Showing posts with label josue josue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label josue josue. Show all posts
Video: Josué Josué - "Primus"
I initially discovered Josué Josué through his quiet and eerily spun verses on Matilda Manzana's 2011 deep cut, "Hola holograma." His flow was sharp and focused, yet charmingly timid and self-aware. Several singles and EPs later, we then came to view him as one of Mexico’s most forward-thinking and authentic rap projects, especially on collaborations that joined him with national producers like Mock The Zuma (who is barely getting his due praise thanks to the stellar Gauss EP) and Siete Catorce. Josué Josué’s penchant for daring soundscapes demonstrate how ahead of its time the Linus EP really was. His own voice lends itself to the electronic vanguard because his diction can match any kind of weird, brazenly pushing the word count up and floating next to the esoteric.
Josué Josué’s latest video, which we are ecstatic to premiere, is taken from what was supposed to be his send-off album, thus the apt title, Aprendiendo a morir. "Primus" sounds like the future. The energy espoused by the MC does not do much to push finality or other Ready to Die themes. Josué Josué still has much to say. The chiptune lounge foreground on the beat (courtesy of Technic Trouble) feels invasive. Director Eduardo Makoszay Mayén channels those claustrophobic vibes with a clip that corners the young performer. Those quick cuts, however, are not the only dizzying quality to extract from “Primus.” Josué Josué lays down his daily routine, which includes existentialist readings and seeking refuge through music to calm his spiraling spirit. Tell me who in here can relate?
Onda Temporal, Episodio Tres: Sanidad Mental
The third episode of Onda Temporal (following the first numbers featuring Capullo and Alberto Acinas) showcases the conception of Sanidad Mental, a new act by two of the most exciting rising music makers around. New-blooded and full of urban urgency, Josué Josué and Siete Catorce first showed they made a terrific team in the single “Linus” (from Josué Josué's debut EP) where they showed introspection of lyrical and musical forms, and even flirted with reggaeton. As framed by this project by Guerrero Negro, Sanidad Mental (performing "Demencia" and "Morras") bolds up the visceral and suburban-decaying discourse. Rejecting to shoot in pretty, or rather digestible places, director Carlos Matsuo elevated and wired-up his guests on the roof of a neighborhood in Tijuana, registering forgotten construction developments, pointy wired fences, and even a dog cage. These are powerful (if circumstantial) images that serve as symbolism for the struggle of the common pedestrian (including the artists) against their thorny surroundings.
Josué Josué - Linus EP
NWLA, México
Rating: 75
by Enrique Coyotzi
While we rarely recommend hip hop acts here at Club Fonograma, you can tell by our Outsiders lists and by some of our reviews that we’re quite keen on the genre. Recently, in his “Linus” track review, my colleague Reuben “Nenuco del Norte” Torres made an interesting point about how Mexican MCs suffer from “thug/poser syndrome.” An excellent recent example is Niña Dioz. Just check out her latest videoclip for “2 Cool 4 School,” which confirms Torres’ analysis. That entire bad ass/ghetto attitude simply doesn’t seem…genuine. Newcomer Josué Josué is a whole different story. Possessor of a natural, sincere flow, this MC’s verses feel anything but forced. Josué Josué, with his excellent debut EP, Linus, proves that not all Mexican rappers are just bling bling conformists of basic, worn-out beats and narcissistic writing.
His mind-blowing verses in Matilda Manzana’s “Hola Holograma” and live performances with Mock the Zuma introduced us to the mexiquense’s magnetic talent, but a proper release on his own is what we had been anticipating. Selecting exciting beat makers (Reclap, Siete Catorce, Trax) to join up with him, Josué Josué displays his tasteful loquacity in three monstrous original productions, along with two interesting, yet not essential, remixes of two of these cuts. Featuring Mexicali’s Siete Catorce, the title track is frenzied, almost lunatic, and has the eloquent lyricist displaying in this single banger what he’s all about. Cleverness and effortlessness are the strongest characteristics of Josué Josué’s delivery. Dictating lines referencing literary subgenres (“Quimeras y epopeyas en mi cabeza/Idilios con pereza ocurren con cerveza”), later bringing on a Snoopy character's relationship with his blanket (“Nunca me abandonas como Linus a su manta”) as a sign of dependency, Josué Josué elegantly establishes a balance between classic art/literature and pop culture in his lyrics.
Assisted by Trax, the romantic “Teclado Empapado” is built over a base that samples Monna Bell’s “Un telegrama," absolute winner of 1959's Festival de la Canción de Benidorm. “Tu lunar/Punto cardinal de mi pasión/Zona de fatal atracción,” the rapper deliciously describes his lover’s anatomy, softly sliding his words through funky bass and vibrant ambience. “Rottweillers” is the EP’s most brutal take. Jealousy and uncertainty take over our rhetorician, who desperately spits out his insecurities while Reclap’s top-notch, urgent beats orchestrate this reflection versus impulses battle. Its production brings to mind, in part, the work accomplished in A$AP’s Rocky prominent LIVELOVEA$AP. A violently encouraging, open-wounded, in-your-face exploration of an artist’s anxieties, “Rottweillers” is brain-induced carnage made poetry.
