Hip-Hop Review: Leroy Smokes, "Love Hustle Theater"

Originally reviewed for okayplayer.com

“Withthe*KICK*SNARE*KICK-SNARE*HI-HAT*” Maybewe’reovertrainedintheArtoftheOldBoomBap AndsometimesthespectrumbetweenaPreemobanger andthat“SNAPYAFINGERS!”(drawlifnecessary)
seemslikeitoccupiesaspacebetweentwo
pointsthatareaboutthiscloseonaline.
Inotherwords,hiphopcanseem
verynarrow
some
tim
es
.

But it’s not as if we’re necessarily stuck here. With their latest, Love Hustle Theater, Minneapolis hip-hop septet Leroy Smokes opens-up some much needed breathing room. INHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!

(More...)

All this is couched within
a humble appreciation for MCing as hip-hop,
hip-hop as music, and music as music. In the end, the Smokes’
Love Hustle Theater isn’t about blowing hip-hop apart, it’s about opening up some new
P O S S I B I L I T I E S