It’s not unusual for an architect of a musical subculture to lean on their cultish stature and avoid the pleading and prodding that their less visible peers might need for a glance their way. Some artists, by virtue of their hard-won agency, can afford to linger as shot callers, focusing on shifting mindsets rather than making a thrift of mind hacks. Word is that Lord Beatjitzu, author of Kung Fu-inspired lo-fi beat lore, is bent on weaving a new world from that 404. Though usually reserved, he recently stated that he’s “outgrown the Kung Fu/Wu Tang thing” since everyone at the opening screenings of The Man with the Iron Fists seems to have a tape out now.
On Dirty Tape AKA Shaolin Dolemite, Lord Beatjitzu’s latest cassette/digital release out on Asgard Records, the usual mythos is present but receding. The reference to Shaolin Dolemite is significant largely because the film’s repurposing of old material twins his excavations of his old beats. Thankfully for you and yours, a less obvious theme does nothing to soften those knuckle-dusted loops. If anything, it makes it easier to nod along to Dilla’s tag: “bounce in ya whip with that real live shit!”
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