Music

indie rapper tidus skateboards through a blacked out new york in “delancey” #soundcheck

December 26, 2012

It’s been almost 2 months since Hurricane Sandy devastated the coastal areas of New York City, and there are still tens of thousands without power, heat, or adequate shelter. Some of the images that have come out of the hurricane are truly surreal, from stretches of Rockaway Park stripped of its trademark beaches to the pictures of a blacked out downtown Manhattan with only the Goldman Sachs building lit up (and if that’s not a metaphor, I don’t know what is…). Indie rapper TiDUS used the blackout as an opportunity to make a truly haunting video. Skateboarding through the streets of blacked out Manhattan, the video is pretty intense. The track has a goth feel that matches the images of darkened buildings and New Yorkers on edge.

If you’re not familiar, you should definitely check out TiDUS’ EPs released earlier this year. The best of which is the ‘Doors EP,’ which features the track “The Age.” You can download the whole thing FOR FREE here. Hip-hop has never been great at existential sadness (sorry Kanye, no-one’s buying it…) but “The Age” is one of the rare hip-hop tracks that really captures that 21st century alienation and exhaustion. Hip-hop and goth. Two great tastes that go great together. Who knew?

And if you want to get involved with the Sandy recovery, check out OccupySandy.org to find out the best way to contribute. Every little bit helps. And seriously, do. It’s no secret that resources in NYC don’t really flow to the poorer neighborhoods, and those were the ones hit the hardest. They need all the help they can get and have been almost completely abandoned by Bloomberg, FEMA, and the Red Cross. When the powers that be fail us, it’s up to our communities to band together to help each other.

– Words by Nathan Leigh

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