Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Philly Music: Plastic Little - Thug Paradise



Plastic Little, "Foil"


Plastic Little, "Drizhollering"


Plastic Little, "Drizhollering" (screwed and chopped)

The next group from Philly that we are looking at has already been mentioned quite a few times here at Pound for Pound. I feel like I've seen Plastic Little live more than almost any band playing today, a sign of how much I enjoy their music and how much a part of the local scene they are.

The tracks above are off of their out of print first EP, Thug Paradise, that came out on A-Ron the Don's aNYthing label a few years ago. It was a great first recording, putting down most of their live staples like "Drizhollering" and "Foil". It's what I would consider the best of underground hip hop, bringing a more electro/experimental sound without copping that holier-than-thou attitude that afflicts most backpackers. One listen to the lyrics and you will hear that they are making fun of hip hop, themselves, anything that comes into their mind.

The only disappointing thing is that the bass doesn't quite come through, the recording seems to be missing a little something, especially on "Foil." It takes away the sheer bigness, the brilliance of the beats by Michael "Squid" Stern. Again, this is really a demo of sorts, so it's not incredibly shocking that it could sound better. "Drizhollering" sounds right and is my favorite Plastic Little song. I mean, how can you not love a line like "I like those indie girls that say they like electro/Clash, Crash that's cool/I like Fischerspooner too/But, nah bitch, I don't bitch/I like some Ice Cube/Today was a good day/the night's gonna get better/Cos I got her drunk off 5 dollar liquor"? Pure genius.

Unfortunately, that's been it. Nothing new since 2004, as far as I'm aware. Well, that's not quite true, as the group has done a full LP worth of material called Thug Paradise 2.1, which you can buy through their site (click on Samples at the bottom). I know that "Driz" was released as a 12" on the experimental hip hop label Sound-Ink, but I'm not sure if they are still connected with the group. Is it possible that there is no label willing to release this? Having seen them open for Spank Rock a few weeks ago, it's safe to assume that they are still a band and still making music. If anyone has an update on the situation, holler. I really feel like these guys should and could have a bigger audience, following in the wake of Diplo, Low Budget, Spank Rock and the whole scene that has exploded here. In short, let's get a new CD out on a label that can spread the word to the masses.

1 comment:

di1 said...

I think aNYthing is releasing their next album which is almost done or something. There is a show tomorrow, check out the sidebar on 51:51 for more info.