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The Lowdown on New Rap Duo--

Hype Currie | Detroit, Michigan United States | 06/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The `Lowdown' on New Rap Duo- RECOMMENDED--



Artist: Lowdown

Album: Ground Zero

Label: Slam Jamz, 2006



Ground Zero is the first studio LP from Lowdown, a rap duo who met in high school and has been toiling at their formal debut for about a decade now. Also members of the hip-hop collective The Impossebulls, rappers C-Doc and Tirade swap rhymes like old pros, hearkening back to the heyday of acts like E.P.M.D. The LP is executive-produced by Chuck D, who signed them to his independent imprint, Slam Jamz Records.



"Ten Years Coming" opens the 10-track set, with C-Doc letting listeners know that he's a man on fire: "For the past ten years they've been questioning me/ trying to find another emcee that's better than me/ instead of just lettin' me be/ now I got a bunch of fools and the police threatening me.." On "Funk Instantaneous", Tirade illustrates his dedication to the culture: "I love rap music in case I forgot to mention/ I'll rhyme until I'm dead because emcees don't get a pension/ I write with anything from Microsoft word to pencils/ I battle my subconscious when I'm getting existential." "The Essentials" criticizes the affected toughness of today's rap superstars: "You're peeking out your windows from your gated communities/ all these emcees are hard with giant bodyguards/ easy paths to fame while other roads un-trod/ how did they get so hot I tried to calculate this/ but the style's so played I had to use an abacus." "Waxx Museum" is a nice turntable interlude spotlighting Impossebulls colleague DJ President Ike.



All of the LP's tracks are produced by C-Doc; his jazzy beats, bass rhythms and occasional horns will remind listeners of Pete Rock. A second disc features several music videos from the duo and bonus MP3 tracks. Lowdown doesn't have the backing of a mega-label like Interscope, but Ground Zero helps prove that low-budget doesn't mean low-quality in hip-hop.

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