Happy Saturday all, I'm breaking my rule of not posting on the weekends, but rest assured I'm not putting all that much effort into it...
EMC - Leak It Out Video
The next single from eMC's The Show is out along with the video. "Leak It Out", one of my favorites from the album, has a video out.
The Winner of Smile Rays remix......
We have a winner for the Smile Rays "Chicken" remix. Before I announce it, I had NO input and I offered NO opinions. So if you have beef, or errrrr, chicken, take it up with the complaint department (good luck finding it).
From the Smile Rays myspace:
Big up to the WINNER of the Smile Rays 'Chicken' Remix contest that was held on Wake Your Daughter Up (www.wydublog.com), in conjunction with our latest CD release, (on 6hole/Rawkus). We got over 20 remixes, so you know if was tuff to decide. The winner's name is Smilin On YouSmall Pro, an illy Philly cat...and I like his name as much as his beat, makes me smile every time. I keep imagining the run-in between him and Large Pro...
We're posting his remix for yer listening pleasure...I know you'll dig it. Be sure to peep his page as well (www.myspace.com/smallpro) ...dude's
got fuego for sure.
We will be doing a feature on Small Pro in the very near future. If you read the page often, you have undoubtedly heard of him.
Small Pro & The Smile Rays - Chicken (Small Pro Remix)
And finally.....
If you are a stalker of mine and just can't get enough of me, head over to Brews Rhymes With Crews and peep the interview I did with Names. Yeah, I get long winded.....
5/31/2008
New Video from eMC, The Smile Rays Winner, and an Interview with some blogger dude
5/30/2008
Spins, Tracks, & Thoughts For The Week
WYDU just recently went over 500 posts. I was going to do something special for the 500 posts milestone, but in all honesty with some "extracurricular" activities going on in my life and the holiday weekend this past weekend, I spaced it off. I guess I'll save my idea for The Daughter's three year birthday. But looking back at the sheer number of "500 posts", it kind of boggles my mind. Obviously I haven't done all 500+ but I'm guessing I've done at least 400 of them. Not sure what that says about my own life, drive or desire for this site to succeed. Maybe it says a little bit about all of those factors. It'd be different if a lot of those 500 were just mp3 tracks thrown up or a few sentences and call it a post, and we have those kind of posts, don't get me wrong, but they are few and far between. There has been a lot of planning, research, writing and just overall execution that has gone into a lot of these posts. I'll admit, I've been feeling a bit burned out, unmotivated and uninspired lately but I guess that's bound to happen from time to time. No fear, I've experienced this feeling before and once I figure out how to make a living out of doing nothing but blogging and hip hop related stuff, then shit is on, but till then, we'll just plod our way to another 500. Thanks to everyone who has ever visited, sent an email, left a comment and even acted like a douche bag, you've all made this entertaining and fun to do.
Masta Ace & Edo G
I've heard word through my close sources (and actually its been on Ed's myspace for over a month) that Ace & Ed have started working on a new album together entitled (tentatively) A&E. We all know how I feel about Ace, so any project with Ace always sounds good to me, but the joints Ace and Ed have done in the past ("Wishin'" anyone?) have always been on point, so after waiting two plus years in anticipation for the eMC project, the wait starts again for Ace and Ed. There is a rough copy of a new Ed & Ace track on Hip 2 Da Game, check it out if you haven't yet, it's pretty nice.
Top Ten Tracks of the Past Few Weeks & Top Five Spins
I've always met for this to be a weekly feature, but I'll be damned if I can keep it on schedule, so we'll just say these are my favorite tracks of the past two-three weeks or so. After a fairly slow start of the year, things are starting to pick up. I've hit upon a couple albums that I'm feeling and also getting some tracks stuck in my head that are getting some major play
10. Nino Bless - Droppin' Names (Scratches by Scram Jones)
I'll probably get some heat for selecting this track, but I'll gladly take it. The fact that just the thought of most of the New York "Dun Rap" stuff sends me into an narcoleptic seizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzure....sorry about that, but you get my point. I didn't really know much about Nino Bless, wasn't he one of the dudes on Puffy's "Making The Band"? Regardless, I like the cats flow and the beat on this track and while the concept of the song, dropping group names (ala alcoholic drinks, breakfast cereal and other things) throughout the rhymes isn't all that new or original, it is well executed. He just dropped a new street LP titled Untold Scriptures that I have yet to listen to as of yet, but this track is rather nice.
9. The Grynch - That's Hip Hop
I've been sitting on this track for awhile, but this it has really grown on me. I don't know all that much about the artist, other than he is from my neck of the woods (well, same region) in Seattle. The track doesn't break the mold of the typical "Ode To Hip Hop" type of track, it's just the fact that the Grynch does it well. I'm not sure who is on the beats, but it's horn heavy with a thick sound to it. You can find his mixtape "Heat" from last year here.
8. Pharohoe Monch - Broken Heart
Why couldn't "Desire" have joints like this? Sure, it's mellow, kind of slow and sounds like "adult contemporary" hip hop, but Monch's smooth and soulful delivery that he has trademarked just glides over the headin' bobbin' track. Not sure where this is coming from, but hopefully if he is doin' a new album, it's more like this.
7. You - Atmosphere
I've heard mixed reactions toward "You". All in all, just about everything I've read and seen regarding Slug and Ant's new album has been positive, but some people list this as their least favorite song and some list it as their favorite. I'm guessing the catchiness that the song encompasses probably is the main factor in that response. Me personally, I've spent many days at work with this track going through my head. It does contain that pop-like quality of containing a simple yet catchy hook, but I'm okay with that. Also the fact that it's one of the more uptempo tracks on the album also makes me like it more than I probably would otherwise. They don't disappoint.
6. Grip Grand - Poppin' Pockets feat A.G.
Why isn't this cat down with Stones Throw? Sounds like something right down their alley. Grip's album, Brokelore, has gotten enough plays from me that I would call it one of my top 5 favorites of the year so far. While the remix for "Poppin' Pockets" is nowhere my favorite track from the album, like most albums that I like and start playing on a daily basis, but favorites roam from track to track. Lately, I've had this song stuck in my head. Not sure if it's the chipmunk sample of the way AG and Grip flow back and forth over the track, or shit, it might be the catchy ass hook. Just another banger from the "Brokelore" album.
5. Copywrite feat King Dom - It's A Wrap
I know it's not cool to like Copy, but I never given a shit about that kind of thing. I've always liked Copy as an MC. Don't know him any other way, so whatever. I'm guessing this track has been around in the past, but I just kind of "re-discovered" it on the bootleg of his that's floating around. It's over a Dilla beat, not sure if it's legit or what, but the beat is classic Dilla and Copy and partner sound pretty damn fresh on it. Eric told me it was probably from The Cruise Control mixtape that he dropped a year or two ago, which that might be, I'm sure I've heard this before, but for some reason it grabbed me this time around.
4. Weapon X - Asshole Syndrome
Another album that has been getting a steady increasing amount of spins. I'm not real familiar with Weapon X either, but I know he is out of LA and has some serious potential. Not saying his album "Portrait of a Starving Artists" is mediocre, far from it. This track employs an almost nursery rhyme hook, but I get a chuckle out of it. If you are like me, you'll end up singing along with it.
3. Praverb - Freedom To Prevail
I'm a sucka for strings, and man, does this song possess some serious strings. It almost reminds me of the first time I heard "Paparazzi", it's that good. This track will cause you to catch a kink in the ole' neck as you nod along to the beat. Long time WYDU favorite Praverb brings the goods lyric wise as well. Great track all the way around.
2. Dagha - Scat
You'll hear me gushing about The Divorce soon enough, but this track is an example of why I'm so high on the album. Let's just say it's one of the 6 new CD's I picked up recently. A big band sounding sample lets Dagha just rip shit in an old school funky way. Great track that should be in the top 25 by the end of the year.
