Here is some info,videos and pictures one my most favorite hip hop groups of all time. Even though some people dont call thier music typical hip hop. Enjoy!
www.myspace.com/shapeshifters
In the ever-fluctuating, mercurial culture of hip-hop, very few groups, let alone solo rap artists, have sustained longevity. Enter the Shape Shifters, the storied Los Angeles underground collective that‘s been making their own eclectic, brand of hip-hop for virtually a decade.
Indeed, ever since the group emerged out of the legendary mid-city, Los Angeles graffiti scene in the early nineties, the Shape Shifters, by virtue of their original, genre-bending and most importantly, uniquely creative musical sensibilities, have established themselves as one of the most reliable and downright interesting subterranean rap acts in recent memory, creating a virtual cult following in the process.
Originally based around LA graf writers Perk, Meck, Realm Ser and Rob 1 (all of the CBS crew), the Shape Shifters began to emerge as noteworthy rhyme crew in the early nineties.
Impressed by what their peers were doing, graf writers from other Los Angeles crews and also other hip-hop collectives like Live Wires and The Chain Smokers, clicked up with the Shape Shifters. What resulted was a somewhat nebulous, ever-changing but always on-point crew who quickly developed a following of fans through creative and abstract sound, reminiscent of Project Blowed and The Good Life era of LA underground hip-hop.
"We thought that it would be dope to have strength in numbers, and be able to appeal to people all over the LA area as opposed to just one area," remembers Circus.
Innovative demos and mix tapes, which Circus would mail out to the group‘s burgeoning fan base, coupled with open mics at coffee shops and appearances at local battles, furthered the collective‘s reputation as a hip-hop group whose varied musical and cultura influences -- from Johnny Cash to Run DMC -- produced a sound that was always willing to push hip-hop‘s boundaries a little bit father.
A series of acclaimed indie releases from the crew -- Planet Of The Shapes, Know Future, Adopted By Aliens, Soul Lows, and Soul Lows II -- helped the Shape Shifters achieve a reputation as a group that was able to successfully and sonically make the transition from the LA streets to the studio.
Still, the Shape Shifters collective boasted so many members and was constantly in a state of a flux. What‘s more, says AWOL, "we were just a bunch of drunken vandals, so no one was really taking things that seriously."
Times, however, have changed.
Now, with the Shape Shifters‘ musical motivation bubbling once again, the Shape Shifters stands poised to release their eponymous new album, Was Here, on Cornerstone Recording Art Society, the most comprehensive, tightly-woven and traditional effort the group has yet produced. Indeed with a bevy of tuneful and memorable beats (and some truly incredible pop culture snippets) courtesy of crew members LA Jae and Life Rexall, in addition to impressive cameos from the likes of Slug (of Atmosphere) and Pigeon John, this could very well be the album that ends up defining the Shape Shifters‘ long and productive careers.
"This album is the first time we‘ve really felt totally positive about an album. Everything was done right" comments Circus. "Half the album was done at our own pace... and we brought it to Cornerstone and they wanted to go with it but they wanted it immediately so the other half was spontaneously pulled out of our ass."
"Honestly, we‘ve all become way more professional," adds Existereo. "We know who we are, in terms of our styles, and we‘ve become more controlled. Yeah, we‘ve lost some of the oddness. But now we know how do things, whereas before we‘d just go into everything blind."
The Shape Shifters include AWOL One, Existereo, Die, Life Rexall, Akuma, Radioinactive, Circus, and LA Jae.
The first single "Circuit City" is as AWOL describes it, "a pretty cool disco song," and is certain to catch the ear, snap the neck, of both those who‘ve followed the group since their inception and new listeners.
"But my personal favorite is ‘Little Life,‘" AWOL adds about the surprisingly serious track, which focuses on the group‘s efforts to stay strong in the face of trying times. "We‘ve all gone through our own shit, and this is about trying to stay positive. Our group is getting along better than we ever have, but as a group that‘s so big and has so many different personalities, it gets hard sometimes."
About "Run The Crowd," Existereo comments, "I think it‘s a great song... it‘s more for the show element of our stuff. Everyone is involved. There‘s a really strong ‘call and response‘ hook, and I know the crowd is gonna be into it."
Other tracks like the pseudo-political, conspiracy theorist tongue-in-cheek anthem "Pindar," and the 80‘s influenced "Circuit City" featuring witty one-liners backed by an ethereal, electronic sound-scape and reggae chanting, showcase the Shape Shifters‘ exquisitely influences to "rock down to".
And speaking of the 80s, the almost techno-sounding, speeded up and sexually charged "You Know You Want It" is a certified club banger, with its crunked-out snare hits and explicit rhyme patterns about a night with an after-party freak emerging from the smoke machines and laser rays.
"Quit Your Job," with its space age, sythnesize beat, has various members of the group hurling complex and abstract rhyme schemes, half-humorous, half-serious.
"This is a first for us in that it‘s really a group effort in terms of us setting out to do an album, and actually getting an advance too!" chuckles Circus.
Adds AWOL: "I think and hope we can sell a few copies and tour off of this. I think this going to really be the next step for us."
AWOL is certainly known for a humble and understated approach. But there‘s no doubt this album is the next and latest step in the seemingly unending lifespan of a group that‘s outlasted many of their peers, and stayed true to their collective artistic soul in the process.
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