Monthly Archives: February 2009

40 Glocc

Posted by David on

Definitely one of the most listenable Cali rappers right now, 40 Glocc has this perfect generic 90s gangsta stlye w/ no meta bitchery, no super-self-conscious fake gangsta The Game-style historical awareness, absent the G-Unit branding that would dilute the new West Coast affiliate, just pure ignorant fearless Cali g-shit (but, like, hungry-fearless like ’02 50 Cent, not bored-fearless like now 50 Cent, slow-building buzz feeling refreshingly separate from awful ‘crack a bottle’/'i get it in’ Generic-Unit formula joints) … produced by J. Dilla????

I can’t explain that shit except to say that yeah no matter how annoying the cult of dilla can be the guy was a real artist with an incredibly diverse approach & willingness to experiment with different styles & subsume them in his own vision.

“Finer Thingz” was hot too

I Am Legend Whoo Kid mixtape had some joints — great beat selection, tracks with jayo felony, a joint spitting over forgotten Mike Jones banger ‘my 6-4′, knocking Alchemist track with Ras Kass spitting his “Gun butt, uppercut, I’ll clip ya chin,” it-really-makes-you-think raps, a ‘wanna be a baller’ flow with tony yayo & spider loc, one of those knocking uptempo Akon’s pan-global pop joints, & Glocc’s kinda generic flow tying together into one of those classicist west coast gangsta albums with a hardheaded blank slate rapper.

Also its nice to hear some classic conspiracy theorist raps from a dude who might get mainstream burn even if (because?) his Obama h8ing seems pretty out of step with the times.

The thrill is gone from Chicago radio

Posted by David on

Ive never really explained the link to Boolumaster’s website on our sidebar — basically dude is one of the biggest & best Chicago DJs & has been spinning everything (rap, house, juke, dancehall, old school, steppin music) in this city for a long-ass time on Power 92. It also gave a uniquely Chicago feel to our ‘sound of the streets’ rap station. One of the best things about this city is that its always been unapologetic in its embrace of diverse music. House music, dance music, rap & R&B have been played side by side on Power 92 for as long as I can remember, & gospel & rap on WGCI, steppin, quiet storm, old school hip hop & modern soul on V103 … its a city that is real proud of its musical heritage.

Apparently, some clueless suits recently issued a dictum that Power 92 is no longer going to spin any house music, which is a real disappointing development in my opinion. I’m assuming this is related to some kind of demographic shift but its a huge change for this city & certainly marks some kind of turning point.

Boolumaster has made a farewell house music mix over @ his site called “The Thrill is Gone,” which you should download here. I dont give a fuck that this is a rap site. Mix is whats up right now.

Not quite Snoop & D.R.E. …

Posted by David on

but he does say “to ME,” & I respect that kind of self awareness. I’m feeling this in the sense that I will play it a few times & no matter how many controversial posts I end up making that first Kurious album is still a classic to me.

Although whenever I start to type his name my brain automatically starts writing “Kurupt” instead.

In other news there’s a new rap website called hiphop.com & I wrote a review of last year’s E-40 album for it so check that shit out. I should have a B-Real review up there soon too. Just remember I’m only to blame for the scores I give records I review & cannot defend giving N.A.S.A. a better score than E-40.

Shitty Music Of The Week

Posted by SergDun on

Holy fucking crap this week we got some fucking unbelievably bad music. Shit I wasn’t even sure what I was going to post until the internet blessed me with this piece of shit.

I mean really? Really? This is what you’re trying to do? I can’t even wrap my brain around the idea that someone would ever think this was a song worth recording? Never mind that You Spin Me Round is a complete shit song that needs to fucking die already, sorry shitbags but that’s the fucking truth. Let go of your mediocre 80′s bullshit already. But these shitty ideas of using horrible 80′s inspired hooks is so fucking stupid(please see Slim Thug’s I Ran for further proof). The marginal use of autotune and retarded syth stabs accompanied by that fucking crap ass casio keyboard just takes this worthless cheesedick song over the edge.

This song couldn’t even be saved if it was about getting your dick sucked and eating pussy. Instead you get laced with worthless verses with shitty lines stressing the last syllable in an attempt to string this piece of shit song together. Leaving you a worthless barrage of raps about strippers/models after bankrolls while he’s trying to be the king of the club flashing his gear in a sea of diarrhea.

Flo-Rida’s idea of what white people want to hear must be limited to things that would appeal the characters of The Breakfast club. The fucked up thing is that there are enough stupid people out there to support the idea that this money is worth chasing. This is why Asher Roth has a career, because Drama wants to get that Mickey Avalon money. Motherfuckers making rap music for people who don’t even like it in the first place.

But who gives a fuck what I think, I’m sure in Vegas there is some dude in an Affliction t-shirt cumming all over his fucking true religions because a sweaty mall pussy with a fake tan is rubbing her long butt all over his balls when the dishwasher of a dj drops this casino club banger.

