The world works in mysterious ways. Since signing up with Facebook, the (not so) little social networking website, I've managed to reconnect with many people with whom I had lost contact over the years. I found co-workers from my Enterprise Rent-A-Car days. I chatted with some old team members from the UBC Arts Co-op Students Association. But the real blast from the past is when you find no fewer than forty classmates that you haven't talked to since high school. High school!
One of these guys is Chad Washburn, known better in the semi-underground hip hop world as Chadio, a member of Imaginations Treetrunk. I had the chance to meet up with Chadio a couple of weeks ago and he gave me a copy of his solo debut CD, Underestimated Raindrops. It was professionally recorded at a local studio, and it came with all the usual stuff you'd expect from a commercial production. He really was the real deal, but were his rhymes up to snuff? Would they be enough to get those records sold and take Chadio out of East Vancouver and into the world of superstardom?
Well, a few days prior to actually receiving the CD, I went to his MySpace page where he has a few songs hosted. I was particularly impressed with Gone Fishin', the first track off of Underestimated Raindrops. It was sick. The beat, produced by Aalo Guha, worked very well with Chadio's voice as he busted out those rhymes. Something that completely threw me off guard was that they decided to sample a sound byte from Animal Crossing. Yes, the video game that graced the Gamecube and Nintendo DS. The song is called Gone Fishin and they pulled the sound byte where your character, well, goes fishing.
The album is broken up into four parts, as shown below in the track listing. Each of these sections has a distinctly different feel to it, so it's almost like getting four shorter albums all shoved into one. I'll be honest with you: the rap songs that you find on Underestimated Raindrops are far from what you hear in the mainstream. Most of the songs don't have traditional "hooks" and Chadio doesn't encourage you to "get crunk with it." His style may have been inspired by several artists, but it's hard to say that Chadio sounds like anyone in particular. He has a style all his own and that's what makes this album so interesting.
Some people may like it, other people may not. You'll find that with most of the tracks, there is a strong sense of separation between the more musical, slower beats provided by Aalo Guha, and the speedy, harder-hitting words of Chadio. This dissonance is clearly intentional and it provides for a welcome break from what we hear on the radio each day. It's also interesting to note that there are no breaks between individual tracks as they are blended right into one another, much like how a mixtape might be. This adds to the "underground" flavour. It's also admirable that the rhymes aren't about busting caps and pimping hoes. I thought "Racists", despite its somewhat Eminem-feeling sound, was particularly profound.
Other songs that I enjoyed on the album were Big in Japan, Pancakes, Sickest Nikes, and End of the Beginning.
Underestimated Raindrops by Chadio and Aalo Guha is available now for $14.99 from Phonographique.com.
Michael Kwan
http://btr.michaelkwan.com/2007/06/13/chadio-and-aalo-guha-underestimated-raindrops.aspx
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Chadio & Aalo Guha Underestimated Raindrops By Thomas Quinlan
The latest collaboration from the Imaginations Treetrunk collective teams MC Chadio with their primary producer, Aalo Guha, who presents a darker, harder soundscape than usual for the middle two quarters of this four-piece concept album. Chadio has grouped the 16 songs into four different categories — optimism, anger, confusion and confidence — blending and giving each part a title. The album starts on a positive note with four pretty much upbeat songs for “Part I: Underestimated Raindrops” (optimism), especially attention-grabbing opener “Gone Fishin.” The samples and subject matter become darker for “Part II: Staggered Elation” (anger) and “Part III: Confusual Mysconceptions” (confusion), and sometimes even pick up the pace, like with “Overshine.” “Part III” also contains show stealing guest appearances from Cee!!!!!!!!, one of the most unique voices in Canadian hip-hop, on “Being Blind (Seeing Everything)” and DJ Moves, with his intimidating but funny don't-give-a-fuck raps, on “Racists.” Things smooth out on “Part IV: Anticorp” (confidence), where Chadio is joined by two of the West Coast’s most singing-ish rappers: Josh Martinez on “The Life & Times (Time of my Life)” and Kaboom on “End of the Beginning.” “Part IV” is comfortable territory for Imaginations Treetrunk but it’s the former three parts that make this album so enjoyable. (Imaginations Treetrunk)
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Chadio and Aalo Guha
Underestimated Raindrops
Imaginations Treetrunk
"Underestimated Raindrops" is the debut solo release from Chadio and Aalo Guha, two members of the Vancouver hip hop collective known as Imaginations Treetrunk. For the past couple years Imaginations Treetrunk's rappers have managed to fly under the radar, but "Underestimated Raindrops" or any other release by these guys for that matter is well worth seeking out.
The album is divided into four parts and features guest appearances from the likes of Kaboom, Josh Martinez, and Moves. Chadio's talent as a rhyme writer is showcased throughout the album and he brings his skills to the mic with rapid fire raps that are often delivered in a tongue and cheek manner. "Underestimated Raindrops" appeals to a diverse audience with lyrics that are intellectual without coming across as pretentious.
Aalo Guha ties the four movements of the release together with seamless production. Each of the album's four section, Optimism, Anger, Confusion, and Confidence are distinctively different, but incorporate elements that allow the pieces to flow into each other. Somehow Guha managed to only sample four records on the entire release adding to the cohesive nature of the album. Guha's production, instrumentation, and beats are decidedly lo-fi but quality is definitely not sacrificed.
"Underestimated Raindrops" is highly recommended for underground hip hop enthusiasts or listeners looking for an alternative to stale mainstream rap. Check it out.
Paul Borchert, http://www.moregoatthangoose.com/ - 4.25/5 stars
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Chadio & Aalo Guha - Underestimated Raindrops
www.myspace.com/imaginationstreetrunkmus
Location: Vancouver, BC
This CD appeared unexpectedly in my mailbox. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the beats, catering to the underground with a nice organic sound highlighed by the intro 'Gone Fishing.'
The flow of Chadio & Aalo is well refined, quick and impressive, especially on tracks like 'Pancakes,' but unfortunately that often comes at the expensive of the message. The content seems more artsy than my liking, as I often found myself struggling to figure out what it was they were trying to say with their raps, but that could due to their rapid-fire style of delivery.
'Solitude Song' is probably my favorite track as it incorporates a nice sample into the chorus. And the final track 'End of the Beginning' is a seemingly nice ode to The Doors.
Troy Neilson, http://www.brockwayent.com/
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