Work by Gang Starr

Rest in Peace Guru

I wanted to pay tribute to Guru’s lifework in honor of his passing just under two months ago. He may not’ve been the most well-known MC, outside the underground, but he had (has) one of the most distinct voices in hip hop. I listened to Gang Starr a while back in college and was impressed when I first heard Guru’s flow. I was never too engrossed in his music, especially his solo-work, but I’ve always had mad appreciation for the impact he’s had on hip hop. Here is one of my favorites from Gang Starr – it may not be their most well-known, but it’s what first introduced me to Guru’s talent (among a few others).

Some of you may have heard about the whole controversy surrounding Guru’s death – check it out @ Pitchfork. All I have to say is that it’s sad to see Solar, recent producer for Guru, trying to gain off a friend’s death. But I guess we don’t know the whole story (I guess). What do y’all think of the situation R.I.P. Guru

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Who You Gonna Run to? by Solid Gold

"I don't think it's right, lettin' Love ruin my life."

I’m getting back to my rock roots, and from no better place than Minneapolis. But don’t worry, hip hop is still my first love (well, technically that would be rock…). I just want to diversify my music library to genres other than hip hop & electronica (I think hip hop’s at about 80%, right now). But who gives a fuck about all that, let’s get to the Gold…

I first set my ears on Solid Gold a couple months back when tuning into GAYNGS’s debut album Relayted. The trio teamed up with Ryan Olson of Mel Gibson and the Pants, among others, to do a collaborative project that’s nothing short of sexy smooth. Where GAYNGS is a seductive gang-bang of Minneapolis musicians, Solid Gold would more of a glam-rock/synth-pop band with lead singer Zach Coulter’s voice, which sounds a hell of a lot like George Michael’s. I’m still not quite sure what genre to categorize this under, but for once in a long time I’ve opened up to rock that isn’t 40 years old (there are a few exceptions – mostly ’80s/’90s rock). I should note, however, my first listen through the album wasn’t anything to boast about, but once I got use to the sound… I was hooked – this is especially for my hip hop fans, give it a couple listens before you move on.

If anyone could help me define/classify this, it would be much appreciated. I wanna start looking for similar sounds and you could be a real help. +If you do I may just post more… just maybe.

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Cloud 9 by Latyrx

"Let your whims control your limbs."

Today I was reminiscing about past summers and favorite pool-side songs, when I remembered one of my favorite groups from college, Latyrx. What the hell ever happened to those guys They had two exceptional albums and then split ways. Originally, my favorite of the two was Lyrics Born over Lateef (the Truth Speaker), but as time progressed and careers developed the tables turned. Lyrics Born has shifted more to a pop sound, which is all in good, but not my thing; while Lateef has hooked up with the likes of Z-Trip, Chief Xcel and Blackalicious, which is much more my thing.

Wherever they are now, what they did then was truly and will always be in my sentiments. Cloud 9, along with Lady Don’t Tek No, The Bumpin’ Contraption, Balcony Beach and a whole shit load more, have truly altered my thoughts of music and what to consider as good hip hop. Take a look at Latyrx’s works and pay tribute to ’em by commenting below… yep, that’s how you it.

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Sweet Child O’ Mine by DJ Deckstream

"She's got eyes of the bluest skies"

I’ve come across a few covers songs lately, so I thought I’d contribute a favorite of mine from DJ Deckstream’s Music Castle. Deckstream is a DJ/producer from Japan who could be classified in either hip-hop or jazz depending on the song/album. In Music Castle, Deckstream covers quite a few different oldies, all with a nu jazz style. Some famous songs include Tom’s Diner, Tripping Out, Just the Two of Us and my personal favorite, Sweet Child O’ Mine.

I chose Deckstream’s remix of Sweet Child O’ Mine because of its dreamy, relaxing take on a classic by Guns N’ Roses. One thing I would’ve loved to have seen on the track, along with a few others, is the original vocals included. It would’ve been interesting to hear Axl Rose’s voice over these instrumentals, but as this album is more intented as background music that may have been why Deckstream had chosen to leave him out.

This song actually brought up an interesting question in my mind: would you consider this a cover or remix What are the differences I think of a remix as cutting up a song, rearranging it, adding or removing parts and really making it your own. Compare this to covering a song where the song is relatively kept in its original form, but the performers put a little of their own style into it. As you can tell I marked this as a cover. What do you think

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Granite Earth by Opio

"It's all Love when we combine."

I can’t believe I haven’t featured a song from Triangulation Station or, for that matter, any of Opio’s other solo projects before. Yea, he’s got some more recent work out now, but this album is his masterpiece. Opio is from one of the best hip hop groups of all time, Hieroglyphics. Comprised of a talented pool of MC’s, Hieroglyphics was the best of the best in the late 90’s/early 00’s (for an underground group). The only MC from Hiero that comes close to Opio’s talent is Del who collaborated with Dan the Automator & Kid Koala to construct Deltron 3030, a revolutionary hip hop album that’ll still be talked about for years to come… or should, at least. But enough of all that, let’s get to the good stuff…

“Granite Earth” is one of many stylistic songs from Triangulation Station. The reason I chose to feature this song is because of the chorus by Pigeon John coupled by the overall mood/lyrics of it. Opio & Pigeon John create a harmonic duo that’s on key throughout the entire piece. I’ve heard a couple stories about Pigeon John and how foolish he is in concert (my friends think he is an absolute joke because of it), but he’s got one smooth voice on this track and some thoughtful lyrics, as well (which I’m sure Opio wrote up). To be honest, though, I’ve checked out one of Pigeon John’s solo albums and it was nothing to defend.

