My Word Is On The Line...

Here's the deal: If there's one thing my thousands dozens of online friends, blog readers and Twitter followers know, it's that my taste in music is incomparable and that my opinions of music might as well be recorded as fact rather than personal belief.

Ok, that was two things.

Regardless, I like to tell myself that people appreciate my opinion of "good" vs. "garbage" music.

I'm not a huge fan of mainstream music, so I often tend to listen to musicians who, in my opinion, have talent but will need some time to improve. Sometimes these musicians reach mainstream status (for example, I first started telling people to listen to the rapper Wale in the summer of '07... which isn't that early, but early by South Dakota's standards). Other times, these musicians simply become one-song wonders, floating aimlessly through the void of my 14,000+ song iPod.

One rapper I've been talking about for awhile now is Add-2, a rapper from Chicago. I first started listening to him after he connected with me on Twitter (that story can be read here...) around Christmas of '08 and I was telling people they should be listening to him about 2 days after I gave his mixtape, "A Tale of Two's City, Vol. 2" a thorough listen. Since then, I've talked with him quite a bit on Twitter, shared his music with everyone I can, and actually do consider him a "friend" (at least in the sense of connecting from South Dakota to Chicago through Twitter on a semi-regular basis).

One of the reasons I respect Add-2 so much is because he's one of the few rappers I've listened to who has found the difficult-to-find balance of clever, witty punchlines and serious and enlightening insight on heavy topics and issues. Whether he's discussing a date that gets out of control (with hilarious results) in "Locker Room Stories" or taking an introspective look at the issues facing the youth of inner-city Chicago in "Chicago Kids," Add-2 shatters the stereotype of what most people consider to be "mainstream" rap. You won't find much "money, cars, clothes" from Add because that's not where his head is. He's focused on better things and bigger dreams. As he puts it in his fantasticly retrospective "Starter Jacket," "I hope the game don't change me, when I change the game."

Which brings us to the point of my post. Sometime in the near future, Add-2 will be releasing "Tale of Two's City, Vol. 4: Better Days." I don't believe I have heard a single song off of this effort, but I will put my firmly-established and nationally-respected musical reputation on the line when I say that "Better Days" will be an all-around fantastic album. I will be surprised, if not shocked, if this album isn't the last one Add-2 makes before a major label locks in a record deal with him (if he chooses to go that route).

So there you have it. I give you my word that this album, when it does come out, will be worth your valuable time. Mostly if you're a rap fan, but probably even if you aren't a rap fan. For now, I'll connect you to Add-2's MySpace page so you can sample some of his stuff for yourself.

Enjoy.

P.S. - I'll throw in two of my favorites from Add below. The first is called Superman. I advise you to stick around 'til the 3rd verse. That's when things get crazy. The second is the afore mentioned "Starter Jacket."



Here's "Starter Jacket"