Category Archives: hip-hop

hip-hop

New Busdriver: “Kill Your Employer”

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For the most part, fast-rapping (for lack of a better term) has been nothing short of a gimmick. Twista and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony come to mind. The ploy might have even worn thin with the great Das EFX, who made “iggity” a standing suffix to just about any word to create, well, made-up words.

Enter Busdriver, the Los Angeles-based emcee who raps at warp speed but manages to remain literate while doing it. If you’re not used to his style – intellectual and ambitious, to say the least – it might come off as dense. His lyrical pace can be maddening and amazing all at once.

For his new record, RoadKillOvercoat (due for release early next year), Busdriver has signed on with Epitaph/Anti-, which is turning leftist, avant-garde hip-hop into its own little cottage industry (Sage Francis, Blackalicious, the Coup, etc.).

The first single, Kill Your Employer (Recreational Paranoia is the Sport of Now), features production from LA’s Boom Bip that borrows elements of drum and bass, electronica and hip-hop and a chorus that’s sneaky in its catchiness.

Anyone up to the task of actually transcribing the lyrics?

Busdriver | Kill Your Employer (Recreational Paranoia is the Sport of Now)

hip-hop, i used to love h.e.r.

I Used to Love H.E.R.: Pigeon John

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The third installment of I Used to Love H.E.R., a series in which artists/bloggers/writers discuss their most essential hip-hop albums (read intro), is written by LA-based emcee Pigeon John, a newcomer to the Quannum roster with his recently released Pigeon John and the Summertime Pool Party, available at eMusic. Much like the album and group he writes about, Pigeon John exudes an easygoing and sometimes humorous style that still makes a relevant point. … And the Summertime Pool Party includes “scenes,” much like De La Soul’s habit of conceptual skits.

mp3: Download Higher?! from … And the Summertime Pool Party.

De La Soul Is Dead (Tommy Boy, 1991)
Produced by De La Soul and Prince Paul

“I’d have to say that De La Soul’s De La Soul Is Dead is probably the most potent hip-hop CD in my collection. It was beautiful and tragic, that album. They dropped it right after their biggest cross over debut 3 Feet High and Rising, which pretty much redefined what hip-hop was and could be in 1989. They hit a bunch of success with their first record and hit Me, Myself and I, so much that people wrote them off as “hippie rappers,” “postive” and “soft.” Silence was loud when they gone. Then out of nowhere … BAM, De La Soul Is Dead. An international response to their international backlash.

“They were the first to make fun of themselves, use the weirdest samples imagined and break ground with almost every song and verse they laid. There was no one like them. No one.

“My favorite song on that record was Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa, a document of a young high school girl who was being molested by her dad. The same dad that all her friends thought was the coolest dad in town. She tried to tell her friends what was happening and everyone wrote her off and said she was bugging. The abuse continued until this young lady went into the same mall her dad worked as a makeshift Santa during the holidays. She confronts him. Then calmly, in the cold broad day, shoots her father in the middle of the mall. The song was written like a gossip letter by one of her friends that didn’t believe her. Now come on man … that’s hip hop. The first time I got chills listening to rap.

“Now think about what the average rap song is about today and you will see how stark and ahead of their time they were. And they were only 21 when it came out.

“De La Soul broke ground wherever they walked. In the way they dressed and styled (if you have dreads today, they are the reason you do), and the way they rapped, made beats and wrote concepts. De La Soul Is Dead will forever be my goal. The perfect balance between humor and tragedy … big up to De La and their 18-year career (another ground-break in rap).”

De La Soul | Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa

BONUS:
De La Soul | Millie Pulled a Piston on Santa (full mix)
(From Millie “cassingle”)

(On a side note, I’m really stoked that Pigeon John picked Millie as his favorite track. For a public speaking course I took at Arizona State, we had to do an oral reading of a poem. I picked De La’s Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa, successfully convincing my professor that hip-hop is poetry.)

