Cosmic Slop

Say it isn't so. Well, S&TR always welcomes your great posts and looks forward to more dusky jewels like this.

I was never really a Niners fan but Bill Walsh was a class act. R.I.P. (BTW, whoever coined the term "west coast offense" should be shot in the knee caps. What does it even mean anyway? Walsh himself didn't even like the term and refused to utter it.)

I don't know how or where Just Blaze finds time to blog but he's my blogroll hero right now. The Megatron Don is priceless.

Speaking of Just Blaze, the new Saigon? Most anticipated. Not sure if this is going to be the lead single from The Greatest Story Never Told but it's crazy raucous and should be. I don't know. I have a feeling the lead single's gonna have an R&B hook with bells and whistles. Don't rain on my parade like that.

Saigon: "Don't You Baby"

The King Of Running Things...

I've been wondering what he's been up to. Perfect timing for The 45 King interiew. All I want to know is when is the new shit with Chill Rob G going to drop? "Let Me Show You"? One of my all time favorites. "Chill is a prefix/Rob is a proper noun/G is for greatness/ I don't wanna debate this/The way that I'm rising I appear to be weightless."

"Lay You Out, Show You What Steel Do..."

Galt MacDermot: "Ripped Open By Metal Explosions"

Godfather Don: "Properties Of Steel"

Talking heads do just that. It's obvious that public opinion is not something he's much concerned about as his administration plods along.

Jay-Ski

I'm sure Jay-Z has some fine tracks floating around out there. You have to figure that with the incredible talent that he has coupled with the efficiency of an assembly line, he must have recorded an astronomical amount of material during his long career - some terrible, some good. I found something good, really good.

Ski, who was instrumental in ushering in J-Hova's flow to the masses through the bulk of the tracks he produced for Jay-Z's debut Reasonable Doubt, has been relatively quiet throughout the years. Other than his work and affiliation with Harlem's Camp Lo, he's mostly known for lending his production savvy to the early, slim Roc-A-Fella roster.

Well he hasn't been docile by any means.

Ski just happens to have a mixtape for free download on his Myspace page in case you slept. It's got some nice treats on it too. The Jean Grae track is addictive with that melancholy piano loop Ski cooked up. The absolute ringer on this though is a lost Jay-Z track. It's perfect. From what I can tell from Jay's outtro it was probably meant to be a primer for his underwhelming Blueprint 2.0. I can't believe this is the first time I've heard it. It's short but the effect is undeniable. He basically lays out his naysayers over Ski's groovy 2+ minute conconction- "I hear the people talk/ Whistlin' when you walk..."

Jay-Z: "People Talking"

LCD Soundsystem

There are some songs that just take you there. LCD Soundsystem's current single is one of those songs. It's almost like a throwback to the 80's modern rock summer anthems. You know, the kinds of songs that transport you to a particular time and place and stirs that dormant sentimentality of yours.

"All My Friends"

The Swarm

The Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams might, just might be coming this year. Can we count on these guys to form like Voltron and shakedown the industry once again for old times sake? The outcome is critical. URB Magazine ponders the math.

"It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen because it's inevitable - it has to happen," RZA says. "[But] if it's not coming this year, it ain't comin' at all. That's my opinion. If it doesn't come this year, it don't mean nothin' no more."

The GZA & Inspectah Deck: "Yes Yes Y'all/Let Me At 'Em"
Method Man: "Mr. Mef"

Vibes 'n Stuff

Grant Green: "Down Here On The Ground"

Mr. Field's Cookies

Lee Field's Problems (Soul Fire- 2002) has got pretty much all the elements of a solid 70's funk/soul album. It's got the heavy rhythms, rattling drum kicks, bubbling basslines and a James Brown-like undercurrent that works to perfection. From the uptempo funk blast of the title track to the slow burning groove of "Honey Dove", this albums got some sure fire hotness for your summer listening enjoyment.

Lee Fields: "Problems"

Lee Fields: "Honey Dove"

Check out this Deep Funk interview. AND if you're interested, he's got releases scattered through Daptone Records, Truth & Soul and Soul Fire Records.

