In a business where some people will do anything to thrust themselves into the spotlight, for their latest release the New Orleans-based funk quintet Galactic did all they could to step out of it. Not even Hurricane Katrina could stop them.
"From the Corner to the Block," released here Aug. 8, is a collaborative effort that highlights prominent names in politically conscious independent hip-hop as well as Big Easy gangsta rapper Juvenile.
Save for instrumentals, which also feature guest artists, it's as if Galactic have transformed themselves into a contemporary version of yesteryear's house bands, who made their mark while staying in the shadows. Galactic bassist Robert Mercurio has no problems playing second fiddle.