Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta

Re-energised, reinvigorated, re-envisioned...

Here's a few songs with little in common other than that they're remixes (and of course, I think they're awesome songs!):


Will Ferrell as Jackie Moon ft Lil Wayne - "Love Me Sexy rmx"

Will Ferrell puts all the sexy r'n'b cats out there to shame...Barry White would be proud.



G-Dep ft Diddy, Ghostface, Keith Murray & Craig Mack - "Special Delivery rmx"

As close as a Bad Boy posse cut has or ever will get to topping Flava In Ya Ear, every verse (even the Puffy adlibs) is classic and the beat inspired many a shameful attempt at the Harlem Shake on my part.






Nas - "Life is like a dice game" demo rmx


In truth, I never heard the original version of this, but the remix is that classic '90s mellowed-out, chiilin'-like-a-villain sorta music.




Lenny Kravitz ft Jay-Z - "Storm (Just Blaze rmx)"

A major contender for my favourite Just Blaze beat, it's hard not to get swept up by these strings, Lenny smooths it out on the hook and Jay's verse is swagger personified. Warrants repeat listens.



Madonna ft Pharrell & Kanye - "Beat Goes On rmx"

Last but not least, I've been in full guilty pleasure mode of late and this Madonna collabo with my two favourite beatmeister-fashionistas typifies my state of my mind...like that really sweet popcorn at the cinema you just can't get enough of...

Went to see RZA supporting his new Digi Snax album a couple of weeks ago and it was awesome. Bobby dropped jewels in a pre-show Q & A and performed some bona fide classics, but the highlight for me was discovering a DJ/producer from LA called Flying Lotus, who opened the show. His futuristic, synth-laden, bass-heavy production was reminiscent of Dilla, Black Milk, Madlib and Sa-Ra. He was really entertaining too; rather than crouching over the decks with his headphones on, he was dancing around, singing along, interacting with the crowd and generally having a great time. He played some Wu classics and some quality electronic music, accompanied by a pretty impressive light-show.

Anyhoo, it's always good to discover a dope artist and I've been trawling the internets for his previous material. "July Heat" is an instrumental compilation I hope you'll enjoy (click the picture above to d/l).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Lotus

http://www.myspace.com/flyinglotus

http://www.flying-lotus.com/attack/

Soundtracks I've been listening to of late:



James Carter and The Prisoners - "Po Lazarus"

Another stroke of oddball genius from the Coen brothers with great music throughout. This song struck a chord with me, as Killa Cam rapped over a sample of it on Dead Or Alive from "Come Home With Me".




Jo Yeong-Wook - "Look Who's Talking"

The main theme from the excellent Oldboy; a movie you need to see if you haven't watched it...and probably watch again if you already have. Kidnapping, romance, live-squid-eating, hammer-beating, self-de-tonguement and an awesome twist at the end. What more could you ask fo'?!



Mobb Deep - "Dirty New Yorker"

Classic Mobb shit from the new Grand Theft Auto. Haven't got my hands on the game yet, but the soundtrack's as sweet as I've come to expect from the series.



Brian Reitzell & Roger J Manning - "On The Subway"

A personal favourite: Bill Murray's a genius, Scarlett Johansson's a fox and I can describe it with cliche terms like "heart-warming" and "bitter-sweet" without feeling like an insincere twat.

More knowledge and wisdom courtesy of my man Stretch Nav the G.O.D.:



G Rap is one of the fastest, most versatile rappers ever. Not just a rapper, more like a poet. A voice of the streets. This is poetry at its best. Here are five examples:

Kool G Rap - Ill Street Blues (1992):





"Ah yeah word up, word to mother".



Big Punisher F/ Kool G Rap, B-Real & Fat Joe - Wishful Thinking (1997):





Posse cut produced by Showbiz from DITC. Was the B-Side to the first official single of Pun's '98 "Capital Punishment" ("I'm Not A Player"). Hits hard while G Rap comes with one of his hottest 16s ever. "No doubt, I be the crime story of all ghetto territories...."



King Tee F/ Kool G Rap & Tray Dee - Nuthin' Has Changed (1998):





An East-West thang from King Tee's unofficial '98 album "Thy Kingdom Come". More rewind button ammo from G Rap.



Kool G Rap, Papoose & Tony Montana (?!?) (1999?) - Freestyle:





Recorded from Marley Marl & Pete Rock's Future Flavas Show. Papoose does his thing on one of his earliest appearances, but G Rap runs away with it. "Flip on you the way Montana did to Manolo"



Ghostface, Kool G Rap & Cappadonna - Da Connection (2001)


Rare Beatminerz track. Ghostface kills it with the "Samuel Jackson/Action Jackson/ Mike Jackson Staten/Dusthead niggas that will have you laughing", then G Rap does what he does best. The beat then gets flipped for Cappadonna to lay down some rhymes. "Ai-yo a bathe in the tub with guns (?!?)"...thats got to be a bit uncomfortable though Ghost.




