UNCOMMON RECORDS & DIGITAL MEDIA: PROGRESSIVE HIP HOP THROUGH PROGRESSIVE MEANS
Where would we be without the internet? My guess is we’d spend more time outside, exercising, and being productive. Who knows, maybe the youth of today would actually make an effort to contribute something to society (myself included). But seriously there are some of us who use the internet as a means to achieve legitimate communication; take this blog for example. I am not one of these people, but I certainly appreciate it. Uncommon Records established their Indy Hip Hop label in 2003 with the intention of creating a purely digital label that would thrive on accessibility much like the net itself. By doing so they would allow themselves the ability to reach everyone via the web without relying on distributors. Five years later it would appear as though they have achieved that.
Founded by The Presence (Nasa & Cirrus), Uncommon set out to produce a “niche sound” comprised of progressive Hip Hop artists and releases which they strategically select. The purpose of using digital media is that it bypasses incredibly high manufacturing costs and cuts out the distributor allowing Uncommon to create and distribute their music freely. But the digital mentality not only pertains to distribution and manufacturing, its also a matter of promotion and advancement. Uncommon Records is taking advantage of the technology at their disposal and utilizing it to further their potential as a label and as artists. They also incorporate the use of blogs, websites, internet & satellite radio, and whatever technology is within reach. Uncommon Records is certainly not the first label to harness the power of communication technology, but they do a damn good job of it and they do it in a way which, I agree, is progressive.
I mention this not only because I really dig what Uncommon is doing and am an avid enthusiast, but more so because it has a direct correlation to what my man NOIS is doing. People can promote themselves without having to rely so much on the support of others these days thanks to the development of technology such as the internet and satellite radio. But don’t get me wrong. Just because you design a website, create a blog, a radio show, and get your name out there doesn’t mean your shit is worthy of praise and attention. You’ve got to do it right. You’ve got to have knowledge and integrity and maintain a level of creativity that is innovative. I believe Uncommon Records does just that. Their digital mentality benefits us all. They get to produce the best Hip Hop possible at a fraction of the cost and we get to enjoy it at a fraction of the cost, or in the case of internet and radio, at no cost.
I know when it comes to Indy Hip Hop, and in particular progressive music, one of the first names that comes to mind for a lot of you is Definitive Jux. No shit Sherlock. Def Jux has been around, gets a lot more publicity, has a bigger budget, and has the luxury of being associated with a name and face millions of fans are familiar with, El-Producto of the infamous Company Flow. Not to mention their crew of at least a dozen well known artists who’ve been doing their thing. Uncommon Records is NOT just another Def Jux. AND lets not forget that the man behind the scenes, mixing and engineering a lot of Def Jux records and even the Funcrusher Plus album circa El-P’s Rawkus days is none other than the co-founder of Uncommon, Nasa. Also several of Uncommon’s artists have pressed up singles, collabo’ed with, and performed shows with Def Jux. So when you give Uncommon Records a listen and think to yourself “this sounds similar to Def Jux” remember your history. And if you don’t believe me do some research you fucking goonie.
VERDICT: Uncommon Records is ILL and their sound is their own. I also dig their mantra.
UNCOMMON RECORDS ARTISTS INCLUDE:
The Presence (Nasa & Cirrus), Arcsin, Centri, Dig Dug, Karniege, Masai Bey, Short Fuze, Short Rock
Latest Release on Uncommon Records:
UNCOMMON ON THE WEB:
http://www.uncommonmusic.net
http://www.myspace.com/uncommonrecords
Stay tuned to this frequency…
GALLINAFALCO
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