"This week I have been mostly listening to..."
2 comments Posted by Randy Watson as Bob Digitech at 21:01I've been working overtime the last month (literally) and my two great passions (lists and mp3s) necessitate that I put you up to speed with my listening activities during my absence from the blogging realm:
Jay Electronica - Uzi Weighs A Ton
I'm not ashamed to acknowledge I'm kind of jock riding Jay Electronica at the moment, as I'm expecting big things from him in the next year. Not only is he Black Thought meets Doom meets Nas on the mic, but he's surrounded himself with some pretty cool people - at least in my books - aswell: Erykah on-and-on Badu's crazy ass, Just Blaze, the late great Dilla, Young Guru, Sa-Ra and God's Son have all co-signed. D.O.C.'s writing an album on which Jay'll perform the lyrics, he's been working with Nas, Just Blaze and Saigon and I'm expecting some classic material, don't disappoint me Jay! This joint's from the Style Wars EP, raw aggression.
Busta, Papoose and Cassidy - Psycho
The strings! The strings! Sacre bleu, Dilla outdid himself on this one. Heard it a couple of years ago and assumed it was the good Dr (Dre, of course) with those nutjob violins, but I should've known better. This is from Busta and Mick Boogie's quality "Dillagence" mixtape. Hope there's a humungous stockpile of Dilla beats lying around and they give it the full Shakur posthumous treatment.
Frank'n'Dank - Puff Puff Pass
Speaking of whom, this tribute track from the usually mediocre Frank'n'Dank's a bit of a head nod classic for me at the minute.
Black Milk - Broken Wax Outro
Can't get enough of that Detroit shit at the moment and this outro from Black Milk's "Broken Wax EP" is nothing less than I've come to expect from dude. He seems to save his catchiest beats for his instrumental tracks...though the ones with vocals don't half bang either.
Lupe Fiasco - Paris Tokyo
The man who never has and never will listen to Tribe Called Quest wholesale biting the Hieroglyphics? I don't get it, but the song's awesome and I love "The Cool".
Playaz Circle - U Can Believe It
Great song. This and "Duffle Bag Boy" are great singles. Did notice, the same sample and a near identical beat appear on Hov's "American Gangster" track "Say Hello", though DJ Toomp gives the Jay-Z track the heavy "Can't Tell Me Nothing"/"Big Brother"/Stadium Status drums. Not sure whether he sold the same beat twice, but anyhoo, it's got a sweet soul sample on it.
The Doors - Roadhouse Blues
A little change of direction; I'm totally loving The Doors at the moment and Morrison's vocals are monstrous on this song. Makes you want to sex-drugs-and-rock'n'roll your way to oblivion.
The Who - The Kids Are Alright
I've also been spending quality time with The Who. There live performances are legendary and like all great '60s rock acts, they wear rock's blues roots proudly on their sleeves...not something I can say about too many modern day acts (I'm not too big on the emo...how you say? It has no cojones!)
Wyclef ft Sizzla - Welcome To The East
One of the better songs from the new Wyclef album. Like his other post-Ecleftic, his collaborative streak plays as both its great strength and great weakness. With so many features, it feels like a producer album, lacking cohesion and is a veritabe gumbo of styles and genres. This is quite admirable and there are songs that will appeal to disparate musical tastes...but also, conversely, songs that each type of listener will find cloying.
Ms Keys - Teenage Love Affair
The Kevin Garnett of female r'n'b singer/songwriters f**ked around and got another triple double (see Ice Cube's "A Good Day"). Not too many artists guarantee a great album everytime around anymore and Miss Keys' specialness needs to be recognised by wrapping her in cotton wool and locking her away in a safe till her next record's ready, what with her being a global treasure and all that. Prince, Stevie, Aretha...so many awesome influences you can hear in this album, but it's also incredibly fresh-sounding and sounds better by the listen.
Freeway - When They Remember
The most pleasant surprise from the Roc being back like cooked crack this 4th quarter is how good Freeway's album is. Back in '03 when his 1st record dropped, I slept on it because he sounded "annoying" (never mind me, my dumb ass previously felt the same about Ghostface, Jay-Z and The Clipse...go figure, they're all personal favourites now). However, I more tahn appreciate Free's growling, emotional delivery now, and along with Hov, he's really brought the soul sound back to East Coast gangsta rap.
The likes of Styles and Beanie went for southern keys/west coast keys that didn't really work on a lot of their tracks, but "Free At Last" is a throwback to Roc-a-Fella in its prime. Bink shines with his production on the track above and "Still Got Love" and it's a solid effort in the best possible way (the one exception is by-the-numbers for-the-ladies track "Take It To The Top" featuring - surprise, surprise - Curtis and produced by J.R. [bastard responsible for Sean Kingston] (sc)Rotem.