Half A Klip album is out now

Visit Kool G Rap's myspace: www.myspace.com/therealkoolgrap

Download Kool G Rap's music from www.koolgrapsite.com

...so I couldn't neglect the veteran rappers for long:


Ludacris - "Stay Together"



Fair dues, Luda is Mr Consistency. The punchlines here are pretty funny, if a leeettle bit predictable.



Jay-Z - "Ain't I"



Jay-Z and Timbaland work so well together...maybe they can collaborate for Hov's next concept album; perhaps 12 tracks of Jay tongue-twisting over Timbo club tracks? This one maintains tradition and there's a genius beat switch about half-way through.



Busta Rhymes - "Don't Touch Me"



This has me looking forward to the new Busta album. His flow is "dungeon dragon" and the beat's so funky it stinks. Sweet!



State Property - "Ocean's 7"



This song deserves about the biggest compliment I can hand East Coast rappers these days: it wouldn't sound at all out of place on a Ghostface album. Plus, as a posse cut, it's very reminiscent of Wu-Tang. Missed the boat on SP the first time around, so hopefully they've still got a quality album or two in them.



50 Cent - "Rowdy Rowdy"



Classic track from the unreleased "Power of The Dollar" album. Curtis at his best, spraying that "aggressive content".

"I roam like a cell phone in Italy, in search of the real shit.." - Phonte

...& as I can't always depend on aging rappers for the hook up, I've been listening to some rappers closer to my own age...& loads of electronic stuff:


Seal - "Amazing"






Justice - "Tthhee PPaarrttyy"



The "Stay Fly" sample is lovely.




Cansei de Ser Sexy - "Acho Um Pouco Bum"



I've posted tracks from their self-titled debut before, but I like them more now than I did then, so here's to Japanese Brazilians!




Kylie - "Heart Beat Rock"



I'd normally consider myself too much of a snob to post Kylie Minogue songs, but in fairness her album's got much better beats than anything any hip-hop folks have had to contribute this year. Plus Calvin Harris produced this and I'm a big fan.




Chromeo - "Tenderoni"



These guys are stuck in the '80s, but then so am I; a match made in heaven.




Usher ft Jeezy & T.I. - "Love In The Club rmx"



No "Yeah", but it sounds great played loud.




Janet Jackson + a buncha rappers - "Feedback rmx"






Lil Wayne - "Lollipop"



The fact Weezy starts the track with a "no homo", like some kind of disclaimer, cracks me up...and should prepare you fully for the song that follows. I'm all about homoerotic hip-hop humour, but this takes the biscuit like Ja in his prime. As guilty pleasures go, this song might get me life. Sounds good, though :)




Kidz In The Hall - "Driving Down The Block"



Kinda biting the Cool Kids' style production-wise, but that's probably a good thing.




Mickey Factz ft NERD - "Don't Be Light"



Not listened to dude before, but I'm a big NERD fan and he drops a few jewels here.


CRAC Knuckles - "Activate Too"



Funky little interlude from "The Piece Talks", for the sake of which I must retract my earlier statement regarding Kylie Minogue and hip-hop beats.



Wale - "Strings"



His raps fall somewhere between Weezy and Lupe and I'm working my way through his catalogue of mixtapes at the moment (hate catching on late & he's been around for a minute).

G-Unit - Hollow Through Him



50 loves nothing more than a fight where the odds are stacked in his favour and his "beef" with Fat Joe, though pretty pointless, seems to have rejuvenated him musically, just when he was starting to come across a little jaded.


Young Buck - The Strip Club



More from The Unit. The beat really makes this song. It sounds so much like Timbaland, I'm almost disappointed when there isn't an eerie space-age beat-switch towards the end.


Snoop Dogg - Cool



Wholesale Prince-shark-biting on a major scale - not that I'm complaining. The beat's uberfunky, but Snoop could do with working on some of those high notes.


Camp-Lo - Lumdi



stream of consciousness, dadaist Luchini rhyming over massive drums and an infectious sample.


Big Boi ft Andre 3000 & Raekwon



Southernplayalistic beat & rhymes, with Dre stealing the show as per usual.


The Game - Big Dreams



Good song, but is it just me or is Game doing a Ja Rule impression by the 3rd verse?


The Knux - Cappuccino (rmx)



Production sounds straight outta the Umma/Hiero era, even better than the original


Nas - Stay Chiseled



'90s song I found on a mixtape. If ever I quit bumming around and hit the gym, this'll make the workout plan playlist.


Ice Cube ft Scarface & Nas - Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It rmx



Now if I only I could get all the folks constantly hating on my hip-hop to sit down and listen to this...


