The Pack is Back!

For me, Christmas came a few days early in the form of a new Pack mixtape, hosted by DJ Jack (me neither), titled The Pack is Back. As you can see above, there is a picture of some girl's boobs on the front, which is a pretty great use of photo editing software. Such a good use of photo-editing software, it makes you wonder why they did nothing to tweak the muddy tones in the portraits of Lil B and Young L. Step your contrast filter game up, people!

Not all the songs are all that new. You'll find both "Hoes in this House" and "Touch It (Like an iPhone)", for instance. Also, they have a song that I have been looking out for since 2007: their collaboration with Jim Jones. Dedicated NOT readers might remember that I somehow - before the invention of Twitter - found out they had made a song with Jim Jones. This, of course, was back when Jim Jones was good, and it looked like Bay Area rappers might actually rise to national pop-star status. It was quite exciting. Here is the song in question.

The Pack, Jim Jones "Fly Erryday"

Keep in mind that it is probably three years old. Jimmy raps about hyphy and ghost-riding the whip and other stuff that I doubt he would bother mentioning in 2009. The song is somewhat unremarkable, but I thought I'd post it considering how long I've been looking forward to it.

More exciting is their collaboration with Husalah, which might be really old, too. For all I know. Husalah sounds right at home on a bass line reminiscent of the greatest Bay Area rap song of the decade: "Sleep Wit The Fishes" (consider this my contribution to the endless proliferation of bullshit lists on the internet. As if online "journalism" weren't subjective enough already. Fuckouttaherewiththatbullshitson!)

The Pack, Husalah "Slappin"

So long as Husalah sounds great on the mic, I give a fuck who he did or did not talk to. I find it fascinating that people pretend to have this whole set of ethics about who they will or will not listen to, based on the artist's relationship to the justice system. I'm willing to bet that plenty of people will listen to X-Raided or South Park Mexican but not Husalah. And worse yet, they might not think anything is odd about this. There was, after all, no recent trend where dudes wore Tall Tees emblazoned with "Stop Molestin' Children" or "Stop Rapin". Someone should really make a shirt that says "Stop Bloggin'".

The Pack "RIP Mike Jack"

This must be the most interesting Michael Jackson tribute song I've heard. It's not actually about the guy at all. It's mostly about Macbooks, iChat, and other forms of social media. The tribute to Michael Jackson is a total afterthought, which I really appreciate if it was intentional. The death of the King of Pop in the age of social media was a really obnoxious thing to experience, wasn't it? The most popular entertainer EVER died at a time when people do almost nothing but broadcast their experiences with and opinions about pop culture on the internet, as if these are really personal, intimate, and meaningful things. When the King died, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, and everything else swelled with the asinine thoughts of people who felt they had some sort of personal connection both with MJ and the internet. I was no different.

So, that some sort of faux-sentimental tribute to Michael Jackson could be appended to a song about using computers and macking on chicks on iChat (really?) seems totally appropriate. If the song was done to seem intentionally flippant, it makes quite a statement. But also, if they thought it would be taken seriously as a tribute song, that seems more telling of what a pile of horseshit this whole MJ media kerfuffle really amounted to.

That's about all I have to say about The Pack right now. It's nice to see that they're back together making music, and that they have pictures of girl's boobs to put on their mixtape covers. If you want to download the whole mixtape, the link is here.

And, it's about time I run an actual correction when I get something wrong. Sirealz did not produce "Vinnie Mack". It was someone named Eli "The Fly Guy", who is actually a Jazz pianist. Sirealz and another friend taught him how to produce rap records, and this was the result. Pretty cool. Sirealz himself was kind enough to email me a high-quality version of the track to share with all you bastids, so enjoy.

Team Knoc, Beez "Vinnie Mack"

Have a wonderful holiday, and don't expect to find any fucking lists here any time soon.

The More Things Change...

...the more they stay the same.

Smoov-E "Dick Like Mine"

Smoov-E has gone totally acoustic. This isn't even close to rap. It's more like coffee shop rock about penis. I really don't know what Smoov-E thinks the market is for stuff like this. Solo male singer acoustic rock is already considered rather softhand. John Mayer, James Blunt (right?), etc. What makes it any less soft for being about the singer's dick? In fact, you might argue that's more "pause"-able. Right?

Enjoy your weekend.

Video: Team Knoc "Vinnie Mac"

Team Knoc - Vinnie Mac (Feat. Beez) [Music Video] from on Vimeo.

Team Knoc is back at it again, which is nice to see. This one is an ode to some South Berkeley petty weed dealer named Vinnie Mac. I suppose this no longer constitutes dry snitching, unless this is some sort of parable that went over my head. I would love to hear a San Francisco rapper make a song about Speedy Chink (hey, sorry, that's what he/they called himself/themselves), if this is all the sudden OK to do. Those dudes had the avenues sewed up!

