Madcon - A Review

Last night I had the pleasure of sitting with the lovely ladies of Lip Service. Always a good time when I pay a visit. Shout out to my brotha from anotha motha, S. Malcolm for the invite.


Madcon - Who is that? What is that? Better yet, WHO are THEY?

Tshawe Baqwa and Yosef Wolde-Mariam are Madcon, a rap duo from Norway. When they walked in the studio, I was surprised to find out that they were of color. It's not everyday you hear about Black people living in Norway. I suppose it's my American ignorance that wouldn't allow me to think otherwise, even though I should have known, because WE are EVERYWHERE. The funny thing is they joked about the racial disparities by saying there were two other blacks in the country. At first I had some reservations about them because I am a known music snob (aside from me randomly liking Stanky Legg when it comes on the radio, smh). The good thing is I know that I'm not the only snob out there. Most Americans are snobbish, especially the so called Hip-Hop "purists". It would be safe to say that very few international Hip-Hop artists have a hard time coming to the states and making it big. Sometimes the crossover appeal isn't there nor is the strong cosign, a la John Legend and Kanye West for Estelle. No, she's not technically a Hip-Hop artist, but the co-sign definitely helped her to make a name for herself.

It's pretty hard to come to the US with a different Hip-Hop sound. This might be because we don't easily accept change. We have become accustomed to hearing the same formulas over and over, but I think that an international artist would add something interesting to the pot. What some people tend to forget is that Hip-Hop is more than music. It's a culture that spreads worldwide and is more than rapping about whips, chicks and "bling"(descending soapbox now).

Though I might be a snob, I give artists a fair listen. Even if it's for 30 seconds I check it out (30 may be too much for the trash that's out there). I can say affirmatively that they are not trash...so far. The song that I heard was "Beggin;" a nice blend of DooWop, Hip-Hop and Soul. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good old-school vibe.


From their website...
"Madcons musical style is a retro-urban-mix with influences from funk, soul and hip hop (with additional elements and vibes from reggae, latin and african in the finished product). Yosef & Tshawe blend singing and rapping in a unique and harmonious way."


I might not be the "official" cosign, but I know what's good and I think that they have something. We are here to learn from different people and cultures and I'm sure that two African by birth, Norwegians have a very interesting story to tell.

Check out their video for Beggin below.