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I was in attendance at last year's rock the bells (shout out to Danny for the last minute ticket). All that you'd want in a hip hop show was on Randall's island...I guess. Supernatural hosted, freestyling his way through the hot summer weather to keep us entertained. There was the triumphant return of the Clan, as well as Rage. they also had Cypress, The Roots, J.M.T., Technique, the list goes on.
It was just too...strenuous in my opinion.
The heat, the swelling crowd, the standing and more standing, the volume as crazy as that it. You want the sounds to crank but after standing in front of a wall of 60 (I counted) speakers for 8 hours...too much for me. You damn near have train for it like a marathon.
After that I unofficially swore off concerts and vowed to never go to another Rock The Bells unless I was on the stage. I've pretty much done that...except for 2 very noteworthy experiences:
eMC & Kanye West.
I'll be honest (it's the best policy you know). I was gonna write about this a while ago. I'm just getting around to it. I should have made the time earlier because if Ace, Words, Punch and Stricklen are coming to your area...you owe to yourself to go see them tear it down. The energy is frenetic, their chemistry together is a sight in itself, there's choreography, concept tracks are acted out in front of your face, AND you'll get to hear some of their most memorable solo moments to boot (mine is Ace ripping crooklyn dodgers).
Be careful though.
I saw them in a spot called The Philadelphia Room (bet you can't guess where that is) and the venue is exactly as the name implies...a room. Therefore the stage isnt really elevated. Being in the front meant standing in the direct line of emcee fire. It's a good thing I've played a lot of fighting games in my time. I had to use all the dodging and parrying I learned in Street Fighter, Soul Caliber and Virtua Fighter to avoid the barrage of flying limbs and spittle. It was a Shaw Bros. flick set to hip hop music...great.
When all's said and done, eMC live up to the title of their LP. It's quite a show.
On the other end of the spectrum is Kanye West. One of the most loved and hated figures in hip hop today.
Kanye may not have an off switch for his mouth but that guy can sure as hell put on a show. I recently visited some friends in Nevada. Little did I know Reno was to be the place that would change my perception of what a concert could be.
Not that you guys don't know what happens already but I'll tell you: I covertly snuck and slid my way up front for 'Ye's set (it's a long story, I'll tell you sometime). The lights dropped and that stage lit up and told a story unlike any I'd seen in a rap concert before. The presentation was phenomenal. The energy throughout was phenomenal. A huge set, fire flares and lights and rising platforms, smoke and huge projection screens.
I can't speak for those unfortunate Bonnaroo people but my experience was life altering as an emcee. I enjoyed every second of it.
Actually...not every second. There was a drunk and (not) hot girl who fucked with me the WHOLE time. Grabbing my hands and screaming at me to "sing the song!" because she knew I knew it. Even on sentimental songs...like "Hey Mama" (which was similar to the award show reworking that we've all been touched by). Speaking of "Hey Mama" wtf was up with those mtv The Hills rejects behind me that insisted that it was "gay" for Kanye to take a moment to express his pain and celebrate his deceased mother in song? Some people think callous, narrow minded jokes are somehow hilarious. I guess 'cause you "went there".
Seriously dog...you're playin' yourself.
I could sit here and psychoanalyze those funny style types about that all day but anybody with a shred of human decency can see how that's fucked up even if you don't dig the man's antics.
Grow up dickface.
He ended the extravaganza with a serious bang and a motivational speech that left us all swooning. The lights came up and it was like leaving a great movie. As me and my graduating class walked out of the venue and back into our regular lives we were given souvenirs to remember the night by...complimentary copies of "Thank You and You're Welcome". We just oughta had got copies as much as the tickets cost, word.
I would highly recommend this show as well. It'll make you wanna rock a stadium like B.I.G. said in The Show.
It took me awhile to get the second part of this. It was originally scheduled to go up over the weekend, but no dice. Then the last two weeks I planned on getting up, but MLB All-Star festivities on TV put a damper on that, including the five plus hour All-Star game last night. Oh well, you should be out enjoying the summer weather instead of reading this damn blog anyway. Speaking of which, I'm off to my old stomping grounds of Denver, Colorado this weekend (Fri-Mon), so I doubt you'll see much of me this weekend and if you do, it'll probably be in a drunken state. I love summer.
Back to the list, in case you missed 11-20, this is what you missed
11 Raashan Ahmad – The Push 12 Kids In The Hall – The In Crowd 13 Ill Poetic – Joe Budden Meets Portishead Mood Musik 14 Jean Grae – The Jeanius 15 One Be Lo – The R.E.B.I.R.T.H 16 Akrobatik – Absolute Value 17 All Natural – Elements 18 Substantial – Sacrifice 19 Weapon X – Portrait Of a Starvin Artist 20 The Camp – The Campaign
As I've said before, this were MY personal favorites of the first half of the year, so while you are more than welcome to drop your input, arguing with me much is probably going to be futile, since it's my opinion we are talking about here. No, there is no Immortal Technique, which wasn't horrible, but I didn't listen to it until after July 1st, no Nas, which again, I don't think I listened to until after July 1st, but I doubt that it would make the list if I had. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Nas has no concept of what a good beat is even if it bit him on the ass. All these albums are albums I can listen to from front to back and the top seven especially are complete albums that are solid in all areas. You may agree with me on these, you may not. You may find something you haven't heard yet, and truly, that is the reason I'm doing this, hopefully to turn you all on to something you might have missed. Here we go, the top 10.....