I'm not as young as I used to be and feeling kinda pooped...will resume this post on the 'morrow. Peace.
DJ Premier A Retrospective: The Nineties Part 1
0 comments Posted by Randy Watson as Bob Digitech at 19:09First and foremost, I must give muchos grazias to mon frere Stretch Nav who's put together the in depth coverage on a true legend of the hip-hop game. With no further ado:
People know Gangstarr....or are familiar with his work with nearly every major hiphop artist: Jigga, Nas, Snoop, Mos Def, MOP, Rakim, KRS, Common, BIG, Gangstarr Foundation...and/or have heard his recent output with NYG'z, Blaq Poet, Christina Aguilera, Termanology and the Nike "Classic" track. My point is, is that Preem has always been nice with his.
Here is the first of a few entries on Primo's lesser-known moments. Below are five sureshots from the nineties that not a lot of peeps know about. This is some NAV tha G.O.D. hiphop knowledge being dropped here..........nah'mean. How many people knew that Emma Bunton had one of her early solo tracks remixed by Preemo? I kid you not....and it's dope. I was trying to get it played on hospital radio when it came out in '99 but the haters (my co-presenter) did not want it. He did insist however, on playing "Mambo Number Five" on every show. Anyway, DJ Premier-we salute you.
D'n'D Allstars feat. Mad Lion, Doug E Fresh, KRS One, Fat Joe, Smif N Wessun, Jeru The Damaja-1,2 Pass It
A song that epitomises the term, "posse cut". A classic from 1995 with some of the hottest acts of that year. Who do you think rips it? I would say Fat Joe, KRS One and Jeru....Mad Lion is one of the funniest artists I've ever heard.
Group Home-Livin' Proof
Title track from their overlooked debut album from late '95. This is a head-nodder: A signature, stripped-down Primo number, complete with scratches on the hook that sample Inspectah Deck from C.R.E.A.M. A lot of his tracks were very minimalistic around this time and the samples and sounds he was using were unheard of (see Jeru's Come Clean). Melachi Da Nutcracker and Lil' Dap aren't the best rappers, but this is definitely a gem. The album is definitely worth investigating, one of very few albums entirely produced by Premier outside of Gangstarr.
Jeru The Damaja-Me Not The Paper Remix
Great, hard-to-find remix from early 1997. Nice usage of piano keys. Primo's music became more accessible in the late nineties, but he was able to move with the times.....
Freddie Foxxx-Part Of My Life
...as this track from early-mid 1999 shows. I bought this record from Major Flavas in London when it came out. It was, and still is, big. The chorus is ill and Freddie is intense on the mic on this one. Foxxx does justice to the beat and is one of the best to rhyme over any Works Of Mart.
Emma Bunton feat. Guru-What I Am (Gangstarr remix)
How many people would have believed this collaboration then? How many would have believed this collaboration now? Lol. Released in 1999, this is surprisingly good...Guru's verse and the violins are just right. After I heard this, I had a new-found respect for Emma Bunton.
And there we leave it friends and colleagues, jaws agape at this marvelous man whose mystical powers lend freshness to even the stalest of pop stars. Britney, take note. Thanks again to Nav and I'll get on him (pause) to hook up more Primo rarities ASAP.
Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again
0 comments Posted by Randy Watson as Bob Digitech at 16:56As for the video, the concept's kind of been done already by the likes of Toni Braxton and R.Kelly, but it's cool to see Common return the favour Alicia did for his last video and it goes without saying, getting to ogle Miss Keys for four and a half minutes is no bad thing.
Deepest condolences to her family and friends.
Replicating this at some point has become a life goal it is imperative that I achieve.
Office Space - Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta
G-Deini and Bobby (w/ Rae on the chorus...check his pronunciation of the word "champion") from '96. Another Wu banga off the Great White Hype soundtrack. We can take it there/settle it son/who the champion!
RZA representing with Bjork from 1997. Very rare remix, it took me some time trying to find it, but it was worth the wait. Another reason why I think he is one of the best producers of all time-Brilliant use of orchestra/strings. Further evidence came later on "Fatal" off the Blade Trinity soundtrack.
Another of the talented Killa Beez over some digi electronics, circa 2002. "Bobby Digital shit" indeed.
RZA, Skinnyman, Blade, Mr Tibbs & Tim Westwood(!)-Boing Boing
Personal favourite off the 2003 "World According To.." album. I rinsed this tune when it first came out. Westwood on the intro (brilliant), some of UK's best and RZA-recta over a crazily-constructed beat (check the bass). For me, this defines the term, "Wu Banga". Boing Boing-don't know what it means, but its catchy and Randy and I seem to be using that term too much.
