Hip Hop and Steampunk have had quite a confluence in the past year. In the mainstream, T-Pain was a near carbon copy of Captain Robert on the cover of his latest album Revolver, and Nicki Minaj and David Guetta are reportedly going steampunk in their video for ‘Turn Me On’. On our side of the fence, the sub-genre of Chap Hop has come into popularity. Spearheaded by Professor Elemental and Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, Chap Hop mixes rap and hip hop with gentlemen sensibilities. And like rap and hip hop, each performer has their own spin on the genre. This is especially true for the two groups I’m reviewing today, Jarmean? and Theoretics. While both bands are very jazz and hip hop influenced, that’s where their similarities end.

Jarmean? re-released their EP Bad Penny through Expat Records in 2011. While they do have some elements of Chap Hop, mostly with their tuba player Mr. Fox occasionally picking up the mic to drop a rhyme or two. On this EP though, it only happens on the lead track ‘Bad Penny’, a song about saying goodbye to the woman who’s done you wrong. Lead singer Truman does have a very fitting sing-talk style, but it is certainly not rapping. In fact, Jarmean? falls more in the same vein of This Way To The Egress and Not Waving But Drowning. Their peculiar instrumentation mixed with their very jazzy songs about love and being fall down drunk bring about mental images of the band the side show would hire for their swing dance night. I mean this in the best way, of course. The whole EP makes me want to dance, especially ‘Serendipty’ and the closing track ‘That’s Why’, a song about being yourself and not caring about what others think. I’d love to hear more for Jarmean? in the future.

As for Theoretics, the best way to describe them is what would happen if The Roots travelled back in time to the jazz age, picked up a few tricks, then travelled forward in time to 2005, and stole a few members of Gym Class Heroes fresh off The Papercut Chronicles. With a fresh, time traveling spin on alternative hip hop, it’s easy to see how this band could have retrofuturistic appeal. The song off of their self titled debut that will probably be most relevant to the discerning steampunk though will be ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. The video for the song has a very steampunk flavor, and the song is very fitting for the Robert Louis Stevenson tale. Flipping between emcees Mark Hoy and Chimaroke Abuachi, the song goes back and forth between a manic attempt at restraint and coming unleashed hard and fast. Much like the novel, the unleashed side quickly wins out. I dare say, but I think Theoretics has a better grasp at the feeling of Jekyll and Hyde than Professor Elemental did on his song ‘Elixir’.

Besides their brief dip into popular Victorian stories, Theoretics have produced an album that goes down smooth with a little retrofuturistic spice. The upright bass intro of ‘Higher’ leads into a song that perfectly mixes the electronic keyboard and guitar with saxophone. Hoy and Abuachi’s rhymes play well off each other throughout the whole album, especially on ‘The Passion’ and ‘Can’t Turn Back Now’. There are also many moments where the rhythm section shines, like the smoky jazz club style intro of ‘Wind Comes To Change’ and the calm and funky instrumental interludes of ‘Star Sign’, ‘Refuge’, and ‘Boom’. Overall, Theoretics has produced a very solid debut that is never content with staying in one time period.

So now comes the big question: are Jarmean? and Theoretics chap hop artists? It’s hard to say. While both bands mix jazz and hip hop, they don’t exactly fall under set precedent. The Bad Penny EP didn’t have enough hip hop elements for me to properly judge if it is indeed a major part of their sound, and Theoretics might have a hard time finding a more steadfast steampunk crowd with their mix of jazz and alternative hip hop. Still, maybe these are the next steps for chap hop. More live instrumentation, and influences from all over time and space. Take it from almost novelty to a force to be reckoned with.

In the meantime, the world has two more great retrofuturistic albums to enjoy. They just happen to be a little hip hop tinged.

Liesel Hindmann is a contributor to the Steampunk Chronicle. She is the Apprentice of Internal Machinations and Operations for The Extraordinary Contraptions and considers herself a lover of media from multiple dimensions. You can follow her on Twitter as well as her blog: The Diary of a Dimension Hopper.