Hand-Me-Down Hip-Hop
The cover of Things Go Better With RJ And Al says it all: two old men of different races shaking hands and smiling their eyes out. It might be the most adorable album cover of the year and its image is solely symbolic. Soul Position's second full-length finds the lovable duo glowing with positivity.
Think of rapper Blueprint as your gray-haired uncle, telling tales from the good ol' days and keeping youngsters on the straight and narrow. After four hip-hop homicides in the last two months, his words are making some sense. Blue spreads the morals thickly, weaving tales of studio gangstas and video chicks. But it's more than major label hating and it's deeper than Schoolhouse Rock with dusty soul breaks. Blue's filling a real topical void.
From Blue's concerns about blackness being codified as gangsta on "No Gimmicks" to warning females not to give it up too soon on "The Cool Thing To Do," Soul Position's second full-length is a welcome addition. Yes, Blue's half-sobbing timbre borders on the preachy, but dark times demand righteous indignation. Pop some Young Righteous Teachers in the deck, check out Soul Position, and then go back practicing snap dances or whatever the kids are doing these days.