Hip Hop Kids - By Portugal. The Man
TITLE: Hip Hop Kids
ARTIST: Portugal. The Man
GENRE: Psychedelic Rock / Alternative
MOOD: Eccentric / Energetic
SIMILAR TO: STRFKR, Broken Bells, Local Natives, Yeasayer
"Hip Hop Kids" by Portugal. The Man may start out soft and slow, but don't be mistaken- this song is energetic, edgy, and hits a seditious sweet spot with the help of Gourley's falsetto vocals.
Portugal. The Man's musicality has always been pretty influenced by hip hop, with frontman John Gourley citing Wu-Tang Clan as one of his biggest inspirations, and staples like Kendrick and A$AP Rocky as some of his favorites in the industry. For this reason, the line "all you hip hop kids/think we give a shit/well we don't..." might sound just a little bit ironic. However, many are mislead and misjudge the song's overall message. When Gourley sings "yeah yeah the punks are done/fuck those rock and rollers" you begin to realize that this is not an anthem for punk rock culture, rather, but a big "fuck you" to those who use the culture as some sort of label or fashion statement without having any sort of interest in the music. It's our generation that's pretty guilty of that, to be honest. Rock and roll lived and thrived in the decades before today's younger crowd was born, and since the genre is no longer as mainstream as it was, people are deeming it cooler. Rock and roll is not a trend, guys, it's a genre of music.
“Rock and roll, that’s shit’s over,” he said. “It’s over in the sense that it’s not just guitars, that’s not what rock and roll is. You can’t be a punk because you have studs in your fucking leather jacket, you can’t say, ‘Oh, I’m just into hip hop,’ because they’re sampling shit that you’re not even fucking listening to." - John Gourley, in a Pigeons and Planes interview.
It's not about pretending to like a certain genre for the look, or hating one genre for the other. Although rock was of the past, with hip hop currently in the spotlight, "Hip Hop Kids" tells us to embrace, rather than oppose, the two. This mentality is why Portugal. The Man does a phenomenal job of incorporating influences to create more progressive and modern sounds. The band sticks to a foundation laid out by the music of the '60s, but elevates that by adding and borrowing elements from different genres. "Hip Hop Kids" off of Evil Friends gives you just a taste of Portugal. The Man's amazing, experimental nature.