Rapology.org

The Cleveland Steamers are a triumverate of hip hop artists out of Portland, Oregon. What sets them apart from other artists in the conscious hip hop arena is the rhythm of their flow. There is nothing unique about the subject of their politically charged words, and without this lyrical edge, they would fade into the underground hip hop oblivion.

A little about the artists individually, borrowed from their myspace profile…

“In imagining the standard, stereotypical hip-hop group, listeners will find that the Cleveland Steamers are anything but. Comprised of Mic Crenshaw, a Portland, Oregon poetry slam champion and national finalist, Gen.Erik, a satirical lyricist with the ability to transform into a hip-hop DJ and producer, and DJ Aero, who has toured the world with Tommy Lee, as part of Methods of Mayhem, and with Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom Huck Jam, the group’s creative cohesion has mesmerized numerous crowds since the three members decided to form a union. Although each member of the Cleveland Steamers is a veteran to the music industry, they have emerged as a group, combining Crenshaw’s socially conscious clever lyricism and Gen.Erik’s thought-provoking wordplay with DJ Aero’s melodic, head-nodding beats.”

Fists High
The Decider
It’s My Life

This is quality hip hop worthy of a listen. If you like what you hear, you can download the album from CD Baby.

Elizabeth Goodman of Rolling Stone did a much better job of reviewing Santogold than I will. The blog, which I developed for rollingstone.com, is worth following. It’s focused on breaking artists in the music industry. Despite Rolling Stone’s orientation towards mainstream pop culture, the writers for this blog have a good pulse on the underground.

My own 2 cents:
* Santi is very experimental with her voice. I think of Tori Amos and Erykah Badu when I hear it.
* Maybe their sound is a bit like MIA, but it is much more menacing. 

The music:
You’ll Find a Way
Creator - Freq nasty + Santogold
Shove it