Unique New Urban Music Wins Support

Chafing at the idea of getting boxed into conventional black-music categories, a growing number of urban acts are following their creative muse rather than chasing the charts.

"With all the other music that's out, people want to hear something new and different," says MCA recording artist Res, whose debut, How I Do, came out last June. "[My album is about] every genre of music. It's the aspects of rock music that I like, mixed with the aspects of hip-hop that I like, mixed with the aspects of R&B that I like, mixed with electronica. It doesn't have a name - it's what I like."

This envelope-pushing stance by Res and other urban artists owes more than a passing nod to the invigorating neo-soul movement of the past five years. While some are now denouncing that moniker as well, there's no denying that such artists as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Angie Stone, Musiq, India.Arie, and Alicia Keys have been instrumental in refreshing black music's creative direction.

That revitalization is also rubbing off on the hip-hop side of the equation. In addition to innovative mainstays like the Roots and OutKast, Cee-Lo—the Goodie Mob member whose Arista solo album, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections, uses hip-hop as a springboard into soul, gospel, rock, funk, and country—debuted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200.

With the mix of styles, the Atlanta native says the high entry for the April 23 release stunned him: "I had braced myself to miss everyone, so my [chart debut] was surprising and shocking for me. I didn't know who would get it."

But, he says, "even the most programmed mind-set is thirsting for something different and genuine. It's simply time for this [originality] again."

Michael Chase, MD of WMMJ Washington, D.C., notes, "There are many groups who come out that seem manufactured. When TLC came out, I was like, 'OK, these girls are here to stay.' But you don't see a lot of that these days. Now it's like [artists] make two or three albums, tour a little, and then they're gone."

MCA has taken its time growing Res' How I Do. The Philadelphia native's album recently topped the Billboard Heatseekers chart and has begun to climb The Billboard 200. The label's long-term commitment has landed Res on both The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn. Adding to consumer awareness of the album is the success of current single "They-Say Vision."

The slow build suits Res just fine: "We put my album out on the same day Alicia Keys put hers out. She was looking for a big first week; I wasn't. It was decided early on to just put the album out and let people hear it. We sold 100,000 copies on word-of-mouth and press alone. I'd rather crawl before I walk."

Having recently finalized a distribution pact with hip-hop label Rawkus Records and also having signed such acts as Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, and Hi Tek, MCA is seeking a powerhouse stance in the progressive hip-hop movement. MCA president Jay Boberg tells Billboard, "It's about being patient and having a long campaign. These are the kinds of innovative acts who, if they break through, will have long careers in a marketplace where it's very hard to have longevity."

Atlantic has been similarly patient with hip-hop collective Nappy Roots, a sextet that hails from Bowling Green, Ky. The group was signed to the label for nearly four years before it released its gold-certified debut, Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz, earlier this year. Drawing on the group's Southern roots, the organic album primarily addresses universal themes about life's struggles, with conscious lyrics that flow over country-funk and rock beats.

"Hip-hop is changing, and a lot of people don't know why," says Nappy Roots member Big V (aka Vito Tisdale). "But it's really cool to just do you. We're not anti-bling bling. But it's the common, nine-to-five man who truly makes the world go round. We want to tell his story, because it doesn't get told."

As much as artists talk about their artistic integrity and creating good music, though, the fact remains that record companies can't erase that all-important bottom line. But with this artistic shift, labels seem to be more willing to support their artists' creative visions.

"[The Nappy Roots] represent their own lifestyle and don't feel a need to front with the whole violence and materialism thing," Atlantic co-president Craig Kallman says. "They're more interested in portraying their own lives vividly and not building an image that is not only suspiciously larger than life but just not true to them. That message was so powerful, because it contrasted [with] everything else that was going on in hip-hop."

But that doesn't mean that labels aren't going to the same audiences when trying to promote the artists—they just don't stop at one format. "We want to knock down barriers and get PDs to open up their minds—not just pigeonhole [Cee-Lo] in a rap category," Arista executive VP Lionel Ridenour says. "We're active at rhythm, crossover, and urban, as well as mix shows, because of his foundation with the Goodie Mob and the Dungeon Family. By no means do we want to exclude the rap community. This isn't too different from the way we approached things with OutKast."

While labels are beginning to see things differently, Aftermath/Interscope newcomer Truth Hurts thinks things still have a long way to go.

"[My artistic vision] was important to me," she says, "because I had been watching a lot of what was going on in the music industry. I was disappointed that a lot of artists aren't allowed to be themselves. They're often put together, and the things that they're singing or rapping about aren't a part of who they are. I believe artists should know something about what they're speaking of."

Though it doesn't arrive in stores until June 25, the songstress' debut, Truthfully Speaking—an eclectic mix of R&B and hip-hop—is already receiving attention thanks to its Hindi-influenced lead single, "Addictive," which rests at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

"When Dr. Dre and I started doing my project, we talked about doing different things," Truth Hurts says of "Addictive." "Dre used to always tell me, 'The consumer is ready to hear something new. The record industry is so saturated with the same kind of music. Trust me when I tell you.' I was still a little concerned—I'm not going to lie—because it was different."

INDEPENDENT QUEST

The quest for artistic integrity and creative experimentation is just as strong on the independent front. A case in point is Boston-based Kabir, whose hip-hop- and Indian-influenced Cultural Confusion—on his own Uncle Trouble Music label—recently earned the fledgling artist Boston Music Awards for best hip-hop album and new hip-hop act of the year. Originally from London, the half-Italian, half-Indian Kabir (which means "big" in Arabic), says his influences range from rap and funk to rock and jazz. For gigs he is accompanied by a live band.

