September 2009

  • True Hip-Hop Stories: B-Real

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/30/09 9:06pm
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    D-Nice returns with this B-Real interview...

  • Review: Seattle Music Revival (part two)

    By msarko on 9/29/09 4:56pm
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    The Seattle creative sector needs to decide whether or not to grow to accommodate the considerable talent that has grown out of the Puget Sound region over the past decade. Don't get me wrong, one of the great things about this city is its people's commitment to small business, grassroots organization and By The People, For The People directives. Still, it doesn't do us much good if all of our strongest musicians, actors, artists and writers have to go somewhere else to get the attention and facilities they deserve. When it comes to music Seattle has done well enough to foster rock, but we're living in the 21st century, there's more to the modern soundscape than guitars. Our hip hop and electronic music community becomes more interesting every year. If the acts at The Seattle Music Revival are any indication, we may just be standing on a wellspring of undiscovered talent.



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  • Survival Skills: Rap Legends

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/24/09 9:07pm
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    This entire write up could – and perhaps should - be dedicated to just recalling the previous endeavors and high lights that either KRS-One (Kris Parker) or Buckshot (Kenyatta Blake) had a hand in. Listing all of those would take forever, but a quick recap is certainly in order.

    Parker partnered with deejay Scott La Rock (who deserves a book written about him) during the ‘80s and basically laid the foundations for what followed rap wise in the ‘90s. Hip hop would not be what is today without his contributions. The rapper might be hyper critical of the general culture, but the manner and authority with which he speaks at least makes it a valid view point.

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  • Swine-Flu Rap, Awesomely Educational

    By beatriz on 9/23/09 11:52am
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    The doctor is in da house! Dr. Clarke of Long Island wants you to take precautions this flu season. Notice he is not rapping about bitches, hos, money, cars, marijuana or bling-bling. He does, however, want you to keep your hands clean to prevent spreading disease, and stay home when you don't feel well! Doctor's orders!

     



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  • Twofer: Noiseshaper Gets Panned

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/22/09 12:30pm
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    Deep in the recesses of my hard drive(s) there are scores of reviews that I never sent out, posted or placed. A few of ‘em, my voice is scattered all over the place, whereas at times I’m shocked that pieces weren’t published. I’m bad at judging my own work, but I happened to stumble upon two reviews from some German band I recall having a pretty strong dislike for. If you heard either disc, you’d not have to ask why. So, here, in all its glory are two write ups of discs that no one should ever listen to.

    Noiseshaper - Real to Reel

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  • Breaks: Hank Ballard

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/19/09 10:42am
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    Alotta folks get cited as important in the realm of rock development. There can’t ever be a definitive list compiled of all the groups that in some way affected the way in which we now listen to rock and or roll. But Hank Ballard and his group, the Midnighters, are often referred to as an integral part of the pre-rock clutch of bands that littered record stores with singles. Of them, Ballard and his group – which apparently at one time counted a future member of the Four Tops – recorded a series of raunchy tracks using a girl named ‘Annie’ as a central character. Those songs were often banned from radio stations as the people on the mic – and behind the scenes – found the subject matter (getting’ it and getting’ it good) to be unsuitable for mass consumption.

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  • Breaks: Al Green

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/17/09 7:15pm
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    On occasion, the good Rev. Al Green gets passed off as not quite a second rate soul singer, but not necessarily in the same league as the giants of the genre. His records are obviously still in demand – a good deal of his catalog has recently been re-issued – but there’s not a cult of younger enthusiasts that surround him in the same manner as Mr. James Brown or Curtis Mayfield, who my friend named his car after. Regardless of Green’s more modern fans – and the fact that his newer releases sound as vintage as could be – he doesn’t make up a huge part of my record collection. The times that I’ve run into his stuff, it’s usually been pretty pricey. And really, I’m not willing to shell out ten bucks for Let’s Stay Together.

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  • The Black Keys x Rappers (VIDEO)

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/15/09 11:47am
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    I can't say that anyone should particularly care for the Black Keys, but this project looks amazing.

