VARIOUS ARTISTS
In Living the True Gods: Stones Throw 102
(Stones Throw)
A spendthrift could find most, maybe all, of the videos in this splendid DVD collection by carefully hunting through YouTube. But sometimes it's better for all involved to just put down a few dollars and own an object. After all, why watch these on a grainy computer monitor when you can play them on your television?
As a compendium of music videos made for and by Stones Throw’s slowly expanding roster, True Gods reflects the indie hip-hop label’s aesthetic quite well. Med’s “Push” emulates the standard mainstream rap video: cocktails in the club with Med and J Dilla buttressed by smiling ladies. The budgetary limits wedge it firmly between cable access and MTV, resulting in a slightly more believable scene that finally charms when Med raps solo in an entirely uncinematic back alley.
“Do a Couple Things” tracks a man’s Ferris Bueller-like sprint to see his favorite DJ, with James Pants’ trashy garage-funk as a soundtrack. (Bonus points to label chief Peanut Butter Wolf for his cameo in the band scenes, in wig and baseball cap, tapping away on the electronic drum pads.)
True Gods captivates most when there’s animation involved. Quasimoto’s “Bullyshit” recalls the the old PBS show Vegetable Soup and storyboards from The Wiz. “Monkey Suite” by Madvillain marches out the computer animation to hint at simplified Fritz Lang moods, with appropriately bleak, compelling effect. And Madlib leaps into the back seat of Quasimoto’s iconic pink Cadillac for an inner-city cruise in “Take It Back” -- with View-Master depth and child-like simplicity.
The bonus features include a solid interview with J Dilla that’s fascinating, but probably only to fans. More interesting is the archive footage of Peanut Butter Wolf and his late musical cohort Charizma, working and goofing off in the studio during a 1992 recording session. Rap will never be that playful again, or have so much hope behind it.
Reference materials: In Living the True Gods will appeal to Adult Swim viewers in the mood for more late-night eye candy and hip-hop curious Gorillaz fans.
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In the unlikely event The Typing Monkey has not convinced you, please enjoy "Nothing Like This" by J Dilla, which is included in the DVD:
