It's been a few days since his passing and I've had some time to generally
collect my thoughts. Here they are in as organized fashion as possible...
When I first heard the news, I honestly didn't believe it...
When I posted that MJ was taken to the hospital after a cardiac arrest, I
literally thought everything would be fine. I wasn't stressing that news
and went to do some practice problems. It's kind of weird that one of my
favorite musicians was in serious condition, and I was so convinced that he
would be fine
that I went along with my daily business. I guess it might have to do with my
fandom as a child. I was born in 1984, so I grew up in one of many MJ's
heydays. Back when I was 3 or 4, I remember watching this singer
'moonwalk' and I thought he was a superhero. I lacked the capacity to recognize it was
just a fancy move, but MJ had that kind of magnetism that you thought he was
capable of the impossible. And when I saw the move in "Smooth Criminal",
forget about it, I thought he had the power to defy gravity. I suppose
some of that little kid fascination must still be lingering inside because in my
rationally-trained mind it made no sense that MJ was in danger after something
as serious as a cardiac arrest.
But it ended up being true and I felt sad as if I were close friends with him.
It didn't makes sense why I was down considering I never met him, and frankly
was confused by every move he made post 1993. I got a bunch of texts from
friends that displayed similar feelings. The answer I found was his
influence was so strong in our lifetime that he weaved his music / performances
into each of our lives. Everyone has stories of dancing around with shiny
gloves and trying to moonwalk in socks. We all have made friends through his music. How many times did you hear a MJ song at a bar/house party and then reminisce with a friend next to you? I
feel like that must have been a common occurrence all across the globe for the
past few decades. Which brings me to my
next point...
MJ was the most globally popular figure of our lifetime
Princess Diana comes to mind as one figure who likely loomed as large if not
larger than
Michael. Otherwise, no one was as popular across the world like Michael
Jackson. Whenever I went back to India, the one thing I could talk about
with my cousins over there was Michael Jackson. We had nothing in common
and through Michael Jackson we found something to talk about and build a
relationship. That's the power of Michael's music, it was truly universal.
One of my favorite Michael Jackson stories comes from a friend of mine who
served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. He asked a group of kids from a
rural village in Afghanistan which American figures they knew. George W.
Bush elicited no response and neither did Michael Jordan. When he
mentioned Michael Jackson, the kids got immediately excited and a few started to moonwalk and the others started to
sing "Billie Jean." That's how I remember MJ, the guy who made people's
faces light up at the mention of his music.
Another thing that set Michael apart from everyone else was the fact his
music defined multiple generations. He has been a legend since age 10, and
has rocked crowds 40 years thereafter. People from age 18-40 grew up
on Michael Jackson. Thriller defines universal music. Think
about the last wedding you went to. No other song can make children,
teenagers, and old folks rushing to a dance floor with a mean screw face like
"Billie Jean."
MJ was the greatest entertainer ever
I'll try tackle this through music and performance. Well, musically is
there even a question how nasty he was? Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad,
Dangerous, and that album in 2001. He made my favorite disco/pop
record in Off the Wall, and when that fad died he dropped Thriller.
That's right, Thriller. Fuck the Mona Lisa. There is no finer
piece of art in the world than Thriller. That album is so great,
I'm naming my first child "Human Nature." Every major
event from weddings, proms, bar mitzvahs has been filled with the sounds of that
record. Maybe I'm crossing lines by going that far, but ONE HUNDRED and
NINE MILLION copies sold later, the entire world still gets hype when they hear
the intro snare to "Billie Jean." But what makes Mike's music have such a
high level of appeal? A good friend sad it best, no one could articulate
joy better than Michael Jackson. We all interpret our favorite memories
through Michael's music. That's why we remember that cousin's wedding by
the time we all danced to "Thriller" or that house party when everyone boogie
downed to "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." His vocal range was
impeccable, only to be out done by his performance skills.
The dude's dance skills....MJ practically created the pop trend of sick
dancing moves plus singing. The moonwalk became a cultural mainstay after
the classic Motown 25 performance. Michael Jackson had premier showmanship and
put on the best show an artist possibly could. He didn't need an entourage
or other dancers; his best performances were just him, a mic, and a shiny glove.