I couldn't do a blog on the Abbot without some kung-fu samples. The use of the samples (check the last two minutes) and RZA's verse are great. From 2003. Btw 9th Prince is RZA's younger brother. 5th Brother!!!!
From the grimy street-level business over to metrosexual fashionista theme muzak. Kanye's been a real perfectionist working on his last couple of albums and you can hear it. For the most part I take it as a positive, but at times it all sounds a little too polished. That being the case, I went for mostly mixtape tracks here, as he still allows a little (good) sloppiness to creep into those beats.A reworked version of this song featuring a Chris Martin hook appeared on Graduation and exemplifies how much his sound has evolved over the last 4 or 5 years. Not so much of the soul or boom-bap now, but a grander more epic sound in search of "stadium status".
Awesome strings and funny as hell.
Back in '03/'04 he recycled these drums to within an inch of their life...but I still love them. Term's Bad Boy time line verse is highly impressive - if not a little nerdy.
The beat's simple but effective and Cons rips it.
Is it the Feist sample? the innovative drums? my affinity for '80s synths? I don't know, but me likey. And Twista complements the bass drums so well.
I'm not the biggest Cam'ron fan as, though I appreciate his swag and witty lyrics, I find it takes a really good beat to make his lazy delivery sound anything but boring. Glad to say these tracks off his new double-mixtape certainly achieve that. Also, Penz contributes some great verses to the tape.
This tape's all about Black Milk's awesome production and he really outdoes himself on the first of these tracks with a real "wtf?!" bassline.
The best saved for last: despite comments from Rae shedding an ugly light on relationships within the group, the new material on this tape raises my anticipation for 8 Diagram. I think there have been sample clearance problems with this track, which is a shame as Eli Wallach's "if you want to shoot, shoot, don't talk," line is genius.
I lazy." - Cam'ron
For the head-nodding. 'Nuff said:
Mos Definitely inspired by some Common Sense...
1. Why do Timbaland’s backing vocals on these tracks sound like Chewbacca?
2. Why does Shawn Carter recycling old material ten years later sound so much fresher than Curtis Jackson doing it after four years? Is it down to execution? passion? talent?
3. Why is Lil Wayne expecting people to pay for a collection of songs they’ve already been downloading all year for FREE? I know it’s a Xmas release, but nobody’s going to be feeling that generous.
4. How many emcees are going to drop painful vocoder rap songs before the trend goes the way of hip-house and Lil Jon? I might be slightly ahead of the curve here and hope it fades into obscurity before it can do any more harm.
5. Whatever happened to Mr Used-to-be-prolific: MF Doom?
6. Why do I suspect the Big Doe Rehab might just be a get-out-of-contract-quick rush job? Not sure about a couple of the producers credited - not that a half-assed Ghostface album wouldn’t still be one of ‘07’s highlights.
7. Is Lupe Fiasco trying to sabotage his new album?
8. Is Tony Yayo’s presence - let alone singing the hook - on a song “for the ladies” not about as inappropriate as casting Mel Gibson in a holocaust movie? I hate to hate, but he’s such a creepy dude (that applies to both of them).
9. Why can I only think of two or three (or four) rap albums from the 1st half of this year that still warrant a listen?
10. Wouldn’t Rik Cordero hooking up with Raekwon for a bunch of cinematic viral videos for Cuban Linx 2 be awesome? [This idea’s been jacked in most part from Wu brother no. 1]
Simply, the best Southern rap album I've listened to all year. Trae keeps it True and Real, Trill (word to UGK, whose album is also very good, just too long...like every double album ever) with some great introspective verses.
A great producer-album, with guest verses from the cream of East Coast hip-hop.
One of my favourite mixtape rappers and I look forward to him eventually getting some shine from a major label.
(from the Style Wars EP) I'm quite excited about this dude as I've been listening to him a lot the last few weeks and from the limited material I've heard, I'm pretty sure he has some great albums in him.
A great song from another solid LB effort, enhanced once you've watched Jamie Foxx virtually eviscerate Doug Williams (who?).
What can I say, I've a soft spot for ign'ant, hype Southern rap of the 3-6 Mafia variety. Screw snap-vocoder-ringtone rap, I say bring back crunk music, stupid party music you can really bang your head to.
The quality control on his mixtapes seems to be spiraling downwards as his album approaches (is that a good or bad sign?), but there's still always a few tracks like this one to make it worth the bother of downloading (how lazy does that sound? Like I might bruise a finger mouse-clicking!)
