The most impressive thing about Community Education’s South Bronx Sessions album is the innovative blend of different people, voices, styles and rhythms, which all somehow manage to work out great together.  I was never once bored with this album, since every song brings something new and interesting. The creative energy these young artists have is definitely evident through their beats and lyrics.  South Bronx Sessions is a fun, interesting and clever album that can appeal to large audiences because of many different music styles present on the album, but Community Education achieve that without being too commercial.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
When artists talk about resurrecting the hip hop sounds of yesteryear, the oft-unsaid implication is that "real" hip hop is dead. The more savvy listener knows it's not dead; you just might have to dig a little deeper to find it. This collective has done a lot of the footwork for you, assembling crews and artists from around the world with one common goal: to make some good music that stays true to the roots of hip hop, while not allowing themselves to get pigeonholed into any retro-crazed novelty schism. Their integrity-driven raps (and the Golden Era beats that back them) strive for mass appeal, but there's never the slightest inkling of compromise. With deep pockets filled to the brim with a diverse but cohesive group of artists, the tracks here switch up so often that there's nary a chance of things going stale. It's real hip hop (you thought it wouldn't be?), the kind that isn't afraid to have some fun. The opening lines from "Something Good" might sum it up best: "This is for the geeks and the gangstas/ Creeps and the prankstas/ Everybody, anybody."
                            Read more...