Wednesday, May 30, 2012
D.J. JAZZY JEFF-----CRATE DIGGERS (VIDEO)
D.J. Jazzy Jeff. Jeffrey Townes. The best DJ in the world. My biggest influence in hip hop (next to Awethentic and Speech). Since I was a sophomore in high school, Jazzy Jeff has been on my radar because of his cutting edge techniques on the Technics (pun intended). Again, he is the best DJ in the world. I can go on and on about his influence on subsequent turntablists, but I won't. This Fuse Crate Diggers episode shows Jeff in his vinyl element, musing over his obsession with records. He doesn't necessarily consider himself a digger, but a lover of records and music. He just happens to have a large amount of records in his Illadelph arsenal. Watch this dope nine-plus minute video, courtesy of Fuse and YouTube. Just viewing this has inspired me to continue on that neverending quest for vinyl and records. I don't have the close to twenty crates of records any longer, but the love will ALWAYS be there.
PETE ROCK-----CRATE DIGGERS (VIDEO)
Watching this dope Fuse TV episode of Crate Diggers, you find just how serious music is to the one christened Peter Phillips. Pete Rock has amassed an awe-inspiring amount of records over the past few decades (reportedly in excess of 100k). Coming from the same crate-digging aesthetic as Soul Brother #1, I can truly appreciate his total dedication to the craft. It seems that looking for that perfect sample is not revered like it once was, but that's okay. There are quite a few beatsmiths still looking through dusty vinyl or now utilizing technology to the point of searching from an online standpoint. Either way, Pete Rock shows the hip hop world exactly why he is one of the dopest ever. Look at the video courtesy of Fuse, and watch some other episodes of Crate Diggers. ONE LOVE VINYL AFICIANADOS!
NEW VIDEO: NAS---"DAUGHTERS"
Nasir Jones has done it again. He has crafted another thought-provoking joint with "Daughters", a song I can surely relate to at this point. What more can you say about his prolific career? Of course he has some missteps along the way, but who doesn't. His trajectory within hip hop is almost unparalleled. He has almost made an entire career on sheer lyricism. "Daughters" is another feather in that pimped-out, Don-inspired cap that Nas has been wearing since the 1990's. Like the title implies, the song is his fatherly perspective on having a daughter. He doesn't sugarcoat the topic, but instead speaks the realistic view on his position as a very famous father with a daughter that has to deal with growing up in her father's far-casting shadow. The picture painted by Nas is vivid, as usual, and those brothas within the hip hop diaspora with daughters, young and older, can surely relate. Crafted by No I.D., the song is a great marriage between beat and rhyme. The video, directed by Maryland native Chris Robinson, is a look through the eyes of Destiny Jones, the teen daughter of Nas. If this is any indication of what to expect from Life Is Good, the tenth studio album for the dynamic lyricist, we should have a gem on our hands when it is due to be released July 17th. Looking at this video, I think about my own twenty-year old daughter who is coming into her own as a young woman in this shifting world of ours. I'm glad that I'm getting that opportunity to witness this next phase in her life. On that note, I say peace to all the brothas within hip hop culture that are strong fathers and shining examples for their daughters.
LUPE'S FIASCO
I feel for Lupe, I really do. Fam gets so much backlash, even though he is one of the dopest lyricists to enter the realm of hip hop over the past decade or so. Even on his worst day lyrically, he will run verbal circles around the majority of the game. So what exactly is the problem? There are a few layers to this somewhat complex story that need to be addressed to give a little clarity. The latest issue to come to the forefront is the Lupe Fiasco track "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)", the slated first single from the album Food And Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album.
Taking advice from his business partner and manager Chill, Lupe decided to put a spin on the Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth classic "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", rhyming over an interpolated version of the iconic Pete Rock creation. Per the unspoken rules of hip hop, this was a definite no-no. Why? Didn't Pete Rock sample the bulk of his song from a Tom Scott joint? I believe that the issue is two-fold. The first issue of contention was utilizing such a dope joint that had special meaning for Pete and crew. Just looking at some of the subsequent tweets from Pete Rock, you get that sense that he felt that the song itself is an untouchable one. I tend to agree with this mode of thinking. As a hip hop head, there are certain songs that you just don't touch, no ifs, and or buts. "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is one of those untouchables. The second issue that I believe comes into play is Lupe and camp reaching out to Pete Rock for input/blessing. This is up for debate, because Lupe contends that he tried to reach out for support from Pete Rock for the project, but The Chocolate Boy Wonda doesn't agree. I'm not exactly sure what to think in this instance. My thought process when I immediately found out about this controversy was for Lupe to hit up Pete or vice versa. What we have instead is a relatively quiet back and forth banter between the artists. Pete using Twitter to voice his displeasure on the less than stellar beat remake; Lupe going on Sway In The Morning to vent because of Pete Rock's reaction to the track.
