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July 21st, 2009Uncategorized
1. THE JUMP OFF
Noreaga sounds about as giddy as a crackhead who just sold his Blu-Ray disc player for ten bucks, with another rock to be procured just around the corner. Not surprisingly, this rap album intro is about as worthless as Monopoly money.
2. BANNED FROM TV (FEAT CAM'RON, NATURE, BIG PUNISHER, JADAKISS, & STYLES P)
There's a lot of nostalgic love for this Swizz Beats-produced posse cut, whose participants were selected with the aid of folded-up squares of paper and a comically oversized magician's hat. (White gloves were optional, but recommended.) The reality is that this song is rather fucking stupid. I liked Cameron's verse, and Pun sounded as good as he always did, but as a whole, this “monumental” track is underwhelming. But then again, I didn't like the song that much back in 1998, either, back when all of these rappers were fresh out of the box and "mattered" (except for Nature, who, to my knowledge, nobody ever really gave two shits about).
3. I LOVE MY LIFE (FEAT CARL THOMAS)
This song is altogether pleasant, even though I'm not usually a fan of random collaborations between rappers and R&B singers that probably never shared the same room while recording the track. It appears much too early in N.O.R.E.'s tracklisting, though: you're supposed to reflect on your success after bragging about all the shit you have for at least seven tracks, Victor. Maybe he was just thankful that he wasn't the one in the cell while Capone was building a solo career.
4. N.O.R.E.
The Trackmasters-produced first single, which, had anybody at the label had the foresight as to how game-changing the second single would be, would have probably been quietly deleted from the album. This song has a weird sound and never becomes as catchy as it believes itself to be. Clever as ever, Noreaga changed the meaning of the title's acronym for the radio: it went from “N----z On the Run Eatin'” to “Now we On the Run Eatin'”. It didn't really help.
5. HED INTERLUDE
Groan...
6. HED (FEAT NATURE)
Just the mere fact that I just wrote that a Noreaga song entitled “Hed” (for a song about enjoying blowjobs, that title is even less subtle that N*E*R*D's “Brain”) features another guy (Nature, in a choral cameo that easily could have been deleted) makes me chuckle. The aural mess that make up the “drums” on here are horrible, but the melody that plays in the background is actually quite good. Unlike the rest of this song.
7. IT'S NOT A GAME (FEAT MAZE & MUSOLINI)
Noreaga's middle verse starts off approaching a somewhat serious topic (how to handle an argument between friends without choosing sides), but then, predictably, turns into random Noreaga-type shit. (We get it, man: you love blowjobs. So does every guy in the fucking world, whether they're straight or gay. You're not in the minority: you don't need to shout it from the rooftops. I love blowjobs too, but I don't write about that in every write-up.) The weed carriers are of no consequence, but SPK's piano-driven beat is a good one.
8. FIESTA (FEAT KID CAPRI)
I thought this song was really fucking awful back in the day, and it would always provoke my use of the 'skip' button. However, even though it still sucks today, I'm surprised at how much this one crappy song foreshadows Noreaga's excursions into reggaeton. Huh.
9. 40 ISLAND (FEAT KOOL G RAP & MUSOLINI)
In contrast, I loved this song back in the day, and it remains one of my favorite Noreaga tracks, even though it is, admittedly, a blatant rip-off of an older Kool G Rap song (but at least he included the song's original players, both on the mic and behind the boards, so that was nice of him). Marley Marl's beat is dramatic as fuck, and although G Rap is the only guy that sounds comfortable over it (naturally, as it was his song before), Noreaga and his chief potholder do alright for themselves.
10. THE WAY WE LIVE (FEAT CHICO DEBARGE)
Sure, the fact that Chico DeBarge is making an appearance on a Noreaga album (the man who created the catchphrase “Thugged Out!”) is amusing, but you can't help but feel bad for the guy. It definitely doesn't help that the man sings a chorus that rips off the hook from Atlantic Starr's “Secret Lovers”. Hmm.
11. ANIMAL THUG INTERLUDE
This is actually really fucking racist.
12. THE CHANGE
Beat-wise, Kurt Gowdy's production sounds like a leftover from The War Report. And probably because of that fact, I found myself liking this track, save for the corny-as-hell chorus.