Top 20 Albums for the First Half of 2008: 1-10
10. Archetype- Unfolding Sounds Like: It's kind of difficult to put a "sound" on this duo, coming out of Kansas, they sound like Atmosphere crossed with some Living Legends. Or not....
Summary: This might be cheating in some sense. For those of you that haven't been around WYDU for any length of time, Archetype's U.S. label submitted their Bleed For Them, album for review purposes last year and I simply fell in love with that album. Not a knock on anyone who sent me music, but Bleed For Them is my favorite music I've ever recieved for review purposes. It was a great album with melodic beats provided by Nezbeat and strong lyrics from iD. Unfolding is basically Bleed For Them, packaged for overseas, most notably Japan. It is armed with seven new songs (so half the album is new), four of which are as equally dope or more so than anything found on Bleed For Them. Only reason this probably isn't higher is that half of the album has been getting play since September of last year, not bad for a couple kids from Kansas.
Favorite Tracks: (Of the new tracks) "Blocked Up", "Unfolding", "Live It Up"
9. Guilty Simpson - Ode To The Ghetto Sounds Like: That slowly defining Detroit sound, commonly attributed to J-Dilla and passed on to Black Milk. Lyrically and vocally, Guilty reminds me of Beanie Seigel.
Summary: At first I was rather disappointed with this album. Not in the way I'm disappointed with the new Nas album, but in a way I expected a near classic from Guilty Simpson after the Stray Bullets mixtape and the success of Detroit artists of late. While I didn't dislike it, I guess I expected more. Over the past few months though, this album has steadily grown on me, including a drunken birthday weekend, in which we cruised around in my man's Mustang from place to place, blasting my newly purchased Ode To The Ghetto CD. I love the sound of this album, sparse, hard as fuck beats and ruff-n-rugged rhymes from Guilty. Shit, I even dig the Madlib tracks, and I'm not a big Madlib fan. I think I have to say Detroit is my favorite locale for music as of late.
Favorite Tracks:"Pigs", "I Must Love You", "My Moment"
8. Little Brother - And Justus For All
Sounds Like: If you don't know who Little Brother is, you probably shouldn't be reading this blog. Add traditional North sounds (Native Tongue) crossed with the swagger of the South.
Summary: Yes, this dropped last year as well, but this version of And Justus For All is the trimmed down version with a handful of new songs. I was pretty vocal with my dislike of The Get Back, last year, mainly because I consider LB one of my favorite groups. It's true that they seem to make better mixtapes than albums (the two Chitlin' Circuits shit on anything in their catalog not named The Listening) and this is an example of that. I enjoy this album more than anything found on The Get Back, LB is that shit, fuck what anyone else might think. Plus, I've used Phonte's opening line on "Life Of The Party", so much I should be giving him royalties (of course I change it to blogger, which makes it even worse....haha "Girl, whatcha mean you don't recognize me? I'm only the biggest blogger star in your apartment complex...")
7. Shawn Jackson - First Of All.... Sounds Like: Reminds me of a Murs of sorts...strong lyrical MC
Summary: One of the surprising "out of nowhere" albums, Shawn Jackson'sFirst Of All did catch some fire among the bloggers, such as my cohorts Eric of When They Reminisce and the one who first start pushing his music, Dart Adams of Poisonous Paragraphs. This album is a pure, solid and cohesive project that comes with thirteen quality tracks. Everything on this album is up to par, the lyrics, the hooks, the beats, they are all combine to make a great album that will undoubtedly gain more momentum and could very well be this year's Below The Heavens. If you haven't heard this album yet, you need it in your life...
Favorite Tracks:"Fix Ya Face", "Feelin' Jack", "Gold Medal Kids"
6. Pacewon & Mr. Green - The Only Color That Matters is Green Sounds Like: Back in the day hardcore east coast hip hop....
Summary: I'll probably always be biased toward the artists that I grew up on when they drop a quality album. That's the case with Pacewon and his new producer, Mr. Green. I was a hardcore Outsidaz fan from back in the day and have always picked up anything with Pacewon's name on it. "The Only Color That Matters...", is one of those albums that I probably favor more due to Pace's "back in the day" ties, but don't let that fool you. Mr. Green brings a sound that....it's hard to put my finger on, but it's a sound that I've always liked. That's saying, it's nothing ground breaking, nothing that hasn't been heard before, he just takes a sound and does it to the best of his ability. A rugged sound with lots of strings and dusty drums combine to offer the PERFECT backdrop for Pace to drop his raw, yet smooth, rhymes. Trying to find this album on CD is kind of a bitch, but you can order one from Mr. Green'smyspace page
5. Dagha - The Divorce Sounds Like: A lot like his label mate, Dooley O....
Summary: In what could very well go down as the most creative album of the year, Dagha dropped The Divorce, in which is about what it sounds like, a shitty divorce. Now, I've never been through a divorce, but any man who has been through a break-up after a long term relationship can relate as well. Dagha raps for a whole album about, what I'm assuming, his divorce. Without sounding whiny or turning it into a long bitch session, Dagha brings a cohesive album that flows together quite nicely. The beats are on point and the story telling style of Dagha makes this album a fav of mine this year (obviously).
