Young Fathers – White Men Are Black Men Too

The by-now obligatory surprise winners of 2014’s Mercury Prize, hip hop trio Young Fathers – Edinburgh-based, but with significant roots in Africa – have wasted no time in finishing the follow-up to their award-winning debut. Though the artfully assembled and imaginatively produced White Men Are Black Men Too may struggle to reach a wide audience thanks to its uncompromisingly esoteric sonic textures, its overall excellence does at least prove that Young Fathers’ debut was no flash in the pan.
One of the most genuinely innovative albums I’ve heard in quite some time, White Men... takes an approach to production reminiscent of Public Enemy, with the group juxtaposing all manner of unlikely elements to create tunes that frequently prove irresistible. Consider, if you will, ‘Shame’ – a track driven by a pulsing electro rhythm, which also incorporates elements of Krautrock in addition to ethereal synths. Or how about the head-spinning trip of ‘Feasting’, which layers menacing vocals and psychedelic noise over dark industrial beats?
Refreshingly, Young Fathers also have a social and cultural manifesto, an approach which yielded a welcome bit of controversy in the aftermath of their Mercury win, when the group refused to speak to the more right wing elements of the press. This attitudinal outlook is reiterated in the album’s title, a phrase repeated several times on ‘Old Rock N Roll’, in which the group offer a reminder of rock music’s roots in the blues.
It may not burn up the charts, but White Men Are Black Men Too is a hugely impressive achievement. What with excellent offerings from Ghostpoet and Earl Sweatshirt, not to mention Kendrick Lamar’s album of the year contender To Pimp A Butterfly, it’s been a hell of a month for hip hop.

Key Track - 'Feasting'