Much like how anything Donald Trump does, by default, is somehow “presidential,” there comes a time in ones life, like it or not, when the music you enjoy might be labelled as “dad rock.” There’s nothing you can do about it. You just sprout a few gray hairs, accept things, and throw yourself into the moment when the music you’ve enjoyed all your life suddenly becomes cool again. Halifax rapper Tachichi’s Chico’s ’90s Project might not be dad rock, but then again, if you enjoyed it ….
Appearing on Hand’Solo Records first compilation in 1996 under the name Little T, Tachichi found his groove in a time when parachute pants and neon everything were in fashion, and Space Jam was ensuring Michael Jordan’s immortality.
<He’s got eleven albums under his belt, and has worked alongside some of Canada’s greatest hip hop artists including Buck 65, Classified, Quake Matthews, Ghettosocks, Skratch Bastid, and Snak the Ripper. His new album, Chico’s ‘90s Project, is an homage to that era, filled ‘90s hip hop, soaked in hooks, and more references than an episode of Seinfeld. The album is an introduction to Tachichi’s Sipset crew, which founded with Ghettosocks, featuring beats by the same, along with ChanHays, The Dirty Sample, Uncle Fester, Gordski, Sean-One, and DJ Moves.
“I’ve been keeping myself purposely pretty low key in the game for a few years,” explains Tachichi. “I didn’t want to take too long of a break though. So I’m back doing what I love to do, putting better Canadian classic rap jams out then most of these fools out here. Been in the game like twenty-two years now since my first stage appearance. I’ve been writing, performing and producing music since about the same time.I’m full-speed ahead now though.”
The album opens with a onslaught of television blurbs, how history will remember us, the memes of the day. Then we’re launched into them main theme as Tachichi raps over Sinead O’Conner’s “Nothing Compares 2U,” the epitome of ’90s music.
It’s the perfect track to exemplify Tachichi’s homage to the era.
“The song was just running thru my head one day at and the nothing compares part repeated in my head over a beat I had thought up and I explained the format to my friend Ghettosocks and he blessed me with the finished product. A dope add banger of a beat!
The 90s were amazing for hip hop! It’s considered by many the golden era of hip hop and for me personally it was the greatest decade in my life to date! Janet Jackson was looking as good as ever, banging hip-hop tracks were made with rare jazz grooves and beat brakes jacked from old white rock bands!! Life couldn’t of been any better than in the 90s! Also NBA basketball stars were much cooler than then now!”
On the other hand, it has been twenty years. Much of music has changed in how its perceived. The Grammys recently chose to televise the award ceremonies for the category of Rock, and some have argued that it’s justified in the genres lack of relevancy, while Rap has pushed to the forefront.
Tachichi hasn’t shied away from anyway topic, catchily tackling issues of race with “Light Skin (for the win) Remix”, the modern plague of sexual misconduct on “Fuck Boy Burial”, and the self-explanatory “Kill The Patriarchy ft Nilla & EMC”. It makes for a testament to the facility with which the genre addresses societal challenges without all the hoakiness that Rock seems to suffer when taking up the torch of a political anthem.
“It’s always important to have fun while making music, but you also shouldn’t release any project without speaking on a couple issues hindering our society’s progress. It’s still a great way for many ages of men and woman to use their creative minds to express their selves and create social change and opportunities for those who may not be able to.
At the same time there is this wave of dumb kids with shitty braids poppin’ xans and drinking lean!! All the while making the worst rap music of all time and kids are grabbing hold of it for dear life. It doesn’t make sense to me at all!”
I’m very proud of this album and it’s my favourite I’ve done since my first Tachichi and Moves album,” says Tachichi. “Good hip hop with wit and intellect still exist! And Sipset will always keep that coming!”
And he’s not wrong. Tachichi skillfully bridges hip hop’s strongest era with contemporary styles and themes, and if that makes it dad rock then so be it. This album is good.
Tachichi says he will be dropping another album this June via Hand’Solo Records, and is currently working on a second album along with ChanHays to be released via Tachichi’s own Sipset label.
Upcoming Shows:
April 8, 2018 – Lion and Bright, Halifax, Nova Scotia
May 1, 2018 – Good Robot, Halifax, Nova Scotia
May 2-6, 2018 – ECMA, Halifax, Nova Scotia