Sounds Like: quality underground/backpacker (I hate that term), maybe Grouch? I'm not sure I have a good comparison.
Summary: I absolutely LOVE Grip Grand'sBrokelore album. I could listen to this album every day for the rest of the year and be okay with that. I wasn't familiar Grip Grand until about April, when in the same day, two people who's opinions I value and also know my tastes said I had to check out the album. Eric from WTR and my homie Scholar from Souled On both told me I needed to check this album out. I've been bumping it since then. There is only one track that I don't care for ("Handle That"), the rest are all great tracks. The beauty of the album is there is a lot of variety in the terms of subject matter and sounds, yet it still comes in as a cohesive album. Grip has everything from straight up braggadocio hip hop, to dissing himself, he talks on the social ills, to braggin' about "Poppin' Pockets". He has two classic guest apperances in the form of Percee P and A.G., but he is more than capable of handling the rest of the album on his own. I can't brag about this album enough. If you are someone that has similar tastes as me in the past, then this album is a must.
Favorite Tracks: It's hard to pick three, but right now, I'd say "But Anyway", "Love/Drama", "Remember The Time".
3. Atmosphere - When Live Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold
Sounds Like: Lil Wayne meets Master P
Summary: After putting on one of the most interesting promotional pre-album release events ever seen, Slug and Ant delivered on the goods, with When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold, which might be the best since Lucy Ford, if not of all their catalog. It's a different sound for them, in some ways, Ant has returned back to his earlier sound. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like or not, but after hearing the project as a whole, I've grown to really get down with this album. It's a more mature Atmosphere, as Sean delivers a loosely themed album, talking about the common man's struggle. I can see this dropping a few slots as the replay value isn't as strong as some of the albums behind it, but still, this is a great album for established Atmosphere fans and I've already heard of heads who weren't fans of them before this get on board.
Favorite Tracks:"Puppets", "You", "Me" 2. Nicolay & Kay - Time Line
Sounds Like:Nicolay has his own sound for sure....as a whole, this album is similar in feel to the Phonte and NicolayConnected project.
Summary:Nic & Kay hooked up to drop an early gem on us back in February. I've been playing Time Line since then. I know Kay got some knocks on not being the best MC, but truthfully, I've never had a problem with his MC skills. The beats on this album or amazing, as Nic comes with an interesting sound that matches the albums theme perfectly. The album starts with "birth", goes through a life cycle, with the music fitting each theme, and goes to the death. It's one of those albums that should be listened to as a whole, but nothing wrong with spending a solid 45 minutes with quality hip hop.
Favorite Tracks:"Tight Eyes", "Blizzard", "I've Seen Rivers"
1. eMC - The Show
Sounds Like: Good Hip Hop Music
Summary: Did you really think I'd have anything but The Show? Yes, I'm a border line Ace stan, but that doesn't mean that this doesn't deserve the number one slot. Words, Punch, Strick also show up with Ace to deliver an album that is a well constructed concept album (what did you expect from Ace?. The came with some great beats and work their magic lyrically, as they take you through a day of eMC starting with getting picked up in the airport to the after party. Yes, it could have been cut down by about 15 minutes, yes, a couple beats were lacking and yes, a couple hooks could have been better, but they still bring the heat, that you can ignore that.
Honorable Mentions: Albums that were on my radar, and are worth checking out, but didn't quite make the list...
Presto - State of the Art Astonish – From Now Until Forever The Roots – Rising Down Prolyphic & Reanimator – The Ugly Truth Yameen – Never Knows Best J-Live – Then What Happened Foul Mouth Jerk – Street Light music Lazerus Jackson – Filthy Prodigy – HNIC 2 Praverb – Center Of Attention Tha 4rce – Mind The Gap Anthems Silent Knight - Restoration Braile – The IV Craig G – Operation Take Hip Hop BackTrav Williams – The Trickle Down
It's time again for one of my bi monthly hip hop charts return. I'm really trying to keep with all the music dropping lately. I can't say hip hop is as good as it used to be, but there is a lot of "good" music out there, more than I can my tabs on. While there is a lot of "good" music out there, I've been stuck in some of my favorite albums of late. Sometimes I get stuck on certain albums, just because I don't feel like trying to digest something new. Ahhh the life of a hip hop head.....
Abdominal comes to me from my T.Dot connections. I remember this album from last year, but I'm not sure if I ever listened to it or not. I suppose I should pull it out and see if the rest of the album is good as this track. The subject matter is not your traditional hip hop fare, but it sounds good. The beat is done by Ugly Duckling's Einstein, who I've always been a fan of.
Father Jah is one of those multi dimensional cats from the south. His music contains a little bit of everything, from the dirty south style, to straight up battle rap, to an almost NC sound. While I'm not as crazy about him as my man A-One, I do think the cat has extreme talent, although he might not always be my thing. This song, "5 Fingers" is my type of thing. Jah does his thing lyrically, as he flows along with a hard edged track that has a great electric guitar sample.
