Gnotes brings new but familiar sound to music lovers

Music requires the ability to move people with powerful lyrics that aren't just spoken but felt, and forceful beats that reverberate off the walls with meaning. Music should be a soundtrack to life, a life of change and movement, and a life of evolution towards a positive end. Not all music has this ingredient, and, for that music, I have no patience. Having said this, Boston based Indie Rapper, Gnotes, delivered his fourth album, Rhymes and Beats, and delivered it at a time where the Rap/Hip-Hop world needs more of what Gnotes has to offer.

A new sound is what comes to mind when listening to this album, yet it carries with it a familiar feel. Following in the footsteps of other rap artists like Talib Kweli and The Roots, Gnotes uses a different technique than most other rappers. What all three artists have in common is the live-band feel. The artists have a tendency of using, live instruments instead of synthesized beats. This delivers a more heartfelt feeling to the backbone of the song and makes the lyrics flow.

Gnotes uses a different variety of instruments to convey his music literagies, including the slide guitar, the trumpet, the violin, the turntables and the regular six string guitar. Utilizing all of these instruments, Gnotes helps break down the barrier that once stood between live musicians and rap. With flowing lyrics that mirror Beck, and drumbeats that parallel Quest Love, Gnotes brings together revolutionary ideas and a revolutionary feel to his music.

Love To Give, featuring Afro DZ AK on the trumpet, is the type of song that needs to be at the end of the album, but not because it is bad, but because it gives the listener a reason to listen to every song on the album and not skip around. With a jazz based beat that thrives off a piano and Afro DZ AK's trumpet, Love To Give is a beautiful mixture of deep lyrics. The lyrics "Everybody's got a gift to share/I give you props if you got the heart to care" show a talented musicianship and Gnotes' wide range of ability.

Samba Tryst is the best example of mixing and producing as it is the most experimental. The beat flows with a consistent following of different world instruments and provides the plateau for the lyrics to ride on. The heavy guitar riff in the middle is a perfect addition to the song that adds everything and takes nothing away.

The live track on the album, Belly of the Beast, truly highlights Gnotes' ability as a rapper. It shows his steadiness as a flow artist and his capability to keep up with a good fast paced beat, provided by DJ Special Blend, Scroll & KEH Drums. "Life is precious/ Destruction is expensive and senseless" is a one line lyric that can define the meaning of not only that song, but the whole album's concept.

Gnotes brings underground rap/hop-hop to a new level. The music is accessible, yet intricate, and the lyrics deep, yet not above our heads. With a message of love and change, Gnotes harnesses what it means to be a poet and an artist while staying true to hip-hop beats.

The album is available online at the record label's website, gnawledge.com, so I suggest you check it out. If you like what you hear, the record came out on October 9th, so go grab it and experience what it means to be a true underground artist.