1. Has-Lo & Small Professor - Prelude
My man Has and my man Small Pro bring the heat on the ...Still Fucked EP. This track is just simply amazing to me. As I've mentioned before, I saw no reason for Has' original EP to get the remix treatment, but I'll be damn if some joints are better than the originals. This one is a toss up with the original, just because I'm such a big fan of the original.
Top Spins
1. Has-Lo & Small Professor - Fuck Has Day: Remixed But Still Fucked
I've said pretty much all I've needed to say about this remix EP last week. The more I listen, the more it grows on me. It's just a solid album all the way around. And best of all, it's free. Also, be on the look out for a "top secret" project from Has in the upcoming weeks.
2. Dagha - The Divorce
Thanks to my man Jaz for pointing this out to me. I had heard of Dagha only as a guest artist on one of Edan's albums a few years back. Nothing that really made me take notice, but when I sat down with this beautifully executed concept album, I had to hit "replay" when I was done with and go through it again. It's funny, when I first listened to it, it immediately reminded me of Connecticut legend Dooley-O, and come to find out, Dagha is on Lewis Recordings, the same label that Dooley is on (or at least was, I haven't checked lately). Dagha is straight from Beantown, Boston for the suckas out there, and I think made a better album that Dooley's "I Gotcha..". The album is based on going through a divorce, which I've never had the pleasure of going through, but I can still relate in some ways. Very witty and funny, this will be one of my top albums of the year in the near future.
3. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold
I'm still playing this quite a bit, although I've cooled down from in the past couple weeks. There really isn't any song I dislike on it, but some I obviously feel more than others. I'm not sure where this will fall in at for my favorite albums of the year, but I'm guessing pretty high. It's a mature effort from Slug and something different (or maybe a revert to the old sound) from Ant.
4. Grip Grand - Brokelore
Another album I'm pumping on a regular basis. I can't really even pinpoint why I'm diggin' this album so much, it's just easy for me to get a "grip" on, excuse the bad pun. The beats aren't the greatest, Grip as an MC isn't the greatest, it's all just comes together in a way that makes me want to listen to it more and more. Only one track really sucks on it, all the rest have really made it on my list of favorites at one time or another.
5. (TIE) Poorly Drawn People - Shoot For the Stars, Hit The Ceiling &
Joe Budden & Ill Poetic Meets Portishead - Mood Muzik 3 Remixes
My man Storm Davis and his crew, PDP are still getting regular spins as well. I almost got in trouble for singing "Storm Davis fucks like a puma" the other day at work....not good. I'm still waiting on Storm's next release (where the fuck is it dude?) but this is more than a good enough holdover until that happens.
My man Eric does more than enough promoting for his dude Ill Poetic, but I can't front on this remix album, it's fuckin' incredible. Totally my kind of shit, just loud....noise. And well know how much I dig the noise production, ala Bomb Squad. This shit just fuckin' bangs like crazy. I've always liked Ill Poetic, not as much as Eric, but this jumped him up a couple spots on my list for sure.
WHY???
Why am I not sure what to think of the new Busta album line up? Once again, a ton of guest appearances and some odd ones at that. I did like the last one though, so I'll give this a chance.
Why (and I brace myself for the hate) am I not really feeling the new Roots album? And this is coming from someone who at one time claimed the Roots as one of his favorite groups.
Why did that Digital Underground sneak up on everybody?
Why have I still yet to listen to it?
Why do I kind of want to see Vakill go at this Matlock dude? Nothing against Matlock, I don't really know who he is, but I would like to see Vakill go agro on someone.
Why if I heard the news about Little Brother possibly never recording another album 5 years ago, I would have been effected more than I am now?
Why do I not get what the hype is about this Wale cat?
Why have I yet to hear any of the new Nas songs? Dude will just end up pissing me off when the album is released anyway.
Why does it take someone's passing for me to realize the quality material the put out? RIP Camu Tao
5/29/2008
Imeem Presents: The Evolution of Murs
I'm taking a gamble on this because I haven't watched this yet, but it sounded interesting (I'm not able to watch it at this moment). For all you Murs fans, here ya go!
Sample Sample volume four
It’s been some time now since I’ve hit you for the last time with the sample sample series, I took a quick look at the first compilation and wondered why I didn’t include “the funky miracle” since back then this was the first track I was talking about…
So here’s part 4, again including some “obscure” joints and some better known stuff but everything is pretty much classic be it the original source or the final rap tracks. The first track “Synthetic Substitution” I heard during the Hard Sell set by DJ Shadow & Cutchemist, I knew this track but didn’t get it until some research (now it’s obvious why it sounds familiar), “I got” by Labi Siffre who’s featured twice on this compilation (props to the souledon blog for “my song”) includes the great tune of Slim Shadys “My Name Is” on the second part of the track.
As I already explained before I sometimes approach the compilation differently, meaning I’ll pick a favourite non hip hop track of mine and look up if it got sampled, so I can add it, Street Life is a perfect example of this, in my books being an all time favourite which I first heard watching Jackie Brown (sounds familiar doesn’t it) and I do think Murs’ DJ flipped it on the short movie “Walk Like A Man” during the “it ain’t struggle if it’s love” sequence, but you could only hear the first two seconds of the track being played.
The funky miracle I already explained before, The Meters being featured also twice on this compilation with the track “Cissy Strut” which you can hear several times getting play in Jackie Brown (!) though the track isn’t featured on the original soundtrack.
We have the Incredible Bongo Band with the track In A Gadda Da Vida from the classic Bongo Rock album which Nas used both for the Thief’s Theme and Hip Hop Is Dead, as a bonus I also included the original track by Iron Butterfly from 1968, the single version though since the lp version lasts like 17 minutes. Depends on where you read about it, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vidda should have been originally “In The Garden Of Eden” due to reportedly a) being to drunk or b) being intoxicated they wrote down the words that way; but there’s a couple of different stories about that.
“Chase The Devil” by Max Romeo & the Upsetters is also a famous track which I had on constant replay a few years back while playing GTA San Andreas driving around listening to Radio K-JAH West.
The next track comes from Otis Redding, it’s Hard to Handle, which doesn’t need any introduction, I think everybody will recognize why after the first 3 seconds being the heart of the beat from the now legendary posse cut “The Symphony” by the Juice Crew or Nas’ Affirmative Action aside others using this classic.
You got to love funky Roger Troutman & Zapp with their talk box machines which is why they are featured both with the classics “More Bounce To the Ounce” and “Computer Love”, this is definitely for the G-Funk heads out there. Both track 11 and 12 have already been featured on the Ultimate Breaks Compilations and “You Sexy Thing” and “My Jamaican Guy” should be easily recognized too being sampled for ATCQ’s “Can I kick It” and LL’s “Doin’ it”.
