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Marie-Claire
Zion I and the Grouch - 10 Fingers 10 Toes 10 lbs 10 oz
January 12th 2009 07:17
A few years back, I got tossed this album from an Oakland outfit called Zion I and the Grouch... I had seen a few of their tracks floating around, but had never taken a big, juicy bite.
My review of the album was glowing, especially since it appealed to an ol' grouch like me, surly and wrinkled after years of growing up with a style of hiphop now considered unfashionable.
And now, I'm weary of rappers trying to float an image that appeals to MTV and the pages of whatever novelty music mag is in fashion. Ice Cube is a children's entertainer and RZA is too tired to hold up the Wu-Tang Clan - I'm past my prime and I'm done trying.
That's why Zion I and the Grouch was so appealing, especially this track, "10 Fingers 10 Toes 10 lbs 10 oz", which is, essentially, about being glad to turn 30 and settle down and start a family.
To teenagers, this is explosive, scandalous stuff. Where are the drugs? The random killings? The brand identification? How are you supposed to know what to buy?
No, there's a sense of wise contemplation about this track, from the mention of the fact that he's glad to stick around, despite the fact that a lot of men in his community don't, to the simple, tranquil joy of the chorus, sung in Spanish.
It's because I, too, turned 30, this year, and it's with the same sense of contemplation that I'm looking forward to settling down... the same sense of exhaustion at the idea of going to a club and listening to music that no longer makes me feel like moving. Yes, it's time. Let's go, Grouchie.
My review of the album was glowing, especially since it appealed to an ol' grouch like me, surly and wrinkled after years of growing up with a style of hiphop now considered unfashionable.
And now, I'm weary of rappers trying to float an image that appeals to MTV and the pages of whatever novelty music mag is in fashion. Ice Cube is a children's entertainer and RZA is too tired to hold up the Wu-Tang Clan - I'm past my prime and I'm done trying.
That's why Zion I and the Grouch was so appealing, especially this track, "10 Fingers 10 Toes 10 lbs 10 oz", which is, essentially, about being glad to turn 30 and settle down and start a family.
To teenagers, this is explosive, scandalous stuff. Where are the drugs? The random killings? The brand identification? How are you supposed to know what to buy?
No, there's a sense of wise contemplation about this track, from the mention of the fact that he's glad to stick around, despite the fact that a lot of men in his community don't, to the simple, tranquil joy of the chorus, sung in Spanish.
It's because I, too, turned 30, this year, and it's with the same sense of contemplation that I'm looking forward to settling down... the same sense of exhaustion at the idea of going to a club and listening to music that no longer makes me feel like moving. Yes, it's time. Let's go, Grouchie.
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