Rap Talk

There weren’t ever too many groups that possessed the ability to approximate the sound that De La Soul worked with. The compounding of funk, soul and goofiness is a combination that made De La a phenomenon and rendered the group international stars. It wasn’t for lack of effort that other ensembles weren’t able to achieve the same sort of acclaim. Brand Nubian, minus most of the jokes, though, found themselves working roughly the same territory as its Native Tongued cohort. Read more

Only the best music ages gracefully. That’s as obtuse an opening as possible, but it’s true. There’ve been innumerable recordings that were initially heralded as the harbinger of something new only to soon be forgotten. The Strokes’ first album might be a decent example of that phenomenon in the rock world – or even Master P and his crew in the rap community. After all, where’s that guy now? He’s rich, but pretty much universally loathed. Sleeping on a mattress filled with hundred dollar bills probably makes him feel better, though.

But in talking about the perception of music, even a decade after its recording, it’s worth revisiting the entire g-funk thing at this point. For those of us that grew up with the Parliament fueled rap stuffs on the radio, it might seem nostalgic, but there’s more than just its throw back appeal. Read more

This is a little bit of everything. Everything good. But it's also a bit surprising that Jonny Trunk is not only a Brit, but still performing. The intro itself is enough to make one think that this is a dug up relic.

Dilla has left an enormous legacy. So getting to see him speak on his perception of the hop hop nation is interesting. Beyond that, though, it's kinda cool to hear what folks had to say about him while he was still around.

I watched Mad Men for I don’t know how long before I found out that you did the theme music. Are you appreciated for that by folks that don’t care about your other music?

I’m not getting people that come to shows, hear that song and then leave. I have a hard time believing that there’re people out there who heard that theme, went and checked out a record and were like, ‘All this other shit sucks.’ It’s possible, though.

Have you done other commercial work?

I’ve done a few different things. I did a video game back in 2006. A bit of stuff for ads, but not a ton. One that I’d love to tackle, though, is the score to a movie. Read more

Do you now consider yourself a songwriter?

At this point, I don’t particularly feel like a songwriter. But songs like, “Shining Path” or “Crumbs off the Table” for that mater - I’m writing the music, I’m writing the lyrics and doing everything else too. “Shining Path,” by the way was the name of a Peruvian revolutionary group – a very violent group in Peru.

I don’t know when you moved out of Ohio, but where did you wind up recording Third Hand?

I made that record in Philly. I grew up in Columbus. I moved there when I was four. When I was 18 or 19, I moved out to the Bay Area for a while and moved backed to Columbus. In 2002 I moved to Philadelphia. Read more

RJD2 sounded like a pretty busy guy when I had the chance to speak with him over the phone. Despite the short run time of the interview, it wound up being a pretty decent conversation with a guy who’s obviously intelligent and something a bit more than passionate about his work.

We spoke more about his recent work – Third Hand and The Colossus, his newest release, being the main focus. But there was also a bit about what RJ would have done differently and how that’s going to affect the future of his career. For now, he’s about to head out on the road, though…

Have you found that your audience has shifted over time because of the stylistic changes that your work has undergone? Read more

Dance music is a confounding thing. And a mess to boot. There’s such a dearth of approaches to each genre and its sub-genres that a cursory figuring of something for organ jazz – or whatever else sounds funky – isn’t going to always yield a stunning listen. That’s a damnable shame. And while it was nearly impossible for funky jazz players during the ‘70s to move past the cheese ball ballads and soul amidst some of the flops are a number of gems: that’s as true on single albums as it is over the course of an entire career. And Eddie Russ’ career is studded with a bit of both. Read more

Various Artists
Movements 2
(Perfect Toy Records, 200?)
About a year and a half ago, a compilation appeared. The cover was all in browns and there was a picture of a man and a woman on the cover. It was Movements. Tobias Kirmayer, and the vast amount of singles that he has collected, compiled an album filled with unknown funk gems. Now, Movements 2 has arrived. More funk than one would even care to shake a stick at. Like its predecessor, the second installment really has no clunkers; everything can be looked upon in a decent light at the very least. There are a few forays into the period of funk that became a bit to mired in ‘70s production, but the tracks by Gene Boyd and Ray Anthony are easily made up for. “When Love Comes Home” features a well-rehearsed band with a rhythmically pleasing guitar line as the horn section groans out the melody. With the guitar line, there is enough empty space for each player to contribute in his own rhythmic fashion. Good choruses aren’t lacking on this release either with “Don’t Chain My Soul” checking in as a shoulda been hit. Albums like this one are cropping up with increased frequency. The Michigan compilations come to mind as well as any reissue work Stones Throw produces. Those are damned fine albums, but not as dusty and consistent as this mix from Europe. Read more

There’s not too much genuine criticism in the rap world. Surely, some academic stuff gets published that chronicles the story that we all know to a certain extent, but then might add a bit of an historical twist. But what passes for album reviews and the like very seldom includes any sort of perspective and invariably follows a track by track approach to dissecting a release – I’m as guilty of this particular approach as anyone.

All of that might be partially based upon the fact that there’s not always that much to say about guys rapping about new shoes, walking down the street or driving around in a car. But the job of a critic is to understand a work as an individual entity as well as being able to conceive of it as a part of some larger movement without necessarily setting forth either take as the gospel. Read more