Previously:
I Used to Love H.E.R.: Joel Hatstat of Cinemechanica
I Used to Love H.E.R.: G. Love
I Used to Love H.E.R.: an introduction

hip-hop

Oh No: “Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms”

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Concept albums are nothing new in hip-hop. A few come to mind right away: Deltron 3030 (Del the Funky Homosapien and Dan the Automator), anything by Kool Keith (or one of his many aliases), Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves and, you could argue, De La Soul’s De La Soul is Dead.

These projects are concepts in terms of a unifying theme in their writing. On Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms, released in August on Stones Throw, Oh No flips the script a bit. The album’s unifying element is its source material. Oh No (younger brother of producer Madlib) constructed the beats and music using samples derived solely from the work of Galt MacDermot, best known as the composer of Hair.

Stones Throw general manager Egon briefly worked at MacDermot’s label, Kilmarnock Records, in the ’90s and has since issued compliations of MacDermot’s work on Stones Throw.

As you might imagine, the production on Exodus is vibrant and rich, the glue holding together a pretty insane and varied cast of emcees and singers – Buckshot, Murs, De La’s Posdnuos and Aloe Blacc among them.

If nothing else, you have to appreciate Stones Throw’s continual dedication to pay homage to the past. Oh No is showing off not only his own craft but that of a composer he obviously admired enough to introduce to a new generation of fans and listeners.

Oh No feat. Posdnuos (of De La Soul) | Smile a Lil Bit

Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms is available at eMusic.

hip-hop, vinyl

Lupe Fiasco: “Pop Pop” (2003 promo single)

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I was pretty excited to go out yesterday and buy Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor. Coincidentally, the CD/record/DVD haul I brought home from Los Angeles included a promo 12″ from Lupe for the song Pop Pop. I can’t reveal my sources of this vinyl donation, but it was the first thing I put on the record player when we walked in the door.

All I could find out about the song came from the Wikipedia entry on Lupe, which says Pop Pop was the only tangible output from a short stay at Arista in 2003. It also might have appeared on the Lupe the Jedi mixtape, though I can’t confirm that. Can anyone help out?

Dearth of information aside, it’s a little surprsing this track didn’t find its way to mainstream ears (or maybe it did?). At the very least, the club-friendly beat covers some of Lupe’s lyrical inadequacies of his greener days: “I’m knowin’ I ain’t the hottest nigga out / got that fire though / you gonna have to put your hottest nigga out.” Shouldn’t rhyming the same word – or in this case, the same three words – in a verse be outlawed at this point?

Lupe Fiasco | Pop Pop
Lupe Fiasco | Pop Pop (instrumental)
Lupe Fiasco | Pop Pop (acapella)

Also, Rogue Wave is holding a benefit show Sept. 30 at the Independent in San Francisco for its drummer, Pat Spurgeon, who needs a kidney transplant. According to a MySpace bulletin, there will be performances by Rogue Wave, Ben Gibbard, Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) Ryan Miller (Guster) and John Vanderslice.Buy tickets here. Or you can make a donation via PayPal through the group’s Web site.

arizona, hip-hop, remix

Z-Trip blends Gnarls Barkley: “Crazy Good Times”

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Has Crazy lost its mojo yet? I had to chuckle when I heard it was played on Phoenix radio station, KEZ-FM (99.9), whose tagline is “The most soft rock!” (Underline and exclamation point are theirs, not mine.). I guess you could argue that Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse created a ubiquitous song that appeals to all ages. But the thought of my mom jammin’ out to Crazy in her car on the way to work really makes me laugh.

Regardless, Gnarls Barkley apparently provided DJ Z-Trip the vocals exclusively, which Z blended with Chic’s Good Times. He’s streaming it at his MySpace.

If you missed it, I posted on Z-Trip earlier this week. Like, two days ago. (Shut up, Ben.)

hip-hop, remix

Mr. Lif: “Brothaz (9th Wonder remix)”

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Remixes have long vexed me: gratuitous overexposure of a song or worthwhile artistic endeavor? (My co-hort Royce is rolling his eyes as he reads this.) I know remixes have their place in deejays’ crates and the dance clubs. But casual listening is another story.

I don’t necessarily think a remix waters down an original, but it certainly might steal some of its thunder. That depends, of course, on the producers behind it. On this track, though, off Mr. Lif’s 2006 release Mo’ Mega, I’m coming around to see the value of different production.

