Oh No “Exodus into Unheard Rhythms” (Review)
Aug 25th, 2006 by Chris
Dating back to his college radio show at Vanderbilt University, Stones Throw General Manager Eothen Alapatt has made a habit of digging up long-forgotten music legends. His love for musical history is at the heart of what he’s done for the past 10 years. All that said to lay the foundation for where Oh No’s latest project came from.
Exodus is a production project based on the catalog of Galt MacDermot. Alapatt is the connection between Madlib’s little brother and the man behind the music from Hair. Galt’s work has proved familiar sampling ground for Stones Throw’s artists since Eothen’s arrival at the label. But while the original connection isn’t his, Oh No’s sheer enthusiasm is the catalyst behind this record.
The original idea was to have Oh No make a couple tracks based on Galt’s work. He came back with a couple dozen. Inspired by the same MacDermot that served so memorably in work from Busta Rhymes to The Beanuts to Beck, Oh No thrives. Think a talented producer enlivened by his source material, add a list of the underground’s finest MCs, and you have a pretty accurate idea of Exodus.
Med is here, Dudley Perkins is here, Roc C is here, Aloe Blacc is here, everyone you expect is on this record with the possible exception of either Madlib or his alter-ego Quasimoto. Where Oh No has really outdone himself on this project is by dragging cats like Wise Intelligent out of the shadows to which they have irrationally been relegated. Wise Intelligent rewards Oh No with one of the albums best vocal turns on “Black.”
But my favorite song on this album comes from an artist I’ve never heard of. Maybe you know who K Jay is, but I don’t. But I’ll be checking for whatever he’s on from now on. He takes a beautiful production effort and knocks it right out the park on “To Be an MC.”
So despite the fact that these type production efforts are becoming ubiquitous what with every jazz label’s catalog getting remixed including Blue Note’s by Oh No’s own brother, Exodus is a project you should make a point to pick up. The reason is that it’s a hip-hop record. Oh No hasn’t gotten bored making rap music. Instead he’s continually upping his game. Don’t think of this as Galt MacDermot reworked. Think of it as a dope hip-hop record that samples some great records.
