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A guest host on tonight’s show, Ira (MC King of the Castle), and he’s 1000x what MC Chris Barnes ever was (how’s it feel to be replaced Chris?). Anyways, I’ll put some notes about these songs later.
Public Enemy- “Don’t Believe the Hype”:
Big Daddy Kane- “It’s A Big Daddy Thing”:
Outkast- “Humble Mumble”:
Slum Village- “Get Live”:
Ghostface Killah- “The Champ”:
Asher Roth- “I ❤ College”:
Beastie Boys- “Shake Your Rump”:
AZ- “Gimme Yours (ft. Nas)”:
The Pharcyde- “Passin’ Me By”:
Jay-Z- “Renegade (ft. Eminem)”:
Mobb Deep- “Shook Ones pt. 2”:
Rawkus- “Protective Custody (ft. Dante and Main Flo (MOOD), Nine, Tiye Phoenix, Breezly Brewn’ (Juggaknots), Talib Kweli, Punchline, Imani Uzuri, El P and Mr. Len (Company Flow), Jah Born (Medina Green), What?What?, and John Forte”:
Gza- “Duel of the Iron Mic”:
Big L- “Da Graveyard”:
The Roots- “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)”:
Cam’ron- “Oh Boy (ft. Juelz Santana)”:
Notorious B.I.G.- “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems (ft. Ma$e & Puff Daddy)”:
Killer Mike- “A.D.I.D.A.S. (ft. Big Boi)”:
Kanye West- “Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix (ft. Jay-Z)”:
DMX- “Where the Hood At”:
Nas- “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”:
Jurassic 5- “W.O.E. is Me”:
Mos Def- “Hip Hop”:
Cannibal Ox- “Ox Out the Cage (ft. El P)”:
Dr. Dre- “Forgot About Dre (ft. Eminem)”:
Kid Cudi- “Is There Any Love (ft. Wale)”:
Wu-Tang Clan- “Triumph”:
Analysis coming soon. Great show, first time I’ve ever had a co-host who could actually talk on the air without giggling (I still ❤ you though Chris).
Make sure you watch that shit in HD.
Ps: All of you aspiring rappers who would like to have your video posted on this prestigious blog, just make sure it has plenty of pretty bright colors and you should have a good shot.
I’m sorry that I’ve gotten away from the blogging lately, so I want to make it up to you all by telling you about an artist you may not have listened to. He’s from Chicago, and so his name is Mikkey Halsted (it’s a well known street). I’ve been listening to his mixtape from last year, The Uncrowned King, and it is pretty good. The song “Liquor Store” has a video out and is pretty good, but check out “My Life,” if you want to see what this guy is capable of.
PS: If you haven’t checked out datpiff yet, then follow that link for the mixtape, because that website is awesome and has pretty much every mixtape you could want.
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Big L- “Put it On”: Yeah, I got in a minute late, and just sort of threw on whatever came first, but it doesn’t mean it’s not a great song.
Asher Roth- “I Love College”: A bunch of people heard this spiel tonight at dinner, but at this point I just sort of feel sorry for him. I mean it’s not his fault he has the exact same voice as Eminem, and he seems like a nice enough guy. I like this beat, and I’m not ashamed. His rhymes just seem juvenile, which means that he is certain to blow up among white, high school-age rap fans. Though when it comes to albums out on 4/20, I’d rather listen to his debut than Rick Ross’s new whatever.
Lupe Fiasco- “Go Go Gadget Flow”: It was a lazy show for me, I’m sorry. I like this song, and I’m trying to work my way back through The Cool to see if I can gain an appreciation for it.
N.A.S.A.- “The Mayor”- This features Ghostface and the Cool Kids, and maybe Scarface too. It’s the best I’ve ever heard the Cool Kids sound. I think they just need some beats that aren’t their own minimalistic, boring attempts.
Common- “Driving Me Wild”: I finally gave this album a chance, and it took it. Finding Forever has way more good songs than I realized. I bet if you put the album on you’ll realize that too.
Jake One- “The Truth”: I’m the host, and I play what I want. That beat is so awesome. I think Freeway and Brother Ali do it justice, which means they mostly just stay out of the way and avoid sounding stupid.
GZA- “Paper Plate”: When is 50 Cent going to respond to this? Clearly he isn’t half the MC GZA is, and I think he realizes that as well. Besides, would you go up against the Wu-Tang Clan?
Sage Francis- “Water Line”: MC Chris Barnes are you listening? Human the Death Dance is 9000000000X better than Personal Journalist. But seriously, this song is really really good.
Kanye West- “School Spirit”: 3 short songs in a row, but all of them are really good. This balances out the super long songs I play later in the show.
Masta Ace- “Soda and Soap”: This is a leftover from an MC Chris Barnes mixtape. It was okay. The EmC (EMc? EMC? I’m not sure how they spell it) album from last year is actually really good. I think it’s called The Show.
Cam’ron- “Let Me Know”: Samples the NFL song? Awesome. This guy has a new album coming out very soon.
Art Official- “Clockwork”: This song wasn’t as cool as the one I played a few weeks ago, but it was still pretty good.