  • Gift of Gab - Escape 2 Mars (Cover Art)

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/15/09 11:45am
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    Here goes the album art for the upcoming Escape 2 Mars from GoG...head over to 2dopeboyz for an album sample...

  • Big Daddy Kane - "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" + Instro (VIDEO)

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/15/09 11:41am
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  • TEXAS TAKEOVER - #1 Forum For Texas Rap

    By Anonymous on 9/12/09 12:29am
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    Texas Takeover is a dope site where all Screw heads have a place to go to. On the site, you can download albums, mixtapes, videos, etc. I highly reccomend that everyone gives it a shot. Register and Have Fun.

    www.TexasTakeover.com

  • Breaks: Rufus Thomas

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/10/09 6:57pm
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    When Rufus Thomas achieved fame, he was old enough to be the father of pretty much everyone on the Stax roster. That’s not meant as some negative perspective – he was also later christened “the world’s oldest teenager” – but the life he led prior to becoming a staple on the soul and RnB charts was something more akin to a blues player than a Stax singer. Being born in 1917 actually seems to find Thomas primed to be a pre-war II guitar picker – that just wasn’t meant to be though. Instead, working a variety of odd jobs – in and out of entertainment – led to Thomas’ eventual rise to fame.

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  • Blue Sky Black Death:tTwenty Odd Tracks

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/10/09 7:55am
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    Beginning a career with an all too auspicious release sets a rather high bar. It isn’t that Blue Sky Black Death were incapable of following up on the promises made early in its career, but the duo of Kingston and Young God have an ear towards such a wide swath of music that it wasn’t surprising to hear the group move into a variety of settings that were seemingly unrelated from hip hop. Based in and around San Fran as well as Seattle, the duo has been exposed to every conceivable genre caveat and subtlety. That hasn’t always yielded the strongest end product, but some of the group’s throw away tracks are better than your favorite producers.

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  • Havoc Gets on From Now On

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/6/09 6:27pm
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    Mobb Deep wasn’t the biggest hip hop group from the ‘90s for obvious reasons. There’s an entire track on The Infamous dedicated specifically to speaking – and it is actually just a talk, not a rap or spoken word - on beatin’ down those who question. It’s clear that Havoc and Prodigy weren’t ever playin’ around or just in the game to be in the game. The duo loves this music and it was clear from the very beginning. Of course, subsequent to that first album, the duo saw a supreme fall off in the attention it was afforded. That doesn’t mean that the product ever hit the skids, but by the time Mobb Deep signed on with 50 Cent, a few complaints could be lodged.

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  • Breaks: Wendy Rene (Video)

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/3/09 10:03am
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    One of the better female vocalists outta the '60s. She didn't make it big, but we all know here - or we should at least...

  • Chali 2NA - Artist Of The Week (Video)

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/3/09 9:20am
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    Chali hasn't been getting too much press even with the release of an album during July. Here he receives (some of) the deference he deserves.

  • No I.D. x Renown

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/2/09 7:52am
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    The cycle of any musician’s career is dependent on a number of uncontrollable out side sources. There’s no way by which to completely regulate the media (even if you have a good publicist) or combat a press that’s lackadaisical, uncaring or negative. You gotta deal with what you get and hope that if there’s no press or some of the negative variety that your music can combat that. No I.D. might not now – or ever – be the biggest name in hip hop, but his persistence since the ‘90s should point to a dogged determination to do what he loves. And since he does it so well, rap fans should get to hear a bit more.

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  • J Rawls x Hotels

    By cobwebsandstrange on 9/1/09 3:55pm
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    Alright. I know this isn’t brand new any more, but moving across the country has precluded me from gettin’ this in here. But now, all of you Lone Catalyst fans may commence rejoicing as your favorite mid west emcee/producer, J Rawls, is back with a batch of tracks cooked up throughout the nation as he toured working to spread his name and the fact that he’s actually a skillful dude in a general sense. Rap fans probably should have already been aware of the fact, because prior to this tape – and his other solo work – this guy right here was already puttin’ it down.

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