Take The Roots. Now remove ?uestlove’s iconic afro. Build upon their expressions of hope and change overtop beats that have an organic, Golden Age feel with hints of underground hip-hop, R&B, funk, jazz and soul. Then add a trombone, a xylophone and keys for extra flavor. Now you’ve got a musical collective from the DMV known as The 1978ers.
Though Hip Hop groups that feature live instrumentation will invariably be compared to The Roots, the 1978ers offer an approach to their music that is less combative than the early days of ?uestlove and company’s project, albeit lacking a signature hairstyle to boot. With the release of their latest project, People Of Today, The 1978ers used Hip Hop to send a resounding message of positivity and hope to their fans through the use of thoughtful lyrics, adding in cautionary tales to prepare listeners for the world around them.
“The vibrations from the drum be ground shaking my man’s hands, dance on the pads, stamping jam after jam / Before taxes was a plan, that me and him first had, our first copies were written with a Sharpy / hoping folks would listen,” raps yU, his flow ever-changing, speeding up and slowing down to match an off-kilter, jazzy beat that features a fast-paced bass line overtop drummer Cody Flores’ rapid fire high hats.
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People of Today’s beginnings include “One-Nine-7-T-8,” the story of the group’s emcee yU and his colleague Slimkat, the collective’s producer; a necessary and literal introduction to a group many may not have previously heard. But as the album moves forward, it becomes clear that the 1978ers’ goal is not mainstream success, but social progress.
“We in this crooked ass world where they make you walk a straight line. Pressure makes you think about the other side sometimes, and we just two brothers born in one-nine-seven-t-eight,” pens yU, the autobiographical track refusing to shy away from the good and evil that surrounds him.
Setting forth with a funky guitar line, the album’s next track, “P.O.T. Act II” begins, infused with heavy keys before the familiar Hip Hop staples of bass drum and snare move in to dominate the beat, giving the track the type of raw, underground sound reminiscent of pre-Internet Era rap groups like Binary Star. There are no 808s here, just authentic bass and brief guitar riffs to back yU’s aggressive lyrics, a far cry from the previous track.
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“We make songs just like bases loaded, arms folded, holding our composure, because we’re supposed to bring cultures closer / this is just a dose, we both roast the vultures,” he raps. Yet as cocky as some of the lyrics may be, when the chorus hits the beat the chords once again takes listeners to church even as yU brags and boasts.
The musicality found in People Of Today – its ability to transport listeners from the streets to a jazz club – provides a full, rich sound, tying the 18-track album together even as the beats continually evolve, encompassing genres ranging from Trip Hop to World Music to R&B and everything in-between. Whether it’s the piano and horns of “Without A Clue” or the soul-filled key solos of “Sacreligious,” the organic feel of People Of Today helps it bond together as a cohesive unit. There is nothing out of place here – no obvious radio reaches or mood-setting slow jams.
“To give without reminding that you gave it up. To take another’s confidence and raise it up. To let your folks know that you appreciate ‘em. And whenever you’re building in the eye is how you face ‘em,” raps yU on “U Know How It Iz,” sending a clear message to his listeners that rap can have a moral compass too.
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Yet People Of Today is more than an album for fans of coffee shops and quiet spaces; it is also a project that continually reminds listeners of its Hip Hop roots. Lines like “Know that I ain’t holding back for nothing, niggas hearts darker than skin that’s been in the son. Shit is truly like a movie man, we living in one. Over rims you get shot, like the tip of the drum,” from the track “Gentlest Ones” – the second act’s last song – may seem odd for an album that is filled with so much hope, but instead serves as yet another way for The 1978ers to impart their wisdom to their listeners, warning them of the dangers they may face in life rather than condoning said bad deeds.
Shifting away from the lighthearted messages of act two, the third act begins with more stark reminders of the harshness found in the real world. “People now don’t smile, they shoot hopes down / Communities be like ghost towns, with phones out, zoned out; desensitized, no feeling / Little boys lack tact when they speak to grown women,” raps yU, once again tackling today’s toughest issues. Yet on the album’s second to last track, “FAR,” yU further instills hope: “Far reaching, always seeking for that uniqueness. They make it seem like hope’s lost, I don’t believe ‘em.”
With the people – and situations – of today as diverse as their album, the 1978ers are necessary chroniclers of the current age, succeeding in simultaneously portraying the world around them while making an album that is both creative and thoughtful.
