Filed under: Miscellaneous
Ludacris – ‘MVP’ & ‘I Do It For Hip Hop’ feat. Jay-Z & Nas
taken from Theater Of The Mind (Def Jam, 2008)
I gotta say that I didn’t ever anticipate this moment passing, but two of the leaked tracks from Luda’s upcoming Theater Of The Mind are worthy of your attention. The Premier produced ‘MVP’ is extremely dope despite the shabby quality of this radio rip and ‘I Do It For Hip Hop’ has its charms as well with verses from Nas & Jay-Z (nice score Chris). Although most people’s focus is inevitably on the high-profile guest spots here I really like the beat, but would have liked it even more if producer Wyldfyer had let the Mountain drums do the talking solo throughout instead of adding in additional skittering hats and snares. However, I can appreciate that this would have also killed the song’s commercial appeal. Damn those ignorant masses.
Filed under: Miscellaneous
That’s right mate, you think about what you’ve done.
Dear Mr Grice,
I have to admit that it was with some trepidation I attended your show last night at the Bristol Academy. At £18 a ticket the entry cost felt a little steep and to be honest with you I have some reservations about the current trend for long serving members of the hip hop community to tour on the sole premise of performing their classic albums, but you know what? I love you man. I love Liquid Swords even more. I own every album you’ve ever released and I want to support you whenever possible. I mean damn, the last time I saw you at Subterania in ‘99 it was sensational. Why would anything be different this time around?
But I got to be honest with you Gary, you sucked ass last night. Major ass. Your cause wasn’t aided by the shambolic organisation of the show in general terms, but I know that wasn’t your fault. I was even willing to forgive you for coming on stage nearly an hour late because I love you. Have I mentioned that already? But how can you expect me to leave satisfied when yours was one of the most achingly tired performances I’ve ever seen? I mean, did you even want to be there? At all? I know Liquid Swords was thirteen years ago, but apart from anything else it kinda looked like you’d forgotten half of your rhymes. Your usually impeccable flow was inconceivably pedestrian and you just sauntered around on stage a little. Is this really all you’ve got left in the tank? What happened to the live presence of one of the greatest MCs to ever do it?
I want you to know that I will always remain a fan. I also want you to know that I will never attend one of your live shows again. Ever. I mean, I might not even bother paying for your albums anymore. Cheated doesn’t even begin cover it. I’m so sorry things turned out this way, but you’ve left me no choice. You’ve torn my heart out of my chest, so why not stamp on it while you’re at it?
Your massively disappointed fan,
Dan Love
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Mayer Hawthorne & The County @ Stones Throw
Mayer Hawthorne & The County @ MySpace
Just stumbled across this care of Phill and it’s blown me away. New artist signed to Stones Throw, 29 year old white man who sounds like Gil Scott Heron on ‘When I Said Goodbye’ and isn’t ashamed to throw some ‘Get Out My Life, Woman’ drums onto the smooth ‘Just Ain’t Gonna Work It Out’ to give it a sumptuously gritty edge. Very pleased to meet you Mr. Hawthorne.
Edit:
Still having problems embedding video… check both tracks out at Phill’s spot.
Filed under: Album Reviews
…but didn’t. Internet time is a bitch: as soon as something’s dropped everyone’s had their say and I feel like too much of a lazy douche to even bother. Still, this is my soap box and I’ve been meaning to say something about the following four albums for a while, so here are my brief, rather belated thoughts on The Renaissance, Main Source, Remind Me In 3 Days and Stick 2 The Script. Deal with it.
Q-Tip – ‘Feva’
taken from The Renaissance (Universal/Motown, 2008)
The most highly written about album of this quartet is of course the long awaited Amplified follow-up and rightly so because in short, it’s brilliant. Tip sounds as lively as ever, the beats are all great (bar the Norah Jones collab) and it actually feels like a properly conceived album rather than a thrown together collection of random cuts. If for whatever reason you haven’t listened to or bought this yet then you’re doing yourself a horrible disservice and need to take a long hard look at yourself. That’s right, feel ashamed. Along with the P Brothers’ album this is my favourite hip hop release of the year and I can’t imagine much changing in the remaining weeks of 2008.
I’ve thrown up ‘Feva’ because it looks to be a bonus track left off the American release so I’m assuming some of you may not have it. To be honest, it’s not a great loss if you’re missing it, but if your completism tendencies run as deep as mine then it’s essential. Thank me later now.
