Black biker clubs existed in the five boroughs well before
New York rappers began adopting their style.
Sometime during the 1990’s, black biker swagger became all the
rage. The trend reached its zenith in
the late 1990’s with the rise of the Ruff Ryders camp. Now, such imagery has nostalgic value as it
harkens back to the last true era of NY hip-hop prominence. Seeing as how Pete Rock and the Boot Camp
Click never really left that era (at least not in a spiritual sense) it makes
perfect sense that black biker chic would serve as the motif for their new
video “Night Time.”
“Night Time” is the latest clip from Pete Rock and Smif N
Wessun’s surprisingly strong collaborative LP Monumental. It features
Buckshot on the hook, which of course is not designed for current urban radio
playlists. Muffled acoustic guitars
strum a traveling groove over pulsating drums.
The track possesses the exact ambience that its title suggests. It also has a slightly folksy reggae vibe,
which is enhanced by presence of Tek and Steele. Tek opens with a sing songy 2Pac style flow
that sounds like it could have been lifted from 50 Cent’s “Get out the Club.” It’s equally as misogynistic as that song,
but Tek’s exuberance makes it go down easy.
Steele follows up with something a bit more traditionally Bucktown. Pete Rock finishes with a verse much better
than anything he ever dropped with CL Smooth.
Over all the song has a nice, breezy swing to it. It’s reminiscent of classic BCC, only more
intricately produced and executed.
The visuals are flashier than anything BCC would have done
in the 90’s, but the HD camera adds just the right touch of grime. Tek, Steele, and Pete Rock are shown
congregating riverside with their Black biker brethren. The bright lights of the Manhattan skyline
dot the background. Tek sports shiny 360
waves with a Rick Ross beard and a studded leather vest. General Steele rocks Brooklyn style military
fatigues and shades. The perpetually
young Buckshot delivers the hook from behind the wheel of his whip. Style wise, the clip is basic to the point of
being primative. However, the milieu is
fitting, and goes hand in hand with the song itself.
Smif N Wessun are now ambassadors of a forgotten era. They continue to pay homage, never forgetting
their roots as part of the “Hoodies and Timbs” contingent of New York Hip-Hop. Pete Rock has never lost a step creatively,
and his jazzy grooves fit the BCC like a glove.
Who would have ever thought that the chocolate Boy Wonder would complement
the Cocoa Brovaz so well? If nothing
else, the current era has shown that collaborative LP’s are a worthwhile
endeavor for New York’s elder statesman.
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