Tracklist:
1. Melvin Bliss – Synthetic Substitution (see here)
2. Labi Siffre – I Got The Blues(eminem-my name is,wutang-can it all be so simple,foxy brown-hot spot, etc..)
3. Randy Crawford – Streetlife (la the darkman-streetlife)
4.The Meters – Funky Miracle (gangstarr-take a rest,digital underground-dflo shuffle)
5. Incredible Bongo Band – In A Gadda Da Vida (nas-thief’s theme & hiphop is dead)
6. Max Romeo & The Upsetters – Chase The Devil (prodigy-out of space,jayz-lucifer)
7. The Meters – Cissy Strut (del tha funky-same ol thing,kingt-the coolest,rundmc-bob your head, etc..)
8. Otis Redding – Hard To Handle (marleymarl-the symphony,nas-affirmative action,grand puba-ya know how it goes, etc..)
9. Roger & Zapp – More Bounce To The Ounce (see here)
10. Roger & Zapp – Computer Love
11. 7th Wonder – Daisey Love (oc-dangerous,mc shawn-down by law,sugar hil gang-8th wonder)
12. Funkadelic – You’ll Like It Too (salt n peppa-let’s talk bout sex, ericb&rakim-I know you got soul, etc…)
13. Bobby Womack – And I Love Her (little brother-speed,black starr-bright as stars)
14. Labi Siffre – My Song (kanye west-I wonder)
15. Hot Chocolate – My Sexy Thing (a tribe called quest-can I kick it, del tha funky-sunny meadowz)
16. Grace Jones – My Jamaican Guy(ll cool j-doin’ it)
17.BONUS: Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vidda (single version) (slug-heart,chino xl-ghetto vampire, leaders of the new school-classic material)
sample sample 4 (rapidshare)
UPDATE: Megaupload link
5/28/2008
One Be Lo the Young & Restless when They Come In All Colors with Something To Get You Hyped
Nothing really extravagant happening today other than some re-ups and requests. There are probably more, but these are just a couple from the past couple days. If you have a request or something you want re-upped, hit me up on the c-box or my email and I'll be glad to see what I can do.
Young & Restless - Something To Get You
Hyped (Pandisc, 1990)
| 1 | Something To Get You Hyped (3:58) | |
| 2 | It Just Wasn't Our Day (5:53) | |
| 3 | B Girls (4:00) | |
| 4 | Cold Get Ill (3:30) | |
| 5 | Gimme Them Guts (3:24) | |
| 6 | Funky Az Bass Line (4:17) | |
| 7 | Louie, Louie (5:07) | |
| 8 | Poison Ivy (Remix) (3:56) |
This album from the Young & Restless is probably in my top five all-time bass albums (hmmm, 1. MC ADE - How Much Can You Take 2. DJ Magic Mike & MC Madness - Ain't No Doubt About It 3. Gucci Crew - So Def, So Fresh, So Stupid 4. Young & Restless - Something To Get You Hyped 5. MC Shy D - Comin' Correct in '88, off the top of my head of course) and when long time WYDU and former Cocaine Blunts affiliate, Tommy B of the newly reopened and remodeled Miscreant Productions, requested it, I had to make sure my man got his rip. Shit, I probably originally got it from him. This is one of those discs though, I'm on the prowl for, I need this back in my life. Check it out if you are trying to catch up on the bass game from back in the day or need to hear what a good bass album sounded like.
L.A. Posse - The Come In All Colors (Atlantic, 1991)
| 1. L.A.L.A. Intro |
| 2. Ignorance Comes in All Colors |
| 3. Niggas Come in All Colors |
| 4. Countdown |
| 5. Father to M.C.'s |
| 6. Love Don't Live Here Anymore |
| 7. 1-900 L.A. Posse #1 |
| 8. One Night Stand |
| 9. 1-900 L.A. Posse #2 |
| 10. L.A.'s Rulin' |
| 11. Winds Too Def to Die |
| 12. Danger Zone |
| 13. Up on Everything & Down With Nuthin' |
| 14. 1-900 L.A. Posse #3 |
| 15. Total Chaos |
| 16. 1-900 L.A. Posse #4 |
These cats were much better at producing than they were at making albums, but I guess that isn't important. The LA Posse were mainly known for producing a majority of LL Cool J's "Bigger & Deffer" album, and not this album, but it's still something to add to the collection. I could have sworn I upped this during one of my used CD shopping trips, but I couldn't find in the archives, so here it is once again.
One Man Army - S.T.I.L.L.B.O.R.N. (Subterranous Records, 2005)
1. Dick Head Tracy
2. What You Know
3. Ben Frank
4. Lrictricity
5. Timelines
6. The Genesis
7. Make Believe
8. The Host
9. The Hood
10. Whatupdoe
11. Pressure's On
12. You Can Tell
13. Deceptacons (Remix)
14. Unparalleled
15. Set It Off
16. War Report
17. Ya Neva Know
18. Lost In The Shuffle
19. Behind The Music
20. The Bomb
21. The Fever
22. World Wide (Remix)
23. Get Some
24. Rhetorical
25. Rocketship (Remix)
26. Cold World
27. Wake Up
I did some digging around before posting this up, to the best of my knowledge, this isn't being sold anywhere. They had it listed on UGHH still, but it was sold out. It was a mixtape before SONOGRAM dropped, with some of his guest appearances and the such. A must for any One Be Lo fans.
New Count Bass D
Free Download: Count Bass D "Can We Hang Out Tonight?"
First single "Can We Hang Out Tonight?" from Count Bass D's upcoming album "L7" to be released this summer on 1320 Records.
Download: Count Bass D "Can We Hang Out Tonight" MP3
For more info, please check out: http://www.countbassd.com
5/27/2008
This Or That.....Ammerikkka's Most Wanted Vs. Death Certificate
We all have our personal opinions when it comes to hip hop albums. An album I might term "classic", the next man might think is garbage. You can have some heated discussions when it comes to discussing hip hop in general, as my man J-Zone says, three things you don't discuss in public: religion, politics and hip hop. But to me, that is the beauty of it all, discussing hip hop and being a pseudo know it all. After all, is that what we are all here for? Isn't that why a lot of you have listened to me rant for the past two and a half years?
Believe it or not, I'm a fairly opinionated person. There are certain aspects of hip hop or just life in general, that I will argue until I'm blue in the face. Certain albums, I just believe are better than others. Now, I have my weird tastes and the such. I pump Son Of Bazerk albums more than your average person and my favorite hip hop album of all time is "Slaughtahouse", not necessarily your average taste in the general hip hop fan. But I love discussing the music. I love hearing people's opinions. I realize that not everyone thinks like me. I think you all should think like me, but the reality is that not everyone does. It's fun to hear people make an educated argument about why they believe something should be so. It's also just as much fun to hear some moron make an ass of themselves by just saying stupid shit.
For that simple reason, I thought it would be fun to start a new weekly feature on WYDU entitled "This or That". I'll take two albums, both which are somewhat similar to each other and I'll discuss my thoughts and views on them then we'll let everyone vote on which one they think is better. As I said, I'd like to keep them similar in style and era. For me, it's impossible to compare Ice T's "Rhyme Pays" to Mos Def's "Black On Both Sides". It's like comparing apples and oranges and pretty much irrelevant. But comparing two albums by the same artist makes more than enough sense. That's exactly what we'll do for the most part, asking questions like: "Low End Theory" or "Midnight Marauders"? The debates that are basically age old debates anyway with no right or wrong answer (at least not in the general consensuses). What better way to start of the series in the right way than asking which album people prefer the most; "Ammerikkka's Most Wanted" or "Death Certificate", by our man, Ice Cube.
**Vote in the poll provided in the left hand column or feel free to drop a comment stating your reasoning, or both**
ICE CUBE: "AMERIKKKA'S MOST WANTED" or "DEATH CERTIFICATE"??
Amerikkka's Most Wanted
Ammerikkka's Most Wanted dropped in a time when hip hop was starting to undergo yet another metamorphosis. A lot of people list the original "golden age" as happening in 86-88. In 1986, artists such as KRS-One, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and others, over took Run DMC's throne on top and ushered in a new age. After 1988 though, rap was faced with another transitional period. A lot of us old fogies will admit that '89 and '90 were both ho-hum years in the grand scheme of things. Gangsta rap had already seen a rise in popularity with Ice-T and N.W.A. lighting the fuse in the late 80's, but it would be Ice Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted that would be the leader in the "next generation" of hip hop realists. We'll skip over the details on how Ice Cube separated from N.W.A., in all it's stickiness and drama. What would happen after Cube broke north was his meeting with one of the greatest production crews of all-times, The Bomb Squad. After realizing he couldn't work with Dre, he wanted, what he perceived as the best producers on the east coast, and that would be Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Eric Sadler and Chuck D. The combination led to what is possibly the best "West meets East" collaboration the hip hop nation has ever seen. The Bomb Squad brought out that anger perfectly. They were known for their dense and complicated music that was a perfect sonic backdrop for Cube to vent his anger. The sound was one that sounded west coast in origin, but still had the trademark Bomb Squad sound. They even did the west coast gangsta stroll music better than most of the west coast cats on "Who's The Mack", I dare you to say anyone could have executed the sound for that track any better.
