I told you it'd be hard to keep these little lists up and going on a regular basis, but here is another edition of spins, tracks and thoughts for the week. Doing a little backwards this weekend, with these going first and then the "Goodies From The Inbox" coming up later. Enjoy..
Top 10 Spins for the Week of March 9th
10. Pillowtalk Politiks - Not Preaching
I featured Pillowtalk Politiks' EP last week as the "Editor's Pick", so you can get more info on them there or their myspace page, where you can also buy a download the full, mixed album. "Not Preaching" is my current favorite track from their self titled EP. Accompanied by a dope piano loop, the track is on some lovely, beautiful type of feel, that might turn off the hardrocks, but should impress the older folk that visit the page. The MC, Tigre Cole grows on you the more you listen to the groups work. Not a dazzling MC, but very capable behind the mic and suites Entity's beats very well.
9. Has Lo - The Usual Way
The fact that I've been listening to Has Lo's "The Usual Way" for over the past two and a half months says something about the song as well as Has' EP, "Fuck Has Day". If you haven't checked out the EP or the track the multiple times it has appeared on WYDU, do yourself a favor and check it out this time.
8. Cunninlynguists - The Park
Yup, I'm still listening to "Dirty Acres" on the regular. I've mentioned in the past that if I like an album, I'll keep it playing for a few months at least. Like "A Piece of Strange", this album has spawned numerous "favorite songs" as time wears on. "The Park" happens to be the new fav. Kno demostrates why I personally think he is one of the best producers going right now. The music geniunelly lives up the it's name as we are taken a way on a stream of strings and mellow bass lines. It conjures up visions of warm bright summer days hangin' in the park while playing some volleyball and sippin' some brews while waiting for the BBQ to finish up. The music is some on point that sometimes I swear I smell the burgers on the grill and feel the warmth of the sun. Thats some serious mood music there.
7. Father Jah - Don't Be Afraid
More of the "advanced" south sound. Hailing out of Kentucky as well (he has Deacon The Villain guest on his album), he encompasses all the different sounds that can be found in the south, which might turn some people off. No fear though, Jah also has the likes of Dinco D on his album which just shows that there is a hodge podge of influences. As for this song, I don't think it's on the album, which is a shame, because it truly is a dope track. It might not be for everyone, but this song jumped out at me immediately when Father Jah himself sent me some tracks to check out. It has a sung chorus, which can be horrible when not done right, but this isn't one of those cases. The beat is hooked up with a some nice percussion that really delivers the track into a melodic type of feel as Jah runs rampant over the beat. Dude is nice with his lyrically and really shines on this track.
6. Baje One - Pan In A Flash
The MC for Junk Science dropped a solo EP, which by the way can be had for FREE on the Def Jux site (god forbid if we post a link up to it ourselves) and "Pan In A Flash" is the lead off track. Produced by a dude that is starting to make some noise by the name of Therapy (of the Smile Rays and the AB's, suckas, and you'll be seeing more of him on this site in the near future) the track almost sounds J-Zoneish in nature as it's kind of unorthodox, but shit is dope. A heavy horn sample is the highlight of the beat as Baje rhymes in his slow flow that almost sounds lazy in a way, but the dude truly posses some gifts lyrically.
5. Astonish - Can U Hear Me?
I posted up the video for Astonish's "Can U Hear Me" and it really grabbed me. Produced by Chicago based The Molemen, you know the beat is one point with this one. Astonish shows us right off the bat that he has some skills on the mic as he kind of reminds me of some Native Tongue sounding flows and cadences. The hook is catchy as fuck as I've found myself singing it often over the past week. With the Molemen doing the beat, there isn't much question about the quality of the beat as a soul sample blesses the track with a bluesy guitar loop that arms Astonish with the beat needed to provide what is becoming that trademark Chi-Town sound.
