Celestial Clockwork by Illogic

"I walked into a life of tainted dreams 'n' gum ball machines."

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…

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

No Sweat by GAYNGS

"And now it's all over again... with you."

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!).

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

Blue Oceanwave by Panacea

"Come 'n' crash into my days, ya gotta understand my ways."

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.

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

My Life by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

"Hard times, got my mind in a vine."

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

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

Drumsticks by Doomtree

"DTR here we are, holla atcha rap group."

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!

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

Uncommon Valor by Jedi Mind Tricks

"Call me Thorburn, John H. Staff Sergeant, Marksman."

“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.

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

Balance by Crown City Rockers

"I float with the elation of sunshine and rain."

Crown City Rockers put on a smooth jazz sound with flows from Rasshan Ahmad. “Balance” takes on a nice laid back vibe with Ahmad’s freewheelin’ flows, which’s meant more for phonetical flavor than anything of a serious matter – it’s nice to get away from the political rap, once in a while. Crown City requires less thinkin’ and more feelin’, which is always good for a spring stroll around the city, unless you’re living in Minnesota where the forecast is rain… fuck it, I’m feelin’ a rain dance comin’ on anyway. Also noteworthy, the feature of this track, Scarub’s ever so soothing sound.

Hit me up with some feedback, I’ve got a lot more Bay Area relaxers if y’all feel it.

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

Us and Them by Easy Star All-Stars

"And after all, were only ordinary men."

I’ve been a long time fan of Pink Floyd, or I should say my father has, so naturally they grew on me. About three or four years ago I found out that some reggae band had done a cover of Dark Side of the Moon, so I had to check it out. I was a little skeptical of a cover to one of the greatest albums of all time (as one should be), but after hearing the first track, I knew I would be listening to it for a long time. Easy Star All-Stars have undoubtedly pulled off one of the best cover ever recorded. I may not be the biggest fan of reggae (haven’t delved too far into it, yet), but this album blows me away every time I listen to it.

I decided to feature “Us and Them”, because it’s my favorite song on both albums. It’s a touching and relaxing trip that relies more on its meaning than a tripped out tune. Give it a listen and tell me how well you think they covered it. I’ll also include the original for y’all to do a comparison, if you feel so inclined to do so. Definitely check out their cover of “Money”, it’s another one they pulled off superbly.

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

Classic by Hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphics is monolithic.

I’m gonna keep this short ’cause I’m feelin’ lazy (least I’m still posting). If you don’t know about Hiero, they created some of the best hip-hop in the late 90’s, early 00’s, and were among the best in the underground scene at the time.

I chose “Classic” because I already featured a song (“You Never Know“) from their first album, 3rd Eye Vision, and I’d say it’s one of their most notable songs. It’s got a classic beat, literally, which I’m guessing is why they named it “Classic” (I connect the dots just for you). As always, check it & give back some love (comment).

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)

The Gaudy Side of Town by GAYNGS

More marvelous Minneapolis music.

I was prett-ay, prett-ay excited about featuring GAYNGS. Not only does the group reside in good ol’ Minnesota, but a one of a kind talent is heading it up, Ryan Olson. Ryan is one of the key members of Mel Gibson and the Pants. If you don’t know who they are, don’t worry, not many/enough people do; however, the group has some of the most talented sons of bitches I’ve ever come across.

But let’s get back to GAYNGS… I had a little trouble deciding what genre to classify the group (it’s not a strong point of mine), but I thought R&B fit best. You could also throw in electro, pop, rock and whatever else, but genres are all tending to mash up these days anyway. From the first song on the album, “The Gaudy Side of Town”, I was hooked. The production on it is phenomenal, and some of the vocals took my breath away, literally (well, not literally, but I wanted to emphasis the point). The only part of the song I didn’t really care for was the vocals @ around two minutes. I don’t exactly know who it is (not a lot of information out there on the album), but I recognize his voice in other songs and he sounded a lot better. Here it sounds like the back of his throat is closed off. Oh well, it hardly takes away from the song, I just needed to put a little criticism in there.

The full album will be released on May 11. GAYNGS will be debuting it at First Avenue & 7th Street Entry on May 14. It’ll be a prom theme based on the last song of the album, “The Last Prom on Earth”. Tickets will be $15 per person, so if you’d like to go… and don’t have a date… I wouldn’t mind a night out on the town ;). You can pre-order at Ticketmaster or at the door. Make sure to check back in, i’ll definitely be featuring more of this fine group.

View Full Article

(Download Link in Full Article)