Raw Nature

..And unity is exactly what followed, in the form of the co-headlining group Raw Nature, who took to the stage exhibiting an energetic intergroup camaraderie from the moment they began until the last drip of collective sweat hit the floor at the end of their spirited performance. Raw Nature, comprised of P.A., Benny Buku, Fury, Prophet, Fizix, C4 and Big Dee, is forged from a DNA mix of Leaders of the New School theatrics and Wu-Tang Clan-styled lyricism, and watching them perform is watching a controlled chaos that left their bussed-in-from-Jersey supporters nearly as breathless with rowdy excitement as the artists themselves. - Birthplace Magazine

Raw Nature, hmmm. Where do I begin? Oh! I know…It was a dark, stormy night, walking through the mean streets of NY, lol. Just kidding. It really wasn’t a stormy night, nor was I walking any “mean streets”, I was just hanging out with my good friend, KON talking about music as we made our way down 23rd street in Chelsea heading towards Suzy Wong’s. I don’t know how we brought up the name “Raw Nature” but somehow it ended up being the topic of our conversation. I’ve heard of the group before, but never had a chance to listen to their music. Next day, I went home, did some research and found them on Facebook. It linked me to their site and I repeated the same three songs they had streaming. Then, KON posts up the event flyer for his EP release and guess who else is the OTHER headliner? Umm, yeah…Raw Nature! I was pretty excited being that I basically memorized the three songs I had on replay for days, lol. I was feeling the energy through their music so I definitely couldn’t wait to meet them.

Finally, I met them at Public Assembly for their album release show on Friday, Sept. 17th. The performance went as I expected, they rocked out and I was thrilled. It’s always great when I get some time in between to meet and catch up with artists, such as Raw Nature. Not only do I dig their music, but they are just a dope group of individuals. I received a copy of “The Direction” in the mail over the weekend, thanks to Tito, one of the members of Raw Nature, and I’ve been letting it ride all day. I appreciate music and hip-hop all around, especially when it’s a hard copy of an album. That truly made my night!

“The Direction”…How can I put it into words? For one, it’s not your typical album. It’s like a mix of Onyx, Wu-Tang, Big Pun, Hector Lavoe, and Aesop Rock all in one. It’s a bit of Latino mixed with hip-hop and I love it, because of course, I’m a Hispanic woman. I mean they don’t go around constantly preaching about love and shit, but they speak about things most people can relate and appreciate. Occasionally they’ll throw in verses about “rice and beans” just to switch it up. I respect the aggressive passion they have when it comes to rhyming, they definitely get the message across. Every song is a different story illustrated in my head. I don’t mind the rowdiness or the hype because that’s the kinda shit I like. It’s been a while since I’ve actually like a hip-hop group who comes off the way they do. The beats and turntablism in some of the songs are awesome, and I absolutely admire the way they mix it in with their Hispanic roots. The first song I ever heard was “Feel It” and that was one of the joints I had reiterated a few times. It starts off slow, like a salsa bolero and goes into a dope beat and has that very “Latin” feel through out the entire song. It just makes you feel like your relaxing on an island rockin’ to hip-hop. “Que Lio”, which translates to “what a mess”, starts of with a sampled salsa song by Marc Anthony from the “El Cantante” soundtrack and it talks about exactly that, a mess they got into. I can’t give away the concept of the song, so just listen.

I can go on describing each song but I rather you check out the album yourself. Take a look at the links I have posted below and don’t forget to support the NJ underground hip-hop movement. Jersey is back on the map and Raw Nature reps it very well. Get your copy of “The Direction” by Raw Nature NOW!!! No excuses, it’s a dope album and here’s the link.

http://rawnaturehiphop.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raw-Nature/147574187998?ref=ts

Peace, Mad Love & Melodies

Melodics - From the Ground Up