The Mighty Underdogs

Satyricon
November 18

This is a new hip hop super group that I was unaware of until their publicist recently came a knocking at my door. What sparked my interest is the fact that two of my favorite emcees are part of this so-called “super group”: Lateef The Truth Speaker (formerly of Latyrx) and Gift of Gab, most well known for his genius with another NoCal hip hop super group, Blackalicious. But where does the third member, Headnodic, come from? That was nothing a quick Google search couldn’t uncover, and sure enough, I found GOLD. Headonic is a producer formerly of the Crown City Rockers (said to still be working on an album) who was lured into The Underdogs by Lateef when he came to the conclusion that since he liked so many of Headonic’s own tracks, why not invite him to be a part of the group. Gift of Gab was already in the mix as a planned collaborator, and the rest is pure hip hop. If you like Latyrx and Blackalicious, this show is for you; they sound like a quality mish-mash of both. Their official, unofficial first album, released on Definitive Jux last month, is titled Droppin Science Fiction. It boasts a confirmed guest list that is pretty impressive, with names like DJ Shadow, Damian Marley, Mr. Lif and Tash from the Alkoholiks, just to name a few. This is hip hop, ya’ll.

–Jenny Rapf