hiphoplifeandtimes

Here’s some words we don’t always assume are synonymous: hip-hop and 1880’s-inspired musicals.
Personally, I was extremely intrigued as soon as I read the first paragraph in the album description; and that’s because NomiS have teamed up hip-hop and the musical, Les Misérables. What result do you get from that? Err, you get fucking awesome that’s what you get. Whether you’re a fan of musicals and/or Les Misérables or not doesn’t matter at all, especially when you consider the amount of producers that sample classical music. The whole concept and idea behind this record is a really good one, and NomiS loyally follows the themes and story behind the classic theatre production, within the lyrical content. Although when you think that hip-hop was founded on struggle and revolution; the idea of creating this record doesn’t feel so alien anymore.
For those not hip to theatre or the original novel, Les Miserables is basically about the French revolution when the people overthrew their pretty awful monarch and created a republic (hooray!).

Alright, here’s the short and long of it, and you’ll just have to get over my fangirling on this one, but when we get albums like this it reminds me again why I love hip-hop. I generally was hooked from the first track. I love everything about this record. The production is interesting, full of depth, has unpredictable lines, and quite frankly has moments of being a bit weird (all good though, weird is far better than boring). NomiS has a very matured and authoritative tone to his rapping style, which considering the lyrics, only adds more weight to the record. A lot of rappers with deeper tones to their MCing can’t always transfer double-time to their style, but NomiS does this, and it was an unexpected highlight to parts of some of the songs, I won’t tell you which tracks in particular, or what perspective parts, but when he flips them in, it’s timed perfectly.

For those of you that aren’t huge fans of the samples and instrumental parts of this record; ‘Thief’s Theme (Valjean Forgiven)’ is for all of those hip-hop heads still not a hundred percent convinced on the production. If however you’re happy with the rest of the record, it’s simply an added bonus.

I’ll be perfectly honest and admit but I’d never listened to NomiS before we were put on to his record, but after listening to it I can say I’m a fully fledged fan.
I’d like to think that when we are get tired of having our jobs dissolved, our health services and benefits cut, our rights taken away, and all other good stuff I’d be quite happy to listen to this record when we send them all to the guillotine.

For fans of Akala, Army Of The Pharaohs, Jedi Mind Tricks, Talib Kweli.

Don’t be a sucker, support your scene and donate a few Yen.

This fan-attack was written by Aimee.