Big Illinois

You can check the tracklisting for Common's seventh album Finding Forever here. Kanye West handles the majority of the production with Will.I.Am, Devo Springstein and the late J-Dilla contributing a track each. Nothing is really final until it's released, tentatively, on July 10.

In the meantime, here's the supposed first single produced by the "new Premo", Kanye West. Let it marinate cause it's pretty damned good.

Common feat. Dwele: "The People"

That's The Way To California

Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions album was released by Atlantic Records in 1997. It features some studio sessions and a live performance recorded for the British Broadcasting Corporation. The album was packaged as a double CD with disc 1 containing material recorded during three different BBC sessions in 1969 and disc 2 containing a concert performance at the Paris Theatre in London on April 1, 1971 (18 days prior to birth of yours truly, coincidentally).

Disc 2 has got the winners. These Led Zeppelin acoustic performances are magic AND they're played back to back.

"Going To California"
"That's The Way"

Street Records 2007

Known for breaking in and introducing some of Hip-Hop's most amazing acts through his Loud Records imprint in the early 90's, Steve Rifkind's got some good things happening in 2007.

The most reassuring point of the interview is that Ghostface's absence from Wu-Tang's next album 8 Diagrams is unlikely. We'll have to see about that.

The Gulliest

"...self appointed judge with power vested,
to hand down sentences from bus stop benches.
He's relentless with his it's just in his spirit
You don't want to read about it fool,
You want to feel it!"

-Brother Ali: "Pedigree"

"...move, pop, shake, drop, go, dumb, get drunk..."

-Prodigy: "Raining Guns and Shanks"

"...it's because of me she's walkin' crooked and her throat hurts"

-Big L: "Who You Slidin' Wit?"

Poetry For The Ages

No, I'm very happy. One of the funniest things I've seen all year, courtesy of the good folks at Oh Word!.

Cam's shots at 50 Cent were pretty amusing at first but things have gotten excessive and annoying. He's gone overboard which is why I enjoyed this so much. At this point, I need things like this more than petty shit like this.

Current Affairs

Who's gonna win?

Encore: "Love & Hate (The Mellow Drama) [The Nextmen Remix]"

Brand Nubian: "Love vs Hate"

Bummer

Some of the best Hip-Hop production I have ever heard was on Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein, with equally compelling narratives from the duo of Vast Aire and Vordul. That's why (although El-P's production is fantastic but still an acquired taste) most of his post-Cold Vein material hasn't quite measured up. Even El-P's solo debut Fantastic Damage was subpar in comparison. It was really disappointing to read the tail end of this interview I picked up at Can I Bring My Gat? where El-P dismisses a possible, long-awaited return from the Cannibal Ox. Truthfully, I haven't heard an album as thorough as Cannibal Ox's debut in, I don't know how long.

Cannibal Ox: "Vein" (The Cold Vein - Def Jux, 2001)
El-P: "Deep Space 9mm" (Fantastic Damage - Def Jux, 2002)

I Did...Sort of

...and so can you. Wah-tahh!!!

(Credit, again: AngryAsianMan)

The Legendary Mr. Chuck

It's from last year but Chuck D. never gives bad interviews. And he's never uninteresting.

Cosmic Slop

J-Dilla's Rough Draft dropped today. Before (or after) you cop it, check out these interviews, courtesy of Stones Throw.

Speaking of interviews, J. Sands of the Lone Catalysts continues to stay on the grind. (Coincidentally, he dropped a freebie Dilla tribute album Mrs. Sands: A Love Story on the internet this year. 10 songs deep. J. Sands freaking it over Dilla's work = Ill.)

O-Dub chimes in on the Amy Winehouse phenomenon. Interesting stuff.

Yes, yes, yes...Red Gone Wild drops on March 27. I've read a few Redman interviews the last couple of months but this one's got all the nooks and crannies...

The Magic Number

- Gene Harris on piano, Andrew Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy* on drums.

You can get a good run down on the group's history here if you're interested. Live At The Lighthouse is probably one of my favorites from the trio. This album wasn't recorded during one performance but represents a mix of several performances at the famed Lighthouse venue in Los Angeles recorded in a stretch of one summer.