4. Atmosphere - Shoulda Known
I can hear some of you cussing me already for ruining a perfectly good post by posting up a Atmosphere's newest leaked track, "Shoulda Known". My response? Get over it. I'm not sure if this is an official single from their forthcoming LP, "When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold", but we shall soon find out. The track has kind of grown on me. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Ant's beat on this. Ant has been very soulful on the last few albums he has done such as the Felt2 album, Brother Ali's, and Atmosphere's last album, but this album is heavily influenced by the synth sound as a fuzzy bassline dominates the tracks exsistence. I will say it's catchy as fuck. The track is nothing mind blowing, but their catalog has the tendency to come off as just "ho-hum" with me at first but then I end up loving it, and this track is taking that same path.
3. Edreys - DUI (Dumb Under the Influence)
I love the old school feel on Edreys "DUI" track, but it still manages to stay fresh. The beat is fairly simple, with a drum track and a edgy guitar loop over the top of it and is really just a showcase for Edreys to run wild over the beat lyrically. Also hailing from Chicago and following the "sound" that Chicago is starting to be known for, Edreys has crafted up a winner with his first single. Now if I could just get a good Mp3 of the b-side, "I Like It", he might just have two tracks up in the top 10. The track can be heard here.
2. Pete Rock - Til I Retire
The last time I did one of these types of posts, I made the mistake of mentioning that I was disappointed in the Pete Rock album "NY's Finest". A few of you wasted no time in basically calling me crazy, which I'm fine with people not agreeing with me as long as people aren't ignorant about it, which no one was. I will still stand by my original assertion of the album, as I'm still not overly impressed with it. Maybe that has to do with the fact that if it has Pete Rock's name on it, I expect the highest quality and I don't really think this is anything mind shattering. That being said, I do LOVE this track. A lot of people knock Pete for his rhyming skills, but I don't really have a problem with his vocal skills. Sure, he isn't going to be no CL Smooth on the mic, but he is much better than some of the so called "MC's" out there. The beat sticks to Pete's blueprint that he has been following since he stopped using the horns quite awhile ago. The whole package adds up to an ill song.
1. Fat Joe - That While (http://allhiphopsports.blogspot.com/2008/03/that-white-prod-by-dj-premier-fat-joe.html)
I'm not the biggest Fat Joe fan. I've never bought one of his albums, nor do I plan on it in the near future. But, when he gets my all-time favorite producer to do a track, best believe I'm going to give the track a listen. When my man Antone over at "Hip 2 Da Game" posted up "That White" I was blown away by the beat. Fat Joe could sing "Mary Had A Little Lamb" over this beat and it would still sound dope. This might be one of the best Primo beats in a little while, which is good to hear. It's obvious Joe reached into his pockets to get one of Primo's gems.
Top Spins
I was kind of all over the place as far as my listening habits were. I'm able to listen to music at my new job, thank god, so I spend a good 6-7 hours a day (counting the hour and half commute I have each day) listening to music on my iPod (I finally joined the iPod "revolution"). That being said, I've been in an older music mood as well as sticking with my old reliables such as the Smile Rays, Cunninlynguists, Archetype, Has Lo and other things. I can't say much has changed since the last post of this nature, but here it is.
1. Nicolay & Kay - Time Line
My boy Eric might not like it, but it's easily my favorite album of the year so far. Beatwise, it might not be as good as "Connected", but these are also different beats from Nicolay. There are some slammin' beats on this LP and shit just keeps getting better. I've heard the slams on Kay's MC skills, but again, I've heard a whole hell of a lot worse. Kay has a style that kind of reminds me of Phonte when he first started off. People don't remember that LB got the "Slum Village" knock of "Great production, shitty MC's", so I think Kay will only continue to improve and does more than an adequate job on "Time Line".
2. EMC - The Show
A close second is the four rhyme slayers that form eMC. I'm eagerly awaiting March 24th to finally have a physical copy in my hands. As I've mentioned, there are some parts of this album that are superb and parts that kind of disappoint. It's an album that I can't play everyday, because I just grow bored with it. I'm not sure if it's the lack of seriously strong beats on some songs or not particularly liking some of the hooks, but it's not an album that I can play without growing tired of. I am still playing it alot, enough to still get the number two nod.
