Disclaimer: If you're a backpacker or all you listen to is the radio, chances are I'll say something you don't agree with. I don't love the underground or mainstream excluisvely. I'm not a music snob, while a lot of what I listen to doesnt get spun on your local airwaves, that doesn't mean I'm closed to enjoying that material if it sounds good to me. I believe there's a little something here for everone to enjoy, but I dont care whether you disagree with anything I have to say.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Decay - The Unlikely Villain mixtape
I'm tired, but since it's been a while since I've contributed anything to this place here goes.
MF Doom is my second favorite rapper of all time after Jay-Z. Operation: Doomsday is my second favorite album of all time after Midnight Marauders.
Decay from the Uncut Raw crew (slap yourself if you slept on last year's First Toke) has put out this tribute mixtape flipping classic Doom tracks and fan favorites, in preparation for his forthcoming album The Unlikely Hero.
Every Friday you'll hear me playing what I want to play and saying what I want to say.
This weeks music included Che Grand, Danny!, Wale, Jean Grae, UMCs, Cormega and more
(If I wasnt so lazy I would have painted the dude's face brown in the picture above)
You can still catch me every Sunday from 1-3 on radiovolta.org as a part of The Formula and check this blog for regular writing updates. This is just me not holding back a thing, talking almost reckless and playing everything I like, hope you enjoy.
PMP Worldwide is a networking company serving the purpose of connecting industry professionals to up and coming producers cooking up heat. This mixtape serves the dual purpose of a spotlight for instrumentals from sound providers on the come up, and a tutorial on the inner workings of the business with interludes from established veterans like 88 Keys and Hi-Tek. Highlights include Countdown by DJ RAD, Samp Banger by The Kickdrums, and Yesterdayz by Aeon.
Monday, March 10, 2008
XM Radio/Subsoniq Dilla Day - Live Band Tribute
This past February 21st in our nation's capital, local artists and this band named The Players paid an incredible tribute to Jay Dee.
(this applies to my life right now like you wouldn't believe)
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Stop Sleeping Alert: School Of Beats
This is what I live for - aspirational spitting and crazy beats. If you're a fan of innovation that gives you that feel good reminder of the past, this is what you need to be checking for.
All I know is School Of Beats reps Washington DC and a few other parts of the country and they're definitely keeping it fresh for the underdogs. I plan to know more soon though as I'll definitely keep myself in the know with what they're doing.
EDIT TO ADD: I bumped Lesson I today, and they've grown considerably since. I ride hardest for II & III, and I dont want any of my faithful readers questioning my ear.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Big Sean is a future superstar to look out for
Big Sean, (not to be confused with an older version of Little Shawn from the early 90’s) is repping Detroit and signed to G.O.O.D Music. You already know Kanye has a good ear for talent, but that’s if *your* ear is in fact good.
Vocally he kind of reminds me of Median, but he raps about aspirations of women, getting money, and being fresh & successful. He has flow, lyrics, wit, everything you should love in a rapper. Plus his beats are pretty fresh.
(it's hard to believe this album is going to be 8 years old in October)
This speaks for itself
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Black Milk is keeping Hip-Hop beautiful
For those of you who can afford to buy albums, if you trust my ear buy this!
Black is probably running away with the title for 2008 between this album, his forthcoming sophomore solo and the collab album with Guilty Simpson & Sean Price all set for this year.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Jay-Z & Fela Kuti - Nigerian Gangster
Put out by Mike Love, a Chicago radio personality. I dont agree with dude's politics, but heat is heat nonetheless. I didn't know he was a producer, this could be a "Dr. Dre" kind of deal (what's the last song you think he really produced)
I'm not fashion conscious like that, but I know this label that Pharrell and Lupe have name dropped due to my former brief stint within the music industry.
Spun off from this site (plenty of leaks in the Through The Sieve section if you're into that sort of thing) and when my mans and them asked how to say it a few months ago.
*Unless there's a whole nother streetwear label that sounds the same that I've yet to hear of, but I'm pretty sure this is it.
