EPMD - "Never Seen Before"
First single from 1997's "Back In Business." One of the best groups to ever do it, EPMD's reunion was certainly a welcome one. The Artifacts are reportedly working on a reunion album right now and Organized Konfusion have apparently worked on few new tracks. Nothing better than hip-hop's great duos getting back together for new music. Remix version in the video below.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Song of the Day
Wu-Tang Clan - "Method Man"
Staying with another old school song. Was out with my brother and the big Bubb Dogg last night and they were waxing nostalgic on Enter The 36 Chambers. Song's been in my head since. Got this on cassette single back in '93 as the b-side to "Protect Ya Neck." Which means I own the unedited version of "Protect Ya Neck."
Staying with another old school song. Was out with my brother and the big Bubb Dogg last night and they were waxing nostalgic on Enter The 36 Chambers. Song's been in my head since. Got this on cassette single back in '93 as the b-side to "Protect Ya Neck." Which means I own the unedited version of "Protect Ya Neck."
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Song of the Day
N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton"
In the mood for some old school hip-hop. This joint is timeless. No other explanation needed.
In the mood for some old school hip-hop. This joint is timeless. No other explanation needed.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Song of the Day
Slaughterhouse feat. Dres - "Back On The Scene"
Love hearing Dres again, even if it's just for the hook. Freddie Blassie reference by Royce in the first verse, Manute Bol reference by Joe Budden in the fourth verse and Crooked dropping the "Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up" line in the second verse, good stuff. Slaughterhouse EP did not disappoint. Ortiz and Budden dropped some of my favorite songs in 2010, as did Crooked with his Hip-Hop Weekly Reloaded series. Glad they dropped another group effort.
Love hearing Dres again, even if it's just for the hook. Freddie Blassie reference by Royce in the first verse, Manute Bol reference by Joe Budden in the fourth verse and Crooked dropping the "Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up" line in the second verse, good stuff. Slaughterhouse EP did not disappoint. Ortiz and Budden dropped some of my favorite songs in 2010, as did Crooked with his Hip-Hop Weekly Reloaded series. Glad they dropped another group effort.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Song of the Day
Kid Cudi - "Mojo So Dope"
Nice laid back track from Mr. Rager. Cudi's 2nd album didn't live up to the first, but this was one of the better songs on there.
Nice laid back track from Mr. Rager. Cudi's 2nd album didn't live up to the first, but this was one of the better songs on there.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Song of the Day
Joell Ortiz - "Battle Cry"
In honor of Ortiz's new album Free Agent dropping yesterday, this one was featured on his Farewell To Summer EP that dropped last year and can be found on the new disc as well. This made my Best of 2010 list.
In honor of Ortiz's new album Free Agent dropping yesterday, this one was featured on his Farewell To Summer EP that dropped last year and can be found on the new disc as well. This made my Best of 2010 list.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Song of the Day
Slaine - "The Worst"
Statik Selektah on the beat, Biggie sample for the hook, that'll work. On a side note, saw Slaine in "The Town" last night. While only a limited role, he held his own. Seemed like a natural on camera. Good flick too. So there you go, a double-dip as Slaine's "The Worst" is the song of the day and "The Town" is the movie of the day.
Listen to Slaine
Statik Selektah on the beat, Biggie sample for the hook, that'll work. On a side note, saw Slaine in "The Town" last night. While only a limited role, he held his own. Seemed like a natural on camera. Good flick too. So there you go, a double-dip as Slaine's "The Worst" is the song of the day and "The Town" is the movie of the day.
Listen to Slaine
Monday, February 21, 2011
Song of the Day
Brother Ali - "Tight Rope"
Ali is at his best when attacking a particular subject (although his freestyles and battle raps are ridiculous as well) and this gem from 2009's Us is a perfect example. Saw a live performance of this track and he says before the third verse, "We ain't supposed to talk about this in rap." Incredible song, great message. Peep the performance below.
Ali is at his best when attacking a particular subject (although his freestyles and battle raps are ridiculous as well) and this gem from 2009's Us is a perfect example. Saw a live performance of this track and he says before the third verse, "We ain't supposed to talk about this in rap." Incredible song, great message. Peep the performance below.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Song of the Day
Old school feel on this joint, as Thought kicks things off and gives way to Rakim who slays it. Download is available at okayplayer.com. Go get it!
