Nation of Thizzlam

Complex: 50 Greatest Bay Area Rap Songs Ever

2011-01-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

Read it here. It's by me. There will be plenty for readers of this blog to disagree with, and I'm curious to hear feedback. These lists are complicated things, guys.

No, Team Knoc didn't make the cut, but "Fruity Pebble Punk Rock" was on my brainstorm list. With all the press Lil B is getting these days, someone's gotta step up for them and point out that he didn't coin the word "Based" at all!

Friday Slaps: A-1

2010-11-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

Nation-friend A-1 drops some knowledge over a Misfits-sample-centric beat produced by IRL-friend, and fellow Bushwick resident (actually I live in Bed-Stuy, and he lives in Ridgewood, not that you give a fuck) Sam "WooStaar" Staar. You can download the track here:

A-1 "Cough Cool"

One thing I really dig about this video is how it shows Manhattan for what it really is: a corporate-run police state. It's kind of the inverse of the sense of freedom that "Empire State of Mind" puts out, and it's not subject matter most rappers bother trying to tackle, so I can definitely appreciate that.

I've been so busy these last couple of months with my 3-4 jobs, that I have totally neglected the one that doesn't pay me anything, and as a result, I forgot to post A-1's latest mixtape: the After School Special, which is made all of flipped afternoon syndicated show theme songs, that you watched as a kid, or if you smoke lots and lots of weed and find yourself watching TV at like 4 in the afternoon a lot. It's really sick. Here are a few favorites:

A-1 "Goosebumps"

Adam flips the classic rapper-meets-devil song, with a "Devil Came Down to Georgia" twist. This might be my favorite.

A-1 "Family Matters"

A thoughtful song about growing up, and life lessons, like those you might have learned watching ABC on Friday nights. Step by Step was totally overlooked by Sam and Adam, just saying.

A-1 "Black Ranger"

If you ever thought that someone had to flip the guitars on The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers theme song into a beat, this one's for you. I like the name, because I had forgotten that the Rangers' suits were race/gender-coded. Now I'm wondering if the nerdy dude who wore blue was Jewish...

Anyway, you should download the mixtape here. Enjoy your weekend.

BLACK AND ORANGE!!!

2010-11-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

Celebrate tonight, San Francisco. This is unreal.

NoT Turns Five, Grows Up a Little

2010-09-09T10:42:00.001-07:00

Yes friends, it has been a busy week here at the Nation of Thizzlam. The blog has now been on the web for five years, and Staxwell and I have been on the Planet Earth for twenty-fucking-five years, which is horrifying. It's time to buckle down once you reach a quarter century, or do some 'offline' work once your blog has turned five. That's kind of what happened, last week.

Last week Nation Friend Bennett4$enate was kind enough to have me on his radio show, Awesome New Place, on Jersey City's WFMU. We drank 4Loko, and talked about the internet, rap, and other stuff. We even played some music. Bennett and I had wanted to do this for the longest time, and it was great to finally get it done. What we've (by 'we', I mean Bennett) done is talked about all sorts of crap that you can watch/listen online, and put links to all of it on the playlist page, so when you listen, you can easily access everything you're curious about. It's like blogging, but on the radio.

Anyway, tune in to hear me and Bennett do a little back-and-forth on issues of authenticity, "reality", and memetics, and how they relate to rap in the internet age. The first half is a good example of how to be a bad guest on a radio show (I miss a lot of cues, talk about the wrong stuff, bring up uncomfortable subject matter), but we really hit our stride in the second half, I think, once the 4Loko kicks in a little bit. If you like what you hear, tune in to Bennett's show Wednesday late-night, 3am to 6am, EST.

After getting home from Jersey at like, 8am, I had to get some sleep in to finish this brief profile I wrote for the San Francisco Bay Guardian about Lil B the Based God. The editor liked the photo, so he put it on the cover. Pick up a copy if you live in the city. Hopefully, @Athennna (pictured above, rolling around in copies of the SFBG on top of Twin Peaks) hasn't gotten ALL of them.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has stuck with this blog for so long. It's been a good five years, despite the fact that most of you, at this point, hate me, or are trying to sell me viagara, used electronics, and the like. Now, back to work.

New Pack Sounds Kinda Like Old Pack

2010-08-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Pack dropped Wolfpack Party a week ago, and few have said a thing about it. Shit, I'm just getting around to illegally downloading it myself, and I've been a fan since forever. They linked up with Husalah on this one track, and it's been getting a lot of love:

The Pack, Husalah "Bend That Corner"

The beat is great; Husalah comes with it; B is notably absent. It's a good Pack song, but not a great one. What it reminds me of, more than anything is one of The Pack's greatest songs, from back when it looked like they might blow up. They linked up with Dem Franchize Boyz (is one of these dudes in jail or something, what happened?) and Mistah FAB (LOL) for this song:

The Pack, DFB, Mistah FAB "Fresh"

This is one of my all-time favorite Pack tracks, and I'd recognize that slide-whistle (?) tune anywhere, even if it's been tweaked and recycled for a Husalah verse, and slightly different subject matter. With so many bloggers drooling over Young L's abilities as a producer these days, it's worthwhile to point out that he seems to be recycling tracks a little bit. I'm not hating, this might be a good creative exercise: returning to older work and improving upon it. "Fresh" sounds like a muddy mess compared to "Bend The Corner". And, it's not all that different from rappers who recycle their better mixtape verses on their albums (which seems like some admission that they know no one pays for either, squashing any ethical dilemma), or for that matter, rappers who constantly sound like they're recycling material, even though they aren't (Messy Marv, for example).

For a producer who eschews using samples for cultivating a sound all his own, this is a good practice, assuming it's intentional. Listening to his own beats and tweaking them is a great way to get better at his craft. I just don't like bloggers acting like he's the most prolific, creative dude out there without mentioning his penchant for revisiting tunes more than a little bit. Now, he ought to start shopping these around a little bit right, because it's not like Wolfpack Party is gonna do numbers.

A-1: Charizard

2010-08-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

A-1 "Charizard"

Goes to show, sick beats can come from the most unlikely sources. This one is produced by an old friend, Sac Masta, and flips the Pokemon theme song, in case you didn't get the reference. A-1 - who went to middle school with one Roach Gigz - provides the vocals, and rips it as usual. This is actually off of a new mixtape A-1 is putting out with my dude Sam "Hitman Sammy Sam" Staar, called the After School Special. All the beats come from popular kids shows - the only other one I can remember off the top of my head is Doug, which sounds promising - and it's set to drop on Labor Day (also my birthday, also staxwell's birthday, also the 5th anniversary of this blog's existence), so keep an eye out for it here.

Jim Jones' New Song is the Most Creatively Bankrupt Rap Song in a While

2010-08-20T10:07:00.001-07:00

And that's saying something! (Skip to the link if you don't want to read some BS musings on Rick Ross)

If you live in Bed-Stuy, like I do these days, your life is little more than the time spent between cars passing by playing Rick Ross' "Blowin Money Fast". There was a week when - I swear! - I did not hear a car with a loud stereo playing anything BUT this one Rick Ross song. Needless to say, it was a good week. It also raised a lot of questions in my head about whether people listen to the song on repeat (on occasion, I do), or if I was fated to only hear these certain cars at certain points in their journey: the part where they listen to "Blowin Money Fast". A sort of inverse tree-in-the-woods type puzzle, I guess: If a car is playing "Blowin Money Fast" in Bed-Stuy, Willy will be there to hear it(?).

Steering the conversation away from unanswerable metaphysical questions (or assertions), the point is this: Rick Ross has the most popular rap single in New York City, and he's from Miami. Also, the song is interesting with regard to gangsta rap's inherent issues with authenticity and identity, as many have already pointed out. I'll keep this brief.

Rick Ross stole his name from a real, incarcerated drug dealer, Freeway Ricky Ross (Freeway stole the other half), a la the plot of CB4. Ironically, Rick Ross used to be a corrections officer. He quit (got fired?), and eventually became a rapper who - on his first single - claimed that he knew Palbo Escobar and Manuel Noriega, and moreover that the former president of Panama owes him no less than 100 favors. The sheer absurdity of the claim is demonstrative of Ross' unique relationship with reality. He knows that he's lying, and you know that he's lying, but he's going to stay in character as best as he can. And this strategy has worked for him, especially in his beef with 50 Cent. But this persona has gotten more complex.

On "BMF", he admits more outwardly just how he sees himself, or wants you to see him. Rapping "I think I'm Big Meech, Larry Hoover" over and over again on the hook is a funny way of admitting that he is not a famous drug kingpin, but rather someone who likes to pretend. But then, lines like "Self-made, you just affiliated/I built it ground-up, you bought it renovated/ talkin plenty capers, nothing's been authenticated", he maintains that he is more authentically a drug kingpin than you, the listener (or the Eternal Second-Person Sucker that so much rap depends on), despite the fact that he is not Larry Hoover or Big Meech, actually. He just uses their identity to inform his own. If this makes sense.

He adds another layer (maybe two layers?) to this identity on his "O Let's Do It (RMX)" verse by rapping "Bitch I think I'm Nino [Brown]/ Bitch I think I'm Scarface/ Bitch I'm Al Pacino". So here, Ross compares himself to to fictional representations of drug kingpins, and finally settles on actually being the actor who portrayed the most famous, most imitated (also Miami-based) version of this drug kingpin archetype in hip-hop culture. He is not actually a drug kingpin, but the pure idea of the drug kingpin, as it has been represented in rap music. He's pretty damn fleshy for a pure idea.

Anyway, his song is great, but it's totally phony and confusing on a whole lot of different levels. But I think part of its appeal is just how absurd it is, both to people who write thinkpieces about rap, and to those who just like to listen to stuff that sounds good.

What I've been trying to get around to is this: Jim Jones - who seems like a real prick - decided to turn to Lex Luger, who produced "BMF" for Ross, for a beat to make a Hot Summer Jam. Here's what he got:

Jim Jones "We Got That (Gretzky)"

The beat is so similar to "BMF" it's unreal. It's just missing those dark horns that give "BMF" its bulk, and make it such a banger. My other complaint is that the first person to make the Wayne Gretzky-Ice-Diamonds connections was Cam'ron, on his first single, "Horse & Carriage" ("I'll get you that shit that Gretzky skate on"; when the potential recipient figures out what he's saying and gets excited, Cam tells her to shut the fuck up).

Jim Jones, for all we know, was homeless before Cam'ron starting giving him money for rolling blunts or whatever. He was also a godawful rapper who struggled to fit way too many syllables onto bars with way too many multi-syllable rhymes, suggesting that maybe he had his verses written for him by another more talented lyricist (Cam?), but he was too incompetent to do them justice. Then he made "We Fly High" (which Max B claimed he wrote) and ditched Cam. What an asshole, right?

So, on top of more or less trying to steal the popularity of "BMF" in New York (probably), the lyrics are totally insipid drug kingpin talk, just like "BMF", but less inspired ("fuck your craigslist, half my n----s on that Fed list"). He borrowed from Ross, who already borrows his whole persona in a much more entertaining fashion, and then stole the only clever wordplay in the whole song from his former benefactor.

This song is a black hole of creativity, and I'd encourage you to delete it from your hard drive after listening to it once to see if you agree with what I'm saying here.

When The Pack Makes a Song Called "Titties"...

2010-08-09T15:55:00.001-07:00

..you fucking post it, OK?

The Pack "Titties"

Virtuosic? Absolutely not. In fact, this sounds like a rehash of some other Young L track I can't identify. But I dare you not to sing along while The Pack rattles off as many synonyms for "breast" as they can, or when Stunna just yells "titties bounce; jumping jacks" over and over again. It's hella fun. Boobs are tight. Forgive my inability to articulate further, but this is just the anti-dote to a day of reading a Libertarian report on the insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund. Yeah.

Wolfpack Party drops on August 24th.

From the Inbox: New Roach, and a Correction!

2010-08-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

No matter how lazy we get here at the Nation of Thizzlam, we care deeply about upholding our standards of journalistic excellence. A while back, while writing about Berkeley's Malki Means King, I reported that Malki was Jewish primarily because there are a lot of Jews in Berkeley, also because he looks Jewish, and Malki actually means king in Hebrew. I suppose I forced the Jewish speculation on him because I wanted to make the connection between him and Saul Cohen. Malki must have googled himself last night to find that the top search result was a post calling him a "shithead" and saying he is Jewish. He left a couple comments. For that I apologize. I actually really love "The Malki Song", and I no longer think he's a shithead, though I wonder if he wasn't a little bit too upset about being called Jewish. From the comments:

"this is malki means king. im not jewish. lol. "

and then,

"also the .mp3 of the malki song is on itunes. i just got a check from itunes most of the sales are from the malki song!!! im bout to drop an album soon i need some promo on that. Please stop saying this jewish hebrew shit. im not jewish at all, my mom is italian my dad is lebanese. its my dads last name that side is from the middle east seriously. confusion like this is the reason i made the malki song... malki means king"

The Lebanese connection explains the Semitic sound to his name. Malki, let's not forget that Jews, too, are from the Middle East. At least originally. I'm still open to the idea that Malki is Jewish and doesn't know it, but for now just take this as a retraction. And Malki, if you're reading this, I would be happy to promote your album provided you hold yourself to the high standards of "The Malki Song".

And in a Twitter DM, Roach Gigz sent me his latest video, "Pop Off", which has already made the rounds because it's pretty incredible.

