Red & Meth

Truthfully, my expectations came in low for "The Blackout 2". Not that I wasn't looking out for Redman and Method Man material. Sequels seldom hit the mark, especially in Hip-Hop music. "Blackout 2" has probably 2 really strong tracks that I'd take with me and the lead single "Ay Yo", produced by Pete Rock, is one of them. The other, "Dangerous MC's" produced by Erick Sermon, is the other. Lyrically, Red and Meth are always going to impress. It's the scattered and anemic production that makes this album such a wash.

I forgot to mention the Cookin Soul Remix of "Dangerous MCs" is RIDICULOUSLY good.

Check Your Heads

The Beastie Boys were on Jimmy Fallon last night. His show airs way too late for me to check but here's their performance of "So Whatcha Want", backed by the incomparable Roots crew.

M-Def The Flavorous

Mos Def - "Casa Bey" - The Ecstatic - 6.9.09

What record is that!?

...anyone?

Noisemakers

Peter Rosenberg chops it up with Q-Tip. Q-Tip's Busta Rhymes impression is priceless.

In this segment, Q-Tip talks about Dilla. The sad thing is when you think about the potential of the Ummah and what we will never get to hear because of Dilla's passing. Everbody lights up whenever they have a J-Dilla story to tell...

Causin' Much Damage

Here's something from the past worthy of revisiting. Jeru The Damaja's "Can't Stop The Prophet" video was pretty original for the time. Early nineties Hip Hop videos weren't the most creative productions back then. And the track, produced by DJ Premier, is wicked.

I See Red

You don't understand...

...this is my favorite group of all time.

And this album is a sound revolution, still, 20 years later.

And the making of this masterpiece is broken down to it's very last compound here.

If you love this record as much as I do it's an absolute must-read.

Beatminerz

I've been on a major Beatminerz binge lately. I discovered a thunderous Beatminerz remix of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gimme The Loot!" from an under-the-radar remix album they put out in 2007 and started to revisit some old (and new) material from this Brooklyn collective. It was also cool to, coincidentally, come across the video below and see that something like that is actually being put out confirming the relevance of authentic beatmaking and it's enduring significance.

Good producers develop their own sound and it eventually becomes their signature. All the greats have that singular sound and Evil Dee and Mr. Walt have mastered theirs. Da Beatminerz is heavy and stark, New York boom-bap, kick and snare Hip-Hop. To really appreciate a Beatminerz production you have to turn it up and don't be afraid to blow your speakers out. Even the slick tracks will blow your wig back.

Here's what I've had on rotation in no particular order. Brace for impak.

The Notorious B.I.G.: "The Loot!" ("Gimme The Loot!" remix) - Is there a white label for this? If not, someone needs to get upon it and make it happen.

Black Moon: "Stoned Is The Way" - This is what I mean by heavy. Something to crush cinder blocks to.

Mic Geronimo feat. O.C. & Royal Flush: "Men Vs. Many" - From Mic Geronimo's solid debut The Natural (1995). This Beatminerz production is more sparse but it's still got a kick to it and the three MC's don't slouch on the track either.

Beatminerz feat. Flipmode Squad: "Take That!" - This was a track absolutely made for Busta Rhymes but it's got the whole Flipmode featured on it. No matter, I could crank this instrumental and still lose control. "Bladoowww!!!!!"

Rah Digga: "Tight" - Her Dirty Harriet debut album in 2000 is probably one of the best female rap albums I've heard mainly because it's anchored down by such excellent production (Pete Rock, Premier, Nottz, and Da Beatminerz). This is my favorite from that album, track courtesy of Mr. Walt. It's tighter than three or more heads in a CRX.

Smif 'N' Wessun: "Shinin...Next Shit" - From Dah Shinin' (1995) and the second official release from Duck Down Records and exclusively produced by Da Beatminerz. This album boasts "Bucktown", "Sound Bwoy Bureill", and "Let's Git It On" to name a few, but I always go back to this one.

If you're wondering why I didn't post these,

you
should
already
know

School of Hard Beats

Scratch Academy DVD: Beatmaking 101 from Hevehitta on Vimeo.

I don't even know who the other guy is (DJ Shok?). He seems a little jittery, probably because he's in the company of a couple of legends. Very good stuff from DJ Premier and DJ Evil Dee who provide some interesting insight on the art of beat-making.

Speaking of DJ Evil Dee, I've been meaning to post something on the Beatminerz. For some reason, the random shuffle of my iPod has been landing on some burners from Evil Dee and his brother Mr. Walt. I think it's a precurser for the heat that's about to hit this summer and I've got some Beatminerz material to match that. Stay tuned.