Mixtape Madness
Mixtapes have been a big part of hip-hop for a long time. But the impact mixtapes have on hip-hop music in this new digital era is bigger than ever. Artists release mixtapes all year long, mostly for free, on any given day for their fans to download.
The idea of waiting for new releases to come out every Tuesday has taken a backseat to the wave of mixtapes. Some of the biggest artists to release albums in 2010 had a mixtape release to serve as an appetizer for their album release. T.I., Rick Ross, and B.O.B. all used this this method to garner a buzz for their actual releases. Hell, Ross dropped two mixtapes and one album in 2010 alone.
Then there was Kanye with his G.O.O.D. Friday releases. Although not a mixtape, Yeezy gave us an album’s worth of songs for free, some of which were better than the material found on his fantastic My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Others such as J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T. and Wale used mixtapes to keep their names afloat as some of the freshest “newcomers” in the game. Then there were old reliable like Game and Royce 5’9 who have given their fans plenty of free music by way of mixtapes and didn’t disappoint with Brake Lights and Bar Exam 3 respectively.
With Patron & Purp, which dropped at the beginning of 2011, Game gave us a double-disc worth of brand new tracks, not to mention The Hangover which followed in a week’s time. That’s three albums worth of new material in seven days all of which cost fans $0.
So obviously we as hip-hop fans have a lot to be happy about.
But is it overkill? Or at least oversaturation?
Unfortunately, yes.
The free material available to fans in 2010 alone was both phenomenal and overwhelming.
The following artists dropped new albums last year: Bun B, Kanye West, Rick Ross, The Roots, Eminem, Celph Titled, Big Boi, Drake, B.O.B., Kid Cudi, 1982, Black Milk, Apollo Brown, Lloyd Banks, Fat Joe, Joe Budden, T.I., Ghostface Killah, Skyzoo & Illmind, Nottz, Capone-N-Noreaga, Rhymefest, Rakaa, Murs, and Atmosphere. And that’s just naming albums I own.
Now look at the list of some of the artists to release mixtapes: Rick Ross (2), Game (2), B.O.B., Joe Budden, T.I., Reks (2), Slaine, Freddie Gibbs, Wale, Evidence, Joell Ortiz, Royce 5’9, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Pac Div, Das Racist, Jadakiss and Skillz. And that’s just from looking at my iTunes.
Now how can anyone really ingest all that music? You’re looking at an album a week. And that’s without going back to your favorite and listening again. Not to mention all the individual songs that came out like Apathy’s “We’re Gonna Kill You,” Reek Da Villian’s “Mechanics (Remix)” with an all-star cast (which ended up on his mixtape), Crooked I’s “Hip-Hop Weekly Reloaded” series and all the other weekly (at least in theory) series that dropped in 2010.
It’s too much.
Getting a gem like Jay Electronica’s “Shiny Suit Theory” out of nowhere is a certainly a welcome treat. As is finding Jay-Z’s “Most Kings” on DJ Green Lantern’s Invasion 2K10 mixtape. And I shouldn’t have a gripe about any of it.
It just seems like we have too much and not enough time to savor it all. And yes, some of the aforementioned mixtapes aren’t worth more than one or two listens, but still, there aren’t enough hours in the day to take it all in. Yet here we are downloading every new mixtape that comes out and even writing reviews of mixtapes, which just doesn’t seem right either.
Call me old fashioned, but I still look forward to new releases dropping every Tuesday and going out and buying the physical CD. It’s the reason I was super late to the ipod game (and if anyone ever needed an ipod it was me) and probably the same reason I’m hesistant to jump into the Nook or Kindle game. There’s just something about getting the booklet, reading the production credits and popping the disc into your deck that far outweighs listening to new music through crappy computer speakers.
Will I still want every release, mixtape or not, that I can get my hands on? Of course. But I’ll be more excited about days like March 8th when Lupe Fiasco’s Lasersand Raekwon’s Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang drop and I can debate which CD to pop into my car stereo first. And I doubt that will ever change.