"Pursuing hip-hop was the best way to incorporate all of my influences," says Kabir, who also teaches music at a local elementary school and a class in hip-hop history to seventh and eighth graders. "I don't want my music to be one-dimensional.

"My music is a combination of message-oriented lyrics with a melodious raw flow," he continues. "Cultural Confusion is about some of the problems I see in rap, the confusion people make about supporting music that in my mind isn't representative of the wide spectrum in hip-hop culture."

While getting people to hear and enjoy his music is important to Kabir, signing with a major is not. "I feel very comfortable doing the indie hip-hop thing in Boston," says Kabir, who has also performed in New York and London. "There are a lot of inspiring people to work with here, and I do it without having a major behind me. But I don't see myself being an incredibly popular artist. And that's OK. It's more important to make the music I want to make than to conform to patterns of standard consumption."

Making the transition from indie to major on its own terms, MCA's Blackalicious had constructed a fan base that majors could not deny.

"We've built up a following over the past decade, and we went into [signing with MCA] knowing that we had to be us," says Gift of Gab, one-half of the Northern California-based duo that also includes DJ/producer Chief Xcel. "MCA didn't try to make us change or do anything that is outside of us.

"They came to us with respect," Gab continues. "We respected them as a label, and they had respect for the foundation that we'd built."

With the April 30 release of Blackalicious' MCA debut, Blazing Arrow, Gab believes that although it may take time for the duo's sound to catch on, it will ultimately capture listeners. "Of course, there are going to be people who don't understand it at first, and it may be more difficult for us to get radio [support] than the other artists getting mainstream radio play right now. But the music we make is universal, and it's spreading."

In terms of radio airplay, both Kabir and the members of Blackalicious acknowledge that they receive a good deal of support from college radio. But on the commercial-radio front, particularly for Kabir, airplay has come from alt-rock stations in Boston that play hip-hop—WFNX and WBCN—vs. commercial hip-hop outlets.

BEYOND BLING-BLING

But despite that kind of support and the developing chart success of these urban music acts, WMMJ's Chase still believes it will take a while before radio truly accepts this changing style.

"It's what I like to call the 'no bling-bling movement,' " he says. "These guys aren't wearing the diamonds or driving the cars. They're just playing the music. More often than not, I'm seeing a lot more instrumentation, more refined writing skills, more consciousness, emotion, and social commentary as opposed to the ego rap that was so prevalent before. When rap [first] came out, some PDs wouldn't play it. Now, obviously, it's a radio staple. So I think it will be a minute or two before radio really embraces [this style]."

Radio may be slow to support this new breed, but such video outlets as BET are already playing a crucial role in exposing these unconventional artists to consumers. "BET supports these acts because we know our audience will react," says Stephen Hill, the channel's VP of music programming. "These acts offer something fresh; audiences are attracted to their originality and rejection of the 'bling bling' culture. I don't think it's a mistake that these new, hard-to-define acts come from more rural areas. Their styles are earthy, and their visuals are refreshing."

Consumer reaction on the BET front is something that Tower Records' Washington, D.C., outlet monitors. "BET is very strong in this area," assistant manager Rachel Morris says. "People come to our store looking for what they saw on that channel. Nappy Roots have been a pretty steady seller for us, and Cee-Lo is also doing incredibly well."

According to Nielsen SoundScan, the Nappy Roots' Watermelon has sold 414,000 units, while Res' How I Do has sold 172,000 copies; Cee-Lo's Perfect Imperfections 131,000; and Blackalicious' Blazing Arrow 54,000.

HIT THE ROAD

Given radio's ever-tightening playlists, touring has become an integral part of these urban acts' development. "I can't imagine a more important career element than touring, especially in the climate of the industry right now," says Erika Elliott, director of urban music for New York-based venue S.O.B's. "In an industry that's ever more dependent on radio play and 'singles' vs. albums, artists who can develop a solid fan base with or without airplay via touring have a longevity that even chart-topping artists don't enjoy."

Siblings Walt Jr. and Mark Reeder of Philadelphia-based booking agency Big Bloc Entertainment echo Elliott's sentiments. "People are looking more for a live-band feel right now," Walt says. "The Roots pioneered that, then OutKast took it to the next level. Promoters like Al Haymon and Clear Channel, whom we help package shows for, are interested in getting bang for their buck through multiple dates with quality artists."

To determine quality, the Reeders look at artists' chart performance, videos, and street credibility. "You can't sell a secret," Walt says. "The record has to have some validity to it or the video has to, or there must be some kind of street exposure."

Mark adds, "Or we may see someone live who knocks our socks off. Then we'll package that artist with another act to [create] further exposure. Record companies need to do some homework also. With this changing trend in music, they need to adapt their styles for the markets these artists go into."

These new and unconventional acts also offer concertgoers something they don't often get from more mainstream urban artists—a personal connection.

"They offer consumers a better, longer performance generally, because they've spent time developing their live show vs. artists only accustomed to doing track radio dates," Elliott says. "Also, by developing slower and more organically, there is the sense that the consumer 'discovered' the artist and a sense of ownership, where more commercially successful artists often seem contrived."

Radio airplay, retail sales, and other industry aspects aside, this new crop of urban artists shares one thing in common—its love of music for music's sake.

"Far too often, life imitates art and not vice versa," Cee-Lo sums up. "I look at our music sometimes and ponder where we're at in our hearts and minds. Then I look at VH1 and watch [older videos], where you see the perseverance, struggle, pride, and talent of our people. How could anyone have the audacity to let their shit rise [to the top]?"



Additional reporting by Margo Whitmire in Los Angeles.