13. SUPERTHUG (FEAT TAMMY LUCAS & PHARRELL WILLIAMS)
Beat-wise, this Neptunes-produced track sounds absolutely nothing like anything Noreaga had done up to this point. This is frequently touted as the track that broke Pharrell and Chad through to the mainstream, and hearing N.O.R.E.'s second single today is still an amusing experience, as it sounds kind of like a primer for their sound: Neptunes Club Banger 101, as it were. Still, it sounds really good, and is preferable to the shit that Pharrell passes off as “Neptunes” production when it's really work that he has done by himself. For my money, Noreaga is in the top five when it comes to the best rappers to ever work with the Neptunes. It shouldn't be a surprise to learn that the Neptunes influence grew exponentially over the rest of Noreaga's catalog.
14. DA STORY (FEAT MAZE)
I've decided that whenever Noreaga channels his past self who appeared on The War Report, his lyrics are far more tolerable. The presence of his bored weed carrier on the hook is a detriment, though.
15. MATHEMATICS (ESTA LOCA)
I'm not sure about my two readers, but if my kid's first words were “What What!”, I would be more than a little bit concerned. If my kid released a song that was as convoluted as this shit, I would assume that they just didn't have any sense.
16. THE ASSIGNMENT (FEAT BUSTA RHYMES, SPLIFF STAR, & MAZE)
If this song were released today, you could tag it as a Kanye West production and nobody would question it (except maybe Kanye himself). (Instead, it was created by Nashiem Myrick, of Puff Daddy's Hitmen (he's the guy who creates the cinematic moody beats) and J. Waxx Garfield, who later worked with Gza/Genius and Cormega.) Sure, this track would have had much more of an impact had Nore and Busta left their respective weed carriers in the car, but the song itself is still pretty decent. Not only does Busta dismiss Noreaga's potholder by failing to mention his name in the hook (although he makes damn sure to name-drop Spliff Star), Nore also pushes poor Maze out of the way to spit a second verse. Hi-larious!
17. BODY IN THE TRUNK (FEAT NAS)
Dame Grease's beat is distracting, which isn't a good thing, considering that Nas and Nore are trying to tell a fucking story. It shouldn't surprise anybody to discover that Nas outshines his host on so many levels that I've lost count, but Noreaga doesn't entirely suck on here, which is a plus.
18. ONE LOVE
Oddly, this is not a song, but an overly long interlude featuring Noreaga on the phone with an incarcerated Capone. The sentiment is sweet, and from a marketing standpoint, I understand the importance of keeping the Capone-N-Noreaga brand alive, but there's no reason this needed to go on forever.
19. OUTRO (FEAT EVE BRENNER)
At least Noreaga thanks me for listening to the entire album. Not many artists go out of their way to do that, and I appreciate it.
FINAL THOUGHTS: N.O.R.E. Is the rare rap album that starts off sounding pretty awful, but picks up steam in a serious way during its second half. (Usually it's the other way around.) Noreaga sounds excited at the prospect of a solo career, even though it was kind of forced upon him,and even though most of his beats sound like shit, his own energy is infectious. While this isn't an entirely good (or even decent) album, Noreaga proves that he may be capable of big things in the future, (Obviously, that didn't pan out in real life, but N.O.R.E. gave us the possibility of potential.)
BUY OR BURN? I wouldn't recommend that you go out of your way to pick this up, since the first half is almost uniformly terrible, but the second half is intriguing enough to warrant a burn. Go in with low expectations and you may find this one entertaining.
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July 20th, 2009UncategorizedPatrick BEBEY was born in 1964.
He studied classical music in the Paris Conservatoire.
He studied jazz, Brazilian music and African music by himself.
He created his band in 1983.
He started playing as a professional musician in 1986.
He has toured or played on records for different artists such as : Mory KANTE, CharlElie COUTURE, Francis BEBEY, Wasis DIOP, Lokua KANZA, Sam TSHABALALA, Geoffrey ORYEMA, Francis Lalanne, Pajaro CANZANI, Papa WEMBA, Miriam MAKEBA, ROE, Coco MBASSI, LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, Minino GARAY, Roy AYERS, John WILLIAMS and John ETHERIDGE As musical director he has produced two albums for Papa WEMBA : "Molokaï" (Realworld Records 1998) and a live CD/DVD "New Morning" (Synchronies Music 2006).
