Support the Shepherd Store Submit an Event Contact Us Careers Find a Magazine

facebook twitter youtube instagram

Home Music On Music The Cranberry Show Rap About Sex and Pencil Shavings

The Cranberry Show Rap About Sex and Pencil Shavings

(mostly the former)

by Shepherd Express Staff

Feb. 01, 2012

7:40 p.m.

<link href=\"file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cevanr%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml\" rel=\"File-List\" /> <link href=\"file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cevanr%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx\" rel=\"themeData\" /> <link href=\"file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cevanr%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml\" rel=\"colorSchemeMapping\" /> <style>  </style> <p>“We feel that rappers take themselves too seriously,” says Arcane, one half of the Milwaukee rap duo The Cranberry Show. “They feel they have to be hardcore, or that if they're too silly, they're not hip-hop; or if they make a funny video, they're not hip-hop. We don't believe that. We're both very funny and super creative and goofy, and really proud of it.” <br /> <br /> This Tuesday, after years of local gigging, Arcane and his cohort Young Focus will release The Cranberry Show's first album, <em>Sex and Pencil Shavings</em>, an unrelentingly odd party record that suggests a livelier, hornier The Cool Kids (most of its songs are about girls, primarily those of the freaky persuasion). Too often these kinds of slacker-rap albums are hampered by aimless, after-thought production, but the beats on<em> Sex and Pencil Shavings</em> bang loudly, mixing the booming breaks of old-school hip-hop with '80s boogie throwback grooves and the curtness of modern club music. <br /> <br /> “We have a couple songs on there you could definitely play at the club, though we don't go to the club, or make club records,” Arcane says. “Our scene is colleges. We like going to college parties and hanging out. The kids are more wild and crazy.” <br /> <br /> Shades of N.E.R.D. run through the record, though the duo has toned down some of the allusions to skateboarding culture that marked their early work.</p> <p>“I skateboard pretty hardYoung Fresh used to a bit, but he kept hurting himselfbut I really can't talk about it too much because people want to box us in as that kind of group,” says Arcane. “That's the exact opposite of what we want. We don't want to be boxed in as any style.” <br /> <br /> Without mentioning names, Arcane says there are two or three other Milwaukee hip-hop acts with a similar style as The Cranberry Show, but they haven't shown much interest in collaborating. <br /> <br /> “Milwaukee has what a lot of people would say is a crab in the bucket mentality,” he says. “Everybody wants to be the first to get to the top. So you think these other groups would say, 'Cool, we do the same type of music, we should do shows together,' but they'd rather look out for themselves than work together. <br /> <br /> “So we do shows with Prophetic a lot, because he has the same mentality as us, where people try to beat him but he just brushes it off and says, 'I'm going to do me,'” Arcane continues. “We also do a lot of shows with Blizz McFly. We're good friends with Streetz and Young Deuces, too, though we don't do much stuff with them, since our styles are so different.” <br /> <br /><em>Sex and Pencil Shavings</em> will be available through <a href=\"http://www.thecranberryshow.com/\">The Cranberry Show's website</a>, iTunes and Amazon.com. The group is hosting an album signing party on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Flow Clothing Company, 720 N. Milwaukee St., and will perform at Washington Park's sixth annual Put Down The Guns festival on Sunday, Sept. 5 with Prophetic, Blizz McFly and Adi Mack.</p>

Friends of the Shepherd

Help support Milwaukee's locally owned free weekly magazine.

© 2024 Shepherd Express. All Rights Reserved.

Built with Metro Publisher™

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.