I've grown pretty tired of the whole "soul" sample movement, just because everyone and their dog is doing it. There are still some good "soul" productions out there, and this happens to be one of them. Rashid Hadee is one of those cats I keep waiting for to "blow up" on the underground scene, but just hasn't gotten over that hump as of yet. Analogic is a producer that keeps gettting his name out there and sounds good everytime I've heard one of his beats. This track is just a great combination of both artists strengths.
My man Stinke aka Yameen has dropped an album that I would totally expect not too like, yet I've given it more than just a few spins this past week. I guess my older age has expanded my musical tastes a little more. With Maylay Sparks on the mic, it was the song that grabbed my attention before even listening to it. Maylay was down with Ill Advised back in the day, a group that I'm always on the look out for more music. This is something different, and that's something I've been bitching about a lot lately, nothing is "different". This is "different".
WYDU's on SoulClap graces the countdown with his rhyming partner, Tony Tigerstyle and special guest, Punchline on "Dedicated to the B's". I ain't going to lie, I begged Clap for an mp3 of this track when I first heard it a couple months ago. Clap is at his best here and Tony does his thing as well. Very smooth track, that should be in the top 100 at the end of the year. If this didn't make the album, then I can't wait to see what did.
My man Names from Brews Rhymes With Crews put me on to this cat, and it's a good thing. I have to admit, this particular song sounds more like an Aloe Blacc track from his last album than anything else. That is alright by me, since I've always dug Aloe Blacc solo or as part of Emanon. Good track for those are into the light, mellow sounds of "adult contemporary" hip hop.
Basic Weaponary is my man Weapon X and his partner Basic. I'm a sucka for songs with angelic strings, and that's exactly what this song has. They are crazy. The track actually reminds me a lot of something you'd hear from Jedi Mind Tricks, with that gruff tone and flow. They both hold their own on the mic, thankfully, but the beat is the highlight for me, and that's not taking anything away from Weapon X and Basic.
Has & Small Pro might as well become official spokesmen for this blog, or they should just hire me for their promotion team. I'm sure you'll see more from both of these Philly cats in the very near future on WYDU. I'm not thru trying to convince my readers that both of these cats deserve the their valuable iPod space. Small Pro turns what was probably my least favorite from the original conception of "Fuck Has Day" and turns it into my favorite track found on the "Remixed But Still Fucked" version. Stay tuned, more to come from these two.
I'm still playing this album almost four months after it was released in retail, and five months after the "leak". I guess this album is just that good, or this year is that boring, or maybe a little of both, but my plays resurged after they released "Leak It Out" as a single. It was already one of my favorite tracks from The Show, but with a video, it made it come back some. Now if I could just figure out who the EXTREMELY hot chick is on their myspace default photo, I could die a happy man. eMC
2. ST - Miss Beautiful
Myspace is good for something after all. Last week a group from Alabama of all places requested me as a friend. I don't really turn anyone down, because really, why is that big of a deal? But I check their music just to see what it's like. When I went to ST's (pronounced Esss Teee), Miss Beautiful was the track playing and it immediately grabbed my attention. So much so, I went and bought the track off of their snocap store....and I don't do that if it isn't the Smile Rays or K-Def. I'm not going to say this is on some "next shit", cause it's not. It's just good music and I'm a-ok with that.
I was a HUGE Outsidaz fan back in the day, with Young Zee and Pacewon being my two favorite members. I've enjoyed Pace's solo material, although besides a couple 12 inches, not a lot of it made much noise. I'm hoping that changes with the release of his colabo album with Mr. Green. Yes, we've probably had our fair share of "hip hop" is great and reminiscing type of songs, but if it's good, it's good and this is....well, it's great.
I think everybody knows that Trav and me are the biggest Masta Ace fans. I know he will write something about it too! I originally didn't want to post anything about it this soon, but since it's already all over the internet, I think it's OK. So here is my version! It is so special to me, so it might take a while. But please read it till the end! I was anticipating this album since 05, I guess. I remember that Chat with Strick on mastaace.com, or was it the chat with Ace? I can't remember which one came first... One of them told us about the eMC album. Masta Ace is my favorite MC since I copped Disposable arts, which was my favorite album of all time till now. I remember in 2004, 2 months before A long hot summer came out, Ace and Strick did a show in my hometown, that was one of the best experiences in my life! Edo.G was there too and they performed a track together. That was the point were I decided to cop everything of Ace that I can get. Online stores and ebay helped me out on that, I think I got about 50 records on wax now, but I still don't have everything, since my budget is very limited.
So enough of the sensitive pre-talk, I was out playing pool with a girl, and on my way home, I got a text message from my boy Eric (biggest MA fan besides Trav and me) saying: "Wake up, I got the whole album!" You need to know, he sent me a link before, the same day, where you could listen to "Traffic" the track with Little brother, we were both hyped to hear a new joint... but now it was serious. Back home I directly went online and asked where he got it from... I was really, really pissed that it has been leaked. I kinda felt like it happened to me, like it was my album, lol, I was REALLY mad. But anyway, I downloaded it too, I didn't know if I should listen to it or just leave it on my laptop till i can cop it. The download was really slow, so i had some time to think about it. I felt bad that I downloaded it, but then I thought, I will buy 4 copies anyway, so why shouldn't I listen to it now, I waited long enough. You need to know, I will buy a copy on cd for the car, and 3 on wax. One to put it in a frame for my Masta Ace wall, one to listen to, and one to keep it wrapped in plastic. That's what I will do. So when the download finished, I took a deep breath! I went to the fridge and grabbed a cold beer. I grabbed my headphones too and plugged em in the laptop. I sat down on my couch, opened the beer, took another deep breath, and pressed play.
