Common – Universal Mind Control - @@@

As an established rapper’s career goes through many transformations over the years, they may find themselves balancing the personal need for creative expression with the task of pleasing an audience’s previously set standards and expectations. Common’s loyal longtime followers have watched him go from a young regional upstart to a hungry battle rapper while growing into the personification of a spiritual B-boy and a hope for conscious mainstream Hip-Hop heroism in an industry where artists with little substance reign supreme. Common’s eighth album Universal Mind Control finds him at a crossroads as a household name mindful of both a legacy to uphold and new paths he wishes to explore.

Always bent on reinvention so as to avoid complacency and not become stagnant, Common’s latest experimental phase finds his music taking a more simplistic and fun natured approach, as he utilizes the help of The Neptunes and (Outkast producer) Earthtone III’s Mr. DJ. He never neglects to pay homage to our culture’s earlier days, as the lead single and album’s title track lends itself to reminders of Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation functions, while the rest of the album takes listeners on a more progressive minded journey without ever presenting a heavy handed agenda. Common’s latest recorded incarnation is partly that of a free spirited partying sex symbol, with the bouncy and playful “Punch Drunk Love”, the fashion shown runway sound of “Sex For Sugar” and the easygoing “Make My Day” all steering this project down more of a carnal road than any of his previous efforts. Eclectic in nature, other songs range in variety from “Announcement” which could work as a party starter in a club setting to the uplifting “Changes” dealing with our world’s ever expanding scope, the alternative “What A World” which is interchangeable with work crafted under Chad and Pharrell's N.E.R.D banner and the hypnotically electro-tinged “Everywhere”.

Common is to be respected for staying true to himself no matter the twists and turns he may take, as listeners strap in for a new sonic ride with each of his albums. However, Universal Mind Control is sure to result in a great lack of understanding between the artist's vision for what he would like his work to represent and the desires of diehard supporters demanding he stick to his prior foundation of making the “official” Hip-Hop that they’ve come to revere. This album is a risky jaunt straying from convention, thus it will be responded to with great debate as some will appreciate an effort breaking existent boundaries and others are likely to cry foul play, considering this new direction from an old favorite to be quite questionable.

Young H Radio Week 37 Episode 1

Listen Here

Musical Selections:

Count Bass D - Internationally Known
Camp Lo - Bubblin' (Anita Demo)
Mobb Deep - Temperature's Rising
Reach - Can Can
Babyface - It's No Crime
Wyclef - Bubblegoose
Clipse - So Fly (Now We've Had Her)
Denroy Morgan - I'll Do Anything For You
Guilty Simpson - I Must Love You
Cormega - Glory Days
MF Doom - Get 'Er Done
Common - Gladiator
Rakim - Show Me Love
Blu - Piece
Glenn Jones - Here I Go Again
Bush Babees - Remember We (Salaam Remi Remix)

Topic Of Discussion: Unrealistically high standards in the dating game.

Older Episodes Here

Granted the topic material doesnt extend much further than "We have a new album coming next year, we know how to rap about drug dealing, we have a new clothing line called Play Cloths and we're realer than the rest of you rappers."

But they do it well.


Download Road To Till The Casket Drops

Young H Radio Week 36 Episode 1

cohosted by my good friend Ms. Pele

Listen Here

Musical Selections:
MC Breed feat. 2Pac - Gotta Get Mine
Reef The Lost Cauze - Big Deal
Force MDs - Love Is A House
Capone & Noreaga feat. Tragedy Khadafi - Stick You
Total feat. Puff Daddy - Kissin You Remix
Surface - Happy
Ced Hughes - Polite Rap Song
Raekwon feat. Fat Joe & Ghostface - Clientele Kidd Remix
Mobb Deep feat. Big Noyd & Rakim - Hoodlum
Jamie Lidell - What's The Use
B.O.B - Little Rascal
Dilla - Stop
State Property - Want Me Back
P Brothers feat. Boss Money - New Religion
Charles Hamilton - Lemme Know

The P Brothers have brought back the east coast.


Take NYC underground veterans, producers hailing from the UK and the grittiest elements of street classics like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, The Cold Vein and The War Report. The result is The Gas, one of this year's most under the radar efforts.

