Formed in Binghamton, New York, in February, 2010, Poetically Contagious started out as a performance group with members “J-1,2” and “Captain”. They soon evolved and moved between stages and recording studios, before eventually forming the record label – Poetically Contagious Records. The project garnered both public and industry interest. Soon they were being contacted by magazines and video directors, which led to them shooting the record label’s first major music video, “Time to get that Cash.” The ensuing success of their projects attracted radio stations across the U.S. “Time to get that Cash” was released as a remix and reached the Top200 National Radio Charts.
All this time Poetically Contagious continued to work their grind, attracting artists such as “Lil Dice,” and “Shardkeith,” to the label, and working with producers such as “Tony the Maestro” “Beatslocker.com,” and “Nine Diamond”. And their ambition continues as J-1,2 and Captain prepare to release their brand new single, “Toss him Aside.”
They have been exemplars of exuberance, pillars of consistence. Their previous 2013 hit, “Time to get that Cash,” was a pure distillation of old school rap meets modern urban hip hop, in which the song was built on a catchphrase that appeals to everybody. Can you think of anybody who doesn’t want to get hold of cash? Thought not!
Since the get-go, and monitoring their achievements it seems that few in underground hip-hop have thought harder, or devoted more creative energy to, what it takes to deliver one gut-punch thrills in their releases. There comes a time though, when you have turned up as much as is humanly possible, and the only turn remaining is the turn left.
And on the brightly shining “Toss him Aside,” Poetically Contagious take that turn, without losing their authentic old school vibe. On the contrary, they actually inject some more vintage sounds into this single. There are the soulful female vocals, the retro synths, and there even seems to be some organic six-string acoustic stuff, going on under the hood.
As a musical exercise, this tactic is fascinating. The interplay of soulful singing joy and the low-key, deep-voiced rhyming is intense on this track.
That Poetically Contagious might be part of a tradition — inheritors and remakers of hip hop history and not detractors thereof— is something that will surprise many at a time when our hip hop heritage seems to have been traded in for Trap Rap.
It’s understood that in hip-hop, innovations in character, texture and presentation are just as important as those in lyrical dexterity and punch lines. The key is to be able to achieve all that innovation without losing your traditional roots if you want to be a serious genre contender – with the release of “Toss Him Aside,” Poetically Contagious aim to be just that!
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