Simma down simma down now

Mos Def's full length The Ecstatic is set for a June release. Can't say that the first official single "Life In Marvelous Times" did much for me. The production (Mr. Flash) is a little snoozy. "The Glow" might have been a more solid choice but there's no confirmation that it will even be on the new album.

"Quiet Dog" is the second official single. Produced by Preservation, it's a stronger, uptempo cut that showcases Mos Def's ability to pretty much become the track he jumps on. Production-wise, it's basically a rhythm track anchored down by groovy percussion and, of course, Mos Def's steady and unwavering flow. Quiet dog bite hard!

Mos Def: "Quiet Dog"

On My Grizzly

Grizzly Bear is serving it up big and heavy with this one. From their new album dropping this spring.

Grizzly Bear: "Cheerleader"

Uptown Baby!

Random flashback here. I only put this up because I was listening to Steely Dan's essential Aja album this morning and kept going back to "Black Cow", probably my favorite Steely Dan song from one of the best albums ever recorded. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker created a masterful "Side One" that lines up "Black Cow", "Aja", and "Deacon Blues", a flawless 1, 2, and 3 song combo that I don't think any other "classic" album is able to match.

I'm not the biggest fan of Peter Gunz & Lord Tariq but "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" is intoxicating simply because the "Black Cow" break was used to such perfection.

The Chef

What we can count on when it comes to Hip Hop album release dates is that you can't really count on them. It's been a few years now since the Cuban Linx sequel was suppose to drop and Raekwon is confident that it will actually drop this year, tentatively in June. And I use the term "tentatively" very loosely.

CBRAP put up a list a while back on building your own Cuban Linx 2 and dropped a couple of woozies that, in all likelihood, are not going to make the final cut (if a final cut actually exists). I've already heard most of them but there are two cuts that are new to me that I hope will make it on the album.

"Kids That's Rich" - Produced by Pete Rock. Chef puts his lyrical skill and wordplay on major display here. I think a Pete Rock and Raekwon collabo album should be seriously considered by both camps. By the way, Raekwon apparently knows nothing about this track so I think it's going to be on the album with a different title. It's too good to be excluded.

"Blue Eagles" - There's a complete version of this floating around out there somewhere. This is a snippet. If I can't find it I'm hoping it makes the album.

This goes out to you, and you, and you...

And you.

And you can get the lyrical remix.

You can even get the Gasface Rebuttle.

The Nat King Cole Remix Project

I've heard some scattered remix projects created for legends of the past. For instance, I really enjoyed the Sergio Mendes Timeless project. It's got one of only a handful of Wil.I.Am productions I like on it by way of "That Heat", a f--kin' scorcher.

The Nat King Cole project Re:Generations sounds promising. I've heard "Walking My Baby Back Home" featuring The Roots and wasn't much impressed. But "The Game of Love" featuring Nas and reinterpreted by Salaam Remi? Excellent. It's short and wastes no time. Nas follows Nats lead and goes in. The tracks whimsical sound is a definite winner here and doesn't make either artist come off awkward.

Nas: "The Game of Love"

For the record, after watching the above trailer, I'm actually looking forward to the Wil.I.Am and Natalie Cole collabo.

And the Just Blaze track sounds hot as well.

The Blaq Out

Wow. Now this is the Primo production I've been waiting for. From the other half of Queensbridge's own Screwball.

Blaq Poet: "Ain't Nuttin' Changed"

The album The Blaqprint set to drop via DJ Premier's Year Round Records this spring.

Nothing mind blowing with the video but still, the track is ridiculous.

March On

What I love about Beirut is that the music takes me someplace unfamiliar. From the instrumentation and nuanced vocal stylings of Zack Condon to the wistful worldliness that comes through in his lyrics, Beirut is simply good listening.

Although not as strong as the previous two releases, the EP combo of March of the Zapotec and Realpeople: Holland is consistent with Beirut's sound. There's a little dabbling of electronic stuff thrown in the mix but I still enjoy it overall. I'm throwing "The Concubine" out there cause it's my favorite of the set. My daughter's fond of "The Shrew".

Beirut: "The Concubine"

It's Curtains...Really?

"Whether you describe it as the dawning of a post-racial age or just the end of white America, we’re approaching a profound demographic tipping point. According to an August 2008 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, those groups currently categorized as racial minorities—blacks and Hispanics, East Asians and South Asians—will account for a majority of the U.S. population by the year 2042. Among Americans under the age of 18, this shift is projected to take place in 2023, which means that every child born in the United States from here on out will belong to the first post-white generation."

