A new, entertaining yet wildly laid back rhythm of substance.
2U4U braise through layers of traditional Hip-Hop sound inspired by Blaxploitation films thanks in part to lockdown. “Rare Like Dolemite” by the Rugby based collective is a wavy, jazz infused thread of lyrical delivery set to allow entrance if only briefly to a different mind state. And that is exactly what it feels like.
In a press release on their website they recall: “Rare Like Dolemite” came to fruition during a studio session between MC My Rugema and producer ATMA, who were watching a series of Blaxploitation films and came across the legendary crime-comedy film “Dolemite” (1975) by Rudy Ray Moore. Through research, they found “Dolemite” influenced a plethora of hip-hop pioneers in lyricism and culture including The Beastie Boys and Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the Wu Tang Clan. With this newfound inspiration, ATMA created a grungy and meditative loop to which My Rugema reflectively wrote “Rare like Dolemite / This is Jazz of the modern time”, in a reference to Black music’s prevalent history in popular music, ranging from Delta Blues to Jazz to Hip-Hop and 2U4U’s continual endeavour to become trailblazers of the UK hip-hop genre.
Stanisland Magazine 