Idris Goodwin
Enlarge courtesy of artist.

Idris Goodwin's rap album, Break Beat Poems, highlights well-produced beats with smart down-to-earth lyrics.

Idris Goodwin
courtesy of artist.

Idris Goodwin's rap album, Break Beat Poems, highlights well-produced beats with smart down-to-earth lyrics.

Idris Goodwin's rap album, Break Beat Poems, works on several levels. He makes scholastic thinkers groove by alluding to Kafka and Charles Dickens over  bluesy electronic beats. He explores heavy topics like racial profiling and war, but also reminisces about his adolescent days in basketball camp. His verses are engaging but with just enough hook to serve a purpose.

Goodwin's bassy voice harnesses the punchy synth beats comparable to Timbaland.   Though his flow is on par with rap elites, his rhymes connect to the everyday guys trying to pay rent. In his song “Used Car,” Goodwin admits he’s not living the life other hip-hop artists claim.

“I’ll never say what I’m not. I’m a guy with the microphone, a ten dollar watch. I drive a used car not a yacht.”

It's refreshing to hear a powerful and down-to-earth voice on a well-produced track. You can check out more from Idris Goodwin at his myspace.

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Tags: NPR Music