I'm a little late getting to this but it's an interesting observation. Read Hua Hsu's full essay in The Atlantic here.

Get It

Incredible mixtape from start to finish. I'm enjoying this more than J.Period's Lauryn Hill endeavor.

The blends are perfect, the music is still incredible to this day and relevant as ever. The Q-Tip commentary is great as well.

I've usually stayed away from the mixtape circuit for numerous reasons but I have to give it to Tip and J.Period for putting together a fantastic mix of unforgettable Hip-Hop.

Definitely on point here.

And it's free in case you ain't heard...

Don't sleep.

WTF????

You know, I (We) should be dumbfounded at how someone like this has served, not one, but two terms as the President of these United States, elected by the people for the people. And we're supposed to be one of the more educated societies of the world. Are we??? I think that's a legitmate question.

(Footage brought to you by way of Poplicks)

Amerie

What happened to this album's official U.S. release???

The Donna Cappa Goines

The Cappatilize Project is better than some of the other Wu member's projects that have dropped. I'm not saying it's any good. Two of my favorite tracks clock in under the 2-minute mark.

"The Annointing"
"Peace God" feat. Born Divine - (Somebody actually flipped the Bee Gee's "Nights On Broadway" and layed it down quite flat).

Not Here

I think I could turn and live with animals, they're so
placid and self-contain'd,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their
sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania
of owing things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived
thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

- Walt Whitman

Fleet Foxes: "Meadowlarks"

The Next Plateau

Wow. Things done changed.

I just caught Planet B-Boy on MTV2 this past Sunday night. I know that breakdancing had evolved into something more than uprocking and backspins but the contemporary b-boy continues to take the art form to new heights. Sometimes when I see what they're able to do, physically, with the precision, speed, intricacy, complexity, and the sheer strength and body control it takes to pull off each move...I dunno. I don't think they're human. And battles sure as hell aren't what they used to be.

Oliver Wang interviewed the documentary's director Benson Lee back in June of 2008 which you can read here.

The documentary is definitely worth checking out.

He is a Grandpa, but he fathered your style...

Wasn't too impressed with Pro Tools but this track, produced by Bronze Nazereth, is worth a listen. GZA sounds like he just rolled out of bed and into the booth but the track bangs.

GZA feat. Bronze Nazereth: "7 Pounds"

Welcome 2009

"I'm still living, at the old address..."

Toro!

One of my favorite films of the year is Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I absolutely loved the first installment and the sequel is mind-blowing visually. The plot isn't very dynamic but I wasn't expecting too much in that respect. It is, after all, a sci-fi action extravaganza anyway. I'll take Hellboy II over The Dark Knight in a battle over this year's blockbusters any day. The Batman sequel was actually pretty disappointing.

I am a huge fan of Del Toro's other films as well, especially 2006's Pan's Labyrinth which I just watched again for the third time last night. I usually don't watch movies more than once, especially ones with exceptional stories and plots because the thrill is gone when you already know how the story and plots unravel, but Pan's Labyrinth is such a mulit-layered picture I discover something new with each viewing. It's a fascinating movie with stunning visuals and thought-provoking themes. It's become a more enjoyable experience revisiting the movie after diving into some of Del Toro's older interviews where he discusses the film, it's early beginnings, how he developed the story and it's various themes, how he chose the score, and so forth. Here's some interesting stuff I picked up around the way. He gives engaging and insightful interviews, good stuff.



These excerpts are on the Deluxe DVD release of Pan's Labyrinth as added bonus features:





Here he makes an appearance on Charlie Rose with fellow Mexican directors Alfonso Cuaron (Director of The Children of Men) and Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu (Director of Babel) who are also his compadres as well as peers. This also appears on the Pan's Labyrinth Deluxe DVD release.



Guillermo Del Toro's next project is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit (and it's sequel). I'm pretty sure it's going to be a monumental piece of work. Look at what he did with the Hellboy II budget.

Random Shots

I discovered Vampire Weekend's self titled release a little late but it's ridiculously good and is well worth mentioning as the year in music winds to a close. I usually browse "The Best Of..." lists at the year's conclusion to acquaint myself with music that may have flown under my radar during the year and Vampire Weekend was one of them. It was released January of 2008 but I didn't give it a thorough listen until the other night. Like The Walkmen's You & Me, it boasts an album's worth of strong cuts, all catchy, all well-produced.

The pleasure in listening to this album is that it's hard to nail down a favorite, but here's a couple to goodies worth throwing out there.

"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
"Mansard Roof"

...and Beach House's "Gila" is such a mesmerizer...

Fleet Foxes' self-titled debut is another album I just discovered. "Blue Ridge Mountains" is amazing. Very sublime, as is the rest of their solid debut.