The video was shot in the days surrounding the Johannes Mehserle trial, concerning the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant at Fruitvale BART. Aris Jerome does a great job of using the abandoned storefronts of Downtown Oakland as a backdrop for some populist rage against the police powers of the state. The hundreds of wheatpaste posters of Mr. Grant's face act as a rebuttal to Shepard Fairey's iconic HOPE poster of Obama's face. The video is clever, and surprisingly powerful. It's might be the best I've seen since "Trap Goin Ham".

Turfin': Big With DC-Based Media Companies

2010-07-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

I thought I was mistaken when I saw Slate.com tweeting something about Turfing in the Rain. Surely they must be referring to something other than the ecstasy-influenced, creepy dancing that guys do on street corners in Oakland, their garage in Walnut Creek, or their cul-de-sac in Hercules. Or wherever. But sure enough, on their Procrastinate Better blog, a Slate editor (or intern, or whoever) had posted a video of the Turf Feinz [sic] doing what they do on Macarthur and 90th in East Oakland. Their description of it is pretty great, in a how-the-hell-are-you-supposed-to-write-about-this kind of way. They call the "mesmerizing moves" alternately "balletic and Michael Jackson-inspired". They also call them "plainclothes dancers", which I find befuddling - should the dancers be in uniform? Either way, it's more articulate than, say, me pointing out that it's "hella weak". Their link is now dead, but the video is still up on YouTube:

Perhaps to solidify the, uh, less hetero aspects of Turfin, the dancers are named No Noize, Man, Dreal and BJ. The music is by Erk the Jerk, Oakland's vapid swag rapper who never really had enough swag or clever-enough flight metaphors to really take off (ha!) in the way that Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y have.

Anyway, back to DC-based media companies. I was checking The Atlanic today, and looked at their "Other Works of Genius" sidebar - the Nah Right Lite of The Atlantic, if you will - and spotted "The Interns Recommend: Dancing in the Rain", with the iconic photo of Albert Einstein razzing the camera hovering above it.

Truly dedicated NoT readers will remember when I personally ended a young Filipino turf dancer's career. He went by Tufapino (at times, parenthetically, "a Filipino that turf"), and I thought everything about him was hilarious. You can't find any of his videos anymore, save for this one ("ThiZzWiN ent's masterpiece"), because he has removed them all. I can't help but feel somehow responsible.

Given the fact that the DC media world seems fascinated with this trend, maybe I can pitch a story to The Atlantic about how, in a moment of youthful indiscretion, I ruined a young, talented dancer's online career, and how I go to track him down. Maybe he'll be working at a Best Buy in Dublin, or a Game Stop in Moraga, or a Soup Plantation in El Cerrito. You know, I interview him about his day-to-day life, ask him if he ever turfs "just for fun" or whatever. See if he's still cool with GiggDestrian, etc. It will be redemptive, like that Chris Hitchens piece where he visits a family whose kid got killed in Iraq because he read too much Chris Hitchens. Except it will be about turf dancing and rap blogging, which are far more interesting than the war in Iraq. Who's in?

Nasty As I Wanna Be

2010-07-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

To say this is hipster-hop misses the point. The song AND video are both so full of "Posse on Broadway" references that it confuses the matter entirely; are we watching a cover, but not quite? Why is the video so low quality? Does everyone wear Starter jackets all the time?

This is kitsch. Early 90's kitsch, but kitsch nonetheless. And perhaps there's such a thing as good kitsch. If it really exists, this is it.

And I'd be a liar if I said I didn't like Dirt Nasty's videos, but I haven't heard a song independent of a video. Could a Dirt Nasty song stand on its own? Or does it need the visual to back it up? It's Hollywood rap after all, and maybe one couldn't exist independent of the other. Happy 4th guys.

Viral Marketing Dresses Up as Bay Area Rap

2010-06-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

In the above video a rap duo called Abraham Linkin, apparently from San Francisco, rap an actually funny ode to Ross Dress for Less, specifically the 4th and Market location - which I hold dear to my heart, having worked at the 4th and Mission Mel's for two horrible summers of my college years. Little did I know that those summers would provide me with a better path to high-paying, consistent employment than my four years of study have, so far. But that's another story. And, as this story may reveal, I could have a future as a consultant for rap-based viral marketing. So don't worry about me.

The above video was sent to me on Twitter by @misterwheeler without comment, but perhaps as another example of raps dedicated to a particular brand, which we cannot say for sure whether it's viral marketing or not. At a glance, I thought this couldn't be viral marketing on the part of Ross Dress for Less, simply because they spend most of their time making fun of how shitty the quality of clothing is that you get at Ross, and how they sell so much useless shit. Also, it's really funny, self-deprecating, and disarming in the way that some Bay Area rap is. Think Z-Man, for example.

The first fishy thing I discovered is that Abraham Linkin seem to be complete unknowns in San Francisco, or anywhere. Try to Google them, and Google thinks you've misspelled Abraham Lincoln, because you have. In an age when The Dream renames himself The-Dream for SEO purposes (according to my man Sam Duke), it's a strange move to make yourself impossible to find on The Internet. If you succeed in finding their website, it redirects to the "Ross" video. They also refrain from using any actual Bay Area slang (they call each other "son"), and film at some very touristy locations: 4th and Market, a rooftop on Haight and Ashbury, and 16th and Mission. Also, they film one shot at 23rd and Irving, which is just bizarre beyond comprehension, and proof positive that these guys are not a San Francisco-based rap duo. Or, that they're secretly Chinese.

Digging deeper [||] on Google, I discovered their Twitter which has only one page of tweets since their first, about seven months ago, making them suspiciously taciturn for rappers, if anyone still believes that Abraham Linkin is a rap group at this point. Also, every link not pertaining directly to "Ross" leads you to a 404 error page. They follow only two people: Larrell Tyler and Will Hatcher, both immediately recognizable as the guys in the video. Clicking on their website links reveals that both are actors, specifically comedians - Will's more obviously than Larrell's. So, no, Abraham Linkin is not a rap group, except for when they are doing an advertisement for Ross Dress for Less. What a loss.

Perhaps I was really dense to not immediately smell bullshit here, but I think that has to do with the ad's successful co-opting of Bay Area rap culture, specifically the sense of humor (Uptown Almanac fell for it, so I'm not alone). Which is not to say that this is spot-on, but that if this were filmed elsewhere, it might seem even more phony. Imagine it in Philly, for instance. Doesn't work.

My advice to Ross Dress for Less would be this: if you're staging a viral marketing campaign online, tighten up your online presence! The worst thing you can do in viral marketing is reveal that it is what it is. It took me all of five minutes to figure out that this was phony, and about 20 minutes to write it up. If you've been working on this campaign since December of 2009, you have done a shit job.

Tellingly, this campaign has shown us that you can't expect quality goods from a cheap-ass place like Ross, both intentionally and unintentionally. That, my friends, is truly shoddy marketing work.

Bros Icing Bros, Eat Your Heart Out

2010-06-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week BrosIcingBros.com, the website that was the epicenter of the "icing" phenomenon, was shut down at the behest of Diageo Bottling, Smirnoff's parent company. In case you've been ~~blissfully unaware of this stupid, but engrossing internet bullshit~~ living under a rock, check out The New York Times' write-up, which has an unfortunately hilarious headline that manages to underscore how old and stodgy The Grey Lady seems when she's trying to be cool with the youngsters.

Until Diageo sent a cease and desist to BrosIcingBros, no one was sure whether this was a brilliant viral marketing ploy or not. It seems it was not, or someone recognized the need for Diageo and Smirnoff to distance themselves.

Which brings us to the above video, by the Gwop Gang from Cleveland, OH. They rap about a different kind of alkapop I've never even heard of called Four Loko. They're quite enthusiastic too, which we might be able to attribute to the beverage's unique makeup, detailed below.

We have been stripped of the ability to hear a song about a consumer product, and not rule out the idea that our trusted rappers might have been paid to make it. It has always entertained me to watch the rap-songs-dedicated-to-a-single-consumer-product pendulum swing back and forth form high- to low-end. A few years after Fabolous' "Throwback", we had Dem Francize Boyz' "White Tees"; In about same time period, we went from "Air Force Ones" to "Vans". But it's not so easy to put this track up against "Pass the Courvoisier"(I can't think of a more recent example), simply because it seems like it could be an advertisement. All the close-up shots, and detailed information about the product - the MSRP, the variety of flavors - suggest that someone might have wanted people to learn a lot about the product while being convinced of its efficacy and cache.

Or, maybe, the Gwop Gang was hard pressed to come up with 32 bars, and turned to the Four Loko website for more information. And the director thought the cans looked cool. It's hard to say.

Of course, the video could just as easily be an ad for strap-back Ralph Lauren Polo hats (was anyone else waiting the whole song for them to rhyme Loko with Polo?). And it didn't make me want to drink a Four Loko, until I read this item on CBS, which calls the drink "liquid cocaine". One can has as much alcohol as three beers, and a "ton of caffeine".

Well, I'm off to wander around Washington, DC, looking for Four Loko. Wish me luck, and enjoy your weekend. Here's a bonus Lil B track that I've been playing on repeat lately.

Lil B "The Pretty Bitch Is Back"

I'm sure it will sound even better when I'm all juiced up on Four Loko.

Lil B: Your Favorite Freelance Writer's Favorite Rapper

2010-06-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Lil B has been putting out about one video a day for the last few weeks. "Swag on my Dick", posted above, has to be my favorite. It couldn't be lower brow, and that's where it succeeds, in my opinion.

Lil B's ability to jump between high and low-brow rap has been the topic of some interesting writing lately. In some pieces that are shockingly long for tumblr, Noz from Cocaine Blunts, and some dude who writes/tweets as Soft Money have been weighing in on Lil B's introduction and reception to new critics, specifically 2DopeBoyz and The Smoking Section. These two hip-hop ~~content aggregators~~ blogs, according to Soft Money and Noz, only see the ignorant-rap-music side of Lil B. They conveniently ignore his headier stuff, like the truly impressive "I Am the Hood", where B takes the perspective of a city street, over the beat to Nas' "deepest" mainstream single.

In his piece, Noz argues that Lil B is breaking down the false dichotomy between what some might call "conscious rap", and what I might call "rap that is fun to listen to". That is a compelling argument, and definitely a useful way of understanding Lil B's appeal. While it seems counterintuitive to think that Lil B can "shatter the binary", as Noz puts it, by sometimes making incredibly thoughtful, well-put-together songs, and sometimes rapping about his dick for four minutes; does this not, in some ways, reinforce the differences between the two approaches to rap? and, in a certain sense, force the listener to overcome the false dichotomy?

I suppose that is Noz' point, though, as he closes with this: "Lil B is making all of this music so we can have this conversation. Cherish that." But not all of us are intelligent freelance writers with encyclopedic knowledge of rap, like Noz. Lil B can be very confusing to the uninitiated.

This reminded me of some half-drunk thoughts I had while listening to this song on my iPod:

Lil B "Beat the Odds"

In "Beat the Odds", B raps about his actual day-to-day life, instead of the incredible fantasy world he tends to piece together on his Based freestyles. B talks about his loner lifestyle, working from home, just trying to share his thoughts with the world, and make a buck or two while doing that. He talks about his failures, his dreams of success, and perhaps a bit of guilt for doing what he does, working in the creative industry, especially when compared to how hard his mother worked to get him where he is.

Does this remind you of any stock characters from your urban 20-something existence? Perhaps a freelance writer? That's what I thought, anyway, half-drunk on Bushwick Avenue.

I could be way off here with the Lil B/Freelancer comparison, but there's no denying that it's B's artistic/writerly drive, his work ethic, and the bizarre nature of his project that have made him so popular with more - shall we say - "thoughtful" rap blogs (his combination of high- and low-brow is exactly what so many better hip-hop blogs are all about, right?), and less so with blogs like 2DopeBoyz and The Smoking Section, which tend to act as conduits for press releases and e-blasts.

I find it deeply ironic that blogs like 2DB and TSS can claim to care about rap music, and dislike Lil B for that reason, but cover losers like Drake ad nauseum, which brings me to the end of my half-drunk story.

I was waiting for the J train, when this younger neighborhood kid struck it up with me, and we got to talking about music. He was listening to Drake. I was, of course, listening to 6 Kiss. I tried to explain to him that Drake isn't actually rap; it's pop, and it's terrible. I am 24, I explained to him, and have been listening to rap since before he was born. "Have you ever heard of Lil B?" I asked him. He hadn't. All I could think of to sell him on it: "He's down with Soulja Boy".

Our conversation fizzled after that. He eventually put his earbuds back in, and we rode together towards Manhattan in silence.

Rrrroach!

2010-05-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

Download the Mixtape here

I got this in my Twitter inbox from Roach himself the other day, but I was busy in Philadelphia. I was actually in Kensington, the neighborhood where the fictional Rocky Balboa grew up, of all places. Kensington is pretty fucked the fuck up.

This mixtape, however, is not. It's 16 rounds of original Roach. If you want more context, check out this interview at Southern Hospitality. I've got some more raps on deck, but I have to focus on my other jobs that pay me, at the moment. Happy Friday!

Bummer, Dude

2010-05-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't give two shits about skateboarding, this might still be of interest to you, but it requires some background info. Jereme Rogers was a promising young skateboarder from Boston who got picked up by the Girl/Chocolate family, and eventually landed on Plan B. But that's sort of irrelevant to the story; what's important to know is that he is very talented at skateboarding. I remember hearing stories where people would say they saw Jereme (pronounced Jeremy) at 3rd and Army and he just didn't miss any tricks. He could do whatever he wanted to on a skateboard at, say, 16 years old. He was incredible to watch in person, apparently.

Fast forward to maybe a year ago, and Jereme Rogers decided he wanted to quit skateboarding to become - you guessed it! - a rapper. Just as his career was taking off, he quit.

