Underground hip hop is a concept not easily defined, much as hip hop itself was in the days of its inception. Underground hip hop is made by an incredibly varied group of artists from all over the country. Even the technology of making hip hop has changed; far from the time when hip hop was created by the now archaic process of looping break beats from records, the genre finds itself in a period of redefinition where new artists have increasing access to high-quality sound tools.

Major-label hip hop, in the ring-tone era, is increasingly repetitive and faces a real crisis of identity; seemingly, the stage is set for the music's rebirth into a new world of signification and representation.

The Late Night Scoop, the first offering from Penny King Productions, provides the underground antithesis to radio-driven hip hop. Much about the album, and the group that produced it, points to the honored tradition of hip hop rather than the packaged rap most common today.

First and foremost, the name of the group bears a striking resemblance to that most influential crew from The Bronx, Boogie Down Productions. While not attempting to recreate the sounds of KRS-ONE, the group does at least keep the legacy of hip hop's founders alive through sample-based party anthems and socially-concious lyrics.

The group consists of four rappers: Sammy D, Navillus Krik, Poop Boy (A.K.A. The Next Best Thing) and Cormac, who also serves as the main producer. Hailing from Saranac Lake, New York, a small town in the northern region of the state, they would hardly seem the typical rap group. To quote the opening track, "Start it Up": "Penny Kings shouting out for small towns and city streets / the underground sound's out now it's straight heat." In representing their hometown, the group sets themselves apart from other rap acts while maintaining one critical attribute of all hip hop artists: home not only defines identity but informs style.

That style is colored by the experiences of the group. Meeting with the Penny Kings as they self-promote their independently-released album, they are incredibly candid with me about the origins of their sound and the motivation behind it. Sammy D tells me the feel of the mountain town of New York where they are from, " embodies the inspiration for our music, and we think it's pretty unique." Indeed, they are the only known hip hop group from the area, a fact they see as an advantage. As Poop Boy says, "Exclusively by being ourselves, we'll stick out."

A feat not easily done in L.A., where the group has found a new home and also a steady stream of competition. When they first arrived here, Navillus Krik says they "stuck out like sore thumbs, but that was a good thing. Everyone else we saw was doing the same thing you hear on the radio, but we were doing something different."

The album backs him up. Beginning with a bang on "Start it Up", which serves as a mission statement for the group's style, the album moves into self-investigating tracks such as "Piece of Mind" where each rapper questions his own motivations, and ultimately, sanity. The investigative theme continues with the outstanding solo tracks "Mr. Woulda Coulda Shoulda But Didn't" by Poop Boy and "Reflections" from Sammie D. Each rapper paints a picture of the everyday struggles found in women, family turmoil and the struggle to establish a career. Never overly sentimental, the songs serve as windows into the psyches of young artists on the cusp of creativity.

The party feel of the group shines on up-tempo tracks like "Copper Carnival" and "Navillus!" but there is also plenty of room for political songs which question America's government, most specifically its president. On "Crawlin' Through the Mud" Cormac asks, "I don't know much but what I do know / Dick Cheney gets away with shooting some dude? There's a big loop-hole." It all adds up to a different picture of the sentiment found in traditionally conservative rural areas.

The highlight of the album is "Remember", a deeply personal track in which each member of the group recounts the story of how they formed as high school friends. Any lover of lyrics can appreciate the intricately woven lines while just about anyone can find some identification in the personal nature of the story. It is a fitting ending to an album that runs the gamut from dance groove to personal confession.

Thanks to diverse beats from Cormac (as well as his stellar lyrical ability) and an ensemble of true friends that have discovered how best to work together, The Late Night Scoop shines in a dark world of hip hop. Perhaps hip hop as it was known ten years ago is indeed dead, but that doesn't mean a new form of the music won't rise to take its place. Penny King Productions may have found the remedy.

Listen to Penny King Productions at: www.pennykingproductions.com

By Chris Boyd

Photograph by Michelle Higgins