Who We Be I started to smile! I knew that beat, they played it in a video, where they showed how they were in the studio with Sean P. It was on youtube. Goosebumps! "Tellin you who we be E-M-C" Great introduction of everybody. A perfect track to start of an album! I don't know the production credits, but I guess the first track is a frequency beat. It's a concept album again, they have 7 skits that connect the tracks perfectly. Air port, check in, radio station, backstage, it's about life on tour. I will leave out the skits, you need to listen to them, really funny stuff!
Leak It Out
Funny that they got a track on it called Leak it out, haha. First thing I did, I laughed, loud, I did that in the beginning of every track cause I realized, the beat is dope, and if the beat is dope the track will be dope anyway, cause the lyrics are alwas hot. The sample sounds familiar, but I'm not telling which one it is. Strick: "Us not selling is like The Game not dropping a name" The hook is kinda like cuts, just without scratching, sounds weird, but is hot!
Traffic
That's the track with Little Brother, I'm sure this is the 9th Wonder beat. It's really melodic, Ace, Punch, Phonte and Pooh are rapping on it. I realize again that Punch is just dope as hell. You can't sleep on him, his lines are crazy and he got some of the funniest Punchlines, he ain't got his name for nothing. LB are rhyming great too, dope storytelling. They are telling about driving around and what's happening. They got a show in the evening and Little Brother join em. "Ace called me up, 'bout a week ago, told me 'come to NY' cause he havin a show, so I put Tay on the plan, the week went pass, filled up the whip with gas, let's ride!" Dope!!!
Say Now
Starts with a calm soul sample, but then when the drums hit, you realize it's a hype joint. I'd bet it's an Illmind joint, sounds totally like him! Strick: "My name's Sricklin yeah I do my thing on the track and I'ma hit without swingin a bat, without the chains and the rings that bling blingin is wack" AMEN! Grown man BI. It's kinda the same theme like "Say something" by Kweli, just way doper! Punch: " Not a bartender but still give you a shot, get drunk take a piss right in front of the cops" At this moment it feels kinda magic, I must be in heaven, that's 4 incredible dope tracks in a row, not dope i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e!
Don't Give Up On Us
The beat starts kinda weird, not bad, but unorthodox. I bet it's a Koolade beat. I'm totally feeling this. Really mellow. Lyrics are so on point! I think the title already explains itself. It's about relationships. Explaining different situations that you go through when you are in a relationship.
Git Some
B-Side of What it stand for, so no surprise. The beat is crazy, there are so many different sounds and effects in it, it's super weird but super dope at the same time. Plus it contains my favorite line of 07! Punch:"Like Magic, you say you ill but I don't see it" I love basketball lines! You can't go wrong with em, I detected some on this album. Sean P is a dope guest, his verse is hilarious. "Paul Orndorff, Mister Wonderful rap shit, Taekwondo flow, off the wall I backflip" Tight!
We Alright
Feat Strickie Love, lol, that is the name for Strick as a singer, he does a great job on that! This is one of my very favs. Great track idea. Every line Starts with "What it feel like" sung by strick. It's about positive and negative aspects that you can experience. Strick totally hit me with the lines "What it feel like... when it's final exams and you cram cause you aint prepared like you should, What it feel like... then you walk across the stage cause you graduated and you know it's all good" The beat is super melodic and laid back, it's a Frequency joint! This man is just dope! Words with another basketball line (i have to quote it) "What it feel like... three seconds on the clock when you make the final shot and you won the game" eMC definitely won with this track!
What It Stand For
Ok, y'all know this track, it was perfect as the first single, cause they needed to make clear what eMC stands for, so people would stop asking, haha. The line that was stuck from the beginning is "experts makin classics, cop 2 keep 1 wraped in plastic" by Punch, but the whole track is really cathchy, you know it by heart pretty quick. Words impressed me once again on this track: ".. cause we Masta of the Words on this music tip, kept the Punchlines tight cause the rules is Strick(t)" Dopeness. Plus it's a really surprising Nicolay beat, when I heard that track for the first time at a show, I thought it might be a Marco Polo beat or something...
The Grudge
This beat is crazy!!! Ayatollah made it. It starts like this: Ace: "When i was 9 years old I realized there was a goal, to make it back home, without my stuff getting stole" The beat is kinda dark, but not really, it's hard to explain, I love it. Cool samples. The beginning is crazy, there is an original soul track playing for a few seconds, pretty happy and then the beat hits you with the first kick like BOOOOM. Hard to explain. Hot as hell! There are many funny gimmicks in the track, voice samples, weird noises, lol, you will hear it when you cop it! It's groing on me from time to time, dope dope dope!!!
