I’ve finally found some rock that isn’t 40 years old. Of course, though, it had to be by one of the most abundant underground hip hop producers today, Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse has worked on a number of different projects including Gnarls Barkley, DANGERDOOM, The Grey Album – one of the best mashup albums to date – and now, to top it all off, he’s collaborated with James Mercer of The Shins to form Broken Bells.
When first hearing of Broken Bells on hypem, I didn’t realize the two had collaborated at the time. After realizing it, I knew I had to check out the entire album. I’ve listened to the album a few times through and so far it’s prettay, prettay good. The group reminds me a lot of Gorillaz, that sort of electric-inspired alternative rock. I like this new style, but haven’t immersed myself in it enough (any other suggestions). The album had two songs in particular that stuck with me. Of course, they’re the two singles off the album, the first being “The High Road”, which I instantly fell in love with, and “The Ghost Inside”, which took some time but is steadily becoming my favorite.
The reason I chose to feature “The Ghost Inside” over the other favored track is because it has something that I can’t really explain… or maybe I just have more to talk about with this one (I’m sure ill feature the other some other time). What might be the reason I like this one so much is because it, in particular, reminds me a lot of the Gorillaz. It has some quirky vocals that grow on ya, and some unconventional, hip hop inspired instrumentals (a lot like the Gorillaz). One of the sounds actually reminds me of the sound that the black smoke makes in LOST. I probably just got LOST on the brain because the final episode is tomorrow! But just listen closely and I bet you’ll hear it too. Anyways, check it – tell me what ya think.
[audio:TheGhostInside.mp3|titles=The Ghost Inside](Download Link in Full Article)
Ghost Ride the Whip (The Hyphy Movement) is a documentary based on where the Bay Area got its roots from and why the culture is like it is today. It covers many key proponents of the movement, including Keek da Sneek, E-40, and even M.C. Hammer, but one in particular is highlighted, Mac Dre.
When I first heard about Mac Dre in 2004 I had just started out college. My roommate, who’s from the Bay, was upset about a rapper who had been murdered. I had no idea who he was at the time, but since then I’ve gotten to know his music and now fully understand why Mac Dre will be missed so much. What makes him so memorable is his lyrically inventive rhymes, coming up with shit that’s still fresh & fun today. Not only that, he’s an artist that puts some amusement in hip hop, giving us a break from all the serious shit (which is definitely needed at times). To be fair though, many protest what Mac Dre and some others of the movement advocate, questioning its dangers.
Some elements of the Hyphy Movement include Ghost-riding & Thizzin’, which as fun as they may be… can be dangerous. But people need to realize that those elements are not what the Hyphy Movement is solely about. What it all really comes down to is having a good time or more commonly know there as: gettin’ stupid, goin’ stewie, etc. etc. (I tried looking up synonyms of go stupid without much success). Some may not understand why gettin’ stupid would be fun, but I think it’s just because they haven’t tried it themselves.
Whether your into Bay Area hip hop or not, this is an informative & entertaining film that all hip hop heads need to watch. I’ve also included one of Mac Dre’s best in case any of y’all don’t have anything to get stewie to. R.I.P. Mac Dre.
[audio:DoinWhatIDo.mp3|titles=Doin’ What I Do](Download Link in Full Article)
This is my final feature of a three parter I’m doing on Pretty Lights’s 2008 album, Filling Up The City Skies. Just to recap, the first was on “Solamente“, which is a cool, downtempo beat; and the second was “Hot Like Sauce“, which is more like this feature, in that it’s something to start the night off with (aka good for a pregame mix). Each of these songs have been a favorite of mine at some point in the last few months, but I’ve come to realize that they’re all good for different situations.