Now, ever since Deion Sanders, it hasn't been all that shocking when athletes use their fame to launch ill-advised rap careers. Thing is, these athletes are usually black, more famous, and don't quit playing the sport they're so talented at in the first place. We can understand it; it's like watching Rock'N'Jock baseball, but in reverse. You get so rich and powerful, and childhood fantasies can be made reality. The barriers to entry in rap music are so much lower - SO MUCH LOWER! - than in professional sports that this almost worked out for some people (Shaq, Ron Artest, and of course Jerry Rice and Roger Craig).

But here we have Jereme Rogers, a white skater from Boston who is just god-awful at rapping, and so good at skateboarding. His biggest misstep in this video - aside from the face tats - is showcasing his skateboarding alongside his rap. There is a real disconnect there. When footage of you doing a switch crooks, followed by a switch bluntslide down a large hubba are accompanied by such shitty lyrics - "rookie of the year, that's a Rogers fact/ usually top three, you can roger that" - you should know where your energy might be better focused. Did Deion Sanders show a bunch of clips of interceptions, and full-extension diving fly-ball grabs in the video for "Must Be The Money"? No, he shows off his collection of hideous three=piece suits, which he is loath to ever wear more than two pieces of at any given time (seven-button vest with no shirt? Had the whole world gone mad in 1993?).

Jereme Rogers wants so badly to be Lil Wayne - the mannerisms he borrows from Wayne come off as a bit effeminate on him, no? - but knows that it's a sham. He knows it's painful to watch a heroin-skinny white dude with face tats try to be something that he is not. That's why he relies on the skateboarding in the video. He needs a kick in the ass, and he needs to get back on his skateboard, because this is a mess.

Below, find a Jereme Rogers diss song/video that was emailed to me, and made me aware of this whole fiasco.

Lil B Should Pick Up You Are Not a Gadget

2010-05-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Lil B has been tweetin' away all day about this, which is part of what makes it so deeply ironic, but so relevant.

Lil B "Age of Information"

Lil B finally wrote a love letter to the beast that created him: the Internet. It's also a hate letter, but we at Nation of Thizzlam hope not a Dear John Letter. Ultimately, Lil B concludes that the Internet is ruining us, as a species. "How come the human race isn't progressing as fast as technology has?" laments B, over a trippy dub-steppy track, like he usually employs for his headier songs. It's a great point. If anything, we have become pettier, more judgmental, more disaffected, and lonelier human beings since the creation of the internet. How do I know? I think I read it online somewhere.

This is the other problem, that B points out he always finds himself "asking Google about things that I should learn about". What do we know that we didn't - or couldn't - learn online? Sure, you can read a magazine, but those are probably online too. And once Google succeeds in putting the whole corpus of human literature online through their ambitious book-scanning program, that'll be it; damn near everything will be online. At your fingertips, as they say.

But not in your head, and that's the problem. I wonder if the internet is having some seriously damaging effects on us, cognitively. Sometimes I feel like my brain is starting to imitate the form of cloud computing; no, I don't have that bit of knowledge on me, but I do know how to find it. How many times have you claimed to know something, only to have to Google it? How many days have you spent reading stuff online, and how much of it could you relate to someone in any amount of detail? Do you retain any of this shit? Or are you just a conduit for information, that is mined for marketing data?

But what right do I have to complain? I would have never been able to share my favorite music, and my thoughts about music without the internet. The same is the case for Lil B, the man with 100 Myspace accounts. Would The Pack have had a career without online buzz? Sure. Would Lil B be able to do what he does without the internet? Absolutely not.

But I share Lil B's frustration; I spent all day today trying to write a new story for the magazine I am fortunate enough to write for, and I couldn't get a fucking thing done. Emails, Gchat, Reddit, Reader, Digital Dripped, Facebook, Twitter, this fucking blog, the list goes on; does the internet amount to anything but a neverending list of distractions?* Distractions that exist only to sell you shit, which is the most disenchanting part. Just look at how people have responded to Facebook's policy changes lately.

If this stuff interests you, B, you should check out Jaron Lanier's new book You Are Not a Gadget. I read an excerpt of it, and found it fascinating. From Publisher's Weekly:

"Lanier forcefully argues that Web 2.0 sites such as Wikipedia undervalue humans in favor of anonymity and crowd identity. He brilliantly shows how large Web 2.0–based information aggregators such as Amazon.com—as well as proponents of free music file sharing—have created a hive mind mentality emphasizing quantity over quality. But he concludes with a passionate and hopeful argument for a new digital humanism in which radical technologies do not deny the specialness of personhood."

It's almost exactly what The Based God was talking about. I've gotta go pick it up, but I'm off to the couch with a pen and a pad, because that's the only way I get any writing done anymore.

Lightweight Jammin, Striving for Mediocrity

2010-05-12T12:50:00.001-07:00

Get your hate-goggles on! But trust me when I say that I did my best to like this song.

"Lightweight Jammin" looks great on paper: E-40 and the Husalah, together at last! Clyde Carson, never hurts! But, in practice, this song kinda blows. Let's start with the title, which was apparently inspired by the mediocrity of the beat. E-40 opens his verse in the self-referential style of so many student council speeches you heard in 8th grade: "I was going through some beats the other day; I ran across this". Turns out, he liked it! Clyde Carson also describes it in the opening of his verse, "that almost slap. That kinda knock. That might just clap." But when your beat sounds like a somehow worse rehash of "Tell Me When to Go", calling the song "Lightweight Jammin", and doing nothing but rap about the beat, only reminds the listener how bad the beat really is. Listening to Husalah trying to sing over a beat like this, you almost feel bad for him.

Whoever it was that made E-40 believe he sounds good over drum-only beats -- was it The Clipse? -- needs to tell him otherwise. Droop-E seems to get what works well for his dad: warped synths and sinister bass lines.

Messy Marv and The Human Condition

2010-05-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a year since Messy Marv made a joke about the frequency with which Mistah FAB's chain gets snatched. Messy Marv, of course, was wrong about that in the first place.

Mistah FAB's chain has made news twice in recent years. First, Mistah FAB's chain broke when he crashed his car after falling asleep at the wheel on the Grapevine, ironically the most stimulating part of that particular leg of I-5. Next (or maybe beforehand, who cares), he staged a pathetic series of self-promotional videos involving fake chain snatchings in Fargo, ND and Melbourne, Australia, culminating in a video where FAB explains that the fake-chain snatchers are liars, and he is still in possession of his chain, and that there is no way he could have been robbed at a Sonic Burger in Fargo, ND (or is is North Carolina? or South Dakota? They can't seem to keep this straight) because he doesn't eat Sonic, though it would appear that he might as well; he is unfortunately, and unnecessarily shirtless in the video. Forever After Bread, indeed.

Owing either to the fact that Mistah FAB is not as funny as he thinks he is, or the baffling lack of internal logic to the whole prank, or that Messy Marv doesn't have an ear for irony, it seems he - the Boy Boy, not FAB - took the videos at face value. On the track "Untitled 2" off of Prices on My Head, Thug Money on Yo Family, Vol. 2, Messy Marv makes fun of Mistah FAB for repeatedly getting his chain snatched.

The Boy Boy Young Mess "Untitled 2"

Perhaps it was because Mess refused to title any of the songs on his last few albums, making it very difficult to recall which track you heard certain lines on, but FAB didn't get around to responding until recently, with the release of The Realest Shit I Never Wrote, Pt. 3. The opening track, "Big Cousin" is a walk down memory lane for FAB, who details his past friendship with Messy Marv, and then says he's going to abstain from dissing back. A few bars later, FAB goes on to diss Mess, accusing him - like everyone else does - of doing too much blow, losing his mind, and turning on his friends.

Mistah FAB "Big Cousin"

It's a compelling narrative because it's familiar, and because it's obvious that Messy Marv has been losing it for some time. Also, it's not like he hid his cocaine use from the public. When FAB says "Then I heard my ni--a start playin' with his nose" on "Big Cousin", it makes one want to ask FAB, "Did you hear about that on Messy Marv's song 'Playin Wit My Nose'? or through the grapevine?" After he gets over the flashbacks to his car accident that you accidentally brought on, he would have to admit that you didn't have to rely on hearsay to find out Messy Marv does a lot of coke.

On "Playin Wit My Nose", Messy Marv lists all the fun things he does while doing coke: watching TV, going to The Source Awards, and sitting in his jail cell, to list a few. It's that last one, jail, that really gets to the heart of Messy Marv slow meltdown over the last few years. It was his time upstate that led to his blood affiliation; it's my understanding that the black Northern California prison gang - 415 - is blood-affiliated, and that's the reason for the switch. And it's not uncommon for people to get hooked on drugs when they're locked up, though cocaine seems a little fancy for jail, even if it was tucked in someone's ass for a few hours at some point. A drug habit combined with a methinks-the-lady-doth-protest-too-much gang affiliation is a fascinating, and self-destructive combination as it is. Add gangsta rap self-aggrandizing, a Twitter account, and a smart phone to the mix, and you have a window into the mind of a truly bizarre man.

According to his Twitter feed, Messy Marv's initial complaint about "Big Cousin" - which I would gladly link to had the tweet not disappeared, which makes sense for legal reasons - is that Mistah FAB implicates Messy Marv in the break-in robbery of a music studio about three and a half minutes into the song. Dry snitching is, after all, the cardinal offense in this era of hyper-authentic gangsta rap, so that wasn't a bad angle. Also, by completely ignoring the emotional aspects of FAB's diss song, Mess makes him look corny; you can't force a nihilistic cokehead to be more introspective.

But if you're guilty of the crime in question, it's best to minimize the attention you draw to issues of snitching. It seems Mess has made this calculation, and his response took a completely different direction:

The Boy Boy Young Mess "What Mess Talkin Bout"

In true dope addict fashion, Messy Marv makes himself out to be the victim. Over a beat that shares a sample with Master P's "The Ghetto's Tryin to Kill Me", and some inexplicable Too Short ad libs, Mess explains that he only ever wanted the best for everyone in the Bay Area, and actually brokered a number of beef-squashings over the years. Also, the only reason FAB is mad at Mess, explains Mess, is because he wouldn't sign to Thizz Ent. A strange thing to say, because I thought he was already signed to Thizz City.

Mess' response is humanizing in the most horrifying way. It reminds us that we are capable of justifying any behavior - no matter how awful - to preserve our sense of who we are: to remain our own heroes. I have little doubt that most of what Mess says in this song is not true, from the house near Lil Wayne that he bought with "ho money", to saving San Quinn's life with his MAC-10. While all his claims are probably objectively false, I'm sure that Messy Marv believes them to be true. He has to believe them in order to still see himself as the protagonist in the bizarre story that is Messy Marv's Life, instead of a self-destructive and petty man who is burning bridges with everyone who ever cared about him, or knows who he really is.

The tragic story that underlies all of Messy Marv's recent music is, I think, what makes him so compelling to watch. On the surface, it is just rap. But when you realize that Messy Marv is an actual person - not just an entertainer - it's hard not to sense something deeply sad about the music he makes these days. Rappers invite you to hear about the minutia of their everyday life, with Twitter this phenomenon is exaggerated even further; Messy Marv's life, we learn, must be very, very empty.

The strangest thing is, despite the fact that he reminds you of all of your worst qualities, you can't help but root for him, perhaps because he reminds you of you at your worst. Messy Marv's notion of who Messy Marv is might be based on lies and half-truths, but we all lie to ourselves about who we are, right?

Don't forget to call mom.

New Husalah - "You Neva Know"

2010-04-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: new Husalah is always worth a stand-alone post, even if I'm a few days late. I have other duties, you know? This is off of some new Messy Marv mixtape.

Husalah "You Neva Know"

He's doing it for us, and it's so gorgeous.

Malki Means King: The Real Life Saul Cohen

2010-04-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

This was actually sent to me by Nation friend Bennett4$enate, via Sam Fuller, the guy who directed all the Saul Cohen shorts. This goes to show that he and Rene (Saul) could not have done a better job "documenting" this specific breed of whiteboy.

Rene's character, Saul Cohen, changes his name to Tre in one of the shorts, obviously to conceal just how Jewish he is. Malki Means King - the long form of Malki's name - reveals a similar motive. Just a little bit of Google work reveals that Malki Means Kings' government name is Samuel Malki, and that Malki does mean king, in Hebrew. The similarities abound!

And, actually, like Saul Cohen, there's something oddly likable about Malki, even if he appears to be a shithead. I wonder if Malki, like Saul, struggles with his dual identity, and his wacky demeanor in public is a mask to conceal his deep loneliness. Also, maybe if you're reading this, could you email me an mp3 of this song?

Insane Clown Posse, #Based?

2010-04-14T10:07:00.001-07:00

Jonah Weiner at Slate has a pretty great write-up on the above video. My man - we've exchanged an email - Dan Brooks at Combat! Blog has a funny one, too.

When a piece of underground rap rockets into internet memedom, and mainstream critic land, without any of us who actually actually listen to rap having the chance to take a swing at it, I think something gets lost. Specifically, ways to somehow triangulate this phenomenon with concurrent trends in Bay Area rap.

When Jonah Weiner describes Juggalos as "something like the music-world version of Trekkies: a community of (and support group for) self-identifying outcasts, who don homemade costumes, speak in a private language, and revel in their societal-reject status", it's hard not to think of our man Lil B, and his mini-movement. So long as you forget about the homemade costumes. And Lil B's twitter page is replete with this kind of everyday mysticism, or sort of magical realism, that is similarly hard to pin down, or fit in to your understanding of what making rap music - and listening to rap music - is all about.

