Happy 10th Anniversary to People Under The Stairs’ ninth studio album 12 Step Program, originally released May 6, 2014.
You knew what to expect with an album by People Under The Stairs in 2014. The Los Angeles based duo, composed of Chris “Thes One” Portugal and Michael “Double K” Turner (R.I.P.), had spent years building a distinct sound and playing to their strengths. I don’t say this as a dis, People Under The Stairs are one of my favorite acts of all time, and I have written many a tribute about their albums that they released throughout their two-decades-plus in existence.
Influenced by groups like the Beastie Boys, Pharcyde, and the Beatnuts, People Under The Stairs made fun albums characterized by their deep respect for the musical greats and the sense that they were trying to live life to its fullest. The duo knew what worked for them and released the type of music that they loved to make, and, in turn, their fans loved as well.
It's not accurate to say that People Under The Stairs changed their style with 12 Step Program, released 10 years ago. However, the duo did try new things with their ninth album. The tweaks can be subtle, as the pair remained true to their spirit and core principles. But the project isn’t a carbon copy of the eight releases that preceded it.
Nearly all of PUTS’ previous projects were sprawling endeavors that ran over 70 minutes. As the album’s title suggests, the pair keeps 12 Step Program to 12 tracks and keeps the run time to a hair longer than 50 minutes. Maybe as a result of its relative brevity, the long player is a bit more focused than previous endeavors, making a more concise statement. 12 Step Program isn’t PUTS’ absolute best, but it’s a very strong entry in their discography.
In terms of lyrical content, PUTS also spreads its wings ever so slightly. Yes, you get your tributes to Los Angeles and songs about the joys of making funky music, but they also traverse new lyrical territory, speaking from different perspectives and using different techniques. Musically, the album features the pair going back to their production roots. While some of their previous releases had integrated live instrumentation, the duo lean primarily on sampled material for 12 Step Program.
PUTS start 12 Step Program with “Roundabouts,” with the duo coming “back to breaks like Bodhi at the Bells” (for all of you Point Break fans out there), trading four-bar verses over layered guitar samples. Each mini-verse flows seamlessly into the next, the two emcees sounding as in-synch as they ever sounded on record. “STE For Reefer” is an over-seven-minute undertaking, featuring four distinct movement and beats, as the pair demonstrate their ability to rap to a multitude of musical styles and tempos. They save the best for last, breaking fool to an aggressive, Back To The Future-inspired segment. “My microphone is a three-time felon with nothing to lose,” Double K raps. “Giving suckas the blues, same color as my shoes / They only see the bottom of ’em, we standing above ’em / With the deranged look and a wicked left hook.”
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Usually, when PUTS attempt to record narrative-based tracks, they keep things light. This makes the comparatively heavy series “Cool Story Bro” an oddity in their catalogue. The track is the grimmest entry into PUTS’ extensive catalogue, as both Double K and Thes recount potentially deadly encounters during the late night hours. Double K navigates a tense interaction with a group of gang bangers congregating outside of a liquor store, while Thes contends with an even more hostile collection of police officers who pull him over on the highway.
PUTS documented their love of video games throughout their career, but “1Up ‘Til the Sun-Up,” the album’s first single, is an ode to partying. Musically, the song is reminiscent of “Gaming On Ya” from Fun-DMC (2008), which sampled the backdrops of various arcade games. With “1Up,” the pair manipulate samples from different portions of Legend of Zelda, occasionally incorporating sound effects from Super Mario Bros. The duo use this backdrop to pay tribute to golden era hip-hop and encourage their listeners to get loose and enjoy themselves.
PUTS touch on the subject of love and relationships, but again tackle the subject matter from a slightly different angle. “Pictures On My Wall” portrays both Thes and Double K looking for love in the social media/Instagram era. They end the song with an especially tongue-in-cheek attempt to get a “viral” dance going, encouraging the audience to do the Rob Ford (the deceased former mayor of Toronto). In contrast, the self-explanatory “Break-Up Music” is one of the rare examples where the group explore how relationships can sour. Double K narrates the story of a guy fed up with his inconsiderate girlfriend, while Thes One encourages a female friend to drop her jealous and feckless “zero” of boyfriend.
PUTS does deliver the type of tracks that they’re known for recording. “Get Hip” is a James Brown-inspired track, with the pair dropping verses over a ridiculously funky keyboard groove and a shuffling drum track. “In the Golden state my state, my rhyme craft like Minecraft,” Thes raps. “Going block to block, building to make a new path.”
“The Strand” features arguably my favorite beat on 12 Step Program. The smooth, jazzy keys and burbling bassline mesh perfectly with the complex drums on percussion. The song also features Double K and Thes One’s best pure lyrical display, executing rhyme gymnastics effortlessly in ways that the pair rarely showcased on their recordings.
Double K uses a complex, winding flow as he transforms himself into a “rap burglar,” ready to wreak havoc on wack emcees. “Rhyme pattern ridiculous, the conspicuous,” he raps. “Locced out, smoked out, they rushing the stage to get choked out.” Meanwhile, Thes One explains how the crew’s commitment to all aspects of their craft differentiates them from the growing number of “digital” artists that were flooding the market. “Just 1-0-1-0 binary fairies are very different,” he explains. “From the heroes from rap's yesteryear the present / But I’m still here, he’s still here, we still drink beer / And take it to the stage at least half of the year.”
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It wouldn’t be a PUTS album if the pair didn’t touch on their favorite subject matter: the city of Los Angles. As the title clearly indicate, “LA Nights” covers the night life in the City of Angels, because, as Thes One declares, “every Los Angeles night is a story for old homies.” Over a mid-1980s influenced funk track, Double K explains how hitting up the beach is better at night, while Thes One heralds hitting up spots off many layers of the “underground city night life.” But a recurring theme throughout both verses is simple joy that comes with traversing the city on a warm night in your car “with the funk on blast” or sitting on the porch with some friends, smoking weed.
PUTS is known for its strong album endings and 12 Step Program follows this pattern. Some of the duo’s finest material are the songs they’ve released about the joys of smoking weed. It should say something that amongst a crowded and strong field, “Umbrellas (God Forgive Me)” stands out among the best. The track isn’t just about the pleasure that comes with getting blazed, but it’s also the duo’s reminder to their listeners to cut loose and get the most enjoyment out of life as possible. The album-closing “Doctor Feelgood” mines these good vibes as well, with Double K and Thes detailing the importance of seizing the day and bringing joy into the lives of their audience.
In retrospect, 12 Step Program served as the precursor to PUTS’ final act, as the next year they would begin releasing a series of projects that would result in the pair calling it quits as a group in early 2019. Though I’d long understood that the group was signaling that they were in the process of winding down, they really did not show any signs of wear and tear on 12 Step Program. As complete artists, People Under The Stairs were as spry as ever, demonstrating that they had a lot of gas left in the tank, and could add new dimensions to their music.
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