Just when you think free newspapers have already seen their worst days, journalist Chris Faraone of the Boston Phoenix drops the gem “In with the In Crowd: LA’s Time Machine Lose the Zeros.” Never before have I read a piece of work like this. Honestly, if I ever submitted anything that remotely resembled the ridiculousness of “In with the In Crowd,” I would expect to get reprimanded or at least ridiculed for producing such a poorly executed article with a Masters Degree in Journalism. Initially, the objective of Faraone’s article may have been to congratulate hip-hop group Time Machine for the attention and anticipation received from their sophomore LP, Life Is Expensive. However, Faraone appears to get a little sidetracked, revolving the majority of the article around his contradictory opinions of Time Machine’s music and his judgmental assumptions on their increasing fan base.

I want to first address the opening of “In with the In Crowd” and how Faraone chooses to connect with his reader. The jump-off point of Faraone’s article is an absurd story about a woman named Juliette who tramps her way to the top of the “social stratosphere” by servicing “a parade of…thugs.” Aside from the fact that I am completely unconvinced in Juliette’s existence, her story only serves as an attempt to cleverly kick off and conclude the article, which, in my mind, is not at all successful. The story is irrelevant, especially in its attempt to metaphorically link the sluttish escapades of Juliette to the budding career of Time Machine.

It seems Faraone struggles to make it through the rest of the article only to make a final bitter connection between Juliette and Time Machine. I believe the main problem Faraone is facing is that he doesn’t know much about the history and/or work of Time Machine, preventing him from writing an accurate or coherent article. In “The Aesthetics of Rap,” critic Mtume ya Salaam describes how “the majority of articles regarding rap music are written by music critics…who are not knowledgeable enough to be involved in a serious discussion” (303). This is not to imply Faraone is unknowledgeable about hip-hop music, but rather to point out that Faraone has a limited knowledge of Time Machine, which, in turn, leads to his confusing opinions on the group. Faraone writes that Time Machine has had “past genius offerings” on their debut, Slow Your Roll, yet later contradicts his stance when suggesting their prior work is “blunders” in need of “adjustments.”

At this point in the article, the authorial voice of Faraone is practically bordering on invalidity. Faraone’s askew opinion on Time Machine’s music is an issue that cannot go unnoticed; however, it is certainly not the most noticeable issue of “In with the In Crowd.” The most apparent problem in the article is Faraone’s blatant attack on the Time Machine fan-base.

Targeting both new and old fans, Faraone does not hesitate to openly express his strange animosity towards “kids in flat-billed New Era caps who don’t buy music” and “arrogant dance-happy hipster contemporaries.” So, because Time Machine has been associated with the likes of the Cool Kids, it has somehow become justifiable to place their fans under the labels of “dork” and “hipster”? The logic behind his judgments is complicated enough and, aside from this, it is impossible to conclude with any type of definitive opinion from Faraone in his article.

Overall, “In with the In Crowd” appears to be subliminally accusing Time Machine of a crossover to the so-called “materialistic neon rap scene.” Even with a slightly different sound, I truly believe the intention of Time Machine and their new record, Life Is Expensive, is not to be a contributor and/or part of any new scene. I feel Time Machine’s mission has always been to have fun and, in the same effort, craft a unique piece of work. If they gain some sort of appeal in doing so, it should not compromise their credibility and most definitely not tarnish their talent as Faraone seems to do throughout his article. The original and captivating work on Time Machine’s Slow Your Roll and Mekalek’s Live and Learn are as close to flawless as modern-day albums have come and I absolutely trust for them to deliver another solid LP. Go grab Life Is Expensive, in stores now.

-Lee Reed