Time to set this week off with some heat, a throwback classic video performance by one of hip hop's greatest duos and some random music I discovered.
What's Next On The Menu by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth is one of a few great songs that were left off Mecca & The Soul Brother, but extremely banging. I like the sample combination/layering style he used during the early 90's and seemed to master in this song, taking elements of Summer Madness and Nautilus to craft a dark soundscape of jazz-hip hop fusion that builds with intensity. This performance was for an MTV premiere of the Ed Lover & Doctor Dre movie, Who's The Man.
and here is some recommended music out there for your listening pleasure:
De La Soul - La La La from NBA 2010 (zshare) The 3 brothers from L.I. hold true to tradition and lace the hip hop world with more quality treats. I like the shout out to Jay Dee near the end of the song.
Oh No Dr. Ethiopium Snippets Mix (mp3 from Stones Throw's site) Banging new original production & ideas of sound from the California producer, from an upcoming instrumental album where he utilizes Ethiopian samples!(usershare)
Black Sunn - Who I Am (usershare) produced by Damu The Fudgemunk. Listen to the fierce, rapid flows of this talented MC from Baltimore, Maryland over the jazz production from Damu who brings a classic early 90's, traditional sound.
Mistah F.A.B. - Follow Me (XXL mag stream). This one is hot: dark piano, slow flowing with visual lyrics, overall it has a strong Dr. Dre influence in the sound when I listen.
A-Alikes - Child of The Streets, Share and Heaven featuring Stic Man of Dead Prez (myspace stream). These two MCs are from the Dead Prez camp and have great, powerful material to offer, something to open your eyes, teach the truth and make you reflect on many aspects of life. Be on the look out for this duo.
Good to see a performance of these two onstage in the true tradition of hip hop, a dope MC with his DJ giving you classic music and lyrics. Listen to the crowd back Rae up on his songs, the amount of pride and appreciation they show to both artists is a great thing to witness. This video is from The Roosevelt Social Club, check them out for more good material
I appreciated the light-heartedness of songs from this period in discovering hip hop as a child, from artists who displayed intellectual qualities and a love of life. I'll never abandon this style and content of hip hop as time goes on, as less originality is shown in current artists it only makes me appreciate this era more.
I find this interview one of the most interesting out of their collection from the growth Canibus shows as a person, he breaks down many aspects of the hip hop industry in an interesting way as it relates to life. I was surprised to hear him express regret of highly publicized battles he had with other MCs in the past which he believes started a negative beef trend followed by others solely for financial gain.
If you are a fan of Canibus from back in the late 90's up until now, this will give you an idea of where he's currently at as an artist, also what he's taken from the past toward a better future.
DJ Clark Kent plays some exclusives of 95 like Junior Mafia's Players Anthem, Cool J's I Shot Ya, Rakim's Remember That, with some original samples played in between each record from The New Birth, Gwen McRae, David Porter and others. This is good to sit back and listen to on a weekend, I miss hearing samples mixed by a DJ on commercial radio like this.
Ol' Dirty Bastard and Brooklyn Zu stop by WHCR radio of NY for an interview, phone calls and a freestyle, just months before his first solo LP release. As I've said before, every media moment of Dirty from this period before the Wu really blew up is worth checking, from the humor, entertainment and honesty he brings. I think radio appearances like this were a preview to the wild humor heard on his album, Return To The 36 Chambers.
The unreleased cut from Mobb Deep is a demo version of Q.U. Hectic, which features Big Twin of Infamous Mobb. The beat is kinda mellow, especially when you compare it to all that darkness presented on The Infamous. If you're a true Mobb fan I think you'll understand it though, the song definitely knocks, just lacks that hard, dark edge that most songs have on that album. I think the mood of the production fits this story their telling about the streets in a less threatening, more reflective way.
Had to post this great find of unreleased recordings from Archie Whitewater, he's one of those artists who has some great music, but not nearly as much material out there as I wish. The one album he released on Cadet Records left me thirsty for more of the original sound presented: mellow rhodes and horn arrangements, great singing with jazz and psychedelic influences. I discovered this album from Common's sampling of the song "Cross Country" on Chapter 13 from Resurrection, and Large Professor's sampling it for an interlude on Akinyele's 1992 solo album.
I feel this unreleased album is like an extension of the one he released on Cadet Records, it has all the same great elements of sound and song writing, but with a slightly darker mood, not as joyful or uplifting but still very emotionally driven in it's content. I can kind of see why he left these songs off the released album, due to the change of mood when I compare the two albums. Enjoy this one:
Download from Mediafire: Archie Whitewater - Unreleased Material From Cadet Concept.rar
01 - Lighthouse Track
02 - Please Think It Over
03 - The Day You Leave
04 - The Day You Leave (Instrumental Take 1)
05 - The Day You Leave (Instrumental Take 2)
06 - Your The One
07 - Your The One (Exteneded Version)
08 - Instrumental Track 1
09 - Coming As I Come From Where Ive Been
10 - Interlude
11 - Get Back Home
12 - Get My Soul Together
13 - Instrumental Track 2
I remember this period of 1992 was an interesting and unsettled period for American society and hip hop music, the acquittal of officers guilty of the Rodney King attack sent much anger throughout the African American community and stirred up racial tension. I can't imagine the actual feeling of living in South Central LA during the riots that followed, but these 2 artists were pretty close to the scene and gave some vivid description about it in "The Day The Niggaz Took Over" on their classic album "The Chronic".
Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg give people of South Central LA advice on how to stay safe and gather their thoughts towards a more peaceful resolve in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdicts.
Get The Fist Movement featuring west coast artists B-Real of Cypress Hill, Da Lench Mob, Yo-Yo, Mc Eiht, King Tee, DJ Pooh and Kam, a great overlooked independent release which speaks on the social unrest of South Central LA in '92
Enta Da Stage is definitely one of those hip hop albums that made me wonder what was going on in the studio when it was produced, I'm sure listeners of all musical genres can relate to that feeling of imagining their favorite artist's studio atmosphere. I always imagined a scene in Brooklyn that was broken down to the most basic elements of hip hop: 2 turntables, a mic, a great selection of vinyl records and creative minds coming from a street background. This is a rare look at Evil Dee, Buckshot Shorty and 5ft in the process of recording one song for the album, then it goes straight into the video for I Got You Open. The whole scene looks like their working with limited resources just cranking out music, which is what I always appreciate about looking back on the beginnings of certain artists who left a significant mark in the creation of hip hop music.
Speaking on the vid for I Got You Open, it reminds me...Black Moon and Boot Camp bring some of the best representation of the feeling of winter life in New York from the perspective of inner city residents like myself, through their videos I Got You Open, Bucktown etc. and the visuals in the music. That may or may not be something you can relate to unless you grew up in NY: albums that have some sort of unexplainable winter, street feel that makes you want to listen to it during that season.
Download the video here
Here's a nice progressive rock album I wanted to share, from the group Rare Bird formed in Europe during the 60's. Mike Ashton evokes great emotion through each song as he sings about life and love over a mix of haunting, mellow and intense compositions. This album has a nice mix of energetic moments to pump your adrenaline where there is a rise to the instrumentation and drumming, then bring you into a calm with mellow breakdowns. I really like all the great singing and organ work throughout. From the transitions some songs almost seem like 2 in one, which is one style I notice and think is interesting and almost dreamlike about a lot of rock music I listen to of this period, like The Doors, Vanilla Fudge, Focus, Deep Purple, etc.
click here for a sample, Beautiful Scarlett by Rare Bird
Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Beautiful scarlet (5:23) sampled by Chino XL for I'm Comin'
2. Sympathy (2:30)
3. Nature's fruit (2:32)
4. Bird on a wing (4:13)
5. God of war (5:08)
6. Iceberg (6:46)
7. Times (3:19)
8. You went away (4:17)
9. Melanie (3:27)
Total Time: 37:35
Line-up / Musicians
- Mike Ashton / drums, lead & backing vocals
- Graham Field / Hammond organ
- Steve Gould / guitar, bass, vocals
- Dave Kaffinetti / electric piano, synthesizers
enjoy the album:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=14HXUNW4
I was fortunate to come across this collection of new hip hop production from a Dutch source, this is a compilation of beats from the European extension of Red Bull's famous beat battle traveling showcase. I encourage you to check this out as a refreshment for your ears, and you want take the chance of hearing new innovative sounds and ideas to come from producers. I must admit, I get a little tired hearing the basic ideas of 90's hip hop production repeated time & time again in some of the underground hip hop I listen to today, so I try to balance out my listening with music like this, finding undiscovered talent, fresh ideas and enjoying other genres of music. This compliation is one of those sources that helps me to realize the balance I need every now and then.
The producers featured in this showcase take chances in experimentation of hip hop sound through new reaches in sound design by synths, interesting samples choices and new ideas of drum patterns and arrangements. In listening I could hear some influenced from the work of Madlib and Jay Dee, you know the synth style and ideas they brought into their production around mid-2000 or so for JayLib and other projects? If you liked this sound, you'll hear these guys using parts of the style in their own way, with head-nodding drums, good ideas and arrangements that tell a story.
From dark beats that showcase skills on the synth for a more futuristic sound like I-Sa's "Syco3" or Wan's Jay-Dee esque "BoomClickClap", to the soul-influenced, energetic sound and horns of StatikMusic's "Drummond", I think the people of Red Bull did a good job in selecting a group of new talent that seem to understand the basic elements needed hip hop production, but at the same time are looking to push it's creative boundaries in a good direction. Listen and enjoy this one:
Here's a few of my favorite's out of the compilation
Download Beat Battle @ The Rooms of Red Bull here
The first is Method Man interviewing at Def Jam offices with Big Lez and two other beautiful women on Rap City. It's rare to see an MC straight from the street sitting behind a desk in the record company handling business, as an up and comer Meth seems ready and excited for the release of his first album in this video.
A performance of Bring The Pain just before Tical came out, with a ton of people goin' wild onstage in the background. I wonder what ever happened to that reggae guy who sung the hook midway into that song? You'll see him there onstage along with Inspectah Deck and Carlton Fisk from P.L.O. Style/Mr. Sandman.