Now granted, Lil B's music tends to be much more about his rich inner world. But I can't help but notice some similarities between Lil B and ICP, and the way they have branded their movements and followers so thoroughly. Maybe, someday there will be a #BASEDFEST somewhere at Altamont Pass or something.

Lil B = The Rap Elliott Smith?

2010-04-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ultimately, I hope not. This is a pretty incredible song.

Teeth 2 Feet

2010-04-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

My buddy Joe, who keeps an excellent tumblr, wrote about how this song turns the whole sampling-Wayne-for-your-hook-is-lazy-songwriting critique on its head, because the Wayne line in questions makes an offhanded reference to Keak Da Sneak. I have to respectfully disagree, if anything this somehow sadder, in a creative sense. But maybe it's because I run a Google Alert on my own name (which, in my defense, has turned up some funny stuff), and feel like this is similarly pathetic.

Citing the fact that someone else has made reference to you just shows that you love that sort of validation. Shit, I do. But if you're trying to seem fiercely independent, and free of Wayne's influence - or that you are a bigger influence on Wayne than Wayne is on you - sampling his voice when he happens to mention your name, because it rhymes with what he's rapping about, seems sort of fanboyish. Like bragging about getting quoted in a Canadian newspaper.

Still, the song is good, and the Wayne sample is great, actually. I find, like Joe did, the notion that women might fight over a back issue of Murder Dog a bit preposterous. But it's nice to know that Keak da Sneak has enough copies of his issue stacked up at his house to spare one for the video shoot. Who can blame him? It's nice to know people are paying attention to you.

Four Good Rap Albums? Nah, Right?

2010-04-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's a rare time in a young man's life when the winter turns into spring, he lands a new job writing, and has tons of good rap music to listen to. If I seem overly positive here, there's a good reason why.

I think everyone has been pleasantly surprised at how well E-40's latest effort turned out. Remember how his last two sucked? Full of tons of garbage club music and wack Southern guest appearances that were two months too late?

The success of Revenue Retrievin is how it resembles a free mixtape more than an album made to appeal to label executives, which is what seemed to go wrong with 40's last two. It could be cut down, sure, but so could any mixtape. It's full of guest appearances, but at least they're regionally appropriate, and don't drain the budget of the project like a Lil Jon beat or Juelz Santana verse might have, circa 2006.

Revenue Retrievin isn't exactly a return to form, but it has a little bit of what we all look for in a 40 record: the sinister story telling track; the inspirational/religious life-in-the-hood song; a Mike Marshall guest appearance; and Bay Area beats that SLAP. Cause I swear, if he kept going the way he was, we would have had some sort of sing-songy Kid Cudi/New Boyz inflected record on our hands.

For my money, Day Shift is a superior record, and I'd like to see how it does against Night Shift on the SoundScans. Here's my favorite track; 40 hasn't made one of these since Loyalty and Betrayal:

E-40 "The Art of Storytellin"

Brotha Lynch's new album, Dinner and a Movie, clearly has a lot of money behind it. I even think I saw someone write on twitter about seeing a TV ad for it, which is virtually unheard of. Especially for a rapper who raps about killing and eating people, and isn't a white dude from Detroit.

The whole album is incredibly well put-together, with excellent voice acting from First Degree the DE, and some really creepy raps from Lynch. I hope he gets to finish the planned trilogy of albums with Strange Music - Tech N9ne's label - because the higher production value really makes the whole "siccmade" aspects of his rap more compelling.

Here's a great example of why you should buy Dinner and a Movie:

Brotha Lynch Hung "D.O.A."

I've been listening to Danny Brown for about a year now, but I've never posted any of it, because I was given all these tracks that were advances from this album, and had to promise not to post them. Only two of maybe twenty made it, which goes to show just how much music Danny Brown has been making lately.

He's from Detroit, and he's the best new rapper I've come across in a while. His album is called The Hybrid, because he's a hybrid of different styles. He's not quite a gangsta rapper, not quite a backpack rapper, not quite a punchline rapper, and he dresses like an archetypal "blipster". He's all the best elements of those three styles - plus the sick dress code - rolled into one. Don't believe me, check out my favorite two tracks off of his latest, which you can download here:

Danny Brown "I'm Out"

Danny Brown "New Era"

I should probably hate these guys, based on stances I've taken in the past, but it's really hard not to like them. Almost like Danny Brown, they're hard to pin down. It would be easy to label them hipster rappers, but their "project" is patently different. It's some sort of blend of post-colonial bullshitting mixed with a love for contemporary rap, and a sincere desire to make something fun to listen to.

You could also just call them cultural tourists, and maybe they are, but their love for rap seems sincere, and people who actually listen to rap will be rewarded by little offhanded references to somewhat obscure rap songs and lyrics. Not once, but twice on Shut Up, Dude one of the DR guys references Big Pun's classic "dead in the middle of Little Italy..." couplet from his cover of "Deep Cover".

Their style is this schizophrenic, free-associative sort of rap that has become more and more popular as of late. You could attribute it all to Lil Wayne's influence, but then when you listen to their cover of Ghostface's "Nutmeg" or Dipset's "You Oughta Know", you realize that you guys like all the same things, and they sound like what you and your friends might make if you made rap. Except better. And none of your friends went to Weslyan. Bottom line is, they're really fun to listen to.

Das Racist "Rainbow in the Dark"

Das Racist "Nutmeg"

I'm out, cause I have to get back to the writing that I'm getting paid to do. To anyone affiliated with Sic-Wid-It or Strange Music, your music was posted for promotional purposes only, and I'm happy to remove at your request. Don't get me deaded, is all.

23rd and Valencia

2010-03-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

You bitiiiiitttttch! This is great. As much as I hate "street" "art", this appropriates it well. I write this from North Philly, and it makes me miss home, especially considering it's only a few blocks away. From home. Not Philly.

Berkeley Funk

2010-03-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

This seems unlikely, but it was probably bound to happen.

Sirealz "Break it Down (Lil B Diss)"

I guess other Berkeley rappers are upset that Lil B is making their city seem soft? I think the hippies and Chez Panisse might have helped a little bit before kids from Berekely were even rapping.

It's interesting that this comes from Sirealz, of Team Knoc. If I were him, I'd be more upset over Lil B's total appropriation of the word "Based", not that he's making silly music. And certainly not that he's not in the hood enough.

After all, Sirealz has spent the last couple years singing a lot of auto-tuned songs, some of which are really great. Before that, he made "Fruity Pebble Punk Rock" and "Flintstone Bedrock", a song based on Chris Farley's "Fat Guy in a Little Coat" routine, and a song that sampled Dora the Explorer, all of which were great, but weren't gangsterish by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, they were the opposite. And, Lil B's music seems to stem from the same sort of "project" that Team Knoc and other groups like it started. It's a highly creative type of rap that doesn't focus solely on silly gangsterish posturing, because after all, you're from Berkeley, not Oakland.

For people like Sirealz, Lil B's work is a good thing. It opens doors for different types of rap that might otherwise not get the press or money that LCD rap can attract.

And this diss track seems like the very same posturing that Team Knoc had spurned, which is what made them so interesting to listen to. Sirealz - who is a Nation friend - will occasionally read this, which makes this much more awkward than writing about Messy Marv and San Quinn's beef. And he's more than welcome to share his thoughts here in the comments. I'd encourage him to drop the beef. What's the point?

E-40 Is Tight Again

2010-03-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

I had a feeling that Revenue Retreivin might be a sort of return to form for E-40, and the above song, "Weedman" featuring Stressmatic, seems to be evidence in support of this theory. The part in the second verse about his friend getting a panic attack, pointing out that weed is a "muscle relaxer", etc, it's all vintage 40. Reminds me of when he cared less about following trends in rap, or even syllable counts, and just said what he wanted to get across.

UPDATE: Got that mpfree, blud.

E-40, Stressmatic "Weed Man"

Video: Roach Gigz "Respect It"

2010-03-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Roachy hits South Berkeley for some sunflower seeds and a fresh new tattie in his latest video. I hope he treated himself to a cheeseburger at The Smokehouse.

Roach Gigz "Respect It"

Speaking of takeout sandwiches, allow me to recommend that, should you find yourself in Brooklyn, you never get a sandwich at the bodega on Broadway and Myrtle with the yellow awning, right next to the fish market. I had to stay home from work yesterday, and have to work tonight, just because of that fucking sandwich.

Ice My Styrofoam

2010-03-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

Lil Hyfe, Kleet da Banga, Lee Majors "Pour Up"

I've made a point of complaining about Southern rap's influence on post-Hyphy Bay Area rap a lot on here. To recap: Lil Wayne or Gucci Mane tend to sing the hooks on most new mixtape joints, and they don't even know it! I'm referring, of course, to the practice of taking a somewhat compelling Lil Wayne couplet, slowing it down, and sidestepping the process of actually writing a song. This reminds me of hipsters who take pictures of other "artistic-looking" people in low-light situations, or Roberto Bolano's celebrated novel Savage Detectives; instead of actually having to make art, you can just show off your association with an artist in a form that resembles art, and pass it off as same. Am I making sense here?

My problem with this practice is that it stifles the creativity that we all love so much in Bay Area rap. It lets Southern artists who aren't even aware of the fact that they're singing these hooks define the song. Then, rappers are let off the hook - so to speak! - for actually having to say anything, and you're left with utterly nihilistic rap. Which isn't always a bad thing. It's just not that interesting.

What I like about this song posted above is that it takes elements of Southern rap - the recreational abuse of codeine syrup - and made it into something uniquely Bayish. I'm not sure Texas rappers would rap about how they just end up falling asleep when they drink syrup. But Lee Majors and two relative no-names would.

They add a nice cartoonish, self-deprecating Bay Area touch to a song that's about an otherwise completely borrowed subculture. Even Lee Majors doesn't ruin it, which is incredibly rare.

Keak Da Sneak "Don't Make Dollars Don't Make Sense"

Keak Da Sneak is continuing on his constant task of never really thinking of a new title for a song, but only referencing things he has said in the past. It's nice to hear from the guy again. He's been lying low for some time now. This song is serviceable, but nothing amazing.

Menace, Lil Wayne, Mitchy Slick "Blood Ni--az"

I think there's something seriously wrong with the levels on this song, not just the mp3. I also totally think Lil Wayne got sneak dissed on the third verse. Though I like his verse the best, probably for all the jokes he makes about gang culture ("oops I mean the boupe"). It would be easy to get into a conversation about what the difference is between actually being a gang member and using that to build a rap career, or having a rap career and picking up tenuous gang affiliation in the process, then using that to seem more authentic. I suppose it comes down to whether it comes off that you're promoting the organization - if you can even call the bloods gang an organization, it seems their lack of organization is what leads to all this confusion - or using the organization to promote yourself. I'd say everyone in this song is doing the latter. So what's the point?

Young L "Young L-E-N"

Noz at Cocaine Blunts (or as I like to call it "Cocaine, Blunts") posted this track with this one statement as commentary: "Rap production is anything but stagnant." It led to a ridiculous amount of discussion in the comments, which you should check out if you're into that sort of thing. I agree that the beat is crazy, but I just wonder when Young L is going to tire of his solo stuff.

Let me put it this way: what if Jerry Seinfeld were the only character in Seinfeld? He would be quite unpopular, and I think he's running into that wall these days with his new show. I'll leave it at that (except that continuing with this comparison: Lil B = Kramer; Stunnaman = George; Uno = Elaine)

Is Mitchy Slick Sneak Dissing Lil Wayne Here?

2010-03-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

They seem to get along just fine, but who else could he be referring to in his verse? That would make him a very passive-aggressive gangbanger, which is a trait not commonly associated with, you know, gangs and stuff.

I'd have to take that somewhat personally, because Wayne seems to have borrowed my wardrobe for this one. I never knew how much I dressed like a gang member.

Shlumpulicious the Jester

2010-03-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

I actually received a personal email from First Degree himself, telling me about the existence of this video. Shlumpulicious the Jester is set to drop on April 20th.

In related news, Brotha Lynch Hung dropped Part II of his Dinner and a Movie. The second part is produced by First Degree, in his Shlumpulicious persona. He even has a brief cameo in the film at about 0:35.

You Can Buy Autographed Versions of These for $9.95 + S&H

2010-03-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

On The Boy Boy Young Mess' new website. Tasteful muzak, pictures of Miami, great use of Flash. It's all there.

Roach Gigz and Lil 4-Tay: From Another EP

2010-02-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

You can download the new mixtape here.

There's a good mix of old and new material on this one. I've been short on time this week, so I'm gonna leave it here with only this as my comment: The title is hilarious with regard to Lil 4-Tay's gender. It references "Brothers From Another Mother", but stops short of using any gender specific language. This is It's Pat-level weird.

Brotha Lynch Hung: "Meat"

2010-02-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

Brotha Lynch Hung has a new album coming out soon, called - get this - Dinner and a Movie, and it's going to be accompanied by a mini-movie. The video above is the first chapter. The fact that the protagonist is not actually played by Brotha Lynch is a good start. Nothing against raptors (shouts out to Dallas Penn for that one), but I feel like rappers really limit their storytelling capabilities by always playing their film counterparts. It leads to some really self-serving screenwriting. Anyone who has seen Baller Blockin should know what I'm talking about. Are we really supposed to expect that Manny, Baby, BG and Wayne get away from a platoon of NOPD squad cars and helicopters with their pants around their ankles?

Not to ruin the ending for you.

