Wednesday, August 29, 2007


Support young folks making good Hip-Hop (Part 1)








As a famous drug addict once sang, "I believe the children are the future". Considering the aural equivalent of pork rinds and pig's feet that the present climate of radio feeds our youth, it's a wonder to find anyone under 25 influenced to make music that I'd find impressive. This mini-series is dedicated to shining a spotlight on youngins who I hope to see make a big difference in the scene.

Artist: Blu (pictured above him is his producer Exile)

Age: 24

Sounds Like: Nasty Nas pumped up after watching Rocky movies and listening to A Tribe Called Quest

Recent Project: Below The Heavens (what some are calling album of the year)

Background Information: Blu is a high school dropout on a divine mission to save souls and continue the legacy of dope music, while carrying Southern California on his back. He’s way ahead of his time, having created this album two to three years ago that’s leaving everyone in disbelief. What’s more astonishing is he just started listening to Hip-Hop and writing not long ago, and he already has skill that could land him a spot amongst the all-time greats. It seems to have been fate that he dropped an album like this for people like me who needed something to keep pushing them in the right direction. When the homie Donwill is excited at the prospect of working with you, you’re doing everything right.

Here is a collection of assorted songs featuring Blu that didn’t make his album.

(Yeah I've already talked about him twice in this blog, he's that serious.)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Consequence - Uncle Rahiem (Video)



from the highly slept on Don't Quit Your Day Job

Friday, August 24, 2007






KRS One vs. Adisa Banjoko, Stanford University 2006

Last year a gang of esteemed artists, journalists, tastemakers and icons converged for The Artist is the Theorist: I Am Hip-Hop panel discussion on our culture. Plenty of knowledge was dropped from Dead Prez’s Stic Man, Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets fame, Boots Riley from The Coup and historian Davey D (If you happen to read this, we sat down and spoke at a Starbucks in Harlem a few years back thanks to Dove) amongst others.

The new class spoke with understanding and wisdom, while old schoolers Busy Bee and the Blastmaster KRS One really sounded lost and out of place within the context of today’s scene.
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Busy Bee on the difference between rap and Hip-Hop: We have a lot of good rappers out there. Young Jeezy , even Jay-Z (is not a Hip-Hopper) is a good rapper. (Busy must not have caught the “Can I Kick It” reference on "22 Twos", “I’m overcharging niggas for what they did to the Cold Crush” from “Izzo” or the line “Me myself and I on some Trugoy shit” from The Black Album’s My 1st Song)

To that I say: Hip-Hop is a noun, Rap is a noun and a verb. You get in the booth and rap, you’re a “rapper” plain and simple. You don’t Hip-Hop in the booth, you can live by your standards & ethics of what (real) Hip-Hop is, but at the end of the day you’re a rapper/MC (I guess I can agree with the idea that “MCs” care more about their craft than “rappers”) You’ve got it twisted if you don’t think Jay-Z is a MC just because he was about his business. His hustler facet accompanied by his slick way with words made him one of the best to ever do this.
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As much as I respect Kris Parker’s status as a legend, he speaks “dumb shit” pretty fluent and it seems as if he’s fallen into the trap of believing his own hype as the clip at the end of this entry displays.

Quotables and related facts include:
“To be honest with you, fuck America… (it’s) not about asking the white man for nothing” (Show me the last time KRS-One wasn’t signed to a label owned by a white person)

Kris tried to go to visual arts school to learn graffiti and got mad because they didn’t teach it. That’s not “Hip-Hop”, you don’t go to school to hone a creative genius like breaking, writing rhymes, DJing etc. You get out there, apply yourself and make it happen.

Then came an inexplicable meltdown where he attacked cultural critic Adisa Banjoko, whom Kris felt personally slighted him by challenging his views in the press. KRS labels the man a FBI agent and enemy to the culture, physically threatens him and shortly thereafter follows that up with “I don’t deal with that, I have a declaration of peace”. Attempts at rationality were met with “Go talk with black folks somewhere else, this is Hip-Hop” as he was blinded by a self-realized delusion that he’s the representation of our culture.
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Busy Bee’s cosign of The Blastmaster’s lunacy shows just how far off base he’s become, as they suggest that to hold any relevance you had to have been there from jump.