Q-Tip - Midnight '08



Love the way Cool and Dre keep the original boom-bap drums, then stick all the synthy syrupy southern stuff on top. Plus 'Tip hasn't lost a step.


The Cool Kids - Action Figures



My favourite rap group at the moment.



The Prodigy - Who The F**k is Eddy Cochran?

Album-wise, not too much to get excited about as of the moment, so I've been cheating on H.E.R. with some '70s psych-rock albums. The self-titled album from Brazilian group "Karma" and Japanese group Happy End's "Kazemachi Roman" have got a mellow, melodic folk sound that's definitely worthy of some sample love.


Karma - Transe Uma




Karma - Você Pode Ir Além








Happy End - Kaze Wo Astumete

About half of this album is pretty damn awesome, making the mediocre, lowest-common-denominator filler tracks that much more frustrating, like he couldn't have just recorded 3 or 4 more quality songs to make this a dope album. As it is though, it's a not a bad collection of songs, and I really enjoyed the last couple; something of a throwback to Joe's Diggin In The Crates roots:

My Conscience (ft KRS-1, prod by Alchemist)




That White (prod by DJ Premier...will he ever fall off?)

Some samples always seem to produce awesome songs and this one's got a 3-0 winning record over the last few years:





MF DOOM as King Geedorah - Anti-matter









Mos Def - Undeniable









RZA as Bobby Digital ft Inspectah Deck - You Can't Stop Me Now

"9 6 and Forever..."



Jay-Z ft MJB and Swizz Beatz - "You're Welcome"





MJB ft Weezy & Swizz (again!) - "Just Fine rmx"



19-vintage.


Laziness, cheapskatedness, global warming; a number of reasons why I'm not driving yet...but I kind of regret not having a ride to bless with tracks like this:

Rick Ross ft Jay-Z - "Maybach Music"



Jay hasn't kilt a rapper on his own shit like this since Bleek didn't even make it onto the best track from his 534 album.

...Another classic [MP3] for y'all to vibe with" - The Good Doctor







Main Source - "Looking at the Front Door"










Pete Rock ft Papoose - "Comprehend"



Given in to the temptation of using the pun rock solid to describe New York's Finest, Pete's new album. This isn't a standout track, particularly, but the 10cc sample is one I've intended on using myself for a few years now...when I invest in a sampler & start making 5 beats a day for 3 summers...perhaps with John Legend resinging the hook..I digress.







Fat Ray & Black Milk - "When It Goes Down"



Love this Detroit shit!







Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - "Keep On Looking (Kenny Dope rmx)"



Might go see this soul sistah in April.









J-Live - "Don't Play"













Madonna ft JT - "4 Minutes"



Must say Timbaland's on pretty good form at the moment...though I hope Madonna doesn't insist on cringe-worthy near-nudity in the videos this time around.







Mighty Joseph - "Legend"



Madlib production + Super Mario sfx samples = a classic song.







Assholes By Nature (Trae & his cousin Z-Ro) - "It is what it is"



Some nice shit to ride out to...on chrome...& low-lows...top down on the slab, candy paint & all that other stuff the kids are into.

Kanye dropped this tape as promo for the US leg of his world tour a few weeks ago. Some really good tracks here and I'm hoping they've put in some CRS recording time on the tour:


Lupe - "What It Do"




N.E.R.D. - "Locked Away"




DJ Felle Fel ft Kanye, Ne-Yo, Fab & JD - "Finer Things"

Dope album. No skippable tracks, great content, fresh production and Ms On-&-On Badu's eccentric self. at least a 4 out of 5 :


The Healer (prod by Madlib)




Soldier

Around this time of year, there's always a few good mixtapes out, plenty of leaked singles worth a few spins, but after the buzz of all the 4th quarter releases has died down, when the 1st quarter releases have been pushed back to April or June or Nevuary, there does seem something of a void to be filled. It's at this point that I dust off the old 19-vintage Tribe, Wu-Tang and Biggie CDs. It doesn't hurt if you can mix that up with a few dope new tracks aswell:





Reflection Eternal - "2000 Seasons"








The Roots - "75 Bars"








C.R.A.C. - "Love Don't"






Saigon ft Grand Puba - "Who Can Get Busy"

(apologies; couldn't find any non-homo-erotic pics of Sai...still a great rapper, though.)









Pete Rock ft Papoose - "Comprehend"








EMC - "Once More"








Common - "The Light 2008" (prod by Just Blaze)








Trendz of Culture - "Valley of the Skinz"

Prettiest fiend I ever did see.

Another quality addition to my favourite mixtape series. Not quite on a par with Vol.2 (though I mainly blame that on hip-hop's failure to provide enough dope beats for the R-E-U-P to rip up over the last year; case in point), but immense nonetheless and far superior product to most rappers' albums:

Good Morning



Pusha's verse, dedicated to his own lyrical greatness, claiming a spot in the pantheon of true hip-hop greats is swaggerific (yes, it is cool enough to justify such corny-ass terms!)