Cube was known for the member with the lyrics in N.W.A. On the solo creep, Cube had even stepped up his lyrical prowess as he unleashed an all out assault on many topics that plagued South Central Los Angeles. Ice Cube was down right angry on AMW. There is no better way to say it, he was straight up pissed off. The lead off track, "The N---a Ya Love To Hate", sets up the mood as Cube doesn't waste anytime letting the world know that he is a brother that has been scorn:
I heard payback's a motherfucking nigga
That's why I'm sick of gettin treated like a goddamn stepchild
Fuck a punk cause I ain't him
You gotta deal with the nine double m
The damn scum that you all hate
Just think if niggas decide to retaliate
They try to keep me from running up
I never tell you to get down it's all about coming up
So what they do go and ban the AK?
My shit wasn't registered any fucking way
So you better duck away run and hide out
When I'm rolling real slow and the lights out
Cause I'm about to fuck up the program
Shooting out the window of a drop-top Brougham
When I'm shooting let's see who drop
The police the media and suckers that went pop
And motherfuckers that say they too black
Put em overseas they be begging to come back
They say keep em on gangs and drugs
Yyou wanna sweep a nigga like me up under the rug
Kicking shit called street knowledge
Why more niggas in the pen than in college?
Now cause of that line I might be your cellmate
That's from the nigga ya love to hate
It would only get worse on the title track "Amerikkka's Most Wanted", Cube dropped lyrics of fury over a James Brown sample. These two tracks would set up the whole mood for AMW. Whatever topic Cube might want to touch on, from a craps game gone bad ("What They Hittin' Foe") to an X-Rated ghetto fairytale ("Gangsta's Fairytale") to knocking up the neighborhood hussy ("You Can't Fade Me"), the Bomb Squad had Cube's back with a menacing track that fit the mood perfectly.
Death Certificate
In his next full length feature, Death Certificate, all hell broke loose, literally, before it's release in November of '91. Cube had all kinds of groups in an uproar over questionable lyrics. Many people were branding him as a racist as the white media sat up and took notice due to some of his lyrics. I can recall news shows such as "Nightline", "ABC Tonight" and several of the conservative cable news talk shows taking shots at Cube and this album. I'm sure a lot of the heat was left over from the whole Ice-T/Cop Killer controversy with Time Warner. Ethnic groups such as Korean store owners, were fired up about Cube's bluntness when dealing with the racial tension, but really it was just a predecessor of what was to come with the riots the coming spring. In all, it was the perfect firestorm Cube needed to sell units when it dropped.
Gone was the Bomb Squad and in stepped in several of my personal favorites as well as some of the most underrated beat makers on the left side. Sir Jinx and The Boogiemen (DJ Pooh, Bobcat, & Rashad) handled the majority of the the production duties found on Death Certificate. While I wouldn't say the contained a more "west coast flavor", it did build off of the foundation the Bomb Squad laid previously. Filled with familiar chunky funk samples such as "Hip Hugger", "Funky Worm" and other P-Funk staples, Death Certificate to me represented Ice Cubes anger that was more focused at it's target. Once again, Cube lead off the album with two excellent bangers, full of venom and anger over true gangster funk. "The Wrong N---a Fuck Wit" might as well be part two to either "The N---a Ya Love To Hate" or "Amerikkka's Most Wanted", as Cube unleashes the same fury and anger as expressed on those two songs.
On Death Certificate though, it's not nearly about the beats as it was on Amerikkka's Most Wanted. I'm not sure if it was the fact that it wasn't the Bomb Squad or the fact that Cube stepped up his game on Death Certificate. Cube wove ghetto tails like no one else could or still can. "My Summer Vacation" and "Steady Mobbin'" come off like a hood novel, especially the later track, which details Cube's trek through South Central LA:
Bustin caps in the mix
Rather be judged by twelve than carried by six
Cause I'm gettin major
Fuck Pac Tel, move to Sky Pager
Told all my friends Don't drink 8 Ball, cause St. Ide's is givin ends
Fools get drunk and wanna compete
Slapboxin in the street
Niggaz get mad, tempers are flarin cause they got a few bitches starin
Just for the nappy heads
But scandalous bitches, make for happy Feds
I'm making my duty to cuss em out, cause I just don't trust em
And if you tell on me I'm bombin on Betty
Bitch shoulda known I was steady mobbin
"Steady Mobbin'" is quite possibly one of the greatest west coast songs ever. Cube doesn't stop there, as he tells tales of despair and helplessness on what ultimately ends up to be a two sided concept album (back when albums were formatted to the cassette media). On the "Death Side", Cube paints a picture of what really goes down in the hood. From sheisty bitches that give you the clap in "Look Who's Burnin", to the tales of slangin' 'caine on the corner in the hard edged "A Bird In The Hand". It's the "Death Side", that Cube lays down all the dark shit that happens in any ghetto U.S.A. It would be the "Birth Side" that would ruffle a few feathers of America, further cementing the thought that conservative America is fine when a black artists is speaking about the fucked things going on in his hood, but when it comes out to the suburbs, shits not kosher. Tracks like "Black Korea", in which Cube fires lyrical bullets at the Korean shop keepers found throughout the black neighborhoods in LA, are filled with anger which might be justified, but still fueled the controversy that surrounded this albums release. It would also cement Cube as more than just a gangster rapper, he would be seen as a black leader and on the same level as the X-Clan, Public Enemy and other Afrocentric leaders in the black community.
Trav's Final Verdict
While Amerikkka's Most Wanted is nearly perfect, a couple tracks don't seem to fit, namely "The Bomb", the albums last track. Don't get me wrong, the energy and some of the lines Cube drops are tops, but the song just doesn't seem to fit in the overall scheme of things. It probably would have fit better on the Kill At Will EP that dropped later in the year. Other weaker tracks tend to distract from the overall finish of the product as well. "It's A Man's World" is one of the weaker tracks as well. I've long felt that Death Certificate was a more polished version of AMW, in terms of beats and Cube's skills writing songs and in his lyrics. One could knock the overuse of several well worn samples in the Boogiemen's and Sir Jinx's repertoire, but as I mentioned before, Death Certificate isn't supposed to be about beats. The beats more than adequately provided the proper canvas for Cube to paint his picture of what kind of shit went down in the Los Angeles ghettos. Everything is just crisper and more focused on Death Certificate. It even spawned possibly the most vile and venomous dis track ever in "No Vaseline". Cube's fury is more focused and that lead to album that made more of an impact on society as a whole.
Winner: Death Certificate
King Magnetic of Army Of The Pharaohs
King Magnetic of Army Of The Pharaohs (JMT)-here is my pre-album that just hit iTunes 2 weeks ago. I sent this download because I am looking for spins, reviews and physical distro. Thanks for your time.
"Everything's A Gamble Vol 1"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/9v41jw
All tracks by King Magnetic unless noted.
