About WFMU
macedonia on 05/29/2010 at 02:08PM
Windy City Head Bangers...
With all of the shine that Chicago gets for its role in bringing house music to the world, some tend to overlook its involvement within other genres. On that note, look who blew in from the Windy City to the FMA: MC/Producer St. LaRok.
A member of the Miami Beat Wave Productions crew, LaRok leans heavily on the lessons learned from late '80s/early '90s hip-hop, bringing his own intricate instrumentals and lively wordplay to the rap game. If there's any truth to 2010 ushering in a second "Golden Age" for hip-hop, his Leap Year EP could certainly be used as evidence for that argument. To get better acquainted with this artist's work, here's a double shot of LaRok to showcase his talents on the mic and behind the drum machine.
Intro tracks don't get much better than "TIME/Leap," featuring the St. flowing fluidly over a shoulder-hunching beat that allows hip-hop to flirt with bossa nova patterns. Meanwhile, "Archetype" focuses solely on LaRok's production, which pits rolling, sharp snares against a cloud of inviting chords. Consider him one to watch as this new decade gets underway...