"Sunny" is self-explanatory. If this tune doesn't make you feel good, you probably can't feel at all.

The 3 Sounds: "Sunny" (Live At The Lighthouse - Blue Note, 1967)

*By 1967, Bill Dowdy had left the trio and was replaced by Donald Bailey who played with the group throughout the Lighthouse performances.

Random:

I'm a big fan this Beirut - and now - this Beirut.

3 Ft. High & Rising

Nostalgia overload! Indeed.

After taking a look at MTV's list of the top 10 Hip-Hop groups of all time you have to wonder. They've got Outkast ranked #4 but I can't really even see them in the top 10. What's worse is the fact that they've got Salt 'n' Pepa at #8, The Fugees (who've only released two official albums in their short-lived career as a group) at #9 and UGK(????) at #10. And no De La Soul or The Roots. (Both groups, by the way, haven't disbanded and continue to record great music.)

That shit is baffling...

A New York State Of Mind

(A McCrank's Juke collabo.)

Listening to this on Sunday, the day they filled the brackets for the NCAAs. Syracuse got their bubble popped, but it really doesn't even seem to matter. Davis and Coltrane breezing lazy, waxing Blackbird and Walking. Creeping into summer, these songs on the box remind me of 15th street, riding bikes, and warm beerfest. Are you feeling it?

Miles Davis and John Coltrane - Live in New York
01. Bye, Bye, Blackbird
02. Four
03. It Never Entered My Mind
04. Walkin
05. Milestones
06. So What

Slow & Easy

This is one of those songs that, whenever I play it, I just want to crawl inside and become immersed in it's coolness. 2 minutes in and I feel as if I'm holding sway above the flux.

The Third Cup isn't as spectacular as The Next 100 Years which was recorded a year later. As a matter of fact, the latter is a complete contrast in style. But the title cut on Fisher's debut is a beautiful thing.

Eddie Fisher: "The Third Cup" (The Third Cup - Cadet, 1969)

Shimmy, Shimmy Ya

(A McCrank's Juke collabo. Feel this...Nuh!!)

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Free To Be Dirty: Live 2005

Nothing like the real thing baby...That's right Ol Dirty & The Bastard, for ya all. This album was recorded with the Brooklyn Zu in Toad's Place (2004). Russell Tyrone Jones, alias ODB drops his crazed, slurred, off-beat, half-sung half-rapped delivery on songs like: "Baby, Baby C'mon" and "Cold Blooded". "Free To Be Dirty: Live 2005" is nothing like some of the other more obscure albums, but it kinda messes you up.

Jack this into your iPod and take a drag on Ol' Dirty Bastard, circa 2005...

Perspective

Traffic was thick this evening and I was once again saved by the random shuffle of my Itunes. These two came back to back as my exhausted, cluttered and convoluted mind was beginning to unravel. Therapeudic, indeed.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: "The Lee Shore"
Grant Green: "Cease The Bombing"

"(We Just Think We're Better)"

"...And we will never conform. Ever."

Lady Soul

I've got many Aretha Franklin favorites but these two treats have become the most endearing to me over the years.

"Oh No Not My Baby" is an uptempo groover. I'm digging all the elements here - the drum kicks are serious, the string arrangements, the rhythmic guitar strums, the horn jabs and Aretha's urging vocals and interplay with her background singers. A killer production all around.

The thing that strikes me the most about "Crazy He Calls Me" is the cozy intimacy of Aretha's performance. She sustains it from beginning to end. When she proclaims "I say I'll move the mountains, and I'll move the mountains, if he wants them out of the way", I'm certain she will.

Disarming.

"Oh No Not My Baby" (Spirit In The Dark, 1970)
"Crazy He Calls Me" (Aretha Franklin: Soul '69, 1969)

Return Of The Funk Doc

Word is Redman's Red Gone Wild will finally see a release date of March 27, 2007. That's right, this fuckin' year! Although I wouldn't necessarily put my pink slip on it (after all, this is Hip-Hop and he is still on Def Jam), I'm almost sure enough to hold my breath. While I'm not sure why this album has been pushed back for so long (remember, Malpractice dropped in 2001), it's been way too long between official releases and it's about time his elastic flows finally get a push into the radio airwaves. He hasn't remained idle as dedicated fans probably have his various Gilla House Mixtapes, including his latest pre-Red Gone Wild installment Live From The Bricks.