1.What (Produced by Eyego Direct)
2.One King
3. King & The Cauze ft.Reef the Lost Cauze & DJ Kwestion of Jedi Mind Tricks
4. High @ Work ft. Hakim of Channel Live
5. What It Is ft. Godilla & Chino XL
6. Bully Shit ft. Sean Price of Heltah Skeltah
7. BEAST
8. I Don't Know You (Produced by Edgewise)
9. Who Made the Rules ft. Edo G, Reef the Lost Cauze & Godilla
10.Better Than Perfect
11.Monster ft. Reef the Lost Cauze & Tug McRaw
12. My Song ft. DJ Kwestion of Jedi Mind Tricks
13. The 5 Piece ft. Copywrite, Godilla & O-D-D
14. Crown Me ft. DJ Kwestion of Jedi Mind Tricks (Produced by Reign Supreme)
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EDIT: The uploader himself deleted the file it seams, which was King Magnetic himself.. I found some mixtape of him though which is still working, again the link's not provided by me. Truly got no idea why he deleted it after one day..
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01. KING MAGNETIC INTRO
02. KING MAGNETIC - Exclusive Freestyle
03. KING MAGNETIC Feat. SEAN PRICE - Bully Shit
04. BUSTA RHYMES - Don't Touch Me
05. STATE PROPERTY - Live In Effect
06. QDM - Cars Ride By
07. SKYZOO Feat. BLACK MILK - Hold Tight Remix
08. KIDZ IN THE HALL Feat. BUN B & TALIB KWELI - Work To Do Remix
09. ST LAZ Feat. F.O.U.L - Unstoppable (Produced By RGIF)
10. BIG LOU - Expand
11. S-ONE Feat. HOCUS, CUBAN LINK, DROP, MYSONNE & LORD TARIQ - High Blood Pressure (Dissin' FAT JOE)
12. SNYP LIFE Feat. ST LAZ & THE BOY BUCKA - Gee Shit (Produced By RELL)
13. KING MAGNETIC SKIT
14. REEF THE LOST CAUZE Feat. KING MAGNETIC - Crumbs
15. PHENE - Go Get 'Em (Produced By METRO BEATS)
16. RANSOM - Big Wheelz
17. ARTISIN (ST DA SQUAD) - The War Outside
18. WIZ HOFFA Feat. GEOLANI - Afficially Mobbin'
19. B.A.G.I Feat. KOOL G RAP & P.A - Hood Fellaz (Produced By DANETIC)
20. KING MAGNETIC SKIT 2
21. KING MAGNETIC - I Don't Know You
22. DUMOUT - 3 Kings
23. RED CAFE, HOT ROD, TRAZZ, MURPHY LEE & JAY ROCK - Can't U Tell
24. JUNIOR REID Feat. DRE - Don't Play Me
25. MAINO - Be Me
26. YOUNGBLOODZ - Ridin' Thru Atlanta
27. PLIES - Who Hotter Than Me
28. BRISCO - Fresh Out
29. LUDACRIS - Stay Together
30. CORY GUNZ - 1668
31. ST LAZ Feat. RAHSUN - My Reason For Living (Produced By BLUNT)
32. REEF THE LOST CAUZE - The Sound Of Philadelphia
33. KING MAGNETIC OUTRO
http://www.sendspace.com/file/w0nph0
5/26/2008
Interview With A Blogger V : The Dart Board
You thought it was over. You thought it was all done. Well you were wrong! After a half year hiatis, we here at WYDU track down your favorite bloggers and ask them seemingly ridiculous questions and pester them until they tell us to either go listen to Gerardo for the rest of our lives or they answer our silly questions just to shut us up.
Next in line is the man behind Poisonous Paragraphs and possibly the hardest working blogger in the game, Dart Adams. My first exposure to Dart was mainly him leaving comments on WYDU as long ago as early '06. I would then see him on Okayplayer threads with him dropping albums for the OKP's and linking my blog along with them, which I'm sure helped spread the notoriety of WYDU. But I didn't learn until later that was only half of Dart Adams, the legend. Dart has been a presence on the internet for quite awhile, posting his writings on myspace blogs, Allhiphop.com, Okayplayer and numerous other places. When Dart started his own blog, all the rest of us were put on notice, this cat meant business. There is not a better written blog out there, hands down. Dart is serious about this. And not only does he cover hip hop, but sports, comics, movies and whatever else maybe on his mind at the moment. Never one to hold anything back, he might ruffle some feathers, but fuck it, it's one of the reasons I have the utmost respect for the Poisonous one. He's been on my list of bloggers to interview since I started doing this almost a year ago, and it's finally here.......
WYDU: What is good? I'm with my man Dart Diggidy Adams, would you mind kickin' the ballistics and droppin' the 411 on who you are and what blog you represent for those living under a rock?
Dart Adams: I'm a dude from Boston who pretty much lives to write and my blog is called Poisonous Paragraphs.
W: Alright man, you cover soooooo many things on Poisonous Paragraphs that others often do not touch on, such as comic books, sports, movies, video games along with the "normal" hip hop fare found on other blogs. We will touch on each of those subjects, but first let's talk about the music, describe your first memories and how you got into hip-hop?
DA: I was pretty much born into it. My earliest memories go back to 1977/8 and I remember people playing records with breaks in 'em and people rappin' as far back as I have actual memories. I also remember it being a big deal when the new tapes came in from New York. The first time I heard Rap on the radio I was confused and feelings were mixed around me. Some people were happy that someone finally made a rap record, other were pissed it wasn't a better crew on the radio and others thought that records would kill Hip Hop and Rap. Sound familiar?
W: You've been involved in the culture as an MC in the past, how did that experience factor in to what you are doing in the present?
DA: Just in the "going back to the lab and come back fresher" aspect and the "don't bite" mentally. My experiences in the Hip Hop industry from being around my brother when he was dealing with shady labels in the early 90's and seeing how messed up the industry was from early Boston artists (New Edition, Picture Perfect, Tam Tam, Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs, Almighty R.S.O., Posse NFX, Not Your Average Girls/Phajja, Ruffa, etc.) that my family knew in the early 80's opened my eyes to a lot of things. I was reading liner notes and looking for names of writers, arrangers and publishers when I was six. It comes out in my writing now.
W: What made you want to spend half your free time doing a blog? How did you come up with your multi-faceted concept over covering the many different subjects that you do?
DA: The simple reason is that I've always been into a lot of different stuff growing up so it was natural. When I worked at Tower Records I was working on the Video/Books/Magazines and Music floors simultaneously and everyone who was looking for something came directly to me like I was a damn concierge. I feel I've been blogging for years without even realizing it. When I got to do a blog and finally write about whatever I wanted to without wondering if it would "fit" into anyone else's format I knew that this is what I'd do and how I'd do it. I don't need to pitch shit to anyone, I open my laptop and just write about it. Somebody somewhere's gonna feel it. If not they'll catch it later on down the line during a random Google search. Time means nothing in today's On Demand/Tivo/DVR/RSS feed world.
W: Seriously, how much time do you spend a week on your blog? I know I spend godawful amounts, and I'm pretty sure you spend more time than I do…
DA: I treat blogging like a job. I get up at 8 or 9AM and start researching for a list of blog ideas to determine if I should do them and when. Then I start writing that days blog. If I finish before 4 PM then I start researching and writing the next days blog. Every weekend, I list my five potential blogs for the next week. If my brother doesn't come home from work or no one stops me I'll just keep on going until something forces me to quit. I have hella blogs that I've written but I'm not going to post them until the summer cuz they're all mad long and the NBA Playoffs could provide me with an even better story when it's all said and done.
W: I've always found coming up with ideas for posts and series as a challenge at times, how do you come up with some of your ideas for posts? .
DA: I'm someone that always has ideas for posts because I have a crew of dudes that make beats, a gang of old magazines and tapes (audio & video) for inspiration and an internet full of bloggers that sparks friendly competition. If I took a digital picture of my future blog list and posted it up you'd really think it's a fake because it's so damn long. I also use this method I got from a character in the graphic novel "Watchmen" by Alan Moore (read it if you haven't already) called "The Veidt Method" where I actually read all 150+ active blogs on my blogroll and then I know what not to write about and what no one else has touched on or what different angle I could bring to a big story that no one else has done as of yet.
