Greetings and welcome to The Blacklight Bazaar, an idea that was conceived some time ago but for one reason or another (good T.V. and FB chat) has took a little longer than expected to get off the ground. The basic premise of this thing is to address all that is "up and coming", alternative, underground…or however else you want to label it; whether that be from the music scene, film or just (counter) culture in general. I'm going to try my very best to stick to this, and so would appreciate your moral support and graceful forgiveness should I start to stray too far from the intended path. Hopefully you will find what I have to say enjoyable if not utterly enlightening… and FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR VIEWS, this is not a dictatorship, and no comment is a silly comment. *Stupid comments will be punished severely*
Prepare to see things exposed under The Blacklight.
YES it's late January, but that means it's still January and in my book that means I can still just about get away with a "predictions for 2012" thing. For this I'm afraid I am going down the generic route of music criticism (shock horror) BUT don't despair bloggers, I'll make it interesting. This is my list of ones to watch in 2012, whether that be in preparation for a roaring explosion into the top forty or just for the steady building of underground hype. Either way, read on and check these artists out...
Frank Ocean
After exploding onto the underground circuit with an appearance on Odd Future luminary Tyler The Creator's debut Goblin, the New Orleans born singer-songwriter continued his illustrious ascent by releasing his own debut album nostalgia, Ultra in March '11. Eventually shopping it independently as a free download on his personal blog, the album symbolised a middle-finger-flung farewell to his then label Island Def Jam, whom Ocean publicly denounced as a "failing company" whom had signed him with "no intention of following through" with releases or his development as an artist. Pain and frustration akin to that evidently felt by Ocean during this period are present throughout this first effort, with songs like There Will Be Tears reflecting the singer's hollow sadness regarding his fatherless childhood, whilst American Wedding serves as a cooly-shrouded attack on the institution of marriage in America and the heartbreak all too often caused by its breakdown. It is these hopeless, melancholy intervals vented alongside moody chord progressions and zany drum beats that have led more than a couple of critics to label the Frank Ocean sound as having a "late night" or "early hours" feel to it. But is nostalgia: Ultra really twilight in mp3 format? I'm going to have to disagree. With songs like We All Try and Swim Good to name but two, the southern beau makes a clear break from the midnight debauchery antics of his OFWGKTA counterparts with insightful monologues that display maturity and a forward-thinking acceptance. Where Tyler and the gang joke about guising as vampires to stalk and kill pregnant women, Ocean seriously addresses the contentious issue of abortion and advocates that women have "the right to choose". Rather than night, this one reeks much more of dawn, which is fitting as the talent evident here leads me to believe that 2012 could well see the rise of RnB's new favourite son.
Shad
Hailing from London, Ontario, Shad emerged from obscurity back in 2005 with his debut offering When This is Over. A self-made creation funded by the $17,500 he won from 91.5 The Beat's rhythm of the Future talent competition, the album gave the young MC much needed exposure and opened the door to a record deal and the release of his two subsequent albums: The Old Prince (2007) and TSOL (2010). If When This is Over was a foot in the door to the Hip Hop world, the Canadian wordsmith's second two efforts must be considered contributions to Rap music that border on the excellent, with Shad's unmistakably amicable lyrics laden over smooth, upbeat accompaniments that harp back to the golden era of Hip Hop. This is feel good, nice guy Hip Hop in which the narrator's trademark self-depreciating lyrics are only overshadowed by his compelling focus on world issues such as famine in Africa and the eradicating of racist black stereotypes. Activism aside however, the Canadian showcases jaw-dropping talent on the mic, employing a plethora of puns and metaphors that seem to effortlessly flow off the beat in a way that you would expect if Common and Biggie miraculously conceived. It is for these reasons that in my opinion Shad rivals any MC, living or dead, and places convincingly amongst Hip Hop's elite. With extensive touring over the past year and ever-present whispers of a new album set to be dropped later in 2012, I wonder and hope that finally we will see Shad emerge from the murky shadows of the underground and receive something like mainstream success, even if these days an artist such as himself is never going to be a household name. Could, for heaven sake, 2012 be the year of the Shad?
The Weeknd
Back in early 2011, an unknown entity uploaded three songs onto Youtube that were like nothing anyone had heard before. the sound was a polished yet raw mix of highly-effected ambiance somewhere between RnB, Soul and Dub Step. This was the revolutionary new sound from The Weeknd and the overnight hype it created paved the way for the mysterious new artist to follow with his first mix tape: House Of Balloons. Available only by (free) download at www.the-weeknd.com, the tape was dropped in March '11 and became an instant underground success, increasing the buzz already surrounding this still enigmatic figure. On the mix tape, the same style of dirty, creepy beats bopped to in the pilot songs were accompanied by a lengthy catalogue of lyrics soaked in a potent solution of crushed Oxycodone dissolved in sweat. This was sleazy music for the young who didn't give a f**k and regaled hazy stories of money, drug-fuelled sex and the pounding head of regret that came the morning after. The initial success of House Of Balloons fuelled the release of the follow up Thursday and the final chapter in the trilogy, Echoes Of Silence in August and December respectively. Although the two latter additions haven't had quite the same impact as the first, The Weeknd continues to prove himself a master of both music and P.R. as he courts critics and listeners, periodically revealing snippets of information about his identity or up and coming projects. so far we know that The Weeknd's real name is Abel Tesfaye, that he's a 21 year-old from Toronto and that he plans to release his first full-length album later this year… oh yeah, and that Drake labelled him as "one of the greatest artists [he's] ever heard". When an artist as big as Drake is saying this about you, it's surely only a matter of time.