As part of the production “Africa at the Opera” he performed a tune for Pygmy flute and choir - and presented it together with Laydsmith Black Mambazo in the sold out Philharmony in Cologne. He also composed the music for two family musicals and a tune called "Timba" for pygmy flute and orchestra, which he performed in the Philharmony in Stuttgart together with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker orchestra. During the last two years, he performed with his band in Italy, Switzerland, Germany (Munich Africa weeks festival), France and at the Womad Festival in Las Palmas.
Patrick Bebey plays African rooted music mixed with jazzy seeds.
He is accompanied by excellent musicians: on drums Luiz Augusto Cavani and bass: Marc Bertaux. Both have joined him for numerous concerts all over the years.
PATRICK BEBEY / News Patrick Bebey created some magic moments for some 2300 visitors at Junge Garde in Dresden in June 2002 when he performed his one note flute together with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sam Tshabalala, Coco Mbassi and Gcina Mhlophe. A few days afterwards he had the pleasure to jam with musicians like Phil Colins and Peter Gabriel at Peter Gabriel..s wedding party where he was invited.
He ended the concert season last year with a concert at Mozartsaal in Stuttgart where he performed his own compositions together with the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester.
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July 19th, 2009Uncategorized
1. ROAD TO THE RICHES
First-time listeners (like myself) may be surprised to hear how much a younger G Rap's voice resembles that of Black Thought from The Roots. (That may be due more to a conscious effort by Black Thought than anything else, though: ?uestlove has told many stories about how Road To The Riches is one of Thought's favorite albums.) G Rap completely destroys Marley Marl's beat, and younger listeners will be amazed that rap music sounded like this in the 1980s.
2. IT'S A DEMO
Kind of a really stupid title, since this song is clearly not a demo track, but G Rap demonstrates his craft (hey, I just got it!) over a relatively decent beat that will remind you of Eric B. & Rakim's “I Know You Got Soul”.
3. MEN AT WORK
There's just something about rapping over the “Apache” breakbeat: Black Thought sounded great on “Thought @ Work” (which was obviously influenced by this track), and Wale did alright by himself on his Black Thought tribute, but for the hip hop heads that have been in it for the long haul, Kool G Rap is the end-all be-all, and this song is fucking awesome, even today. Go ahead, my younger readers: go to Youtube and give this track a spin before finishing this write-up. It's okay, I can wait.
4. TRULY YOURS
Hey, welcome back. Pete Rock was obviously a fan of this song, since he remade it (with G Rap in tow) for the first Soul Survivor disc. G Rap's second verse is incredibly homophobic, and would never fly today, but it is still impressive that he went the entire verse without saying the f-word. (And no, I'm not talking about “fuck”, although he doesn't say that, either.)
5. CARS
Ultimately, this song is kind of silly, but it's still entertaining. What is it about sampling Gary Numan (a revelation that you should have been clued in upon after reading the very title of this song) that makes rappers want to stand out even more? (See: Gza/Genius and The Rza on “Life Is A Movie”.) Hearing rappers sample New Wave tracks is always a plus for me.
6. TRILOGY OF TERROR
While that is a cool fucking title, it would have made more sense if there were two other rappers on this track, or even if G Rap had three verses, but with what we're given, this track is pretty blah.
7. SHE LOVES ME, SHE LOVES ME NOT
The “love rap” that was mandatory on hip hop albums back in the day. G Rap fares better than Big Daddy Kane did, since G Rap's song actually has a really good beat (except for the flourishes during the chorus). It's not that great of a song, as G Rap sounds uncomfortable with the subject matter, but it could sound a lot worse.
8. COLD CUTS
Uses the same sample (one of many, many samples on here) as an Ultramagnetic MC's track, which I can't remember the name of at the moment. After the last song, this gets listeners back up to speed, energy level-wise, since it's essentially the deejay cut, although G Rap does pop up at the beginning.
9. RHYMES I EXPRESS
I wasn't that impressed with this song. It's because of the beat, though: it just didn't work for me.
10. POISON
I never realized that the vocal sample shouting the song title from that Bell Biv Devoe song was from this fucking track. There was no way I could have seen that coming (since I've never owned a Bell Biv Devoe album, so I never would have ever looked at any album credits). Just like most of the tracks on here, “Poison” features G Rap ripping the shit out of the backing Marley Marl beat, with fantastic results.
11. BUTCHER SHOP
G Rap spits an ode to his deejay, Polo, over a beat that is only alright. The lyrics are delivered with a ferocity that is solely lacking from hip hop today, though.