Getting to the specifics on “Finally Moving Remix”: this one, without a doubt, has the best vocals of the three. I did some investigating on who the female voice is and came up with.. nothing, but to be honest, I didn’t put too much effort into it. Whoever she is, she has a remarkable voice, and the ways in which Derek Vincent Smith can doctor it to fit the beat so well can be almost perplexing at times. The man not only finds incredibly talented musicians to sample, but he can butcher their voices into something strangely pleasing to the ear. This original he created back in 2006 may not be as heart-poundingly engaging as this, but it still warrants a listen if you’re into his sound. If y’all want me to post it up then give me a shout out in the comments below, and I’ll see what I can do. I hope y’all enjoy it – you’ll definitely be seeing more of his music manipulations on here in the future.
One other thing, as I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, you can download most of Pretty Lights’s music on their website, and support ’em by purchasing a t-shirt from their store.
[audio:FinallyMovingRemix.mp3|titles=Finally Moving Remix](Download Link in Full Article)
In Chicago for the weekend, so I’m gonna make this short (gotta get wild soon). I posted Mayday’s self-titled album when the site was just starting off, and I had to give it another shout out (or at least one of its singles). This is one of my favorite beats along with some of my favorite flows, and I know most of y’all won’t go back to September ’09 in the blog, so I thought I’d do it for ya (it’s not me just being lazy, it’s a sick track/album). It’s short and sweet, and a good intro. to Mayday’s mission (statement).
Oh, and if you’re feelin’ this then follow us on Twitter, so you know when we post more sweet shyt (and so we know you like us).
[audio:MissionStatement.mp3|titles=Mission Statement](Download Link in Full Article)
I was “tumbling” around when I came upon this beauty at a scribe., a Tumbler blog. I swear when you’re looking real hard for something you never come up with shit, but when you least expect it you fall into something you love – Illogic being a prime example. It’s hard to find rappers that go beyond the lyrics to weave their rhymes into the beat. I find many flow to a rich & intricate beat, yet their rap is stale and often boring. Illogic may not be the most expressive, dynamic MC, but he knows his way around a beat, especially “Celestial Clockwork”. So far I haven’t been too impressed with the rest of his album, but I’ll definitely have another go around soon. I can tell this guy’s got something…
[audio:CelestialClockwork.mp3|titles=Celestial Clockwork](Download Link in Full Article)
GAYNGS releases their first album, Relayted, today, so I thought I would feature another song of theirs to kick it off. This may not be “The Gaudy Side of Town“, but it sure as hell has some good vocals (especially the chorus), and one hell of a sax – and you know how much I love sax(ophones). The one thing I didn’t care for, though it’s not that crucial, is that the ending drags on for a while. It’s not necessarily that bad, but I kept on wanting to hear more of those smooth-ass vocals.
I had a little difficulty with classifying what genre GAYNGS would belong to (I think I mentioned this in the previous article on them). I would say soul or R&B, but a lot of the album has some featured artists that range from hip hop to rock. Check out the album on Amazon or hit me up for a link, and tell me what you think (especially if I hit you up with a link!).
[audio:NoSweat.mp3|titles=No Sweat](Download Link in Full Article)
I finally made up my (indecisive) mind and picked a song from Panacea’s 12 Step Program. I first narrowed it down to three that I liked, all for different reasons, and finally came up with “Blue Oceanwave” because of Raw Poetic’s catchy flows and memorable lyrics. Although, lyrics tend to alter each time I play ’em back in my head, so eventually the lyrics started to repeat as something completely different (I tend to do this a lot with music).
The reason I was so hesitant on featuring this one was because of the rave-sounding fire alarms played throughout the chorus. It’s not that they are that bothersome to the beat, I just think the song would do better without ’em. Actually, play it back and tell me what you think I wanna know if this is just me or if others feel the same way.
By the way, the two other songs that came close were “Collard-Fried Grey Sky”, which has a hypnotically beautiful beat, typical of K-Murdock; and “Black Coffee”, the first 30 seconds are pure funkadelic fresh(nass). You can check ’em both out at BandCamp.