Back to "Meat". My high school stoner thoughts were vindicated by this one, in that it only hints at the connection between meat, murder, and putting food on your table, unlike his most infamous song. Back when I smoked weed, I listened to "Return of the Baby Killa", and it occurred to me that this song was not meant to be taken at face value; it's not actually about killing and eating babies for sustenance, though that is an awesome premise for a rap song. It's a song about the everyday street violence that plagues inner city America, and that by killing others to put food on your table, you might as well be eating people. Because that's the essential transaction when you kill someone for money: their flesh for your well-being.

It's similar to the idea that David Foster Wallace puts forth in Brief Interviews With Hideous Men that women might understand men better if they were raped. Pretty awful thing to suggest, but the idea is that women cannot possibly understand the way men objectify them until they see it in its rawest, most violent extreme (keep in mind that I haven't actually read Brief Interviews, but I watched the awful film adaptation. I'm gonna go ahead and assume the guy from The Office didn't add that little flourish, and the idea is pure DFW. Think that's a safe bet). In a certain way, that's the same logic that I find in Brotha Lynch's music about eating people. He takes gangsta rap's ethos to its logical extreme, and it's frightening. Literally visceral.

On "Meat", unlike "Return of the Baby Killa", Brotha Lynch doesn't even hint at eating people, but the connection between putting meat on his table, and possibly killing people to do so is made quite clear. In that regard, it's more unsettling than "Return", just because it's so much less cartoonish. So much realer.

That, and the film looks pretty awesome. Since some idiot kid at Tompkins ruined the ending of Shutter Island for me today, it looks like this will have to do.

From The Inbox: Stevie Joe "Turnt Up"

2010-02-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

I love a pithy email. Today I "opened" my inbox to find this one:

"Sup breh,

I love the young hus, but come on-- play some new shit!

http://vimeo.com/9574397

TURNT UP!"

Just like that. Didn't even sign the thing. And he called me breh.

Stevie Joe "Turnt up" Freestyle from In Yo FACE Filmworks on Vimeo.

The best is off of "Turnt Up", some local Atlanta no-name hit. I like the freestyle, but this kind of stuff only furthers my thesis that a lot of Bay Area rappers are doing Southern-derivative music these days. That's always sort of been the case, but it used to go both ways. And once you start sampling Wayne or Gucci's voice for virtually every hook on a mixtape, you've got a problem.

In other Oakland news:

New Husalah - "Choppas Out"

2010-02-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

CHOPPERS OUT

New Husalah tracks are rare, and always worthy of a stand-alone post, in my book. There's something to be said for the guy pacing himself since getting out of jail. Especially when you contrast his approach to putting out music with someone like Lil B, or even Husalah as he was about to get locked up. He was in a hurry to get as much music done as possible. On the one hand, this did lead to a certain amount of creativity, perhaps similar to Lil B's, but you always have to worry about quality control in situations like that, with tight deadlines and all.

Everything he's put out since leaving prison has been great. This is no exception.

Husalah "Choppas Out"

He's in no rush, I hope, because he's got plenty of good material. Fuck your snitching conspiracy theories.

According to Davey Boy Smith, this is off of that Bay Bridges 2 Compilation that Droop-E is putting out. But I googled that shit, and the top link was something I wrote about the album about a year ago, saying that it was coming soon. So who knows. Lord knows this blog isn't the most accurate when it comes to reporting "facts". Anyway, should that be true, then this was produced by Droop-E, aka The Hardest Dude in Danville.

Mitchy Slick: Actually Too Triv?

2010-02-12T11:15:00.000-08:00

Mitchy Slick and the Wrongkind gang just dropped their new mixtape: The Yellow Tape. Get it? Here's a visual in case that went over your head:

His old mixtapes usually had guns on the cover, if you recall. He seems to have moved on to showing what guns are capable of doing, which is more than a bit morbid to say the least. Maybe I'm getting old if I'm those sort of thoughts, but I'm comfortable with that.

The mixtape is feature-heavy to say the least, but that's the point. It's Mitch and his gang. As a result, you get guest appearances from dudes with names like Problumz, Lil Fat Bat, Woodgrade [sic?], Trustory, Lil Poe 1, and last but certainly not least, Meat Face, who I am impressed has stayed out of jail long enough to come back for a second verse.

I was initially annoyed with the preponderance of no-name guest rappers, just for the fact that my main man (||) Mitchy wasn't on the mic so much, as a result. This provides a great contrast to all the so-called "underground" sensations that have came up through the blogosphere in the last year or two. Take Freddie Gibbs and Kid Cudi, for example. Gibbs lives in the Valley in Los Angeles, and Kid Cudi lived in East New York (as in, Uncle Murda "EAST NEW YAHK!") for a while before he made it. These guys have a good deal in common, in terms of career strategy, with kids who want to make it as actors in New York and Los Angeles, only they'd have a harder time getting a job waiting tables. Jokes aside: they know that you have to go to certain cities to make it on a national level in the entertainment business. And due to this internet-age hip-hop-is-dead-era obsession with authenticity, Freddie Gibbs is billed as the savior of gangsta rap, and the poet of Gary, IN even though he lives in Van Nuys, or some shit. I'll leave Kid Cudi out of this "authenticity" conversation, because it doesn't apply.

Mitchy Slick takes the complete opposite approach to marketing himself, as I've pointed out before. He's concerned with his local market, which is more or less contained to an indoor flea market, so he couldn't possibly up and move to Los Angeles and try to "make it". He's successful as it is, so there is little incentive to move anywhere else. My only complaint is that he constantly bitches about not having a record deal.

My advice to Mitch is this: sell out, or shut up. Or do a 2010 Bloods Vs. Crips mixtape with Nipsey Hussle. THAT would be tyt.

Here's some of my favorites off the tape:

Mitchy Slick, Lil Poe 1, Damu "She Hella Young"

This song comes just short of being really creepy, if you can imagine, but the beat is catchy, and so is the hook. It's also nice to see my favorite word that isn't in the OED is becoming more and more acceptable outside of the Bay Area. I hope my children grow up in a world where they can say "hella" without being judged by others.

Mitchy Slick, Marvara, Ise-B, Ric Nutt "Whatbitkerdendat?"

Speaking of slang, this one's interesting. It's clearly a case of SoCal gang member superstition regarding certain letters in the alphabet, perhaps combined with a spelling error on the part of the person who wrote the tracklisting. My best guess is that "bitker" is supposed to be "bicker", as is "sicker", but for Bloods. And maybe someone decided to avoid the letter "S" because it makes the same sound as "C", some of the time? I'm totally lost here. I've never been in a gang, what can I say?

Mitchy Slick, the whole gang "He'll Shoot"

This one has been out for some time, but it's pretty great. Not as hard as, let's say, Diddy, but it'll do.

Diddy > Waka Flocka

2010-02-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

I mean, is it in poor taste to murk a dude on his own beat when he actually almost got killed IRL just two weeks ago? Especially if someone else wrote your 8 bars for you?

I was floored upon seeing this. It is amazing.

Two New E-40 Videos

2010-01-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

This is off of 40's upcoming Revenue Retrievin', which is a double album in the Sweat/Suit sense of the word, which means that if you don't illegally download his music, you're going to be parting ways with a good amount of your lunch money if you want to listen to all of it. E-40's last two albums have followed the half-good-half-crossover-garbage model (forgive me, I think I'm paraphrasing someone else's assessment here, and I can't recall whose) to maximize sales, and effectively alienated all of his truest fans in the process. Maybe one album will house all the shitty guest appearances, R&B songs, and songs that are ONLY about getting head. And the other one will be straight SINISTER MOBB. But which? Day Shift? Or Night Shift?

They finally made a video for the E-40, Beeda Weeda, Jacka remix of D-Lo's now-classic "No Hoe". E-40 sports a shirt with the closing lines to his verse; everyone else wears those Planet of the Grapes shirts, which I can't believe still exist.

Here's the mp3 of that, in case you find the clean edit infuriating (does World Star have standards all the sudden?)

D-Lo, E-40, Beeda Weeda, Jacka "No Hoe (Remix)"

Two questions:

1. Turf dancing? Seriously? Someone get Turfapino on the phone!
2. What is that hideous green liquor the girls with Jacka are drinking? Is it some kind of West Coast version of Nuvo? If it is, we will be hearing all about soon, in rap form.

Both spotted via.

New Rap Music

2010-01-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

J. Stalin "Don't Talk"

Two guesses as to what this song is about! Just kidding, of course it's about how J. Stalin doesn't talk to police about anything illegal that his friends have taken part in. Ironically, J. Stalin makes a career out of rapping about how he and his friends do tons of stuff that Oakland PD wouldn't be too happy about. I'm certainly not the first person to point this irony out. Maybe that's why Stalin left this off of his latest release, Prenuptial Agreement, which hit stores on Tuesday. Order it here.

That's for all the bastids who say I ignore Livewire too much. I've been listening to the album, and actually like it.

Roach Gigz "Respect It"

Davey Boy Smith of Southern Hospitality fame (if you're looking for someone who stays up on Bay raps from even further away from the Bay than I am, check his blog out. It's dope) dropped this track on the internet earlier this week. It's more or less what you've come to expect from Roach: wacky free-association raps that are really fun to listen to. It almost reminds me of old Redman, how he just lets the words take him on some stoner journey for a few verses, even if he's just talking random nonsense.

UCLA Jerk Kings "iGo iPop"

I thought these guys were a parody of the "genre" (check the comment from "London")! And yet, once you have a friend make a beat on FruityLoops, and you rap a bunch of silly punchlines over it, you are actually making Jerk music, like it or not. Though, hats off for the one line "like Picasso, I'll put your eyes where your mouth is". That actually made me "LOL", but I had been drinking.

The Boy Boy Mess "Take a Flick"

Messy Marv has a number of issues with Twitter (a micro-blogging service you might have heard of) that makes it very difficult to follow him, despite my journalistic obligation to do so. As you can imagine, he's pretty prolific. But, taking a step back, he's pretty fucking great at Twitter. For instance, in the last few days, he released the above song, called E-40 a "fat ass", and released his Online Press Kit, which I've posted below. I learned a few things:

The BoyBoy Young Mess - Electronic Press Kit from Scalen LLC. on Vimeo.

Did you know that Messy Marv started the Scalen Foundation in 2005 to help at-risk youth? Did you know he also doesn't find anything ironic about showing footage of young kids stomping out an SFPD cruiser while talking about the work he does for San Francisco's at risk youth? He never ceases to amaze.

Cellski Witnesses the Latest Air-Terror Scare

2010-01-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

To me Cellski is many things. The King of Randolph street. The mixtape king of the Bay Area. The taker. But did you know that Cellski is also a citizen journalist?

As I write this, Cellski is live "tweeting" (slang for the use of Twitter, a micro-blogging service that is quite popular with the kids) some sort of air terror scare that involves a guy going into the bathroom for 20 minutes and coming out shirtless, shoeless, with a razor in his hand. Could have been a shaving mix-up, but who knows. As Cellski points out, "Dude was Arabic or Indian too...that was the tweak". And everyone knows that those dudes don't shave.

That reminds me that Haji Springer put out a new video for "Let Me See You Move" last night. It features Jacka and Stressmatic (remember The Federation?). No one really "raps", per se. You'll see what I mean.

Anyway, it's apparently an AirTran flight, which was Cellski's first mistake, and it's grounded in Denver right now. I checked CNN, and there's nothing yet, so Cellksi is our only source of information right now. I really like the idea that his TwitPics could very well be running on national news outlets for the next 24 hours. No one will know that the same guy who took that picture put out this album:

Here's my favorite track from Culinary Arts Institution:

Cellski "Y'all Don't Want It"

I mostly like it for the "my money stay long like an aconda" line there at the start. I'd hate to say any more, lest I be accused of (or praised for?) looking too deeply into Cellski's writings.

Video Link: Husalah's First Live Performance Since Jail

2010-01-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

I wanted to embed this, but We The West is too street to do proper HTML, and I"m too uninterested/incompetent. Click this link to watch the video

Santa Cruz is the spot for the show, which I guess falls under that "ain't not the Bay" category. He performs "Pray for You", "Zestways" and "Cuttin it Up" along with about 30-odd people on stage, and a capacity crowd of UC students and burnouts singing along. It's kinda hard to watch, just because the quality is so bad, but it's nice to see that he's doing live shows.

Here's my question: is Husalah poised to be the new Andre Nickatina? Audience-wise, anyway?

Spotted via the homey Floyd "F." Sanchez.

Princeton the Great One: The Worst Rapper in the Bay Area?

2009-12-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, allow me to thank Nation-friend Floydy "F." Sanchez for pointing these out to me, via twitter (which, if you haven't heard of it, is a micro-blogging service).

Princeton the Great One hails from Fresno, CA, a part of California that has latched itself onto the Bay Area, musically. So I think it's fair to label a Fresno rapper a Bay Area rapper. After all, First Degree the DE pointed out, Sacramento "ain't not the Bay". The same should apply to Fresno. They're only a stone's throw apart as far as I'm concerned.

Now that I have successfully convinced you that Princeton the Great One (to his friends: P the G) is, in fact a Bay Area Rapper, please enjoy his latest single, "Still Here", where P the G reassures his trusting fans that he has not stopped rapping.

It's almost hard to set aside time to mock a guy for making a rap song about going to Community College, and actually filmed part of the video at the Community College along with his buddies, who all seem to be perfectly nice, if not a little weird. But, I must. This song is so fucking bad.

It's baffling to me that in a world where we are all so inundated with media, something like this could even exist. If want to become a rapper and want to hear what rap sounds like, all you need to do is log onto the internet, or turn on the radio. What you will hear is rhythmic speech in rhyming verse over a beat that probably resembles contemporary pop music, in its various forms. It is not hard to imitate. Madonna has done it; some broad named Ke$ha has done it; Drake has done it. Approximations of good rap abound in the early 21st century.