THE LAST WORD: With the exception of a couple of songs, Road To The Riches fucking rocks in a legendary manner, and is completely relevant to today's hip hop audience. Unfortunately, Kool G Rap isn't necessarily the first rapper younger fans think about when they decide to research the history, so this album has likely been bypassed numerous times. Make no mistake, this CD is really good, especially of you're a fan of lyrical delivery. Road To The Riches contains some classic Marley Marl production and choice cuts by DJ Polo, and comes highly recommended by me, which is always nice. Also, the links scattered throughout the post lead you to the 2006 re-release, which is full of demo tracks and alternate takes, which should satisfy the collectors that I know read this blog. Enjoy.
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July 18th, 2009Uncategorized
1. POISON RING CHAMBER (INTRO)
Of course Cilvaringz would begin his solo debut album with a sample from a kung-fu flick. All of the references to the Abbott (a nickname The Rza adopted for himself a long time ago) only add to my theory that Cilva is/was a crazed Wu stalker that snuck into the Wu Mansion and hid in a closet for days without food or water while masturbating furiously to Wu-Tang Clan liner notes, though.
2. WU-TANG MARTIAL EXPERT (FEAT PRINCE RAKEEM "THE RZA")
Don't get too excited: The Rza only shouts some ad-libs in the middle of the track, but the album credits (and yes, that's how he is credited) lead you to believe that he spits a verse, so they served their purpose. Cilva's flow comes off as a combination of Contribution X and RA The Rugged Man, and he drops more names on here than The Game, but the song does actually sound like the type of thing Wu-Tang stans like myself have been missing, so I have to say: nice work.
3. THE WEEPING TIGER (FEAT SHALLAH RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, & PRINCE RAKEEM "THE RZA")
Cool title, but the credits are misleading (this is a recurring theme, by the way). Ghostface and The Rza don't rhyme on here: they seem to have been inserted after the tail was pinned on this donkey. Cilva and Raekwon are the only two on here that spit verses, and Rae sounds surprisingly alert, decimating the verbal attempts of his host: maybe those clinical sleep trials he had been attending have produced decent results (at least, until he recorded his verse for Blackout! 2). Sadly, this track as a whole just doesn't sound very good. Oh well.
4. SHEHEREZAD, MY BELOVED (THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD – CHAPTER 1)
You see, it's easy to tell that Cilvaringz is a Wu-Tang stan (albeit one who managed to get a record deal) because he begins his first verse by repeating some older Method Man lyrics, bending them to his will. The title is too long for its own good (it's approaching Fallout Boy-levels of ridiculousness), but the song itself isn't bad: some of it is awfully sweet. Take note of the fact that it isn't listed below under “Best Tracks”, though.
5. “D---H TO AMERICA”
You're motherfucking right I'm censoring the title of this track, also known as “the main reason I wasn't really marketed in the United States”; I'm not looking for any issues with Homeland Security. Cilva oversimplifies the issue a bit, but it is very interesting to hear a completely different point of view, one which most of the anti-war protestors would have adopted, had they listened to this spoken-word track first. Listen at your own risk: America is still a free country, after all. By the way, Cilvaringz does not actually condone the title threat, which is why he put it between quotation marks. Feel better?
6. IN THE NAME OF ALLAH (FEAT PRINCE RAKEEM "THE RZA", METHOD MAN, MASTA KILLA, SCIENTIFIC SHABAZZ, & KILLAH PRIEST)
An interesting take on what used to be a Wu solo album prerequisite: the posse cut. (There are too many projects these days on which the Wu-Tang Clan seems to have forgotten that the fans they have left look forward to collaborations like this.) Method Man only drops the intro, and Masta Killa's verse treads that fine line between preachy and annoying (as most of his verses tend to do, admittedly), but as a whole, this song isn't bad. Killah Priest, especially, turns in the best performance I've heard from him in a long while. (Scientific) Shabazz the Disciple only briefly appears, but it's still pretty cool to hear Method Man say his name, essentially acknowledging the man's existence. Bobby Digital is, well, you've heard Birth of A Prince already. (Or maybe you haven't.) The song is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long, though.