The original version of Brothaz is produced by El-P, who never (as far as I know) has made a soft beat. It holds true here, his gritty, concrete style complementing Lif’s political diatribes.

Then there’s the remix by 9th Wonder, whose responsible for the production on one of my favorite albums of the year in Murs’ Murray’s Revenge. On Brothaz, he takes the edge off – it’s more soul than street. It’s debatable whether the style fits with the Important Message Lif is trying to get across, but a remix is probably more about what the producer can do than the emcee.

Mr. Lif | Brothaz (original)
Mr. Lif | Brothaz (9th Wonder remix)

arizona, hip-hop, radio rips

DJ Z-Trip live on Power 106

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We make no bones about it: We’re major, unabashed fans of all things Z-Trip around here. You might have noticed that before.

As promised, he’s keeping his Web site fresh with updates and downloads. The latest download is a live mix he did for Los Angeles radio station Power 106, which apparently recorded it and provided a copy for Z-Trip. Fair warning: It’s a large file (75.5 mb) and it’s taped off a radio show, so you’ll hear those somewhat annoying drops during the mix (“P-P-P-P-P-Power 106 … Where hip-hop lives!”). That said, it could be worse: The station couldn’t have made it available at all. You know, beggars can’t be choosers.

As to be expected, Z’s devotees have partial playlists of the tracks he uses in the blend on his forum. I’m sort of shocked at how well the Maroon 5 This Love/Nas Made You Look mix goes together.

Z dropped in on one thread to explain that the mixes were done on vinyl, although (and this is kind of surprising) he’s breaking into the world of mp3 mixing with Serato Final Scratch, which my boy Jay has, and it’s pretty damn cool. As Jay said, Z-Trip can do things on vinyl that amateurs can’t even do on Serato. Give him mp3s and the possibilities are potentially endless. In Z-Trip’s own words: “… trying to work it in, but still very much on the vinyl side … But yeah, I’m embracing it slowly.”

DJ Z-Trip | Live on Power 106

hip-hop, remix

The Gray Kid feat. My Brightest Diamond: “Bang”

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Can I get a holla for my boy Ben, who gave me the heads up on this track from the Gray Kid?

Born Steve Cooper, the Gray Kid is, from what I can gather, a one-man show: producer, DJ, emcee. He’s a rapper and a soul enthusiast, evident in the track Lonely Love. He goes from soul-inspired falsetto crooning in one verse to bad-ass emcee the next.

Bang is a “vocal mashup,” taking the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Bang and mashing it with B-52 and Nas vocals from My Brightest Diamond and himself. I’ve sort of grown tired of mashups, but this is cool because the Gray Kid is mixing reworked vocals, not the originals. It gives the whole thing a twist.

World’s Fair Label Group has all the latest on the Gray Kid, including a pretty hilarious video flyer. And the Gray Kid keeps a well-written and humorous blog: The Gray Kid Says.

The Gray Kid feat. My Brightest Diamond | Bang
The Gray Kid | Lonely Love

hip-hop

Masta Killa: “Made in Brooklyn”

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Man, my wife makes me crack up, even when she doesn’t mean to. We were in the car yesterday, rockin’ out to Ghostface’s Fishscale. I said that I wondered how many of the original Wu-Tang members showed up for a Phoenix concert in early August. (The only time I saw them like nine years ago, about half the Clan was missing.) So, Annie says, in all seriousness, “Are they still accepting new members?” It sounded like question for a country club: “Excuse me, Mr. RZA, are you still taking applications for this Wu-Tang Clan?”

Far as I know, Wu-Tang still consists of its original nine members (minus, ODB, of course, R.I.P.) with its extended family (Killah Priest, Cappadonna, etc.). It’s been a pretty busy year what with Fishscale, Method Man’s 4:21 The Day After and Inspectah Deck’s Resident Patient released this year. But the album that’s really taken me aback, if only because of his more anonymous status among Wu-Tang members, is Masta Killa’s Made in Brooklyn (Nature Sounds).