And I can't begin to tell you how indispensible Soul Sides has been in introducing me to such an amazing catalog of the most soulful of soul classics. You know, the soul music variety that simply absorbs you...like these...

The Impressions: "I'm Loving Nothing"
Candi Staton: "Too Hurt To Cry"

The video is terrible and this song came out last year but I haven't been able to get enough of it. From it's quiet and unassuming introductory 2.5 minutes to the unravelling of it's 1.5 minute conclusion that you want to sing from the rafters-The Shins' "Sleeping Lessons" from 2007's Wincing The Night Away is a sonic nova.

Junichi and Oliver over at Poplicks have rounded out their usual year-end lists.

Junichi's "Best Quotes of 2008" is a must read.

The Albums

1. The Walkmen: You & Me
2. Various: Fallin' Off The Reel Volume 2
3. Menahan Street Band: Make The Road By Walking
4. Q-Tip: The Renaissance
5. Jean Grae: Jeanius
6. Estelle: Shine
7. Coldplay: Viva La Vida
8. Final Solution: Brotherman OST
9. Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part 1 (4th World War)
10. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend

Honorable Mention:

Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
J-Live: Then What Happened?
Beach House: Devotion

This Year In Music - The Songs

Some of these tunes didn't come out in 2008 but were heard for the first time this year. Here's my month to month breakdown of this year's most memorable songs...

January:

1. Candi Staton: "Too Hurt To Cry"
2. Kev Brown: "Batida"
3. Nas: "On The Real"

February:

1. Pete Rock: "We Roll (Instrumental)"

March:

1. Lee Fields & The Expressions: "My World"
2. Lee Fields & The Expressions: "Love Comes & Goes"
3. Pete Rock feat. Slum Village: "Gangsta Boogie"
4. Erykah Badu: "Soldier"
5. Gnarls Barkley: "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"

April:

1. Rock Marciano: "MC's"
2. Nut-Rageous: "They Wanna Know"
3. Estelle: "Back In Love"

May:

1. J-Live feat. Posdnous & Oddisee: "The Upgrade"
2. BIG: "Another Rough One"
3. J-Live: "It Don't Stop"
4. NYGz feat. Lady of Rage & Royce 5'9: "Ya Dayz R #d (Remix)"

June:

1. Solange: "I Decided (Pt. 1)"
2. Coldplay: "Strawberry Swing"
3. Quantic & Nickodemus: "Mi Swing Es Tropical"
4. Little Brother feat. Oddisee: "Delusional"
5. Jean Grae: "#8"
6. Elkin & Nelson: "Vamanos"
7. Ray Barretto: "Pastime Paradise"
8. Infakt feat. Moonrokk: "California"

July:

1. Bishop Lamont: "Grow Up"
2. Rock Marciano: "4 All The Real Raw Deal"
3. M.I.A. feat Freeway: "Paper Planes (Remix)"
4. Alicia Keys: "Teenage Love Affair (Instrumental)"

August:

1. Mos Def: "The Glow"
2. The GZA: "IntroMental"
3. Q-Tip: "Gettin' Up"
4. Solange: "Would've Been The One"
5. Joe Bataan: "Gypsy Woman (Demo Version)"
6. Menahan Street Band: "Make The Road By Walking"
7. Portishead: "Threads"

September:

1. The Walkmen: "The Blue Route"
2. The Jacksons: "Show You The Way To Go"
3. Final Solution: "Brotherman"
4. Joe Bataan: "Under The Street Lamp"

October:

1. EPMD: "Listen Up"
2. Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound: "Que Se Sepa"
3. Menahan Street Band: "Go The Distance"

November:

1. Raphael Saadiq: "Kelly Ray"
2. Cesaria Evora: "Sodade"
3. Bill Withers: "I Want To Spend The Night"
4. Q-Tip: "Move"
5. Oddisee feat. Buckshot: "Where I Be At"
6. Stevie Wonder: "Send Me Some Lovin'"

December:

1. Jay-Z feat. B.I.G.: "Brooklyn Go Hard (Mick Boogie Remix)"
2. Paul Mitchell Trio: "Now That I Know What Loneliness Is"
3. Jay-Z: "Sweet (Feli Kuti Remix)"
4. Marsha Ambrosius feat. Little Brother: "Sunshine"
5. The Temprees: "(Girl) I Love You"
6. Joe Bataan: "Ordinary Guy (45 Version)"
7. Nina Simone: "Gimme Some (Mike Mangini Mix)"
8. Fleet Foxes: "Blue Ridge Mountains"
9. Vampire Weekend: "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"

Dante For President

I'm all for Jam Master Jay Day...