7. JEWELS (FEAT GZA/GENIUS)
Hearing this a little more than four months removed from the Bush administration, I'm shocked, appalled, and embarrassed that a man that inarticulate was once the leader of the free world. However, I'm supposed to talk about the song, so let me do that. Cilva's verse is decent (I never said the dude was without skill behind the mic), and the Gza (who should have been credited as only "The Genius", in order to fit in with the rest of Cilva's theme) sounds as good as always, but they both perform over different beats: I'm still not fully convinced that the men ever shared studio time, or that Gza/Genius is even aware of his inadvertent contribution to I. Otherwise, the track is alright, I suppose.
8. BROTHERS AIN'T BROTHERS
Cilva acknowledges the fact that he seems to say The Rza's name in all of his songs, all while explaining to the Wu stans exactly how he (either officially or unofficially, it's hard to tell with the Clan, as they don't hold press conferences or anything) became the tenth member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Bronze Nazareth beat is pretty engaging, except for the beatbox break near the middle, and having The Rza speak at the very end smacks of narcissism, but otherwise, this isn't bad.
9. BLAZING SADDLES (FEAT KILLARMY)
This song is only two and a half minutes long, so there is no possible way it can include every single member of Killarmy, but that's how the song is credited, so whatever. Cilva's beat is pulsating in a “you would expect it to be used for a throwaway Ghostface Killah song” kind of way, and Killa Sin, Shogun Assassin, and Beretta 9 compensate for the environmental switchup by ripping the shit out of it. Not bad at all.
10. CARAVANSERAI – CHAPTER 1 (FEAT SHALLAH RAEKWON)
This is just a skit, and it's unnecessary, as most hip hop skits tend to be.
11. DAMASCUS
Sounds decent enough, but I found my mind wandering at an alarming pace during Cilva's quasi-religious babble over some True Master production that should have hit harder.
12. CARAVANSERAI – CHAPTER II (FEAT SHALLAH RAEKWON & SALAH EDIN)
Refer to the comments from the other similarly-titled skit.
13. TWO MISSED CALLS (SKIT)
A skit right after a skit? What the fuck? I'm not sure what Cilva was trying to prove by including alleged voicemails from the likes of Pharrell and Ne-Yo, but whatever it was, it ddn't take.
14. DART TOURNAMENT (FEAT KILLA SIN & BLUE RASPBERRY)
Cilva's version of “Meth Vs. Chef” fails in its attempt to bring listeners a compelling Wu-sounding treat, mainly because his beat is too busy to follow coherently. Lyrically, though, Cilva and Killa Sin (who's always been the best rapper out of Killarmy and really deserves to be upgraded to a better group) put in work (Cilvaringz even manages to take a shot at Remedy, the resident Jewish member of the Wu-Tang Clan's extended family, which is weird, considering that the two connected for a song previously; I'm sure there's more to that beef, but I don't care enough to look it up). The inclusion of Blue Raspberry's vocals seem to be more about evoking nostalgia than anything else, though, since she sounds awful on here.
15. THE SAGA...
Lyrically, Cilva is all over the map, hitting upon topics such as the importance of bling, how rap music sucks (save for a handful of artists that he names), and how he discovered the Wu to begin with, all while making damn sure he mentions The Rza's name yet again. His beat is rather interesting, though, so the package works as a whole.
16. FOREVER MICHAEL (WACKO TABLO)
I love early Michael Jackson as much as the next guy (Thriller is the shit, and I still love “Smooth Criminal” from Bad, even though it constantly reminds me of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, the movie with the giant statue/robot thing of himself at the end), but this is still a questionable subject to write a rap song about (essentially defending an “alleged” child molester: what's next, an homage to “alleged” child rapist R. Kelly?), especially if you're part of the Wu-Tang extended family – and you definitely should not have wasted a Rza beat on this. I'll never listen to this shit again (although the man makes some fair points about MTV, a station he will never see any play on), and you'll probably skip this one too, so we'll move on.
17. ELEPHANT JUICE
Features another potshot aimed at Remedy, alongside insults thrown at Britney Spears, George W. Bush, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and, curiously, Robert DeNiro. This is exactly the type of song that takes Cilvaringz from the Wu forefront and places him into the bargain bin alongside all of Dom Pachino's solo efforts, a few of the Hell Razah projects, and Bronze Nazareth's album.
18. DEAF, DUMB, & BLIND
Meh. (Yeah, I said meh. It's just music, Cilva: if you're trying to get your message across, it would help if the undelrying 4th Disciple-produced music was actually good.)