Truth be told, I can't wait.

I don't feel it necessary to break down his lyrical virtuosity and effortless delivery. I'm not even sure he has a technique that he's even aware of because his stream of words and syllables seem to take on a life of their own. His own description is best, "My words prac-tic-ly geronimo! off the disc!!".

Let it marinate. I guarantee you'll enjoy every unrestrained flurry...

"The Saga Continues" (J-Zone Remix)
"Lick A Shot"

Dilla Day

I can't give you a favorite J-Dilla production cause there's just too many. These two Dilla creations are impeccable. "Love" is off of his second posthumous album The Shining released on BBE shortly after Donuts, Dilla's incredible instrumental record. It's a song that just takes off from jump and lifts you off your feet with it's soaring strings and soulful chorus, "We must be in loooovve". I think Monch should have stuck with what he does best but he chose to take a gospel route with the sing-songy hooks. But the track really isn't about his inclusion. It's all Dilla baby.

"Dollar" comes from Steve Spacek's Space Shift released in 2005. It's got similar characteristics as "Love" although it doesn't possess the same burst of energy. "Let the dollar circulate!" over that horn break is tremendous and I love how the track turns more subdued with the low-key bassline as Spacek's hollow vocals plays contrast. It's almost like Marvin Gaye kicking vintage vocals over a J-Dilla remix - Modern Contemporary Urban Hip-Hop Intergalactic Classic Soul if you will...

J-Dilla feat. Pharoah Monch: "Love"
Steve Spacek: "Dollar"

ZZZZZ

I slept and completely forgot that one of the best who ever did it had a birthday on February 7. Hold tight while I scramble for some J-Dilla goodies...

The N

OK, so no Primo collabo yet. But this video for "Can't Forget About You" is something to see. The best track from an otherwise underwhelming album. Hip-Hop videos aren't usually this good and they typically don't convey the artists vision very well. It's usually ice grills, rims, the entourage with screw faces and, the staple of all rap videos, tits and asses a-shakin'. But Nas' new video captures not only the sound and feel of the song, but the theme as well. Very tastefully made. The man behind the camera? Chris Robinson. You've probably seen something he's done as he's one of the go-to R&B/ Rap video directors artists call on to throw some visuals together. I only liked the one he did for her. "Can't Forget..." comes in second.

Anyhow, Nas almost redeems himself with this video.

And by the way, Will. I. Am kills it on this production. He doesn't really do anything all that innovative with the "Unforgettable" sample but he puts the thump in it and that's enough. R&B hooks and Hip-Hop tracks are a big no-no in my book but Chrissette Michele does it right. It fits in nicely with the melody of the song without sounding ridiculous like many R&B/Rap collabos tend to be. Will. I. Am = the new Neptunes???

But I still don't know about his Black Eyed Peas. They're just scary man.

Nas feat. Chrissette Michele: "Can't Forget About You"

Bonus: Nas & B.I.G. pass the mic cerca 199?.

Keef

Keith Knight is one of my favorite satirical cartoonists. KQED just re-aired this artist profile a couple of nights ago and he's got a new collection out titled Are We Feeling Safer Yet?.

Take a glance at his world...

Smooth And Jazzy

The first great song of 2007. Jazzy Jeff follows up 2002's The Magnificent with, you guessed it, The Return of the Magnificent (EP). I listened to the other tracks on the EP and they just don't measure up to this velvety groove with the Mecca Don himself, CL Smooth supplying the colloquials. There couldn't be a more perfect fit for the track. Jazzy Jeff should have produced CL's whole last album. You know, the mess that is American Me. Anyway, CL's flow on this cut is ridiculously good. Mecca & The Soul Brother and The Main Ingredient good.

