Do The Right Thing is the latest EP from Lepht Field, and it’s very much an introduction to the trio. The first two songs are called “Intro” and “Introduction,” and they are pass-the-mic and you-are-listening-to-Lepht-Field joints. And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, that’s really what an EP is supposed to do. It’s not supposed to be a dumping ground for B-sides or covers, and it’s not supposed to be a demo. It’s supposed to be a polished, finished product that tells the world (and record labels), “Look what we can do!”
So what can Lepht Field do? Quite a bit. The first two cuts mentioned above are solid, with tight production and fun, agile wordplay. No one member dominates (or hogs) the mic too long, which keeps each cut fresh. Getting a little deeper in, the album has a jazzy feel–both musically and vocally. It feels crisp and improvised, but precise. I have to admit that the convention of calling their home town in LA “Holly” and singing a song about her like she’s their girlfriend is a little tired, but other than that, this is a nice little effort and I’d like to hear more from these guys, especially emcee-producer N/A. The production on this is really good.
Besides N/A, Tha Lepht are Menacin Johnson and Tha E.M.S. The EP is kind of a “best of” release of cuts they’ve made over the past few years. If, like me, you’re wondering why they called it “Do The Right Thing,” here’s what they said:
While “Do The Right Thing” is not intended to be based on the Spike Lee joint, the Hip Hop music of that time, commonly referred to as “The Golden Era”, was definitely an influence. The sentiment in the title refers to maintaining integrity in the music, which nowadays has seemingly taken a back seat to copying the latest trends, relying on gimmicks and perpetuating a false image for the purpose of blowing up.
Now, maybe they can explain why they’re called “Tha” Lepht Field, instead of “The”? Anyway, you can get the whole thing free here.
http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F19041838 Intro – Tha Lepht Field by N/A (No Alias)
And here’s a video:
