"You Guys Like Hip Hop?"

Yes. I do. Very, very much. I won't lie, I am not, by any means, a hip-hop connoisseur, but I feel the need to share my latest hip-hop/rap obsession: super witty Brooklyn-based duo You Suck. Made up of GWU grads/comedians Sneep Deepy (aka Travis Helwig) and Kevin Meade, You Suck has just released their first mixtape, "You Guys Like Hip Hop?" and (not so surprisingly) it's good. Real good. Having seen these guys perform live several times, I already knew of their impeccable free-styling skills, and had been patiently awaiting the release of their EP. Made up of five tracks (the first appropriately titled "Yes"), what makes these guys awesome is their perfect blend of political, economic, and pop culture references, sprinkled (yes, I said "sprinkled") with the occasional "gangtsa-style" self-promotion ("Give me five years /I 'm a genius with a blonde beard / greatest out of Stratford since Shakespeare") and even some film, literature, and technological mentions ("I be done in one take / I spit final cut prose / hope y'all know about video editing... 'cause if not, I just taught you"). Sort of like...rap for the renaissance man. Click on the "You Suck" link above to visit their website where you can download the mixtape fo free. Do it.


*My personal favorite? Track 3 "Fell For You". A great break-up song with smooth-flowing rhymes comparing an ex to Jay Leno ("she pushed me outta the night show") spilled over (another favorite) "Fell for You" by Chairlift.