DJ Jazzy Jeff feat. CL Smooth: "All I Know"

It's About That Time

"The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax."
-Albert Einstein

In honor of the tax season I offer two excellent selections on complete opposite scales of presentation. The Beatles' "Taxman" comes from their Revolver album which many would argue to be the best album ever recorded. Song for song, I'd say Abbey Road is a stronger recording but I'm a late bloomer to the British invasion and didn't really begin diving into their albums until the mid 90's. But damn! Revolver's tracklist stacks hit after hit. The album boasts records like "Got To Get You Into My Life", "Good Day Sunshine", Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine". But my favorite is "Taxman" simply because it has one of the slickest basslines I've heard. But moreover, for the sake of this posts theme, it's the taxpayer's lament.

"If you drive a car, I'll tax the street.

If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.

If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat.

If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet."

Walt Dickerson's "Death & Taxes" from This Is Walt Dickerson! is a completely different mood. Rather than sounding morose as one might expect given the title, Dickerson's work on the vibes is playful and upbeat. This tune is classy and pleasant, despite the somber title. Dickerson is a master on every shimmering track of this fantastic album.

Since April 15th falls on a Sunday this year, you've technically got an extra day...Celebrate.

The Beatles: "Taxman"
Walt Dickerson: "Death & Taxes"

Kwelib For The Masses

Giving away a free album is pretty much unheard of in the music industry but Kweli and Madlib, after ironing out some legal kinks, dropped a collabo album 9 songs deep early this year. It was available for free download here the first week of 2007 but you're probably going to have to wait for an official release if you slept.

I haven't really liked much of Kweli's output since Reflection Eternal's Train Of Thought apart from some scattered goodies throughout the years. Madlib, on the other hand, has continued his boundless creative onslaught by releasing new material regularly via his various alter egos. I'm not joking when I say he probably never sleeps.

Liberation isn't meant to be a masterpiece but it's surpisingly sharp for a freebee album. There are a couple of passerby fillers like "Soul Music" and "Happy Home" but the rest of the tracks I would have paid for.

Here, you can have these.

"Funny Money"

"What Can I Do?"

"Jihad Jane"

Who cares that she's the ex-wife of a rich media-mogul propagandist? I'm not mad at this.

Jane's Addiction: "Jane Says"
Trashcan Sinatras: "Jane's Estranged"

Winter Blue

Grant Green: "Am I Blue"

El Michels Affair: "Behind The Blue Curtains"

Miles Davis: "Blue In Green"

Feeling Dull

Some (very) un-American ideas on the subject of work and leisure in industrial societies by one of my heroes, Bertrand Russell.

"I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work."

All work and no play.

Oasis: "The Importance Of Being Idle"

Trashcan Sinatras

The Trashcan Sinatras have always been one of my favorite groups. Their fantastic debut Cake was released 17 years ago and I can say, truthfully, that I never get tired of it. There's nothing revolutionary or spectacular about the group. Their discography of 4 official album releases is pretty thin compared to industry standards of pumping out at least an album a year (Their 3rd album Happy Pocket was not even released here in the states). Despite the long hiatus' between albums TCS has been able to hold on to a pretty strong fanbase and have released "unofficial" albums over the years through their website. These albums contain live performances and demos with some unreleased and new material sprinkled in the mix just for the fans. They've also been a band that tours regularly, mostly around their native Scotland with some rare performances here in the states.

I've included two mellow TCS tracks here where they're at their best.

"Leave Me Alone (Acoustic Demo)" is from a compilation CD I found on their website. The revamped studio version that later surfaced on the Weighlifting LP is nice but I prefer this stripped down recording.

"Trouble Sleeping" is my favorite track on 2004's Weightlifing. You don't typically hear a TCS tune driven by such heavy drums. And like most of their other songs, I'm still trying to figure out what they're talking about.

"Leave Me Alone (Acoustic Demo)"

"Trouble Sleeping"

Nyte Tyme

Show & A.G. : "Next Level (DJ Premier Nyte Tyme Mix)"

I'm back and forth on which version is better - this Premo remix or Showbiz's original. Luckily, both versions appear on the duo's undervalued Goodfellas LP (1995). I tend to lean a little more towards Premo's more sparser sound on the remix but Show's heavier original with its use of the rhythmic guitar loop definitely puts the track in its own lane. Premo's remix really pushes A.G's delivery front and center and plays as the perfect backdrop to the gritty Bronx-bomber's formidable flow.

It's a win/win either way.