The idea of waiting for new releases to come out every Tuesday has taken a backseat to the wave of mixtapes. Some of the biggest artists to release albums in 2010 had a mixtape release to serve as an appetizer for their album release. T.I., Rick Ross, and B.O.B. all used this this method to garner a buzz for their actual releases. Hell, Ross dropped two mixtapes and one album in 2010 alone.
Then there was Kanye with his G.O.O.D. Friday releases. Although not a mixtape, Yeezy gave us an album’s worth of songs for free, some of which were better than the material found on his fantastic My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Others such as J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T. and Wale used mixtapes to keep their names afloat as some of the freshest “newcomers” in the game. Then there were old reliable like Game and Royce 5’9 who have given their fans plenty of free music by way of mixtapes and didn’t disappoint with Brake Lights and Bar Exam 3 respectively.
With Patron & Purp, which dropped at the beginning of 2011, Game gave us a double-disc worth of brand new tracks, not to mention The Hangover which followed in a week’s time. That’s three albums worth of new material in seven days all of which cost fans $0.
So obviously we as hip-hop fans have a lot to be happy about.
But is it overkill? Or at least oversaturation?
Unfortunately, yes.
The free material available to fans in 2010 alone was both phenomenal and overwhelming.
The following artists dropped new albums last year: Bun B, Kanye West, Rick Ross, The Roots, Eminem, Celph Titled, Big Boi, Drake, B.O.B., Kid Cudi, 1982, Black Milk, Apollo Brown, Lloyd Banks, Fat Joe, Joe Budden, T.I., Ghostface Killah, Skyzoo & Illmind, Nottz, Capone-N-Noreaga, Rhymefest, Rakaa, Murs, and Atmosphere. And that’s just naming albums I own.
Now look at the list of some of the artists to release mixtapes: Rick Ross (2), Game (2), B.O.B., Joe Budden, T.I., Reks (2), Slaine, Freddie Gibbs, Wale, Evidence, Joell Ortiz, Royce 5’9, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Pac Div, Das Racist, Jadakiss and Skillz. And that’s just from looking at my iTunes.
Now how can anyone really ingest all that music? You’re looking at an album a week. And that’s without going back to your favorite and listening again. Not to mention all the individual songs that came out like Apathy’s “We’re Gonna Kill You,” Reek Da Villian’s “Mechanics (Remix)” with an all-star cast (which ended up on his mixtape), Crooked I’s “Hip-Hop Weekly Reloaded” series and all the other weekly (at least in theory) series that dropped in 2010.
It’s too much.
Getting a gem like Jay Electronica’s “Shiny Suit Theory” out of nowhere is a certainly a welcome treat. As is finding Jay-Z’s “Most Kings” on DJ Green Lantern’s Invasion 2K10 mixtape. And I shouldn’t have a gripe about any of it.
It just seems like we have too much and not enough time to savor it all. And yes, some of the aforementioned mixtapes aren’t worth more than one or two listens, but still, there aren’t enough hours in the day to take it all in. Yet here we are downloading every new mixtape that comes out and even writing reviews of mixtapes, which just doesn’t seem right either.
Call me old fashioned, but I still look forward to new releases dropping every Tuesday and going out and buying the physical CD. It’s the reason I was super late to the ipod game (and if anyone ever needed an ipod it was me) and probably the same reason I’m hesistant to jump into the Nook or Kindle game. There’s just something about getting the booklet, reading the production credits and popping the disc into your deck that far outweighs listening to new music through crappy computer speakers.
Will I still want every release, mixtape or not, that I can get my hands on? Of course. But I’ll be more excited about days like March 8th when Lupe Fiasco’s Lasersand Raekwon’s Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang drop and I can debate which CD to pop into my car stereo first. And I doubt that will ever change.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Song of the Day
Lupe Fiasco - "Hip-Hop Saved My Life"
Great song off Lupe's 2nd album. Came on my ipod today and reminded me how good Lupe's first two albums are. Looking forward to Lasers, dropping March 8.