His style of dancing was unique and another key characteristic of his lasting
legacy. His influence through motion inspired millions. The
incredibly profitable and massive Bollywood industry owes Michael Jackson a debt
of gratitude for just introducing them to a new style of dancing. I would have killed to have an opportunity to see him live.
God bless Youtube,
because seeing him perform through grainy internet video is better than not at all.
And finally, Thanks MJ
I am forever grateful for MJ's music because it supplied not only a bridge
for my family to connect to American culture, his music also gave my
family which was splintered by cultural and generational gaps something to enjoy
together.
People will remember the eccentric qualities and charges (which he beat TWICE,
might I add), and it's true you can't
forget those things. However it is naive and unfair not to celebrate his
true musical genius. It takes a special person to create music that has
this kind of effect on the entire globe. Will we see anyone like him?
I don't think so, but god I hope it inspires artists to reach his level.
If we get someone to be half as good, I think we as music fans will all be
better off.
Shouts to Tunji and Toby of inverse. Tunji is good peoples and has a dope blog himself. I met him like 3-4 years back at a Cunninlynguists show and he was definitely a cool dude. This beat is monstrous and is provided by Oren Yoel who did the majority of the beats on Asher Roth's debut. Gotta say that if this was on the beat tape for Asher's CD, he missed out on a HEAT ROCK. The violins are epic, and the video matches the vibe. Make sure to go to MTVU and vote this on air!!
RIP and REP D. Ellis
The Kid Daytona - Come Fly With Me LP
Written by Big R
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Click the image to get the FREE LP
I have to say that Raydar Ellis among others started this new trend of full LP's being released for free to build a buzz for the CD you later cop. Here is The Kid Daytona's free LP which features production by 6th Sense, ill bomb, and more
MJ redux coming soon
RIP and REP D. Ellis
RIP Michael Jackson
Written by Big R
Thursday, 25 June 2009
I'm at a loss for words right now. We all grew up singing his songs and you can't tell me nothing is hyper when a MJ song randomly hits at a bar or club. He was the king of pop, and sadly got demonized at the end of his life even when all of those charges were a decade behind him. I'm going to bump thriller in memoriam. Ya'll be easy.
Credit Todd Angkasuwan for this amazing video. Reflection Eternal is back with a dumb fresh track which makes me think Reflection Eternal is prime for a better comeback than Raekwon. Yeaahhh, I said it! Back to the video though, it's all done in ONE TAKE with three cameras. I gained new found appreciation for the video after learning that fact. Todd A is a beast, I've been a fan since I saw his work with Move.meant and other local California Hip-Hop acts. Now he has progressed since with his clientele, and we are all better for it.
Back to the knowledge grind.
RIP and REP D. Ellis
Sum Ish R Wrote - 6.23.09
Written by Big R
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Dert's CMYK is Instrumental Victory click the image to preview the EP for free!
I was thinking of naming this blurb "Dert is that piff"
and other Juelz Santana related adlibs, but I think calling the CMYK EP
instrumental victory is high praise enough. Well deserved-praise indeed.
He has the entire EP available to listen on his website which is linked through
the image. Make sure to peep it in its entirety. The description of
the project is Dert's instrumental interpretation of the 4 key colors used in
the traditional printing process. I vibe with the entire project, and it's
Dert's first that doesn't use samples. It's synth-heavy, reminiscent of J.
Dilla's most recent material. The vibe is on some colorful ish, and it
feels like Dert met his goal with Ussain Bolt swagger on this record. I
love how Dert builds a beat and completely flips it to something different like
on "Cyan." "Magenta" is getting a lot of props as well across the blogosphere. I've been a fan of Dert since I stumbled on his
Jose Gonzalez mixtapes, and he continues to prove he is one talented dude.
There is one joint with rappin' featuring Surreal from the Hip-Hop is
Music family, "Black", which makes you hope Dert can make some of these synth
heavy beats for more MC's. I mean, the break on "Cyan" is on some Dilla
shit for real. I'm very late on this post as Dert tweeted that I received
this about a month ago.
gets swamped with crappy promo email, so this is a
general apology to those whose emails I lose! Now go listen to this
record, and if you feel it cop it!! It's at least 5 bucks which is mad cheap,
and well worth it.
