Ok, y'all the title track from Common Market's new Album Tobacco Road due out September 9th. I like these dudes...Sabzi (producer/dj or Common Market and Blue Scholars) and RA Scion bring a fresh different perspective to hip-hop for me, which is something I need from time to time. Sabzi has the freshest production, dude must have beats for days to spread out between 2 groups, and RA is one of the illest lyricists in the 206. Check out the title track Tobacco Road. You can check out their review in Spin here. Lemme know what y'all think. Peace.
Let me preface this post by saying 1) I HAVE NOT LISTENED TO THE ALBUM, and 2)DOES "ALL AGES" REALLY MEAN ALL AGES. So Tuesday night I went to see RZA as Bobby Digital for his new "Digi Snacks" album...admittedly I am a big Wu fan but never really got into RZAs solo stuff so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Now, knowing this going in I wanted to get the opinion of, probably, the biggest Wu fan I know...I mean the d-bag has an upside down "W" tatooed on his arm. As a matter of fact, this a-hole was supposed to be going to the show with me...**cough** Catch **cough**...but instead chose to sit home and organize his collection of Beanie Babies. Annnnyway, I digress, so I shoot him a text like, "Have you heard the album? What did you think?" This MFer sends me a text back like, "Typical RZA tryin to be atypical"...now this wasn't really helpful. As I stated earlier, I never really got into RZA so I don't know "typical RZA", ya dig. Now to address preface #2...Is "all ages" really ALL ages? Gimme a break people...first it's like a pedophiles wet dream with all the 12-13 year old boys and girls runnin around there half nekkid with their asses hangin out. Geezus, it's like inviting Augustus Gloop to the Chocolate Factory...you knew it was only a matter of time before he bent his fat ass down there and swirled his finger in that warm, moist, goodness. Where the hell are these kids parents and what kinda parent lets their kids be out until 1:30 am at 12-13? The thing that bugged me the most...I saw a couple there with their kids...these kids 4 and 7 years old. Who the fuck brings a 4 year old to a rap/hip-hop concert? Nevermind that it is loud as shit, nevermind that it is 11:30 before the headliner goes on stage, nevermind that the word "motherfucker" was used more times in a 30 second span than I used it all day...and I love the word motherfucker...these kids are 4 and 7 years old for shitsake that should be enough. "This is her 4th Wu show", oh really, whoopdyfukindoo...listen lady, I don't care how many Wu shows your 4 year old daughter has been to, I don't care how many times she has bitten the head off a live bat along side Ozzy Ozbourne...it is fucking 12:30 am she is fast asleep on the floor in a bar/club next to her brother and your tryin to wake them up between chugs off your Miller High Life long neck and drags from your Marlboro Red 100's...gimme a fuckin break, I'm sorry.
Whoosaaaawwww...ok I am centered again. So, actually, I thought the concert was pretty good. He played with a live band, which I always kinda enjoy, Stone Mecca. They are along the same lines as Galactic or Breakestra. It was a little slow at the beginning. RZA was doin alot of the stuff from his new album and I kinda got the feeling that there was alot of people like me, people who hadn't heard the album yet, and didn't really know what to expect. It seemed like he was doin alot of singin along with the band, which was cool. Thing picked up alot more when he started playing songs from his earlier Bobby Digital albums and a couple of Gravediggaz joints. Of course the stage damn near burst in to flames (not your kinda flames Catch) when he started with the Wu jams. It was cool, cause it got all quiet and dark then all you hear was...Tiiiiiiggggeeerrrstlye...the fuckin place went cuckoo. As RZA was saying his goodbyes, and thank you's...the DJ started spinnin ODB's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", the place erupted, and RZA started all over again. It was an entertaining show...once again, well worth my $20.
PS: That purple is for you Catch, couldn't read the pink. PSS: Boys and Girls...please do not sleep on that Dyme Def Mixtape...I have heard like 5 songs so far...all FIRE. Check out Catch's previous post for the jump to download it. Well worth your 3-5 minutes. Review soon enough.
DymeDef's new mixtape is waiting for you over here... don't sleep! I'm sure Benny will have some thoughts on this one shortly (me too!) These cats already conquered space, now they're back and ready to take over our planet - you have been warned.
Speaking of beef, here's one that we all can enjoy: "Kobe ratted me out, that's why I'm getting divorced." The Big Aristotle is back! (Maybe Ye will jump on the Biggie comparison too.) He says he didn't mean it now, says he was just freestylin'. Shit, he should've just freestyled ALL his albums - could've been like Lil' Wayne!
