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Big Quarters - Cost of Living
"World filled with gangs/ everybody got skillful aim/and we don't feel a thing/ Control the Petroleum. It fill the tanks/ and the babies on our blocks feel the bang/Cannon, hardly hit random, all I hear is pandemonium/ Shit be foul as mother. Word to my sister and my brothers and my color" - Big Quarters
I remember the days when rap was about good music and message. Then capitalism happened and those moments are now too few and far between. It's all about bling and rims, selling records, top 40 airplay and nonsense rhymes. The Minneapolis based rap group Big Quarters is comprised of Brandon All Day and Medium Zach, brothers who write about family values, their Chicano experience in this “land of brown babies and white mothers;” they tell their own stories, which is exactly what has been lacking from rap music. In Cost of Living, they deal with tragedy ("Song for Brown Babies"), every day life struggles ("Painkillers" and "Everyday"), their political views and the outlook on the current rap game ("How to kill your Rap Career" and "Sign of the Time"). But that is not all this brother rap duo can do.
In an era where mp3 D.J's are the trend and people are claiming that vinyl is dead, Big Quarters produce their own music using the art of digging and sampling with their weapons of choice as an MPC2000XL and ASR-10. Their beats are a creation of the syncretism of soul music and rock breaks. This led them to be the co-founders of the well recognized music producer group FAMFEUD. They have also collaborated with Cultura Londres (UK) in their EP Todo and Krazy Race in The Movement: Strength in Numbers (Realizm Rekords) and too many well respected Minneapolis artists to mention. Their Album debut, Cost of Living is not only a window into their lives and views but also a mix of good music and good lyrics. From the intro beat to the guitar chords in the final song, the album plays smoothly from track to track. If it isn’t the words that captivate you, the beats will. What else can you ask for in a rap album? They even add one of their recording sessions for upcoming beat makers or music producers to remix and make their own in the enhanced section of the CD. Big Quarters gives a fresh breath of inspiration to a heavily saturated genre of music that has lost its focus of good beats and rhymes. Cost of Living is a testament to this. So pick up a copy or two because they could be the next big thing that comes out of Minneapolis.
Written by Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria
Big Quarters - Cost of Living
bigquarters.com
all songs produced by Medium Zach
Real Proper Like (ASCAP)
except where noted
01 Intro
02 Sign of the Time - produced by Benzilla
03 Lou Diamond cuts by Brandon Allday
04 Beacons 2.0
05 Everyday
06 All Over Again
07 How To Kill Your Rap Career feat. I Self Devine
08 Land Of Opportunity cuts by Brandon Allday additional vocals by Alicia Steele
09 Call Meproduced by Brandon Allday cuts by Noam the Drummer
10 Test cuts by Noam the Drummer
11 The World Is Our Section produced by Brandon Allday
12 Painkillers feat. Emmanuel Ortiz produced by Benzilla
13 Song for Brown Babies
14 Sing Like This additional guitar by Greg Envy drum solo by Noam the Drummer
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