Substitutes for greatness
Truthfully a lot of artists we used to admire fall off and we end up paying
attention to the cats available while still yearning for our favorite artists to
drop something. Here are some pretty adequate substitutes to the
legends/emcee's ya'll are missing.
Missing Gang Starr? - Listen to Marco Polo & Torae - Double Barrel
- I know you might think I've lost my mind, but hear me out. Both
groups have one great producer and one signature emcee. Double Barrel
is not at a Hard to Earn or at Moment of Truth level, but this album
is definitely banger. Decidedly more gritty than a diverse Gang Starr
record, but you at least get that hungry and fresh NY sound from this album.
Ask yourself a question...do you think this album is up to par with at least
The Ownerz? And furthermore, the last Guru solo featured autotune, so
you know it's nothing close to a Gang Starr record. I suppose the
Blaqprint album is supposed to bring it back, but I predict the Double
Barrel album will be better. If you haven't already, do yourself a big
favor and GO BUY THIS ALBUM!!
Missing Canibus? - Listen to Eminem's Relapse - I must be the
only writer out there who even still mentions Canibus. I like many people
my age, were heavily invested in Canibus as an emcee. We all thought this
vicious, lyrical pitbull steez was going to be around for years and drop dope
material. Instead "he went to Iraq" and lost his mind and made some
meddling discs. The Eminem v. Canibus debates seem so ancient now, but
Canibus fans can appreciate the way Eminem rips verses on this album. The
first verse on "Medicine Ball" is absolutely vicious. Maybe my favorite
verse of the year because of the way he raps the verse. Eminem only raps
the fraction of the way most Hip-Hop fans want, but damnit, he is good at what
he does. I can't wait for the day he gets over his mom and drug addiction
and gets Jay-Z type swagger with it.
Missing Mixtape Weezy? - Listen to Curren$y and Wiz Khalifia - These
dudes remind me of Mixtape Lil Wayne because of their hunger, swagger, and all
of those intangibles. This Ain't No Mixtape is one of my favorite
albums of the year, PERIOD. Curren$y goes in, and I think Wiz Khalifia is
similarly suited. Both are currently working on a mixtape together which
should hopefully garner them even more attention. The major label Wayne is
all rocked out and loves auto-tune rhyming so if you miss that mixtape Wayne who
can rap his ass off, look out for these two. Case in point: "Checkpoint"
- Wow @ that beat, these dudes know what's up.
Missing Outkast? - Listen to the Cunninlynguists - I know what you are
thinking. Big R, you are out of your cot damn mind, just because CL are
from the South doesn't mean they got anything related to Outkast. What I
think what Outkast have is the point of view from their own plane, a hybrid of
ATL and Mars we all know and love as Stankonia. CL write from the perspective of a group
who is truly global (They sell out shows in Lithuania), but with a southern
appreciation. Beyond that, both groups rely on UNIQUE production. No
one drops beats like Kno, and you know you are going to be in for production
worth your dollar. CL seems like a group that is still growing and
evolving into something better with each release. Can't wait for the
Strange Journey Vol 2 release.
Missing Wu-Tang Clan? - Listen to the new Slaughterhouse album
- I know, another bold statement. What makes Slaughter House remind me of
the Wu is the internal competition between the emcees to spit the hottest verse.
The best thing about Wu albums is the diversity of lyricists and trying to
figure out who best murked the track / album. I think the Slaughterhouse
album will inspire similar discussions. Plus Royce, Joe, J. Ortiz, and
Crooked I are all veterans of destroying verses. This will be the best
album that Joe Buddens has ever been a part of. My only worry is that for
the people at the listening sessions, none of them have had "OMG" type twitter
blasts. I look forward to peeping the rekkid though.
