Copperpot spinnin' the tunes

Most people don't realize that in its infancy, hip-hop music was about the man spinning the vinyl, not the one laying down lyrics on top. The DJ was on the one that the crowd came to listen to, while the Emcee was simply there to introduce the DJ and keep up the excitement while the records were spun. Eventually, their roles reversed and the rappers became the stars, with the DJ's relegated to a role in the background. But back in the day, it was all about the man behind the turn tables.

The reason I bring this up is a man named Copperpot, who's set to release his second full length album, titled WYLA? (What're You Looking At?), on August 7th. Taking it back old school, Copperpot is the man who puts the beats together on the album, and to add some raps, he's invited a whole posse of guests to help out, including famed rapper KRS-One. To spice things up a little, he's also invited a British rapper, Braintax.

The whole album has an old school feel to it, and several of the tracks bemoan what has happened to hip hop. One of the things that I enjoy most about the album is there are no tracks dedicated to themes of pimps, ho's, and bitches, which seem all too often to be topics which many rappers fall back onto now a days. Also missing are gangsta stances or east coast vs. west coast feuds. Instead, Copperpot and the rappers that help him out focus on creating some damn fine hip-hop. Try the following: the opening track Come Back Home with KRS-One, and Clowning Around, which includes some great movie clips from what sounds like an old time science fiction movie (my favorite track on the album).


Copperpot - Come Back Home (with KRS-One - clean) : WYLA?

Copperpot - Clowning Around (with Time Bandits - clean) : WYLA?

and one from a 2006 collaboration with Emcee Longshot:

Coppershot - Culture Pop (with Braintax) : Issues

Visit his website, his label Ev Productions, and become his friend on MySpace.

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Krs-1 - The Bridge Is Over/Black Cop/South Bronx Medley : Tibetan Freedom Concert (Disc 1)

Braintax - Monsoon Funk : Panorama