I remember as a kid in the 80s, riding on the ferry to visit my cousins in Martha's Vineyard, listening to "King of Rock" on my walkman and looking around thinking "man, i must be the only person on this boat who knows or cares that this music exists." Never woulda guessed that 25 years later the Martha's Vineyard Times would be proudly profiling their own local rap groups. The me of today is sending a letter to the me of 1983, that reads "We won."
Rap is difficult. An abbreviation for "rhythm and poetry," it is a form of music, and like any form of music, it doesn't follow rules, it is whatever the artists make it into.
Complex Humans, a group composed mostly of recently graduated regional high school seniors, is the Island's most prominent homegrown rap group...
...Like any form of music, there is nothing rap has to do and an infinite number of interpretable possibilities, it can do. The stereotypical urban rapper rolling within his reputation is not a target for emulation.
Mr. Brown's poise was put to the test as Saturday's show at Outerland was sparsely attended. But the group stepped up, unnerved, simply adapting their set and keeping the show moving. They demonstrated that rap is not about cheering crowds or rowdy mindsets but about expression, proposed through a microphone and married to a beat.
From locals who have become popular musicians to popular musicians who have become locals, the Island has sustained and cultivated many styles of music. It remains to be seen if Island hip-hop can continue to grow in appeal and legitimacy, but with groups like Complex Humans continuing to perform and improve, there seems to be no reason why it shouldn't succeed.
