The 78ers People Of Today Mello Music Group • 2014

Fresh off dropping ‘March on Washington’ with his crew Diamond District, yU now releases an album with long-time partner/producer SlimKat. The 78er isn’t wastin his time. He couldn’t afford it: as a full-time observer of life, the Maryland rhymesayer -who also makes beats - has enough stories on his sleeve.

On ‘Tryin Then Y’all Say’ yU even tells two. ‘People Of Today’ is a collage of observations: social commentary, random musings about everyday events, moral shifts and human behaviour. Although this album deals with today’s generation, we dare to say The 1978ers made a time document.

At times, yU gets preachy and generous with life lessons. ‘How does it feel to stretch a 20 dollar bill?’, he tickles: ‘get a plan, not a brew’. Or on ‘Sacrilegious’, a gospel-infested track, where he relates the story of a congregation gone corrupted. Or with ‘P.O.T. pt. III’ warning people to adapt to the changing world instead of getting adapted: ‘the world got bigger, think out of the box’.

The music to ‘People Of Today’ is warm, groovy and soulful, yet eclectic. Live organs, saxes, keys, and djembes create a very intense atmosphere. The samples, breaks and scratches mark it with a big fat hip-hop stamp.

So what do we, the people of today, need more? Good stories, a piece of advice and heart-warming music.

POSTED ON 11|18|2014 by cpf