Two remixes (“Linus (Kryone Remix)” and “Rottweillers (Technic Trouble Remix)”) are included in this EP, yet they could’ve been omitted since they interrupt the cohesion, and frankly, it’s pretty distracting to listen to the amazing original song followed by an underwhelming mix. If only the troubled “Kriadex” had been part of this EP in its final form, it would have been a more solid release. However, despite not including this track or the addition of those forgettable remixes, Linus is a compelling achievement. He might not be the best MC out there, but Josué Josué’s career, characterized by an authentic voice, ingenious wordplay, and invigorating devotion to his honest art, is one that certainly is promising to grow into something bigger.
While we rarely recommend hip hop acts here at Club Fonograma, you can tell by our Outsiders lists and by some of our reviews that we’re quite keen on the genre. Recently, in his “Linus” track review, my colleague Reuben “Nenuco del Norte” Torres made an interesting point about how Mexican MCs suffer from “thug/poser syndrome.” An excellent recent example is Niña Dioz. Just check out her latest videoclip for “2 Cool 4 School,” which confirms Torres’ analysis. That entire bad ass/ghetto attitude simply doesn’t seem…genuine. Newcomer Josué Josué is a whole different story. Possessor of a natural, sincere flow, this MC’s verses feel anything but forced. Josué Josué, with his excellent debut EP, Linus, proves that not all Mexican rappers are just bling bling conformists of basic, worn-out beats and narcissistic writing.
His mind-blowing verses in Matilda Manzana’s “Hola Holograma” and live performances with Mock the Zuma introduced us to the mexiquense’s magnetic talent, but a proper release on his own is what we had been anticipating. Selecting exciting beat makers (Reclap, Siete Catorce, Trax) to join up with him, Josué Josué displays his tasteful loquacity in three monstrous original productions, along with two interesting, yet not essential, remixes of two of these cuts. Featuring Mexicali’s Siete Catorce, the title track is frenzied, almost lunatic, and has the eloquent lyricist displaying in this single banger what he’s all about. Cleverness and effortlessness are the strongest characteristics of Josué Josué’s delivery. Dictating lines referencing literary subgenres (“Quimeras y epopeyas en mi cabeza/Idilios con pereza ocurren con cerveza”), later bringing on a Snoopy character's relationship with his blanket (“Nunca me abandonas como Linus a su manta”) as a sign of dependency, Josué Josué elegantly establishes a balance between classic art/literature and pop culture in his lyrics.
Assisted by Trax, the romantic “Teclado Empapado” is built over a base that samples Monna Bell’s “Un telegrama," absolute winner of 1959's Festival de la Canción de Benidorm. “Tu lunar/Punto cardinal de mi pasión/Zona de fatal atracción,” the rapper deliciously describes his lover’s anatomy, softly sliding his words through funky bass and vibrant ambience. “Rottweillers” is the EP’s most brutal take. Jealousy and uncertainty take over our rhetorician, who desperately spits out his insecurities while Reclap’s top-notch, urgent beats orchestrate this reflection versus impulses battle. Its production brings to mind, in part, the work accomplished in A$AP’s Rocky prominent LIVELOVEA$AP. A violently encouraging, open-wounded, in-your-face exploration of an artist’s anxieties, “Rottweillers” is brain-induced carnage made poetry.
Two remixes (“Linus (Kryone Remix)” and “Rottweillers (Technic Trouble Remix)”) are included in this EP, yet they could’ve been omitted since they interrupt the cohesion, and frankly, it’s pretty distracting to listen to the amazing original song followed by an underwhelming mix. If only the troubled “Kriadex” had been part of this EP in its final form, it would have been a more solid release. However, despite not including this track or the addition of those forgettable remixes, Linus is a compelling achievement. He might not be the best MC out there, but Josué Josué’s career, characterized by an authentic voice, ingenious wordplay, and invigorating devotion to his honest art, is one that certainly is promising to grow into something bigger.
MP3: Josué Josué feat. Siete Catorce - "Linus"
Despite Mexico’s patchy legacy when it comes to hip hop...who am I kidding? Mexico has no hip hop legacy! The problem has always been the all too predictable dichotomy in the general approach to the genre. (We’ll refer to it as the thug/poser syndrome, for lack of suitable terminology). So it’s not only unorthodox, but even unprecedented when an authentic voice like Josué Josué makes its foray into the scene. The 21-year-old Mexiquense has only a few tracks under his belt, but he’s already found himself moving in all the right (blogo)spheres. No small feat, mind you, the kid’s got an ear when it comes to production talent. Just a few months ago, we saw him touring the most relevant strands of Mexico’s festival circuit alongside Juarez’s Mock the Zuma. And now, by act of fate or Soundcloud’s algorithms, he’s made his way to Mexicali’s Siete Catorce.
In case you missed it, Siete Catorce’s eponymous debut was a narcotic haze infused with mutant iterations of Mexico’s rhythmic patrimony. In hindsight, his purple-hued yet unequivocally bouncy sounds are the perfect match for Josué Josué’s post-teen angst-ridden verses. The former’s schizophrenic penchants are all too evident in this number, as one can easily hear traces of his other prominent alter-ego, den5hion (see: wobble bass at 1:04).
Contrary to the softhearted quality of “Teclado Empapado,” “Linus” has Josué Josué sounding menacing, almost possessed. The tension, no doubt, is alleviated through the insertion of Siete Catorce’s melodic staple midway into the track, lending it a much needed sense of emotional balance. Though "Linus" is just one of many collaborations and remixes soon to appear in Josué Josué’s Linus EP (via blog-turned-netlabel NWLA), I’ll cross my fingers in the hopes that we’ll soon see an extended musical companionship between these two.
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