Caviar Dreams

12/06/2000 9:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
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Apart from the stereotypes and generalizations that have constant plagued Southern MCs, there also exists an insatiable need to succeed unlike that of other regions. Since the national breakthroughs of such pioneers as Luke Skywalker & the 2 Live Crew and the Geto Boys, other Southern rappers have supposedly had the inside track to the desired goal of moving massive units. However, despite the gravy train that rappers living south of the Mason Dixon line have been riding, few of them have done much to elevate the artistic level of the game.

This is not lost on the Field Mob. The Field Mob? "Who dat is?" you may ask. Please allow for an introduction...

This Albany, Georgia duo is determined to do for hip-hop what other Albany natives--including the incomparable Ray Charles--have done for blues: garner worldwide respect while putting the hometown securely on the map. It's an arduous undertaking, but one that Darrion Crawford and Sean Johnson (aka Boondox Blax and Kallage, respectively) look forward to tackling. "We ain't from the big ATL, and they just starting to get they props, so imagine what they think about us," states Kallage. "But when we finish doing what we do, folk gonna know Al Ban Nee fo' sho'."

Field Mob's debut album, 6:13 Ashy To Classy, with its funky soundbeds, catchy hooks, unorthodox flows, and twisted humor, is a solid introduction of the Albany twosome to the world. "Anybody could make words that rhyme and rap. We know how to make it music. That's where the soul comes in. We making Southern, country, funky...music," Boondox says of Field Mob's finished product. Evidence of his statement is the song "Dead In Yo Chevy" in which the sing-songy hook and keyboard are blended together to sound as one. Other standout tracks are the tales of infidelity "My Main Roni" and its sequel, "Cheatin' On Me," the Southern grit of "Da' Durty," and "Channel 6:13, Part I," a song that incorporates popular television and film characters into a witty tale of a wayward fugitive.

It was destiny that brought these two real-life characters together, back in middle school, when Kallage, the school rap bully, would regularly leave his rapping competitors lying in his wake. Boondox, a newcomer to the area, monitored Kallage's antics, until one day he got the urge to step up and slay the dragon. Mission accomplished. This began a daily display of verbal jousting that led to their friendship and subsequent professional pairing.

It's clear that the respect that they had for each other from the beginning is still very much intact. Says Boondox of his partner, "He got the perfect name, 'cause he can take different flavors and paint a picture with his rhymes. He takes you there." Counters Kallage, "God made me work for mines [skills], but he had it and came with it...I said to him, 'Boy, don't do me like this.' Nobody wins at a tug of war, 'cause at the end of the day everybody is tired, so we might as well come together."

"Project Dreamz (Have You Ever Been Broke?)," the opening salvo on 6:13 Ashy To Classy, is bringing people together nationwide, in a way, grabbing and holding people's attention with its depiction of the "bling bling" mindset. The song's chorus differs from the materialistic lyrics that hip-hop/pop culture has come to accept as the norm: "I'ma have me a big nice caddy/House on the hill for my ma and my pappy/Live life happy, hair still nappy/Making legal money/No feds trying trap me/If you ever been broke put your hands up."

It might be perfect timing for a hip-hop recording that champions the flat-broke underdog. Surely there are a lot of people out there who can relate. "When I wrote, 'Rent 30 days late/Gotta move out by Saturday,' the rent was 30 days late. It don't get realer than that," says Boondox. Adds Kallage, "Man, we love platinum, but we can't rap about it if we ain't have it, plus people tired of hearing about it."

Armed with strong songs and strong lyrics, the Field Mob is ready to change the perception of the Southern MC. To that, Kallage states, "Ain't a group out there that got our lyrics and soul and could capture every element of the game like us."

So there you have it, world. The Field Mob is coming.