Mental Fitness

"It's too perverted, you heard it, so now you get murdered
Test the sound system, it throws off your equilibrium
Deep concentration can't fracture the meditation
Competition is flipped on at random
Deviant monks attack the mic is mental pandemonium
And then some, you go for your hand gun
Psychokinetic forces proceed to smash in your cerebellum
Phonetian with more stamina than a Christian
My mind, C3 H5 N3 O9 like Nitroglycerine
I bust as Afu Ra crush
Clash with us and meet Cerebus"

Jeru The Damaja: "Mental Stamina"

Take Me Back

Summer's fast approaching and folks are putting together their seasonal songs of summer posts. I'll spare you and refrain from posting a mix of my own. I will throw one classic out there though on principle.

The J. Geils Band's Freeze Frame (1981) will always hold a special place on my imaginary favorite rock albums list. It's not one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded but it had some memorable songs on it. Although the title track was probably a bigger hit, "Centerfold" will forever be an all time summer classic. I was only 10 when this song dropped and I remember it fondly only because I wasn't suppose be listening to it. I don't even remember how I got my hands on the cassette tape. Seriously, what kind of soulless robot can deny this fuckin' song? Good times, good times...

The J. Geils Band: "Centerfold"

All The J-Live

Whenever I hear J-Live, I have to check myself for always forgetting to include him in my mental list of upper-eschelon MC's.

I first heard "The Lyricist" on Ritchy Pitch's Live At Home EP (2002). The production isn't mind blowing by any means but catchy nonetheless. I feel like I should go on and on about J-Live's lyrical virtuosity on this track but all I can really say is that his flow is flawless. Style, content, delivery...it's all there.

J-Live: "The Lyricist"

Then there's "The Epilogue", the closing track from his excellent 2001 debut The Best Part. The solemn, echoeing guitar loop is nice but, again, J-Live shines all the way through.

"When it's all said and done it should be heard and seen

'Til this cold-hearted game forces us to change teams

While the lust for the loot spreads out like gangrene

So the haves chase their tails while the nots chase their dreams

As the years chase the days, past the futures, meet fate

Like your firstborn, waiting for pop's release date

Postpone, meanwhile, I accumulate means

To revise and renew what was just heard and seen"

J-Live: "Epilogue"

No Game

Nah Right's got some unreleased tracks from The Game that didn't make The Doctor's Advocate's final cut. "Beautiful Life" is the only song I'd keep, the rest just sound like throwaway tracks. Is it me or has Dr. Dre's production turned progressively bland and dry? With the tracks he gave Jay-Z for Kingdom Come and the snoozers I've heard since, including 50 Cent's song about money in the bank, I'm beginning to think the good Doctor is beginning to fall the fuck off. I always thought he's been overrated post-The Chronic-Doggystyle era. Nothing he's done has been mind blowing save The Chronic 2000. His new shit just makes me want to sleep.

Obscurity Knocks

Obscurity Knocks

(A McCrank's Juke collabo.)

Trashcan Sinatras - Live at The Casbah in San Diego May 14, 2005

I prefer live music, the kind you can't find in Sam Goody or any other large retail chain. This post showcases another rare music performance from the Trashcan Sinatras, a favorite of mine from back in the early nineties (Obscurity Knocks is one of their better tracks). I blame a college roommate, who sold me on these guys. It goes to show you that the record industry and labels are screwed-up for not promoting and selling live material, including bootlegs. Download the soundboard recording and take a listen... (Disc 1 / Disc 2)

In The Re-Mix

It's seldom you find exceptional remixes these days. If you're diligent and have enough patience and luck, you'll stumble upon jewels like these:

Eric B. & Rakim: "Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em (Beirut Remix)"

You can check out his work here. I don't know much about him other than the fact that he's got a Myspace page. The remixes I've heard aren't bad and you can probably still download a bunch from his page. The above remix is perfect. Rakim never sounded better.

Snoop Dogg: "Signs (Siik Remix)"

Personally, I think it's better than the original. I never really liked Pharrell's track for this anyway. Siik is adept at transforming some of your favorites into something very worthwhile:

Bonus:

Amerie: "1 Thing (Siik Remix)"

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"