Sadly, Mantronix is far from a household name among so called “Hip Hop heads” today, however, they were one of the most innovative acts in the genre, and certainly pioneers worth knowing. DJ Mantronik and MC T pushed the boundaries by not just melding sounds, but creating a new direction for Hip Hop. This included House, Electronica, and New Wave, as you can hear from the clip below. In many ways, these artists that went off the beaten path were actually some of the purest in Hip Hop because they took the lead from Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and other predecessors by brining new direction to the evolving genre.
Today’s artists seeking to make a long lasting impact would be greatly served by going back to Hip Hop’s golden era and studying the masters. The keys to the furtherance of the art form can be found in that time period. Taking the cue and picking up where they left off is the challenge. Even if an attempt doesn’t result in perfection, it will surely be more than what we’ve seen since transpire during the better part of the last two decades, which have been riddled with an unlimited amount of materialism, gangsterism, sexism, and stagnant lowest common denominator drivel. If you’re a new artist, take the challenge, pick up where Mantronix left off decades ago. You might be surprised how far into the future the results might place you.
-I. Vasquetelle