Two Free Mixtapes from the Freshmen you need
Wale & 9th Wonder "BACK
TO THE FEATURE" - This album has been in anticipation for many, many
months now. Fresh 9th Wonder Beats with Wale featuring some of the
hungriest rappers out there. Who else is loving all these album quality
mixtapes being released for free? This whole internet thang again is
forcing artists to step up their game up. The features on this album are
insane - Black Thought, Kweli, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Royce, Kenn Starr,
Curren$y (who steals the show), Skyzoo, Torae, Freeway, Young Chris, K'naan, AND
MORE. See why they called it "Back to the Feature"? With all of
those features, you can thank Wale's lyrical prowess for being able to still be
able to hold his own against so many dudes. Wale just has a nice style,
plus him being from the DC area fills me up with pride of course. And the
beats for the most part are original and are real dope. 9th Wonderful is
still progressing as a producer and you can just tell dude is ready to make even
more haters shut the hell up. "Wonder Why" featuring Big Sean and Kenn
Starr, "Wordplay", and my favorite song "Rather Be With You" all feature some of
9th's best beats, ever. For a mixtape release as epic as this, I'm glad to
hear so much dope new music. "Rather Be With You" features J. Cole (more
on him in a sec) and Curren$y completely black out over this beautiful 9th beat.
This is a full release which will dominate my study sessions, thanks again to
9th and Wale for delivering straigh butter. By the way, Curren$y
absolutely steals the show with this swaggerific/jets demeanor. That
Curren$y/Wiz Khalifia mixtape is going to be amazing.
J. Cole "THE
WARM UP" - J. Cole is an MC from Fayateville, NC who spits with
INTENSITY. So much so, I had to rock the caps. He is the latest
signee to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. J. Cole is starting to make a buzz
with his mixtape features and dude raps his ass off. His appeal comes from
his fierce style and dope lyrics. I suppose that's a description of every
good rapper out there, but J. Cole also knows how to select a beat or two.
There are some great original joints with fresh beats like "Heartache" and
"Welcome" which portray dude's lyrical ability. His cadence is reminiscent
of old school NY, but he has that southern swagger. Wale's mixtape is
getting a lot of love right now, but I might be listening to this mixtape more.
I wonder how his debut album will sound, because he sure knows how to make a
mixtape. I'm sorry for being late on dude and I know people have been
shouting him out on the box - and here's my official entry on the J. Cole
fan-wagon.
is the
email that pays me. Oh yeah, I was going to write about how much I liked
the Mos Def record, but then J. Cole / Wale dropped and I completely stopped
listening to Mos Def's album. No disrespect, but I'm just vibing with
hungrier cats right now. Doesn't it feel great that mixtapes are back to
such a level of importance? I was going to write about how I thought
Kweli's solo career in my opinion surpassed Mos Def's, but apparently that's not
very controversial. I thought it would piss off a few people, but it
seemed everyone sees that Reflection Eternal is about as good as BOBS, while
Kweli has had Quallity and Ear Drum which were real fresh while
Mos has had two crap records plus The Ecstatic. I guess ya'll can
do the Math a la "The Takeover". Ok now I'm really out!
RIP and REP D. Ellis
Fox News and the conservative rap movement
Written by Big R
Monday, 22 June 2009
I woke up to see this and it literally almost made me fall out of my chair. I can't tell what's more corny, these guys still trying to fake urban slang or their lyrics itself. I had the idea of doing a conservative rap album after watching South Park's Christian Rock Episode. I figured that conservative fan base would buy up talentless garbage like this. It seems I was beat by some of the biggest looking chesters I've ever seen. If you were afraid of Asher Roth or Eminem would "steal Hip-Hop away", hopefully this video changed your opinion on that. Also, the ending quip "Move Over Russel Simmons" is absolutely hysterical, like Russel is some artist as opposed to one of the greatest Hip-Hop executives ever.
The other big news from Hot 97 besides the Jay-Z performance, was the emergence of the Battle for a Duck Down contract. The victor is an MC named Kosha Dillz. The only white performer (like that matters these days) just annihilated fools. Here is my quick thoughts...apparently dude has a good album on Rilo Duke's word, which I need to peep. Also, doesn't Duck Down feel like the new, more hardcore Rawkus? They released the Marco Polo and Torae, Buckshot and 9th, Kidz in The Hall, and will have the new Naledge CD as well. Big things from a great label that I think landed a good acquisition in kosha dillz. Notice as he is the only dude battling in these videos. I mean my goodness...one guy was so obviously spitting a written because he kept on referring to him with the N word. Enjoy rounds 1 and 2...