Make it better
Oh wow! That beat! I really have no guessing who made it. There is a weird noise in the background... The bass is so fat, it hits you and gives you a slight massage. the melodie is crazy, some kind of chimes and some other stuff, like orchestral sounds, wow! The hook is sung by a girl, really high voice, but totally dope. "We can make it better if we try to come together" The lyrics are f'in genius! Ace: "Another suicide mission what he sent us on, cause he lied about the plane hitting the pentagon, another soldier in iraq, then he panics, he's dead on the ground with other black and hispanics, dying for a country in a world where is no peace, while back home his brother got shot by the police"
Winds Of Change
Classic! was my first thought! Ace starts the track with the lines: "I love rap music, I spit it from the heart, I did it a lot of years, been in it from the start" and then "The more things change it seems the more they stay the same" and then Punch comes in "From MJ to Usher from Heav' D to Bonecrusher, Hip Hop culture new school to old lovers, Soulbrothers, James Brown to Pete Rock..." WOW! That track is hypnotizing, you are tensed and wanna soak in every single word! There are som many lines I could quote, but I won't, cause you need to hear it yourself. Words part is ill!!! Strick too. Damn, that track is so perfect.
The Show
This might be my least favorite track, but it's growing on me. I'd say it's a Madlib beat, it's pretty fast and hectic, not melodic. But it fits the theme. It describes the hours before the show, what they are doing, how hectic things are, dope storytelling. Damn, now that I listen to it again, there ain't no least favorite track... Dopeness! Damn, how could I not like it when I heard it first? Ladybug Mecca did the hook, really nice, fits perfectly!
Borrow U
The beat comes in really nice. I'd say it's a Koolade Beat, he always has this synthie sounds that he perfectly fits in, this man is a real musician! It features Stricke Love again, who sings the hook, Strick really does a good job on that. It's like a groupie track, but with style, no simple pimp stlyes, more like high class style. "I just wanna hang out tonight, tryina see what you about tonight, tell your man you'll be right back home, you bout to chill for a minute with me, I wanna borrow U" Hot!
Once More
I don't even need to guess who made the beat, this is a Marco Polo beat. You can totally hear that. I heard that track at a show in dec. 06. I immediately liked it. The beat is pretty dark with the piano. Basically an eMC representer track. Simple and dope! "Once more for a chosen few, we came here to do what we supposed to do, spread the word and be tellin a friend, yellin out and you yell it again, once more"
U let me grow
This is one of the most intense tracks ever. It starts with a live intro, where Strick is telling that they did a song about their mothers. And shortly after doing the record his mum passed away and never got to hear the record, then Ace tells that one month later his mom passed away too, without hearing it. The beat is crazy melodic and atmospheric. When you think about the background that you heard in the intro and listen to the lyrics, it almost makes you cry, no shit! It's so intense! The intro and the beginning of the beat make this track perfect. You couldn't have done it better! So call your moms and tell her that you love her. You never know what can happen.
Feel It
The sample on this track sounds kinda familiar. But I have no clue where I heard it. Nooooooooooooo! lol, I just found out where I heard it, it's incredible, I made a beat with that sample 4 days ago, and it sounds pretty much the same... I can throw it away now, hahaha. So Trav, now you know what I talked about when I said that I know that sample. The hook is sung by Money Harm, I heard him before, but I don't know where. (No, not on my track, lol) Perfect track to end this album! Just dope!
You can hear some funny outtakes in the end, which is a real cool idea, too.
So all in all, this album is all I ever wanted, if I died tomorrow, I could die peacefully... If there was a word for what's beyond classic, this album deserved it. I mean, i expected the best album of all time, but when you expect that, the chances of being disappointed are pretty high, but I was even positively surprised. I mean, the album is brand new, I listened to it like 7 times the last 2 days, but I can already say that, there is no chance that it will fall off, I already noticed it's still growing on me. Like growing beyond perfect. I never thought there will be an album that good. I mean, I can't wait to really have the album in my hands, with the cover, a nice booklet and everything. Now let me tell you something, if you downloaded it, and you won't buy it, I will personally knock at your door and kick your hairy butt! And if you didn't download it and don't plan on buying it, I will at least give you a running slap on it. So better buy it, I think you actually should buy 2. These guys deserve it.
There has been a lot said over the state of Hip-Hop lately. Those of us that were around since the '80's are getting up there in age and don't necessarily agree with the direction the art form is taking. Some of the younger kids view us as old and out of touch with what is happening in the music today. It happens in all forms of music, it happened in Jazz, it happened in Rock and its happening in Hip-Hop now. I think its natural for a form of music to grow and develop over its existence. In fact I think you have to have evolution for a form of music to exist as more than a passing fad. An art form will become stale if it never "grows". With that being said, if you venture to far from what the art form "originally" was, then I think you lose the true essence that the art form contained.
One of the most interesting views on this subject that I have read came in the form of the liner notes from People Under The Stairs 2002 release "O.S.T.".
In a world of swirling disevolution, it's nice to know some things never change. This music and its culture, out culture, is older than most of us who carry its torch. Thus, one must question "progression" when it seems to be taking us farther and farther away from the point. Some things are so fundamental to an art form that true-schoolisms, they are the very rules by which we define our music. Sampling is not "old school", it is our medium; as a sculptor uses clay, or a painter uses paint, we use old records to make our music. Lyrics don't necessarily have to be anything. Diamond D still goes on and on like popcorn and it's still classic. Scratching, no matter how fast or turntablist, still sounds best easy and on beat. The rules never change. Thus , we present to you another album, just like the first two: not old school or mid school or underground or breakbeat or true school. Just good old hip hop.
