Third Root's second LP 'Revolutionary Theme Music'
On June 19, street savvy, socially conscious hip-hop gets a nod from SA when MexStep, Easy Lee and DJ Chicken George drop Revolutionary Theme Music, their second LP as Third Root. And from what they’ve teased from their hand so far, Third Root are holding on to a well crafted, party-rockin’ full house.
In March, Third Root released “Michelle Alexander” on their Bandcamp page, an homage to the lawyer, civil rights advocate and author of 2010 best-seller The New Jim Crow. Produced by Greg G, the song mirrors Alexander’s vision of incarceration inequality and “civil rights stripped through marijuana cases,” a mix of schoolyard dissertation and Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message.”
With Greg G connecting Third Root’s on-the-corner politico and boom-bap rhymes with lush, Afro-Cuban samples, what we’ve heard of Revolutionary Theme Music is as culturally informed as it is totally bangin’. With “Unified,” the second taste from RTM, Greg G’s talents take top billing, tipping off the track with a luxurious bongo and guitar beat, an Afro-Cuban sample that’s chopped up and reprised through the cut.
MexStep and Easy Lee aren’t slacking either; the pair pack their bars with good vibes and heat-seeking rhymes (“psychedelic cumbia, music from Peruvia, blended with this art of emceeing Americana”) coming back to the positive energy hook: “Get your hands high, that’s the battle cry of the unified.”
Take a listen to this exclusive debut of "Unified."