19. WARRIORS & POETS (SKIT)
…
20. VALENTINE DAY MASSACRE (FEAT 60 SECOND ASSASSIN, 9TH PRINCE, SCIENTIFIC SHABAZZ, & BLUE RASPBERRY)
The hook (Blue Raspberry again) is completely useless, but otherwise, this long-promised track (which has come up off and on ever since Cilvaringz was first introduced on Wu-Tang Clan fan sites) lives up to its high expectations. This is actually a better Wu posse cut than “In The Name Of Allah” in terms of sheer energy level alone, even with all of the Wu benchwarmers on here. Even Killarmy's 9th Prince sounds pretty damn good, and that never happens.
21. POISON RING CHAMBER (OUTRO) (FEAT METHOD MAN)
Couldn't convince Method Man to spit a verse on I, huh? Having him appear on the outro is a cool consolation prize, I suppose. (I'll admit it would be cool to have Meth on my album outro, if I were an actual rapper) He's worked alongside waaaay too many commercial artists to say no to Cilvaringz, though: maybe the money wasn't right?
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July 17th, 2009Uncategorized
1. CONVERSATION #1
I appreciate how they tried to make it sound like “Oh, I just finished recording the last vocal for Conversation, so let's see how the final product sounds”, although if you've never even heard of this album before today, I just gave away the ending, so whoops! Anyway, regardless of that theme, this is still a rap album intro, and everyone at this point knows how Max feels about them.
2. ROUND & ROUND
I didn't care for this song when it was released as the first single from Conversation, but hearing it today, it's pleasant as hell. The two rappers are in no way ever going to be considered as twin Rakims or anything, but they are both better rappers than producer Warren G. So of course it makes sense that Warren is the only one of the three that still has what can be considered a rap career.
3. GOOD TIMES
Shit, this sounds so good that I'm going to go hit up a barbecue right fucking now. I'll be back in a few hours or days, give or take.
4. 4 EYES 2 HEADS (FEAT GORGEOUS JUDAH RANKS)
The vocals at the very beginning are unnerving, and the hook is just weird, but looking past that, this song is really good. I believe this was also a single at some point: I recall a video being shot, even though I don't remember ever actually watching it.
5. JUMP TA THIS
Well, they can't all be winners.
6. EASTSIDE LB (FEAT WARREN G.)
The hook is a little corny, but otherwise, this song will bring your soul to a level of inner peace that isn't possible when listening to, say, Lil' Wayne. This may have been a single, too: Conversation was released back in a time when Def Jam really tried to sell the shit out of their albums prior to giving up, unlike today, when they drop their promotion after an album fails to move more than one million units in its opening week. (A somewhat related side note: is anybody else worried about how the label will treat Method Man and Redman's Blackout 2 when it's released tomorrow?)
7. SORRY I KEPT YOU (FEAT WARREN G.)
This was my favorite song on Conversation back when I first bought it. The Rakim vocal sample is a nice bonus, but the real draw here is Warren G's production work. The track still sounds just as good as I remember, by the way.
8. CONVERSATION #2
Skit...
9. JOURNEY WITH ME
Actually sounds a bit too much like “Good Times” for my liking. Because they already made that song, you see.
10. HOLLYWOOD (FEAT JAH SKILLZ & NEB LOVE)
I would have appreciated some more hardcore tracks on Conversation, it's okay, since ultraviolence isn't in the nature of theTwinz. At the time I picked this up, I was a West Coast freak and was more familiar with the laid-back Cali sound: the only East Coast act I followed religiously in 1995 was the Wu-Tang Clan, and I picked up everybody else's albums whenever I got around to them. (Oh, how the tides have turned, huh?) Anyway, this posse cut is pretty bland.
11. 1st ROUND DRAFT PICK (FEAT WARREN G.)
Sounds like an outtake from Regulate...G Funk Era, which it might actually be, since this is the most violent track on here, and that still isn't saying much. This is too melodic to ever be confused with “actual” gangsta rap, but it still sounds alright.
12. CONVERSATION #3
Skit...
13. DON'T GET IT TWISTED (FEAT NEW BIRTH)
I always skipped this song when I was younger, and today I find it to be okay, but nothing to write home about. You may want to call home, though, because your parents have missed you, and want to make sure you're doing okay, and besides, I'm pretty sure they could give a fuck if you liked “Don't Get It Twisted” or not.
