Though it’s only ten songs long Rubber Souls features a variety of sounds that are almost exclusively the product of live instrumentation. On “More,” before Von Pea‘s previously mentioned memorable line, he tells the audience to make our kids learn an instrument so that Tanya Morgan can perform alongside musicians for the album’s 20 year anniversary. It’s a funny statement, and it shows how much the group values live instruments, but it’s a bit bizarre. Given the significance of live instrumentation throughout the album, they could tour with musicians now. In fact, it’s almost unfathomable to imagine them performing smooth songs like “For Real” or “Pick It Up” without musicians. On the former, the percussion and the bass are just as essential as the vocals, and the beat change toward the end of the song wouldn’t be nearly as potent in some random venue’s probably shitty speakers. The prominence of the instrumentals is just that pronounced, that necessary for the album’s soundscape.

The vocals are equally as engaging, but the appeal is more performative than lyrical. Donwill and Von Pea occasionally drop a nice one-liner (like Von Pea saying he has a metro card with $10,000 on “Worldmade”), but the focus seems to be more on being evocative than being impressive, which is paradoxically impressive. For instance, on the lighthearted “Never Too Much” which features Nitty Scott, MC, the lyrics are generally straightforward, but the earnestness of their flows and even just the humor of their deliveries sells the song without a barrage of #bars. Similarly, on “Eulogy” both artists mourn the passage of time and the erosion of relationships, but the power of the song is more tonal than lyrical. Both artists sound impassioned, rapping over the smooth organ like it’s a pulpit at a funeral. That isn’t to say that that Don and Von aren’t lyricists. In fact, they are phenomenal lyricists. They just simply have the acumen to know that words can only do so much. Only the best lyricists graduate to that level.

All in all, Rubber Souls is a solid project. 6th Sense has hinted that there “might” be some samples embedded within the tracks, but for our purposes, we’ll say that this album’s instrumentals are actually one-hundred precent instrumental. At a time when synthetic sounds are ubiquitous, it’s nice to hear an entire project of live instrumentation. Does this mean that Tanya Morgan is retro? Not necessarily. Not only has hip-hop almost always eschewed live instrumentation (sampling dominated hip-hop until fairly recently), but Tanya Morgan hasn’t always had a penchant for live instrumentation. In fact, earlier today they released a song that sampled a rant from a week ago. That’s definitely not retro. Most importantly, they don’t ever make any declarations defining what hip-hop is or isn’t because they don’t have time for marketing or complaining about the market*; they’re just trying to make good music. And they’re succeeding.

*When an artist, in any genre, attempts to define the essence of that genre by complaining about what’s real and what isn’t, the real complaint is about that artist’s sound no longer being commercially viable. #FactsOnly

The post Album Review: Tanya Morgan – Rubber Souls (prod. 6th Sense) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The only thing better than a Kanye West track is a track sampling a Kanye rant. Donwill and Von Pea of Tanya Morgan team up with NE$$ and Chill Moody to bring you “Kanye Rants”. Producer Parker chopped Kanye’s rant at Pusha T‘s listening session and turned it into an incredible chorus. Tanya Morgan‘s latest album Rubber Souls dropped today and is now available for download on iTunes. Get into the track below and return later today for our review of the album.

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Rubber Souls isn’t out until next Tuesday, but for now we have another sample of its magic. Teaming up with Nitty Scott, MC, the humorous duo lightly speaks on relationships and the minute, ostensibly unimportant details that make them special. The video  brings the song to life, featuring visual effects, props and actions that are just as detailed as the song’s subject matter.

“Never Too Much” is produced by  6th Sense, who actually produced Rubber Souls in its entirety. Watch the video below.

We’ll have a review of the album next Tuesday.

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For the first time in their now three-LP-long run, the Brooklyn duo is spending an entire album on production from one outside source (6th Sense). You can pre-order Rubber Souls on iTunes now. From the sound of “Pick It Up,” though, it seems the collaboration will be seamless. If you can’t wait to hear more tracks from Rubber Souls, catch Tanya Morgan live this Friday (info on the poster below).

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Tanya Morgan, a rap duo and former rap trio that originally formed on the Okayplayer message boards, is releasing their album Rubber Souls on September 24. Promoting the album, the funny pair sat down with Three/21 Media for a brief interview in which they cover a range of topics, most notably the ones listed in this article’s title. Artists’ personalities and their music aren’t always equally appealing, but Tanya Morgan is lighthearted, self-deprecating and thoughtful in a very engaging and promising way, so the music presumably follows suit. Mark your calendars and check out the interview and their song, “For Real,” below.

The post Video: Tanya Morgan Talks Trolls, Wikipedia and Upcoming Album appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.