Ok, so I finally watched the whole Ice-T/Soulja Boy "beef" today (little down time at work well spent), and while I was in awe of the complete fucking ignorance of today's youth, nothing could prepare me for what I saw next.
Now let me start by saying kanYe is one of my favorite artists: he's invovative, creative, and an entertainer through and through - one of the game's brightest stars, if not THE brightest. I don't care that he's mainstream (despite what "anonymous" said, we don't hate things just because they're popular), Ye is without a doubt a musical genius and I appreciate his talent. That said, he has lost his god damn mind man.
Ice-T is hip hop - "6 in the Mornin'" ring a bell? He's a big reason that this art form received so much attention, helping it grow to what it is today. Without people who blazed trails like Ice-T, little fucks like Soulja Boy wouldn't be able to put in "all that hard work" (fool, you're 17!) that has gotten him where he is today (one hit wonder is something to brag about now?)
This isn't about us "Golden-Age" revelers, wishing for the days of real hip hop to make a comeback (Ice-T was before that shit anyways). Shit, there are plenty of artists out there that give me hope and help me let go of my death grip on the Jansport. I say: make your money, son! That song was catchy; and ain't nothing wrong with a little dance cut here and there either. But I digress.
How in the world could someone with so much knowledge of the game, someone who has worked with the best and paid his dues to get to where he is today, side with this ass-clown? And not only that, how in the fuck can you compare fucking Soulja Boy to fucking Nas?!?!? Stop it man.
If a legend calls you out, you accept it. Nobody out there talked shit when Jordan told you to get your shit together. This is the same thing, Soulja Boy shoulda just took his lumps and worked on making some real music. And maybe kanYe should stick to what he does best: he may make some of the dopest music on the planet, but he has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to musical comparisons...that's for damn sure!!!!
So apparently this was a premeditated, intentional beaning of the ump. This catcher will never win an Oscar...maybe an Emmy. They hand those things out like candy, or so I'm told! Read more about it here.
So I decided to flip the scrip, put a kink in the chain, throw a hitch in your giddyup today and post in the FIRST person (insert loud cheers from Catch here). It gets a little tiresome and, well, kinda difficult to refer to yourself in the third person all the time. After seeing Catch and Will's posts I thought I needed to chime in and throw in my 2 cents. Then we can, hopefully, move on to better things. Mr. Weezy please pay close attention...
What you have just said is one of the most insanely, idiotic things that I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.
Now, as I am not one of the 1.2 million who have heard the album, I will reserve my judgement until such time. I have, however, read a few reviews. Thanks to Okayplayer for, probably, the best opening line of a review ever. "On Tha Carter III, Weezy rasps on about megalomaniacal nonsense, non-sequiturs resonating off his promethazine soaked vocal chords like a gremlin trapped in a piano with some blunts and a vocodor". Everytime I read that I giggle to myself like a 3rd grade girl with a crush. You can read the rest of the review for yourself.
The one thing that I have listened to lately is The Green Album, produced by Omer Saar over at Universoul Productions. Being that I have seen this album making it's way around the blogging circuit, and it's a free download (here), I thought I would give it a listen. It is a "mash up" album, for lack of a better term, with various artists layed over Al Green samples. I have always been a little intrigued by albums of this nature like The Grey Album (Jay-Z/The Beatles) and Collision Course (Jay-Z/Linkin Park) but rather than one artist, Saar uses multiple artists for The Green Album. Artists such as Jay-Z (go figure), Das EFX, Royce Da 5'9, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Notorious B.I.G, and Ghostface all make "apearances" on the album. The album is actually a good listen. Though I especially like Boom (Royce Da 5'9), Real Hip Hop (Das EFX), and Passin' Me By (The Pharcyde), I wasn't much feelin Whoo Haa! (of course it's Busta). I kinda felt that his high energy, loud, fast paced style was out of place. All in all, the The Green Album is "aiight" and the more I listen the more I like it. The bonus is that Omer has a few "unreleased" tracks that will be leaked over the next few months. So I look forward to hearing those as well. Peace.
Thanks Will for finally making an appearance. In honor of the occasion, we turn our blog over to someone who needs no introduction (but probably should have spent a little more time at that book drive):
Wow. Forrest Weezy everyone! Have another homes...
