“Emo” isn’t the sole property of indie rock. B-boys have feelings, too. Check Pete Miser for proof. The New York emcee, via Portland, Ore., wears his feelings on his mic on his newest release Camouflage is Relative.

Narrative prose — a la Slick Rick — is Miser’s strength. He embodies the hip-hop culture but eschews the machismo posturing that is so transparent in commercial rap. He’s an emo emcee, but he can flip a phrase with the best. On I See You, Miser raps to the object of his affection: “I’m so grimy in comparison it’s embarrassin’ / You got me weak in the knees like Nancy Kerrigan.” Final is like a diary entry about his ex in which Miser tries to excuse his emotions: “I bet this is going to seem a surprise / but I still catch them feelings when I look in her eyes.”

But no track jumps like the opener, So Sensitive, even if — or maybe because — the stuttering guitar loops recall N.W.A.’s If It Ain’t Ruff. This is where Miser flaunts his verbal prowess but bares his soul, too: “Weigh a buck fifty with a backpack / still dumb enough to slap Shaq and tell him he raps wack.” But on the chorus, he opines: “It ain’t easy being me / with all these insecurities / I’m such a sensitive emcee.”

Topped by tight production, Miser is an underground hip-hop gem.

So Sensitive (mp3)
Scent of a Robot (mp3)
Table Scraps (mp3)
Final (mp3)

In about a matter of a day, this DangerDoom album — a collaboration of MF Doom and Danger Mouse — is all the buzz. I first got the news at Gorilla vs. Bear, where Chris has two tracks. When you’re done there, head over to Freemotion for three more tracks, including one apiece with cameos by Ghostface and Talib Kweli. FPSA also has one of the songs, Crosshairs. At this rate, you should be able to piecemeal the album together in about, oh, 48 hours.

Gotta love Epitaph (which released Sage Francis’ A Healthy Distrust) picking up the hip-hop buzz. Epitaph’s news release on DangerDoom can be found here.

It came to my attention that I might not have put my quickie post on El-P the other day in proper historical context. So to wrap up a heavy week of hip-hop, I’ve got a little more.

El-P (short for El-Producto), who’s running the hot Definitive Jux label, first came on the scene in about the mid-90s with his group Company Flow, which included Bigg Jus and Mr. Len. The group pushed 30,000 copies of the original Funcrusher EP on its own, leading to a record deal with Rawkus. Co. Flow’s uncompromising style — “independent as f*ck” was their mantra — gave rise to the label Rawkus, which later went on to deals with Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

But Co. Flow’s Funcrusher Plus (released in 1997) was the foundation. It was harsh, confrontational and defiant — not for the faint of heart. El’s dark production underpinned the cerebral, in-your-face lyrics.

Rawkus’ desire to head for the mainstream led to a falling out with Co. Flow. El sums it up nicely on Deep Space 9mm on on his solo album Fantastic Damage:
“Signed by Rawkus? / I’d rather be mouthfu*ked by Nazis unconscious.”

Nevertheless, Funcrusher Plus is an underground necessity.

Company Flow: Collude/Intrude (feat. J-Treds)
Company Flow: Vital Nerve (feat. BMS)
Company Flow: Blind

BONUS BEAT:

Latyrx feat. El-P: Looking Over a City