Highlights Include:
Late Night
Got It On Me
Digital B- Boy
Caviar

Young H Radio Episode 35 - Tribute To The Roots

here

Happy Birthday Von Pea



Take 1/3 of Tanya Morgan, leave him with free time and the instrumentals to a cult classic and you have
The Further Adventures Of Von Pea.

Large Pro - Main Source - @@@@ 1/2

In an age where today’s audience and run of the mill record labels are looking for the next catchy sensation, many previously established veterans continue producing material reflecting an undying love for an era where authenticity reigned supreme. For nearly two decades now, Large Professor has made it his mission to carry New York’s spirit through Hip-Hop’s various dominant pop phases such as jiggy and crunk to name a few. Despite industry setbacks Large Pro has kept his name present with guest appearances and production credits spanning both the underground and major releases. His latest album Main Source finds inspiration coming from his career’s original essence as Large Pro is continually determined to keep his legend alive.

The album finds Large Pro refusing to compromise his sound as he has always strayed far from convention and taken care to uphold his own set musical standards. He shows no care or desire for a presence on today’s radio as he employs his tried but true method of boom-bap aggression on "Hot: Sizzling, Scorching, Torching, Blazing", and stays in tune with the plight of the everyman as "Maica Living" details the rat race of the daily grind. Artistic purity has been a long running theme in Large’s work and he continues rolling with the “If it aint broke…” mentality as "Hardcore Hip Hop" and "Classic Emergency" both unleash fury in response to the culture’s present state of endangerment. While fully intent on staying rooted in the sounds of old with "Pump Ya Fist" and the funky "In The Ghetto", he also shows he can come up to speed with today’s scene on "Frantic Barz".

With Main Source Large Pro manages to prove that long standing pillars can remain relevant as he succeeds where other legends have failed to make marks of substance in this day and age. While the album’s only drawback is the lack of structured hooks, that doesn’t nearly take away from his concise understanding of the everyday Hip-Hop traditionalist’s need for music that serves of a reminder of when quality was far easier to come by.

Asher Roth – The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1 - @@@

Purists generally decry the sad state of affairs where Hip-Hop seems to be the only musical genre leaving behind its relatively elder statesmen and failing to uphold established veterans. Meanwhile, casual fans find necessity in the figurative separation of chaff from wheat as corporate interests pander to the teenybopper video countdown era and the industry continues churning out new beacons of hope like clockwork. Asher Roth is the latest melanin deficient chap with a buzz and hopes of furthering former Loud Records chieftain Steve Rifkind’s reputation of having a wise and watchful eye for talent. The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1 hosted by Don Cannon & DJ Drama serves as Roth’s formal introduction to the world.

If the most genuine stories traditionally come as a product of a rapper’s experiences within his environment, Asher Roth’s authenticity can’t possibly be called into question. However, he is an anomaly of sorts as the life he knows best is a world far separated from whatever made Vanilla Ice presumably too cool for school, Eminem’s angst originating from the gutters of Detroit, and the New York street based stylings of 3rd Bass. Asher hails from the suburbs of Philadelphia, mainly fashioning himself the happy go lucky type who doesn’t take himself serious with this collection of remakes and verses over already popular instrumentals. While he employs a decent flow and can put his words together well, he doesn’t say really much of anything turning Jay-Z ‘s celebration of prosperity into a suburban jamboree on “Roth Boys”. Roth is no different from most rappers in coming off as his own biggest fan on “Cannon” where his vocals can be likened to Eminem the way Shyne sparked certain reminders of Biggie, but he’s hardly clever or engaging rather than zany and content to wearing his race on his sleeve. “The Lounge” is his most impressive effort, where he differentiates between his image and that of most rappers, but this project’s main theme is juvenile banter like the potty mouthed “Rub On Your T*tties” and “Gimme Your Box”.

With The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1, Asher Roth proves that alternatives to the norm don’t necessarily fall within the upper tier of quality music, as he demonstrates a serious incapability when it comes to making songs of substance. While he may make his mark throughout the burbs and potentially with the hipster crowd, time will only tell what shall become of an enigmatic white boy without street cred and the Interscope/Aftermath machine behind him.

If you didn't know, I also host a weekly podcast.