3. Smile Rays - Party Place
Starting to see a trend here? Told you not much has changed for me as far as what albums I'm playing. By now, you know the story, Therapy of the AB's (Asamov) got together with the husband/wife team of Batsauce and Daisey to form The Smile Rays. The dropped the Japan only release "Party Place", that has found it's way over here on the import circuit. The LP has a wide variety of music on it, from hardcore hip hop (Rap Battle), to Daisey getting her soul on with "Pickin' Flowers" to the mellow, sing along song that truly exemplifies that the Rays are for the children in "Toast".
4. Pillowtalk Politiks - Pillowtalk Politiks EP (minus the skits)
Yeah, I'm starting to pump this group a little bit, but only because I'm feeling what they are doing. One of the joys this blog has brought me is getting the opportunity to hear some of this undiscovered music, such as this group. The production is on some simple, yet complex production. It's truly "music" as it follows the rules of contemporary music with the way it's structured and as previously mentioned, the MC grows on you in leaps and bounds.
5. Truth & Soul - Fallin' Off The Real Vol 2
I've gotten big on some of the old Soul/Funk complilations that have been popping up at a quick rate as of late. This one, from Truth & Soul contains both new and old tracks. Some dope stuff can be found on this, well worth at least checking out this megamix from the crew. A lot of these tracks only popped up on 7" singles in the past. Stuff like the El Michaels projects with Wu members is a good listen along with some old Lee Fields joints. This has gotten some heavy plays from me in the past week.
WHY???
Why, and I'm almost speechless about this, why in the fuck did Prodigy feel the need to air out some artists in his latest blog rant (or here for the written version)? Time to sell some records? Stick to the 50 Cent marketing plan to sell records in starting some beef? Prodigy is a legend in the game, but damn dude, the cat hasn't made shit since in almost 10 years. The last two Mobb albums have been BOMBS.
Why the fuck does he say Soulja Boy is original????
Why did he, a year later, bring up a blog that Phonte of Little Brother posted up about Mobb Deep? Don't hold your breath about this beef as I doubt Phonte moves on this.
Why is weird talking about blogs artists themselves have written and we the fans are talking about as well....the game has done changed.
Why hasn't he learned his lesson yet? Dude has had his ass kicked numerous times, he's writing checks his mouth can't cash. Just about anyone he aired out would kick his ass in a one on one.
Why do I think, if I wanted to, I could use P's rant as the whole basis behind this week's "Why"?
Why do I find it funny that both Fat Joe and Sheek Louch just kind of dismissed his rant as not even being worth talking about. I'm not big fans of either one, but neither really seemed to give a rat's ass about what he said, further proving that Prodigy isn't as relevant as he thinks he is.
and moving on to the other "Big News" item of the week....
Why do I not really even want to bring this up? If you don't know who that is, well, I'll just say it's a member of the Native Tongues, it's up to you to do a search if you haven't already heard the story.
Why am I not sure what to think of THAT? I'm a pretty open minded person, but damn. Whatever people want to do, as far as that kind of thing goes is cool with me, but damn. I'm not sure how I feel about a member of one of the greatest collectives in hip hop history wearing eye liner and lip gloss. There are other pictures of him out there as well that are....well let's just say pink isn't his color....I think. Let me say this though, he hasn't come out and said he's gay, which would be his prerogative and wouldn't change how I felt about the JB's music (which for the record, I've never been overly crazy about). I'm just kind of surprised someone would post those pictures on his own myspace page, especially when he is a "legend" in testosterone filled art form.
Why is it that Eminem news was kind of refreshing to hear this week? The first bit coming straight from DJ Premier himself in saying that he has produced at least one track on Em's up coming album. Hmmm, I could deal with the return of the old Em. I liked early Eminem (meaning first two albums) and haven't cared for new Eminem (last two albums). The second news gives even more promise of the resurrection of "Slim Shady" as numerous sources report that Eminem and Royce have squashed their long running beef. Can we get a Bad Meets Evil album finally?
Why do I find it hard to believe that Papoose murked Fat Joe? It'd be funny if that's the way it went down, but I doubt it.