Rainy Dayz



They do justice to the Cuban Linx classic and Mal's almost sing-song flow on the closing verse stands out for me.

Certainly worth a download (they upped it for free).

After a pretty shambolic '07, I feel some sympathy for Curtis...felt the same for Ja in '04. He hasn't completely fallen off, but I wouldn't begrudge him a successful comeback of sorts if it involved dropping a really good album. In the mean time, he might want to try rebuilding his buzz through mixtapes, as it worked the first time round:

Rider for Real




Make Me Feel Good

Never thought I'd get so much joy from a Tony Yayo for-the-ladies song! It's super-catchy, though.

One of my my "guilty pleasures" I'm not all that guilty about is poppy electro music and these folks certainly fit the bill...if you're into that sorta thing:

Ninja of Love




Brainpower



Listening to this, I picture myself off-my-face drunk, boogying down in Shibuya with Japanese chicks (of legal age) dressed as school girls (them, not me)...that just does it for me.

Amy's 2003 debut was awesome. Nearly as good as Back to Black, and she certainly looked a lot healthier:

Fuck Me Pumps






In My Bed

Salaam Remi used the same "Apache" loop on this track - I'd argue to equally good effect - as on Nas's "Made You Look".

Jean Grae - "Love Thirst"




Mark Ronson - "Just (Primo rmx)"




Jim Jones ft The Game - "Love Me No More rmx"




The Pharcyde - "She Said (Dilla rmx)"




Skyzoo - "The Necessary Evils"




Termanology - "Who's The Nicest"




Starski ft The Cool Kids - "Stunnas On"




Three 6 Mafia - "I'd Rather"




Tribe Called Quest - "The Hop"




Q-Tip - "Go Hard"

I wouldn't call this a spectacular album, but it's shortcomings are more than made up for by naming it after my favourite Huxtable - she was like Rosario Dawson before Rosario Dawson...but I digress - and by a couple of real standout tracks:

Woman Tonight

Seldom have lullaby, love song, soul-baring and phat hip-hop song come together so well in the space of 3 or 4 minutes.


Morris Day

Morris and his valet Jerome stole the show recently at the Grammys and The Time are my favourite Prince side-project, so Murs and Slug get kudos from me just for naming the song after him. Even better than the title, though, is the laid back groove on the track.

Courtesy of Stretch Nav the god:


The reason why Preemo is one of the best producers ever is the fact that he has been able to keep his style fresh. As long as hiphop exists, his music is relevant. He embodies what hip-hop stands for, even if it is very difficult to describe how this is possible. His music makes you nod your head as you sing along to his scratch-laden choruses. Like all the big names (Dre, Timbaland, Neptunes) you can spot a Preemo song because he has his own, signature sound. In the new millenium, he stepped up a gear, more of the same in quality terms while not being afraid to experiment, whether it be with the artists he collaborates with or the sounds he creates. Check these five out:


Gangstarr: The Natural




Big 12" only release (B-side to Skillz) from late 2002. This really should have been on the duo's "The Ownerz" album, but was mysteriously left off. The Source used the word "Hitchcock" to describe this one. Elevating the style of beats.


Snoop Dogg F/ Lady Of Rage: Batman & Robin


It was either this or "The One And Only". Both are lifted off Snoop's 2002 "Paid Tha Cost..." album, but I chose this because of Premo chopping up the old Batman TV theme tune to great effect (check the horns)...and because Snoop namedrops Marvel comics and the fact that Snoop and Rage assume the roles of a pimped-out Batman & Robin respectively (w/ a cameo by RBX as Commissioner Gordon). East meets West with the "Batmobile on threes"


The NYGz: Giantz Ta This


Release from 2002/2003 on Premier's Year Round label. Basically starts with a disgruntled Preemo complaining how "A lot of y'all muthafuckas lost your ear to the street", then proclaiming "so as usual, I'm back" and how he's "gutter as ever"... and then he gives us another example of how to chop up an over-used sample ("7 minutes of Funk" used previously by Jay-Z & EPMD) and make it sound fresh again for some hard NY rhymes from Panchi & Shabeeno. We wouldn't have it any other way Preemo.



Freddie Foxxx: Lazy




I heard this off a Premier mix CD from 2003. Great tune, I can't really say much more than that. Oh and that Foxxx is as hard as nails.



Agallah: NY Ryder Music


Next time I'm in NY, I'm riding to this. From 2006, the artist formerly known as "8-Off" gets an understated banger from Premo. "Its that NY Ryder Music!"

Just an appetiser:


Departure





Not A Disturbance