Large Pro – ‘Rockin’ Hip Hop’
taken from Main Source (Gold Dust, 2008)
More boom bap legend comeback action? You betcha, and despite this seeming to have a relatively limited impact on the blog scene this is an enjoyable return to form that houses some undeniable bangers. Large Pro doesn’t sound any better or worse on the mic than at any other point in his career and since I always fell down on the ‘I actually kind of like his rapping’ side of the fence I’m fine with that. The production is on point too, your man Extra P effortlessly finding that fine balance between something new and heavily trodden ground that a project like this needs to succeed. Sure, there are a few missteps and it ain’t The Renaissance, but I’ve got a soft spot for this album and its unabashed ‘true’ hip hop aesthetic. If Main Source passed you by then give it a whirl: I suspect you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The Knux – ‘Fire (Put It In The Air)’
taken from Remind Me In 3 Days (Interscope, 2008)
A surprising deviance from my usual musical diet, but thanks to Jeff’s championing I’ve been really enjoying bits and pieces from this album. It’s a little goofy in places and some of it just isn’t to my taste, but at a base level this is a refreshing pop album that deserves much wider exposure and a significantly heftier push from Interscope who clearly don’t realise that Remind Me In 3 Days possesses serious mass appeal. I obviously lean towards the more straight up hip hop offerings like ‘Parking Lot’ and ‘Fire (Put It In The Air)’, but the vibe in general is honest, enjoyable and more than worthy of your time. As a bonus, your girlfriend will probably love it. Keep that lady in your life happy fellas…
Statik Selektah – ‘Talkin’ Bout You (Ladies)’ feat. Skyzoo, Joell Ortiz & Talib Kweli
taken from Stick 2 The Script (Showoff/Brick, 2008)
Before listening to this album I assumed that it would be a relatively well crafted producer compilation drop flooded with too many guest MC spots and production that was well-executed yet simultaneously dull. I was right. However, dip in and out of Stick 2 The Script and there’s some short-lived fun to be had here with tracks such as ‘Talkin’ Bout You (Ladies)’ and ‘So Good (Live From The Bar)’ having enough substance to get your nod on. This will inevitably end up gathering dust somewhere in my CD collection only to be broken out in a year or two for another brief spell in rotation but I figure it’s just about worth it. Just.
In an alternate and completely self-centred universe I’d have the man at the helm trim down the collaboration list and get a little less polished on the beat next time around, but since he’s unlikely to do so and said universe’s existence is solely in my head I won’t bore you any further. Dismissed.
Filed under: Producers
Q-Tip – ‘Gettin’ Up’
taken from The Renaissance (Universal/Motown, TBC)
OK, so I know I’m never really on top of the ‘news’, but I guess that’s because for the most part I’m rarely excited by it. So what’s-his-face is dropping a new mixtape? The hottest thing this year?! Gimme a break.
However, the recently leaked single from Q-Tip has me seriously amped for his upcoming release entitled The Renaissance. The beat’s killer and Tip can unsurprisingly still out-rhyme pretty much any rapper on the current scene: bring on November 4th. If it all sounds like this (please, please, please say it does) then we’re talking album of the year status. Although I guess in 2008 that ain’t saying a great deal…
Don’t hold your breath though. If the album drops before 2009 has already started then I’ll happily chow down on my virtual headwear.
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Phife Dawg – ‘Ben Dova’
taken from Ventilation: Da LP (Groove Attack, 2000)
Because I’m on a serious trawl through the Dilla archives after bumping Yancey Boys and it’s Friday. Hit the weekend running people.
Filed under: Producers
Damu The Fudgemunk – ‘Yes We Can (Election Mix)’ (Redefintion Records, 2008)
Also available at Wax Poetics Digital.
First off let me congratulate you America: I’m ecstatic and still recovering from the huge sigh of relief that I emitted yesterday morning. Let’s hope this really does bring about change in the future for all of us.
To celebrate, here’s a new track from FDB favourite Damu. Loads of samples thrown into a tight instrumental groove that’s had my head bopping all day. I can’t wait for a full length that my man John at Redefinition Records tells me is dropping in March. Watch out!
Filed under: Album Reviews
Illa J – ‘Sounds Like Love’ ft. Debi Nova & ‘Showtime’
taken from Yancey Boys (Delicious Vinyl, 2008)
During the outro section of ‘Sounds Like Love’, one of the tightest grooves on Illa J’s debut LP, he soothingly states that he’s, “sitting here, trying to think of what to say in space/It’s just the music, it speaks for itself.” Whether this is a canny acknowledgment of the fact that most people who choose to give Yancey Boys a whirl won’t be doing so in order to hear what he has to say anyway or simply some smoothed-out ish that just sounds kinda cool over a dusty groove remains to be seen, but you’ve gotta feel for the man’s position. Ultimately, whatever Illa’s got to say, the use of his older brother’s musical backdrops means that Yancey Boys is always going to be about the beats.
And for the most part it is, although writing off Illa’s style completely would be a little unfair because within the context of the music on offer here he feels comfortable and reasonably accomplished, neither taking away from nor particularly adding anything to any of the songs. He mostly writes about love, it’s tidily delivered, feels relatively soulful… it’s pleasant yet almost completely uninspiring. The sung content, which features quite regularly, will inevitably grate quite quickly and become a sticking point for a lot of listeners but I don’t mind it when dipping in and out of the few truly choice cuts that the album has to offer.