Bonus:

The Clipse: "Monopoly"

Beirut Revisited

Drum, congas, violins, organs, pianos, clarinets, accordians, horns, cellos, ukuleles, mandolins, a 12 team ensemble and 20 year old Zack Condon of Albuquerque, New Mexico masterminding the whole experience. I want to call it Eastern-European-contemporary-gypsy-folk music with a little Spanish influence but accurate descriptions escape me at the moment. There's something warm and familiar about Beirut's overall sound that keeps me anchored to last year's Gulag Orkestar and their latest incarnation, the 5 song EP (*) Lon Gisland (which contains two of my favorite songs this year "Elephant Gun" and the equally stellar "Carousel").

*(The EP was actually released for download only late December of 2006 and will see an official release late this month.)

I'm looking forward to another full length album this year and (hopefully) a live show in these parts.

Think Warm Thoughts

Reflections: "Summer Breeze"

The Revolution Will Be Televised On The Radio

Another late read on my part.

"Right next to beer and taco stands and ice cream - the Marines! They had a contest: 'C'mon! Let's see how many pull-ups you can do!'...".

TV On The Radio: "Dry Drunk Emperor"

Can I Live?

Zentronix hits us with the one of the more comprehensive pieces on J-Hova I've read in a while.

Alas, S. Dot continues to diversify his brand. You heard him the first time - "Can't knock the hustle".

This track (with a little lyrical reworking) would've fit perfect for the Kingdom Come intro. It seems more fitting for his re-introduction because cascading horns will make anything sound monumental (see "Go Crazy Remix").

Mos Definitely Not Necessary

Do we really need an "official release"? I'd rather watch The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy for the first time.

"Like Short Sleeves I Bear Arms"

Idle gun chatter in Hip-Hop really began to take shape in the early nineties, after all the partying and afrocenticity began to fade (or was phased out, take your pick). I didn't really hear much gun talk until NWA's Straight Outta Compton hit the streets when the word "gat" was introduced to my vocabulary. I don't promote the use of fire arms by any means although I do respect the constitutional right to bear arms. (I mean, if rogue cops can pack heat and use them indiscriminately against innocent and unarmed people, I don't see why the public shouldn't be able to protect life and property if need be. Like KRS once said, "Who protects us from you?" Exactly.)

My point is that Hip-Hop is the only musical genre that openly describes the use of guns with such fervor - metaphorically, figuratively and literally. I'm fascinated at how much gun talk is used by rappers as means of lyrical intimidation and egotistical manhood considering how much gun violence has devastated their communities. The phenomenon can most likely be attributed to the beginnings of the crack epidemic. You can probably check the statistics on the correlation between drug-related crimes and gun violence and find that gun related deaths began to show a sharp increase when crack started to make it's way into the more vulnerable inner cities. During this period, Hip-Hop's music began to take on a more grave and violent tone where gang violence (see NWA) and crack dealer tales and imagery (see Wu-Tang) really started transforming the content of the music and the message.

Thinking Aloud

Beirut

I discovered them while scrolling through Pitchfork reviews a while back. "Postcards From Italy" became one of my favorite songs of 2006. Then, more recently, I discovered their new song "Elephant Gun" while browsing his "best of 2007" posts. It now dominates my playlist as I haven't been listening much to any other song. I haven't heard horns used with such prominance by any contemporary band in recent memory. And it's used with such addictive effectiveness.

Listen here.
See it here.
Find out more (or less) here.

This band is on some other shit.

The Good Revolutions 2006

1. Phoenix: "Long Distance Call"
2. Vast Aire feat. MF Doom: "Super Friendz (Edan Remix)"
3. John Legend: "Again"
4. The Strokes: "Razorblade"
5. Termanology: "Watch How It Go Down"
6. The Roots: "Long Time"
7. Ghostface: "The Champ"
8. The Clipse: "Mr. Me Too"
9. TV On The Radio: "Province"
10. Darondo: "Didn't I"
11. Beirut: "Postcards From Italy"
12. Nas feat. Papoose: "Across The Tracks"
13. Phoenix: "Lost And Found"
14. Band Of Horses: "The First Song"
15. Jack Johnson: "Upside Down"
16. Jay-Z: "Lost One"
17. DJ Shadow feat. Chris James: "You Made It"
18. Cat Power: "The Greatest"
19. The Killers: "When You Were Young"
20. Swan Lake: "All Fires"
21. Lupe Fiasco: "I Gotcha"
22. Masta Killa: "Ringing Bells"
23. Keane: "Nothing In My Way"
24. Band Of Horses: "The Funeral"
25. Pharrell: "Raspy Shit"

White, Middle Aged and...