W: Who were/are your blogging influences? What blogs do you tend to have saved in your bookmark list?
DA: I have 165 blogs listed in my Technorati favorites and by the time this interview is posted it might be up to 170. If you post up new and interesting content then I read your blog regularly. If you post the same shit that everyone else does then I don't really care. I like to call them "The Blogging Avengers". That consists of: Dallas Penn, Rafi @ OhWord, Robbie @ Unkut, you and all the heads @ Wake Your Daughter Up, Eric @ When They Reminisce, Dan Love @ From Da Bricks, Jeff Weiss @ Passion Of The Weiss, Flood @ Floodwatch, Mr. Mass @ Masscorporation, Brandon Soderbergh @ No Trivia, Sweeney Kovar @ Classic Drug References, Mike Dikk & Raven Mack @ Dumpin (where'd y'all go?), Doc Zeus @ Not A Blogger, A-One @ Know Good Music, J. Burn, Hugh, & Mark @ Stuntin' On Prose, Meka and Shake @ 2 Dope Boyz, the whole crew @ Moovmnt, Tree Beats @ What It Is, M. Dot @ Model Minority, G & Ming Tzu @ Grandgood, Joey @ Straight Bangin', Max @ Hip Hop Is Read, Aaron & crew @ Metal Lungies, Animal Mother @ And It's Still All Good, Marvelous Mo @ Mo Is Dead Serious, Sickamore @ Thank God I'm Famous and gang of other heads I've forgot about (mind you this is all off the top!). My first influences blogwise were Eric's Archives, Desolate Ones, Vinyl Athletes, Broke B-Boys, To The Break Of Dawn, Can't Stop Won't Stop, B Side Wins Again, Soul Sides, Biff Hop, Crooklyn's Classics, Bootis Connex, Black Pharoahs, Bossplayer, The T Organization, Rap Dungeon, Music Thingz, Bust The Factz, Rapchwast, Lethal Spit Poetry, 12 Inchers, The Dice Game, The Phoenix Spot, Sarava Club, Orgy In Rhythm, Groove Grave, Alma Matters, Embrace The Knowledge, Rock The Dub, From A Young H Perspective, Logan Sama's Grime Sets, & Chantelle Fiddy's World Of Grime/Whatever amongst a bunch of other now dead blogs. (I told you.. I watch and read everything)
W: Discuss how us bloggers effect the industry, for the good and the bad. How have the rise of blogs and the internet changed the way music is promoted and basically released?
DA: The music industry was/is a joke and it should be destroyed. The P2P sites, advances in computer and communications technology coupled with the affordability of CD-R drives and CD-R's just sped up the inevitable collapse of the music industry in my opinion. A record label just offers you a chance to become a sharecropper or slave and go into debt even faster than you can do yourself with credit cards. You get "signed" and that means absolutely nothing. I know hella people that got signed and were broke stuck on a contract for years where their albums never came out or they instead became part of a talent pool writing and producing for other people behind the scenes. Blogs came up to introduce people to new music they didn't know existed or to bring back rare and out of print Hip Hop that folks may have missed out on for whatever reason. If there was no need for blogs then they just wouldn't exist. Now the labels send promo materials directly to us because they know we have the eyes of the music buying public. Our album reviews are trusted more than major music magazines are because we're private citizens with no corporate ties. We do it for the love.
W: You have many "classic" posts that have been seen on forums, web sites and myspace. Which ones would be your personal favorites? Which ones have created the most response from the masses?
DA: When I first started I tried to write stuff that would end up in Oh Word's This Week In Blogging posts every Friday. I ended up in there about 4 or 5 times before Rafi stopped doing it. My personal favorite blogs were the turntablism week posts from when I first started back in February 2007, The Wanderers vs. The Warriors, The Ed O. G blog I did, Why Are 70's Babies So Damn Salty?, Industry Rule # 4080, My Tricky blog, The Last Days Of The Record Store, The Basketball Diaries, my Open Letters To Red Sox Nation, all of my Revenge Of The 80's posts, Journey Into Mystery blogs and Rants Of The Day are all among my personal favorites. The other blogs I really loved turned out to be my most well received posts like Mommy, What's A Backpacker?, They Don't Dance No' Mo', Essays In BETism, The Walkman Days, 100 Favorite Cult Fims Of The Internet Age, I Still Love H.E.R., Black Like Me: A History Of Black Comic Book Heroes, Style Master Generals, Top 50 Non Hip Hop Songs That Hip Hop Fans Loved, my Top 50 G.O.A.T Emcees/Groups & Producers Lists, the 50 Producers On MySpace That You Need To Hear Right Now, Cause & Effect got me quoted in a book this year, 12 Emcees To Watch In '08, Supreme Rap Misses and of course my Top 50 Nintendo Games Of All Times blog. Those joints are all over the 'net.
W: I seen last week you had words for one of Oh Word posts. The post said, in essence, that there is no good hip hop anymore. How do you counter to that train of thought?
DA: I believe that if someone has made their mind up that nothing good is out that you can't change their mind because it's closed and their mixed on their positions no matter what you do. I just continue doing me and keep it movin'.
W: How would you compare hip hop to what we as kids grew up to? You come from the same era as I do, we both know that hip hop isn't the same as it was then, but yet, we are both still professing our love for it.
DA: I don't think you can compare it because it's two completely different animals. Back then everything was open and there were hella labels and different kinds of artists all doing different kinds of music under the umbrella of Hip Hop. Now if you don't look this way or sound like this or have these kind of beats then you aren't really "Hip Hop"...whatever the hell that means. Everything is a damn genre now. Jay Electronica, Mickey Factz, Kidz In The Hall, The Cool Kids, Pacific Division and The Knux make Hip Hop but because they don't do what everyone else does they're "hipsters"? Fuck outta here with that ol' divisive bullshit!
W: What about other genres of music, do you listen to any others? Any country albums in Dart's crates? hahaha
DA: No Country LP's or CD's but damn near everything else. I grew up listening to all of my parents albums and 8 tracks so I listened to everything from Gospel to R&B to Latin Jazz to Classic Rock (which back then was just "Rock"). I just got off of a recent kick where I listened to a lot of Mandrill and Madhouse (Prince's Jazz fusion side project). I'm also really into Grime which is a kind of amalgamation of UK Garage, Reggae & Hip Hop so expect some posts about Grime in the near future on my blog as well.
W: Alright, so talk about some of the people that email you concerning the blog. What's the oddest email you've ever gotten? I'm sure you get some of the same music sent to you as I do, anything that was particularly strange?
DA: I get e-mails from people asking me if I'm really a team of people instead of just one person which I find flattering...and somewhat scary. I get a lot of wack shit from people that clearly don't read my blog because if they did then they'd know what not to send me. I got an e-mail from someone who wanted me to promote some of wack ass Izza Kizza's shit. I get a lot of Hip Hop trivia questions and requests for Live Create A Players for the 2008 NBA Draft.
W: What are some of your all-time favorite albums? I mean besides the MC Skat Kat you and I were talking about the other day….
DA: I highlighted them all in my Top 25 Hip Hop Albums blog last year and all my other personal favorites are all visible right there on my blog here: http://poisonousparagraphs.blogspot.com/2007/04/25-greatest-hip-hop-albums-of-all-time.html .
W: I don't get any groupies at all…well, okay, maybe a couple of the email stalking kind. Any luck for you or are you like me and figured out you need to be a soul/funk/jazz or R&B blogger?
DA: I actually do. I find it pretty damn weird that I can be reading an Urb in Newbury Comics and some girl will come up to me and ask me if I've heard of a dude named Dart Adams because "I look like that drawing that he puts up on his blog all the time". I ain't complaining, though. Never that.
