Track of the Day (3-9-09): Othello – “Peripheral Drift”
The age old adage that “You don’t what you got till it’s gone” really applies for the Michigan State/Lansing/East Lansing ever since the homie Othello’s departure back to his west coast roots this past summer. While it’s often said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, it really takes a strong emcee to cultivate a flourishing hip-hop scene, and for a few years the area definitely had Othello as an MVP of sorts. A well-rounded lyricist who’s just as dope a performer as he is on wax, and always approachable for not just business but pollyin’ in general.
That being said one of his best works is Alive at the Assembly Line which he released in 2006 to critical acclaim both within and outside of the state. As a Cultural Vibe favorite I used to bump this all the time when I was host, particually Silhouette, a noted favorite of his fans. Peripheral Drift is just as nasty though, and I’ve always enjoyed the marriage of hip-hop and jazz sounds. (Hence why Illmatic was so effective to me at an early age) Along the same vein of the De La Soul and J Dilla masterpiece Stakes is High, Peripheral Drift is just as much about the instrumentation found in the actual track as it is the lyricsm accompanied by it. Check it out below.
THE WAR ROOM 