March 2009

After hearing the track that Blu guested on a few months ago, I eagerly awaited the Big Tone disc The Art Of Ink. The cover of the album sports Tone with a tattoo gun in hand, seemingly penning some words in a notebook. Obviously, the use of the word ‘ink’ links the two concepts, but from the looks of the various promo pictures of Big Tone, it doesn’t look like he’s all too covered in tattoos. It doesn’t really matter, but it’s kinda funny.

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There’s a loosely knit crew that revolves around illRoots’ Mike Waxx and his production and or mixing skills. Over the last few months, Waxx has somehow found time to work out production on a number of mix tapes. And oddly enough, each one has maintained a pretty high level of professionalism and consistency. Now at this point, he’s created an expectation for his soul doused products. But his work on these mix tapes is only part of the final outcome.

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By 1968 Cedar Walton had been support artists ranging from Lucky Thompson to Blue Mitchell for almost two full decades. And after all that time, Walton was given the opportunity to lead a date. By this time though, Coltrane had come and gone, Miles was about to change the game again and there was ample political upheaval in the States to disrupt just about anything. The music that comes off of Spectrum doesn’t seem to reflect any of this, though.

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As a disclaimer, I’m a white suburbanite who now lives in Oakland. My favorite rappers aren’t necessarily white dudes, but I think that Dose One and Sole are pretty talented. A few Anticon producers are choice as well – but Premier is still better than anyone to produce a beat. And really, all of that doesn’t have anything to do with race. Just talent.

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The background of any performer, but specifically in the realm of hip hop, is tantamount to understanding the individual’s work. And considering the fact that Oddisee is nothing but in touch with his familial roots in Sudan, looking at the situation there can lend some important insight into how this Maryland/DC based emcee and producer perceives the world. The tribal and territorial problems that have arisen – and don’t seem to be nearing a resolution – lends Oddisee the ability to examine situations through the guise of a nation’s internal strife.

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Oxnard, California’s Madlib can claim a few firsts. But his being tapped to raid the Blue Note vaults for an official mix tape a few years back was a singular moment in hip hop history. For years prior, a number of high profile law suits sought to claim income from producers who appropriated work from other’s catalogs.

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No other label really traffics in the same brand of hip hop, soul and funk that Stones Throw is able to touch upon. Included amongst the label’s catalog, in addition to the J Dilla disc, Madvillain and others, are a few choice re-releases like the reissued Stark Reality disc Now, which featured a young John Ambercrombie.

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The Groove Merchant label was around only long enough to give the world a few records, but they made ‘em all count. There were few a discs from O’Donel Levy, Jimmy McGriff and a few other big names. But one of the most obscure records – and players – on the label was saxophonist Ramon Morris.

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As a part of the North Carolina Justus League, which counts Little Brother as a member, Kooley High obviously keeps good company. Having taken their moniker from the 1975 film Cooley High, which features a Sweat Hog, coupled with the deft homage that ithe album art for Kooley is High represents, the cultural perspectives of this quartet are clear.

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There have been many proponents of the Hammond B-3 organ. But somehow, Brother Jack McDuff has been neglected as a result of the looming Jimmy Smith shadow cast over all players of the instrument. Smith was unquestionably important in devising a readily identifiable voice for the instrument, but to be quite frank, most of his recordings sound like loungey dinner music. That’s not to say there are no peaks to his career – Root Down being one of them – but consistency was never an attribute of Smith’s.

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If Mike Waxx becomes some sort of sought after producer, would he be the first ‘Internet Producer’ to make it? We’ve already seen a few blogosphere rappers come to the attention of the general public – Asher and CuDi – but no one from behind the boards has made that leap into the consciousness of America, yet.

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