Blog Listening to The Leak: Three free EPs of UW-nurtured hip-hop

The intersection of hip-hop and academia at the UW has spawned some really cool events and programs over the last few years, yet I've always wondered where the point of entry could be for people who find the words "lecture" or "conference" intimidating. The Breakin' The Law international breakdancing competition back in April was one pretty awesome place to start, drawing a huge variety of people to the Goodman Community Center's gym for an esoteric yet thoroughly entertaining limbs-and-torsos tornado. It'd be cool to see the same response during this Saturday's show at the Rathskeller, titled "The Leak," at which a bunch of campus MCs will perform, some celebrating new releases. The UW's Office Of Multicultural Initiatives (which takes part in the annual Hip Hop As A Movement Week and other hip-hop-scholarship events on campus) sent out an e-mail this week that pointed me over to UW Hip Hop, a new site that might be able to bring all this campus hip-hop activity—especially the artists in UW's First Wave program—under a broader umbrella that's easier for a more general local audience to check out. Hell, maybe it'll also bridge the gap that seems to exist between these artists and other local hip-hop acts with less of a direct connection to UW.

The best part of the site is a little down and to the right, where you can find free downloads from a few artists featured at Saturday's show. One is a full-length mixtape from Rafael Casal, who currently serves as OMAI's Creative Director, but for now I'd like to focus on three EPs from MCs Kid Quo, J. Dante, and Phonetic ONE. I've written a little here and there about campus hip-hop stuff but still feel like a complete outsider to it, so I'm really enjoying getting introduced to these three in short but varied bursts. Giving us a range of emotions while cutting out all the fat that tends to come with hip-hop mixtapes and LPs is an idea I support.

To the credit of all three of these guys, their respective EPs give me a decent sense of each one's developing musical identity. Phonetic ONE strikes me as the most flexible, skilled vocalist of the group: He skitters and bounces through boastful verses on "I'm Just That Good" and "Jazzy," the first two tracks of his Phonetic Phenom EP, and wanders through a pensive spoken-word section on "Like/Love." J. Dante's SuperHyperMegaCool finds a certain sloppy charisma that makes me think he likes the sick mischief of Dr. Octagon as much as I do. The title track (featuring a guest verse from Casal) finds Dante's delivery bouncing off the walls a bit, as if he refuses to choose between rhythmic tightness and open-endedness—"hyper 'cause I'm lyrically energized," the man says. Plus, the song's video makes hanging around outside Vilas Hall (the big communications building on campus) look stylish.

Kid Quo's six-track eQUOnomy similarly tries to steer around rap's pigeonholes. Opening track "Kid Quo" is the kind of earnest, fluid mission statement a Black Star fan might make, and "On My Way" celebrates his upbringing in Maryland with a refreshing playfulness, referencing the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air theme song (shut up, you like it as much as I do) in the first verse. The slow burn of "Qualitative Urban Operative" is a nice chaser for anyone planning to enjoy Friday's CunninLynguists show at the High Noon Saloon. Anyway, these EPs are free for the grabbing, and overall they deserve to be considered alongside any other local hip-hop release this year. Here's hoping more folks in Madison give them that chance.