What do you get when you take one talented underground rapper and vocalist, a legendary hardcore bass player, and a Hip Hop writer who also is known for his musical ability as well? All three add up to The White Mandingos: Murs, Daryl Jennifer of the Bad Brains, and Sacha Jenkins SHR. With a sound that is reminiscent of bands like Bad Brains (of course), Fishbone, Living Color, Minor Threat, Public Enemy and Ice T among others, The White Mandingos shake up the stale music industry with real Hip Hop swagger, Punk riffs, Hardcore work ethic and a plethora of 808. Forgoing the normal hot cars, money, women, and material possessions that dominate just about any songs out there today, TWM puts a capital F in Fuck Yeah! with their conceptual album called The Ghetto Is Tryna To Kill Me. With #realtalk lyrics of poltics, sex, and race among other topics seen and told through the eyes and vocals of Tyrone White – a fictional musician from Harlem’s Polo Grounds Houses. All three of these musicians, talented solo artists of their field in their own right, are the perfect trio to deliver this message to the masses. These three heavyweights have contributed to massive music movements from three different regions of the country (NYC, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles to be precise), and are more than qualified to bring this unique record to you.

“Does this shit sound black? Does this shit sound white? Can’t it just be sound? Can it be all right?”-The White Mandingos

Jenkins has the market cornered with his racial satire and thought provoking articles concerning race since the inception ego trip. He continues to push the envelope today, whether it be in print, online, television, and now through music. Daryl Jennifer, legendary bass player in this writer’s opinion, of the most influential Hardcore/Reggae band of all time, broke ground in the music world when it was unheard of for an African American band to play Hardcore music. Although they were not the very first (see the Detroit band Death), they were the most well known, and have been breaking down racial barriers since the late 70’s. On a personal note, I opened up for Bad Brains a few years ago, playing mostly 70’s Reggae mixed in with some deeper Funk and Soul. The band’s response before they went on stage: “Great set, thanks so much for killing it. What the fuck does a white guy know about Cymande and Funkadelic? We need to talk.” I can personally relate to this record, a white guy immersed in Black music in culture for as long as I can remember. The questions are reversed on Ghetto, as the fictional White fields the same type of questions, and responds with a resounding: “What the fuck does it matter?”. Music is music, no black, no white, just music. If you closed your eyes you wouldn’t say shit. Murs really goes above and beyond as a vocalist and proves he is more than just Hip Hop, flexing his vocal chops throughout. At times, Bad Brains guitar type riffs shine through (especially on the Minor Threat cover of “Guilty of Being White”), but as a concept LP, the melding of gritty R & B, Hip Hop, Metal, Hardcore and Reggae on this record make you think a record like this is long over due. I can remember when this kind of music was more prevelant: Fishbone, 24/7 Spyz, Urban Dance Squad, Body Count and more were breaking ground blending genres. Then it just stopped. The White Mandingos continue to provoke music fans with this kind of music once again. If you listen to this and say you can’t relate, there is something terribly wrong. Music that is brainless and doesn’t provoke thought, is just that, brainless. Take that shit back to Top 40 radio B.

Check out their soundcloud page.

Stream the entire record from Okay Player.

Buy the record from Fat Beats.

The White Mandingos – My First White Girl (Official Video)

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