Somewhere along the way it seems most critics decided that just making Hip Hop was not good enough, and praises were hailed upon those who were "experimental" and "progressive". Yet while everyone spun out towards the fringe, a void was created in the center; a timeless origin where dope beats and rhymes are simply good enough. As major artists traded in their DJ's and turntables for backing bands and backup singers, underground hip hop became a symbol of suburban rebellion across the internet. Our hip hop became sterile, timid and tired, weird, conscious, light, sassy, scientific, vegetarian, teenage angst ridden, or whatever - pick your cliche. It rarely is just for the sake of being. We seem to have gone from the Boom Bip to squigadammmm yoink chomp, and worse yet, many of us are patting ourselves on the back for it. It seems that in the infinite pursuit of progression, some have forgotten to acknowledge the past.
There is a third paragraph that I'll just leave out, since its more about the album and not relevant to this discussion. When I first read this, I was in my "Rap Sucks" mode, so at that time I probably agreed with it much more than I do now. I guess I'm split on my feelings of this issue and what PUTS feelings on it are.
On one side, I very much agree with the the thought that hip-hop has certain aspects that just make it hip hop and you can NOT lose those. Just because something is progressive does not always automatically make it good. I see way too many people with that train of thought. There is certain aspects that make something hip-hop. The further the artists get away from that, the more hip hop loses it's identity. You do need to keep those basic elements.
A few years ago, I was adamant about Hip-Hop staying real. I was almost disillusioned by the fact that I hated what was happening to the music that I loved so much. These days, I'm more open to the fact that shit changes, and it has to in order to survive. I enjoy originality when its done right, I want to hear something progressive. I don't think its healthy if shit stays the same from 1993. I think you need the Roots (I almost got the feeling that part of this was aimed at them for some reason) to bring the live stuff to table. They weren't the first ones to use live instrumentation in Hip-Hop.
I'm getting too preachy and nerdy, so I'll end at that, but I'm interested in hearing what others think. We will never solve anything, the music is what it is right now. We can stay dreaming of the "good old days", but I don't think its healthy to be stuck there. Everyone has their own opinion on the state of the music, but thats exactly what it is, an opinion, people need to remember that.
Change Is In The Air
And I'm not talking about the impending Autumn season coming either. My man Chris and I are fooling around with some ideas for a new design. WYDU will be two years old this coming October and I don't know about all you, but I'm getting kind of bored with the design. It was great while it lasted, but every now and then you just have to change things around. No set date on when we'll unleash the new flavor, probably when ever we get it to where we like it.
Also, I got some other different things up my sleeve in the coming months a long with one monster project that, if it turns out the way I want, could be classic. I also would entertain having someone who is SERIOUS about contributing (no, thats not a dis to any of my current partners, although I haven't heard from phatsoul in ages and Polarity is busy making his skrilla which I can't blame and I know Clap has more than enough on his plate as well right now). If you actually read all the way to this point, then you are probably the type of person I'd be looking for. I'd prefer someone that is familiar with the site obviously and I've had some kind of communication with in the past. I'm not dead set on getting someone else, but if the right person indicated they'd be interested, I'd definitely think about it.
As far as this week is concerned, expect a hefty week. I got all kinds of things lined up (fingers crossed, every time I usually say that, it bites me in the ass), so be sure to check in. After a week of the block, I've have more than enough ideas to get my revitalized once again.
Wu-Tang Interview http://www.bodog.tv/media/wu-tang-epk# This is rather interesting to say the least. It goes about 21 minutes and they cover everything from the loss of ODB to how well they work together to their legacy in the hip hop game and even a little blurb on the upcoming album "The 8 Diagrams", which honestly I wasn't believing until this. Some interesting things; Meth looks mad high and still demonstrates why he is still the most charismatic member of the bunch, RZA says some shit that you are waiting for him to say "No homo" after (something about the Wu doing Gang Bangs) and GZA spends half the time looking at RZA like "What the fuck you just say" and rolling his eyes at him. They mention having different producers on this project, not just RZA and other Wu affliated members. Easy Moe Bee and DJ Scratch were the two that stick in my mind, but there were others as well. GZA throws a little barb at G-Unit and they mention that Ghost was almost not on this. U God makes an appearance and acts like nothing ever happened between him and RZA.....so be it.
Trav's Top Spins For The Week
1. Storm Davis - Kegstand Poetry For The Recovering Alcoholic
Yeah, I slept on this for long enough. I wouldn't say this is the greatest album ever but I don't care, I'm really enjoying this album currently. More and more songs are growing on me, so if I can listen to an album for more than a few songs, to me thats a good album and despite being 20 joints long, there is enough quality on this for me play it pretty much all the way through without skipping.
2. Junk Science - Feeding Einstein This, like the Storm Davis, has been out for awhile, with this project dropping in 2005. And like the Storm Davis, there are more and more songs on this growing on me. And like the above album, some might write off as "nerd rap", but I like it, so I could care less what anyone says. I like it so thats all that really matters to me. Maybe there is some hope for NY after all.
