If It's Too Loud...

Image by Jason Nelims The latest single from Jyroscope (aka I.B. Fokuz, Collasoul Structure, and DJ Seanile) and Montana Macks' collaboration might be the perfect hip hop for the aging (but still hip) Gen-Xer. "Take It Easy" is going to remind you of the glory days of jazz infused hip hop. It's hardly a throwback, though. "Take It Easy" has this laid back jazz vibe combined with verses that match it perfectly. While most modern hip hop makes us feel old as much as we enjoy it, Jyroscope rapping about dropping kids off at school, taking Zoloft, and your kids saying they love you fits us perfectly. And somehow they make this sound impossibly cool. Collasoul Structure says of the new song: "It just seemed like I was going through this gauntlet of horrible shit that just kept coming .  I literally closed my eyes for a moment and said to myself, ‘take it easy, bring it down .’” You can listen to "Take It Easy" below. Happy Medium is due out July 23...

Photo by Jason Nelims For the first time in the history of If It's Too Loud..., we may have discovered a hip hop song that fits our aesthetic. Chicago's Jyroscope (I.B. Fokuz, Collasoul Structure, and DJ Seanile) have an upcoming collaborative EP with Montana Macks that is basically about finding the balance between family life responsibilities, work, and your following your art. The first single, "Frozen In Time," is a chilled out old school hip hop song the likes of which I haven't heard in decades. With it's killer horn, it reminds me of Guru joining De La Soul. There's something almost meditative in "Frozen In Time" without it being even remotely dull. I.B. Fokuz says of the challenge in finding a life balance: “ As husbands and fathers, artists... asiatic men. The balance is defined by spinning plates. Managing the day-to-day with our families on our backs. A leap of faith is the dice we roll on our kitchen tables. Still hungry, still crafti...