A New Take on Hip-Hop - Bless |
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| Written by Agnes Cadieux |
| Thursday, 04 November 2010 14:44 |
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Montreal native Bless has been surrounded by music his entire life. He began demoing songs at the fresh age of 12 and has since gathered a following through his sound fusion of electro, rock and hip-hop. His music career reached new heights when, at 16, he began collaborating with heavy weights like Limp Bizkit, and Rahiem (Grandmaster Flash) in New York City. Then something extraordinary happened: he was discovered by the legendary Guru of Gangstarr. Bless toured the world with Guru as his hype man and when he finally returned to Canada, he began working on his debut 12" for Guru's III Kid imprint. The end result was the album Talkin To Me (featuring Guru) which to this day is still considered an underground classic.
Bless' latest EP, The Night Before, came out this summer, and is the precursor to his third full-length album The Day After, which is geared to release in late 2010. The EP boasts seven tracks that offer listeners a half hour of uniquely mixed melodies and catchy lyrics. I have to admit, I tend to shy away from rap and hip-hop, mainly because I have issues with listening to artists singing about slapping their bitches up and busting caps in people's asses. However, I was delighted to find that Bless was able to get his message out without dropping the F-bomb in every line. For once, the press release did not exaggerate what I would be listening to. For once, the mention of genre-fusion did not make me cringe. Although hip-hop took center stage in most of the songs, the electro and dance influences were audible but not overbearing and did not take my attention off the lyrics. It was very unique, and, to be honest, rather catchy. Every track on the EP had something different to offer. From the late 80's/early 90's sound of the third track, "Cocaine", to the very smooth and almost silken beat of the Ep's single, "Keep It Gully", the moderate tempo and expertly mixed hip-hop/electronica sound made it very easy to sink into and appreciate. Although I tend to gravitate towards indie, folk, and world music, I grew up in a house that was always playing some sort of electronica, new-age or techno music, so it's refreshing to hear these underground genres being infused into today's cookie-cutter mainstream. Bless really did do something new with hip-hop, and for me it works. It's edgy, intriguing, and a fusion I can actually enjoy. For more on Bless, visit: www.blesssoundmachine.com
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In addition to being an innovative artist, Bless also has his own label, Platinumberg Entertainment. The label's first release Platinumberg: The Movement is a compilation that features Afu-Ra, Mr. Wiggles (Rock Steady Crew), T. F. S., Dexter D, and of course Guru. The first three singles all charted on MuchMusic's RapCity Top 5, while the single "My Time" was featured on ESPN's football drama Playmakers. Bless also made history in 2004 by being the first Canadian artist to be featured as a character in a Def Jam video game: Def Jam Fight for New York. To date, the game has sold over three million copies worldwide.
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