What changed in these few days, however, was something I frankly wasn't prepared for: the once "underground" and unsigned hip-hop/rap artist Hoodie Allen released his first major EP, "All American," and got me totally hooked.
"All American," which jumped to No. 1 on the American music charts in just over 24 hours, is an upbeat and slightly old-school album in which Allen, whom I had always thought of as being a bit of an unorthodox but interestingly original artist, takes his music to a level few thought he would.
The EP features Allen, originally Steve Markowitz, crooning to his listeners with smooth hooks and effortless lyrics. In the brief two-year span Markowitz has been producing and making music under his clever and fun pseudonym, he has amassed a bit of a cult following, all of whom, including myself, seem incredibly supportive of the new EP. Prior to the new hit album, Allen had been making most of his tracks by rapping over sampled hooks from other songs or artists. Although he has definitely changed his original style to adapt to a broader audience, the success of his new endeavor makes it hard to critique the revamped and more mainstream feel of "All American."
Every song on the EP, which was created in just five months, is completely original and therefore a little more refreshing than his older discography.
I'm not going to say the somewhat pop-oriented, hip-hop music that Allen seems to master in "All American" is necessarily my kind of music, but nevertheless, I've found myself drawn to all eight songs on the EP. Although "No Interruption," which was released as a single two weeks prior to the album's debut on iTunes, seems to be the headlining and catchiest track, other personal favorites include "No Faith in Brooklyn" and "Eighteen Cool."
"No Faith in Brooklyn," a nostalgic track about leaving home and starting a new and very different life, is a slower but still incredibly catchy and well-composed song situated right in the heart of the album. "Eighteen Cool" is an early song on the album and definitely the most upbeat and easy listening track on "All American," even if the subject may not be as upbeat. The song is an ode to the "dudes back in high school" who "peaked at 18." With comical and clever lyrics "In America, doing what we love and we passionate your girl is cashing in, Kourtney Kardashian" Allen sets himself up for a mainstream audience who apparently and justifiably fell right for him.
Although the EP is a great listen and deserving of its brief stint at the top of the billboard charts, the story of Allen's rise to greatness is just as interesting and catchy as the album itself.
Markowitz attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied finance and marketing, but throughout his college career he wrote and performed music, which by his junior and senior years got him serious attention from music websites such as hypem.com. After graduating from Penn in 2010, he went to work for Google as an associate in a training program and released his extremely popular mixtape "You Are Not a Robot" while employed there. Since then, he has gained popularity at an alarming rate, and, as shown by the success of "All American," is an artist still with a ton of potential.
With rumors of a new mixtape on the way, I'm looking forward to hearing what's next for Allen, but if you haven't heard "All American," it is a must-listen for what's shaping up to be a spring filled with a lot of time and warm weather, and therefore music on the Green.