RIP and REP D. Ellis
Why I root for Wale
Written by Big R
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Strong song, suitable video, and a hungry mc. Can't wait to hear his Back to the Feature mixtape in anticipation of the major label debut.
RIP and REP D. Ellis
The AOK collective is the future
Written by Big R
Tuesday, 09 June 2009
Click the picture DOWNLOAD EVERY MIXTAPE THERE. Enjoy. And spread it around!
One collective of emcees that I feel that I've completely slept on (thanks grad school) is the AOK collective. Discovering all their music reminds me of the first time I heard the QN5 collective (dont sleep on that new CL records, folks.) AOK features Print, P.casso, Fresh Daily, 8W1, Homeboy Sandman (who is getting a lot of deserved love), 2 Hungry Brothers, and I feel like I'm missing some folks but you get the jist. Every member of this crew is spitting and their mixtapes are all pretty amazing. I already raved about the latest Fresh Daily mixtape and I am similarly blown away by the Pcasso and 8w1 tapes I just got. I don't even have enough time for all this damn music! If you do, I highly recommend you get get this FREE music and spread it to your homies. This is the kind of music find that brightens your week because I have so much music to look forward to.
RIP and REP D. Ellis
T-Pain's Chain
Written by Big R
Sunday, 07 June 2009
Irony! - Gotta love T-Pain's ability to poke fun himself and Hip-Hop in general with this chain. A column coming soonish! Be good folks.
RIP and REP D. Ellis
Jay-Z "Death of Autotune" CDQ (maybe ?)
Written by Big R
Saturday, 06 June 2009
Click on the image to get the POSSIBLY CD quality version of this NO I.D. banger! Props for Kanye for actually utilizing No I.D. for Hov. This is a HEAVY track. Funny thing that Mary J. Blige's new single features Drake and HER ON AUTOTUNE. I wonder if she will re-release the jawn now...
RIP and REP D. Ellis
Presser - Soulstice to release international concept album
Written by Big R
Friday, 05 June 2009
Big R: This is from a press release on Soulstice's new record.
Sounds interesting, so I thought I'd post it for ya'll. I'll hit up
Soulstice and ask him if he has any leaks for the record.
Beyond Borders to be released on June 23, 2009 – features guest appearances from
G.L.C., Oddisee, Kev Brown, Supastition and Zap Mama and more.
After releasing North By Northwest (2005) and Dead Letter Perfect in 2007 (which
have led to features on SoulStice in XXL Magazine, The Source, Urb, various
other key urban publications and websites and a song placement in an upcoming
Warner Brothers film), SoulStice returns with Beyond Borders, which he dubs as
an “international concept album.”
As SoulStice explains “the project is a collaboration between myself and Belgian
beatmaker, SBe, who provides all of the instrumental music for the album. As far
as the vocals, the songs are collaborations between myself and many of my
favorite artists from around the world. We've got artists from the US, UK,
Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Africa, and Canada. The first time I
ever traveled abroad was a trip I took Russia in 2000. The fact that the
globalization of hip hop had reached all the way there really made an impression
on me. Since then I've grown as an artist and have toured around the world,
seeing firsthand how hip hop, as a US cultural export, has grown and become
something new and different in these various places. Yet, the underlying theme
is the same everywhere: hip hop continues to be the mouthpiece for people who
exist outside of the mainstream to make their voices heard throughout society
and around the world.
These songs and the ideas they contain were the result of studio sessions in
Maryland, Belgium, Chicago, Paris, New York and many other places, late nights
at SBe's house in Ghent, photo sessions, international phone calls and text
messages, and long flights overseas to perform in Europe, Japan and Mexico.”
Beyond Borders will be released on June 23rd, 2009 and will feature appearances
from G.L.C., Oddisee, Kev Brown, Supastition, Wordsmith and Zap Mama and is
entirely produced by SBe.
