Rap Talk

It’s hard to say where and when the ‘soopa-producer’ thing started. Maybe it was Premier. Who knows though. It kinda doesn’t matter, but the crop of behind the boards dudes that have risen since the ‘90s have made a bigger impact on the genre than CL Smooth, Jam Master Jay (prior to his murder, of course) or anyone else. One of the most visible producers to have his profile raised to ridiculous heights, who has nothing to do with Neptunes or whoever else, is So Cal’s the Alchemist. And while he’s not quite yet reached the all pervasive media peak that Kanye or Dre has attained, he might get there soon. Read more

How deep?

While there was perpetually some problem with Brand Nubian – not so much their politics, but the effect that it had on the group’s potential fan base – no one would ever say that they were soft. That criticism might not be levied upon the group’s breakout star, Grand Puba, but something is goin’ on amidst the recently released RetroActive and its pervasive soul hooks. Admittedly, a great deal has gone on in the music industry since Puba’s last foray into full length albums, but that might be why parts of this new disc are a bit difficult. Read more

Wading through the dredges of mix tape culture reveals a great deal about the industry and what individual performers actually want outta all of this. For some, it becomes plainly clear that a chance at the big time only to gain those physical trappings of life is the aim. And while Wale (Olubowale Victor Akintimehin) might want a bit of fame and some of those possessions, a listen to his latest mix tape, Back to the Feature, is a basic statement of substance over matter. It comes through on every beat – a great deal proffered by 9^th Wonder – and every rhyme. Read more

I really don’t know where to start with this one. Raashan Ahmad, while moving back and forth between Boston and various West Coast destinations, worked as a member of Crown City Rockers – and presumably will still in the future (the group recently released a few digital tracks…cop it). But with the ever ballooning ability of any artist to record and properly release music, Ahmad has seen fit to head out on his own for the second time. Soul Power is the follow up to last year’s The Push. And while that first full length foray slipped past me, this one didn’t. Initially, though, I’ll say that I didn’t recognize the name, however, upon figuring all of this out, I’m glad I took the time. Read more

Creating something that breathers and has some sort of emotional heft or life after the moment of its inception escapes nearly every artist the endeavors some release, display or showing. It’s nary the fault of the individual and his or her efforts. One might spend ten hours creating ten minutes worth of music and have it be utterly void of anything but artifice. That’s difficult to clearly explicate in words – but you can see or hear it pretty easily. And when applying this to hip hop (the music as opposed to the culture, although it could be used in that broad scope) it becomes difficult to locate something with legs and hands and shoulders and a heart. There are, though, any number of ways by which to summon some template to work from and wind up with something passable if not laudable. Read more

afsdaWhenever Eminem first started getting a lot of radio airplay – late ‘90s or so – I had a friend called ‘Earfytones.’ He wore browns, dark greens, grey and the like, but nothing brighter than that under any circumstance. Unfortunate for Earfy, or not, he bore a vague resemblance, physically and vocally, to Mr. Mathers. We thought that was pretty funny. And it was. But during that time, these were the only thoughts of Eminem penetrating the thick skulls of myself and my meager cohort. Instead, rap wise, what we focused upon were Lyricist Lounge and Company Flow. Of course, both that compilation and El-P have had an enormous impact on rap – in an underground sense at least. But this was the time that my opinion of Detroit’s shadiest character was cemented. Read more

He should probably just put an album out at this point...

dafdThe inclusion of some higher power in music is realistically the basis of all American styles of song. From field hollerers thinking about a promised land to blues, soul and Bob Dylan’s ill advised flirtations with being born again, religion is an omnipresent force in beats, rhymes and life. Even those trumped up award shows feature ‘thank you’ speeches that include some mention of G-d, even if it’s coming from the most unlikely of sources.

Hip hop isn’t any different. And while most folks couldn’t readily name a host of performers that are explicit in regards to their worshiping habits in song, Mars Ill comes to mind pretty easily. In that, though, a lot of those songs only include vague mentions – at least the ones that I’m familiar with – of that supposed, powerful source. Considering the talent inherent in that crew, it doesn’t matter, though. Read more

This is what made him on the innernets...