...and that's an element that's been missing from the game for a minute now. The artist: rapproducer 88-Keys, known for his work with hip hop heavyweights like Mos Def and Kweli ('Thieves in the Night,' 'Love,' 'Speed Law,' and 'Champion Requiem' are all his beats), as well Macy Gray, Consequence, and Musiq. The album: his debut, The Death of Adam. In his own words,

The entire album is about the power of the punani, if you will. The album follows the story line of my man Adam who passed away and basically how he died. It all started off with him catching a boner one morning, morning wood, and his life starts to spin out of control from there.

Simple, right? I mean, we all generally agree that sex is one of those driving forces that makes the world go 'round, and that it is inextricably intertwined in 92.6% of all decisions that we make... in one way or another. So, why not take that concept and make an album out of it? 88' continues:

I thought, “What gives me pleasure?” So I thought, Polo clothes, blue label of course, give me pleasure, when I’m out coppin’. Making beats bring me pleasure. Money. I’m like, “Boom! I know what gives me pleasure! Pussy!” So as soon as that thought came into my head, I’m like, “Okay. I’m scrapping all the other beats I had made for my album so far, and I’m starting with this one. This is the first beat for my album.” And I just stayed on it.

Did he ever. 14 hittin' tracks, with running commentary that just weaves this whole story together. It definitely has those, "damn, I know that feeling!" moments that you just can't help but laugh at. It's the type of album that truly can carry the "hip hop is supposed to be fun, so let's have fun with it" moniker... and it carries that MUCH better than, say, a Souljah Boy Tell 'Em cut. There's a sharp distinction between "fun" and "pure coontastic ignorance," but I digress.

How fun can this be? Peep the viral videos that have leaked explaining the back story of our beloved protagonist, Adam:

DCN 27 News Piece #1

DCN 27 News Piece #2

DCN 27 News Piece #3

Seriously!? I'm loving this. In any event, The Death of Adam officially drops on 11/11/08. Support 88' in his latest venture. Though, I'm sure that through some creative searching (or by clicking..oh, I don't know, HERE) you just might stumble across a copy prior to its street date. The Internet is some sick, slick stuff. Anyway, guests include Phonte of Little Brother, Kid Cudi, Redman, Shitake Monkey, Bilal, and Mr. Kanye West - who also serves as executive producer (don't worry, there's none of that T-Pain/"Love Lockdown" shit on here). Need I say more?