[audio:BlueOceanwave.mp3|titles=Blue Oceanwave](Download Link in Full Article)
I wanted to feature a song from Panacea‘s new album, 12 Step Program, which also released this week, but unfortunately none of the songs hit the spot (yet). Panacea usually takes sometime to really feel the sound, so hopefully I’ll feature something soon off the album.
But we’re here for a little Bone Thugs, featuring a song off their new album, Uni5: The World’s Enemy. I was a little skeptical of Bone’s new album, I usually am after a group has been around so long. I rarely see a group that can last this long and still produce a quality album. I find most either try something new that just doesn’t work right or just keep on producing the same old shit. Well, to be honest, the album is worthwhile for a listen through, but it’s in no wear near their best work, which I think most would agree on. However, the album has a good classic Bone Thugs sound, and some of the singles just hit it right, specifically “My Life”.
“My Life” is a good example of why Bone has been so successful. The group mixes up rap with some backup vocals to create a full range sound. I find with a lot of hip hop that most discount what a good ol’ R&B singer, for example, can bring. I know a good amount of people who don’t enjoy, appreciate and/or understand rap, so mixing in some vocals can go along way for these people, and to be honest, myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love rap – as you should know by now – but the more variables a song brings (obviously done in the right way) the better a song can be. But obviously this is just my humble opinion. What do y’all think How do you prefer your hip hop
[audio:MyLife.mp3|titles=My Life](Download Link in Full Article)
Way back in ’08 I was obsessed with a little known group from Minneapolis called Doomtree. I was just getting over my fixation with Flex, a song from their False Hopes album, when I heard news of an upcoming release. “Drumsticks” premiered on the group’s site a couple weeks later, and the beat blew me away. Its natural sounds with a heavy kick bass made the hairs on my neck stand up. I couldn’t wait for the release, and when it rolled around I was in for a surpise… unfortunately, not a good one. The album didn’t come close to that of False Hopes, and although, it packed in a few noticeable tracks, the album as a whole was nothing praiseworthy. I still love this track, though, and I know you will too.
I actually wanted to show y’all the video of “Drumsticks” that made “the hairs on my neck stand up”, but all I could come up with was something they did after the release (found here). I gotta say the video isn’t all that impressive; partly because of the “bicycle gang” (not my thing), but mostly due to the shotty camera work and poor video editing. So instead I put up a video from another song off the album, “Game Over”, which is not only a good listen but highly entertaining, and also has some nice shots of the city.
Enjoy it all, and make sure you share your thoughts. I can’t tell y’all enough how much I love to hear your opinions, it helps me determine what and what not to post up on here!
[audio:Drumsticks.mp3|titles=Drumsticks](Download Link in Full Article)
“Uncommon Valor” is an epic tale of two soldiers in the Vietnam War portrayed by Vinnie Paz & R.A. the Rugged Man. The story starts off with Vinnie Paz telling of a U.S. soldier, which after seeing the corruption of war, is questioning the motives of his government. The tale moves on to a more memorable and fact based account by R.A. the Rugged Man, telling of his own father, Staff Sgt. John A. Thorburn, a highly decorated war hero. R.A. speaks of his father’s near death experience in Cambodia during Operation Rolling Thunder, and his exposure to Agent Orange, which leads to severe physical & mental disabilities in two of his children, one eventually passing away.
Personally, this is one of the most vividly & well spoken stories I’ve come across in hip hop. It talks about the trials of war in such an honest & unaltered way, yet this isn’t the most appealing part. What really blew me away was how each MC displayed such an articulate way with words, especially R.A. His account of his father’s tragic story, vocalized in such a phonetically rhythmic way (or however you’d put it), is another example why the East Coast is known for their conscious rap. I really need to shift my focus on the East Coast for a while, I have not delved far enough in this fine rap region.
[audio:UncommonValor.mp3|titles=Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story](Download Link in Full Article)