When it comes to hip-hop Bulgarian is way behind other countries. Not that we don't have a hip-hop of our own but it's the kind of hip-hop that is listenable only by bulgarians. And the quality is also arguable as our "rappers" spent too much time copying from artist Jay-Z, DMX and other "ghetto heroes". The end result was this absurd gangsta-like bulgarian rap which was more comical than serious. And yet it seem like that this is more appealing as evident from the concerts of 50Cents, DMX, Busta Rhymes and more recently Psycho Realm. Well because of that trend so to speak which alienate me from the whole rap thing, I begun searching and dwelling into more indie/lo-fi stuff which led me to discover some really great indie artists (which has nothing to do with hip-hop). But somewhere along the way I found this thing called alternative hip-hop by pure chance to be honest. I don't know how it happened exactly but one day I stumbled upon a guy from then New York City, called Aesop Rock and his song "No Jumper Cables". It's like one of his best known songs but for me it was something completely new. Anyways, that opened a whole new world for me and showed me hip-hop that sounded different, touched on a myriad of topics and was elegantly flirting with genres like jazz and indie music. Long story short that's how I found Def Jux, Rhymesayers, Jean Grae, Abstract Rude, J5, Living Legends, Blackstar, the great J Dilla and a handful of other artists I came to love. And above all I became even more appreciative of a genre I knew so very little about.
All this leads me to today's subject: Lushlife.
Lushlife, born Rajesh Haldar from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is one peculiar individual, one that is easy-going and definitely not shy to drink and talk with complete strangers. He's my kind of artist, one who's not afraid to experiment with other genres and to mix Kanye West with The Beach Boys or to make his own renditions of songs from artists like Soulja Boy. Backed-up by such artists like Camp-Lo, Ezhri and a host of respectful indie musicians suggests that Lushlife ain't just a kid who like to rhyme but accomplished hip-hop artist with serious attitude towards his music. The reason I'm writing about Lushlife is because yesterday, 21st of April he was in Sofia to perform as part of Alarma Punk Jazz, kind of small indie fest organized by the Bulgarian National Radio. Also like I told him that night (which is true), Lushlife was the sole reason I went that night to the small rock bar Fans. The last couple of days I was constantly listening to his music (or whatever I was able to find) from his Cassette City album. The whole thing was kinda weird. First the concert started with about 45 mins. of delay but above all Lushlife was paired with two other bands that didn't have any similarities with his music. Instead it should have been better if he was supported by the recently performed in Sofia Tokimonsta. The cute asian girl with her "Attention Deficit" is the perfect match for such an event. Yet the organizers chose otherwise inviting bands that musically were not compatible with Raj's music. Not that they were bad. It's just that they wasn't what I've expected. As for Raj Haldar, he performed tracks from his much acclaimed "Cassette City" album like "Bottle Rocket", "In Soft Focus", "Until The Sun Dies", "Another Word For Paradise" and others as well as some new material. During his set Lushlife gave everything and offered to the few that made it to the venue one unforgettable show both musically and visually. I really had a great time watching him. It was like I expected to be good but it surpassed my expectations. His set showed his talent as a MC as well as a composer as songs like "In Soft Focus" were followed by a more mellow ones. Not sure how this resonated with those handful of people that after all decided to come. To me it seemed that they've came for the other two bands. Furthermore most of the people were only head-noddin' and somehow idle. Later on I saw a much bigger movement when the other two bands started playing, Incurabili from Slovenia and No Sin from Greece. Shame really that just a few persons appreciated such raw talent if any at all. The guy deserves more than what he saw during that evening. Still it was a great night for me.
LUSHLIFE - PLATEAU VISION EPCover art by Amanda Cerini
"Plateau Vision" is Lushlife's brand new 2011 EP which he promotes throughout his European tour. The EP which I happily own consists of six tracks, some new others bonus material from "Cassette City". A true gift for all true hip-hop connoisseurs.
... I'll write some more when I got the time 'cuz now another concert calls to be attended :-D
official siteLushlife myspace
