Headnodic knows his West Coast MC’s and he’s gettin the best of ‘em on his newly released album, Red Line Radio. Surprisingly though, this isn’t what made the album, Headnodic’s production and ability to build something around the vocalist sets this above any ordinary mix of some of my favorite MC’s. Not only that, my favorite track isn’t by the classic MC’s I grew up on, but Ms. Destani Wolf.
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I haven’t heard anything that breakthrough in hip-hop lately, so I thought I’d dig through my collection and find something noteworthy. Blackalicious, along with the rest of the Quannum crew, were a main reason for my first interests in hip-hop. Their West Coast, laid-back vibes made me rethink what hip-hop was all about. Nia may have had some killer tracks, but Blazing Arrow created a vibe that marked the Blackalicious sound.
Blazing Arrow may not be the most acclaimed album of its time, but it had a strong following and pushed hip-hop forward across The Bay. Gift of Gab put out some cunningly crafted rhymes, but without the backup of Chief Xcels beats, his words wouldn’t have flowed so freely. I put up some of the best from the album, but its entirety is well worth a listen.
If you’ve got anything fresh that reminds you of these two, post it up in the comments below.
On a side note, in case some of you’ve notice my site has been down for a couple of days. I’ve resolved the issue with my host and hopefully this shit doesn’t happen again. It was a pain in the ass, and I’m hopin’ for some smooth sailin’, at least for a while.
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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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If all the best artists collaborated in one song… well, this would as close as it gets. Comprising of all the MC’s from the Quannum collective, including Lyrics Born, Gift of Gab, Lateef the Truth Speaker, etc plus they managed to get Jurassic 5 to feature, as well! It may be a little dated, just over 10 years old, but the damn thing still could be considered ahead of most hip-hop today. With a simple, yet funkalicious beat produced by DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist & whoever else, it’s another keeper for the collection. I’d point out my favorite parts of the track, but there are so damn many!… okay, i’ll point out one – go to 3:12 (love the voice, love the rhym). Give a shout out to your favorite part and as always tell me what ya think…
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A hip-hop classic from the Bay Area, Latyrx’s Lady Don’t Tek No brings us back to the talented, yet contrasted sounds of Lateef the Truth Speaker and Lyrics Born. With Lyrics Born’s soulful bass and Lateef’s higher-pitched cuts, the duo still pulls off a fluid sound. But above this addictive, funkified sound, the lyrics compare to none.
The song talks about that particular woman we’ve all come across at some point in time that’s “got the smile, style, and finesse”. You know, the girl with the “razor sharp wit, that just won’t quit”… alright, i’ll stop stealing their lines. In other words, she’s the sassy little bitch you can’t get enough of… just listen to ‘em, they’ve got a way with words that I, apparently, don’t. :?
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