Tracklisting and Credits for SoulStice’s “Beyond Borders”:
1.) Speed of Sound - SoulStice
2.) Chi Worldwide - SoulStice, G.L.C. (Chicago)
3.) Strange Kinda Love - SoulStice, Monique Harcum (Philly / Belgium)
4.) Unfold - SoulStice, Oddisee (Maryland), and Stef (Belgium)
5.) To The Limit - SoulStice and Brainpower (The Netherlands)
6.) Beyond Borders - SoulStice, Supastition (North Carolina) and Angelina (UK /
Russia)
7.) Bird's Eye View - SoulStice and Kev Brown (Maryland)
8.) Chicago to Germany - Nico Suave (Germany)
9.) No Place Like It - SoulStice, Eternia (Canada) and Richie Filth (Ireland),
and Stef (Belgium)
10.) 2 Days in Paris - SoulStice and Kohndo (France)
11.) I Found It - SoulStice, Haysoos (Maryland) and Krewcial (Belgium)
12.) Better Way - SoulStice and Wordsmith (Maryland)
13.) World Star - SoulStice, Zap Mama (Belgium / The Congo)
14.) Closer - SoulStice and Isabel Novela (Mozambique)
Sum Ish R Wrote - 6-3-09
Written by Big R
Wednesday, 03 June 2009
Return of the Boom-Bap
Only thing meaner than the grille Marco Polo has in the background, are his
beats.
Maaan do Marco Polo and Torae have you covered for that boom-bap Hip-Hop
heads have been fiending for! Double Barrel won't sell
as much as it will get bumped this summer, that's for sure and also a damn shame. Why I'm buying
this record - the tried and true method of one dope producer / one hungry emcee
always creates great records. Saigon got a lot of momentary applause for
his effort on the stellar, yet still slept on All in A Day's Work.
Torae's effort is up there with Saigon, but I'm hoping it will have more legs
for him and keep his name in a discussion of MC's to watch out for.
Marco Polo does his signature North of the Border grizzly production with stellar tracks
like "Double Barrel", "Coney Island", and the epic-feeling "Crashing Down."
One knock on the record is that every beat sounds the same due to the tempo.
I think there is enough variation to appreciate and discern each track.
Marco Polo's Port Authority seems like it dropped mad long ago, but in a
year he has done it again with another DOPE album filled with banging
production.
Everyone has been crying for that NY rap for years and have hoped acts like
Jadakiss would deliver that banging record. "Who's Real?" sounds like a
bad nursery rhyme while Torae and Marco Polo have made a record that makes it
okay to wear baggy jeans and timbs in the middle of the summer. As soon as
I heard this album, I stole a kid's ice cream and ate it in his face while doing
the John Cena "You can't see me taunt." What makes a good record great?
It's the intangibles. This album has that "I need to play this and get
unnecessarily violent/aggie" kind of vibe. It plays through great and not
to be slept on from the strong production is Torae's rhyming ability.
I was introduced to Torae through his collabos with Skyzoo. He brings
that lyrical / underground punch on "Word Play" but sounds the best when he is
really talking about something. "Crashing Down" might be my favorite song
of the year, straight up. I feel like expressing the state of being an
up and coming Hip-Hop artist where no one buys albums and it's damn near impossible
to get by in this economy is an extremely difficult task. Torae tackles the
subject matter with strength and skill. You can get a preview of key
tracks @
http://www.myspace.com/doublebarrel08. Also when it comes to features,
it has Masta Ace (!!), Sean Price, Rock, Saukrates, Guilty Simpson, and more.
Oh yeah, DJ Premier is also dope to hear on the intro. By the way, I really feel
like this will be that NY boom-bap record this year and will even surpass The
Blaqprint. I'm going to buy this as soon as I can get to Best Buy, and
if they don't have it, I'm copping it as soon as I get back to my laptop.
Fantastic album, props to both Torae and Marco Polo for giving Hip-Hop heads
something to get geeked about.