You get to hear me talk (I think I'm funny and insightful) and play music (I have good tastes, I promise)

Here's this week's show and here's the page where you can get older episodes

But no one really cares.

Skillz – The Million Dollar Backpack - @@@

With each passing year our culture thrives off of a need for fresh faces bringing novelty to the game and in 2008 for every act like Common who has maintained relevance since the early-mid 90’s, you can find four Black Moons struggling to hold on. [Formerly Mad] Skillz finds himself in just this position having had bad luck battling the corporate machine, as he’s faced obstacles like his debut From Where??? hitting stores the same day as seminal releases All Eyez On Me and The Score, and cutting deals with Rawkus Records & Timbaland that went nowhere just to name a few setbacks. After questionable career moves like entertaining a serious rap battle with Shaquille O’Neal and relegating himself to a role combining those of Peter Jennings and Dick Clark with his annual "Rap Up" series, Skillz has finally shifted his focus back to recording albums. His official sophomore release The Million Dollar Backpack is an artistic vision of caking up while simultaneously staying rooted in making music of substance.

Employing braggadocio is understandable as a process nearly as involuntary as blinking for a MC, and while anyone rapping should believe their shit bears no odor, Skillz comes off as cocksure to a fault. On the album’s opener “Where I Been” he opts to strut with “swag” rather than honestly detail the 11 year gap between his albums, while “Sick” is unoriginally reminiscent of Canibus’ antiquated “I been nice since…” raps and “Don’t Act Like You Don’t Know” featuring Freeway is a blatant bite of the guest star’s classic “What We Do”. Other low points include the uninspiring “So Far So Good”, his attempt at reaching women and clubs with “He Don’t Own Me”, and the bizarre “Crazy World” which would be better suited on a Broadway stage than a rap album. Infrequent celebratory moments come courtesy of stirring production from ?uestlove & James Poyser on “Hold Tight”, Bink’s “I’m Gon’ Make It” and “My Phone” which is still a PG rated rehashing of Biggie’s “Dreams”.

While some may give Skillz a pass for sounding “authentic” and having his heart in the right place, The Million Dollar Backpack finds him running Hip-Hop’s omnipresent risk of falling victim to one’s own hype. His essence is comprised of stale battle raps and a self-assured confidence that he assumedly believes will capture the hearts of the masses, ultimately finding him uninteresting with little new to say.

Spotlight on Shawn Jackson

I dont know much other than he's from the West coast and his album First Of All... has ample heat on it. He kind of reminds me of MCs from Detroit and his beats knock.

Soopafly
Fix Ya Face
Gold Medal Kids
Backstage
Go There With You

Shawn Jackson on Myspace

Nas - Untitled - @@@ 1/2

As Hip-Hop’s culture is rife with the theme of party and bullshit, art reflecting and responding to troubling times [a la Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On] is a rarity. While Nas is to be lauded as the primary MC taking a public stance on current events through major label music, he has run the risk of being considered an ambulance chaser of sorts with 2006’s Hip-Hop Is Dead campaign and the sudden rallying cry around the impact of the word nigger [to be assumed in lieu of the recent Don Imus/Michael Richards debacles]. His latest album now Untitled finds his sights set on the grand task of carrying four centuries worth of racial injustice on his back.

Coming as no surprise to his harshest of critics, Nas means well but he doesn’t quite execute in fully fleshing out his concept. The highlights include the promising "You Cant Stop Us Now" which leads off the album as a brief history of black life throughout the ages detailing everything from colonialism to the modern day persecution of Michael Vick, "Sly Fox" taking Rupert Murdoch's conglomerate to task, and Toomp (producer of Kanye West's "Big Brother", Jay-Z's "Say Hello", and T.I.'s "What You Know About That") delivering one of his standard cinematic centerpieces with "N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave And The Master)". Unfortunately the moments of focus are far and few in between as the album seems semi-autobiographical with songs like "Breathe" talking about how far he's come in his career, “Make The World Go Around” sounding like an "Esco" era Nastradamus outtake and the overproduced [by Polow Da Don] self-celebratory “Hero”, not to mention “Louis Farrakhan” where Nas overstates his importance drawing a parallel between himself and the Muslim figurehead. Other questionably odd moments include "Fried Chicken", personifying soul food while espousing its virtues and recognizing its dangers, "We Are Not Alone" tying revolution to UFOs, and "Black President" capitalizing on Obama winning the Democratic seat while questioning the candidate's dedication to the black community.