It's been a minute, but I'm back here to leave some good material I've been playing this past week. A mix of recently released, and classic material of the past from various genres, that's what my daily listening consists of, I like songs that tell a story, are original, creative and drive the emotions like a film.
When I see music somebody's written about online, I'm usually eager to sample the music right then & there before I download it, so from knowing this I put together a playlist for you to hear below. I usually try to pick songs that even if you heard a 30 sec. snippet of any part of the song, it should be enough to draw you to want to hear more, especially if you're already familiar with that particular genre and sound. I definitely appreciate finding that type of music online or in the real world.
Method Man P.L.O. Style (Pete Rock remix): This is one of a few remixes Pete did exclusively for the Future Flavors show, it was always good to hear these side projects he did that never got commercially released when I tuned in back in the mid 90's. You may notice this is the same beat he used on The Lost Boy's The Yearn off the A.I.D.S. soundtrack, but arranged to the lyrics of Meth and Carlton Fisk instead. I remember hearing this before The Yearn came out, so it was dope to hear the way Pete flipped that same sample Large Professor used years earlier on Just Hangin' Out, the drums and chopping on it sound crazy 'til this day.
Jern Eye - Get Right feat. Mistah Fab & Zion I: New song which looks to be the start of some promising hip hop music to come from Jern Eye, an MC from the Bay Area. Over a smooth-flowing production by Jake One, this is an inspirational song about keeping your mind right through your day to day moves, and how to get yours regardless of the obstacles out there. I've been eager to hear more West Coast talent come out nowadays, I think this is one of those.
Finale - What You Mean To Me, Brother's Keeper, Jumper Cables: Three of my favorite songs from Finale's A Pipe Dream & A Promise album, he's a talented MC from Detroit who brings a great line up of production to match his complex visual wordplay for this solid hip hop release. I always appreciate the dope, established producers out supporting an up & coming MC like this for one project.
Finale has a unique delivery and style that should separate him from many other artists you'll hear out now, he brings alot of detail into a verse that will probably cause you to go back and listen again to pick up on more things each time. I think that's a good thing, to have writing that you can take time to absorb like a book or movie. Definitely check for his album, it's one of my favorites of the moment.
JR&PH7 - Top Rank feat. Black Milk and Guilty Simpson: On the first listen, I wondered if this song was something Black Milk produced himself, after studying further I discovered JR & PH7, two producers from Germany who combined with Black & Guilty to produce this great track. I think this is one of those examples of talent and unique sound European artists have to offer, I'm almost always impressed by what I hear from this region of hip hop, jazz, R&B releases, etc. The great echoing synth sound you hear on this beat reminds me of the one used on Das Efx's Real Hip Hop remix, which gives me the feeling of listening to some obscure jazz fusion records. www.jrandph7.com
Chino XL - Nahh!: If you know Chino's catalog, this is a good example of what he brings in a song: impressive delivery and metaphors with self-descriptive lyrics, painting a larger-than-life, intimidating figure of himself, similar to a character of a movie. His choice of production is usually a vital part of bringing these visuals across, in this one the beat is a dark combination of orchestral strings and voices with hard drums provided by Focus of Dre's Aftermath label. I think Nahh! sounds like a great threatening piece overall, similar to Pun's Beware in letting you know this is an MC who's out to challenge anyone.
The Roots - Live at WNYU: This is part of an acclaimed freestyle session that went down at Martin Moore & Mayhem's WNYU radio show in the 90's, before Illadelph Halflife was released. I remember listening to the show during the time this actually aired, but never got to tape the full session, which must have lasted for a couple hours. I have another part of the performance here at home on tape, so I'll upload that soon. Hope you enjoy this part for now.
Black Attack - My Crown: One of those independently released gems of the late 90's that I still can't get enough of. The combination of Black Attack's laid back delivery with the jazz sound brought by Ghetto Pros (JuJu & V.I.C.) equals out to a greatness in underground hip hop for this song. The Beatnuts always had a talent for choosing good, unheard-of horns and making it work in hip hop song, this is one of my favorite examples of that part of their trademark sound.
Donald Byrd & 125th Street N.Y.C. - Love Has Come Around: I like this song as an uplifting track with a rhythm designed to make you move, this is a soulful collaboration of two talented musicians and bands, Donald Byrd's 125th Street, N.Y.C. Band and Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul Unlimited. Vocalists Rose Williams, Diane Williams, Pat Lewis and Diane Evans really shine on this track.
From the 1981 album Love Byrd, I think this song as a whole is an interested growth in the sound of these two artists from the period of the 70's where many would say both their trademark sounds of soul and organic jazz fusion were solidified, evolving from that into the newer, polished, uptempo feel of early 80's black music. I can recall Isaac experimenting with higher tempo love songs similar to this track on some of his album releases of the late 70's, this was one of his strong points as a songwriter to me and I can feel elements of this in Love Has Come Around from his percussion, vocal arrangement and piano work. Both Byrd and Hayes seem to bring elements of their past musical achievements into this fusion of jazz and soul to create a beautiful vibe.
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