A quick word on E1 [Formerly Koch Records] releases coming - Royce Da 5'9, Joe Buddens, Crooked I, and
Joel Ortiz are about to release their record together. This has the
makings of an epic record that we all wanted with The Horseman crew, except it's
actually dropping. There is no way this album can have whack production
can it? Rumored producers include the boy Alchemist. We
also have to look out for Alchemist's Chemical Warfare which features
damn near everyone relevant. I've been loving the stuff he has been doing
with Evidence. Isn't it funny we rely on him for that gutter NY sound, and
he is a dude from LA?
Conspiracy Theories
Time to get a little crazy on this post like Britney/Lindsey/(insert future
pop star and apparently Eminem) without her pills.
Barack Obama spends his nights as Rap star Drake - You ever
see Barack Obama out at night anymore? He is following his primary dream
of being the hottest thing in Rap music since Lil Wayne with a sunburn.
The comparisons are uncanny to some, mildly impressive to most. Both are half-black
and half-white. Astonishing! Both are known for their oratory skills
behind a mic (paaaause). Also, think about Barack Obama's biggest
competition - an old, senile man named John McCain. Drake's biggest
antagonist is also old white people, they hate Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop and its
ability to provide heavy bass, loud curse words, and happy minorities have hurt
old white people for decades. Barack Obama's ascension is just something
to be emotional over. Remember Jesse Jackson crying at his victory
celebration? The thing with Drake's mixtape is I have a great group of
friends, my health, awesome gf, a few degrees and I still just want to sit
around and be emo listening to "Say What's Real." Say word.
Raekwon has recorded Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, but the hard drive
crashed - This has been how many years in the making? He has talked
about this coming out like every year for the past 6 years. More
rappers/producers have been tapped to hit the record like it was Super Head.
I feel like this is that college thesis that constantly gets lost to shitty
computers. I doubt Raekwon has been watching PC v. Apple commercials, if
he had been, OB4CL2 would have been saved from Windows Vista and likely come out
years ago.
Eminem never had a pill addiction, he just can't get away with talking
about stepfather rape/Christopher Reeves otherwise - And who can blame the
guy? He got away with being juvenile for so long and the only excuse he
has left is drug addiction to
spit some some of the craziest lyrics ever. Here is a brief list of topics
he talks about on Relapse: Drug abuse, rape by his stepfather, him raping and killing girls,
performing abortions with a wire hanger, eating the dead fetus, putting
umbrellas inside a girls hoo-ha, putting balloons inside their hoo-ha, random
homophobia, and sadly- the list goes on. How else can you get away with
being such a lunatic? Fabricate the drug addiction! Side note - "Medicine
Ball" proves Eminem can still spit by the way.
Cage - Depart from Mehhh
Cage comes with his second full-length on Def Jux entitled Depart from Me.
I became a bit of a Cage junkie after copping Hell's Winter. That
album had some of the fiercest production, hungry raps, with an overall banging
feel. Cage found a balance with his newfound direction and horrorcore past
perfectly on that last album. Depart From Me is heralded as a
"growth" record. As a fan/writer, I tend to think artists rely too much on
this growth argument when they make albums that aren't up to par. Maybe
because it's summer and I'm in a good groove, but this album just didn't stick
well with me.
"Nothing Left to Say" starts this album real strong. Cage has that
weird drugged out singing-out intro to that track that was rather grating and
annoying until he starts spitting and the beat flips to something nasty.
The album is a little too much of the first part of the track, and less rapping
that we are used to from Cage. While Hell's Winter sounded hype due
to lively Hip-Hop production, the energy comes from someplace darker with rock
influence and a seemingly strung out Cage getting at the beats. We know
his current look feels more like indie emo rock and it seems like his music is
moving in that direction.
I don't knock the growth argument for some artists, but from my point of
view, the production on this record just doesn't match his last one. El-P
and Blockhead provided the beats on the last record, but Cage is going for a
more grungy feel and I'm not really vibing with it. Maybe this would be
better released in winter, because it's summertime and I just want to drink
lemonade and listen to RAWSE. Cage's slow, drawn out lyrics give me more
of a headache then I should. I imagine I wasn't the target audience for
this sort of album, I mean I'm not trying to hear Cage sort of sing-rap his way
through honestly weak production.
