Lowkey
 

I mentioned this guy in the talent of the year thread and a few people showed some interest so i thought i may as well start this thread.

First of all some info on the guy,

Lowkey (born Kareem Dennis, 23 years old) is a British musician, poet, playwright and political activist of English and Iraqi descent. He first came to "fame" (in the underground scene) through a series of mixtapes he released before he was 18 (around 2003).

This year he released his debut album "dear listener".

In my opinion he is one of the most talented lyricists in the rap world right now.



Here's some of his tracks, enjoy.

Voices of the voiceless featuring Immortal Technique


"Never worked for a Zionist, never been a yes man,
My art is like Rembrandt painting pictures of death camps,
The average person is allergic to the words of wisdom,
This is for everyone of Saddam's Kurdish murder victims,
And all the pure souls that never had the chance to speak,
Truth pumps in my arteries and causes my heart to beat,
For soldiers haunted and tortured by guilty memories"



The Essence


"I don't know exactly when it started going downhill
Let's take it back to the days it was about skill
Before it was sweet boys parading as tough geeza's
Educated men naming themselves after drug dealers
When it was a way to vent a mans pain
Before it became a tool for presidential campaigns
Before the 50's, Lil' Wayne's and Rick Ross's
I'm about to show you the essence of what Hip-Hop is
Before it was about street credibility
When it was he's alright but he's better lyrically
Think about the zombies your bad words influence
Before Hip-Hop became an advert for ignorance"

"Hip-Hop broke down barriers like skin tone
Hip-Hop 2008 is selling ring tones
Hip-Hop even had your son dressing up in pink clothes
Is Hip-Hop responsible for your kids soul?
I think so!"



Long Live Palestine


"I’m not related to the strangers on the TV,
But I relate because those faces could have been me,
Words can never ever explain the raw tragedy,
It’s not a war they’re just murdering more rapidly,
We are automatically supporting pure savagery,
Imagine how you’d feel if it was your family!"

Relatives feat Logic



Alphabet Assassin


"papoose he slaughtered the alphabet, but it's on life support. See me, I'm an assassin, i finish the job every time....."


and something from one of his older mixtapes


Lowkey - you probably think


"I've never been to jail but i've been to university,
don't take it personally certain journalists are jerks you see,
don't sell drugs i perform poetry and earn a fee
you look down but one day your son might work for me
hip hop is universal take time, think on it
don't own a car let alone one with rims on it
wanna hear rappers? there's tons from london infact
and none of us rap about the guns and the crack
'cause that is not hip hop and they know it
forget the word rapper we're just modern day poets"

Lowkey is talented, and i love the fact that he doesn't lie. he's fed up with the game and he lets you know it. "every verse you heard was like a personal letter, so when i die my fans can say they all new me, lowkey, double p, your's truly"

Yeah that is great. He's a very impressive writer, and everything about him seems interesting. He's just one of those guys that are everything thats awesome.

Generic, boring, unimaginative.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...roll_spray.jpg







Dark shadow i agree with you, i love the fact that he isn't so insecure he feels the need to hide behind some gangster facade. I love him for hating the way rap music is and i respect him for speaking the truth in every single track.

He's an extremely impressive writer like bane said, i don't think he would be that strong at other aspects of rap(battling ect) but as a song writer he's phenomenal.

In what way?

Trolling is the act of purposefully antagonizing someone on the internet. In what way am I trolling?

How old is "rap is being bad!!! we have to save it!!!"?

3 bland unimaginative words used to describe music you consider bland and unimaginative is essentially trolling. and the rap is bad concept may not be new but if the lyrics are good who cares? would you mind explaining whats bland about the music? this is a forum for discussion, not insults. you are entitled to your opinion, but please back it up if you dont want to be called out on it.

That covers one song, part of another. There's a lot more in those than that holier-than-thou rappist shit. I can't think of many rappers I like that don't chime in from time to time about other people doing hip-hop wrong.



Captain, I just see a red x. It's my work's filter.

I have no problem explaining my opinion. Providing an opinion isn't trolling, and I don't see where you guys are getting this from. Grow up. If you want to have a conversation, just ask, like Bane of Existence was able to do.

Lowkey is beating a dead horse. "Hip hop is baaad, and we have to save it. I'm here to save hip hop. Guns are baaad, and talking about drugs is baaad."

On top of that, he talks about how he doesn't talk about guns or drugs. All of this is overplayed and generic for the underground, and he spends more time talking about what he doesn't talk about than talking about something that he can talk about.

Yeah, Bane. I know rappers talk about how "rap is bad" occasionally - but that's a majority of what this guy is talking about. It's not part of it, it's what he's trying to make his whole character, and it's stupid. He's dull as all hell, and his flow is pansyish. Boo, two thumbs down.

Now that you've given at least a reason for your comments, I don't have any issue with what your saying. What I took issue with was the fact that you used three vague adjectives to state an opinion. That isn't an opinion.

would you mind explaining whats bland about the music?


I did try to start a discussion, for the record. It seems that you skimmed that part of my post.

And it seems that you skimmed my response to Bane and post atop yours.

I've already explained my side. He's regurgitating the same anti-this, anti-that rap coming out of every other underground rapper's mouth, he's not providing the listener with anything interesting to hear topic-wise, and as far as his delivery goes, his flow is so pansyish and stiff. His voice isn't very gripping at all. The beats? Oh, cool, sounds like amateur FL Studio stuff.