The real star of this song, for me, is the beat, which I imagine was produced by Sirealz. It feels like a bit of a throwback, probably because of the keyboard/saxophone combination. It somehow lends a more somber, mature edge to Team Knoc's music that's actually pretty nice. I'm currently harassing Sirealz via email and Twitter to see if we can liberate and mp3 of this, and I'll post if I get anything.

In the meantime, enjoy this new Gucci Mane track, off of The State VS. Radric Davis, which drops today. It's about how all his material possessions are really heavy.

Gucci Mane "Heavy"

Is it another metaphor for the burden of fame and wealth? Most likely not. Go cop Gucci's album today if you want to see him buy another amazing chain. Otherwise, just download it and hate on it, which seems to be the way of things these days.

Lil 4-Tay Keeps Confusing Me

I'm Up ( The Drug Song ) from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.

That's right partner, this blog ain't dead.

Nation friend Mister Wheeler hit me off with the links to these new Roach Gigz videos, directed by Aris Jerome, who seems to be keeping busy these days. Though he was just trying to be a nice guy, he has really thrown a fucking wrench into my understanding that Lil 4-Tay is, in fact, female, despite all evidence to the contrary. I was willing to believe it not really having seen him/her all that much, but the above video for "I'm Up" with Roach Gigz really suggests that Lil 4-Tay is a dude. Barring some sort of stunt double situation (unlikely), I really have to say Lil 4-Tay sounds and looks like a dude. He/She also raps about "pussy and pills" and how there's no "pussies around here". The latter statement, taken literally, would suggest he is in fact a he.

The point is ultimately somewhat irrelevant but I felt, for the first time in about a month, like I should dust off the old blogger account and commit some words to internet. The blog isn't dead; I'm busy. It's a nice exercise to post short things like this and realize what a small time commitment blogging about rap truly is in my life. I'm sure I waste more time on Twitter. How sad. So, expect to see this blog continue to bring you the best and worst of Bay Area rap. So long as I'm not too busy.

Below is the video for "My Bitch Look Better". Props to Aris and Mr. Gigz for hardly leaving Fillmore for either video shoot.

My Girl Look Better from Aris Jerome on Vimeo.

Mixtape: "I've Been Watching You"

The first time I heard the Southside Movement's "I've Been Watching You", I was in the family MPV crossing the Bay Bridge. My older brother had actually tracked down the sample source to "Smoke Dope and Rap" and "Scottie 15" and a growing number of songs where I recognized the ominous bass-loop from. For the longest time, I wondered whether Nickatina had been the first to sample Southside Movement and he was ripped off*. I simply believed Dre Dog to be too good to be virtually irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Years later, as my mp3 collection has grown, and the internet has made searching for things like this easier, I have discovered more and more songs that sample the same song, some before '93, some after.

Backing up, what first struck me about "I've Been Watching You" is what a small part the famous-to-us bassline plays in the song. It's only the first two bars of a completely unrelated intro. The rest of the song is about a guy watching some chick he has a crush on give dudes headers (that's my read, anyway), and it's not hardbody in the slightest.

How could this be? That beat is the realest! No matter what rap record you find it on, the rapper comes with it (Cormega probably being the exception). From Nickatina rapping about smoking drugs and kicking it in SF; Brotha Lynch rapping about drinking 40s by himself with the lights off; Peedi rapping about smoking angel dust in heaven; Yuk and Numb trading bars about dealing dope and hitting licks; Scarface letting you know what you can and can't get away with in 5th Ward Houston; even the tales of trying to pick women up at bars that Rae and Ghost trade can't hide the overpowering sadness of the beat.

The West Coast track, I think, are stronger because they let the sample speak for itself. The East Coast tracks all have a piano or violin loop on top of the bassline, as if that were necessary. This is why Dre Dog will always "own" this beat in my mind. TC (I think he produced most of The New Jim Jones) lets the beat speak for itself, in all its creepy glory.

Without further ado, or blathering about "Smoke Dope and Rap", here is a link to the mixtape, and a tracklisting below:

Southside Movement - I've Been Watching You
Dre Dog - Smoke Dope and Rap
Andre Nickatina - Scottie 15
Andre Nickatina - Scottie 15 (Chopped and Screwed)
Brotha Lynch Hung - 24 Deep
Peedi Crakk - Chitty Bang
Luniz - Doin Dirt
Scarface - PD Roll Em
Ghostface Killah, Raekwon - Camay
Cormega - American Beauty
Children of the Corn - Harlem Nights

Please note that this is incomplete. If you can suggest any other rap songs that sample "I've Been Watching You", I'd love to add to my collection. Enjoy.

