Tanoo

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Name: Tanoo

Nicknames: Tanooki, Raccoon, that crazy suit, Ksitigarbha

Hobbies: Flying, shape-shifting, stomping Goombas, Nerdcore Rapping

Favorite Artists : Jurassic 5, Aceyalone, Pigeon John, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Grandmaster Flash, Cream, Metallica, Aesop Rock, Del The Funkee Homosapien, Freestyle Fellowship, Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo

Quote : “And Shigeru raised his hands to the sky, and the clouds did part, and 8 bits came forth…then he sent me on a damned quest to find them all!”

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Check out my mix tape (Muxtape file, click the song name to start)

1 ) Aceyalone – Arhythamaticulas

This song really spells out Acey’s lyrical strategies in an interesting context and a truly odd song. The rap’s have a very quick delivery, but surprisingly smooth for their complexity…and hearing Arhythamaticulas out loud is amusing.

2 ) Aceyalone – Find Out

I’m not sure why I like this song – it has an interesting beat, fairly good lyrics, and catchy rhymes and rhythms. I guess I picked it up because the lyrics describe a non-hip-hop fan finding out what it’s all about – considering I’d barely heard the Underground rap’s before now.

3 ) Aceyalone & RJD2 – Fire

I couldn’t resist throwing this in – how many rap songs have a background chorus like this? It’s rather hilarious. It’s another Project Blowed song, which tend to be Acey’s best, but I think RJD2’s influence really makes this song.

4 ) The A-Team – Pump Up The Jam

This song seems similar to old-school club songs. It’s catchy enough, a little difficult to get all of the words, but a solid song.

5 ) Dacav5 – Tetris (music video audio)

Okay, Dacav5 is not a true Underground group; they’re more of an independent group (their MySpace page proudly proclaims them the “The Most Popular Group You Never Heard Of”, but while their music is rather mainstream in content, their rapping styles sound very undie, and their first discs were independently released. Plus, Tetris makes a great background for any song.

6 ) Del the Funkee Homosapien – Phoney Phranchise

There’s not too much to say about this song – the title pretty much says everything Del talks about. But honestly, this is one of his few songs I really dislike, despite how well it fits the underground…I think its the hook that just sounds ugly, or the bass beats are odd, and his voice sounds off, but it just doesn’t sound right. The lyrics aren’t that bad though.

7 ) Hieroglyphics – Dune Methane

In contrast, I like this one a lot. The singing sounds off, but it fits very well into the odd back beats they chose, and the lyrics are interesting. Plus its always fun to hear a “normal” song broken up by weird scat.

8 ) Hieroglyphics – Powers That Be

This is one of their more standard songs, but has a solid beat and good rap delivery. There are some very odd allusions in this one, too – when else have Bruce Willis, Chow Yun Fat, and Voltron ever been connected? They brag about their crew a lot too – talking one’s crew up is very common in undie.

9 ) Pigeon John – Life Goes On

The first Pigeon song I heard – definitely had to add this in. I like this song; it’s surprisingly cheerful, with a positive message – a little bit satirical too, but with John, that’s the norm – and Abstract Rude adds an interesting contrast to Pigeon’s weirdness.

10 ) Pigeon John – Money Back Guarantee

If any doubts exist about just how odd Pigeon John is, listen to this song. He makes fun of mainstream rappers, of himself, of losers…pretty much everyone. The lyrics are very bizarre, and his singing sounds kind of deranged…but amusing at the same time. Plus the ending is funny – like in a few other ones, people talk up how much Pigeon John sucks. The whole effect overall is fun.

11 ) Pigeon John – Scene 1 – “I Thought You Was a G”

Not exactly a song, and only 36 seconds long (unfortunately a few were cut off, and seemingly irrecoverable, but don’t detract at all – the last words in full are “I thought you was a G”), but the entire segue section on his album laughs at a guy for liking John’s music. There are three more scenes, all on Pigeon John & The Summertime Pool Party.

12 ) Wu-Tang Clan – Protect Ya Neck

Finally, some vintage Wu-Tang. This is their only true underground song (virtually right after its release, they attracted record labels), but has the mainstream habit of celebrity placement, and is a little difficult to sort out lyrics-wise. The beats are good though, and it has catchy lyrics.