The Coup‘s Boots Riley [click to read] has been a militant voice of reason in Hip Hop for almost 20 years. Whether he’s satirizing the rich in “Fat Cats Bigga Fish” or waving verbal pistols on “My Favorite Mutiny,” the Bay Area funkdafied emcee has lots to say, and never shows his age, only his wisdom. A decade ago, had Boots joined forces with Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave, two genres would have been abuzz with anticipation. Having been touring, and working together on The Coup‘s Pick A Bigger Weapon [click to read] project, this union has been in slow, under-played development. In 2009’s era of quiet collaboration though, Hip Hop seems to be unaware of the Street Sweeper Social Club‘s self-titled debut, although it demonstrates quite an achievement in the arena of Rap-Rock.
“The Oath” is telling of what this album is really about. With a simple chorus going, “Alright mothafuckas / Fight mothafuckas,” this is a project that steps right past radio aspirations, with Boots delivering a more musical message than rapping. He masters the ceremony, pounding his chest, stating his commitment to individuality and art. Morello matches the message with sweeter guitar chords that remind you quickly why he’s been championed in the Rap world at the chorus. The harder stuff comes through on “Good Morning Mrs. Smith.” Here, Morello and the band provide an anthemic ’70s Rock backdrop that gets sharply accented by ferocious guitar licks at a tempo perfect for a rapper’s canvas. Boots seizes the opportunity, “My confession is also my blessing,” and “I’ve learned a lot / From things left at my apartment / Forgotten papers that you dropped / On my carpet,” which he says he’s turned into “origami.” Abstract, yes, but the precise delivery of Boots‘ rhymes against Morello‘s handiwork pushes both genres forward, and both veterans sound refreshed.
Not everything on SSSC moves as smoothly though. “Promenade” is weighed down by an awkward meter that finds Boots mimicking a dosey-doo square-dance chant. This is something indigestible from such a serious voice of the people. A lot of the choruses are simple in their words and content, but over-produced with background vocals, chants and song changes that seem to attempt Pop on an album that fights so hard against it. The rapper seems to be living out his band front-man fantasy, and even though the deliveries are structured towards Morello‘s background than the converse, Hip Hop’s attitude, diction and angst carries this album through questionable moments.
Tom Morello played guitar for Run-DMC on 1993’s “Down With The King.” He would, always in the background, go on to work with KRS-One [click to read], Snoop Dogg [click to read], and Diddy on seminal songs and projects throughout the ’90s. Street Sweeper Social Club is as close as he’s ever gotten, and Boots Riley brought great energy, some clever bars and verses, and his Coup attitude to give the record a lot of integrity. While the music itself swings between putting a fist, putting your hands, and simply just putting an L in the air, this is as good of a full length Rock-Rap collaborative effort as you’ll get since M.O.P.‘s Mash Out Posse [click to read] mosh-pit mayhem in 2004.