Why do I think the new Roots single "Birthday Girl" is absolute trash? It's hideous and makes me want to stab my ears with rust nails. It's not an issue about them "selling out" or whatever some people have been trying to make out of it, it's just a horrible song. Whatever, I'll still probably buy the album, like I've done with every Roots album since "Organix".....And I hate fuckin' Fall Out Boy.....
Why, in my never ending quest to get a copy of "Below The Heavens", did it not surprise me to find out that it's no longer in print? Wonderful.....When I didn't have money and wanted to buy it, I couldn't find it anywhere close....Now that I do have the money, I can't even buy it online.
Why have I still not listened to that new Del album?
3/16/2008
Spins, Tracks, & Thoughts For The Week
2/11/2007
Requests & Re-Ups & the Week that was.....
I've been kind of lazy this week, well not completely lazy, but I haven't posted as much as I would like. Been a busy week, I have some other writing projects going on, school and calculus is kicking my ass (as usual), and one too many proverbial "sticks in the fire". Hopefully everything will pan out the way I want it to. I've also had a case of "blogger block" (is that a word?) and not really knowing what I want to do with this blog. I did line up WYDU's first interview ever, so be on the look out for that in the next couple of weeks. I won't say who it is just yet, I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but I'm excited to talk to these dudes (there's your hint, it's a group). That is hopefully a step in the right direction of where I want to go.
Lately, I've been on a big Soul/Funk/classic R&B/Jazz kick. I'm proud of my hip hop knowledge, but one area I'm solely lacking in is sample sources and the such. I've never DJ'ed and I toy around with production, but nothing very serious, so I've never gotten into some of the old classics. Growing up, my mom played some Coltrane, Gene Harris, Chuck Manigone and several others, so I do know some about them, but I just never got into the classics all that much. I'm slowly starting to change my ways.
Sites like ..And You Don't Stop and Souled On have helped immensely in helping me get my learn on. I've also been heavy in a couple albums Dan Love posted up on his blog "From Da Bricks", Ahmad Jamal's "The Awakening" and John Coltrane's "Blue Train". Not that I don't have enough to listen to already, but it's great putting on some of these songs/albums while doing some homework, or just while I'm chilling with my thoughts.
While going through Ohwords "This Week In Blogs", I ran across a link from the Crate Diggers, which we do have linked, but the link isn't working. Semantik posted up his list for the top 30 Greatest Hip Hop drum breaks and samples. If you have listened to Hip Hop for any amount of time, they should all be familiar to you, but personally, I didn't know the name to some of them, so I found this very useful. I do know enough to know there is a couple things missing that I would personally put in the list ("Apache" anyone?, "Today" by Tom Scott?), but still good for us amateur crate diggers. Fun to check out.
If anyone wants to share some albums or compilations that they think I would enjoy, by all means, I'm all ears, lace 'em up! I don't have a lot so more than likely I don't have it.
If you haven't checked out Bob James myspace page, it's a pretty good one, with a nice blog of artists that have sampled him. He doesn't always seem the most open to sampling, but still a nice read and nice to see some of the old farts stay up on the technology.
Trav's Top 5 Spins Of The Week
1. Juggaknots - Use Your Confusion
The love affair continues with this album. Every new week, I have a new favorite song from it. This week "Leon Phelps" is getting the spins. Only song I'm not really crazy about is "Strip Joint" and even that is growing on me. I really haven't enjoyed a new album as much as this one since Cunninlynguists "A Piece Of Strange" from last year about this time. If you haven't bought this album, you need to do so.
An interesting interview with the crew here.
2. Masta Ace's discography
My mp3 disk playing diskman is my ghetto Ipod. I recently made a disk with most of Ace's discography, including those Hits U Missed Volumes 3 & 4. That's been getting a lot of play. Getting amped up for the eMC release, hopefully this summer, be sure to be on the look out for that.