Gucci Funk Era

Posted by David on

New Gucci mixtape & there are some A+ exclusives on this joint — also a few tracks that already leaked. A few quick notes on some traxx so u dont think Gucciwatch ends with ’08 roundups:

Crush On You prod. by Warren G

—Probably my favorite joint on here so far, Im assuming this id tag is correct & Warren G produced this. It’s one of those relaxed Gucci tracks where he’s being playful & almost tongue-in-cheek gentle. The beat is like the soundtrack to Home Alone, creeping pizzicato strings & nursery rhyme/nutcracker bells & cats feet hi-hats; the effect is perfect for Gucci’s clowning chorus, “Gucci got a crush on you. I ain’t trynna put a rush on you!” Per usual a Gucci 4theladiez track is so much more, not feeling corny or like some kind of obligation; its just another chance for him to be funny & lyrical, goofing about how he thinks she thinks hes handsome, borderline faux-naif teenager fantasizing about how he’ll sweep his crush off her feet (but with a dose of irony peaking from behind the curtain). “What city we in? don’t really matter baby cuz I’m flyin you in.” “It’s gravy, be my old lady, prada every day baby, no Old Navy.”

Fa Sho
—”I blow my nose with money, bitch I keep snot on my knot / i keep that pistol cocked back, and my fork in the pot / my money fallin’ out my safe when i open my lock”

Obnoxious
—This has been out a lil while but I love how dude flips hating into an embrace of all his ‘bad’ qualities — ‘they say i’m obnoxious, but bitches be jocking,’ another play off that ‘might cant dance but my rims can’ self-deprecation.

Get It Big
—this is driving me nuts, what beat is this?

all that OJ shit
I dig OJ but I’m still repeating the first half of the mixtape so I haven’t had time for it. Quick 1-listen review: “Benjamin Franklins” and “VVS” and the joint with Bohagan are hot though, Cam’ron remix makes the song feel kinda cheesy, I still dont like the “Bricks” remix & the last two tracks were on the album that came out a couple weeks ago.

B-Real – Smoke-N-Mirrors

Posted by David on

This is a pretty uneven affair. Only traxx u should really be checking for:

Smoke-N-Mirrors
Gangsta Music
—Best track on the album. This Soopafly-produced joint knocks & features a good grown man gangsta verse with B-Real’s trademark tight-chested flow about coming from the streets and making decisions and real-world consequences, his motivations to leave the streets & his inability to completely leave them behind, repping for folks who feel like they have no other choice “Stuck in this poverty there’s gotta be another way out of it / found it in the music in spite of the people who doubted it / couldn’t pull away so easy, separation is ugly / how could i pull away, just knowin that the streets still love me / but the love can be so deadly, we ain’t talkin romance / sometimes the streets they need a sacrifice, we takin’ a chance / it doesn’t matter where you’re livin, every ghetto the same / the only thing that’s different all these people’s faces and names / if i pray to god to give me strength to battle the devil / maybe id hit another level so i could hoist up my metal (medal?)”
Don’t Ya Dare Laugh
—I don’t know what to say about this. I shouldnt like it but what the fuck. Xzibit kills it too. Young De is generic as fukk though, whats up with that?
Everything You Want
Psycho Realm Revolution
Fire
—Real single material with this joint, trading verses with Damian Marley about smoking pot which really what else can u ask for from B-Real
10 steps behind
Stackn Paper
1 Life

The last tracks on the album are kinda ehhhh, like listening to B-Real I want to like this shit but … its so not-quite-good-enough. Like, a posse cut with Too $hort & Kurupt should feel bigger than “When We’re Fucking.” Real underwhelming.

Really I just wanted an excuse to post this classic ’01 Cypress Hill single:

I like Greek raps

Posted by David on

in my opinion Terror X Crew are the shit. I said in ’05 that their beats have RZA vibes but really its more like some early stoned Cypress Hill except u cant understand what TXC are saying — tho i do think greek as a language sounds pretty awesome when rapped. I think they are rapping about: stage diving, graf writing, extreme sports, smoking Mediterranean ganj (im projecting) & how nazis are shitty people.

slow jams raps

Posted by David on

These new Yung Joc slow jam raps are way better than they have any right to be. Along with this Its A Nitti Beat track & Trai’D's X-Pill, yr talking about a pretty strong series of soft 4theladies material in 09. Gotta say that conceptual gimmickry is a much better direction for Joc to go in, since hes about the least distinctive rapper; even “its going down” was a track that for all intents & purposes should have been forgettable it was so generic but was classic instead (ultimate ‘more than the sum of its parts’ joint). A genuine singles artist, he can never make his tracks work as a rapper (listen to Jody Breeze outshine him on “Thug Love”) but as an artist hes got … something. Apparently. theres no way a rapper of his caliber should still be around & no doubt hes had enough weak album tracks to warrant ignoring forever & ever … but here we are. 80s Sade saxophone on “Meet Me at the Bar” is fire, and I cant explain why but if dude makes an album of loverthug traxx im not gonna be that mad at it … maybe.

It all leaves me very cautious making proclamations about what career moves yung joc should or shouldnt be doing. But for now these tracks are tight & thats whats up.

"I’m a little concerned with my city being the TIGHT JEAN MECCA"

Posted by David on

Fake Shore Drive did an interview with somanyshrimp #1 Chicago rapper Vakill which you can read here; dude talks about how ghostwriting helped him buy a house, says his upcoming cd is gonna feature Crooked I (thats whats up) & Grafh and acts diplomatic when discussing ‘colorful’ Chicago rappers. I hope he gets back with Royce & Ras Kass again too. Best quote: “They say gangstas can’t be too lyrical. I say fuck that.”

Here are two old-ass posts about Vakill I made back in ’05-’06. And if you dont know if his raps are for you I suggest you reflect yet again on whether Mike Heron was right; are dudes with a pen winning?