The Strange Fruit Project

As an avid follower of "backpack rap" or as I call it "Music by Negroes with Brains", I find myself listening to a group called The Strange Fruit Project. At first glance the name may seem a little odd, but its pure unadulterated hip-hop. "Strange Fruit" was a song by Billy Holliday that spoke out against the horrific crimes being committed against african americans in the south. Holliday's song speaks to you and has a message much like the group that shares the same name. Isn't that what Hip-Hop and all music for that matter is supposed to be about anyway? Music is supposed to speak to us. It's supposed to make us feel, make us think, help us to act, and serve as inspiration.

Will this group ever be #1 on Billboards charts? More than likely they won't. Sadly the market really isn't demanding Hip-Hop like this, atleast in terms of record sales. At the same time if you look beneath the Soundscan numbers, it's crying out for it. Hip-Hop for me is a living, breathing entity. Its not necessarily tangible as much as people try to make it seem that way. You can't pinpoint where it begins and where it ends, you can't even put a face to it, but its always there. It's continuously growing and evolving. I guess I'm trying to say that Hip-Hop is art, and art lives. For some time it's been flashy, overtly violent, too sexual and materialstic. Yet in still, throughout its development no matter what path it chooses, lyricsim, creativity, and honesty are it's life blood. You can't place numbers or dollar signs on that. You can't package that, it just is. Strange Fruit Project is Hip-Hop, they couldn't help but be anything else. You can tell they live it and breathe it through their words. They aren't trying to be anything except who they are, which is Hip-Hop. With that said enough talking about it, I think I'd better let you hear it for yourself.

The Strange Fruit Project - In the Sun
The Strange Fruit Project - Love is
The Strange Fruit Project - Special