Untitled may placate diehard Nas fans who pray for the return of a Queenbridge soldier barely out of puberty, but those who aren’t so easily impressed may spot figurative chinks in the album’s armor. Nas has always been able to map out exciting ideas while taking a thinking man’s approach to his craft, but if he is to continue creating pieces based around themes perhaps more emphasis should be placed into his final output than the buzz built around it.

Danny! - And I Love H.E.R. - @@@@ 1/2

While most acts leave their career’s fate in the hands of others, (producers they’ll work with, management, label reps, etc.) the idea of a completely self-contained solo act within Hip-Hop has primarily gone unexplored. For the past few years South Carolina’s Danny! has impressively juggled the creative process of making music with business logistics on his own, going everywhere from The Grammys to receiving major press on the strength of sheer work ethic and drive. While legend has it D Swain was ready to quit Hip-Hop after 2006’s critically acclaimed Charm, the album scored him a EP deal with underground powerhouse Definitive Jux, and after returning to form with last year’s Danny Is Dead he is back with his fourth full-length LP, the conceptual piece And I Love H.E.R.

Danny is to be heralded for shirking all convention and sticking to his figurative guns, making the music that sounds good to him in hopes that traditionalists latch on. And I Love H.E.R. doubles as the soundtrack to what could be considered a boy meets girl a love story and the tale of an artist’s ups and downs trying to etch a path in an industry plagued by fickle fans, questionable politics, and media driven by popular style over actual substance. Danny’s work remains a bastion of creativity as he manages to convey the full range of human feeling from frustration on the album’s intro (Snippet) to going lighthearted on “The Groove” (Snippet) and expressing self-determination on the thematic “Never Change” (Snippet). While always mindful of maintaining a strong lyrical acumen, Danny covers all bases of Hip-Hop artistry from an advanced flow on “At What Price” (Snippet) to boom-bap on “Yoko Ono” (Snippet) and the introspective “Misery” (Snippet), clearly demonstrating he has mastered the aesthetics of our culture.

In a climate where the most successful artists cash in on the radio’s trends and casual listeners follow in tow, Danny’s brave endeavors find him footing the road less traveled. He has grown to be a symbol of quality work that comes from talent, passion and dedication to one’s craft, as And I Love H.E.R. is sure to resonate strongly with the everyday person using a discerning ear that has honed an affinity for Hip-Hop of the highest caliber.

Purchase And I Love H.E.R.

Critically Acclaimed Albums I'm Just Now Hearing Part 4



Souls Of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity

In retrospect this album is really dated on the tip of production and rhymes. I'm not exactly willing to place it in the perspective of a time capsule either because Midnight Marauders and 36 Chambers dropped this year and still sound fresh. Maybe I'm biased against the West, the title track is forever golden though.

Download

Critically Acclaimed Albums I'm Just Now Hearing Part 3



Royal Flush - Ghetto Millionaire

I really have no excuse for never hearing this album, and I'm actually embarrassed now that I have. When it came out I was stuck between Bad Boy/Jay-Z/Capone & Noreaga/Camp Lo/Wu-Tang/Mobb Deep and it slipped under my radar. I was up on "Movin’ On Your Weak Productions", "Iced Out Medallions" and "Worldwide" when they were getting big spin in New York, but that was the extent of my interest. I'm guessing he hails from somewhere around Queensbridge as he speaks the dunn language and sounds like descendant a cousin of Capone.

The album has slight missteps like "Cant Help It" which is doubly cheesy between the jacking the Force MDs "Love Is A House" for the beat and the Michael Jackson interpolation of the song's title on the hook, but there are timeless gems from the likes of Sha Money XL, Hi-Tek, and EZ Elpee.

Download

Critically Acclaimed Albums I'm Just Now Hearing Part 2



Deltron 3030

West coast veteran Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, producer extraordinaire Dan The Automator and DJ Kid Koala teamed forces for this concept album of sorts, placing Del 1022 years from today.

