Friday, December 01, 2006

Women Know Me, I'm E-Fo'-Oh



As a big fan of both comedy and E- 40 and the hyphy movement, I couldn't help but share this. If you haven't seen this yet, you're truly missing out.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Grew Up A Screw Up

XXL Magazine has a little problem on their hands (see bottom of their page). I don't know who is to blame for this messup, but someones getting a stern talking to later. For now though, we can all have a laugh about this one.



And I've always said Keith Urban and John Mayer never got enough credit as a true hip hop artist. And The Fray, c'mon, that's one hard group of lyricists right there.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Murda Niggas, Step On My Shoes I Hurt A Nigga



I've come to the disturbing conclusion recently, as recently as ten minutes ago, that the youth of today doesn't appreciate hip-hop as a whole and they have this naive fascination with mainstream rap and it's merchandising capabilities. The story goes that I am in my car, bringing my sister somewhere. I've got a playlist from my iPod going and everything seems to either disinterest or flat out annoy her. DANGERDOOM's Old School with Talib Kweli. The song starts off with Kweli dropping a verse.
Her head gets to moving.

The thing here is she likes Talib, most likely because of the fact that he has been deemed underappreciated in the underground hip-hop scene, not for the fact that he's one of the greatest emcees of our time. Additionally, the only reason she is familiar with the name is the fact I was compassionate enough to introduce her to some good music. Anyways, his verse ends and MF Doom steps up to the mic.
She looks at me like I'm some kind of freak show.

I realize that his flows are very unorthodox and that some may seem him as a whack rapper although he spits some of great metaphoric lines from time to time. Her distate is understandable at best, so i change the song to Ghostface Killah's new Be Easy from his latest release Fishscale. Immediately she reacts.
"Who is this?," she says in distaste. I look at her dumfounded and I reply, "Ghostface Killah." "He's not very good." "Ya, Wu-Tang... terrible."

She cannot be serious. An excellent rapper from argueably the greatest rap group from all time, the Wu-Tang Clan, and she's never even heard of him. Next time she tells me she's up on music, I might just laugh. A lot. So I move on and a mixtape joint by Ludacris commences, He Man.
"I don't like this song." This girl cannot be real. She's probably never even heard it before, so at this point, I respond angrily, "Ya, my bad. I forgot that he's not rapping about killing, bling, or drugs here." That sure shut her up.

I guess the moral to this blog, if all blogs were to have one, is that you need to appreciate what is out there and learn to give things a chance.

Appreciate this:
DANGERDOOM ft. Talib Kweli - Old School
Ghostface Killah - Be Easy
Ludacris - He Man

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Danity Who?

This post is going to be short and to the point...

What the fuck is a Danity Kane? This is a group of "diddy boppers" as I'd like to refer to them, who havedi made the rounds as a result of Making The Band with that rapper turned entertainer we've all come to know and love. These girls, while they may be excellent singers and dancers - not that i would know - are pushing acts like the beloved Eightball & MJG out of the Bad Boy label. XXL Magazine reads, "Over the past year a few promising singles leaked from the long delayed follow-up Ridin' High. But now Diddy’s been running down the Bad Boy roster (as he’s so fond of doing), while promoting his new lineup, and Ball & G have been noticeably absent (thanks, Danity Kane!)". I hate you break it to you ladies, but you can't rhymes Mercedes and "Escaladies." That's not even a word. And just because I'd like to have sex with maybe four out of the five of you does not mean that I'd like to listen to your music.

Another less music music oriented but just as irritating effect they have had is every girl between the ages of 12 and 18 going ahead and self-proclaiming themselves as show stoppers. I hate to break it to you ladies, but most of you aren't even close to this show stoppa status.

Boo Danity Kane.
Three Cheers For Ball & G.
Hands In The Air (Opens in iTunes only)
Relax and Take Notes
Forever (ft. Lloyd)

Monday, September 04, 2006

We Be Sportin' Vans And We Throw Away Nikes



Let me set the scene. The year is 1986 and the year has just started. None other than Raising Hell has just been released, best known for its collaboration with Aerosmith on the Walk this Way, and once again Run DMC has done their thing. But most noted to me was the song by the trio from Holis, Queens, New York that names the shoe they chose to grace their musical feet, My Adidas. I'm sure we all remember our first pair of Adidas, be it all white high tops to low cut with any number of colored stripes.

Now let us jump sixteen years into the future. The album is Nellyville and the song, peaking at #3 on the U.S. Hot 100 Chart, is Nelly's own Air Force Ones. These long standing "hood sneakers" are just as versitile as the Adidas, coming in highs and lows and more amazingly in such a wide range of colors. As the song says, "Now if you looked and seen lime green forces and kiwi, you couldn't get this color if you had a personal genie."