Great song off Lupe's 2nd album. Came on my ipod today and reminded me how good Lupe's first two albums are. Looking forward to Lasers, dropping March 8.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Song of the Day
Rock feat. Billy Danze, Lucky Don & Smoothe Da Hustler - "Straight Outta Brownsville"
Rockness Monsta has one of the greatest voices in hip-hop history. Add one half of M.O.P. and welcome back Smoothe Da Hustler (where has he been??? His debut 'Once Upon A Time in America' remains criminally slept on) and you have a grimy street anthem.
Hulkshare.com STRAIGHT OUTTA BROWNSVILLE RMX (DIRTY).mp3
Rockness Monsta has one of the greatest voices in hip-hop history. Add one half of M.O.P. and welcome back Smoothe Da Hustler (where has he been??? His debut 'Once Upon A Time in America' remains criminally slept on) and you have a grimy street anthem.
Hulkshare.com STRAIGHT OUTTA BROWNSVILLE RMX (DIRTY).mp3
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Song of the Day
Atmosphere - "The Best Day"
Great song from one of my favorites. Perfect when you're having a shitty day. Slug is the common man's rapper. Video is posted below.
Great song from one of my favorites. Perfect when you're having a shitty day. Slug is the common man's rapper. Video is posted below.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Song of the Day
This is crazy. Connor does a triple-time flow on this and still enunciates every word perfectly. Kid can spit. Expect big things from Jon Connor in 2011.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Song of the Day
Thee Tom Hardy feat. Skyzoo - "A Different League"
9th Wonder on the beat, as these two submit terrific efforts. Hardy says, "They think I'm underground as if all my pals are Fraggles." Also love the Billy Hoyle & Sidney Dean reference in the hook.
9th Wonder on the beat, as these two submit terrific efforts. Hardy says, "They think I'm underground as if all my pals are Fraggles." Also love the Billy Hoyle & Sidney Dean reference in the hook.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Song of the Day
Method Man & Mary J. Blige - "All I Need/I'll Be There For You"
Happy Valentine's Day everybody. This is an all-time classic and perfect for the holiday. Loved the original version off of 'Tical' but flipping it into this Grammy-award winning duet was ever better.
Also, if you're looking for a little vintage soul music this holiday, check out Aloe Blacc's "You Make Me Smile" off his excellent 'Good Things' album which dropped in 2010.
Happy Valentine's Day everybody. This is an all-time classic and perfect for the holiday. Loved the original version off of 'Tical' but flipping it into this Grammy-award winning duet was ever better.
Also, if you're looking for a little vintage soul music this holiday, check out Aloe Blacc's "You Make Me Smile" off his excellent 'Good Things' album which dropped in 2010.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Song of the Day
Organized Konfusion - "Maintain"
One of my favorite songs of all time. Wish these two would reunite for another album. Pharoahe Monch's verse is 100% classic. "Now it's been said, a grown man ain't supposed to cry/So why are there tears inside my eye?"
One of my favorite songs of all time. Wish these two would reunite for another album. Pharoahe Monch's verse is 100% classic. "Now it's been said, a grown man ain't supposed to cry/So why are there tears inside my eye?"
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Song of the Day
Ghostface Killah - "2Getha Baby"
This that Jimmy Neutron baby! Vintage Ghost. Didn't disappoint with this one off 'Apollo Kid.'
This that Jimmy Neutron baby! Vintage Ghost. Didn't disappoint with this one off 'Apollo Kid.'
Friday, February 11, 2011
Song of the Day
Kanye West feat. Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson - "Good Friday"
Happy Friday everybody! Loved Kanye's G.O.O.D. Friday releases before his latest album. Still think this should've made the album, but oh well. Great way to jumpstart the weekend.
Happy Friday everybody! Loved Kanye's G.O.O.D. Friday releases before his latest album. Still think this should've made the album, but oh well. Great way to jumpstart the weekend.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Song of the Day
In honor of J. Dilla, today's song of the day is a 20-track playlist of Dilla classics. No Slum Village or Dilla solo work on here, just Dilla production for other artists.