But seriously, who cares? What we have on our hands here is some early Dilla material that should be treasured by anyone who hasn’t simply jumped on the post-mortem bandwagon. However much I love the material that the mighty James put out over the course of his whole career, I’ll always have a serious soft spot for the work that he did on the Pharcyde’s Labcabincalifornia, Madd Skillz’s From Where??? and as a part of The Ummah and these are essentially off cuts of the era characterised by deft sample choices, subtly executed chops and big crunchy snares. Granted, in places they feel underdeveloped and lack the fierce, bouncy momentum that his top choice material delivers so devastatingly, but beggars can’t be choosers. The smokey brilliance of ‘Sounds Like Love’, simmering thump of ‘Showtime’ and smack you in the face snare hits of ‘Air Signs’ are worth the price of admission alone for this particular Dilla devotee.
Expect big things and you’ll be disappointed. Take this for what it is – a bunch of Dilla’s unused/rejected beats from the infancy of his career with uninspiring rhymes laid over the top – and you may find that Yancey Boys adds up to something that exceeds the sum of its parts. I can’t front: this has been in and out of rotation for me since it dropped. The music speaks for itself, don’t ya know.
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Jay-Z: He Came, He Saw, He Conquered
I’m gonna kick this post off by upping my street credibility by like, a gazillion: my mother texted me to let me know about Tuesday night’s BBC arts documentary that propounded to explore “the life and work of the chart topping rapper and multi-millionaire businessman Jay-Z.” Great, I thought: it’s rare that we get any decent coverage of American hip hop in the British mass media; I really like Jay-Z (duh); I’m intrigued by how his Glastonbury set was ultimately so well received and believe that there’s quite a lot to consider as a British fan of the genre about the way that we – as a nation – interact and engage with American rap.
And it’s not because I think there’s anything particularly lofty at stake here as we already know that rap is global and Jay is one of its leading figureheads, but up until last June my parents and their friends had never really spoken or inquired about the man and now they do (I approach this topic scientific-like). It may not seem it for those of you across the pond, but that seems like a pretty big deal to me because I would say that Jay-Z is the first American rapper to cross over to that extent in this country, where Jonathon Ross interviews him and pretty much everyone knows who he is. I guess Hammer may have done it back in the day, but what we’re talking about here is ‘real’ hip hop and one of its key proprietors becoming a part of the everyday collective consciousness in this country.
So this could have been good, and to be fair in places the program worked reasonably well. Some of the interview segments with Jay were enjoyable as were the clips of footage from gigs in L.A., Las Vegas and New York, but unfortunately that was about it as the remainder of the show’s content was blighted by two key factors. Firstly, presenter Alan Yentob who I’m sure is a very culturally informed man outside of hip hop knew next to squat about Jay-Z or his music and secondly, at times the focus for this documentary strayed too far away from the music and tried to get ‘in deep’ about his other interests only to expose the distance between interviewer and interviewee even further. Cringe-worthy moments included the pair wandering through an art gallery which made Jay look kind of stupid (which he clearly isn’t) and Mr. Yentob incredibly uncomfortable (which presumably he was) and Yentob commenting on Jay’s compositional process of feeding off a beat “freeing up the lyrical flow.” I’m sorry old man, but I just ain’t buying it.
I guess the problem is that the aesthetics and legacy of hip hop at a core level feel in some ways distinctly at odds with what it is to be British, or at least certainly at odds with the BBC’s version of Britishness. It’s what makes me slightly uneasy telling people that I’m into rap music in this country because certainly for the majority of the population, they don’t get it and I don’t blame them. On the surface, Jay-Z’s music is too gawdy, too brash and his persona too overtly materialistic to be taken seriously by middle Britain and that’s why what this documentary needed was somebody who could in some way bridge the gap between these two worlds and make sense of it in some way. Ultimately, by placing a stuffy, middle-aged intellectual as interviewer Jay-Z: He Came, He Saw, He Conquered only served to highlight the disparity between American rap and your average Brit and in all probability left most viewers feeling even more bemused by Jay-Z, his popularity and his role in global popular culture.
Yentob started the documentary with the statement, “If there’s one rapper you need to know about it’s him.” Alan, if you’re out there, name three other rappers that someone might need to know about in 2008. Nope? Didn’t think so. If the BBC wants to be cool and informed then that’s great, but it seems like a bit of a no-brainer that if you plan on this sort of coverage you should probably get someone involved who has a vague understanding of the subject at hand in the first place. Seriously, I’m available whenever.
Filed under: Interviews
Freddie Foxxx – ‘So Tough’
taken from Crazy Like A Foxxx (Fat Beats, 2008)
For some reason unbeknown to me I’m yet to throw up a link to my Freddie Foxxx interview that dropped over at Jeff’s spot. Missed it? Get there immediately.
