- Baba, Yako and DJ Center make up Open Thought, representing the hip hop scene from the NYC with Baba's freestyled and written lyrics, a combination of Yako's live instrumentation coupled with DJ Center's turntablist skills and an ability to switch roles between group members. Hardcore hip hop fans will recognise the name Baba as an ex-member of famed Sydney hip hop crew Metabass & Breath, where he blazed the mic with his thought provoking lyricism and beatbox skills. Force Of Life is the group's debut album and documents
To kick things off the CD opens up with Rehearse Love featuring a sample reminding us (humans) that government can't do everything for us, it's people that need to practice and rehearse humanity to each other for this world to work - lovely sentiments to be shared in these troubled times. Baba cover today's issues of war and terrorism in War Poem (Rebuild) flexing his lyrical skills through spoken word about his thoughts on the way the US reacted to the events post 9/11.
There's the "hands in the air" uptempo hip hop joints such as the jazzy title track Force Of Life which has a slight DJ Premier and US3 feel about it - hip hop producers incorporating old jazz samples into their beats. The beats on Move and Get Up have a nice african/latin feel to them - hip hop you can dance to. Get Up sees Baba encouraging listeners to stand up and fight for what's right and what they believe in.
Baba and Yako give DJ Center a quick rest while they beatbox on Beatbox Love. Vocal turntablism at it's best - Yako and Baba do more than just bust beats, they incorporate a few vocal samples, impersonate a trumpet while Baba lyrically explains how he does it. Following on from this, DJ Center takes listeners on a sonic journey through New York on NYC featuring the spoken word talents of Steve Ben Israel describing everyday life in NYC from the boroughs to the subway to Central Park and how it has affected hip hop culture.
There's a little piece of Australia in the album as Baba pulls out his trusty didgeridoo for the Didge Break - an instrument Baba describes as "an instrument traditionally played with dancers in corroborees (Aboriginal dancing)" - here they combine the didgeridoo with bongos (on an Apache tip) with a little electro, old skool hip hop samples and lots of turntable mayhem courtesy of DJ Center. One of my favourite joints on the album.
Black Music is definitely one hip hop track we need to see a lot more of - paying respect to the origins of hip hop and black music. The last one I recall is Mos Def's Rock & Roll. Black Music is about three white boys paying their dues to the history of black music and how it changed the music industry, with any gratitude being given to the people who it originated from.
After 50 minutes of listening to this, I personally can't help but feel more educated about life, music and hip hop in general. Force Of Life celebrates life and international culture - through it's lyrical content and musical rhythm - so nicely, it's hard to not listen deeply to this album whether one concentrates on Baba life affirming lyrical lessons and storytelling, Yako's funky, jazzy and tribal rhythms or DJ Center's well placed samples and awesome turntablist skills.
For more information check out their website at Open Thought Music. Listen to some free samples and check out Baba's lyrics in the Lyrics & Poetry page - nice!