With appearances by all Wu members (of course), Made in Brooklyn also features production from MF Doom and the inimitable Pete Rock. Without the benefit of liner notes (I bought it at eMusic), I’m not sure of all emcee/production credits, which is too bad because the album’s first cut, Then & Now, features kids rapping – and rapping pretty damn tight, too.

But, no doubt, the hottest track is Iron God Chamber, a low-down, dirty jam with a choppy electric guitar sample that inspires recollections of what made Wu-Tang so great in the first place. (John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats describes the beat, correctly, as “tinny and oily.”) RZA’s turn is a little clumsy, but U-God, Method Man and Masta Killa make up for that, dropping verses succinctly timed to that disciplined beat. (Or, as my man Royce said, and I think Wu-Tang should use this for press releases: “I just punched myself in the face it’s so good.”)

For the first time in awhile, I was compelled to dust off 36 Chambers and Forever. Even with no production from Wu architect RZA, Made in Brooklyn has that distinct Wu-Tang sound. No matter the release, every Wu project feels … different. The production is polished but still raw, grimy; it never forgets where it came from: that’s to say, 36 Chambers, of course.

If you haven’t visited, the Wu-Tang Web site has mad downloads available.

Made in Brooklyn is available at eMusic.

Masta Killa (feat. U-God, Method Man, RZA) | Iron God Chamber

BONUS: Method Man | O.D.
(Bonus track off 4:21)

hip-hop, i used to love h.e.r.

I Used to Love H.E.R.: Joel Hatstat of Cinemechanica

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The second installment of I Used to Love H.E.R., a series in which artists/bloggers/writers discuss their most essential hip-hop albums (introduction), comes from Joel Hatstat, who played bass and recorded on Cinemechanica’s The Martial Arts, which was released earlier this year to positive reviews (Pitchfork | Coke Machine Glow | Tiny Mix Tapes). Hatstat, also working with Athens, Ga., project Pegasuses, offers incredibly insightful and inspiring thoughts on a terribly overlooked album of the ’90s. (Coincidentally, Cinemechanica plays at Modified in Phoenix on Oct. 3.)

Digital Underground
Sex Packets (Tommy Boy, 1990)
(Note: Cassette version includes four bonus tracks.)

“I don’t credit myself as a thief, but sometimes you just gotta grab what grabs at you, right? Sometime in 1990, when I was about 10, it struck me that rockin’ some tunes while mowing the lawn would make for a far more pleasurable experience. The only tape I knew about in the house, aside from various Weird Al records, was my brother’s copy of Sex Packets by Digital Underground. I didn’t know where it was, so I rifled through a few of his drawers in his bedroom until I found it. I never gave it back, and he never knew what happened to it. To this day I still rock that record and it still comes across as listenable and entertaining.

“Sex Packets was not only my introduction to Digital Underground, but also P-Funk, Jimi Hendrix, and Rap Music in general. The underlying brand of their ‘crew’ was impeccable. There was character depth; verses flowed from Humpty Hump, Shock G, Money B, Kenny K, MC Blowfish, Schmoovy Schmoove, and later Tupac Shakur. There were stupid costumes, party-tinged videos, and high concept. The “Sex Packets” themselves served as the vehicle for the entire album, as well as the 9-minute songs with bridges, verses, choruses and jazzy piano interludes. The best part of their style was that the characters and the music didn’t really seem to fit anywhere in the context of what was popular. Extreme, EMF, Guns and Roses and Scorpions are probably more in line with what was playing in my room at the time. To hear a Hendrix guitar line scratched on a turntable over top of a kickin’ 808 beat really made everything else just seem pointless. Then to pour a bucket of cred onto the whole mess, 7 minutes into Doowutchyalike the Packet Man comes in and shreds some of the nastiest piano I’ve heard for about 2 minutes over top of just straight beat. There is melody all over this record, there is even a slowjam that is sung instead of rapped. I haven’t heard a rap crew come forward with so much versatility and respect for music in the 15 years since its release. It set a bar long ago that I strive to achieve with all of my projects, most of which have nothing to do with the genre whatsoever.”

Peace, and Humptiness forever,

joel

Digital Underground | Doowutchyalike

Previously:
I Used to Love H.E.R.: G. Love
I Used to Love H.E.R.: an introduction