In the past year, many of mainstream hip-hop’s shining stars have been publicly lamenting what they perceive to be a creative malaise in the music.
“Right now hip-hop’s very boring to me. It’s no excitement,” Timbaland told mtv.com last fall.
That sentiment has been echoed by other stars, including recent retiree Jay-Z and OutKast’s Andre 3000. Certainly, if one were to spend a couple of hours listening to some radio stations, a reasonable argument could be made that the quest for hot singles and quick riches has sucked the creativity from mainstream hip-hop.
Since 50 Cent laid down the blueprint with “Get Rich Or Die Trying,” it seems almost every rap album has the club jam, the gangsta/battle jam and the relatively sensitive I-need-a-girl jam in the hope that one or all will make it to radio.
Likewise, in their quest to remain “true” to hip-hop, many underground artists and fans limit themselves to straightforward beats and rhymes.
But none of that appeals to White Plains, N.Y., rapper Beans.
After the lauded and always interesting Anti-Pop Consortium’s acrimonious dissolution in 2003, Beans went solo, releasing a strong album, “Tomorrow Right Now,” and a great EP, “Now Soon Someday.”
With his densely worded rhymes and lo-fi beats, it’s unlikely that Beans will be on a mix tape alongside Chingy anytime soon. He’s more concerned with making the kind of music he wants.
And, from his vantage point, hip-hop’s creativity is fine.
“Honestly, I think [mainstream artists] are saying that because they’re still doing the same thing,” he said. “I think it’s more about them than it is about hip-hop.
“They get money for doing what they’re doing, but if they want to do something different, just do it. I can understand why they would feel somewhat stifled–because they are making music for mass appeal and they have to try and find somewhat of a balance. They have to answer to different authorities that I have the luxury of not even being bothered with.”
Signed to respected electronic indie WARP, Beans said he has the freedom to explore those possibilities. His next full-length recording, “Shock City Maverick,” will be more up-tempo, he said, and in the future, he aspires to break out of the three-minute verse-chorus-verse format.
The 32-year-old spends sizable chunks of the year on the road opening primarily for indie-rock bands and offbeat electronic acts such as Prefuse 73. He’s not purposely cultivating the indie-rock audience, but “those bands keep asking me, so I keep saying yes,” he said.
“It affords me a lot of latitude because with different audiences, you get more exposure to different people.”
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and alBerto Trevino (atrevino@tribune.com)