An audible Timbo/Neptunes influence in the minimalist beats and the rhymes about fly sneakers and general all-around freshness are right up my alley.
Cam's officially reached R.Kelly levels of weirdness with this video. Lovely.
Originally on his unreleased Columbia debut Power of the Dollar, this is a lot more lyrical than his usual fare, reminiscent of Jay-Z's Friend or Foe. Also notable is his delivery, sounds like he'd been listening to loads of DMX.
The beat and the hook really do the trick on this one and the punchlines aren't bad either.
Great party and bullshit joint.
Makes my non-cap-popping ass feel like a gangsta.
This sounds more like a Big L or Nas track than 50 Cent . A proper underground NY track with a beat in the tradition of Primo and Pete Rock, with great chopped Jadakiss and Jay-Z samples on the chorus.
"Hate a liar more than I hate a thief.
A thief is only after my salary, a liar is after my reality." - Fif'
...to the extent Puffy's Hitmen, No I.D. and (on this track) Jermaine Dupri have dusted off their samplers and helped Hov really bring back the soul on this album. Only given it a couple of listens, but his flow and delivery and the production are on point on every song and the lyrics sound like they are going to merit numerous listens. There's no better feeling than the shock of a smack to the head from an unexpectedly dope album.
...The song's not bad either.
...with the greatest backing band ever assembled:
New Wu Tang: "Take it Back" (prod. by RZA and Easy Mo Bee)
0 comments Posted by Randy Watson as Bob Digitech at 12:17
Three leaked tracks deep I'm ready to award The 8 Diagram classic status. This beat's on some Daytona 500 business and the verses are so effortlessly good it's incredible.
"Dope beats, dope rhymes, this hip-hop ain't that hard!" - Phonte
Plus, a properly mixed version of The Heart Gently Weeps that sounds even better than the original leak:
"[3] degrees of separation and I'm Kevin Bacon" - Hov
1 comments Posted by Randy Watson as Bob Digitech at 11:40Great video; really cinematic, without the stupid "majestic" slow-mo shots and jewellery close ups that are (pun alert) far too common in videos this swanky. The hotness of the female cast (and the song) don't harm the visuals either.
As a sidenote, I wish Will.I.Am (who collaborated on the track with Comm) used his considerable powers of production for good rather than evil more often. I'm about halfway through listening to his new solo album and it definitely has a few gems. This one stands out for me:
Very disco, kind of reminiscent of Daft Punk or Jamiroquai, but still his own sound. Maybe influenced by Timbaland and Kanye's recent leanings towards eurodance.
[edit: this track is even better:
Serious conga-line rump-shaking music. Pharrell's been influenced by the Miami Bass sound and M.I.A.'s notably borrowed from Baile Funk, hope this sort of experimentation becomes more popular.]
Speaking of Daft Punk (in yet another spontaneous segue), must big them up for a song with that rarest of qualities: making me simultaneously want to do cardboard spins while rocking out with an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo:
It's a couple of years old, but I've only just got my hands on it and as a bonus it benefits from one of their seemingly endless line of dope music video concepts:
Great that Kanye resurrected Babyface for this, would probably prefer it minus Weezy (his rhymes aren't bad, but don't add too much to a great beat and hook).
Perfect combo of futiristic beat with old skool, "hip-hop-and-you-don't-stop" rhyme style.
Goes to show Jay-Z vocal samples aren't played out and still make for a great hook.
Kanye's drum pattern's pretty out there and the Feist sample is awesome.
...Though, to be fair, Pharrell deserves props for making Madonna sound this good. Guilty pleasure is an understatement.
I've heard several interpretations of this song and this is by far my favourite one. Funkiest bassline this side of the JBs.
I've never been a big Radiohead fan, but In Rainbows and it's ingenious distribution have really grabbed my attention. Intend to give OK Computer a listen (you know I stay way ahead of the times!)
This is gorgeous...Prince in his pomp being channelled (covered) by his royal funkiness George Clinton. C'est magnifique.
Wes Anderson soundtracks are always a good listen and this one's no exception.
Because work sucks and I'm sure it does feel good to be a gangsta.
Incredible emotional depth in JB's performance. A palpable sense of loss; some real grown-man-cry music.
This plays at the climax of the movie, with the protagonist facing a life or death decision (true story) and works incredibly well in the scene. The guitar is immense.
This plays as Kurt Russell's lucky ass receives what must be the single greatest lap dance ever committed to film...gives me goosebumps, people. Goosebumps! Tarantino's a genius and the movie's worth watching simply on the basis of this brilliant three and a half minute sequence.