It looks like Lil Weezy is all growns up!!! He finally became a man in this rap game. After hearing the lead single from the Carter III, I was real suspicious about the quality of this album. But I was definitely impressed that Lil' Wayne went outside the box, instead of using the voice box on every track. There is a plethora of producers, all from different parts of the country, putting in work on this album. Some of my favorite tracks are "Comfortable" featuring Babyface. Its got probably one of the dopest opening lines I've heard in a minute. Its dedicated to that female that's always talking shit about leaving....but knows she ain't going nowhere! His collaboration with Jay-Z "Mr. Carter" has the makings of a hit song, but loses its touch after the original Mr. Carters verse. Its almost like he's freestylin' as opposed to spitting a written 16. Another highlight of the album is his collaboration with David Banner "La La", the beats bangin' and the lyrics are tough. Last but not least "A Milli", from an little-known producer Bangladesh, has tight lyrics and a catchy hook. Overall, The Carter III is well deserved of going platinum, and probably will considering it sold over 460,000 albums in its first day. I'm glad to see that Hip-Hop Heads and Hip-Pop Heads can come together and enjoy the same album.
I know that some of you out there might disagree with my opinion, and feel like I've jumped on the mainstream bandwagon, but "I'm just keeping it Will", and like Snoop Dogg says "Telling it like it is!"
And just like a newborn baby.....I'm out this BITCH!!!
WOW. How did I not know about Metal Lungies and it's apparently famous beat drops?!?! Thanks to Trav for the link and the contribution to the 'Ye drop (even if he is a 'Yeezy hater!) Click through and load up yall! P.S. - Sorry for the lack of posts lately peeps. The Disco Tres (or should I say Dos, Will) has been a little busy as of late. Don't worry though, we in this for the long haul yall.
So I've been sleeping on reading up on these cats for a minute; had them confused with INI for a second, the group from way back - but without NY's Finest in the picture, I wasn't too curious. Anyways, finally read their interview after watching some footage of them at Chop Suey here in the Emerald City (wish I would've known about that one - where you at Benny?). This duo from the Wood seems pretty promising. That's not what I'm here for though. While the music in the video below is no doubt nice, what I'm really impressed with is the video. Common concept of a crew kickin', dice game in effect, then follow-the-rapper as he walks down the street... yawn. BUT, shoot it with the music in high speed, one continuous shot (yeah I know, "but there's cutaways catch...blah, blah, peep the behind the scenes link below fool), take it and edit it into slow motion, AND have the lip sync match up?!? Now that's filthy!
And I love the ride out scene for the credits (what self-respecting rapper rolls out in a Volvo station wagon?) Good shit! Of course, it doesn't hurt that the song is tight too... You can peep the behind-the-scenes "making of" here if you like. I'll be doing some more research on Y-O and Thurz (lots of goodies on their myspace), think you should too. Thanks as always to OkayPlayer for the jumpoff point.
Wow, y'all, thats all Benny really has to say after last nights performances...WOW! So last evening Lushus D's picked up Benny and we went to see The Roots and Erykah Badu. We had been worried all day, cause it was an outside show and it had been raining for like the past 3-4 days. Fuck, atleast we weren't sittin in the GA section on the wet ass grass. The Roots opened the show and, as always, they were off the chain. These guys are some real musicians...Black Thought, that dude is the realest.
?uestlove is...well ?uestlove. Dude was directin the whole show from behind his drum set. While Benny was stadin there, he started havin flashbacks to Dave Chappelle's Block Party...the overcast weather, the breeze, the possibility of rain, The Roots rockin the stage, and ?uest just sittin behind his drums pointin and yellin, runnin the whole show. The only disappointing thing is that they played, basically, the same show that they did the last time that Benny saw them. He was expecting to hear some stuff off the new album, but mostly just the good ol shit that kept the crowd jumpin. They played for about an hour which was just about right. Benny could have stood to listen to more of The Roots if he didn't have some crazy, dreadlocked bitch jumpin around in front of him like she was havin a seizure. Seriously, Lushus D's had to move my drink cause shit was fallin out her dreads while she was jumpin around like a fat kid with a fresh box of Pop Tarts...trust Benny, he was a fat kid! Needless to say, Benny wanted more of The Roots but was a bit happy to see it end.
