April 21, 2006
The Coup: Pick a Bigger Weapon
By Maya J. Pope-Chappell
Opening the album with a funky guitar laid over synthesized sounds and a bangin beat that calls the listener to action, Boots Riley of The Coup bursts, “I'm a walking contradiction/ Like bullets and love mixin” as if to get you ready for what’s to come.
Pick a Bigger Weapon, which was released this week on Epitaph Records, tells stories of political strife, economics, and everyday life. One of Oakland’s premiere underground rap groups, The Coup, made up of Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funktress, are a unique duo that mesh backpack rap with funk to create that mid-tempo mob-music sound, which is distinct to the Bay Area.
Boots' deft storytelling, shifting delivery, and humor, bleeds over seventies-style P-Funk-influenced sounds, backed by a phenomenal band that includes Dwayne Wiggins of Toni! Tony! Toné!, Audioslave’s Tom Morello, members of Parliament-Funkadelic, the Gap Band, Jesse Johnson, and Frankie Beverly and Maze.
“Head (Of State)” derived from a childhood chant, calls out playfully: “Bush and Hussein, together in bed/ Giving H.E.A.D head.” It is one of many politically charged songs featured on the album. “My Favorite Mutiny” which features Black Thought of the Roots and Talib Kweli, exudes creative lyricism over funky orchestrated guitars, violins, and piano.
If you’re tired of the recycled commercial sound of hip hop and seeking a better alternative, Pick a Bigger Weapon is for you. Stellar in lyrics and sound, The Coup packs bullets that pierce your brain.
Grade: B
Posted at April 21, 2006 12:52 AM