Chicago rapper Flukie Stokes reports that he'll be taking off for points east in the coming months, so his occasional appearances in Madison will likely become even more infrequent. Luckily, he's been in the studio, working up pointed rhymes like those in go "Go" that salute his rough 'n' ready hometown and the happy/sad realities growing up African-American in the City of the Big Shoulders.
He opens up the track with this apt intro: "Okay, Chicago is exactly what it is. I say, Chicago is exactly what it's gotta be, baby." What follows is a breathless mid-tempo track that pulls no punches when it comes to discussing both the circumstances of his youth and homies he came up with who didn't have the luck, the wherewithal or the talent to overcome their own hardships.
At first listen, Fluke's defense of the late Ike Turner's talent in spite of much-publicized allegations of wife beating appears to come out of left field, but it's actually cagey way of demonstrating that reality is always complex and rarely -- if ever -- perfectly pleasing.
This master of the tune features a bass drum that thumps on the cusp of distortion, but that only adds to the track's unsettling ambience.
An MP3 of the track are available in the related downloads at right.
MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.