3. Blue Scholars - Bayani No, still not tired of this album which I would almost consider calling the best album of the year so far. Beats and rhymes are in check. This is some quality ish.
4. Blu & Exile - Below The Heavens I'd officially call myself an Exile fan now with last years "Dirty Science" making my top 5 and now this album. As I said last week there are some REAL weak spots, but also some GREAT stuff on here as well.
5. Redman Discography (meaning mainly "Whut" and "Dare...") Every once in a while I need my dose of the sloppy, stankin' funk and what better to get it than to pull out those two albums and dream of the days Red was the shit.
WHY???? Why haven't you heard the new eMC track yet? If you haven't, check it out now
Why do I like this Chamillionare track so damn much? Maybe its because Rickey D is on it with him. Props to Chamillionare for keeping the originators in the game. The Video is pretty dope as well. Check the track out.
Why am I getting excited for this Little Brother joint even though 9th isn't on it? Actually I think it'll be even better without 9th, Check "Good Clothes" out if you haven't heard it yet
Why has Primo been KILLIN' it lately, he even makes the NYG'Z sound good with their track "Ur Dayz R #'d"
Why do I kind of like this joint by Pittsburgh MC Charon Don and DJ Huggy, better known as Hands Down? This type of join isn't normally my thing, but hell, man can't survive off of underground hip-hop alone and this shit would sound great up in the club. CHeck out "Up In Here"
Why do I think I should really like Skyzoo, but the fact is he just puts me to sleep?
Why do I despise Akon so damn much, anytime I hear him I vomit a little bit in my mouth.
Why is that "Beautiful Girls" song just as annoying itself. Radio music really sucks, I need to fix my CD player in my car or just buy a new one.
Why, speaking of shitty radio music, does this summer suck so bad for it. At least year we had "Crazy" or that Young Joc song that was at least listenable and didn't.
Why is it every time I start respecting Kayne as a musician, he goes and opens his mouth and says some stupid shit. This time, he says "I'll rip any mc out there that's really how I feel. Wayne, close your ears. I'll rip everybody out there, discluding Wayne." Give me break, those two could compete for being the worse MC maybe. Get over self Kayne. He won't get any of my dough just because he is an arrogant ass.
Why did I nearly toss a book through the TV last night when I was watching some dude blaming Hip Hop and the culture for the the popularity of dog fighting. He goes on to use DMX as an example. Excuse me, DMX? Has he been relevant in hip hop this decade? Give me a break.
Why when I watched videos of dog fights, did it make me want to throw the book even more at Vick. That was some sick shit.
Why did I laugh my ass when Pimp C from UGK called out one of those "Lil'" rapppers a metrosexual? I'm fairly comfortable in my sexuality, but no way in hell am I kissing another dude, I don't care if its the cheek or whatnot, shit ain't right.
I forgot who wanted this and I apologize to whoever it was, because I kept forgetting to look for my copy. I bought both this one and the release that came out after this one. Well one was so shitty that I ended up getting rid of it and I never sell my CD's, but I did that one, that's how bad it was. Well "Raw Deluxe" wasn't the bad one and I still had it in my collection. Its not great by any means, but the "How Ya Want It We Got It" Native Tongues Remix with De La is worth downloading this album.
5. This Is Love - Kenny Vaughan And The Art Of Love
6. I Can't Do Nothing For You, Man! - Flavor Flav
7. Fun House - Kid 'N Play
8. To Da Break Of Dawn - L.L. Cool J/Marley Marl
9. Kid Vs Play (The Battle) - Kid 'N Play
10. Surely - Arts & Crafts
11. I Ain't Going Out Like That - Zan
I won't lie, I dug this shit. And I hated most R&B back when this came out. I was down with "Why You Get Funky On Me" by Today (Big Bub was that dude) and some of the other R&B stuff that is found on here. That along with the fact that at the time this was the first time I heard both "To Da Break Of Dawn" and "I Can't Do Nuthin' For You Man" (they showed up on here before their respective albums) then throw on "The Battle" with Kid 'N Play doing their battle that was done in the movie and you have a fairly entertaining soundtrack. I just about wanted to do the kick step listening to this just now. Bobby Jimmy - Hip Hop Prankster(Priority Music, 1990)
1
Hair Or Weave (4:30)
2
Somebody Farted (4:28)
3
Rap Dirty (4:47)
4
You Pissed Me Off (3:55)
5
Close The Door (You're Letting Flies In) (4:41)
6
Prankster Prankster (4:27)
7
Is She Really Going Out With Him (5:06)
8
Gimme Some Bottom (5:05)
9
Jock Itchin (5:31)
10
I'm Funky (5:03)
Here it is again. I just saved y'all $94 bucks if you bought it on Amazon, so just send any Beers to 710 E Jefferson.......
For some reason, Cube's Lench Mob Records never really took off and its kind of a shame because there was some good music that didn't get heard. This is one of them. I was just starting to get out of the west coast music when this drop and I can't recall if I actually owned this one back in the day (I want to say I did, but it got jacked in a book of CD's I left in my Jimmy and forgot to turn the alarm on). This is some pure west coast shit for those of you into it, if you haven't heard, nows your chance. And since it's going for $67.97 on Amazon, I just saved y'all a gang of money today......