W: What is the best part, besides the pseudo internet celeb status, of having a blog?
DA: Getting CD's and new albums mailed/e-mailed to me weekly and getting e-mails and phone calls from people asking me to write stuff for them. I'm holding out for real money, though. Besides that, it's the feeling of knowing that I'm outperforming an entire cubicle block or office at a music magazine all by myself. That feels pretty goddamn good.
W: How do you view the blog scene? I've always considered blogs such as the Oh Words, Nah Rights, and the Bryan Crawfords as the "upper tier". Blogs such as yours, mine, Metal Lugies, From Da Bricks, WTR as kind of the middle tiers, then a lower tier of the casual bloggers, do you see it that way or do you have some other theory on the blogs?
DA: I see the blogs that have original and new content as upper tier and the blogs that just post the same videos, songs and news items as everyone else does as the middle tier. In my opinion content is everything. Same with music, books and movies. Ill Roots, 2 Dope Boyz and other blogs have exclusive content that make them stand out from the rest.
W: You made the comment about bringing some "flagship" artists to Poisonous Paragraphs, kind of like Eric with Ill Poetic, myself with The Smile Rays and Has-Lo (I'm talking to 2 In A Room about making their comeback on WYDU), who do you got lined up?
DA: My lineup of flagship artists would be Danny Swain, Vandalyzm, Invincible, Tanya Morgan, and every producer I've every featured on my blog.
W: You hail from Beantown. How would you describe the history of the Boston hip hop scene? How is it currently?
DA: Boston got Hip Hop from New York first along with New Jersey, Connecticut and Philadelphia, few people really know that. These cities and states all had the first Hip Hop radio shows, labels, DJ and B-Boy crews and emcees outside of New York. Boston was down with all the elements of Hip Hop culture since the late 70's (God bless Lecco's Lemma and Skippy White's). The Source started here as a two sided sheet of yellow paper. Several well established Hip Hop crews got there start here and we have a list of classics and artists that's hella long. We're chock full of talent but it's hard to try to go national, especially the way the music industry is now. We need more show venues and exposure but we have so much talent here it's scary.
W: The Boston hip hop scene has always been kind of known for being a little rough, has that changed at all?
DA: Back in the days there was so much violence that you couldn't even have decent shows in the city because an incident would always happen. It's gotten better now because gang violence isn't what it was back during the early 80's leading into the Crack Era and we've realized that without local buzz or a thriving scene no one will pay attention to Boston/MA or the New England area as a whole. The Boston Hip Hop scene is so world famous that people come all the way from the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, and Japan to work with their favorite Boston/MA based artists.
W: Who would you consider the greatest group/artist to hail from Boston? I'm taking it wouldn't be Benzino.
DA: Fuck Benzino. That dude has done some shady shit to some of my own friends and family members so he's a non entity in my (black)book. The greatest artists from Boston in my biased opinion are New Edition, Jonzun Crew, Stark Reality, Donna Summer, Guru from GangStarr, Ed O.G, T.D.S. Mob, MC Spice, A Train AKA Cublunk (yes, he did really beat Biz Markie in a battle!), Scientifik (R.I.P.) and gang of other vets that are on the cusp of being regarded as great.
W: Boston has ruled the sports scene the past year or so, although those cheaters, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl…hahaha….Why is Boston such a GREAT sports town? It seems like the people really KNOW the sport they attend, unlike say, oh, LA, who just goes to be seen?
DA: It's helped by the fact that we're an insular town of people that like to be know it alls. No one wants to be the asshole that doesn't know what they're talking about in a group...ever. Plus, we identify with Boston sports teams as part of our own identity as opposed to just a sports team. It's like being born into an 100 year old (or 60 year old) gang to us. You're born a Red Sox fan. You're born a Celtics fan. You're born a Patriots fan. Starting from birth you're going to learn all about the history of those teams and every goddamn nuance and piece of minutiae about each particular sport. I wish kids did that with Hip Hop!
W: You had an interesting post on the history of the Red Sox being somewhat on the racist side when it came to running the team, do you still see them being kind of wish washy? Jacoby Ellsbury is the only African-American that jumps out to me right now on the team…oh and Coco Crisp.
DA: Jacoby Ellsbury is actually a Native American...back then the Red Sox were under some racist ass management (Yawkeys) and they didn't make inroads into remedying those problems until the Yawkeys died off and the ownership of the team changed. As far as Black Red Sox go we have Coco Crisp and Devern Hansack in Pawtucket. The problem is that there aren't too many Black players in baseball anymore, period. The Red Sox are committed to getting the best players possible in their uniforms with the current management. That simply wasn't the case back in the days...ask Pumpsie Green.
W: Who is the all-time greatest Red Sox player? Ted Williams or Babe Ruth?
DA: Between those two it's easily Ted Williams because he the man who broke down the science of hitting and he lobbied for the integration of Major League Baseball and played in exhibitions against Negro Leaguers. Babe Ruth refused to be shown up by a great Black pitcher or hitter so he never played or he'd sabotage the game somehow. I consider Babe Ruth to be a Yankee anyways...his daughter is a Red Sox fan.
W: Where do you stand on the Boston debate? Should Jim Rice be in the HOF?
DA: Jim Rice should've been in Cooperstown two seasons ago in my biased opinion. While we're at it Dennis Johnson should be in the Basketball Hall Of Fame. Stop bullshittin'!
W: Despite my EXTREME dislike for the Pat's, I can't deny they have a great front office and are the team of the decade. How do you see them in the future? It seems like just about every team has to re build at some time, do you see that in the future?
DA: Their window to win it all will be gone by 2010 and then they'll be just a 10 win team. That's great for most cities but we're spoiled now and a 10-6 season is a disgrace. The Patriots need 3 full seasons to get 6 losses nowadays. When I was a kid, a 5-11 Pats season was cause for hope. After they lost Super Bowl XX back in 1986 I thought they'd never go back to the Super Bowl again.
W: What's your take on the whole "spy-gate" thing that went down with Belidick…oops, I mean Belichick and the taping that went down? I thought my Steelers handled it better than I would have.
DA: They tried to bend the rules and got caught. Now everyone hates the New England Patriots even more than they did previously causing them to have to be even more on point then ever before. I still feel they earned all of those wins regardless but it was some dirty business no doubt.
W: You even cover comic books and do some great posts on black super heroes, why do you consider it important to have multi racial super heroes?
DA: As a kid I didn't see too many brown faces on TV or in movies that weren't gang members, thieves, pimps, thugs, drug dealers or rapists...real talk. Hardly any of them spoke anything resembling English. If you saw the film "Hollywood Shuffle" then you know what I'm talking about. I felt invisible almost. As a Black Bostonian in the late 70's and early 80's I felt even more invisible. When I read comic books and saw that Black people could be heroes or even seen as heroic in some way or form it not only helped affirm how I felt being a Black kid but to little White kids that didn't know about Black people and had to go off of the media it did the same thing. The Black Panther, The Falcon, Luke Cage and Cyborg were all characters that I identified with as a kid.
W: Who would win in a foot race, The Flash or Superman?
DA: Technically, the Flash because he's made specifically for running at high speeds while Superman can just fly but time and time again DC Comics have shown Superman running just as fast as Flash when they have raced each other. This is because they've painted themselves into a corner and made Superman too goddamn powerful a character. The Flash always ends up winning on a technicality, though.
W: Who is the hottest female super hero? I could never get with Wonder Woman…wow, that just sounded incredibly….nerdish.
DA: Depending on who the inker is it's a tossup between Dagger from Cloak & Dagger, Storm or Psylocke from X-Men or Starfire or Wonder Girl/Troia from Teen Titans. That's way nerdier, Travis.
