Pete Miser

by Reuben Brody
Pete Miser: Radio Free Brooklyn
(Ho-Made Media)
Goes Well With: The Roots, Bullfrog, Spearhead

Somewhere between edgy Eminem and the esoteric verses of El-P and other Def Juxies, lies Pete Miser. He's definitely not mainstream, nor is he as cerebral as those NYC iconoclasts at Def Jux. However, he ain't Nelly neither. In fact, Radio Free Brooklyn is an impressive first effort for a DJ turned MC (this summer, he'll be backing up Dido on the turntables).

Miser's brand of composition varies from slamming breakbeats with boomeranging scratches to jazzy R&B. Most songs are composed with traditional instruments and recall funk-hop acts like Kid Koala's Bullfrog and The Roots. Miser's voice sounds close to El-P's in tone, and the rhymes Miser spitkicks are thoughtful and often political, even if they lack the density that makes El-P the Shakespeare of hip-hop. Songs such as 'Bring it to the Masses', 'Radio Free Brooklyn' and 'Might Be' all refer to the destruction of 9/11 and the fear of apocalypse that seems to be a running theme for many NYC artists today.