It’s time to celebrate diversity in this column. More specifically, it’s time to celebrate the wide variety of days that disgruntled rap fans wish the scene would get back to: Wild Style days, the Native Tongues era or gangsta rap before B.I.G. and ‘Pac bit it. If you miss that late-‘90s stretch when the radio was full of soul-food bass and drawls that could force a rhyme from every word in a lyric like “southern grandma, salamander / Georgia, Florida, Alabama” then Valdosta, GA native Izza Kizza is your new favourite MC. On Kizzaland, his new mixtape with DJ Nick Catchdubs, he gets crowned with a guest appearance from Missy Elliott on the N’awlins-inflected “Walk the Dog” and a freestyle over a host of Timbaland beats — fitting, since he’s signed to the Mosley Music Group — but he draws a lot more on Andre 3000’s wiseass weirdo persona than Timbo’s non-rapping. Either way, Izza’s a true original, and Kizzaland is a solid enough slice of that wacky southern vibe you might even find yourself feeling fond nostalgia for Magoo. (http://tinyurl.com/kizzaland)
BADASS EDUCATION
Scottish indie-saddos Arab Strap never had much exposure to the mainstream, though it’s not because they didn’t write beautiful enough melodies. It has more to do with lyrics like “It was the biggest cock you’d ever seen, but you’ve no idea where that cock has been.” Singer Aidan Moffatt has started writing a sex column for online mag The Quietus, and I’m happy to report that the advice is as useful and direct as that lyric’s implicit warning. (http://tinyurl.com/moffatt)
SONG OF THE WEEK
Son of Dave, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”: Watching ex–Crash Test Dummies member Benjamin Darvill assemble his own songs on the fly by beatboxing and playing harmonica into a sampler is damned entertaining, and I recommend seeing him do it Aug. 12 at The Rivoli (334 Queen W), but it’s his cover of Daft Punk’s melodic masterpiece that could make him the next Tay Zonday.