I’ve been known to post remixes of terrible rappers before (might make a mix out of it), but rappers like Trinidad James aren’t completely worthless. The trouble I see with alotta good rappers, is most treat rap like poetry and forget it’s still music. And this is where most mainstream rappers succeed, they put character into their style and build a persona out of it, for better or worse. Music is entertainment whether we accept it or not, we just shouldn’t accept shit. But we’re not here to bitch about rappers like Trinidad, we’re here for Mr. Heisenbergs’ remix.
Listening to this ‘All Gold Everything’ remix for the first time, I couldn’t believe the electro anthem that played out. It fit Trinidad’s track so well I thought Heisenbergs must have kept a lot of the same sounds, if not at least the original melody. But from what I see in comparison of the two, it doesn’t have much of the original in it at all, accept Trinidad of course. Heisenbergs’ remix pulls off something the original should have in the first place. Straight party anthem.
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Over the past year I’ve been all about disco & soul’s remix revival, but I’m hoping now this is an intro into rap’s. Yung Gud steers Juicy J’s ’30 Inches’ onto one of the smoothest jams of the year. Reminds me of how 2Pac & the Outlawz use to hit.
Head over to Yours Truly for a proper introduction to Yung Gud.
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Lately more than ever I’ve had to convince friends that rap like Mac Miller is not so good — it’s easier said than explained though. It’s not that all of this white boy rap isn’t fame worthy, it’s just some of it plain sucks while others simply lack the soul most a good amount of hip-hop has had in its past. However, even a smaller crowd has managed to pull it all off, which brings us to illphonics.
When I first heard illphonics’ emcee, Fallout, on ‘Your Body,’ I thought it was going to be just that white boy, college rap I try to stay away from. But soon enough I figured out that this has much more all mixed up. illphonics’ jam may have that pop style of hip-hop set in, but it’s mixed with some southern soul. From the chorus to the brass behind it, this is a good mix of pop fun and soul feelings.
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I don’t know if the people of Rio have caught on to this shining tribute to their city yet, but I sure as hell would love to be the one to bring it to them. I’ve never been, but Theo’s Rio has given me a clear picture of how pleasant it must be.
Every time I listen to it, it’s like daydreaming back to that 1950’s Rio or some Hunter S. Thompson tropic stupor. Either way, Theophilus London and his Menahan Street Band have made me dream in Rio. I can’t wait for the sunny day where I play this for the first time there. Shit’s national anthem status.
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Let me explain…
I’ve been criticizing white boy & UK rap ever since I first laid my ears on it and now I just so happen to be featuring a rapper that highlights both. The world is a changin’ and so am I. REECE may be the definition of what I don’t look for in a rap artist, but I still can’t deny the qualities of his latest single.
‘In the Morning’ is first and foremost a well produced track with one catchy-ass chorus. And unlike the rap I’m most apathetic towards, REECE takes his words and blends them into the beat, rather than just rapping to one rhythm. As far as actual lyrics go, I’m never one to judge people’s words too much, but let’s just say this is geared more towards the pop scene. Still, something different than the usual ’round here.
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I wasn’t quite up for another Tribe remix, I’ve just heard too many mediocre mixes, but Bit Funk provides one full flushed take. This ‘1nce Again’ remix turns up the tempo with a harsher kick that’s surely 2013 full & fresh.
edit: I dunno if I’m feelin’ that piano tempo. Little too harsh too.
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Terror Tone’s Tundra instantly reminded me of times out in London, back when I was there in ’09. I worked for Universal Music at the time doing digital marketing for a few of their rap artists. And as terrible as they all were and the rap scene in general out there, I think I’ve finally found something from England, and technically Toronto too, that’s got potential. And even though the Ragga Twins are nothing new to the scene, if anything quite the opposite, with Terror Tone’s garage edit, this puts a whole new spark to “UK rap.”
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I’ve been sittin’ on Restoring Poetry in Music’s Kingdom of Fireflies for too long, so I thought I’d at least share a piece for now. The thing is, it’s not that easy for me to do a write up on a full album, it’s hard enough to do just a song. More importantly though, this is a band that’s so special to us. RPM’s second album, Pyramids in Moscow, was one of the main reasons this blog ever came about — it’s still one of our best finds!
So instead of halfassing a write up on Kingdom of Fireflies, I thought I’d just throw y’all a taste. ‘Catfish Blues’ is definitely the track that takes me back to what I originally loved most in RPM. Raw Poetic’s heavy flow always seems to flow smoothly on top these trip-tronic tracks.
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Cannot believe how outta hip-hop I’ve been for the last year. This blog all started out exclusively with hip-hop and look at us now (for better or worse). But of course I couldn’t deny my Minnesota brethren, at least when I enjoy their “stuff.”
P.O.S & Lazerbeak of Doomtree pair it up with ‘Fuck Your Stuff’ for P.O.S’ new album, We Don’t Even Live Here. The track is of similar vein to their usual MN hooliganary. And as much as I may not appreciate the lyricism compared to many others, P.O.S’ style & finesse over Lazerbeak’s better than ever beat is something we can all appreciate.
Make sure to check out DOOMTREE if you’re into this style of hip-hop and hit up We Don’t Even Live Here
Been a long time fan of Raw Poetic – he’s one of the main reasons for this blog – but when I first heard ‘Stealin Bread,’ it sounded like a whole ‘nother man. Raw P’s been changing up his style lately and it may not compete with the nostalgia of his earlier tracks, but I can more than respect a musician trying to change things up, not enough do!
Way back in the days of RPM, I knew Raw P as one smooth ass rapper who glided over his band better than most singers.
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More recently though, he’s been experimenting with his sound in a more blues rock styled pace (still gliding well, though).
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His latest release, ‘Stealin Bread,’ however, shocked/confused the hell out of me because I could barely tell it was him at all. Maybe with time, age and everything that goes with it, his voice changed to a more raspy, aged rhyme… or maybe he’s just doing some more experimenting. Whatever it is, I don’t see enough change in most musicians that I see in Raw P and that right there is something to take notice to.
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