Heard all about it, slept hard thinking it was too weird for me but it turned about to be pretty damn good.

Download

Critically Acclaimed Albums I'm Just Now Hearing Part 1



Playa - Cheers 2 U

I never would have checked for this, until a colleague of mine brought it back up. One of those albums everyone was crazy about, Timbaland did a bulk if not all of the production (the minimal flaw being it reminded me of what he did with Aaliyah and Ginuwine), at first I settled on it being cool music if you just had female company but songs like "Top Of The World", and "One Man Woman" made me decide to keep this for future listens.

Download

Craig G & Marley Marl - Operation Take Back Hip-Hop (Review)




Longevity and respect are key attributes for anyone aspiring to cement a legendary place in Hip-Hop’s annals. While trends continue to come and go as the culture has become driven more by image than music, there have only been a select few (Masta Ace, Ghostface, arguably Redman etc.) who started in the “golden” era and wound up maintaining artistic relevancy throughout the years. Two decades after making an indelible mark in the game and scoring numerous accolades, Juice Crew veterans Craig G & Marley Marl have set out to drop science once more with the quite self-explanatory Operation Take Back Hip-Hop.

Craig G is to be commended as a Hip-Hop vigilante of sorts with a creative execution that extends further than strictly making music about rapping, addressing various scourges that have plagued the music industry (record labels, the internet, the radio) on “Quality Work” and impressively painting a picture of cultural armageddon with “The Day The Music Died”. Song concepts are a strong suit of this project, as Craig runs down how far he’s come from petty street crime on the autobiographical lead single “Made The Change”, serves a heartfelt love letter to music and the creative process of making it with “Just What I Need” and joins forces with Cormega to launch salvos against the ubiquity of studio thugs on “War Going On”. Good intentions aside, the album heavily falters due to Marley Marl’s stale and uninspired production, with “All Seasons” sounding like a Dr. Dre knockoff and the utter abomination of “Rock Dis”, serving a blow to the legacies of the albums main attractions as well as that of the Blastmaster KRS-One.

Craig G’s heart is in the right place as Operation Take Back Hip-Hop finds him nearly desperate in attempts of fleshing out his personal definition of authenticity. Unfortunately, most of this album’s tracks simply aren’t strong enough for him to carry forth a piece that hits on all cylinders. Long time followers will likely question both Craig’s ear for beats in this day and age and how much longer he will truly matter in the ongoing fight to keep quality music prevalent.

Rating: @@@

The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale EP (Review)



Art has begun to imitate the lifestyle of those pushing creativity’s envelope as hip (hop) culture continues thriving on all things fresh and new. The term hipster has come to be derided by detractors who place a negative connotation on the word as well as those in the life who take offense to its usage, as the prescribed faction finds no fault in believing they’re simply cooler than thou. With a group name that could double as ironic or one that takes itself too serious, The Cool Kids are at the forefront of this burgeoning albeit questionable movement. After a slew of critical acclaim and media exposure, The Bake Sale EP is the group’s latest offering in lieu of their present major spotlight.

As with most of today’s retro-sounding acts, The Cool Kids can justifiably be labeled as promoting style over substance, employing a fun yet minimalist approach not unlike that of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, or Kriss Kross in their heyday. Keeping in mind that braggadocio and self-confidence are surely nothing new in rap culture, the flaunting of fashionable footwear over strange sounding bass & percussion on “One Two” isn’t readily accessible for those outside of the insular hipster demographic. While supporters of the group cheer on the novelty of paying respect to the old school (the Rick Rubin homage “88”, and the Miami bass influenced “Basement Party” ) as well as their simultaneous focus on carving a new niche (“A Little Bit Cooler”), the group never seems to stray from a facade where they’re the life of the party whose aesthetics we should all aspire towards.

Compared to the many that perpetrate and build careers around fake imagery, The Cool Kids can’t be vilified for staying true to themselves. But all the same, Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish must suffer reproach for stylistically presenting a package that likely won’t resonate with anyone who doesn’t obsess over being a part of “the in crowd”. The Bake Sale EP would serve as a fine parody of self-deluded hipsters, but as actual product it should fail to move everyday Hip-Hop consumers who find themselves unconcerned with trendy hoopla.

Rating : @@ 1/2