- strung out??

"Today ... the fastest-growing population of drug abusers is white, middle-aged Americans. This is a powerful mainstream constituency, and unlike with teenagers or urban minorities, it is hard for the government or the news media to present these drug users as a grave threat to the nation.

Among Americans in their 40s and 50s, deaths from illicit-drug overdoses have risen by 800 percent since 1980, including 300 percent in the last decade. In 2004, American hospital emergency rooms treated 400,000 patients between the ages 35 and 64 for abusing heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, hallucinogens and “club drugs” like ecstasy.

Equally surprising, graying baby boomers have become America’s fastest-growing crime scourge. The F.B.I. reports that last year the number of Americans over the age of 40 arrested for violent and property felonies rose to 420,000, up from 170,000 in 1980. Arrests for drug offenses among those over 40 rose to 360,000 last year, up from 22,000 in 1980. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 440,000 Americans ages 40 and older were incarcerated in 2005, triple the number in 1990."

Interesting.

The Soul Sensation

The top songs of 2006 is a little more tedious than ranking the top albums of last year so I'm laying this list out first. It was much easier considering it hasn't been a banner year for music in general but less sometimes means more. These albums were godsent in a year when the market was watered down and redundant with filler material from some of your more favorite artists.

1. DJ O-Dub: Soul Sides Vol. 1
2. The Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury
3. John Legend: Once Again
4. Ghostface: Fishscale
5. Phoenix: Never Been Like That
6. Band Of Horses: Everything All The Time
7. TV On The Radio: Return To Cookie Mountain
8. The Roots: Game Theory
9. J-Dilla: The Shining
10. John Mayer: Continuum

2006 Grapes Of Wrath

Although I'm lagging on my "Best of 2006" lists, I've managed to compile my least favorite events in music this past year. Here are my top ten disappointments of 06'.

1. J-Dilla, R.I.P.

2. James Brown, R.I.P.
3. This
4. Jay-Z: Kingdom Come
5. No Nas/DJ Premier Collabo
6. Nas: Hip-Hop Is Dead
7. CL Smooth: American Me
8. Pharrell: In My Mind

9. Ghostface: More Fish
10. Mos Def: True Magic

The Double 0 Seven

2007 is here. Going into the seventh year of two thousand and I already feel like it's moving too fast. Michelle and I spent New Year's Eve with good company and great music. With the mix of traditional live mariachi's and a DJ who laid down some sounds of satisfaction from The Mary Jane Girls' "Candyman" to Expose's "Point Of No Return", the nights soundscape was so rich in diversity that it made the evening's festivities that much more of an occasion to remember.

Most memorable moment of 06'? Michelle and I were married. It was an intimate ceremony with family and close friends. Just as it was meant to be.

What to look forward to in 07'? An addition to the Sung Family Tree... And of course, more great music.

Stay tuned.

It's A Wrap

Many lists...

Take Your Pick and enjoy.

Lend An Ear

I don't care if they sound like The Strokes. It's Never Been Like That is fantastic.

Phoenix: "Long Distance Call"

It sounds like the happiest days of your life.

The Soul Brother #1

May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006

The Abbott

There's something almost mythical about the persona that RZA created for himself and his crew. Out of the nine members of Wu-Tang, RZA has always been the most fascinating figure to me.

This interview is an old one but I always find his musings on philosophy, metaphysics, music and business, to be interesting reads. You would never guess that an artist responsible for putting together one of the most robust and intimidating groups in music could exude so much wisdom and intellectual calm. Must be all that eastern philosophy he's been studying.

...and oh yeah, it's "official".

The Seoul Survivor

I've never seen one episode but all I know is that he's Korean.

If one Korean wins, we all win.

Street Art

JUST CLICK

Ones We Miss

Still shining...

More Fishy

Starks! You let me down!

