People Under The Stairs are Fantastic

Article by: Shallat

Date: February 2005

Music nowadays is trash. Or a least the Hip-Hop genre is. Producers and record promoters keep jumping on the remix and pimp rap bandwagon and the results are unoriginal. If you have grown tired of this, like I have, then maybe you should check out People Under The Stairs.

People Under The Stairs (PUTS for short) are a two person rap group from Los Angeles with some unique talent and original ideas. They consist of Thes One and Double K who have put out three LPs since 1998: The Next Step, Question in the Form of an Answer, and O.S.T.

The best way to describe PUTS' music style is an artful blend of both existential and introspective lyrics with tranquil carefree beats. Their music sounds like a jazzy, funky, slightly retro, slightly new age version of Hip-Hop in its truest form. PUTS have been compared to Jurssic 5, Ugly Duckling, Dilated Peoples and The Beatnuts, but the only true way to describe their style is absolutely unique. Thes One and Double K manage to bring you into their mind and show and tell you about their problems, adventures, and good times.

Each of their three LPs has their own unique style and flavor. Listening to each one chronologically, their development is easy to see.

Their first LP The Next Step, put out in 1998, really explores and pushes the musically boundaries of Hip-Hop. This album is rougher around the edges than their following two, but this only enhances the experience rather than hindering it. Their signature song off the album, San Francisco Nights (arguably one of their best songs ever), takes you through their late night journeys through the bay city, and couples deep lyrics with mind pleasing beats. Other songs like Death of a Salesman, and Ten Tough Guys show the P flexing their musical muscles with their debut.

Question in the Form of an Answer, the follow up album released in 2000, delves even deeper into minds of the two mad scientists. I personally recommend their song Stay Home that starts out slow and builds up to an intense musical pinnacle. With ingenious beats from songs such as Earth Travelers and Youth Explosion, fat mixes such as 43 Labels I Like, and unconventional skits such as King Kuff, Question parades the talent and personalities of the two MCs.

Their last LP O.S.T., released in 2002, shows just how far PUTS has evolved. O.S.T. has a more mature well rounded sound and is their most complete CD yet. Some tracks such as Suite for Beaver Part I are a prelude to the following track, Suite for Beaver Part II, and give the impression of the immense amount of work that went into creating this album. Some of my favorite tracks are The Tales of Kidd Drunkadelic, which is the perfect song to blast out your car on a lazy summer afternoon, and Montego Slay, the ultimate chill song that everyone knows the words to. The crown jewel of this album though is definitely Acid Raindrops. With a simple beat, profound lyrics, and (get this) a tribute to Mr. Rogers at the beginning, Acid Raindrops rivals San Francisco Knights as the P's best song.

All in all People under the Stairs have put out the most genuine, purest form of Hip-Hop I have ever heard. I strongly recommend any one of their albums. Also make sure to look for Stepfather, their fourth LP, to drop in 2005.