MadFro

Let’s face it, Rap-Rock gets a bad, well…rap. A shame, because it offers music fans a taste of a variety of styles, and showcases a well-rounded education on the part of the performer. Just as today’s “indie” movement gives listeners an experience equal parts soul, folk and electronica, cool kids two decades prior jammed to a new sound that was a celebration of hip-hop mashed-up with jazz, funk and hard rock guitar. Now classic bands like Faith No More, Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers laid the Yellow Brick Road for this new mixed-breed in the mid-‘80s, becoming founding fathers of what would become known as “alternative rock” long before Grunge showed up to the dinner table. '90s followers with a bit more iron in their blood kept the party fresh, including Rage Against the Machine and the Deftones. Then, some unruly guest brought Limp Bizkit to the potluck, and the whole thing soured into a massive suck-salad, seasoned with misogynist lyrics, remedial power cords, spastic DJs, misspelled names, and a posse of suburban white posers in their late 20s dressing like clowns and faking it like they were from the streets. You may think I’m being harsh. After all, every band has its “clones” once the sound it ushered in reaches its tipping point. But at least when Bush and Stone Temple Pilots decided to coast in Eddie Vedder’s tailwind, they were still good. In the copy-cat department, Rap-Rock got hit hard with the shit stick, squeezing out the likes of Crazy Town, Saliva, Papa Roach, and a countless crap-a-palooza of other mooks whose memory makes the mind gag and ears vomit. It was an embarrassment for both the bands and their fans. Thankfully, listeners’ tastes found their way in tune (or they just grew up), and now, most of this dreg can only be heard among the leper colonies of pop-culture (mainly during WWE matches). Unfortunately, the good took the fall with the bad, and the remaining fans of the better acts keep it to themselves to avoid the judgment of their peers.


Thankfully, New Orleans-based Madfro takes rap-rock back to its most elemental roots, reminding listeners why it was so good and original in the first place. Lead vocalist Slangston Hughes rhymes with a deep baritone that commands attention, and fires off a flow that keeps it all the way through. What is most striking about his style is that he delivers each song as if he is free-styling over a mixtape. The first four tracks have that free-association devil-may-care, I’m-just-having-fun attitude that Lil’ Wayne brought to his underground Da Drought and Dedication releases. His flow stays playful and fresh, never getting weighed down by excessive repetition. Complimenting him is guitarist Orlando Da Silva, who finds his muse more in classic rock rather than any nu-metal predecessors. His funk-guitar rhythm is heavily Hendrix-esque, with a touch of Rage Against the Machine thrown in. On the albums’ two opening tracks, he ends each with a virtuosic blues solo that would catch the ear of Jimi or Black Sabbath. The album opener, “My Glow,” is the effort’s funkiest – and most memorable - track. The following two songs, “Cannonball” and “…and Boom!” are more furious rockers, while “Pert Plus” has a definite RATM funk-jam to it. The closing song, “Middle of December” is a bluesy groove that would sit well alongside most of the Chili Peppers later, more acoustic work. - Where Y'At Magazine

A large, often-neglected chunk of New Orleans’ hip-hop scene runs through rapper and emcee Slangston Hughes’ Uniquity gatherings, drawing its instrumental accompaniment from a group that was most recently known as Fo On The Flo. Formed late last year, the quartet known as MadFro has embarked on something different yet familiar:
raps cradled in funk-rock heavy music made by Hughes and former
members of bands like Fo On The Flo, Purvis, AbPsych, and
xDefinition.

I.W.F.I. makes it a point to come out swinging in the best tradition of throwdowns the world over, whether it dances outright with cultural metaphor in “Pert Plus” or gets onomatopoeic with “...and Boom.” The music is made for swagger, the raps reinforce the feeling, and just when it starts to lean one-note, MadFro slows it down with the wistful, roughly loving “Middle Of December,” a compelling rhyme on love that left.

I.W.F.I.’s purpose may outwardly seem like a hit-and-run, but the EP
holds up on repeated listening due to Hughes’ virtuosity as a lyricist
and the near-hypnotic instrumental quality of his voice, not to mention
the rapport he and the other members of MadFro have. MadFro is off to a good start. I can’t wait to see (and hear) where their funk rap
takes them next. - Antigravity Magazine

With a music menu to please music lovers of all types, the last weekend in July brought an eclectic group of performers to The Prytania Bar’s stage in New Orleans. Called Tha Neighbors’ Block Party, the free July 26 event featured ambient rock, hip-hop/funk fusion and Southern-style rock overlaid with smooth rhymes.

Kicking off the night were MadFro, a dynamite band that’s poised to do great things in the city of New Orleans. A refreshing, eclectic mash-up of rock and hip-hop, MadFro’s music is heavy on the funk, with Bad Religion-style backing harmonies and a lead singer whose mad skills and intelligent lyrics put him on par with Gift of Gab.

Calling himself Slangston Hughes, Renard Bridgewater works hard to pump up the crowd, organizing lyrical back-and-forths. “When I say I’m tired, you say ‘go to sleep, ho,’” he declared near the end of the set, and the audience happily obliged, many times over.

MadFro opened with “My Glow,” a rousing tune that’s also the first track on the group’s EP, I.F.W.I., and a song that allows every piece of the band to shine. The quartet doesn’t stick to originals, though. Their inspired cover of “Foxy Lady” keeps the essence of the rock classic, complete with badass guitar from Orlando Da Silva, who also sings the song’s hooks. Bassist Eric West and drummer Kyle Bourque kept the rhythm steady during the Hendrix tune, but it was when Hughes came in, busting rhymes over the melody, that the audience was able to see MadFro for what they are: legends in the making. - AXS.com