STRONG ARM STEADY - ‘IN SEARCH OF STONEY JACKSON’
Published: The Age, A2, 48 Hours, February 27, 2010.

Strong Arm Steady
In Search of Stoney Jackson
(Stones Throw/Fuse)

Thanks to its hideous mainstream counterpart, it would be an understatement to suggest that, almost four decades since its birth, hip-hop is still hopelessly misunderstood in wider listening circles. If you were looking for an entry point into genuine, contemporary, street-level rap, In Search of Stoney Jackson might just be the record. The second longplayer from South Central Los Angeles collective Strong Arm Steady does a lot of things right in its vivid snapshot of life on LA’s grittier side. Underlaid by producer Madlib’s wonky hooks, buried soul samples and world music obscura, the group’s three MCs and various guests broach themes as diverse as the financial crisis, romance and street violence. But like the best of the genre (cue Nas’s 1994 masterpiece Illmatic), In Search of Stoney Jackson doesn’t attempt to project an intellectualised, moral stance. Rather, it offers an unapologetic reflection of a specific time, environment and otherwise muted black, urban perspective.

DAN RULE

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