Ed E. Ruger vs. thekeenone

[rating:6.5/10]

This is Ed. Ed is a rapper and an artist. He is what Hip Hop is all about. Independent. Hard working. DIY ethic. Ed E. Ruger, aka E-DOT, is an important piece of the Carolina Hip Hop scene. His rap battles made him famous in the underground scene, but his 2006 debut brought what was simply a battle rapper to the status of underground champion of Carolina. Sharing a stage with KRS One, The Clipse, Wu-Tang Clan, Coolio, Black Sheep, The Yin Yang Twinz, and Public Enemy (among others), E-DOT is no joke in the Hip Hop scene.

Ruger’s skills have been noticed, having won the 2009 Grind Hard Award at the North Carolina Underground Music Awards and being named The Triad’s Best Hip Hop Act of 2009 by Yes! Weekly. Many have dubbed him “The Voice of Carolina”. He’s recorded with Bun B of UGK, Stat Quo, and Haystack. He’s received extensive play on satellite radio, even being selected as a featured artist on Sirius Channel 40. For an underground artist that releases his own material, his accolade far outreach the typical unsigned rapper.

In short, Ed E. Ruger’s new album, Lights Out!, is thumping, in-your-face Hip Hop that would please fans of street smart rappers like Jadakiss and Jay-Z. While not my favorite style of Hip Hop, I’ll bet I’m in the minority.

[rating: 7.5/10]

This is keen. keen was/is a founding member of Subliminal Orphans, a Philly Hip Hop crew that laid down phat rhymes over bumping jazz/rock/soul music. Though the crew is currently on hiatus, with members working on different projects, they always rocked the Philly clubs, with both rock and Hip Hop fans.

thekeenone, or keen, still lays down great rhymes over great music and brings her friends to the dance, including Ill Bill, B-Real, Young DE, and Sen Dog. True, she’s left her beloved Philadelphia and fled to the evils of the West Coast and medical marijuana, but we can’t fault her for that… at least not entirely.

keen’s free album, thegetaway, features tons of great tracks of the type of Hip Hop that I dig on most, rock tinged, guitar laden, and as funky as can be. My favorite tracks, you ask? The opener, “Keep Movin'”, “Stoner’s Prayer” (featuring B-Real), and the closer, “We Don’t Understand”. Fans of The Roots will dig on thekeenone, this I can promise.

While both Ruger and keen put out get Hip Hop tracks and solid albums, keen is more the type of stuff I dig on. It’s more groove oriented and less in-your-face. Both are artists with Hip Hop in their hearts and souls and I would recommend either one to fans of the craft. Stylistically different, but at the root, the 15 tracks on “Lights Out!” and the 11 tracks on “getaway” share a fundamental base, the love of Hip Hop music and culture.

With this, I close out Hip Hop Week on TPM and thank you for joining in. Mike of More on Sorrow is the winner of the Mixtape Monday giveaway… he wins a Hip Hop prizepack. Thanks again for sharing in TPM’s love of good Hip Hop.

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~ by thepaintedman on August 19, 2009.