After a well deserved break, beer run, quick stop at the pisser, we were back in our seats for the beautiful, Erykah Badu. Now, Benny has always been a bit of an Erykah Badu fan...but for some reason never really noticed how fucking hot she is...lord have mercy. Afro wig...red, black, and white plaid suit...red eye make up...all that shit was hot. I had to inform Lushus, that...well, Erykah was now on "the list". Don't act like y'all don't know/have "the list". You know...the list of celebreties, musicians, actors, etc., that should the opportunity arise, one is free to have sex with and be free from reprocussions. Benny is pretty sure that if Erykah would have had the opportunity to meet him last night, well, he probably would have been able to cross her off the list! It's all about getting the opportunity and making the most of it!!! Erykah, should you read this...*wink* how you doin? This is for you.... Whew, ok ok, sip of cold water and we back. Benny, as much as he has liked Erykah from On and On, Bag Lady, You Got Me, and Love of My Life, has to admit that it has taken him awhile to get into the New Amerykah Part I (4th World War). He can't really explain why, maybe it is one of those albums that you have to listen to a couple of times before it really grows on you. She, and the songs, were great. Intros for the song from her iBook, which was on stage with her, and a live band backin her up. Wicked. She even did a drum machine solo and made her own beats. The best part is when she was told it was time to go, she said "we're gonna stay till they pull the motherfuckin plug". She did too, at one point the started turning down her mic. All in all, good fuckin show and I will be givin the album, New Amerykah Part 1 (4th World War) another listen. Here are a couple videos for your viewing pleasure.
Low and behold, you probably think that is the end of Benny's night...well you are sorely mistaken my friends. Benny and Lushus-Ds attended The Roots afterparts at Neumos with DJ ?uestlove on the 1s and 2s and MC Black Thought on the mic. Talk about infuckingcredible, there was probably 200 people there drinkin, dancin, but mostly just watchin ?uest. Then Black Thought came out and ripped the mic and stage apart. They performed a couple joints from the new album then ?uest just went berzerk, flippin songs and Black just kept freestylin until his voice was gone, which prompted the truest line of the night. When Black went behind the DJ table ?uest asked him if his voice was gone and Black gave the "cut throat" sign...?uest turns to the crowd and says, "Thats a true MC folks". ?uest continued to spin everything you could want or imagine, pretty sure there was even a Phil Collins sighting, until about 1:30am. Then he packed up, signed like 6 autographs (Benny and Lushus included) and was out!
That was an amazing night of music, drinks, and Dicks Drive In on the way home...the worst part is that I was to drunk to B my L on some T's! Alright, get back to work or whatever the hell you're supposed to be doin, I'm out. Peace.
Well, y'all since Willy decided to make a cameo last week and name drop a few of his favorites at the moment, Benny decided that he would elaborate a bit on one of them...Dyme Def. Benny first heard these dudes when they opened for Lupe Fiasco, come to think of it that was the first time he saw Lupe too. This was in a little ass ballroom at the University of Washington, again hotter than Satan's toenails and a less (way less) than stellar sound system, but these 3 young guys really caught Benny's ear. Brainstorm, S.E.V., and Fearce Villain flow over beats like Benny hasn't see in a young, local "group", and Benny means group. The three of them transition from one to the other effortlessly, with quite an entertaining bravado and this only comes out more when they are on stage.
The album, Space Music, is good listen and a great first effort with songs like ClapClap, TheGameNeedsMe, IAin'tNo, and 3BadBrothas leading the way. Benny is not quite sure how much "street cred" this hold but NPR rated it as the "third best hip hop album of 2007". The album can get a little slow in the middle, but you can't like EVERY song on every album. In Benny's opinion, and well this is Benny's blog, TheGameNeedsMe may be the best track on the album. Layed over a Jay-Z sample, TheGameNeedsMe, gives each an opportunity to blow themselves up a bit. Y'all will understand when you hear Fearce in the second verse...I'm the future/wonderin where the past went/I'm ahead of my time/so the future is past tense. Benny is expecting more big things from these dudes and with Brainstorm as MC and the primary beatmaker (you can hear some of his newest here), Fearce Villian, S.E.V., and BeanOne producing, he doesn't believe that is a large expectation.
TheGameNeedsMe
Dyme Def interview from Sasquatch Music festival that I saw here.
You can read more about them in the "Unsigned Hype" section of The Source Magazine or here. They will also be joinin up with the Vans Warped Tour in August for 3 shows. Peace.
Bottom line: while Wale’s lyrics are the main attraction on this Seinfeld stroll, Best Kept Secret’s production - 12 of the 19 tracks - is like the George Castanza of this shit and keeps you nodding. With most mixtapes there are at least a few tracks that feel like they should’ve been left on the cutting room floor, but I can’t name one here. And if all that isn’t enough to get you interested, it’s also free! Wale’s “Mixtape About Nothing” is anything but, and listening to it is like a Festivus for the rest of us. So cop it, or it’s no more soup for you!
If you got anything for us, hit us up here. Whether it's some shit to sample, a request, or whatever, just get at us. We're not responsible for any broken links or other people's mistakes. We just do what we do, so if you find anything offensive: fuck. off. Oh yeah, here's the obligatory "support the artist" message - hey, do what they say, not what they do! One.
