From Tha Roota To Tha Toota
by Alex Henderson
Some music critics have observed that if rap is "the CNN of the streets" (to borrow a phrase coined by
Public Enemy
leader
Chuck D
), country is "the CNN of the suburbs." Historically, hip-hoppers have tended to address urban inner-city concerns, whereas country singers have often focused on things that people in suburbia and small towns can relate to. But here's the thing: plenty of people in large cities listen to
Patty Loveless
and
Randy Travis
, and plenty of hip-hop heads live in small and medium-sized towns. So it was inevitable that a Southern rap group like Albany, GA's Field Mob would end up bringing a more rural perspective to hip-hop -- well, rural up to a point. Field Mob's
Boondox Blax
has described Albany as being "like a metropolitan area, but it's rural at the same time" -- and that rural/metropolitan blend makes for many interesting moments on the duo's second album...
Some music critics have observed that if rap is "the CNN of the streets" (to borrow a phrase coined by
Public Enemy
leader
Chuck D
), country is "the CNN of the suburbs." Historically, hip-hoppers have tended to address urban inner-city concerns, whereas country singers have often focused on things that people in suburbia and small towns can relate to. But here's the thing: plenty of people in large cities listen to
Patty Loveless
and
Randy Travis
, and plenty of hip-hop heads live in small and medium-sized towns. So it was inevitable that a Southern rap group like Albany, GA's Field Mob would end up bringing a more rural perspective to hip-hop -- well, rural up to a point. Field Mob's
Boondox Blax
has described Albany as being "like a metropolitan area, but it's rural at the same time" -- and that rural/metropolitan blend makes for many interesting moments on the duo's second album...