And yet, this song seems to fail at every aspect on my imaginary "Is-This-Actually-a-Rap-Song?" checklist, despite clearly attempting to (Side note: It kind of reminds me of that one Saafir verse off of Hell's Kitchen, if you know what I mean). How someone could be so inundated with pop culture and rap and not know how to put out something better?

I suppose this speaks to the newer development in our ongoing overexposure to media. I am of course speaking of user-generated content. People will put the darndest things on the internet. But with someone like Princeton the Great One, who isn't filming his cat fight a laser pointer's projection, it is a bit more troubling when something that is supposed to be - or at least resemble - a finished piece of art turns out so unintentionally hilarious.

How did no one involved in this not send it back to the drawing board? With lines like "I feel like King Kong and the world is the white bitch", P The G has the potential to make rap that is at least entertaining. But statistically speaking, all of the dudes in the background are likely to be better at rapping than Princeton. He's that bad. Still, none of them said anything to stop this video from hitting the internet. And here it is, to be lambasted by some jerk-off sitting at his computer halfway across the world.

Perhaps the upside to this - and you can consider this my decade wrap-up essay - is that Princeton the Great One's body of work, no matter how bad it is, reflects the bottom-end of an overall democratization of production and consumption of music in this last decade. At the beginning of the 00's, I was an 8th grader using Napster to download songs I had heard on KMEL (no more taping the radio!), and it took 20-30 minutes to download them. I had always been a fan of Bay Area rap that I heard on the radio E-40, Too $hort, Mac Mall, Rappin 4-Tay, etc, but my taste in music was still very much determined by what was popular on KMEL, BET, MTV, whatever.

Now, fast-forward ten years, and I'm on a micro-blogging service clicking links to rap videos by guys from Fresno who can't even rap. Aside from Ke$ha - who I am only aware of because I check Byron Crawford multiple times a day - I have no clue what people listen to on the radio, MTV, etc. If you still read this blog, I'm willing to bet you're the same way. That's somewhat remarkable.

What I'm trying to say is that people P The G have to exist to make room for all the other great bottom-up pop cultural movements that have taken place this past decade. It's just that he's the dregs of this democratization, in my opinion. You could probably say the same about this blog, but here I am, four years deep.

If you've read this far, you get to watch my favorite P The G video: "Cheeseburgers"

The Pack is Back!

2009-12-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-12-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

...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"

2009-12-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-24T23:46:00.000-08:00

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"

2009-10-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-09-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

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"

2009-09-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-09-21T09:09:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-09-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

...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

2009-09-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

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...

Video: Jacka and Andre Nickatina "Glamorous Lifestyle"

2009-09-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

This came out maybe two weeks ago, and I missed it. Basically, Jacka rides around the East Bay wearing some obnoxious streetwear, meets up with Andre Nickatina, who is wearing two-thirds of a three-piece suit, and then goes to a barbecue where Cellski mans the grill, and E-40 is playing dominoes. Husalah makes a cameo, too. It actually looks like a great fucking time, which is odd, because I always sensed something dark in that song.

Hella Money...

2009-09-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

...on Craigslist

Remember when these Bay Area remixes used to be good?

1. Da Oowop "Craigslist Money (Arab Money Remix)"

As you might have guessed, it's about practicing the world's second oldest profession on what is damn near the Internet's oldest website. It also sounds like they had to use some knockoff shareware version of AutoTune. I would have appreciated a mention of the Craigslist Killer making business harder, or referring to dollars as "roses" in those ridiculous postings, but this guy is just awful at rap.

Just like this song, Craigslist is a fucking mess. There was a great article on Wired recently explaining all of CL's problems. Da Oowop is only the tip of the iceberg. I took craigslist's shittiness for granted for too long; it is truly absurd that we depend on this poorly designed spammer's paradise for housing, jobs, and - for some - "love".

2. Dorrough "Ice Cream Paint Job"

Unrelated: My current Southern rap guilty pleasure. I'll take a tardy pass on this.

3. From the Inbox

Complex from the 707 writes, in response to the last post:

"Whoever wrote that Murder Dog article is retarted [sic]. Lil' 4-Tay is Rappin' 4-Tay's SON. Also Roach Gigz' mixtape to be released is called "Buckets & Booty Calls" NOT "Buckets Of Booty". Just thought as a Roach/Lil' 4 fan I should straighten that out."

The plot thickens! Still, he is right about that Buckets of Booty nonsense. Though if I were Roach I might wonder whether that might be a better name for a mixtape.

This all has me wishing that I were, somehow, a Gender Studies major at Wellesely, but not really. Think about how much your professors would eat up a paper about a female rapper from San Francisco who blurs gender lines so successfully that no one can even agree on her gender, though no one really cares whether she's a guy or a girl. You could probably get a fucking book deal out of something like this, and Gender Studies majors would have heated debates about it in their discussion groups facilitated by stocky, mustachioed female TAs who go out of their way to use words like "heteronormative" and the gender-neutral pronoun "Ze", and so on and so forth.

Whoever thinks of a good title for my contribution to the ever-growing field of Gender Studies gets the dedication page of my book.

The Real News Here is that Murder Dog is Available For Free Online. Also, New Rap Music

2009-09-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Whoa! I still have a music blog! But do I still have an audience? Time will tell...let's listen to some new Bay Area rap.

The Pack "Kimbo Slice"

Over a classic stripped-down Young L beat, the youngest in charge trade rhymes about pretty much nothing at all. This one will sound great in your car, especially considering it's hook is swacked from Dorrough Music's "Ice Cream Paint Job", a four-verse song about cars by a guy from Dallas (no shit!). Kimbo Slice, for those unfamiliar, is that street fighting dude, who was loosely affiliated with some pr0n websited, and knocked a dude's eye out of his socket once. That's a hard hit.

Young L, OT, Lil B, Boogz Boogetz "Let My Wheels Spin"

Who the fuck are these guys? It's Young Dro's voice on the hook, slowed down. Seeing a pattern? Between Messy Marv and The Pack, I've been hearing a whole lot of Bay Area rappers outsource their hook writing abilities to the South. Now, I know outsourcing labor costs helps your bottom-line, but don't you lose a little bit of authenticity? Also, think about all the great hooks that The Pack has written! Seriously. Their marketing guy tried to get me to post the PREVIEW to the video for this, but I hella ignored him. He can feel free to let me know when the whole thing is out. Looks fresh.

Roach Gigz, Lil 4-Tay "Mainey"

I seriously didn't know that Lil 4-Tay was a girl until last week, while reading the feature in Murder Dog, which I can embed below:

July 2009

.

I still can't tell while listening to this (it's very possible that I don't have the artists right). Anyway, can chicks really be mainey?

Clyde Carson, The Jacka "Popular Thugs"

Clyde Carson just released his Base Rock EP. As I suspected, about half of it was inexcusably softhand, other tracks were just old. This one was news to me. If you want to remember why you were convinced a few years ago that Clyde Carson could have been a household name, check this one out. Just remembered that all those signed Jacka albums are still in a box behind my bedroom door. Whoops...

Stacks On Deck Money Gang "Gucci Louis"

Soulja Boy is a household name. Isn't that something? Still, try to not enjoy this one.

I've Seen More Queso...

2009-08-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

...than a taqueria table

New Roach Gigz! Courtesy of the homey Mikey at Digital Dripped. I just realized that I don't read Nah Right anymore, and I think it's because Digital Dripped is basically the West Coast Nah Right. Is that too much? Anyone else not read Nah Right anymore? It's kinda liberating [||]. I mean, I know I'm missing out on a lot of shitty New York rap, but I haven't missed it. Anyway, on with the music.

In honor of Mikey, I'm gonna limit the editorial content here to DD-style ratings:

Roach Gigz "Gassin Em" (Very Hot GAS!)

Roach Gigz "Booty Call" (Very Hot Andre Nickatina Homage Slapper)

No word on whether these are gonna be on Buckets and Booty Calls. If they are, well, that's probably good news. If you're feeling these, check out Digital Dripped for a few more from Roach.

Messy Marv Flip-Flops on a Key Issue

2009-08-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

Please allow for a big preemptive "no homo" on this whole post.

While listening to that new Prices on my Head, Thug Money on Your Family mixtape (which is more or less all I do these days, having been furloughed from work for most of this month), I stumbled across this song where Messy Marv brags about his talent for, uh, cunnilingus. It even has Lil Wayne's sped up voice saying "she bout to get ate" over and over again, for the hook. He never, you know, uses the word cunnilingus or any other recognizable slang for said sex act, but he does talk about "putting [his] mouth on her" a lot. He even, at one point, boasts that women are scared of his mouth, which is quite a claim. Listen for yourself:

The Boy Boy Young Mess "Untitled 8"

That's all well and good, but it got me thinking, "Didn't Messy Marv have a really tasteless song about NEVER going down on women a few years back?" Of course he did. It was called "Neva B Right". It features, instead of a chipmunky Wayne, an incredibly hokey R&B hook where some no name singer crooning about how it will "never be right" to "eat it". E-40 and Yukmouth also chime in about how they get head a lot but don't reciprocate. Bad as most rap-about-sex songs are, this one might actually be my least favorite.

Messy Marv, E-40, Yukmouth "Neva B Right"

Is there a larger significance to this flip-flop? Is this the invasion of the beta-male rap ethos in the Bay Area scene? Did Messy Marv do some soul-searching about his selfishness in "the sack" [||]? Is Messy just a turf-hopping cokehead? Does he remember that he vowed never to do this? On wax, no less? Next thing he's gonna make a song about how much he loves bad breath, the Crips, Obie Trice, and San Quinn.

"He say he got a house around his neck, guess what?..."

2009-08-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

"...Ni&&a houses hella cheap, the market's so fucked up" - The Boy Boy Young Mess

So goes my favorite Recession Real Estate related rap line ever. Jeezy had a close runner up with his adlibs about how "these ni##as steady building condos!" on "Crazy World", which more or less points out the flip side of the same coin, but it just isn't as funny, nor does it rhyme. Here is the song in question, off of Prices on My Head, Thug Money on Your Family Vol. 2, which actually came out last week. No title on the tracks, either.

"Untitled 2" The Boy Boy Young Mess

He goes on to diss both San Quinn (for not having a chain) and Mistah FAB (for getting his chain snatched constantly). Though, if I recall correctly, Mistah FAB faked a chain snatching by the North Dakota bloods (maybe Nebraska, maybe crips, who cares), and then actually broke his chain when he almost died on I-5. Still, Mistah FAB is hella annoying, so I appreciate the diss.

Aside from the disses, this song also has a hilarious premise: that people will tuck their chain when in Marv's presence out of shame, not out of fear that he will rob them. After all, why would he want your cloudy-ass chain?

"Untitled 10" The Boy Boy Young Mess

This song is just great. Marv describes how white people think it's a real "bummer" that he has so many cars, and how his watch is so large is makes his wrist look like a Samoan. It's typical nihilistic, lazy Messy Marv (which might have been why the Messy Marv macros worked so well, in retrospect), but he even gets a bit self-deprecating at the end. He mimics the voice of vaguely Middle Eastern 7-11 clerk who chews Messy out for constantly asking for free blunts, and even calls him a "faggot". "STOP ASKING ME FOR THINGS! THIS IS 7-11!". Messy has proven himself to be one of Bay Area rap's best comedians when he lets down his guard. This song really showcases his talent.

Husalah "Pray For You (Radio Extended Mix)"

This is Husalah's first song since getting out, which I'm sure you've already heard, but this version has an extra rap on it. Alas, you can't hear him cuss on it, because it's made for the radio. When was the last time you had to really go out of your way for the "dirty" version of a song? This feels so circa-1999, taping-singles-off-the-radio to me. Either way, if you're curious to hear more Hus, check this out.

The Pack "Touch It (Like an iPhone)"

Young rappers' obsession with consumer electronics is starting to get to me. This even extends to the "retro" or "hipster" rappers who differentiate themselves by talking about pagers and brick phones. It's all the same shit. Did 90's rappers ever rap about having MiniDisc players, or an ill LaserDisc setup at the crib? I don't remember it if they did.

All that aside, this song is pretty fucking great. I challenge you not to laugh out loud during Lil B's verse (with him, not at him). Maybe you will even by reading it:

Touch me like an iPhone, play her like an iPod/
brandangdangdang, on like a nite-lite/
yeah she pays my phone bill and she suck my screen (?) too/
oh my god! she bought my ringtone, too!/
I'ma fuck her right now BAM BAM BAM BAM/
Itchy itchy Mitchy Slick; horny like a bopper bitch/
turn my phone on, see all the calls I done missed/
(riiiing) Who is it?/

It kinda goes from there. I'm not sure how I would feel about the "shout-out" if I were Mitchy Slick.

The songs is fun, but I find myself put off at the thought of being touched like an iPhone. If we really take this mean what it sounds like it means, doesn't it sound really upsetting? All the "pinching" and "flicking" does not - to me - seem all that appealing. It almost seems like they should have talked about touching girls like an iPhone? But that, too, is troubling.

"Snitches" AP.9

This one is a few months old, but it seems appropriate to throw it up here. The Bay Area's greatest barber ternt rapper, AP.9, comes through with the eleventyth cover of Too Short's "Dope Fiend Beat" in the last few years. I think that "Dope Fiend Beat" will soon be considered one of the greatest Bay Area rap songs ever made. Despite the fact that it is less well-known than others, it is clearly the rappers' favorite. That's what really matters, right?

