Just a Band
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip is a duo of hip-hop pranksters with a defiant message
When Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip posted a MySpace video of an audition for X Factor, the U.K. version of American Idol, fans at shows begged them to reprise the hilarious, out-of-key rendition: The song was “Ain’t No Fun” by Snoop Dogg et. al., whose tamer lyrics include, “When I met you last night baby/Before you opened up your gap/I had respect for ya lady/But now I take it all back.” Now, imagine those words coming from the cerebral, beard-framed mouth of a lanky British white boy (Pip) who’s swaying to a barbershop-style, hand-snapped beat and spitting this West Coast gangsta anthem a cappella. Trouble is, that horrified look on judge Sharon Osbourne’s face, that how-did-you-even-get-into-the-building grilling from Simon Cowell – it was all edited in. The video is a hoax.
“We would have loved to have gone on and done ‘Ain’t No Fun’ in front of Simon Cowell,” says rapper Pip, 26. “We’re getting people requesting that at shows. So far we’ve resisted. But it’s definitely worth doing someday as a cover. Because of our sound, it’s fun to interpret.”
The duo of Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip has thus emerged defiantly – almost as anti-rap pranksters. It’s not too often that a hip-hop act tells its fans to hold back, be modest. Pip urges listeners, “When I say, ‘Hey,’ thou shalt not say, ‘Ho’ … Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches, and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be,” on the duo’s breakout single, “Thou Shalt Always Kill.” It slays other sacred cows as well:
“Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were: The Beatles – were just a band/Led Zeppelin – just a band/The Beach Boys – just a band/The Sex Pistols – just a band/The Clash – just a band …”
And for that, fans and critics have been waving their hands in the air – like they really do care. The video for “Thou Shalt …” has had more than 1.2 million views on YouTube. The single was released digitally this week, along with the punkish “Beat That My Heart Skipped,” in the states via Cold Sweat Records. The pair is working on a debut album for a May release in the U.K., with the United States and Japan to follow. And, in addition to a Monday performance at the Roxy (see below), Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip is coming to the most influential music showcase in America, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, on April 25.
Dan, 28, and Pip are both from a town in Essex, England, and had known each other for years before collaborating. Pip worked at a record store to save up enough to put out his own spoken-word poetry album. He quit and toured the country, living out of his van. Dan had been evolving in the studio on his own, making electronic beats. One day Dan, unbeknownst to Pip, took one of the rapper’s spoken word recordings and put it to his own music – and the pairing was born. “Hearing those dance beats, my work sounded completely new and original,” Pip says. “The music seemed to fit comfortably. Although we’re talking some harsh subjects, it is accessible because of the way Dan makes the beats.”
It remains to be seen whether the duo’s brainy, somewhat emo style of rhyming over progressive electronic beats will play stateside, however. (“Emo,” Pip argues, “is a hideous term”). Gentlemanly, mealy-mouthed, British hip-hop has a hard time here. Of course, emo rapper the Streets, grime MC Dizzee Rascal, and indie brat Lady Sovereign have opened doors for U.K. rap. And Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip is truly flipping the script, bringing poetry, satire, and an electronic edge to the table in a way that’s rarely done outside America’s Def Jux-Rhymesayers-Stones Throw axis of indie hip-hop.
“We’re not trying to replicate American hip-hop,” Pip says. “For us it is about the content. I want the words to be clear.”
Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip performs Monday at the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 18+. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets $14. Info: theroxyonsunset.com.
Published: 03/12/2008
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