Lexington + Whatevski

___________________________________________________Lexington and Whatevski are the stuff that magic is made of; they represent the coming-of-age story of modern male heterosexual life-partners: the epic drama of two boys from opposite ends of the world coming together in the redneck capital of Canada (Calgary, AB) to create something spectacular. They are the Jamaican bobsled team of rap. Only, instead of Jamaica, Simon Lexington came up in and around Winnipeg, MB and Evgeniy Whatevski is a landed Russian immigrant. And instead of bobsledding, these weird white kids stick to rapping their asses off over the dopest beats this side of Siberia.Lexington and Whatevski’s first notable release was in 2004 as part of Calgary’s pioneer indie-rap super group Jonny Sootentai (alongside Lingo, Phasma and producer/DJ Aptitude). This release would introduce a local audience to the indie, anarchist rap flavour that would soon distinguish Lex and Evski from the rest of the hip hop world. With the Sootentais, these two rhymesters were able to develop an acumen for live performance, showing signs of the energy and ridiculousness that they would later become notorious for. Among the countless shows played in the prairie region of Canada, the Jonny Sootentai did opening spots for Sweatshop Union, mcenroe and multiple Juno Award winners Swollen Members, as well as having toured with Juno Award winning Leroy Brown and other local celebrity status acts not worth mentioning here.
Though highly influenced by hip hop classics as well as emerging alt-rap acts like Jedi Mind Tricks, Atmosphere and Company Flow, Lexington and Whatevski’s sound took the best of all worlds and their songs went in a direction of darkness, comedy and obscenity. They create highly artistic, conceptual masterpieces that consistently crackle with creative energy, originality and entertainment value. Such is the content of Lexington and Whatevski’s 2005 release, Over It, the first album to drop on their collectively owned label, Olive Hour Records. Within a year of this release, the secret was beginning to spread. The self-directed, self-produced and independently financed public spectacle video in which Lexington and Whatevski perform in random places (and get thrown out of random places) in Calgary received thousands of views on Youtube and other video sites and continues to entertain. Word of mouth is the driving force behind the growing army of fans that continue to pledge allegiance to Lexington and Whatevski’s charming, tongue-in-cheek flavour that is now a staple of the Canadian prairies hip hop sound.But now, the magic is beginning to bubble over the rim of the cauldron. Three years have passed since the release of their cult classic debut, but the time was well spent; Lexington and Whatevski have grown tremendously in their artful approach to rap, their skills have elegantly matured and their style has been refined and distilled by the hands of a thousand lower-class factory workers indoctrinated by the modern media’s obsession with sex and violence – and violent sex. Lexington and Whatevski have followed a fated path that has led them to a unique niche in the milieu of hip hop; their music imagines the world through the lens of a 60s B-movie. Horror, torture, porn and passion are resonating themes in their 2008 B-side release, Customer Appreciation Day. However, they approach these topics in a dignified manner with poetic overtones and a tongue in cheek vibe that offers an acute social commentary and has the power to leave the listener intrigued, inspired, and LOLing at the original and bizarre ideas presented. With multiple music videos planned for the near future and their official album, Preggers Can’t Be Choosers, dropping in the fall of 2008, Lexington and Whatevski show promise that their unique approach to art and entertainment will change the way hip hop heads perceive rap.