Anyway, this song, I also find unsettling because it references well-known lyrics from the Too Short song - which are mostly about getting his dick sucked - and replacing them with lines about violence against informants. It's clever, but weird, considering that we all know the precise lines he's referring to. For example:

"It really ain't a lie, but I just met her/now I'm saying 'Bitch, suck better'" becomes "I really ain't lying, I'm pulling my wetter/now I'm spraying, no matter what the weather".

"I want a blowjob, and I'm not kidding/work it in your mouth til your head starts spinning" becomes "See I don't know y'all, and I'm not kidding/gun up in your mouth until your head starts spinning".

And finally "I just laugh over and over when a bitch drinks sperm like it's a soda" becomes "I just laugh over and over when a snitch starts pointing fingers hanging with the rollers".

AP.9 sat down one day to contemplate how to turn sexually graphic lyrics into violently graphic lyrics, simply because "bitch" rhymes with "snitch". It's just weird to listen to.

Atlas Rapped: Some Thoughts on the Young Cons

2009-08-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've never been interested in Ayn Rand, but now that I have the Cliff's Notes version of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead in rap form, I don't think I'll ever need to read either.

Aside from the absurdity of the content in the rap, the video raises a few issues for me as well. For example, why does the taller Young Con (who is mad nicer on the mic than the shorter Young Con) hold a microphone only some of the time, and never at a time that it would make sense for him to be holding a mic (ie, in front of a crowd, or in the "local" booth)? Also, why is there a little dude doing what could only be categorized as Michael Jackson-inspired turf dancing?

I don't know whether it's ironic or fitting that hip-hop - it could be argued - came out of the an environment created in part by the failure of the social welfare programs that the Young Cons hate so much. These are, also, social welfare programs that just don't exist anymore on the scale that they used to (Urban Renewal, things of that nature). Conservatives live in a world where social welfare and taxation is a bigger obstacle to personal prosperity than the corporate welfare that has destroyed the middle class and widened the gap between rich and poor to be wider than it has been in years.

Anyway, the Young Cons use rap as their means of conveying their message against taxation and social welfare, and they don't even use it properly. It is clear from their video, flow, and dancing, that they didn't bother to learn much about rap before taking part in it (the "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" reference is the only evidence to suggest otherwise). So, in the free market of ideas here on the internet, these guys should be buried, because they suck. And yet, due to the farcical nature of their whole "project", they end up on rap blogs, and due to the convenient timing with regards to the debate in the Senate over Health Care (and a Democratic majority in general), they end up on Huckabee's show and Hannity and Colmes, and whatever other nonsense people watch. So, the irony here being that they use rap - a medium in which they are not talented - to tell people that the government should leave people alone and let them live up to their full potential, by being beautifully industrious capitalists: entrepreneurs in what they are good at. However, they aren't good at rapping, yet their raps remain popular for reasons mentioned above.

I would suggest to the Young Cons that they consider employing what their seventh-grade teachers called "show-not-tell", in their raps. So, guys, listen to these Ice Cube songs, and understand what good "political" rap sounds like. You don't have to explicitly "tell" your philosophy in a bullet-point list. That is incredibly boring (except for when it is so absurd, which is the only reason you guys are "successful") Tell me an illustrative story; your point will become clear if the story is good.

Ice Cube "A Bird in the Hand"

Ice Cube "What Can I Do? (Remix)"

Incidentally, Cube is also annoyed with Uncle Sam fucking with his industry, and imprisoning him for taking part in a lucrative business. In this case, however, Ice Cube was talking about selling crack-cocaine. If you ignore your moralistic reflex to point out that crack-cocaine is an illegal substance because it destroys peoples' lives, leads to crime, &c, you can see that Ice Cube and the Young Cons make - more or less - the same point (though Ice Cube's is more nuanced and insightful. "What Can I Do?", for instance, points out the lack of personal agency that Ice Cube - and others like him - actually have in a "failing society". Really, what can he do when the whole system is designed to put him in prison for life?).

Cube and the Young Cons agree that the government should step out of the way of entrepreneurs, so the Young Cons' whole thesis has good precedent in rap music, it's just interesting to see the company they keep.

However, it would be unimaginable for them to go on Mike Huckabee's show and when he asked them who they listen to they said "Well, Governor, we really like what Ice Cube had to say about how he wanted to kill Uncle Sam on Death Certificate, and how he wishes he could be a productive, beautiful member of society by selling crack-cocaine to whoever could afford it, and - hey - who is the government to tell us what we can and cannot sell? If there was a market for crack-cocaine in South Central Los Angeles in the early 90's, you would have to be a foolish, weak individual to not capitalize on it. So yeah, I'd say Ice Cube is one of our biggest influences. Him and Ayn Rand."

This would never happen.

Basically, Fox News and all the blowhards who love the Young Cons are the same people who were all flipped out about Gangster Rap in the early 90's. I just think the similarities are funny. Granted, the Young Cons don't talk about wantonly killing a whole lot of people, police, etc, but their line of thinking can certainly be linked to the Right Wing extremist rhetoric that has been gaining ground as of late - and has cost us a number of American lives in recent weeks - with Glenn Beck probably at the forefront. So, let's not say that the Young Cons aren't dangerous in the same way.

The higher irony, perhaps, is that now that we have a black president, it is white rappers who are speaking out against him.

Micromeme: Adding Messy Marv to Photographs

2009-07-29T00:43:00.000-07:00

While I was biding my time online, seeing if there is an official Messy Marv Facebook Page (there is), I stumbled across a fascinating Facebook Group called "Any picture can be improved by adding Messy Marv to it." The creator is a young man named Alex Evans, who attends Bishop of Llandaff High School, which according to my brief research is in Wales, United Kingdom. Perhaps the distance - and general British squareness - leads them to refer to The Boy Boy as a "low-rated rapper". Either way, these Welsh high schoolers seem to think it's hilarious to use MS Paint to insert Messy Marv into various situations, and famous historical scenes. (It seems, this is based on some other (probably 4chan) internet meme called "Any picture can be improved by adding immortal to it" where people add some Black Metal dude into pictures in the same fashion)

Whether witnessing Saddam Hussein's fall, a deadly tsunami, or RFK's death, Messy Marv is made to always seem casually indifferent. Somehow this really makes sense to me, as a Messy Marv fan. Things like this make the internet a worthwhile place. Let's just hope that Alex Evans doesn't get Thug Money on [His] Muh-Futtin Family! To see the rest of the images, check out the Group's page.

The Boy Boy Young Mess "Ask Yourself"

This is off of Prices on My Head, Thug Money on Your Family, Volume 2, which is actually coming out in two weeks. I can't wait.

Attention Music Marketers

2009-07-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Literally every day of my life I receive emails from Music Marketers who try to tell me that I should listen to this artist or that one (Skyzoo? Carlito Rossi? Ashy L Bowz?), or that I should attend a conference on "BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE STREETS AND THE NEW MUSIC INDUSTRY" (seriously), or that I should really be paying attention to what they're trying to tell me, and that unlike the Mainstream Artists everyone reads about on blogs, these guys are the Real Underground, despite the fact that they have the money to hire people to send out E-blasts. which is, for the record, the proper nomenclature for these emails I receive.

Aside from being obnoxious and poorly targeted marketing, a lot of these dudes have terrible copywriting skills. I mean, if it's your job, how are you gonna end up with stuff like this:

"My name is Damien, President of **** ******, a new record label dedicated to making different, cool again. After reading your blog it is obvious that you have not only an ear, but a voice on the street."

Or subject lines like this:

"Tone Trump - "Wifey" (THIS IS THIS SMASH HIT OF THE SUMMER!)"

Aside from being factually inaccurate, that is some hopelessly careless marketing copy. I mean, the subject line is the hook, and it has that glaring an error in ALL CAPS?

Well, I'm here to present an alternative strategy to music marketers that more accurately reflects the realities of the internets, circa 2009. If you want your song to be featured on a blog, you might consider learning how to type properly, but you'd be better off stroking [||] the blogger's ego, instead of telling them what's hot on the streets. Soulja Boy is hot on the streets. But this is not the streets; this is the internets, and the internets is all about self-promotion. So, you need your artist to get ahead, but you can't forget that Music Bloggers are self-important assholes, too. Self-important assholes who, for the most part, don't do this for a living. So, you really have to work hard to get our attention.

For an example of a surefire way to get your music featured on a music blog, watch this new Slap Factory video. Specifically, the shot at 2:08.

People who diss Byron Crawford get their music featured on his blog. It's a smart move for both, because the artists get their music out there, and Byron is able to convince himself and others that his writing has significance outside of the internet. People who shout out the NoT get featured here for the same reason. Keep that in mind, music marketers!

For the record, though, I, too, would love to feature anyone making a diss record on the NoT. Where's Swag Squad at?

NEW HUSALAH!

2009-07-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Produced by Traxamillion (thankfully, he doesn't rap on it!).

Husalah "Pray For You"

Initially, I thought this had some R & B singer on the hook, but that seems to be Husalah himself, which is interesting. In fact, it sounds like he might have spent more time working on his singing voice than writing new raps while he was locked up.

"I don't even gotta rap, that's how dope I am" he claims on the outgoing adlibs, which start at about three minutes into the six minute track. That's true. I just want to listen to new Husalah, regardless. But I want to actually listen to him rap. At least we know there will be more to come.

As far as the production is concerned, it's good, but I worry that Bay Area production is softening up while it's getting more polished. Check out this new Lil B song produced by Clams Casino.

Lil B "I'm God"

Again, Lil B toes the line between coherence and complete stream of consciousness craziness. But the production, by Clams Casino (for those unaware, this is what Clams Casino look like) is on some Enya shit. It's good, but I fear that there's a trend towards softer production in the Bay Area? Like, can you really say this slaps? Just sayin.

Some Muh-futtin Rap Songs

2009-07-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

This man will turn your face into $50,000

The Boy Boy Young Mess "Don't You Think I'm Handsome?"

If you haven't listened to the Bay Area's best-named mixtape this year, Prices on My Head, Thug Money on Ya Family Vol 1 yet, you should reconsider. I always assume Messy is gonna come washed-up, considering all the shit he's put himself through these last few years, but he's always fucking great to listen to. He hasn't changed a goddam thing since Disobayish, and I mean that in a good way. I wonder if he even writes new rhymes anymore.

This one samples Gucci Mane's lyrics from "Freaky Girl" on the hook, and in true Bay Area mixtape hustling fashion, Mess credits Gucci Mane with a feature. Ha! I thought Cellski was the last one to get away with that move. Though, last time I was in SF, at Rasputin's, I think I remember that PoMH,TMoYF was the top seller. It's kinda beautiful that Bay Area rappers can intentionally hustle their listeners and still have a loyal following.

The Boy Boy Young Mess "My Charm, My Chain"

Many rappers have claimed that women only have sex with them for their material wealth, and have even gone as far as to say that women are actually, in a sense, having sex with inanimate objects when they have sex with said rapper (see "Fuck My Car" by Too Short, or "Fuck My Car" by UGK for examples of this phenomenon). Messy goes as far as to say that women actually call his phone asking to speak with his chain on this track. Also, he claims that some women forget to put a condom on his chain when they have sex with it. This is troublesome in a few regards. Is he talking about himself? Is he talking about the chain? Sounds like he's in a messy situation - so to speak! - either way. No matter your interpretation, Messy manages to make it OK to refer to his jewelry as a "charm", which you really have to respect.

New Boyz "Colors"

This song is fun, but at the same time, it says so much about the downfall of hip-hop as an artform (am I getting old?) that it has to kinda make you sad. It's not a cover of Ice-T's "Colors", but they reference it heavily in the hook. However, instead of making a song about the horrors of gang warfare in Los Angeles, the New Boyz rap about how they wear a whole lot of different colors - colors they claim aren't even in the visible spectrum - when they dance in their cul-de-sac. Ice-T's rap career is spinning in its grave, I'm certain.

Philthy Rich "Funk or Die"

This, I assume is the eponymous track off of Philthy's newest album. "Funk or Die", to me, seems a bit confused. Doesn't funk lead to death? Still, Philthy Rich, keeps it really gully here, and his album sounds like it's shaping up to be pretty good.

Roach Gigz "Watch Me Gas (Remastered)"

Roach emailed me a little while back to have me take down the older version of "Watch Me Gas" I had posted. He said it was hella poorly mastered and he had a new version with some new lyrics, and better mixing. He was kind enough to hook it up here.

Mistah FAB "2010 Til Infinity"

Mistah FAB really is better at being a backpack rapper. Why didn't he make this song in 2003 (or wait until 2010?)? Was he too busy trying to bridge the unbridgeable gap between backpack rap and Hyphy? Whoops!

Don't Worry!

2009-06-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

Husalah is alive and well. This is a picture of him with some dude named Gary Archer (who kinda looks like Krondon, but actually white).

Starting on Saturday, there was a rumor circulating around the 'nets, as well as text messages, that Husalah had been stabbed six times in the head, and had died in jail. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, according to NoT friend Floyd (of Anti-Labs) he was recently released from prison, and is now at a halfway house in the Sacto area.

So, in case you're still curious, now you know. Maybe you never knew. Lucky you. Now, let's get back to worrying about when he's putting out an ALBUM, and drop Husalah-related rumors. And I mean all of them!

Here's the only Hus song I could think of that has any MJ going on in it. Seemed appropriate. It's also one of my favorite Husalah tracks that people rarely mention. He definitely gets his Poetry Student flow going on this one with all that talk about the breeze in the hood being his homey's last breath, but it actually works. Give this one a listen if you haven't.

Husalah "Rainman"

Husalah, as it turns out, is OK. Let's be glad.

