Hip-hop duet Madcon are platinum-selling stars in their native Norway, although Norwegian hip-hop not being a particularly visible genre outside its native land, it's probable that you're not up to now acquainted with Tshawe 'Kapricon' Baqwa and Yosef 'Critical' Wolde-Mariam. Both born in Norway, both to African parents, their latest album, So Dark The Con Of Man, is a strange melange of genres, mixing live instrumentation, female vocals and dance beatniks in a way more reminiscent of the eclecticist approach of Outkast or Gnarls Barkley than the steelier beats of US rap. Or, as the pair put it: ''The way we do things/Is a little bit unorthodox/The way we do things make your mo-f***ing jaws drop''. Jaws might, so, drop at the possible action Beggin', a cover of the Four Seasons original reworked by production team 3Elementz that sees Kapricon croon the original Franki Valli hook while Critical adds rabbity raps: Hear it once and, like Gnarls Barkley�s Crazy, you won�t be able to shake it.
Rather than standing out like a sore quarter round on this record, though, it rather sets the tone for what's to come � textured, melodious hip-hop heavy on the dancefloor rhythms. Back On The Road is a swinging data link up with fellow Norway rap company The Paperboys; Life's Too Short rides a salsa rhythm, all stuttering percussion, horns, and hand claps; while The Way We Do Thangs adopts a feisty Latin bounce, even as police force sirens tear by. The world mightiness not yet be familiar with Norwegian hip-hop, just going on So Dark The Con Of Man, Madcon are very able-bodied ambassadors, and might just have a few crossover hits on their manpower.
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