I still can’t believe how interesting this doc was. Usually when I’m watching any documentary, I surf the net or do something else to bide the time. Scratch, however, kept my attention 99% of the time – I had the laptop on for the first few minutes (habit).
Scratch mainly focused on DJing/turntablism/scratching, hence the name, but it was all hip-hop. It covered the important figures in the development of turntablism and the effect it’s had on hip-hop as a whole.
I’ve been reading Jeff Chang’s “Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop” and a lot of the material from Scratch tied into the book. The doc also really helped me put faces to some of the figures in the book – I suck at remembering names and what they actually did, unless I get a glimpse of their face.
Once you get into it, the rest is a breeze. I was actually wanting more at the ended, unlike most times, but it was definitely full of some good info.
Give a shout-out to your favorite DJ from this – I’ll post mine in the comments a lil’ later.
[audio:Quality-Control.mp3,Intergalactic.mp3,Mass-Appeal.mp3|titles=Quality Control,Intergalactic,Mass Appeal](Download Link in Full Article)
If you haven’t heard of Jurassic 5 (J5) then you’re in for a treat; although, if you’re at all into underground hip-hop you probably have. J5 is among the greatest hip-hop groups of this era. I might say this about a lot of groups, but along with Hieroglyphics, J5 truly is the best. The group features some great solo acts (again, like Hiero); Chali 2na, probably their most notable MC, has one of the most recognizable voices in the biz. In fact, when I was in London a few months back, the few hip-hop enthusiasts I came across all knew of 2na’s voice, or at least J5’s sound. Unfortunately, 2na isn’t featured on this track, but I did feature one of his solo projects a while back (found here).
The song I decided to feature, High Fidelity, includes Mark 7even & Zaakir with DJ Nu-Mark on the turntables. There were a grip of songs I could have chosen from Power in Numbers (J5’s second LP), but this is by far the most memorable to me. I usually get into why it’s so memorable (and blah blah blah), but it probably bores most of you, so I won’t. There’s not much I can say to give this song justice (I never seem to), but the rhymes are fluid with a finesse that J5 does best. Give it a listen, and if you haven’t heard of ’em before, tell me what you think… If you have, I already know ;).
[audio:HighFidelity.mp3|titles=High Fidelity](Download Link in Full Article)