1. 1nce Again - A Tribe Called Quest
2. Stakes Is High - De La Soul
3. Runnin' - The Pharcyde
4. Drop - The Pharcyde
5. Got Til It's Gone (Jay Dee's Revenge Remix) - Janet Jackson feat. Q-Tip
6. Find A Way - A Tribe Called Quest
7. Dynamite! - The Roots
8. Let's Grow - Royce Da 5'9
9. House of Flying Daggers - Raekwon
10. Whip You With A Strap - Ghostface Killah
11. Dangerous Ground - Keith Murray
12. The Jam - Mad Skillz
13. Dooinit - Common
14. Show Me What You Got - Busta Rhymes
15. Reminisce - Bilal feat. Mos Def
16. Don't Say A Word - Chino XL
17. Move - Oh No feat. J. Dilla & Roc C.
18. Plastic Cups - Rapper Pooh feat. Chaundon & Joe Scudda
19. Gazzillion Ear - MF Doom
20. Move - Q-Tip
And as a bonus, how about "Workinonit" from "Donuts"
1. 1nce Again - A Tribe Called Quest
2. Stakes Is High - De La Soul
3. Runnin' - The Pharcyde
4. Drop - The Pharcyde
5. Got Til It's Gone (Jay Dee's Revenge Remix) - Janet Jackson feat. Q-Tip
6. Find A Way - A Tribe Called Quest
7. Dynamite! - The Roots
8. Let's Grow - Royce Da 5'9
9. House of Flying Daggers - Raekwon
10. Whip You With A Strap - Ghostface Killah
11. Dangerous Ground - Keith Murray
12. The Jam - Mad Skillz
13. Dooinit - Common
14. Show Me What You Got - Busta Rhymes
15. Reminisce - Bilal feat. Mos Def
16. Don't Say A Word - Chino XL
17. Move - Oh No feat. J. Dilla & Roc C.
18. Plastic Cups - Rapper Pooh feat. Chaundon & Joe Scudda
19. Gazzillion Ear - MF Doom
20. Move - Q-Tip
And as a bonus, how about "Workinonit" from "Donuts"
Have a Donut
"I got her eating Donuts every February 10th" - Skyzoo & Illmind "#AllAboutThat"
On Feb. 10, 2006, hip-hop said goodbye to one of its finest producers in J. Dilla as he lost his fight with TTP (Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura). While Dilla has passed, his legacy has grown as hip-hop artists like the Roots, Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip have memorialized him on record. And hip-hop aficionados have come to realize what an immense talent Dilla truly was.
Dilla's production credits span almost 20 years and include such classics as De La Soul's "Stakes Is High," A Tribe Called Quest's "Find A Way," and Erykah Badu's Grammy-nominated single "Didn't Cha Know," not to mention his work as a member of Slum Village.
J. Dilla, a.k.a. Jay Dee, was a member of two influential production teams as he joined Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to form The Ummah for Tribe's "Beats, Rhymes & Life" and "Love Movement" albums. Dilla was also part of the Soulquarians comprised of Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, James Poyser, Badu, Q-Tip, ?uestlove, D'Angelo and Bilal, whose sound can be clearly heard on Common's "Electric Circus" as well as Badu's "Mama's Gun" and D'Angelo's "Voodoo."
His sound reached all genre's of hip-hop, working with big name artists like Busta Rhymes, Mos Def and Ghostface Killah, as well as underground favorites MF Doom, Chino XL and Oh No. The list of artists reads like a who's-who of hip-hop that any producer would envy. Dilla also made a super-producer collaboration with Madlib, forming Jaylib and releasing "Champion Sound" in which each producer took turns rhyming over each other's beats. True genius as can be expected from Dilla.
Going through Dilla's catalog conjured up a lot of memories. His early work such as Pharcyde's "Runnin'" holds up as well today as it did when it came out in 1995. The work with Slum Village speaks for itself, as it stands as Detroit's version of the Native Tongues and helped launch Dilla's career (along with his work as part of the Ummah.)
But as too often the case, tragically Dilla's defining moment as a producer came with his solo opus "Donuts" which was released three days before his death. "Donuts" stood up on its own and has gone on to be memorialized by various hip-hop artists as they have paid tribute to Dilla's genius by rhyming over the beats he cooked up on his final release. It's just sad Dilla's not here to enjoy those recreations.
It's Feb. 10th, so find your favorite Dilla song and crank it up. And have a Donut.
