Welcome To The World Of Hmmmmm

Today's choice for heroic gangsta/sonic sampling wizardry come courtesy Infinito: 2017 ... A visit to Infinito: 2017's website doesn't clear up matters as to whether the act is a group or simply 2017 himself. Listing band members as "HERU, INFINITO: 2017, THOTH, Markus Garvey, MA'AT, I AM 720, THE 5%, CHILDREN OF THE SUN," the site instantly links to MySpace, and the artist(s)' fantastic, earth mother drenched, historically learned and sonically sophisticated sounds. Alluding to buried Biblical messages, Egyptian mystery school wisdom, and the struggle of year's past, "Monday Aneya Aseju" drapes a God oriented tale with crackling piano and beat samples, and what sounds like Odetta or Miriam Makeba singing gospel homilies. The track deepens with some wicked sample riffage, and the slick line, "I thought Indie.Arie was Venus Williams on a budget." It's slow mo, and drop dead slacker sensitive, a behind-the-beat mighty dub drop groove fest. But is it gangsta? (Next up, a beautiful bossa nova scented rap, "Jonah 38," pure sweet symmetry recalling Gil Scott Heron). Scrolling down the 2017 site, further curiosities appear: calls to join the African revolution starring Haile Selassie, a quiz ("Which Egyptian God or Goddess do you represent?"), and links to further solo works: IT - Low Income Housing, Infinito:2017 - For The Love Of Naked Black Women, Roddny Dangrr Fild: Tragedy in Bar Sequences, and A Regular Black Dude Movie Pt. 1. Who needs Blaxploitation movie comps when you've got tales this interesting? Infinito: 2017 features, among other things and themes, "the thoughts of Dr. Francis Cress Welsing of the The Isis Papers," discussing the largely secret history of Black America. written by: Ken Micallef