Eyedea & Abilities- “Now”: I meant to get an LP by these guys for a long time, but I don’t really care anymore. Plus, this track didn’t impress me, so I’ll probably let it go. Eyedea has some pretty good freestyles on youtube though.
Nas- “What Goes Around”: This is one of the last tracks on Stillmatic, and so it’s really easy to overlook, but I think it’s one of the few examples of Nas putting together a song that has a beat, hook, and lyrics that are all pretty solid.
Wu-Tang Clan- “Triumph”: This is where I started playing long songs because I was worn out and lazy. Still a good song though.
Aesop Rock- “None Shall Pass”: I haven’t listened to this album yet, but Chris was right about this song.\
Mobb Deep- “Shook Ones pt. 2”: This beat really is classic, which I realized watching Eminem free-style over it in 8 Mile. More recently I heard someone else freestyle over it and realized it again.
Joell Ortiz- “125 pt.3 (Connections)”- Why do I push this guy so hard? Because I really like his debut LP The Brick: Bodega Chronicles, and I don’t think you’ve given it a chance.
Crooked I- “Creased Khaki Flow”: He just got shot at or something the other week, so I hope everything is all right in his life. I finally gave The Block Obama mixtape the attention it deserved, and it has some songs on there. This isn’t from that, but it is still pretty good.
UGK- “Real Women”: Good song. Talib is a talented dude, and UGK deserves more credit and attention than I’ve given them.
Ghostface Killah- “Daytona 500”: Speaking of classic beats… Listen to Ironman, because it is almost as good as Cuban Linx and Fishscale, but people don’t want to give it credit.
A short playlist, sure, but I was tired, and it still was an okay show, just a lot of replays. Next week will be better! I promise!
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Rumor has it that Kanye West may voice a character on the Family Guy spin-off. It’s times like this that I wish I had TiVo. Hopefully it’ll be something like this.
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You need to check this song out. I’ve listened to it probably about a dozen times in the last day and a half. Great beat, solid hook, and the verses are pretty catchy too. Before listening to most of their debut today, I only knew these guys from Aesop Rock’s “Limelighters” and Kidz in the Hall’s “Snob Hop”. Wikipedia says their lyrics are made up of “Blaxploitation-style Dadaist slang”. How come no one tries to conjure of the spectre of dada for Lil Wayne? Anyways, if you want to download the track, just head over to Nah Right ‘s posting of the song.
Btw, I’d have to see an interview before I buy that dadaist slang apologism (say that word out loud), but it sure sounds good.
Update: Lil Wayne was called a “dreadlocked dadaist poet” by Jody Rosen in Rolling Stone‘s review of Tha Carter III. And now that we’re totally off-topic, here is a pretty cool article talking about Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and elitist hipster bloggers (ahem Pitchfork ahem). Be sure to read the comments at the bottom for further intelligent discussion.
I guess the forthcoming Relapse (May 19) isn’t all Eminem’s been working on this year. Sessions between him and Dre resulted in enough material for two albums, so that’s what he plans to do with it. I’m excited to hear a bunch of new Dre production, but can we stop with the (Album name) 2/3/4/…?
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It’s March!
Asher Roth- “I Love College”: You may have heard of Asher Roth, he’s an ‘up and coming’ artist, which I put in quotes because of the impending return of Eminem. Certainly we don’t need his facsimile when we have the real thing, right? This is the single off Asleep in the Bread Aisle.
Eminem- “Guilty Conscience”: Just to demonstrate that they share similar voices and styles. As if I needed to. The Slim Shady LP.
Tech N9ne- “It’s Alive”: I had some business to attend to for a couple of minutes, so Christi decided to rep KC. MC Chris Barnes would be so proud. From Anghellic.
The Knux- “F!re (Put it In the Air)”: Here I go again. Listening to songs in the studio instead of at home. This was the first time I was bored by this album. I guess it was bound to happen. Remind Me in 3 Days… to finish listening to the album (see how cute I am?).
The Pharcyde- “Passing Me By”: I don’t know much about the Pharcyde, which is to say I don’t know anything about them. I know they are a group, and have a style some might call ‘backpacker.’ I don’t know what album that song is from. Just kidding, it’s from Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde.
Edan- “Promised Land”: I like this song/beat more than the other song from Beauty and the Beat we have in the station. Great sample, good flow, I just wish it was longer. He looks a little like Aesop Rock.
Jake One- “The Truth (ft. Freeway & Brother Ali)”: This beat is hot. Seriously. I’ve been listening to this song all the time recently. The sample is “At Night Time” by Johnnie Taylor, which I’ve never heard, but maybe that means something to you. In an interview with Brother Ali, HipHopDx’s interviewer suggests that Jake One should do more beats for Ali. I second that. White Van Music.
N.A.S.A- “N.A.S.A. Music (ft. Method Music, E-40, & DJ Swamp)”: Here was my mini-theme of the night: producers who don’t do vocals. First Jake One, then N.A.S.A., get it? (This is the type of cleverness you get to be witness to when you listen to my show. I’ve been told it’s wonderful.) Believe it or not, but I finally listened to all of The Spirit of Apollo. I enjoyed it. “Gifted,” the song featuring Kanye is my favorite on the album, for what that’s worth.