So, what do you all think of the two on this track Anyone seen either of them live

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Today by Zero 7

"We are the light that travels into space."

I was watching one of my favorite mockumentaries, The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down, when I heard a song by Zero 7. Before I get to the song I gotta talk a little about the film. If you haven’t gotten the opportunity to see it, you definitely should. It may at first seem like just a cheesy film about stupid American 20-year-olds, and as much as it is, it’s also very funny and well written.

I included a clip of the film where the song appears, which I cut down and uploaded just for y’all. Just to let you know what’s happened so far in the film, everyone is going home to crash after a night of drugs, partying and debauchery. The video captures the morning as a serene contemplation of the night before, but in my experience this is hardly the case. Anytime you’ve stayed out so late that you get a nice glimpse of the morning sunrise… well, let’s just say it’s anything but pleasant. But this film catches its beauty (somehow) with some nice shots of the LA scenery. The clip also includes the scene after, which is pretty funny (especially if you watch the whole film), but is a bit obscene if you just jump right in (and even if ya don’t).

Finally, the reason I chose this song was mainly because of the film. The two complimented each other so well, not to mention I’ve been a fan of Zero 7 for a while. Give me your thoughts on the clip of the film which features “Today” and the scene after, if you’d like.

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Chemical by Apathy

"Ob-scene, un-clean, love between teens."

I haven’t been listening to much Apathy in a while, but I thought I’d feature one of his best to possibly rekindle my interest in him again. I was heavily into Apathy and some of the other Demigodz, along with Jedi Mind, a couple years back, which were some of my favorite groups from the East Coast at the time.

I’m not the biggest fan of East Coast hip hop, if you couldn’t already tell (the site is mainly West Coast/Midwest hip hop). I just relate more to the West Coast/Midwest vibe, but I am trying to gain some knowledge of the East (it’s embarrassing when ya don’t know much about its birthplace), so if you have anything to recommend I’d love to hear it. If you like this one I’ve got a few more East Coast classics up my sleeve, so post up and I’ll do the same.

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Bug Powder Dust (Remix) by Kruder & Dorfmeister

"I always hit the tape with the rough road styles."

I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of the old school/golden age era of hip hop (basically, anything before the mid-90’s). It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, I have mad respect for a lot of it, but my biggest issue with it is the beats. The reason I have such a passion for hip hop, as I do today, is because of its adoption of a wide variety of instrumentals from various sources. I’m not saying that this didn’t happen in the 80’s & 90’s, it’s just more prevalent nowadays because of technology and the internet. This brings me to today’s feature, “Bug Powder Dust (K&D Session)”, which takes some classic rhymes and lays it on a smooth trip hop beat…

“Bug Power Dust” was originally created by Bomb the Bass, an electronic/hip hop group. The song is essentially a homage to William Boroughs’s life & works, more specifically his famous novel, “The Naked Lunch”. The song was later redone by Kruder & Dorfmeister, which are known for their downtempo remixes of pop/hip hop songs. What I like so much about this tripped-out remix is its combination of my two favorite genres, hip hop & trip hop (I like the hop). The MC, Justin Warfield, flows above the beat so seamless it feels like this should be the original. He has a similar style & sound to one of the Beastie Boys, but I can’t figure out which one, any ideas

Prodigy also did a remix of the song, which can be found here, but I warn you, it’s got nothing on Kruder & Dorfmeister’s! Also, in the full article is the original version/music video – check it out and give me your thoughts on them all.

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There U R by Restoring Poetry in Music

"And I walk the walk to erase my scars."

Lately I’ve rehashed a couple songs that I’d mentioned before, but only because they’re incredible tracks – “There U R” being among the most incredible of them all. I’ve been a long time fan of Restoring Poetry in Music, and I thought for my 100^th post I’d feature a track from, if not my favorite, one of my favorite hip hop albums to date, Pyramids in Moscow.

“There U R” is a relaxing meditation on rekindling that love from long ago with Raw Poetic’s smooth & sincere lyrics. Backup vocals are done by Patrick Fritz, and really put a nice touch on an already heartwarming track. P-Fritz also supports my claim, which I’ve spoken about many times on this blog, that mixing a singer’s voice into a rap song can bring a whole ‘nother element to the piece. Basically, rap + singing = good!

Give it a listen and let me know how you think the two play off each other. Also, if you like this song then definitely check out “Sleep Walkers“, it’s my favorite song by RPM (followed closely by “There U R”).

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Nectar for Isis by DJ Frane

"Like a bird you're always flyin' away."

This man is the master of marijuana music. With three full albums on beats to blaze to, a stoner will never go hungry for a good tune to tune out to (that’s fun to say). I’ve featured Frane’s music countless times, and I still can’t get enough of it. Although, each album contains a wondrous story composed of an eclectic set of beats, his final album, Journey to the Planet of Birds, left me awestruck. How this man can pull together such varying beats to create a stunning soundscape is beyond me, but I like it!

I wanted to show off “Nectar for Isis” not because it’s my favorite track, but I think it’s an overall good display of Frane’s talent. The hypnotic vocals slapped on top of a downtempo, trip-hop beat is an eargasm in its own right, but Frane slides in, ever so delicately, a classic piano solo, which tops it off nicely. One thing Frane loves to do is change up the beat in the middle of the piece. The second half of this track was featured in a post I did on Some Cool Ass Ringtones. There’s a few different ringtones to choose from, so if your in need check it out (I’m actually using one myself).

DJ Frane is one of the main reasons we started this site up. Anything he comes out with amazes us each time. If ya wanna here more about him subscribe to our Facebook Page, so you’ll get the updates sent right to ya (and so we know you like us). Enjoy!

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