So…. here’s the thing. I love hip hop. I do. Or rap. Or whatever we’re calling it these days. But over the last few months, very little hip hop has reached and grabbed me. I’ve been missing that certain something, namely that visceral soul-stretching oomph that firmly implants a song beyond your ears and deep into your body.
The Physics are a rising Seattle trio. Abrupt definition? Well, there’s a reason: while the musical foundation of the Physics (Thig Nat, Monk Wordsmith and producer Justo) is firmly settled on hip hop, as a group and a concept (yes, a concept, dammit), they have grown, vine-like, outside the strict definitions that label implies (and no, we don’t have to get into a “what is hip hop” discussion here, just go with it).
In advance of their upcoming release Love is a Business, the Physics team recently posted five of their new songs for your streaming pleasure. The songs show a group in transition – moving from classically hip hop towards a vibe and sound at whose extreme you find artists like the Hawthorne Headhunters’ Black Spade.
It’s a brave step, and one that – thus far – appears to be taken confidently. Fearlessness plus talent equals musical evolution, and that’s exactly what hip hop is in need of now.