W: What is the magic behind movies in general? You seem to be a big fan of movies, was that something that has always been?
DA: I didn't discover this until I was 30, but the main reason I fell in love with emceeing, comic books, and movies was for the same reason...they're all based on a script or the written word just applied to a different medium. I used to rhyme so people would listen to what I wrote. All a comic book is a script with some drawings attached to it. A film is nothing more than the visual representation of a script. When you finally go to shoot a script you know what make you do? Draw up story boards. In other words "make a comic book out of your script so we know how to shoot it and make it into a movie". Everything is everything.
W: What are your favorite hip hop influenced movies?
DA: I covered it all in my Hip Hop influenced movie blog a while back. You can read it here: http://poisonousparagraphs.blogspot.com/2007/01/25-most-influential-films-to-hip-hop.html
W: If you have any free time, what does Dart Adams do for fun?
DA: My free time usually involves playing old ass video games on my G5 Mac or my Wii since I suck at all the new ones that use more than four buttons (I'm old!), roaming the city of Boston to kill time between Red Sox and Celtics games (I don't get my regular Red Sox tickets until June), watching DVD with the subtitles on at all times, marveling at how clear HD pictures are on my living room TV, making behind-closed-doors deals that get me closer to my dream of complete global domination...that and playing with my adorable niece and nephew who wonder how come I work so hard for free.
W: Any final words for all those lovely people in internet land?
DA: All of the magazines I started this blog with the hopes of writing for have since folded. Most of the people that have approached me to write for them either never paid me or their publication folded shortly afterwards. I do all this because I sincerely love it but my main goal is to write books, scripts, screenplays, graphic novels, comic books, produce/write an underground Hip Hop show for Fuse or G4TV, etc. I take this writing shit seriously, this is no hobby to me and I appreciate everyone who has ever read my long winded rants or posted my shit on another site or has sent me an e-mail message or a MySpace request. If anyone from any publication is looking for someone who can write their ass off to contribute material get at me at poisonousparagraphs@gmail.com. Keep in mind, if it ain't about money then I ain't concerned.
W: Thanks for the time dude, it's been a pleasure.
DA: No doubt, Travis. You're the man. One.
5/23/2008
New Artist Spotlight: Donny Goines
Some artists realize that the internet is an important tool in ones arsenal to get their music heard. It's an important part of the game that you have to have some kind of a exsistence in, no matter what your thoughts are on concerning the world wide web. One such artist has learned how to grab the situation and all of it's perks and run with it. NYC emcee Donny Goines has his hustle down. He's made his name known on blogs and internet hip hop sites all over, oh and it helps that he has some quality music that gives me some hope for the New York hip hop scene. Coming with a hardcore style, yet still exposing himself and his inner thoughts, Donny is on the cusp of something big. Currently working on an album which will be executive produced by Dame Grease, Donny still keeps his grind on and was willing to answer some questions for us.
http://www.myspace.com/donnygoines
WYDU: Hey man, thanks for your time. For those that are never on the internet, why don't you drop some background on yourself, who you are, where you are from and what you do?
Donny Goines: My name is Donny Goines. I'm an up and coming artist from NYC and if you still don't have internet access something is wrong with you haha. No but seriously, many people know me from my internet presence so I am a firm believer of new media and all it encompasses. You can google my name to see how much I love the internet haha
W: Time for some of the same ole' generic questions...What was your introduction to hip hop. When was the moment, if one, that you knew this was what you wanted to do?
DG: Mid January 2006. The moment I finished watching the movie "Fade to Black" I knew this was the career for me. It was an epiphany to me and that moment awakened something within me I didn't know was there. I always loved Hip Hop but it was at the particular moment that I knew what I wanted to do with my life.
W: You've quickly been known as one of the busiest artists on the internet. Your hustle is immense. You are very active in getting your music out to the masses through the internet. Do you see it as the wave for the future? What about any negatives that might be involved?
DG: No question. The internet is the most inexpensive form of promotion you can use today and also the MOST effective. The days of CD's are numbered. Eventually it will all be digital and people really need to realize that. I saw that when I first started back in 06 and the very first investment I made was my MAC computer. The best thing I've ever spent money on in my life.
The only negative I see is over saturation. That to me is the biggest setback of this. Mainly because there are way too many people trying to rap right now and the only reason this is happening is because people have easy access. Before the days of the internet you had to earn your strips for real but now you can make a Mysapce page or Blog and all of a sudden your a rapper now? Come on haha. Honestly tho that's the only serious drawback in my opinion.
W: The old story that New York hip hop has "fallen off". Personally, I've been a east coast head all my life (read: NYC, NJ, Philly, ect), but lately have been more into some of the Detroit, Chi-Town and a few other places. What is your take on the state of NY hip hop and if it is coming up short, what can be done about it?
DG: One word. Unification. The problem with New York is that EVERYONE wants to be the King, the Big Dog, the Best and its nothing wrong with that but when this happens you have too much of a competative attitude going on and it tends to hurt the scene more then anything. I feel that
New York is good, its just that people are not really working together to allow the proper voices to be heard. For example, if I knew of a artist in NY that was dope but lets say didn't have the proper resources or channels to put out the music. I might do a collab with them just on the strength of the music so this person can be heard. Why? Simply because they should be and that kind of attitude is what is lacking our city. No one wants to work together for the common cause.
W: What future projects do you have lined up, you have the Minute After Midnight release coming out, correct? What can we expect from that? Any producers or artists in particular you want to work with?
DG: Minute after Midnight is my main focus right now. This is my official debut album and all I can say is that it's going to be my best work to date. I'm taking everything I've learned, everything I've seen over the past couple of years and using all of my knowledge and passion to create something that I feel will really standout amongst the rest. This project is my introduction to the world so to speak so you can be assured that its going to the best music I can make.
I have Dame Grease Executive Producing it and helping me to put the project together along with DJ Static and Dub Z providing the majority of production. Also featured will be Ron Browz, Statik Selektah, M- Phazes and many more surprises. Expect something very musical and different from the norm.
Making of Minutes After Midnight
W: Your music is known to be kind of "heartfelt" in meaning a lot of it seems to be rather personal and, well, from the heart...how do you describe how you make a song or your music in general.
DG: Realistic and vivid would be a good way to describe. Truthfully when I hear music I just write whatever is on my mind and in my heart. I can't help it really, its just how I am as a person so this just translates into my music as well. I've always been known to wear my heart on my sleeve and I never hold back or bite my tongue so its just pours out of me. There is no real process to my songwriting really, its all emotion. As long as I'm feeling the best, the words will come and there you have a Donny Goines record. I'm not too big on all the imaginary shit out there everyone else is doing. Not really my style.
W: Alright man, any last words for the readers and fans out there in the internets?
DG: All I want to say is thank you. Thank you to blogs such as yours, that give me the voice to be heard. Thank you to the readers, who enjoy what I am doing and most of all thank you to anyone who listens. I'm truly grateful. Much love and God Bless.
W: Thanks for your time and best of luck in the future
"THE NON FICTION EP"
PRESENTED BY SHAKE & HIPHOPDX
Click here to Download
"OFF THE BOOKS"
HOSTED BY DJ BEDTYME 357
Click here to Download
"THE EXCERPT" PG. 1
INCLUDES PRODUCTION FROM THE LATE
DAVID "DISCO D" SHAYMAN
DJ STATIC AND FURY
Click here to Download
"ABOUT THE AUTHOR"
INCLUDES PRODUCTION FROM
KWAME, SCRAM JONES, BANGOUT, NICK FURY
NEEK RUSHER, CON?ONE, STREETRUNNER AND FREEBASS
Click here to Download
"THE PROLOGUE"
FIRST STUDIO ALBUM
Click here to Download
Play out in the Rain Prod. by Remot
