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?"