Brooklynati (Interdependent)
If you’ve hit Freshly Dipped, going north on 13th Street, you’ve gone too far. Yancey Park is one block south, between Roebling Avenue and Whitehurst Way. The sprawling park—in memoriam of the late producer James “J Dilla” Yancey—is hosting a fundraiser at Grippo’s Community Center for DJ Jurx’s Record Store. Plagued by low sales, the store, which specializes in rare vinyl and forgotten rap gems—like Stetsasonic’s Full Gear (Tommy Boy, 1988) and Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night (Profile, 1997)—is asking all Brooklynati residents to support the dying record shop. Because even in Brooklynati, as in real life, local Mom-and-Pop landmarks have been hit by recession tremors. The fictitious urban metropolis is no exception to hard times (and, perhaps, that’s what makes it all the more real). And yet in spite of the obstacles—both real and imagined alike—on their second full-length album, Donwill, Ilyas, and Von Pea, collectively Tanya Morgan, have crafted an expansive tour de force.
Save for a few bohemian B-boys posting “hip hop ain’t dead, underground rap is where it’s at!” on okayplayer. message boards, not many heard Tanya Morgan’s impressive 2006 debut, Moonlighting (Loud Minority). A mélange of jazz and soul with witty, blue-collar lyricism, Moonlight shined for its sonic unpredictability. Morgan’s follow-up, Brooklynati, named after the fictitious city, an apocryphal marriage of their hometowns, Brooklyn and Cincinnati, is more of the same, bursting with old-school fervor that recalls The Pharcyde on “Hardcore Gentlemen” and “We’re Fly.”
“The box they put us in ain’t big enough for me to grow,” spits Ilyas on the “On Our Way,” referencing the brand of rap—underground, boho, granola, what have you— Tanya Morgan’s been stereotyped with. Here, the line is also a reference to the creation of Brooklynati, making sure listeners understand that the city is equally a metaphor for imagining one’s own world of dreams. The guest list is long here, as Spec Boogie, Peter Hadar, Che Grand, and Phonte make notable appearances. Heartache takes center stage on the airy “Without You,” while L.A. rhymer Blu assists the trio on “Morgan Blu,” a bold and aggressive track for the budding conglomerate. But be warned: this is not your mother’s hip hop. Tanya Morgan is bolder and braver than forbearers like Black Star and Slum Village. Why? Because Brooklynati is home. Because while driving down 13th Street, going south, toward Yancey Park—indeed, toward a rare slice of hip hop Americana—the only thing you’ll be wondering is: Are we there yet?
Brooklynati hit stores on 5/12/09
Track Listing for Brooklynati- “On Our Way”
- “Alleye Need” feat. Piakhan
- “So Damn Down”
- “Bang N Boogie”
- “Don't U Holla” feat. Jermiside
- “Hardcore Gentlemen”
- “Plan B” feat. Napoleon
- “Intermission” feat. Peter Hadar
- “Without U” feat. Phonte and Brittany Boscoe
- “Never 2ndary” feat. Jermiside, Che Grand, Elucid and Spec Boogie
- “Just Not True”
- “Morgan Blu” feat. Blu
- “Never Enough” feat. Carlitta Durand
- “We're Fly” feat. Kay of The Foundation and Chop
- “Just Arrived” feat. Miss Info
- “Forgot 2 Say”
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