I've always sat on the sidelines as a fan/commentator but all of the following are true:
- My dad told me a story about hanging with a crew as a teenager. One dude in the crew had a younger brother that used to tag along with them, said younger brother became Rakim.
- My aunts and uncles (on my mother's side) went to school with EPMD as kids, my grandmother calls (Parrish) "Smith" a bum to this day.
- One of my uncles was tight with Craig Mack and proud as hell when he got on.
(if you havent gathered so much yet, my people are based out of Long Island)
- My parents met in college and somehow know Olu Dara (aka Nas' father). Summer 1998 me and my mom ran into him on 125th street. I told him I was about to go to FAMU, he said "You gonna have a lot of fun, but you gotta be in them books too" - I should have listened
- It's been told to me that at age 3 my dad took me to a Hip-Hop/jazz celebration and I knew who Fab 5 Freddy was.
- Me and my mom were in the "911 Is A Joke" video. You can see me for 5 seconds if you look close. I got paid $25 and thought I was rich.
Monday, February 11, 2008
I'm starting up an anti-syrup movement
The other day I was listening to "Purple Rain" off of Beanie Sigel's The B Coming and realized I had to speak up on this issue.
Promethazine and codeine aka sizzurp/syrup/lean/purp/purple lotion or whatever you want to call it is the latest plague affecting Hip-Hop's culture. The syrup phenomenon was an underground thing until Memphis demigods Three 6 Mafia put out an anthem touting its supposed virtues. Rap legend Pimp C had a memorable guest appearance on that record and unfortunately the topic itself may have recently played a part in his untimely passing. One of my personal highlights from the recent Underground Kingz double album was "The Game Belong To Me" with a witty hook naming a hustler's goods by the public icons most associated with them - "I got Bobby by the pound/Whitney by the key/DJ Screw by the gallon..." (I'm waiting on someone to say "I'm selling that Amy Winehouse", it's gonna happen any minute now.)
If you've been living in a cave or all you play is D.I.T.C records, DJ Screw was a pioneer of Houston's scene and one of the first big names to die from this drink. I'm not 100% positive but I think the music on Screw's mixtapes was slowed down (if you're uncertain as to what I'm talking about, think back to the end of Kanye's "Drive Slow") to give listeners the feel of how songs sound when one is high off of the potion.
I don't have the first problem with what rappers do with their personal time outside of the booth. Slang cracks, pimp hoes, do all the recreational drugs you want, my issue comes when it starts to seep into the music. No one really believes Malice & Pusha T (or Jeezy for that matter) have any strips locked down, those are just creative roles being acted out. But on some level rappers need to realize that they have more influence than they might think, and some of what they're advocating is sending our people to early graves. Please believe if Jay-Z can make a man (who didnt already have sense enough) put on a dress shirt, that same man is probably also impressionable enough so as to try anything else that a "cool" rapper celebrates, including syrup.
You cant blame Hip-Hop for black on black violence or the disrespect of women, those ills of society are as American as apple pie and the Yankees winning the World Series. But I'd put good money behind the notion that things like this video
have added to the fallacy that (to borrow from Dave Chappelle playing Diddy) syrup is what's hot in the streets. You can argue Dipset was irresponsible to put out a liquor by the name of Sizzurp, but to my knowledge it was just purple in color with the original contents not involved, I'm pretty sure it would be illegal to sell anything close to the actual stuff in stores. Rumor has it this is also the drug of choice for the omnipresent Lil' Wayne, which gives cause to bars like "Damn right I kiss my daddy" and other nonsense he's prone to get over on people spitting nowadays.
By the time summer rolls around I'm gonna need a "Self-Destruction/We're All In The Same Gang" type record to come out in memoriam of Pimp C and everyone's verse (Devin, Scarface, Lil' Flip, Slim Thug, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Bun B etc.) needs to be about putting down the styrofoam cup.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I was there, and you should have been too
look at all of the Hip-Hop icons that were there. I wish I knew what Apani looked like so I could have thanked her for "Let Me Watch" (off of Viktor Vaughn)
