We still get a lot of hip hop submissions, despite our lack of featuring hip hop these days. We did manage to gather a good bunch to show our appreciation for the style that inspired this blog in the first place, including one of our biggest inspirations, Raw Poetic.
Now this list has as many hip hop influences as influences elsewhere, however, the emcee is our focus. The syntax & phonetics rap has brought to music is why we loved it the most in the past and why we love it the most right now.
Doja Cat wasn’t on our best of last year for the very same reason she will be this year. She’s always had a flow and a way with words, but now she’s teamed up with some legitimate producers to have it all.
[Musically]
I feel like Peter Rosenberg talking about Nicki Minaj, before their whole shit show, but Doja’s got the personality & style I haven’t seen in hip hop since I started this thing. I loved her original Nunchucks this time last year, but this new album has one that might top even that.
[Beautiful]
Each year we put together a playlist of our favorites that are performing at Outside Lands, but we got bored of that this year. So we decided on putting together a bunch of Kanye mashups & remixes instead, ’cause Kanye would want it that way. Except them being remixes maybe.
A little disclaimer. For the most part, don’t take these too seriously, especially the first one. Some of the tracks even fall outta sync at times, but each has their moment.
Just prepare yourself with these “unofficial Kanye collaborations” and hope he debuts his official one with Disclosure this Friday at OSL. It could happen. It should happen.
#3 is the best, by the way.
Disclosure‘s influence appears to be popping up all over the place. They may not have created the sound, but they have undoubtedly popularized it. We’ve found many who try to dup their style, but few can do anything well with it.
Not only is Linden’s sound not just some blatant repeat, but he brings in vocals from Sam Frank on ‘Be Like You’ that bring much more than good sound. Lyrics usually don’t resonate too profoundly with me, but Sam Frank’s message is so telling of our time. I never really got people’s obsession with performers… without acting on it at least.
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I don’t know why, but everything went electro over the years on here. I remember when Silence was nothing but hip-hop. Then I had that nagging bitch in the back of my head telling me to switch it up. Almost 5 years later and the emcee has faded away for a hot mess of other vocalists. But despite our lack of featuring it, we do find good hip-hop in the most random places.
Freddie Gibbs is someone maybe I should know, but I’ve had an odd path when it comes to hip-hop, and all music. The Cookin Soul pair, however, has been a favorite for some time. The two gentlemen made the top slot in our favorite Jay-Z mashups & remixes (or at least the top two).
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Zhu’s ‘Superfriends’ starts with a pitched down rap that I can only assume isn’t original ’cause it’s laid out so damn cunningly and this is only Zhu’s second release that we know of. But I’ve exhausted my resources and the blogosphere claims this to be all Zhu’s doing, vocals and all. And that’s not even the best of it, he or she (who knows) can throw one hell of a fiendish beat together. Zhu’s got triple threat written all over her (I hope it’s a gal, somehow).
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This is the first legitimate hip hop track I’ve posted in over a year. I think that says it all. Of course it took the best in electronic to get me there, but more MCs need to realize the production makes the rap. We may not all connect to the story, but we can with the sound & flow.
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I miss hip hop. I can’t believe how little I’ve posted of it this year, but it’s not for a lack of listening. And actually more of a surplus in other soulful styles.
Electro music has stirred up disco, funk and R&B’s past. And as many of you may well be aware, I’m obsessed with the trio. Unfortunately, hip hop & electro haven’t blossomed together to what they will one day. In the meantime, leave it to the mashup & remix artists to bring back our attention to hip hop for a bit.
The Hood Internet has been mashing up my favorite hip hop artists for a while now, many good ones, and now they’ve introduced me to two more. Hood took Gunplay and Isaiah Toothtaker in Blue Sky Black Death’s ‘Frown’ and plopped ’em into Sasac’s funky ‘All Pleasure’ original. And as much as I love that funkyass beat on top, Blue Sky Black Death’s dark remix sets a mood just as well, albeit the opposite.
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I’ve seen Paul McCartney twice now, once in Minneapolis and the other time at Wrigley Field, and I’m still most excited for him at Outside Lands Festival for 2013. Well, Hall & Oates and Jurassic 5 might be my personal favorites to see, but I’m guessing Paul’s performance will still be my favorite in the end. Which brings up a huge predicament, Pretty Lights plays the same time as Paul. Paul does play earlier, but I couldn’t imagine leaving him to go see PL. If I could only get them to play together…
… also excited to see z Chili Peppers… and even more excited for the food.
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When a woman is giving me nothin but trouble, this is my jam to show her. It may not help the situation, but Lamar can pull it off where no other can. I may not have listened to the original too much, but this Far Soldi edition streams right into my disco ear – which I recognize you all don’t have (but should!).
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