Link: http://soundcloud.com/swaysuniverse/lupe-fiasco-expresses-his
It makes for good blog fodder, but I'm not one for the negative back and forth. Hip hop does have its issues that need to be addressed. I hope that soon, the two entities in question can come to an understanding about this latest Lupe "fiasco". Truthfully, I don't think Lupe meant any harm whatsoever. I think the issue is more generational than anything else. Remember, for VH-1 Hip Hop Honors, when Lupe was selected to pay homage to the venerable A Tribe Called Quest. He at first was apprehensive because he wasn't an avid Tribe fan (that caught me off guard given his lyricism). He later relented, at the request of Q-Tip. What transpired during the show was Lupe forgetting some of the Phife Dawg lyrics to "Electric Relaxation". He spent a good while explaining away that unfortunately unforgettable performance. I still remember though Lupe, but it's cool.
Bottom line is that Lupe, for all of his talent and quiet bravado, is at a crossroads. He is not as young as this newer crop of artists within the hip hop world, and he is not quite old school. His new album will be a make or break joint. L.A.S.E.R.S. was a disappointment in my eyes (the musical backdrops didn't live up to the lyrical barrage we come to expect from a Lupe Fiasco). I'm hoping that he returns to a more organic sound with the appropriately named Soundtrakk. I'm hoping that he is able to balance artistry and business so that it doesn't impact his creativity. I'm hoping that he doesn't abandon his left of center lyrics for a more emo-way of rhyming, which will cater to a less than palatable music. These are just the musings of someone that truly respects Lupe. I laud him time and time again, be it on Twitter or on my blog, because I feel that an artist of his caliber comes around few and far between. At this point, the wave that Lupe Fiasco was riding has now been occupied by a certain Cali artist with the name Kendrick Lamar. Lamar is now the chosen one, and he is handling his career properly from my vantage point. I can't say the same for Lupe. Can he reclaim his rightful place within hip hop, or has the tide turned (continuing with the surfing analogy)? We will find out Summer 2012, barring any more Atlantic Records issues. Right now, the album release is slated for September 25th.
In closing, I have so much respect for BOTH Pete Rock and Lupe Fiasco. Pete Rock will go down in lore as one of the dopest beat maestros in the still relatively short history of hip hop culture. Lupe Fiasco will be hailed as one of the dopest lyricists that hip hop has ever seen. BOTH artists can learn a thing or two from each other, and once the egos and bravado are put to the side, I sense that some truly dope things can come from this latest "fiasco". What do you think?
Source Credits:
http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2012/05/lupe-fiasco-on-food-liquor-2-people-are-going-to-love-it-i-think
http://www.lupefiasco.com/
http://respect-mag.com/listen-lupe-fiasco-fires-off-on-pete-rock/
NEW VIDEO----"NO CHURCH IN THE WILD", THE THRONE FEAT. FRANK OCEAN
Watch The Throne still has plenty of life, with Jay-Z and Kanye releasing the long-awaited video for "No Church In The Wild". I've been plotting my own treatment for this video since the album debuted August 8, 2011. Listening to the Frank Ocean-crafted hook, and fusing that with the retrospective lyrics, makes for a potentially dope video, if handled properly. I'll keep my videography skills at bay for the time being, as French director Romain Gavras was enlisted to bring the song to life visually. You won't find Ocean, Jay, or Yeezy in the video, but what you will see is powerful imagery that has a world appeal. The video was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic in April. Let me know what you think of the video.
One Love!
Friday, May 25, 2012
2012 ROOTS PICNIC MIXTAPE (MIXED BY DJ LOW BUDGET)
If I get the golden opportunity to FINALLY experience the Picnic up close and personal, I will make sure to bask in the glow of all the artists I've been wanting to see for years. De La and Rakim comes to mind when I say this. Before I digress any further about the virtues of Golden Era Hip Hop 101, I will allow the D-O-P-E mixtape offering from Low Budget to speak volumes. Enjoy the Soundcloud-assisted joint, allowing it to be a precursor to the good things on the horizon at Penn's Landing on June 2nd and 3rd. One love to my Okayplayer family for supplying the goods, as expected. Okayplayer has a way of spoiling its tried and true followers. Glad I'm a Charter Member (check the resume AND technique blogosphere)! Membership has its benefits (pun is proudly intended). Don't forget to cop tix for the 5th Annual Roots Picnic (shameful plug), and witness a slew of artists sharing the stage with the dopest hip hop group PERIOD. One love blogosphere!
Monday, May 21, 2012
NEW MUSIC: SKI BEATZ / CAMP LO---FORT APACHE EP
I have an affinity for the sonic creations of Camp Lo and Ski Beatz. Ever since the Camp Lo classic debut Uptown Saturday Night, the synergy has been quite apparent. Ski has always had his nimble fingers on the pulse of Camp Lo's heartbeat, providing a cinematic soundtrack part retro and part neo. What you get is a dope concoction of filtered musicality and avant-garde lyricism steeped in abstract wordplay. It should come as no surprise that the six-cut EP, Fort Apache, is a dope piece of hip hop for year 2012 and beyond. If this is any indication of what to expect from these creative cats in the near future, then the rest of the hip hop community should take notice. Camp Lo still has something to say in their quirky, whimsical, slick, fly manner, and tight jeans and swagger won't change that perception. In conjunction with DD172 and BluRoc Records, Fort Apache is brought to the world as another piece of the Camp Lo puzzle. Take a listen at Fort Apache and let the music speak for itself. Special thanks for the Dame Dash-sponsored DD172 and BluRoc Records for continuing to push the envelope. It seems that Dame is more interested in art instead of strict commerce.
ONE LOVE!
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