On Feb. 10, 2006, hip-hop said goodbye to one of its finest producers in J. Dilla as he lost his fight with TTP (Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura). While Dilla has passed, his legacy has grown as hip-hop artists like the Roots, Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip have memorialized him on record. And hip-hop aficionados have come to realize what an immense talent Dilla truly was.
Dilla's production credits span almost 20 years and include such classics as De La Soul's "Stakes Is High," A Tribe Called Quest's "Find A Way," and Erykah Badu's Grammy-nominated single "Didn't Cha Know," not to mention his work as a member of Slum Village.
J. Dilla, a.k.a. Jay Dee, was a member of two influential production teams as he joined Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to form The Ummah for Tribe's "Beats, Rhymes & Life" and "Love Movement" albums. Dilla was also part of the Soulquarians comprised of Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, James Poyser, Badu, Q-Tip, ?uestlove, D'Angelo and Bilal, whose sound can be clearly heard on Common's "Electric Circus" as well as Badu's "Mama's Gun" and D'Angelo's "Voodoo."
His sound reached all genre's of hip-hop, working with big name artists like Busta Rhymes, Mos Def and Ghostface Killah, as well as underground favorites MF Doom, Chino XL and Oh No. The list of artists reads like a who's-who of hip-hop that any producer would envy. Dilla also made a super-producer collaboration with Madlib, forming Jaylib and releasing "Champion Sound" in which each producer took turns rhyming over each other's beats. True genius as can be expected from Dilla.
Going through Dilla's catalog conjured up a lot of memories. His early work such as Pharcyde's "Runnin'" holds up as well today as it did when it came out in 1995. The work with Slum Village speaks for itself, as it stands as Detroit's version of the Native Tongues and helped launch Dilla's career (along with his work as part of the Ummah.)
But as too often the case, tragically Dilla's defining moment as a producer came with his solo opus "Donuts" which was released three days before his death. "Donuts" stood up on its own and has gone on to be memorialized by various hip-hop artists as they have paid tribute to Dilla's genius by rhyming over the beats he cooked up on his final release. It's just sad Dilla's not here to enjoy those recreations.
It's Feb. 10th, so find your favorite Dilla song and crank it up. And have a Donut.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Song of the Day
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Song of the Day
Royce 5'9 feat. Busta Rhymes - "Dinner Time"
Royce has always been lyrically superb to the majority of hip-hop acts, but he's been spitting with a different kind of ferocity of late. This gem off 2009's "Street Hop," is the perfect example as Royce's flow is one with the beat. Add in Busta relentlessly attacking the beat and you have the recipe for success.
Royce has always been lyrically superb to the majority of hip-hop acts, but he's been spitting with a different kind of ferocity of late. This gem off 2009's "Street Hop," is the perfect example as Royce's flow is one with the beat. Add in Busta relentlessly attacking the beat and you have the recipe for success.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Song of the Day
Lloyd Banks - "Father Time"
Was pleasantly surprised with H.F.M. 2, and while there are better tracks on the album, "Father Time" continues to catch my attention every time it's on. I wouldn't go as far as saying G-Unit is back, but Banks returned to form in 2010.
Was pleasantly surprised with H.F.M. 2, and while there are better tracks on the album, "Father Time" continues to catch my attention every time it's on. I wouldn't go as far as saying G-Unit is back, but Banks returned to form in 2010.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Song of the Day
Game - "The Kill"
Game is hungry on this track. Great lyrics, sinister beat and surprisingly well done sampling of La Roux for the hook. Heard the actual La Roux song at a bar last night and immediately thought of this banger from the "Patron & Purp" mixtape.
Game is hungry on this track. Great lyrics, sinister beat and surprisingly well done sampling of La Roux for the hook. Heard the actual La Roux song at a bar last night and immediately thought of this banger from the "Patron & Purp" mixtape.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Song Of The Day
The Roots feat. John Legend - "The Fire"
Classic Roots sound. Perfect high-energy track from one of the best albums of 2010.
Classic Roots sound. Perfect high-energy track from one of the best albums of 2010.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Song of the Day
People Under The Stairs - "The Ultimate 144"
Great old school feel from one of the most consistent duo's in hip-hop.