By the way, I didn't just post "man this is GARBAGE!! HAHAHA LOOK AT MY BUTT!!" I posted three adjectives that I felt described the music that I heard. By those adjectives, one would be able to assume my opinion, and the adjectives would describe why.

generic, boring, and unimaginative can be applied to almost any artist today. sure, i can formulate that you don't like his music, but posting an opinion wont get anywhere in a discussion unless you explain what lead you to that opinion. like i said, since you've explained why you feel his music is uninspired, i don't take issue. we have different opinions, and neither can be proven right or wrong. lets leave it at that.

Uh... Those adjectives did explain what led me to my opinion. Yeah, they can be applied to a relative stockpile of others, and that's where Lowkey falls. He's just "there," he doesn't do anything.

Also, why even ask for explanation on an opinion if you're not going to consider it, care about it, or debate it?

Because i don't feel strongly enough about the artist to come up with a debate, but i DO care about why you have your opinion. In matters of subjective nature such as the merit of an artist, the opinion is not what is important but the support you can provide for said opinion. I don't feel like finding examples of good lyricism, flow, or appealing vocals, so i wont take up an argument. You said it was bland, and later you explained that he fails because his flow is stiff etc etc. That is the evidence to your claim i was looking for, no more, no less.

Even if it's been done before he's doing it better than most. You're quick to defend gangster rap yet lowkey is repetitive? give me a break. Of coruse he's going to be unhappy with the way rap music is. Because it sucks. It's ignorant music made for ignorant people. I for one support everthing lowkey says about rap.


You obviously listened to like what? ONE song. He has like 2 songs talking about the state of hiphop(on his album). And about 5 or 6 in total. Seriously talk about judgemental. How about you actually listen to a range of his music before judging him on one track, can anyone say narrowminded? Your exactly the kind of person he's ripping apart, no wonder you dislike it.

"america is capitalism on steroids" the guy speaks the truth about rap and everything else. Don't like it? Tough ****. He's not going anywhere.



















rapper who spends his time protesting to help change this crappy world, or rapper who spends his time going to parties, taking drugs and sleeping with whores. I know who i prefer.

I listened to all the tracks that you posted in your first post.

There's a difference between defending an entire subgenre of music against one way to approach it. I never said all gangsta rap was good, and I can't name very many current gangsta rappers. But I do recognize that it doesn't need to be ABOLISHED. Nothing does, not even "rap is bad." However, it can be approached in different ways, and not said the same way over and over and over and over.

No, he's not doing it better than most. It's the same thing. Like I said about the other aspects of the music: pansy, stiff flow, and generic FL Studio-sounding beats.

Rap doesn't suck. Rap's current condition is fine. Yeah, the mainstream has plenty of annoying candy rappers, but they don't encompass all of modern rap.

Right, you present us with videos so we can check out the artist. Then, when someone disagrees, they're stupid, "judgmental, narrowminded trolls." Give ME a fucking break. Every time I've come across you on the board where there's been disagreement, you act like a vagina. It's just disagreement. Chill the fuck out. I haven't even disrespected.

If anyone here is judgmental, it's you. Do you not remember when I defended rap when I said anyone can rap about what they want, what's important is that they have an interesting approach to the idea, and YOU began ranting about how I should just "stick to Lil' Wayne and my other stupid gangsta rappers?" when you don't even know what I really listen to? Right. I'm judgmental.

LOL i disagree with everything you said. He flows better than most and his beats are good (although not the best). and by pansy what do you mean? pansy here means you're not tough. Please don't tell me that's what you're talking about.

Lowkey > the entire mainstream, bar none.

As a song writer he surpasses most.

I just prefer artists who are either one of two things

1. Great lyrically and entertaining (strong punchlines, creative wordplay etc).

2. Have a message or story that they convey and deliver extremely well.

Lowkey is the second. Rappers like Stig are the first. People like Pez, Bliss n Eso, are a mix of both.

Rhyming about how cool you are and how gangster you are while trying to pass it off as actual fact just makes you look like an idiot. There's plenty of gangster rappers but there's no such thing as a gangster who raps.

You find lowkey generic and boring despite the fact there isn't a single rapper out there right now who can do what he's doing on the same level. This is an educated political activist, playwright and poet who doesn't exagerrate and doesn't pretend to be something he is not.

Judging a RAPPER on their beats? seriously what has this culture came to when a lyricist is judged on his producers ability?

Like lowkey himself said;

"Yeah it might sound better when they spit it out but would it mean anything written down?"

**** you and your closed minded opinion.

Right, with the insults. That's cool.

How does he flow better than most? His flow isn't diverse at all. Yeah, his flow is pansyish because he sounds unnatural and nervous on the beat. He doesn't sound confident in himself. He sounds like an amateur Myspace rapper.

Someone asked me about the music in its entirety, so of course I mentioned the beats. I didn't say, "ho ho, he sucks because the beat is bad." Christ.

His message is so old, his ideas are so outdated.

Why are you even bringing up gangsta rap AGAIN?

Okay, go ahead and try to explain how I've been close-minded at all. YOU are the one who shuns an entire subgenre and have no open-mindedness towards it.

By the way, friend, I don't appreciate the ad hominem attacks.

Bolded that sh!t just to be sure your ignorant mind and closed eyes catch it.

k