“This discussion is about me…nobody in here is from the Bronx except KRS-One.”

Then he went so far as to nearly dis Busta Rhymes who started in the early ‘90s and has made a heavier impact artistically than he ever will.

KRS’ further ramblings
“If 50 Cent & G-Unit were here they’d put a gun to your backs.”

“Yall are having a conversation, this is our life. We live this, we don’t talk about it” – A panel should always respect its elders on deck, but you’re there to talk.

“You were not there when it started, I was” followed by “I’m not trying to separate myself” a few statements later.

“I came to the panel in the spirit of unity, I came to discuss Hip-Hop” followed shortly therafter by “I got the FBI behind me, I got the CIA calling me…I don’t have time to discuss this shit!”

“You can’t go to college then say you’re Hip-Hop, that don’t fly here.” – I mean…wow

“I’m not an artist…I’m an intellectual. I’ve written books…I’m a scientist, this is from empirical data that I’m giving you.”

Again, I respect KRS’ catalogue and hard work towards pushing people in the right direction, but this was a highly bizarre moment in time.

Related Links:
What I presume set KRS One off

KRS’ original response in writing

The clip from the panel

The Resolution

Finally, for the sake of comedy:

Busy Bee - “Suicide” – Big up Phonte for putting me onto this years back.

Thursday, August 23, 2007



Elucid - Smash n Grab (mixtape)

If you're still sleep, Elucid is a beast who's down with the Loosie Music crew. Gravelly voice, abstract lyrics, hard spitting, he's one to look out for.


Smash and Grab (mixtape)

Monday, August 13, 2007



Attainment:

Originally titled The Root Of All Evil, I made this for anyone out there on the paper chase. As fate would have it, I was perusing the beatmaker’s myspace page one day and The Lessondary came through in the clutch once again with the song that changed the name of the project (Track 2).

Attainment

I do this for yall, all comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Please stay tuned, by the end of the year I hope to put out:

I Could Still Get A B*tch Number (the sequel)
I Got A Story To Tell
Snap Music
Thank You Prince Paul (maybe, not quite sure on this one yet)

The Return of Shortie No Mas

Sunday August 12th she came up to this radio show that I co-co host.

What I learned:

Plug One is to blame for her never releasing an album (I knew that
already though)

She hated "In The Woods" from Buhloone Mindstate, to the point of
crying after recording it.

Her forthcoming project features production from J-Zone, 9th Wonder, Jazzy Jeff and Da Beatminerz.

She still has it, download this podcast and hear a dope interview along with a few new songs and a mean live verse.

Be on the lookout

Shortie No Mas on Myspace.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007







Andre Benjamin is for the children of the world

This fell way below the radar. The Class Of 3000 original soundtrack is to kids what The Love Below was to adults who’ve been through the wringer with relationships. Adults will marvel at Dre3000’s master musicianship as he fuses jazz, classical, Hip-Hop, blues, funk etc. into songs that kids can jam to. Young folks won’t pick up on the subversive messages that slip through the cracks (i.e. racial tolerance on “The Crayon Song” and selling out on “We Want Your Soul”) which makes for a kids album that spans the generational divide. Dre even manages to keep it relevant to Atlanta’s culture, with the characters exercising the city’s slang, phrases and accents. This is edutainment in its purest form.

Enjoy:

http://www.zshare.net/download/3034084d031cda/

Thursday, August 02, 2007


The Roots - Instrumentals

A collection of delicacies from the mind of one Ahmir K. Thompson and the Grand Negaz. If you listen close, you’ll get the full range of intricate sounds attempted with each nook and cranny minus a emcee over these beats.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SIA67BX0

M-Phazes Is The Future

He's a producer out of Australia of all places. I've heard the name here and there, but this one song has made me a believer. One of the best songs I've heard all year from Median's very dope new Relief In The Making mixtape which you should have already downloaded at djlowkey.com

Kenn Starr featuring Median and M-Phazes - Back At It Again

http://www.zshare.net/audio/29473344767a8e/

http://www.myspace.com/mphazes for more