Troublemakers Breez Evahflowin and Dirt E. Dutch make serious noise

TW LW ARTIST & TITLE LABEL
1 1 LUPE FIASCO The Cool Atlantic-1st & 15th
2 7 FOOD FOR ANIMALS Belly Hoss
3 4 MIKE LADD Nostalgialator Definitive Jux
4 9 NIGHT OWLS 4: A SHOT IN THE DARK Various Artists Syntax
5 3 Y SOCIETY Travel At Your Own Pace Tres
6 2 DANTE Roaming Empire Havoc
7 8 GHISLAIN POIRIER No Ground Under Ninja Tune
8 6 BUCK 65 Situation Strange Famous
9 - YAK BALLZ Scifentology II Flospot
10 5 HANGAR 18 Sweep The Leg Definitive Jux
11 10 WYCLEF JEAN Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant Columbia
12 - BREEZ EVAHFLOWIN AND DIRT E. DUTCH Troublemakers Little Ax
13 12 SONTIAGO Steel Yourself endemik
14 16 BLOCKHEAD Uncle Tony's Coloring Book Ninja Tune
15 11 OMID Afterwords 3 Alpha Pup
16 - DUO LIVE The Color Of Money Redemption Music Group
17 14 JAY-Z American Gangster Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam
18 36 WU-TANG CLAN 8 Diagrams SRC
19 15 TALIB KWELI Eardrum Warner Bros.
20 28 WELL DEEP: TEN YEARS OF BIG DADA RECORDINGS Various Artists Big Dada


Posted by Will Johnsen at February 1, 2008 4:05 p.m.The
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/spi/archives/130855.asp

Troublemakers intend to resurrect hip-hop
What makes a record stand out? Usually it's the beats or rhymes that the producer and emcee respectively created, but sometimes a producer and emcee combine together and deliver an album, the type of record rappers are rarely known for. Perhaps it's because rappers don't do entire albums with one beat maker or maybe it's just because rap today has become a land of club singles and ring tones.

Whatever it is, Breez Evahflowin and Dirt E. Dutch have combined to form Troublemakers and if their self-titled first effort is any indication, they intend to cause even more problems for an industry that is already in trouble.

Knowing little about producer Dirt E. Dutch, his style is reminiscent of an era of classic producers utilizing drums that knock and samples that any good crate digger would be remiss not to add to his list of records to look for.

The rhyming half of Troublemakers, Breez Evahflowin, has been a staple of the NY underground for years as both a solo emcee and member of the unbeatable – and missing in action – collective Stronghold. Probably better known for guest verses and a 12-inch or two, here we get to finally see Breez stretch out and try some different styles and really show us why he hasn't given up on a career in this crazy industry: dude has skills.

Attacking the industry and those who challenge hip-hop's relevancy on "No Room for Growth," we see Breez team up with L.I.F.E. Long. The two emcees' chemistry is perfect and rather than it feeling like a competition of who can spit harder, it feels more natural and they try to build off each other.

Throughout the record, Dutch splices in audio clips from, I'm assuming, a combination of films, TV shows and records. These audio clips add to the content of Breez's rhymes and make it feel like a cohesive set of tracks rather than 12 random songs.

This album will satisfy that desire for some banging hip-hop while we wait for the industry to get back in gear and deliver some heat but, unfortunately, it may get forgotten by the end of 2008, and that would be a shame. Do what you have to to find this project, if for no other reason than to hear one emcee and one producer rock together in the vein of that traditional hip-hop sound.

Posted by Will Johnsen at February 1, 2008 4:05 p.m.