14. PASS IT ON (FEAT FOESUM & WARREN G.)
I've heard more engaging weed songs in my lifetime. Which is weird to say, since weed is supposed to relax you, not make you more energetic and amped. Oh, well. -
July 16th, 2009Uncategorized
I recently heard about TechnoBox from AudioRealism for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and already being a fan of thier Bassline VST instrument I had to check it out. $10 for this app is a steal when compared to the price of a VST instrument or any music creation software for that matter. Compared to the price of most iPhone apps it is on the higher side but it’s well worth it. Basically TechnoBox is similar to the old Rebirth program by Propellerheads but better sounding. I definitely see someone using this app in a live set, but you would have to deal with manually syncing it up. Definitely worth a look.
From the AudioRealism website:
TechnoBox is your virtual techno studio on the go for iPhone / iPod touch featuring stunningly accurate emulations of three classic boxes: The legendary 303 bass line machine together with the smooth 808 and punchy 909 drum machines. technoBox has easy to use sequencing capabilities which lets you tie together patterns, or use it live by improvising pattern switches on the fly!
Featuring the same high quality audio engine as ABL2 which was painstakingly optimized to be able to run on mobile devices. For the uninitiated our audio engine has aliasing free oscillators and full range non-linear filters.
The drum section features 11 parts with 808 or 909 sounds (for a total of 22 sounds) with variable amount of shuffle per pattern.
technoBox comes with a session manager which allows you to load/save sessions in realtime without stopping the internal sequencer — great for saving realtime improvised patterns without interrupting the audio stream.
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July 15th, 2009Uncategorized
This Mixtape/Album contains all original material Produced By J.U.S.T.I.C.E Leauge and The Trackburnerz... This drops in about a month and is about to be a problem! I will post a few leaked traks here shortly... McLuvin!!!!!
Official Tracklisting
1. Push
2. Fuck Off
3. R.A.P.P.E.R. (Produced by Trackburnerz)
4. Blood
5. Bring Justice
6. Who I Am
7. Rain (Produced by: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. LEAGUE & SONNY CRACK)
8. Shoot Wack Rappers
9. Take Notice
10. Boom
11. What You Want (Produced by Trackburnerz)
12. Love Song (Produced by Laws)
13. Electric Eel
14. Searching featuring Young Chris, Wale, & Bun B
15. Boys to Men (Produced by: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. LEAGUE)
16. Old Man (Produced by Trackburnerz)
17. Free (Produced by: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. LEAGUE)
18. Your Future Favorite Rapper (Produced by: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. LEAGUE) -
July 14th, 2009Uncategorized
Two years after Alvin Joyner saw a bit of success with his debut album, At The Speed Of Life, the rapper commonly known as Xzibit decided to roll the dice again with 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, his sprawling sophomore effort. It was released on Loud Records with little promotion outside of the hip hop community, and yet is considered to be the man's finest achievement, and not just because it slowly sold over half a million copies.
With 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, Xzibit stuck to the same formula that made his debut so damn catchy, but expanded on it just a little bit, even managing to include an A-list guest star from the East Coast (who will be revealed later). The disc featured his highest ever charting single, "What U See Is What U Get", and eventually led to Alvin being invited by Dr. Dre himself to join his Up In Smoke concert tour, which set up his affiliation with Dre and Marshall Mathers, who were powerhouses in our chosen genre in 1998 (they still are today, but to much less of a degree).
Even though I enjoyed his debut disc, Xzibit was always the artist who I looked past to see what else was out. I ran across this in a used CD store a few years after it dropped, and as I listened to it on the way home, I recall being extremely pissed at myself for not having the music in my life back in 1998. But you can only look forward, right?
Anyway.
1. INTRO (THE LAST NIGHT)
Insipid rap album intro, but it's set to the music from Alvin's “Paparazzi”, which helps the medicine go down.
2. CHAMBER MUSIC
I was expecting an organ to come into play at some point, or at least some kung-fu sound effects, but the beat is energetic enough, and X rips it to shreds anyway, so I guess everything is as it should be.
3. 3 CARD MOLLY (FEAT RAS KASS & SAAFIR)
Sure, a couple of lines on here are fucked up (Saafir's statement about “ripping tracks up like immigrant Chinese” doesn't even make sense, and X talking about “Christopher Reeve doing the Crip walk” comes off as being mean simply for shock value), but the track itself is so damn entertaining that you'll wonder why these three didn't just release a mixtape together, label politics be damned.
