https://soundcloud.com/sbthemoor/sets/maiden-voyage-suite
As promised this past weekend, Signor Benedick the Moor released two new tracks, “Maiden Voyage” and “1200am (with jonathan snipes and daveed diggs)“. The LA-based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer–real name Christian McLaurin–continues to impress with his virtuosic hybridization of hip-hop, blending it across/between genres with Lego-like ease. But what sticks out the most on these tracks is the artist’s sense of mission, the belief that hip-hop can still act as a counterforce against oppression and ignorance–even while entertaining us.
On “Maiden Voyage“, McLaurin sets a historical stage with evocative samples creating a panorama of voices that speak about notions of “blackness” and the search for cultural identity and dignity, before this 11 minute cut sets sail for the skies on soaring stanzas of razor sharp rap. “1200am” finds SB hooking up with two of his pals from clipping., Jonathan Snipes and Daveed Diggs, and the track opens to the sound of braking glass and sirens, inciting Benedick and Diggs to layout the rules for living inside the Matrix. Lots of memorable lines here, but the real crux centers around the warning, “Loops in the system/Can’t nobody miss ’em/But it really don’t matter though/Cause everyone asleep”. sounds like just the kind of cerebral fiber the doctor ordered for these vapid times!