*(I also wondered if he got ripped off by a young Puff Daddy; The New Jim Jones came out the same year as Ready to Die, but earlier, and samples both "Between the Sheets" ("Lips" for Dre Dog; "Big Poppa" for Biggie) and "Juicy Fruit" ("The Ave" for Dre Dog; "Juicy" for Biggie))

Will Messy Marv Eventually Have Beef With Himself?

Or does he already?

About a year ago, Messy Marv was still down with San Quinn. As we all know, he is no longer. Now, a year later, he's no longer down with Knockout/Click Clack Gang, his own fucking crew.

Messy Marv, Baby Bin Laden "24 Bars of Death"

Typically, when people count the bars on their diss records, they come up with an impressive number (100, maybe 200). But The Boy Boy either knows that brevity is the soul of wit, or he is quite lazy (I'm guessing a combination of both), because 24 bars is nothing to write home - or name a song - about.

Either way, I'm impressed with this public unraveling that is going on in Messy Marv's career. I don't think he's ever been more interesting to listen to. It will truly become artistic when he finally writes a diss song about himself and actually means it.

Also, it was nice to hear from Baby Bin Laden again. Sounds like he's grown up a bit since Disobayish. You really have to wonder if Baby Bin Laden knows, deep down, that he will be at the business end of a lazy Messy Marv diss track in the near future.

On a completely unrelated note, I find it interesting when San Francisco rappers brag about staying in project hallways, as Baby Bin Laden does in the intro. Virtually every housing project in the city that might have had a hallway has been torn down and replaced with townhouse style housing projects, and most of those are painted in pastels. Geneva Towers, Army Street, Valencia Gardens, whatever those Fillmore towers were. Even North Beach. There really aren't any project hallways in San Francisco to speak of. I guess that "I stay in them pastel townhouses" just doesn't sound hardbody enough, even if it technically is. All I'm saying is, pay attention to how certain types of housing stock evoke certain connotations in rap music, and how much rappers lie about their surroundings to sound tough.

Video: Cellski "I Said"

Fresh off holding down the grill at Jacka's celebratory barbecue, Cellski is back in music video-land, holding down the 200 block of Randolph as usual. He manages to make the neighborhood about ten times as interesting as it actually is, which is impressive ("cause in the 'View, there really ain't shit to do").

This will be on his new album, which will be called, in all seriousness, Chef Boy Cellski.



I get the reference, but I do appreciate a little bit more wit when it comes to naming your album the same way you might design a tall t-shirt that turns a cereal (or in this case, canned pasta) mascot into a drug dealer. There really is no play on words here, at all, except that "Ardee" and "Cellski" end in the same sound, almost.

This reminds me of a shirt that my friend Clark claims to have seen, that had Count Chocula on it, and simply read "Count Chocula: The Bay". No play on words, nothing. Just "Count Chocula: The Bay".

Despite not being impressed with the album's title, the cover artwork looks HILARIOUS, and I trust Cellski to put out a few bangers. I just hope he doesn't AutoTune the whole thing.

Nah, Right?

Don't get my hopes up, Cellski! We all know what happened to that Lil Flip mixtape...

EDIT: Just recalled that Cellski and Stevie Williams have been linked up in a certain sense in the past. Anyone ever watched 411 Volume 36 might remember this Chocolate commercial:



Cellski and Stevie Williams pair nicely. I would really love to see this come together, but I don't have my hopes that high.

Put the Phone on Your Butt...

...it's a booty call [||].

Click here to download the long-awaited Buckets and Booty Calls mixtape from Mr. Roach Gigz (link courtesy of the man's twitter).

SF Rappers Make Videos at Skatespots, Sometimes

This is Dorrough (as in "cream on the inside, clean on the outside" Dorrough) and some guy named Young Lot, who appears to be from Sunnydale. The beat is a sort of update of MC Breed's "Ain't No Future In Yo Frontin", and the song itself is nowhere near as good. What I find interesting is that he seems to have filmed a big portion of the video at the Potrero Del Sol skatepark in the Mission. It's not like he's particularly hip or anything; he is clearly too large to skateboard. What is slightly stranger is that he shows no love for SF's true first skatepark (if you don't count that bowl in Hunter's Point), Crocker Amazon's Chilly Bowl. Being from Vis Valley, apparently, it would make more sense for him to just go up the street and film at the neighborhood spot, no matter how much it sucks.



Big Rich, at it again, pretending that he is already popular, despite the fact that he really is not a good rapper. Anyway, in some unfinished rap music video "plot" point, Big Rich meets up with all his buddies at Raoul Wallenberg High School, but it goes nowhere. Maybe Big Rich wanted to get a last shot at ollieing the Big Four (PS - There's a wiki page for the Big Four!?!?)?

Then again, he's much too fat, just like this picture of what is supposedly a Mac Mall Mac To The Future commemorative skateboard, which you can buy, for $85 dollars at RapBay.



You know, none of you guys got me a birthday present, and I did just snap my board...