Great old school feel from one of the most consistent duo's in hip-hop.
A Modern Day Classic?
So let’s talk classic hip-hop albums. What makes any album a classic? Lyrics, production, song structure, continuity and most importantly how well it holds up over time. Biggie’s debut holds up as well in 2011 as it did when it was released in 1994. Hell, given the quality of hip-hop music in ’94 and the lack thereof in 2011, it may sound even better today than it did 17 years ago.
But Ready to Die is an easy one. As is Wu-Tang’s Enter the 36 Chambers, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Nas’s Illmatic. They are all flawless hip-hop albums that could be played at any bbq, house party, club, car, anywhere really, and get everyone in attendance excited.
The early-to-mid 90’s hip-hop era was the best there ever was. Period. But the lack of quality hip-hop over the past decade and especially in the last five years has had all of us clamoring for that old, classic hip-hop feel. We wanna wax nostalgic and it’s messing up the way hip-hop albums of today are perceived.
Take for example Raekwon's Only Built For Cuban Linx II. We all know sequels in general are a horrible idea in the film industry, and instead of learning from this, hip-hop artists like to try and recapture the magic from a previous classic with a sequel. Sure, same album title with a Pt. 2, or in most hip-hop cases Da Sequel, tagged at the end. But they never live up to the original. And it's not surprising.
But Rae got everyone to label OBFCL2 a classic because he brought back that Wu-Tang sound we all had craved. And it was a quality album. By far the best project The Chef put out since the original was released 14 years earlier. It was a tight-knit album that had solid production, great story-telling, and the right use of guest spots. All-in-all it was certainly an album of the year contender. But to say it lived up to OBFCL is insane. Think about this, the first installment had "Knuckleheadz," "Criminology," "Incarcerated Scarfaces," "Verbal Intercourse," "Glaciers of Ice," "Ice Cream," "Wu-Gambinos" and "Heaven or Hell." And that's just off the top of my head. Name one track, just ONE, from OBFCL2 that is on par with those songs. Can't be done.
Let's move on.
The Source gave Bun B’s Trill O.G. five mics. Really? I like Bun B and Trill O.G. is a decent album. I’d say 3 or 3.5 mics would be sufficient. Five? FIVE? Not even close. Loved the collabo with Premier. Made me long for more Preemo beats. But it doesn’t make me bump the rating of the entire album up. Trill O.G. didn't even crack my top 5 list for best albums of 2010.
Drake’s Thank Me Later earned five @’s on Hiphopsite.com. C’mon on now. Liked Drake’s album. And I agree that it has the makings to hold up over time. But to say it’s flawless is a gross overexaggeration. “Show Me A Good Time,” “Up All Night,” and “Unforgettable” are all take-it or leave-it tracks. Do they fit the album? Sure. But having decent songs and no bad tracks doesn’t make a classic album.
Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy also received the five-star treatment from both the Source and Hiphopsite, as well as a top rating from XXL Magazine. That makes three classics in 2010? While Kanye is definitely closer to that classic status, it’s still not there. But Kanye should get a pass because he essentially gave us all a free-album with his G.O.O.D. Friday releases. Unfortunately that’s what stops MBDTF from being a 5-star album. “So Appalled” was an inferior track to “The Joy,” “Christian Dior Denim Flow” and “Good Friday.” Can’t give away better tracks for free and then release an album a few months later and have it be named a classic. I know it’s nitpicking, but when it comes to being a classic album it’s necessary.
I’ve never listened to 36 Chambers and thought, “This is good, but I could do without this ‘Mystery of Chessboxin’ song.” No. And I never, ever, ever, ever push the skip button when listening to 36 Chambers. And I’m not sure I ever have.
And that’s the difference. I’ve recently skipped over “So Appalled,” and even hit eject before “Who Will Survive In America” came on. Not that I don’t like those songs. They just aren’t classic material. To drive the point home further, you’d never skip over “The What” or eject Ready To Die as Biggie prepped to drop, “When I die, fuck it I wanna go to Hell….” Just saying.
So enough trying to find the next “classic.” Just let it happen. We will all know when the next timeless hip-hop album drops. There’s no need to push mediocre to good, good to great or great to classic.
‘Til next time.
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