?uesto on Dilla

Blackstar's "Little Brother" just so happens to be one of the most gorgeous J-Dilla tracks I've ever heard. And that's saying a lot when you consider his body of work prior to his passing two years ago.

And it just so happens that ?uestlove has recounted the events leading up the creation of this Dilla jewel here. When I first heard this track my first response was "where did he sample this from?" So when I read ?uesto's story about how the beat came to life - let's just say that my wig is completely flipped backwards.

J-Dilla was on some other shit. But you already knew that...

Blackstar: "Little Brother"

(Story brought to you by way of Nah Right Lite)

Pass The Mic

SEMTEX TV: DELA SOUL, MOS DEF, NAS, WILL I AM, KANYE WEST, DAMON ALBARN ROC THE MIC @ THE G.O.O.D. MUSIC AFTER PARTY, LONDON, UK from DJ SEMTEX on Vimeo.

Nas, Mos Def, and De La Soul passing the mic here at the G.O.O.D. Music after party in London just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Taking it back.

Reckoner

Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon

Politics As Usual

I really enjoyed this this morning.

Courtesy of Junichi over at Poplicks.

Keep Walking With Me

"The Blue Route", my favorite cut from my favorite album so far this year.

Hamilton Leithauser's vocals weave flawlessly through this song.

But Matt Barrack on drums is the star, not only on "The Blue Route", but the on the entire album.

You remember the "The Rat" right?

Walk With Me

So far, the best of 2008.

The Maverick

The Notations: "It Only Hurts For A Little While"

The Glow

Mos Def: "The Glow"

"Peep The Instrumental"

Alicia Keys' "Teenage Love Affair" was one of my favorite songs last year. The lyrics are pretty run-of-the-mill but the backing track really carried this tune to soulful sublimeness. Now, if only someone can track down Ghostface to get vintage on this... The LL Cool J remix was meh.

Alicia Keys: "Teenage Love Affair (Instrumental)"

Bonus:

Her David Letterman performance some time back.

The Other Knowles

Beyonce's not the only Knowles with talent. Her little sister Solange Knowles has a little something out right now and it's a breezy number - a soulful throwback.

Solange Knowles: "I Decided"

Voltron's Head

Dropping August 19.

I'm guessing that in preparation for his above forthcoming album, the GZA decided to stir things up a bit and drop this track going at 50 Cent. I'm not sure how I feel about this track. On one hand, it's good to hear something new from the GZA. But if he was going to throw jabs he could of brought something with a little more bite. "Paper Plate" doesn't leave much of an impression. I think it's pretty boring altogether. It's a no-brainer that the GZA is superior with his wordplay and commands a better grasp of the english language than 50 Cent ever will. And 50 Cent would probably agree wholeheartedly.

I wouldn't be of the opinion that this was a complete waste of time had the GZA dropped something more witty and unpredictable. You know, the "8 bar murder verse/ freestyle or rehearsed/ I wreck MC's whether I'm last or first" kind of witty unpredictableness...

The Seoul Controllers

How did Top 9 get to the finals anyway? The Gamblerz Crew vs. Brazil All-Star Crew was a more even battle.

The Blast

Radiohead Covers...

...New Order's "Ceremony".

...

Viva the Viva La Vida

The new Coldplay is solid.

And this is my favorite from that album. It's not the best video but it's the only live performance of this song I could find.

Jewels Circa 1969

Beatles: "Don't Let Me Down"

I first heard this on 2003's uneven Let It Be...Naked album. It's since become one of my all time Beatle favorites.



Neil Young: "Down By The River"

"Down By The River" is one of those indispensible Neil Young classics. He's accompanied here by his Crosby, Stills, and Nash co-horts. Amazing song and performance.

Justice

J-Live's Then What Happened? is out. I was expecting a little more considering it's been a while since his last album. It's got some boring material but the good ones almost make up for the parts that lag behind. Content and lyric-wise, he's definitely top 5 if I were to rank my personal favorite MC's out right now.

Furthermore, I've adopted "It Don't Stop" as my personal anthem.

The Great Sadat X

Sadat X: "Stages and Lights"

Indispensible Sadat X:

Sadat X & Diamond D: "Feel It"
Sadat X & Notorious B.I.G.: "Come On"
Brand Nubian, Diamond D, & Kid Capri: "Hot This Year"

Muxtape Goodness

10 in the clip.

You Know The Deal...

Did you support your local record shop today?

And to think, I turned 37 today.

Happy Record Store Day folks!

Cosmic Slop

Big fan of Badu propaganda.