As the test of times shows, the hip-hop industry is no stranger to favored, name-brand shout-outs. These days it seems there's a new trend emerging. The once primarily skate shoe brand, Vans, seems to be breaking some boundries on the West Coast. Bay Area rap group, The Pack, tells us what the deal is on their song Vans, which hit the radio in Cali a few months back. Although this style is not yet popular on the our side of the country, like all other trends, we can probably expect it here eventually.

The LA Times writes, "While the song has been climbing charts and driving traffic to the group's MySpace.com page, it also has been spurring fans to plunk down $37 for a pair of Vans, the shoes that until now have been embraced mainly by skaters, surfers and punk rockers." Omadhebo of the pack goes on to say, "It was a new thing. It was something different. We were the first people in the hip-hop and urban community to really start wearing Vans like that."


Old School:
Run DMC - My Adidas

Throwback:
Nelly - Air Force Ones

New Shit:
The Pack - Vans
The Pack ft. Mistah FAB, Too Short - Vans Remix (BONUS Track)

Monday, August 14, 2006

You Want The Realness, Well, I Gotcha


This summer has been full of new music I've come across, and like always theres that music that passes and the occasional songs that stick. This isn't a tribute to those persay, but its a post displaying some of the songs I've encoutered during my 10 day stay in the Sunshine State and over the rest of my summer vacation. These mostly catchy tunes caught my ear and I guess are worth sharing. I'm talking about these songs that may not be getting the airplay they deserve, so you're not going to see any Shoulder Lean here.


Lupe Fiasco - I Gotcha
Media-named "Future of Hip-Hop" and Fader Magazine proclamined "Hip-Hop Wiz Kid" Lupe throws it down nice as usual. I'm definately looking forward to Food and Liquor, out September 19th. Catchy beat, classic Lupe. Keep 'em coming.

Rick Ross - Push It
Ross spits over a recycled Scarface beat. Worth Hustlin' status? - you tell me.

Ray Cash - Bumpin' My Music
Early Summer song, but it's still worth mentioning.

The Game - One Blood
I find the first single off his sophomore album, the Doctor's Advocate, to be impressive, but its no Hate It or Love It. I'm anxious to hear if the Cali Kid can do it again, even without the help of Fitty.

Young Jibbs - Do Your Chain Hang Low
It's the kids during the hook that really get me. Plus, no one can ever get enough of these songs devoted to bling.

Triple X - Hater Blockers On
Hater blockers, stunna shades, whatever. They're all sunglasses to me. You got 'em on?

Mims - This Is Why I'm Hot
Who knows why I enjoy this song. Maybe it's because I can relate. Love the sampling and display of different subgenres of hip-hop.

Talib Kweli - What I Feel
Love Talib, decent song.

Jurassic 5 - Where We At
"I heard brothas say J5, man, them niggas ain't shit." I beg to differ. Lyrical mastery.

Inspectah Deck - Do My Thing
It's good to see the Wu still alive.

Rhymefest ft. Kanye West - More
Another Chi-Town rapper and another good song. "The entire concept behind my project is to fight the wackness that 'rap' has become. There are enough people trying to be gangsters without me going that route. What we need in hip-hop right now are rappers who are both truthful and entertaining." -Rhymefest.com

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Go Stupid, Dummy, Retarded


Being from the east coast, specifically the white middle-class town of Bristol, Connecticut, it seems that I am one of the rare fans of E-40 and other hyphy artists, and even rarer, I may be one of the only ones in the area to actually own My Ghetto Report Card.

Hyphy is not only a style of music, very reminiscent to the crunk music of the South, but it's a way of life. Ridin' the yellow bus, ghost ridin' the whip, stunna shades, thizz face, gas break dippin', side shows, etc.
The term is a combination of the words "hype" and "fly".

It began to emerge in early 2000 as a response from Bay Area rappers against commercial hip hop for not acknowledging the Bay for setting trends in the hip hop industry. Although the "hyphy movement" has just recently seen light in mainstream America, it has been a long standing and evolving culture in the Bay Area.

It is distinguished by gritty, pounding rhythms, and in this sense can be associated with the Bay as crunk music is to the South. An individual is said to "get hyphy" when they act or dance in an overstated and ridiculous manner. Contrary to popular belief, the musical aspect of the movement has very few similarities to Crunk music, as it is dictated by more uptempo beats and a techno sound. E-40 is seen by many in the Bay Area as the "door opener" to a much bigger movement yet to be exposed to the world in its entirety.
-Hyhpy, Wikipedia

Rip Mac Dre.

Here's a sampling of some of my favorite hyphy joints fro artists like E-40, Keak Da Sneak, Mistah FAB, and The Federation:

E-40 ft. The Clipse - Quarterbackin'
Mistah Fab ft. E-40, Turf Talk - Super Sick Wid It Remix
The Federation - 18 Dummy
The Federation ft. Keak Da Sneak, E-40, Turf Talk, San Quinn - Hyphy Remix
E-40 - Yay Area (This File Must Be Opened In iTunes)

Monday, August 07, 2006

Let's Slow It Down For The Ladies


You take those classic down south tracks and let us listen to 'em longer. It's an acquired taste, to say the least, and plays off the result of the illegal activities involving that purple drink going down in Houston, Texas.
RIP DJ Screw.