3. The Golden Era Of Hip Hop DJ K-Prince Disk 2
I found this little ditty on ..And You Don't Stop. A lot of the material on here is new to me, but this is the type of Hip Hop I LOVE. It does contain some early, early Keith Murray (Keefy Keef on here) and Craig Mack (when he was known as MC EZ) and a personal favorite of mine, "The Bronx Is Back", by Tall Dark & Handsome, which I had tracked down on Cocaine Blunts a couple of years ago. I highly suggest anyone who loves the first era of the Golden Age to go over and pick this up. The first disk contains a little more well known joints, but still pretty good as well
4. Supreme Nyborn - Style
Polarity told me to check it out if I could find it, so I went to the one source I was pretty sure would have it, Dread over at Bust The Facts. Sure enough, he came through for me. I've been playing this on a regular basis the past few weeks. Sounds like some early Ski production, who is a personal favorite of mine. I don't know how I slept on this album back in the day. It was on Next Plateau, so it should have been easy enough to find I would think.
5. J-Zone - In The Zone (A Schooklyn Zoo Compliation)
I'm a big J-Zone fan, always have been since I first heard him. Lord Vas over at Schooklyn Zoo laced up a bunch of his production from other artists and it put it in a nice little compilation that got some headphone time this week. I had some of this, but a few joints were new to me, plus it's nice to have it all in one place
WHY.....
Why does this new Blogger suck balls?
Why can't I stop playing Nas' "Can't Forget About You"?
Why is the rest of the album just so-so? (oh yeah, it's a Nas album)
Why can't everyone just shut up about Anna Nicole?
Why can't dudes just remind me about something on this blog instead of being dicks?
Why do I totally disagree with Jeff Weiss' 10 Best White MC's list?
Why have I never heard of "The Streets" on said list?
Why do I think Passion Of The Weiss is the best blog of it's type? (I've enjoyed reading all the past posts while being slow at work, probably another reason I haven't posted as much this week)
Why did it take me this long to get Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas?
Why didn't that game cause more of a social uproar. I'm not even black and I'm offended by some of the stereotypes presented in the game.
Album Time......
Grand Daddy I.U. - Smooth Assasian (Cold Chillin', 1991)
http://www.zshare.net/download/grand-daddy-i-u-rar.html
| 1. The U Is Smooth |
| 2. Pick Up The Pace |
| 3. Something New |
| 4. I Kick Ass |
| 5. Mass Destruction |
| 6. Gals Dem So Hot |
| 7. Girl In The Mall |
| 8. Kay Cee Is Nasty |
| 9. Nobody Move |
| 10. Dominos |
| 11. Behind Bars |
| 12. Soul Touch |
| 13. This Is A Recording |
| 14. Sugar Free |
| 15. Phuck 'em Up U |
| 16. Shout Outs |
Grand Daddy I.U. was part of the Cold Chillin' label roster back in the early 90's. This album is produced by Biz Markie, who a lot people sleep on as a producer. I have read some interviews though where I.U. said him and his brother did the majority of the production, but Biz got the credit for it. The album itself is on some smooth shit, which was recieved kind of luke warm when it dropped. He got a lot of comparision to Kane back in the day, which you can kind of see. His image on this first album was kind of the Smooth Gangster. He looked like a bad ass in the suit in tie, kind of the mafiaso flavor before it became big.
He did a track with Large Pro a couple of years ago and there was talk of him dropping another album, but I've never seen it.
King Tee - Act A Fool (Capitol, 1988)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=18UAAZV6
| 1. Act A Fool |
| 2. Ko Rock Stuff |
| 3. The Coolest |
| 4. Flirt |
| 5. Baggin' On Moms |
| 6. Bass (Remix) |
| 7. Let's Dance |
| 8. Guitar Playin' |
| 9. Payback's A Mutha |
| 10. Just Clowning |
| 11. I Got A Cold |
King Tee's classic debut album, complete with some of DJ Pooh's finest work.
Money Boss Players - Ghetto Chronicle Daily & Cop N Go EP (ALL ZIPPED TOGETHER, MISSING TWO INSTRUMENTALS FROM GCD)
http://sharebee.com/1ccb3396
