[ MUSIC ]
THE VISIONARIES
The Los Angeles-based underground hip-hop group performs tomorrow at Pipeline Cafe.
Visionaries key
on values
ASK HIP-HOP fans who their favorite artists are, and you'll usually figure out which side of the "Underground vs. Mainstream" fence they stand on pretty quickly.
It's not often that someone who sings the praises of 50 Cent, Murphy Lee and Ludacris can flip the script and discuss works by the A-Team, Aesop Rock, Freestyle Fellowship or Optimus Rhymes in depth.
So it was refreshing to hear DJ Rhettmatic, one of six members in the Los Angeles-based underground hip-hop collective named the Visionaries, give props to his peers who have risen from obscurity to national prominence.
The Visionaries
With local opener EmircWhere: Pipeline Cafe, 805 Pohukaina St.
When: 6 to 10 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $15; all ages welcome
Call: 589-1999
"Personally, I've come to a point where good music is good music," says the 34-year-old, citing artists like Jurassic 5 and Atmosphere. "If it's wack, it's wack, regardless if it's commercial or if it's underground.
"Right now, there's actually some good commercial songs out there, and there's also some wack independent songs out there."
As their name implies, the Visionaries aren't too concerned with how much ice they rock, what kinds of cars they drive or the type of alcohol that needs to be waiting for them in the VIP room of a swank Hollywood nightclub. They're focused on the bigger picture, stressing the importance of love, truth and humanity instead of greed and gluttony.
Originally formed in the mid-'90s, the collective made its first appearance together on an album by KeyKool and DJ Rhettmatic called "Kozmonautz." They, along with the group's four other members -- Dannu, Zen, LMNO and 2Mex -- had long known each other through the L.A. underground scene and realized there was strength in numbers when it came to their style of music.
"As far as our group goes, it's not just hip-hop," KeyKool said over the phone earlier this week from California. "I think we all believe in certain values and things we were taught by loved ones, friends and family in general."
"We're making this music for people who want to hear it, regardless of whether they're into hip-hop or not," adds Rhettmatic. "We're here to provide an alternative" to the mainstream fluff that permeates MTV and a number of local radio stations.
FOLLOWING THE release of "Galleries" in 1997 and "Sophomore Jinx" in 1999, the Visionaries recently introduced their third album, "Pangaea," which KeyCool describes as "our first album (that is) completely thought through.
"We didn't just slap songs together," said the 33-year-old, who also serves as vice president of the group's label, Up Above Records. "We took songs and ... really tried to make it kind of seamless, like have a certain cohesion between everything."
Aiding in the aural adventure are guest producers Evidence and DJ Babu, of the Dilated Peoples; J-Rocc, of the World Famous Beat Junkies; OhNo the Disruptor; Kan Kick; and the Shape Shifters' Life Rexall. "Pangaea" began showing up on music store shelves late last month, and when Rhettmatic is asked if this is the album that will lead them to widespread commercial success, once again he keeps it real.
"I don't think it's up to us to determine if we're going to go, quote-unquote, commercial," he said. "That's all up to the people, if they really like our music or not."
One market KeyCool and Rhettmatic hope will embrace the new album is Honolulu, which has the honor of hosting the first release party for "Pangaea" tomorrow night at Pipeline Cafe.
"We've always been shown love from out there," said KeyCool. "That's why were like, well, instead of going like two or three years after, why don't we go right after the record comes out?
"We always feel at home there," he continues. "It's just so diverse, and to see that ... blend is kind of like what our group has learned to become -- we're all accepting of each other's views and tolerant and starting to make sense of it all."
ANOTHER CONNECTION the Visionaries have to Hawaii is the involvement of DJ Rhettmatic on the debut album of Emirc, who will serve as the opening act at Pipeline tomorrow.
"(He) definitely has potential," said Rhettmatic, who produced the title track on "Rhyme and Punishment" for the homegrown MC. "He's making noise ... but he just needs to get that exposure outside of Hawaii. The only way that Hawaii will definitely get its props is that cats got to work together; the most important thing is to support each other."
KeyCool agreed, pointing out that this weekend's concert marks the Visionaries' fourth trip to the islands and that the more often mainland acts can make it out here to do shows, the better chances local folks have to make an impression on a larger scale.
"We're always excited to go out there and reach out," he said. "The more often we can get out ... and have a cat like Emirc rock with us, it helps the locals see that (they) do have respectable artists that are worthy of rocking it with these people.
"That's really healthy for a scene."
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