ALBUM REVIEW: Wildstyle 25th Anniversary Edition
- Posted on August 28, 2007 5:22 PM
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‘Wildstyle 25th Anniversary Edition’
Review by Andrew Willis
And we’re fantastic, five mccceeeeees/and we’re pleasing all the ladeeeees…’ ‘HUH!’
In capturing the essence of a burgeoning cultural movement, Wildstyle’s 25th Anniversary Edition contains the nexus of modern rap and hip-hop. Light-years away from today’s commercially predisposed rap artists, the pervasive mood of this album is one of optimistic creativity documented mid-flourish on the streets and studios of a city caught in the swing of change.
The early 80’s saw New York develop its own unique aesthetic; from the complex street art along with the birth of the B-boy, hip-hop represented a desire to break away from the street fighting that had previously territorialized areas of the city. Emerging from bleak underpasses and dank subways came a group of individuals with a real fervour for creating music. Grandmaster Flash, The Cold Crush Brothers and The Rock Steady Crew are to name but a few of the artists in attendance during Hip-Hop’s genuine emergence.
The CD itself is replete with beats, breaks and rhymes. The outstanding thing about this record isn’t necessarily the neat programme that allows you to splice your own tracks and licks, but the fact that such a picture of urban existence – one that uses the grit of city life as a point of reference, rather than the ‘glitz’ or ‘gunz’ utilised by contemporary artists, still manages to celebrate the city’s disparate parts. What we have here isn’t a record looking for kudos. Unpolished, true and vibrant this album’s about as pure as Hip-Hop’s going to get; wise up, get a copy, and tune into a generation with a unique sense of direction, one often only given to those privileged enough to have found a voice.
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