Features | Awards
The "Fuck Tyler" Award for Diamonds (Of God) in the Rough
By Brent Ables | 13 December 2011
Green Ova Undergrounds
If you haven’t heard the Green Ova Boys yet, this probably isn’t the place to start; I suggest beginning with Colin’s 808s & Dark Grapes II review. But for those who have spent quality time with these young rap junkies; who have attuned themselves to the emotional, intellectual, and (yes) spiritual frequencies at which these passionate stoners transmit their message; who have gotten lost in the cavernous “Take 1” or blissed out to the ecstatic “Spinning 87”: aren’t these guys quite the find? They might not have made the best rap album of the year, but releasing such uniformly excellent music at such a quick pace (over ten records in 2011 alone) is perhaps an even greater accomplishment. And it’s really just beautiful stuff: some of the most life-affirming and relatable rap—or music, period—that anyone’s made in a long time. Music that acknowledges the work implicit in survival (something hip-hop has always touched on, but here it’s both humble and full of hubris, much like the tact “Diamond of God” synthesizes so well), and celebrates the redemption inherent in the work of art. Music, in short, that deserves recognition.
Shame that they aren’t really getting it; they might very well continue to be ignored by most of the world for some time. But why? Shady Blaze told us that Squadda B put them all over the internet, so I know it’s not because they aren’t making the PR push. Maybe it’s some other things they aren’t doing: hitting (female) photographers and getting sued, for example, or bashing homosexuals, or incessantly ranting about violently raping and killing women. Never mind how smart, soulful, and technically gifted this collective is. These, apparently, are just not the kinds of things people value in hip-hop these days.
And so, while Odd Future members work with Kanye West and win at awards shows broadcast to millions of people, and Tyler mocks his fans on Twitter for buying his album and then nonchalantly remarks how he’s not interested in rapping about rape anymore like it was some fleeting hobby, the Boys will go on scraping by, selling their gems for $5 from their Bandcamp page. Meanwhile, we here at CMG will keep telling people how great they are, hoping the world will listen, fall in thrall, and paint itself green.