Strap on the daddy pants, cuz here's something a bit different. Gnawledge is not so much a group as it is a research project. Canyon Cody recieved a Fulbright Scholarship and went off to Spain to study, well, who knows what, but, he ended up collaborating with a Spanish hip-hop artist, Gnotes, and together they made what is one of the most unique albums i've heard. It is somewhere between folk music, hip hop and Spanish guitar/flamenco. It works. Somehow. Not a combination i would ever really seek out, but, i heard it a while ago and it has remained high on my playlist for nearly 6 months. The music varies between more folky to Flamenco to, frankly almost club music. I could heard El Manisero de Potemkin being played at a club early in the night. It doesn't have that driving beat you need for later on, but, as a warm up? Hells ya.
The album is at its best when it combines the essence of the combined elements. Nunca Fui a Granada mixes beats with soft guitar, haunting voices and counter-beat clapping. It finds places that, alone, none of the other genres could. It introduces the listener to new sounds and new ways of listening to music. Hip Hop, Flamenco and techno? Wait, those can go together? Huh... I was a mind opener for me.
The best part? It is freeeee. You can head on over to the link in the title and download it for nada.
That's Spanish for nothing.
Artist: Gnawledge
Album: Granada Doaba
Best Song: Nunca Fui a Granada
Overall: 8.5
Play If You Like: hip hop, flamenco, spanish guitar, mixes, folk, eclectic
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