Alive Since Forever is one of the most ambitious group of up-and-comers in the game, and given how collective orientated hip hop has become in recent years, that's saying a lot. They count over twenty members among their ranks, each exploring unique creative spaces to produce art; there are rappers, designers, video editors, producers, and even their manager claims the ASF flag. What makes their story even more special, is the fact that only a small number of them live in the same city or town. Members can be found in a number of states across the country, steeped in a variety of influences and providing a plethora of different perspectives to comment on, directly impacting their individual styles. More than just a a collection of artists, the three initials are a conglomeration of separate sounds coming together to form a truly creative whole.
Dom McLennon hails from Hartford, Connecticut, where a significant portion of the ASF crew resides, but he creates universal music. He imbues every line and moment on his mixtapes or albums, with optimistic energy that makes even the most depressing of topics, a little bit easier to manage. His newest project, THESIS, is perhaps one of the most impressive ventures the group has undertaken. Dubbed a multimedia think piece, the tracks came with their own individual artwork, there were also visual treatments and a full written think piece released as well. It was a full body of work that linked multiple artistic forms, an ambitious task to set about doing.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FujqrToRjXI&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Today, McLennon debuted his brand new video for the bonus track, "The Chief". There is Epilepsy warning at the start, which may or may not be a joke, but it should be heeded. Scenes begin to melt into one another, as colors flash across the screen in a dizzying rate. This video feels like it came right out of "Fear & Loathing": bizarre, strange, and trippy, but ultimate satisfying. Patrick Lada and McLennon use such start imagery, engaging the viewer to join in on the rappers misadventures and to remain focused while the world deconstructs and then rebuilds itself around him. It follows an off beat rhythm at times, but that reflects the song itself, which is as spacey and abstract.
If you want to get the full experience, you have to read, watch, and listen to THESIS in its entirety. Luckily, it is free to download or stream on his Soundcloud page, with links to the other portions of the experiment. All of the ASF crew members' music can be found on bandcamp, and they have an extensive back catalog, so that should definitely last you a couple of weeks.