"I'm screwed up."
-Ludacris

Rick Ross - Hustlin'
Nelly ft. Chingo Bling, Paul Wall - Grillz Remix
Young Jeezy ft. Akon - Soul Survivor
Yung Joc - It's Going Down

The Only Thing Goin' Down Is His Career


Yung Joc has been gaining popularity on the mainsteam level, with most of his sucess attributed to his involvement in the rap group Boyz N Da Hood, while his street-cred is being constantly questioned, even as far as being named on one of the three wackest rappers by the Game himself, along with many other rap critics. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed It's Going Down and was even more satisfied when I discovered Like This with Marques Houston, which I personally consider one of the better rap and r&b compilations of the year.

Judging by Joc's newest release, I Know You See It, I see his future falling off to be eminent because of his elementary rap style and whack commercial beats.

The Pro's (The term's used loosley.)
Yung Joc - Its Goin' Down
Marques Houston ft. Yung Joc - Like This

The Con's (and I'm not talkin' fellonies.)
Yung Joc - I Know You See It
The Rest of New Joc City

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Local Lyrcism


Our own JR Dirty, known as Dirty J to most, has put out his debut underground album, Down In The Cut. This unsigned local rapper recorded eight tracks which I'd love to share with you, for those sorry few who have not heard them yet. Along with so many others, I am looking forward to his second set of tracks which are rumored to be released sometime in September. Keep 'em coming Jordan.

"Rhymes tight, like rubberbands to the wrist."
"What they say about me, boy, I'm hot, I'm hot."
- JR Dirty


Down In The Cut:

1. I'm Hot
2. Pay Attention
3. Still Feel Me
4. Mandatory
5. I Don't Know
6. Ain't No Stoppin' Me
7. Come Holla
8. Get Money (Double Up)
*I'm not too sure about a few of the official track names so an educated guess was the best I could do. These files are to be opened in iTunes because of their format.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Wild for Idlewild





Anyone else looking forward to the release of Idlewild, and I'm not talking the movie? Well I can't wait to see what Kast has up their sleeves this time, and I'm just hoping that they don't end up letting me down, especially considering that this may be the last we see of the poet and the pimp together as one. It will be interesting to see if they can meet that HeyYa-level, although the 11 million Speakerboxxx/Love Below albums sold will be hard to match.

As you listen to the tracks you may notice what I noticed. As Big Boi keeps getting better, Dre continues to get frutier, but thats what we like about the pair, right? A catchy, new sound everytime they drop. Although it took twenty minutes for leaks like The Might "O" to be all over the internet and twenty days for it to hit the radio, I am always happy to keep sharing new shit from the fellas.

[Andre 3000] adds that he doesn't know how OutKast, with its ever-evolving, envelope-pushing sound, has managed to stay on top of its game for so long: "The only way I can explain how we've stayed on this long with switching and changing is, it's a power that we have nothing to do with. I mean, that's true. A lot of times I write lyrics and come up with melodies and music and write songs and I don't even know where it's coming from. So I guess it's because we're supposed to be doing it."
-HipHopMusic.com Interview


Idlewild's:

Outkast - The Mighty "O"
Big Boi ft. Scar, Sleepy Brown - Morris Brown
Outkast ft. Lil’ Wayne, Snoop Dogg - Hollywood Divorce
Big Boi ft. Scar & Sleepy Brown - The Train

Throwback Track:
Outkast - So Fresh and So Clean

A Tribute To Skateboard P


Although he has just released his debut solo album, Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes is nothing new to the industry. He has helped produce primarly hit hip-hop tracks for major artists like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, the Clipse, and Slim Thug, among many others totalling more than 30 artists. His success with singles and releases, including those from his newest album, In My Mind, seem to be hit or miss with most listeners. With his unique beats and catchy lyricm Skateboard P has emerged as a highly talented entertainer.

On top of his musical exploits, Pharrell has dabbled into other fields including a clothing line, the Billionaire Boys Club, a skateboard line, Ice Cream Skate Line, to which he's signed professional skaters including his younger brother, and a record lable, Star Trak Entertainment.

"I put Snoop in the coupe, I put Slim in the Slab."
"Trust me, P is no pimp. See I got heavy pockets, so I walk with a limp."
-Pharrell Williams

Here's a sampling of some of my favorite new releases from the genius himself.

From In My Mind:
Pharrell - Raspy Shit
Pharrell ft. Slim Thug - Keep It Playa
Pharrell ft. Daddy Yankee - Mamacita (cut from the final release)
Pharrell ft. Kanye West - Number One

Other drops:
Ludacris ft. Pharrell - Money Maker
The Clipse ft. Pharrell - Mr. Me Too
Sleepy Brown ft. Pharrell, Big Boi - Margarita
Slim Thug ft. Pharrell - Already Platinum