Her New Amerykah album is pretty snoozy save "Soldier", produced by Kareem Riggins.

But I'm digging this Jay-Z laced snippet. I don't think it's an official remix but the beat is so hot, Lil' Wayne could drop a verse on this track and I'd still love it.

"Soldier" : Erykah Badu feat. Jay-Z

And I...

Heard 'Em Say.

It's the first time I've seen this version of the video for my favorite tune from 2005's Late Registration. It helps that Bill Plympton does the fantastic animation and I've got to hand it to Kanye West for bringing in the guy responsible for the 1987 Oscar winning short Your Face (which is incredible), to do his video.

I was never really impressed with this other version.

Midnight Marauder

It's only right.

Speaking of the classic that is Midnight Marauders, as part of Smirnoff's Signature Mix Series, Q-Tip teamed with Cool & Dre to update "Midnight" and give it a 2008 reworking.

I think it's clock radio speakers.

Q-Tip: "Midnight '08"

Pete's Treats

Pete Rock's NY's Finest in your area on Tuesday. Meanwhile, I've been listening to some PR treats of the past and it's ridiculous the amount of incredible tracks he's put together in his distinguished career. Although the new album isn't as quite as good as I'd expected, it's still a solid effort and I'm glad to hear new material from him. Even the lukewarm joints.

Here's a couple of the more impressionable Pete Rock tracks from way back. Thorough indeed...

The U.N.: "Long Time Coming"
Deda The Original Baby Pa: "Press Rewind"
Pete Rock & CL Smooth: "Lots Of Lovin' (Remix)"

Bonus:

Pete Rock and "Dilla Day", courtesy of Cocaine Blunts

Belated...

It's been way too long between posts but fatherhood affords no rest for the weary...

I meant to post some Valentines goodies last week but just didn't get a chance to.

...I see you me lady...

Look Mom...No Hands!

Okay, shameless excuse to throw a picture of my daughter up. It's not enough that I've already posted it here. Anyway...

I've been meaning give shine to a couple of Madlib tracks that I throw on whenever I need a little inspiration or a slight knudge in the ribs to wake me from whatever stupor I'm in. Since I've been deprived of comfortable, quality shut-eye these few weeks, I've needed an extra jolt to accompany my morning coffee.

Wildchild's (of the Lootpack) "Hands Up" and Vast Aire's (of the mighty, now defunct, Cannibal Ox) "Look Mom...No Hands", both produced by Madlib (the other guy who never sleeps, peep his catalog), exhibit the sonic punch I so desperately need in these babyraising times. "Hands Up" is a leaner, more stripped down track compared to "Look Mom's..." more chaotic and frenetic boombastics. They both serve their purpose in their own distinct ways. It's sonic crack-rock-motivation when you need it.

Wildchild: "Hands Up"
Vast Aire: "Look Mom...No Hands"

Bonus Madlib:

Go figure, there was actually a video for Madvillain's "Accordian"...

The PR

Pete Rock is, without a doubt, my favorite producer of all time. There was a time I teetered between PR and DJ Premier but PR's sound, anchored by such soulful undercurrents, puts him at the top. Besides, Premier's work has been more uneven as of late and he's not nearly close to matching the quality of his output of the mid-late 90's. Termanology's "Watch How It Goes Down" is the last Primo track that I was feeling and I still think he could of brought the drums a little harder.

If you haven't already heard, Pete Rock's got an album dropping February 26. There are a few projects worth the anticipation this year but New York's Finest is most worthy. I've heard five cuts from the new album and they're not really mind blowing. "The PJ's" featuring Raekwon and Masta Killa and "914" featuring Styles P and Sheek Louch were already in rotation last year. I'm still looking forward to hearing how the rest of the album comes together. After all, a subpar Pete Rock track beats most of the garbage floating around these days.

Check it. Courtesy of Nahright.

Jingle Jangle

I'll probably be low key until after the holidays so Merry Christmas folks!

A Liberal Decalogue

By Bertrand Russell:

"Perhaps the essence of the Liberal outlook could be summed up in a new decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it. The Ten Commandments that, as a teacher, I should wish to promulgate, might be set forth as follows:"

1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.

2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.

3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.

4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.

5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.

6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.

7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent that in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.

9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.

10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness."

Boogie Down Productions: "You Must Learn"
KRS One: "Higher Level"

Best Albums 2007

GOLD. Radiohead: In Rainbows - "15 Steps", "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi", "All I Need", "House Of Cards", ("4 Minute Warning" and "Up On The Ladder" from CD 2 are excellent as well)... All worthy of top twenty song status for this year but "Reckoner" is amazing and stands out as my favorite track on the album. In Rainbows is a moody record. I mean, it's got a winter quality to it. It's very bass and drum driven and it seems that they decided to simplify their sound for this album. The only time the electric guitar is prominent is on "Bodysnatchers". The rest of the album is less assertive. I think it plays to their strength.

