Be prepared for a mixtape unlike the vast majority you’ve heard on this page. For one thing, like my all-time favorite hip hop icon (MF DOOM), Theophilus London is a rapper and producer. But unlike DOOM, Theo isn’t looking to make gangsta grime or wild, stream of consciousness poetry. Instead, London seems more interested in creating sounds. He weaves in and out of classic songs by Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, puts his own spin on the pop classic “Ooops!” (originally by Tweet), adds his own vocals and instrumentation throughout . . . And it all seems seamless. This kind of project could easily have been too busy, or it could have descended into biting off established artists, hoping their own brilliance would rub off.
It’s not that the tape is flawless. Sometimes, it doesn’t work—it just seems like too much, entirely unchohesive. Like a ten-year-old’s collage about Pokemon, Baseball, and candy. But like a child, TL clearly loves his work. So when it works, it works amazingly well.
Plus, dude is from Brooklyn. Props!
Get the whole mixtape here or here.
Ooops! (Oh My) (Tweet) (direct link)
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
I Want You (Marvin Gaye) (direct link)
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
