Guy Lochhead, 06/10/12
LA-based record label founded in 1998 known for its roster of “alternative rap” artists who mix elements of hip hop with other genres and different cultural reference points. I used to be into Anticon but then I found a lot of their artists to be super-self-aware, over-stylised and not that clever. It’s very much a “West Coast” approach. It seems a bit smug and like it presents itself “above” mainstream rap music sometimes. If I want to listen to interesting rap, I’d sooner go with Stones Throw or someone, where the creativity retains some of the history of the genre, moving it in new ways that still preserve the core that makes hip hop one of the most exciting genres.