SILVER. Common: Finding Forever - I've come to expect great albums from Common. He simply knows how to put a well rounded album together and get the most from his producers. Kanye's best work seems to go Com's way. "Start The Show" was a huge surprise in that I knew Kanye could put together some diverse sounds but this track blows me away. I think Com could do better on the lyrical side of things, but this Kanye production just bangs. The only track on Finding Forever that I have a problem with is "I Want You", a Will.I.Am production no less. Should've titled that one "Skip"... Otherwise, it's the best Hip-Hop record of 2007.

BRONZE. Various: Electric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation Compilation - It's 40 songs deep and they're all quality soul cuts. Most of the artists I've never heard of. There are a lot of soul comps floating around out there but this is the most solid I've heard. "Yesterday's Mistakes" by Jimmy Jones and "To Love Somebody" by The Kaldirons are just two of the more esquisite soul tracks from this compilation. The fact that this comp has 40 tracks with each song as good as the next is an accomplishment to say the least. Solid from beginning to end.

The Lucky 7:

4. Feist: The Reminder

5. Band Of Horses: Cease To Begin

6. Kanye West: Graduation

7. Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

8. Alicia Keys: As I Am

9. J. Sands/J-Dilla: Mrs. Sands The LP

10. LCD Soundsystem: Sounds Of Silver

The Good Revolutions 2007

1. "All My Friends" - LCD Soundsystem
2. "Start The Show" - Common
3. "Reckoner" - Radiohead
4. "Keep The Car Running" - Arcade Fire
5. "No Ones Gonna Love You" - Band Of Horses
6. "Teenage Love Affair" - Alicia Keys
7. "Pedigree" - Brother Ali
8. "All I Know" - DJ Jazzy Jeff feat. CL Smooth
9. "Flashing Lights" - Kanye West
10. "Someone Great" - LCD Soundsystem
11. "The Limit To Your Love" - Feist
12. "Success" - Jay-Z feat. Nas
13. "Going To Acapulco" - Jim James & Calexico
14. "Sailing Away" - Anthony Hamilton
15. "In The Mood" - Talib Kweli feat. Kanye West
16. "Gilla House Check" - Redman
17. "I'm Not Gonna Teach You..." - Black Kids
18. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A
19. "Rec-Room Therapy" - Ghosface feat. Raekwon & U-God
20. "Now That I'm Free" - Outlines feat. RZA

You know you're getting old when your favorite song of the year is a song about growing older.

I've narrowed down the song list to 20 because I found that ranking them past that is an exercise in futility.

Ghostface's "Rec-Room Therapy", from his bulky Big Doe Rehab album, would have been higher on the list had it not been for U-God's inept verse at the end. Rae and Ghost united would've sufficed.

I purposely left off a couple more Radiohead songs from In Rainbows for obvious reasons. If it's not obvious to you, you'll see why in my next post.

I Slept

Spin just did a review of Arrested Development's Since The Last Time. I don't know much about the album since I haven't really kept up with where the group has been. Speech did a solo project some years ago to lukewarm reviews and didn't firm up much of a career on his own. Since The Last Time kind of flew under the radar and, from everything I've read up to this post, it was released last year. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical that it'd be even worth giving attention but after a couple of listens it's actually pretty good. They didn't pull a Black Eyed Peas and morph into some ridiculous eye and ear sore of a pop group. The group kept the formula simple and preserved the qualities that made their debut so enjoyable in 92' - tastefully soulful and with subtlely funky undercurrents.

This is the title track from the album and my favorite of the bunch. It's got a fantastic, celebratory feel to it with great lyrics from Speech. I slept in 2006.

Arrested Development - "Since The Last Time"

"...notes upon notes of my catchiest quotes..."

As you know, with the year's end comes with it lists upon lists upon lists. Do I have my obligatory "Best of 2007" lists? Absolutely. But I love reading other's thoughts on the past year's great moments in music, movies, news...

My favorite list thus far comes from Junichi over at Poplicks. His "Best Quotes Of 2007" is hysterical! Here is a snippet of some of my favorites from his exhaustive list:

"Did you see Britney Spears at the Video Music Awards? I don't want to say that that performance was a disaster, but after the show, I saw Rudy Giuliani having his picture taken standing on her."-Bill Maher

"Go, Raiders."- Robert Comer's last words before being executed in Arizona

"Yeah, well maybe next time, you will estimate me."- Michael, to Jan, who said she underestimated him, on The Office

"People use music as a utensil to better themselves."- Jessica Simpson

Read his complete list here.