4. WHAT U SEE IS WHAT U GET
A good choice for the first single (although “Los Angeles Times” appeared on the Soul In The Hole soundtrack prior to this disc being released, if I remember my dates correctly). I've always liked the video, which is just cool to watch. The Jesse West production work is both simple and awesome.
5. HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS (FEAT DEFARI)
The energy level takes a significant dip at this point. The rhymes are alright (Defari has never really impressed me, but he sounds okay on here), but the beat is boring as shit.
6. NOBODY SOUND LIKE ME (FEAT MONTAGEONE)
“I spit on the mic to get these emcee's pussy wet”? What kind of rhyme is that for a guest to spit? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Maybe it's best not to dwell, as this song isn't interesting enough to worry about for very long.
7. PUSSY POP (FEAT METHOD MAN & JAYO FELONY)
My theory is, Method Man lost a bet, and his punishment was to rhyme alongside a rapper with the ridiculous name of Jayo Felony on two separate occasions (on here and on Jayo's own “Whatcha Gonna Do?”), both of which resulted in truly horrible songs. The last time he lost a contest this substantial, Meth was forced to perform on the title track from Foxy Brown's Ill Na Na.
8. CHRONIC KEEPING 101 (INTERLUDE)
…
9. SHROOMZ
I would say that this song only exists because of his homey Eminem's influence, but this album was recorded and released prior to X getting down with Dr. Dre's camp. The song, detailing a bad trip, is okay, but X's line “fucked up n----z and firearms don't mix right” is pretty hilarious.
10. FOCUS
This Glove production is pretty good, but the disembodied voice that keeps repeating the song's title is distracting, and essentially ruins the experience for me.
11. JASON (48 MONTHS INTERLUDE)
…
12. DEEPER
This shit is so good that you'll want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant. You'll forget that all X-to-the-Z (a nickname that actually takes longer to say than just “Xzibit”) is now best known for Pimp My Ride and for appearing in the X-Files sequel last summer.
13. LOS ANGELES TIMES
Xzibit's first sentence is both hilarious and great, setting the tone for an entertaining track. Mel-Man, best known for his work alongside Dr. Dre and for absolutely nothing else, provides some production that is a perfect complement to the lyricism.
14. INSIDE JOB
You don't really think about X being a storyteller, but he does a truly great job detailing a bust, with both humor and clarity: when he says that he doesn't care about the money but he'll fuck you up, you're prone to believe him, regardless of Gridiron Gang.
15. LET IT RAIN (FEAT KING TEE & THA ALKAHOLIKS)
This Likwit Crew posse cut does not disappoint. X, King Tee, and J-Ro all build on each other's verses, and Tash brings the house down, like he always does about this time. This song is just fucking good.
16. RECYCLED ASSASSINS (FEAT MONTAGEONE)
The energy level dips again on here, but this song actually works. The serious rhymes from X and his guest are a nice change of pace. Montageone's beat is also unnervingly calm, considering the track's subject matter.
17. OUTRO
Ostensibly, this is Alvin's father praising his son. Not a bad way to end your album, if you can convince your parents to do it.
The following is included as a bonus track on 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz.
18. DON'T LET THE MONEY MAKE YOU (FEAT KING TEE & SOOPAFLY)
Sir Jinx's beat doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album, which is probably why it's considered a bonus track. Also, it's not a very good song. Oh well. -
July 13th, 2009Uncategorized
Here’s why you should never go to the toilet in the middle of a DJ set. Minus troublemaker Troy Pierce decided to sneak a leak whilst playing at the Beatport 5 Year Anniversary Tour party at Rex club in Paris recently.
After putting on a record, he scarpered to the nearest bathroom to do his business, but unfortunately for him, the door somehow locked behind him and wouldn’t open. Oh dear.
For almost an hour Troy Pierce was locked in the loo, and Konrad Black [a] had to take over control of the music to save the party.
In the end security heard Troy banging on the door, and despite their best efforts to unlock the door, they had no choice but to break it down, one punch at a time.
They smashed a hole in the door just wide enough for Troy to squeeze out of, and about one hour after he had gone missing, Mr. Pierce began his DJ set for the second time that night.
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July 12th, 2009Uncategorized
This is the title track from Charles Earland's Leaving This Planet and features such great jazz musicians as Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard. The track an interesting mix of jazz, funk, and psychedelica.