"Strain" is kind of cool, he also has solid content on the Fat kids joint,
but his delivery makes the track barely listenable for me. The last 3
tracks kind of make up for the mediocrity, but it still doesn't pack a powerful
enough punch. Maybe it'll grow on me in a different season, I just can't
see this being bumped in public. This kind of music is meant for your
headphones only or in groups of emo high school kids smoking cigs and
contemplating dying their hair blue. Damn, I'm coming off mad haterish.
I'm just not feeling the vibe of the album, can you blame me?
Jay Stay Paid, at least we hope so
Another posthumous record from the late and great J-Dilla. Before
popping the headphones I made sure to recognize this is his second posthumous
record. Probably the majority of the heatrocks were on The Shining,
so I was just going to try to enjoy the instrumental freshness. I was
pleasantly surprised with this album with those expectations tempered.
Having the ability to scour through Jay Dilla's unreleased beats must have been
a real treat for Ma Dukes and the team who put this album together. Some
of the notable instrumentals include "10,000 Watts", "Kaklow", "9th Caller", and
more. This album is a hybrid of unreleased instrumentals with lyrical
guest features. It's kind of like a mash-up of The Shining and
Donuts. "Smoke" features Blu on a rather lazy/laid-back track with a
vintage nasty/ghoulish beat from Dilla. "Make it Fast" features Diz Gabran
and a dirty, filthy J-Dilla produced track. "24K Rap" features OG's
Raekwon and Havoc of Mobb Deep over another grimey piece of production.
Black Thought spits a pretty sick lyrical track that does border on kinda tool-ish
because "Reality TV" just references bad reality shows. I'm not the
biggest Frank-N'-Dank fan but Frank Nitty's guest feature on "Pay Day" is
pretty slick nasty.
My one complaint with the record is that I was hoping for more lyrical
features.
James Yancey has had a huge effect on the majority of Hip-Hop artists out there.
I feel like acts like Common, Kanye, and artists at that level would have
contributed on the album. Big artists aside, I was hoping for more of the new blood like Blu on the album. Wale, Kid Cudi, and especially Skyzoo would have taken
this record to another level. Who knows, budgetary constraints are mo-fer
especially in this economy. Either way, this yet ANOTHER great release
dropped this week. Jay Stay Paid reminds you of how great a
producer he was, and how lucky we are to be in the digital age that his music
can still be released 3 years after his tragic passing. Matter of fact,
I'm going to pop Donuts in right now...
Ok, more posts later folks. Thoughts on my views? Get at me @
Don't forget
to support real Hip-Hop buy purchasing both Double Barrel and Jay Stay
Paid.
RIP and REP D. Ellis
Free LP Friday X 2 (Fresh Daily and Oddisee)
Written by Big R
Friday, 29 May 2009
Fresh Daily - Tomorrow is
Today - Brooklyn-bred MC, Fresh Daily has released a great
mixtape. The production he borrows and provides is on that futuristic tip.
I'm loving the re-worked Gorillaz "Tomorrow Comes Today." His next
full-length LP features production from illmind, Oh No, 88 Keys, and more.
Oh yeah, MR. Fresh Dot Daily can get at a beat too. Don't sleep on this
tape, it's free, fly, and hard (pause) like a free mug hurled at your face.
That was a terrible metaphor, but in my defense it's dumb early and I'm just
trying to enjoy this album! Other notable tracks after one quick listen
"Apollo 13", "Winterfresh - Flying Lotus Remix", "Universal Medicine", "Film
Noir." I don't know if it's on the buzz quality of So Far Gone, but
Fresh Daily has created a mixtape that deserves to be in the conversation of
best tape of the year!
Oddisee - Odd Summer (Instrumental)
Click the image, get the free freshness.
My favorite producer/emcee from the DMV and maybe in the states period
provides a free instrumental CD with Put Me On It. Click on the image to
peep the source blog with a link to download the instrumental freshness.
Oddisee is also on the Fresh Daily mixtape too, he is just running my music
world this 2009 between the Diamond District and everything else he is putting
out.
Back to the grind, even though I graduate, I never have time off! Have a good
Friday ya'll, and I hope this music helps ya with that mission.