Mr. Lif- “Brothaz”: I don’t really know this song, but I like the album I Phantom, especially the song “Earthcrusher.” This is off his second album Mo’ Mega. He’s on Def Jux if you didn’t know, and allegedly has a new album coming this year.
Kid Cudi- “Man on the Moon (The Anthem)”: So I finally played Kid Cudi on my show. It felt good. This was the first song that really jumped out at me on A Kid Named Cudi. Which, by the way, you should listen to. It’s not bad.
Talib Kweli- “Hostile Gospel”: I love this song. Eardrum is sort of disappointing on the whole, but this is a legitimately great song.
Kanye West- “Gone (ft. Cam’ron & Consequence)”: MC Chris Barnes is right. This is the best song on Late Registration. The beat is awesome, Cam’ron and Consequence bring great guest spots, and you get two (!) vintage Kanye verses.
Busta Rhymes- “Party is Goin’ On Over Here”: How disappointing. I really wish I had just played “Gone” twice in a row. If this is your sort of thing (and more power to you) then check out E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front. As if I wasn’t mad enought about playing the song, that has to be the album title?!
KRS-One- “Rappaz R. N. Dainja”: I thought a little KRS-One (of Boogie Down mythos) would help turn the show around. I guess I should have known better when I saw the title. The thing about KRS is that when he sticks to what made him great (political commentary and story-telling), he can still be very good, but when he falls into silly rap cliches (see this song), he could be just about anybody. This song is from earlier than I thought (95’s self-titled album), so maybe the fact that it is a remix explains why it didn’t work.
Blackalicious- “Supreme People”: A song of The Craft for once. I don’t know The Craft at all, so I’m trying to feel it out on air ala The Knux. This sounded okay, but I think I was paying to much attention to blogging while it was playing.
Joell Ortiz- “Keep Callin’ (ft. Akon)”: I like this song. Joell Ortiz’s verses aren’t his best ever, but he still manages to convey some really interesting tidbits under the guise of the poppiest song in his catalog. From The Brick: Bodega Chronicles.
Jay-Z- “The Ruler’s Back”: Who doesn’t love Blueprint? The thing about that album is that the first single is legitimately the best song on the album (“Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”), something that I feel rarely happens. I know some idiots might argue that “Renegade” (me a year or so ago) or “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” are better, but seriously, neither of those statements are true. “Izzo” is great because it manages to be potentially the catchiest song he’s ever written (no small thanks to Kanye for the beat btw), and the verses are sneakily great. Go listen to the third verse (“I was raised in the pro-jects, roaches and rats/Smokers out back, sellin’ they mama’s sofa/Lookouts on the corner, focused on the ave…”), yeah it’s simple, but simple like the Beatles are simple, and those details could very well be on Illmatic.
Nas- “Queens Get the Money”: You know the part in the song where he mentions Kelis (“I used my milkshake to bring ya’ll to my slaughterhouses”)? It’s because they’re married. And she’s pregnant apparently. And they’re having a reality show!!! Those exclamation points are somewhat sarcastic, I don’t actually think Nas is interesting enough to carry a show. He’s certainly no Rob Dyrdek. Anyways, this song is off of Untitled.
Clipse- “Young Boy”: Lord Willin’. This blog post is taking forever so I’m just going to rap this up.
Re-Up Gang- “Show You How to Hustle”: This is off of We Got it 4 Cheap Vol. 3. New Clipse look out! And stay away from the Re-up Gang album, you’re better off with the mixtapes.
Lupe Fiasco- “Go Go Gadget Flow”: He’s from Chicago, I’m sort of from Chicago, but I don’t really care too much for him. I should probably give him a better chance, but he just seems like such a wimp. The Cool.
The Roots- “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)”: Weird beat, but cool. Go watch them on Jimmy Fallon’s new late night show, because that is the only place you’ll see them for a while. Rising Up.
Big Daddy Kane- “Young Gifted & Black”: You know I like this song, and I also like Atmosphere’s version “YGM”. Apparently Aretha Franklin has a record by the same name (and Nina Simone too sorta). It’s a Big Daddy Thing.
Hu$tle Simmons- “Everybody (The Chase)”: Another one from these dudes, whoever they are. This one seemed okay, not a great hook, but the verses were better than I’ve noticed in past songs. Self-titled album.
Aesop Rock- “Limelighters (ft. Camp Lo)”: Camp Lo changed their name to just Lo, but now it’s back again. I really like their guest verse on “Snob Hop” by Kidz in the Hall. This is another track from Bazooka Tooth.
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If nothing else it’s a very interesting performance. About half the songs are from 808s and Heartbreak and the other half are a mix of Graduation and Late Registration. Kanye acts crazy a whole bunch, discusses his desire to kill a man (you’ll see), lays down on stage, and does some pretty cool reditions of some of his songs. It’s worth watching. Check out Nah Right’s coverage (including downloadable mixtape version!). I guess you could visit DogsPlayPoker and follow his link, but much like his blog it’s lower quality. Plus at Nah Right you can watch each song individually.
The Hip-Hop Hour 