This album isn't terrible. But it's not very good either. Which simply means it pretty much sucks - mostly. I like 4 cuts here.

"Ghost Is Back" - Which is basically Ghost over Eric B. & Rakim "Know The Ledge". He does kill it though.

"Gunz n Razors" - Ghost at his usual best. Plus the beat bangs.

"Outta Town Shit" - This one leaked some weeks back. Showcases once again Ghost's knack for storytelling.

"You Know I'm Good" - It's got a decent Mark Ronson track with Amy Winehouse, an up and coming British crooner.

The rest is a bunch of mix-tape bullshit material of his Theodore Unit crew - Shawn Wiggs, Trife Da God & Cappadonna. Plus some rhymes from Sheek Louch and Redman that were basically phoned-in.

Ghost over good beats is good music.

More Fish is much less.

No Just OK

Not feeling much of the music released in 2006 so I had to dive into the past to get some good listenings in. I'm swimming through 1997 when Radiohead's OK Computer dominated my soundscape. I'd probably say it's one of the greatest albums I've listened to personally and I've yet to hear a vocalist as unique as Yorke. Even his sometimes moody, incoherent mumblings will fascinate.

My favorite track you ask? It's hard to say for albums this good. I mean, in terms of quality tunes OK Computer is 12 for 12. However, "Climbing Up The Walls" always sends a resonating chill down my spine. It's a slow, dense fog inching its way on to shore to engulf you in its vastness...or something like that.

Anyway, 2007 is almost upon us. Can we expect albums that are put together with the ear for perfection as Radiohead did a decade ago? I'm uncomfortably optimistic.

The Remains

So much for the Dynasty. It's officially the offseason.

Nas' Hip-Hop Is Dead sucks. I'm not mentioning his name from now on until he officially drops that Premier collabo - fuckouttahere...

Other-Worldly-Soul

Aretha Franklin - One Step Ahead

It's impossible to even think in this era that soul music this engrossing will ever be recorded again.

You may recognize this from something Mos Def did back when he did music worth listening to. Aretha Franklin's vocals will simply draw you in and dismantle your whole fuckin' disposition, whatever that may be. The smokey soul she emotes is just too deep to deny. Feel it.

These cats do.

Cosmic Slop

Based on the last three weeks of this shit, I'm convinced that there is no God.

Right of way in India.

Does Esquire Magazine even have a black readership? If not, why is this article even necessary? If it is necessary, why is it in Esquire magazine of all publications???

I love records. But come on....

Hell Hath No Fury

"I LOVE the shit. But it's HARD to defend it" - Chris Rock

And here are the Clipse. And this is the new album. It's highly anticipated being that the execs over at Jive/Zomba have had a corporate choke hold on the albums release for a couple of years now and it has finally seen a release date. These guys had to pretty much record a whole new fuckin' album in that span. Their last album, Lord Willin', was incredible. Sure the overall theme of it was littered with cocaine coloquials and flipped metaphor after metaphor in that vein. Even so, street hustlin' coke talk never sounded so good. Hell Hath No Fury is pretty much a sequel, not in any thematic way, but overall content stays relatively consistent - "I'm a hustler. Keys open doors. I lay bricks like Shaq. I'm the snowman, call me frosty." "Powder" this and "China White" that... And so on and so forth... But man, do they make the it all sound good. Plus, the Neptunes sound never came off better. It glistens. It cracks. It sputters. It gallops. It shines. After hearing the production on Hell Hath... it's hard to believe Pharrell's solo album turned out to be shit stew. This album boasts the best Neptunes production I've heard in a looonngg while. Those who know, know.

The Clipse are confident. They have an undeniable swagger and it is executed perfectly through this 12 track manifesto. Their approach is one of indifference. They don't care what anyone thinks and it works to their credit because the album's floss is utterly convincing. The fact that you don't agree with them doesn't mean you can't appreciate the performances. From it's opener "We Got It For Cheap", complete with hyped organ stabs and cluttering drums (the generic Tony Montana bullshit throughout the track is like a zit on a diva though, just sayin'), to the fiendish "Nighmares" featuring Bilal, Hell Hath No Fury is the most complete album this year in it's tight, 12 track bundle.