Sunday, February 26, 2012

Brotherly Love and Sam Lachow: Little Man Big City


Hailing from Seattle Washington, Sam Lachow is young, Caucasian, (and not to mention devastatingly attractive), and seems to be catching on quickly in the hip-hop industry. While his beats are still relatively unknown by the majority, his tracks have a genuine vibe and speak to a comprehensive audience on everything from providing advice to spitting vernacular on partying and drugs.
In his track “Little Man Big City” Lachow raps to his little brother, and gives him guidance on how to survive the woes of middle school; this track also shows that he continues to be there for his younger brother even in the thick of his rap career. Lachow’s wisdom is reflected in this song through content and form: he informs his brother about the difficulties that he might face, as he reflects back on his own experiences as a child. This is mirrored in the line: “Sixth grade: I’ll tell you what those were the best days, thinkin’ about girls and writin’ raps instead of essays”. Through form, Lachow’s raw wholesome rap voice is contrasted against a simple backbeat, which contains a hint of piano and a dash of saxophone. His tone is truthful: he isn’t telling his little brother not to smoke or drink, but rather he tells him to have fun as he makes his brother promise “not to grow up to fast”.  Lachow also references childhood motifs such as “green eggs and ham”. The message of this song is enforced through these nostalgic elements and familial references.
Lachow pulls at the heartstrings and wisdom of older siblings and exemplifies the strength in the bond between siblings (when I first heard this track I posted it on my sister’s wall because it seems like Lachow and his little brother have a similar bond to my sister and I).
Another notable quality about Lachow’s rap style is his ability to connect with a variety of different audiences. In this track he claims: “I got my gangster friends, I got my hipster friends, I got my valley-hood friends that’ll lick your friends, I got my Ivy League homies and my pot head homies, and I got a couple clicks of bitches…” and so on and so forth.

Anyways, I would like to know what you guys think! Here you go: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwTlg9kBzP0

3 comments:

  1. So I decided to listen to the song before reading your post and the first thing I thought was my relationship with my older brother. Of course it's very different from Lachow's but I really liked the honestly and emotion he puts into his lyrics, and I'm sure you understand being a younger sibling and all. Along with the lyrics, the beat is great and really emphasizes the words. I actually liked it so much I ended up downloading the whole album, thanks!

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  2. Really cool video with a good brotherly love message. I'm always happy when I find another artist who shows both passion and natural ability while expressing their talent in a creative, positive way. The fact that he has his younger brother lip syncing the portion of the song that's from his perspective is really interesting and thoughtful. The video makes the lyrics much more genuine and it illustrates how much love they share for each other. I also love the parallel that Sam draws between his childhood ad that of his brothers. They both seem fated to a musical career and the video makes me think that they are both destined to be in the artistic field. I'm really looking forward to hearing and watching more of his productions. Thanks for the discovery!

    Gavin

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  3. I'm in agreement with Gavin about the brother's appearance in the video, which had a pretty creative concept behind it. I was also impressed by Lachow's skill as a producer. Not only does he make his own beats; apparently he also shoots and edits his own videos. I have the most respect for the guys (and girls) who can show off multiple talents in their work, and Lachow certainly does that here. As far as his lyricism is concerned, I think his laid-back flow compliments his beats perfectly, both in "Little Man Big City" and his other tracks. Definitely keeping an eye on him for the future.

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