MC Rai Raivolution
- Words: Derek Beres
- Label: Embarka
- XLR8R Rating: /10
Where Algerian street music meets hip-hop, raî emerges. As likely to be heard in Algiers as in urban Paris, the style-and its young practitioners like Faudel and Sawt-el Atlas-borrows rap's rhythmic beat structure in a contemporary headnod to the work of singers Khaled and Rachid Taha. What MC Rai holds over all of them is the focus on seriously skilled production and driving low-end. Raivolution is an intense homage to Arabic folk with shards of dancehall, hip-hop, and occasional flourishes of rock. The merging of string sections and darbuka in such loaded beats-capped off by Rai's supremely intense vocals-points toward new musical directions in North Africa.
Staff Picks
Popular Reviews
Recent Features
- Sub Missions: Dubstep Pioneer Kode9 Probes the Noises of State Control and Underground Music Resistance
- Detroit State of Mind: Kyle Hall and Anthony "Shake" Shakir Keep Things Moving Forward
- Todd P Goes South: The NYC Party Promoter Attempts to Bridge the Socio-Political Gap Between American and Mexican Artists
- Oneohtrix Point Never: Making Contact With A Brooklyn-Based Sci-Fi Novelist-Turned-Ambient Astronaut
Most Recent
- FeatureSub Missions: Dubstep Pioneer Kode9 Probes the Noises of State Control and Underground Music Resistance
- NewsElectric Independence Meets Vince Clarke and His Temple of Synth
- MP3Keepaway "Yellow Wings"
- MP3jozif "Me Loko"
- ReviewVarious Artists Panama! 3: Calypso Panameño, Guajira Jazz & Cumbia Típica on the Isthmus 1960-75
0 comments Raivolution