Oh yeah, and he just posted his "Best Songs Of 2007". All 100 of them.

Audio Visuals

Beirut - "Elephant Gun"



Menomena - "Evil Bee"



Lupe Fiasco - "Superstar"



Dave Chappelle in London

"The Hardest"

AZ's next full length The Undeniable is set to drop February 19.

In the meantime, "The Hardest" featuring Styles P, produced by the Large Professor, is the heat for your cold winter. It's unclear as to who's track it actually is as it's also on Styles' new album Super Gangster. I don't blame them for keeping the track for their own respective albums. The Large Pro hasn't produced anything memorable in a long time but this track is superb and he's even got a cameo in this exclusive OnSmash presentation.



AZ feat. Styles P/Styles P feat. AZ - "The Hardest"

More Slop

Dilla Busta. I know it's gonna be hard to endure Bussa Buss for an albums worth of material but hey, it's unreleased J-Dilla tracks.

Mick Boogie & Busta Rhymes do it with Dillagence.

Miss Info presents: Inside The Rappers Studio with Big Ghost as he breaks down his latest enstallment "The Big Doe Rehab", in stores December 4.

5 Albums you need (in no particular order):

1. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, 100 Days & 100 Nights

2. Aretha Franklin, Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul

3. Radiohead, In Rainbows

4. AZ, The Memphis Sessions

5. Band Of Horses, Cease To Begin

Delegation, The Promise Of Love (Shady Brook Records, 1976):

If you're unfamiliar with this group, there's really no reason to get familiar. The short of it is that Delegation was an R&B group of three members from the UK that released The Promise Of Love in 1976. I only mention this album because it boasts the ultra-soulful "Oh Honey", one of my all-time soul classics. There's a 6-minute 12" version floating around out there that I absolutely need but for now, marinate.

Delegation: "Oh Honey"

Cosmic Slop

There's been a lot of hosility within the Wu-Tang camp lately. Apart from Ghostface's early grumbling about the Wu-Tang hierarchy, Raekwon has expressed his frustration with RZA's production choices for 8 Diagrams. RZA got on Tim Westwood's show to shed some wisdom on Raekwon's recent rants, in true RZA form (courtesy of Nahright).

I agree. STOP WITH THE CHRIS MARTIN COLLABOS! Two is two too many. "Beach Chair" and "Homecoming" are terrible. I doubt that featuring Coldplay's lead on a Hip Hop track will get their fans to buy your albums.

Oh Word! is giving away Lord Finesse's whole production catalog, practically.
Merry early X-mas.

Yes, Yes Y'all!

...And one of my favorite songs at the moment from Radiohead's In Rainbows.

Old American Gangster

The album is pretty run-of-the-mill production-wise with a couple of gems sprinkled in between. By now you've probably had your fill of the circumstances surrounding the idea for Jay-Z's American Gangster. The hype machine has been in full gear before and after the release of both the movie and album of the same name.

Some observations:

1. Jay-Z really embellishes on his hustler days. Saying he was inspired by some scenes in Ridley Scott's film that took him back to his hustling days, invoking those "raw emotions", sounds a little trite to me. After all, he was a small time drug dealer. It's not like he was even on the same level as Frank Lucas who upped his self worth to the hundreds of millions (in the 70's!) through a heroin dealing empire.

2. His tastes for beats is beginning to dwindle save a couple of exceptional moments like these:

"Roc Boys" - Produced by Diddy's Hitmen. Amazing interpolation of these horns. And the video is as gully as it gets...And the live horns just makes this cut exponentially ridiculous...

"Success" feat. Nas - Produced by No I.D. Now you've got to understand that this is the same producer who worked on the majority of Common's earlier work so No I.D. has got an impeccable catalog. He hasn't produced anything memorable in years, until now. The organ vamps are incredible and the way he chops this up...you've got to wonder why he's not getting more work.

3. Despite his recent shortcomings, he's arguably still one of the best rappers alive still recording. Definitely top 5. He still manages to stay relevant even though he's not really re-inventing himself. The skill he displays, even on the more lackluster production he jumps on, is undeniable. He's got the clever punchlines, the effortless delivery and style, and he's as charasmatic as they get.

"Drink A Heineken..."

"...as we go inside the mind again."

Been a while but times are busy.

Very random. One of my favorite Method Man verses heard here. From the first Bob Digi album...

Bobby Digital feat. Method Man: "NYC Everything"