May. 20, 2009 - Issue #709: RIP

The Greater Good: Good together

Going from solo to trio spawns creativity

Rap can be a lonely game. For the most part an emcee is alone on a stage, perhaps accompanied by a DJ. Writing rhymes alone, sometimes crafting his or her own beats for accompaniment, hip hop can be a solitary pursuit. It's an appraoch that can be fine if you work best alone, but having a team can spur creativity to newer, greater heights as each member feeds off of the energy of the others.

Which is exactly what the members of Edmonton-based hip-hop group the Greater Good found when they came together after pursuing solo careers that, while certainly weren't going nowhere, weren't attaining the heights the members had initially dreamed about.

"We tried to do the solo thing but it didn't really work, so we came together and we created a group both wanting the same goal," explains etikid, one half of the duo. "I was an independent emcee and Joey Dats was a producer in the city and we hooked up through hearing each other's stuff and we both respected each other and what the other was doing so he started producing for me. We started noticing that things were moving a lot better when we were working together, so we joined up."

Naming their group the Greater Good spoke to the way the two could work together so that they could both achieve more, but also hinted at the viewpoint their music and lyrics would take. Coming out with a positive slant on a musical form that was born out of the frustration of black youths in America's ghettos, the Greater Good raps about its own experiences instead of trying to co-opt the archetypes of hip hop.

"We're not from a lot of the places in the States where it's rougher neighbourhoods and growing up is hard. We grew up in middle-class families, hardworking families, and it's a positive energy that keeps us going," etikid explains. "We wanted to create music that conveys that same message when you listen to it so you can get inspired. Even if we can inspire one person with our music, that's our goal." V

Sat, May 23 (3:50 pm)
The Greater Good
As part of Hip Hop in the Park
Louise McKinney Park
Complete lineup at hiphopinthepark.ca 

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