UPDATE: Husalah took the time out to speak with VladTV. Looks like he doesn't go far from that shitty looking fourplex, which I assume is the halfway home. Watch:

Whoa

2009-06-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

That came out of nowhere.

Michael Jackson "Billie Jean (Chopped & Screwed)"

I always thought that "Billie Jean" sounded better slowed down. Something about the uptempo version just doesn't make sense once you've heard it slowed and thowed. The subject matter is actually dark and heavy shit that just doesn't sound right over a dancey beat - except, of course, the parts about dancing. Check out the slowed version. Rest in Peace to the man.

Does Seminary Go Ham?

2009-06-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Or, more importantly, would we want East Oakland to go as ham as Atlanta appears to go? I raise the question, because Philthy Rich's latest video "Dope Boy" came out the same week as this video, "Trap Goin Ham" by a rapper named Pill (hey!), that has managed to really get the attention/scare the shit out of a whole lot of music bloggers. See for yourself:

Compare that with Philthy's newest video:

Now, I'm not saying Pill made a better video. He certainly didn't have Mitchy Slick in his video (side note: Mitchy appears to be having trouble adjusting to the Bay Area climate. What is up with that crewneck?). But, they did, more or less, make the same video. And Pill's is far more shocking; by comparison Philthy's is kinda boring. Even his dopefiends are less convincing.

But, this brings me back to what makes me most uncomfortable about Pill's video. It is a well-produced piece of work; this isn't some flip-cam nonsense. So, when you see some fat, old alcoholic woman dancing around like a fool, you know she didn't just walk on set, she was most likely invited on set, and encouraged to act like an idiot. I'm not trying to suggest that Atlanta doesn't go that ham, I'm just saying that it's no coincidence it was going so ham when the cameras were rolling. And, further, that Pill more or less humiliated a bunch of elderly addicts in order to benefit his career, which is essentially what the whole enterprise of drug dealing consists of anyway. Guess the rap game is a lot like the crack game, after all.

Philthy showed greater restraint, but he was also limited - as I have pointed out numerous times - by the higher quality of Oakland's housing stock. Sorry, West Coast rappers, you probably can't make a video this shocking. I guess that's the price we pay for being able to speak English with virtually no accent. Sorry, South. You are hard to understand sometimes.

Video: Lil B "Oprah Winfrey"

2009-06-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Lil B's latest song is downright amazing. He jacks Hurricane Chris' "Halle Berry" beat, and makes it about the real dream woman: the richest woman alive. Also, a woman with an influential book club, of which Lil B claims to be a member.

Not only is the rap hilarious, B accompanies it with a slideshow of all the young ass broads who send him semi-nude pics of themselves with his name written on their body (making this quite NSFW, by the way). The irony here is that I am sure Oprah has had a show - or two! - about the perils of "sexting" with mother's horror stories and the whole nine. Here, by broadcasting these semi-private photos (but not really THAT private, considering they make up the bulk of his main Myspace page) all over the 'nets, Lil B makes Oprah and Co's worst fearmongering about "sexting" come true. Brilliant!

Also, here's more evidence that Lil B's bizarre experiment is over, and that he's moving back into Coherent Rap territory, having expanded his mind with those hundreds of Myspace pages.

PS - Check out my Muxtape, hosted by Anti-Labs. I will try to update this thing weekly. Here's my first mix.

Recent Bay Classic: Mob Figaz and Nick Peace Mob Trial

2009-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Look at how off-brand this fucking album cover looks. What a joke! Why is Husalah's head bandaged? Nick Peace still produces beats? Those were the thoughts that I had when my older brother Adam (better known to you guys as "big brother") gave me this CD - along with C-Bo's Tales From the Crypt! - for Christmas a few years back.

Boy was I wrong. This album, without really trying to be anything special, is probably one of the best Bay Area albums to come out in recent memory. It occurred to me today that I've never written about the album, nor have I even seen anything written about it, despite how much people write about rap music on The Internet. Maybe if it was called Asher Roth and J. Cole and Drake and Mickey Factz and Cory Gunz and Charles Hamilton and Eskay Present Mob Trial it would have gotten better coverage. Then again, none of those guys (Eskay excluded) were even around a whole two and a half years ago. In another two years, they'll probably be on Nah Right Records, a subdivision of Warner Music Group, where they'll get paid 30 cents a click, or some shit. But I digress.

Why is this album so good? I, for one, think that this album shows what good independent artists are capable of when their albums are more curated, and they aren't a clusterfuck of throwaway verses, recycled verses, and features from bum-ass rappers who you owe a favor to. This album succeeds by giving each Husalah, Jacka and AP.9 (who, despite being a 'lesser' Mob Figa, kills it on this record) a chance to do a few songs entirely solo, instead of with Lee Majors. Or even each other. And, the production is from a seasoned Bay Area producer who never made a Hyphy record, to my knowledge. Aside from this album, Nick Peace has had - to my knowledge - nothing to do with Bay Area rap since Hell's Kitchen came out. That album has Saafir on it. Think about that.

AP.9, Husalah, Jacka "Going 4 Blood"

Classic Nick Peace production on the second track, here. Is that a harp and a synth? Does it sound like you're playing Zelda? Then it's probably Nick Peace. But it makes a nice accompaniment to the hook, where the Mob Figaz flip of LL Cool J's opening lines to "I Need Love":

"When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall/
and in the back of my mind I can hear my rifle call"

I am all for sick gallows humor on rap records, and this album has no shortage of creepy shit, including the titles to the songs.

AP.9 "A Friend of Ours"

AP.9 "Mob Hit"

The rest of the album has AP.9 rapping over crazy bass-heavy, high-BPM bangers, and are some of the more Hyphy-influenced tracks on the album. Still, this production suits AP.9's less lyrical, less religious, less introspective style of rapping much better than the softer Zelda-sounding stuff on this album. The production on "A Friend of Ours" could practically be a Ratatat song. And AP.9 manages to ride them perfectly [||].

Jacka "A Gangsta's Gangsta"

Jacka "Thrones and Crowns"

Again, is that a harp on "Thrones and Crowns"? But what production could better suit a rap song about regretting becoming a rapper? It's really interesting to hear a rapper talk about rap a just another gig, without getting into how selling tapes and selling drugs is really the same thing. It isn't. Of course "Thrones and Crowns" does turn into a somewhat standard gangster rap song towards the end, but there's always that Conflicted Muslim side of Jacka that comes out that makes it all OK.

"A Gangsta's Gansta" is just pure California driving music. I think part of the reason I never posted this music was because this CD never left my car when I lived in San Diego. Also, Mike Motherfucking Marshall is on the hook, so you can ignore the fruitiness of the title. This shit goes.

Husalah "Murder on My Mind"

Husalah "Ways and Means (This is Dope)"

Husalah "Sleep With the Fishes (Boom Clack)"

And finally we get to the three highlights of the album, the Husalah tracks. Hustlin Since the 80's and Dope, Guns, and Religion were both solid albums, but if I were stuck on a desert island, I would rather have these three songs than either of those albums. Maybe not.

"Murder on my Mind" and "Ways and Means" have the same approach to gangster rap that I haven't heard much of since the Geto Boys. The approach is this: I am rapping about killing people over the pettiest things; I must be clinically insane, or a monster. It's rare these days to hear rappers get into the psychology of how sick most of the subject matter is in rap music. He never gets Bushwick Bill-level crazy on the mic, but he says some weird shit.

"I'm not in my right mind, turn animal at nighttime/
fangs grow out my mouth; rifles come out the house/
your life is about your spouse; mine is about the block/
soon as the pipe come out, I'ma just light your knot/
I Shock G's, so you can "Do Whatcha Like"/
go toe-to-toe, but know I bring the pump to fights/
I'll hump your wife, crush your life, fuck I'm nice!/
Emperor Hu-Sellasie-ah, or just Husalah Christ"

The production on "Sleep With the Fishes" is truly next level. I consider it to be meta-production. Postmodernist production. The bassline is the sound of a trunk rattling, and a dude saying "Boom Clack", imitating the bassline that already makes reference to the experience of listening to rap music in your car. Also, this is Hus at his most charismatic. Tons of stolen Too Short lines, and tons of misogyny. His adlibbed speech at the end about how you don't want to be like him - even though he knows you do - is brilliant: "You could be a doctor. You could be a lawyer. Something like that. You don't wanna be no kingpin dope dealer man, getting money man, knockin bitches, candy painted cars."

Anyway, there's my summary of what makes this album a classic for those who haven't heard it. It's hard for me to write about music I really actually like, so bear [||] with me [||]. I'm still waiting on my package of Jacka goods. I hope they actually send it! After that, I will contact the winners of the contest.

Jacka Tear Gas Giveaway

2009-06-16T11:34:00.001-07:00

So I have 5 CDs and 5 posters to give away here, courtesy of the fine people at Stratus Digital Music Marketing. I'm gonna give away a poster AND CD to the first five winners, because I discovered from the fine people at Stratus Digital Music Marketing that I am, in fact, paying for the postage on the return trip. I figured it would be that way, but I'm not trying to send out 10 packages. Have you ever been to the Post Office in Bushwick, Brooklyn? It is a uniquely unpleasant experience. Shit, even in Midtown, some old Chinese lady totally cut me in line by pretending to look at the insurance forms, then jumping into line directly in front of me. I was her mark; she was an old Chinese lady. There was nothing I could do. But I digress.

I decided that a quiz would be the best way to settle this. The fine people at Stratus Digital Music Marketing even offered to have The Jack answer some of my questions, but the only one I could think of was this: My favorite track off of Tear Gas is "Get Ya Top Cooked", what do you think is The Jacka's favorite thing to cook, aside from your top?

And, needless to say, I didn't really feel like troubling The Jacka with my snarky bullshit. He's probably pretty busy right now. So, feel free to answer that as a bonus, and maybe we can get something from The Jacka (maybe even a recipe? I am actually talking about food here) to settle the debate. Here is the actual trivia contest:

THE JACKA TEAR GAS GIVEAWAY QUIZ

1. Pittsburg, CA is actually named for Pittsburgh, PA. Why?

2. Jacka talked about this album a lot before it came out, but it had a different working title. What is it? (Hint: There is a track on the album with the working title)

3. On one of his finest songs, "Never Blink", Jacka raps "got the eyes of a snake, never blink, never cry". Why is it that snakes cannot blink?

4. Husalah makes a cameo in the video for "Never Blink". What does his shirt say?

5. Name three (3) Jacka songs with the word "girl" in the title. Remixes don't count.

6. In the video for "Barney (More Crime)/Feel This Clip", we see a creatively modded steering wheel. What unlikely car accessory has replaced the steering wheel in question?

Alright, that's that. Email your responses to nationofthizz [at] gmail [dot] com ASAPalously to try and win a free copy of Tear Gas along with an autographed poster. First five win, so be quick. This isn't the crossword; I don't care if you Google the answer.

Also, if you don't win, remember that you can buy the album today! Cheah!

That Huberok Reports from the Tear Gas Listening Party

2009-06-15T11:06:00.001-07:00

I take and be too took; my homies is took, too

Because I live in New York and not The Bay Area, I was at once thrilled and disappointed to be invited to the Tear Gas listening party. I finally get invited to one of those industry things, and I live on the wrong side of the country. Fortunately, I was able to get long-time friend, former contributor on this blog (though he never contributed anything until now), and editor of the criminally under-updated Bots, Bongs, and Baytin', That Huberok - along with his tiny, but sassy girlfriend - to attend the listening party in my stead. Here is his report:

I don’t know what I was expecting at the Tear Gas listening party. Maybe I do. Lots of women and marijuana smoking. In actuality, the ratio of women to men was similar to my own social circle which is roughly 5 dudes to 1 girl. This was fine by me (no homo) as I was attending the exclusive event with my small girlfriend. It became quite clear early on that weed smoking would not be tolerated as apparently The Room is an official “No Weed Zone.” I did find it a little strange that The Jacka would choose to have his party somewhere that apparently despised weed so much, but he is successful and I am not; So, I'm going to assume he knows what he is doing.

As I waited for The Jack to arrive I helped myself to some of the delicious chicken available to me for eating purposes, free of charge. I assumed that free chicken meant free drinks at the bar. Not so. As my small girlfriend and I shared my seven dollar whiskey ginger ale, we waited for the person we were really there for; CELLSKI. With my drink gone and ice between my teeth, I kept my eyes focused on the doorway for my second all time favorite rapper from Randolph Street to arrive. So many questions rushed through my head. Will Cellski come to this? Him and Jacka did a song together on Mr. Predictor 2. Does Cellski have a prior engagement which would make it impossible for him to attend tonight’s function? What did Cellski eat today? Does Cellski like Mr. Predictor as much as I do? Does Cellski ever eat at Tu Lan? If Cellski were a cigarette what kind would he be?

Then it happened. I elbowed my small girlfriend in the side. ”Look,” I said. Big Mafi himself walked down the stairs. Epic. Anyway, I got a picture with him on my disposable camera [Ed Note: He didn't email me the pic, but I found it on his flickr, penny and all].

Shortly after this the actual listening of Tear Gas began. Jacka is a very funny man. After accusing Cellski of having eaten twelve sandwiches that day, he started playing snippets of each song on the album. In between songs he would make fun of his friends. He accused everyone of spending all their money on coke and meth when they should be spending it on his albums. Although I don’t do coke or meth (yet) I might have to cut back on my weed habit a little bit because Tear Gas will be purchased by me, as it is fucking awesome. If you like the Nickatina single (and I do) you will love the rest of the album even more. Because they had to be done my ten we didn’t get to listen to the whole album. Then Jacka spilled a drink in the DJ booth all over a mixer which prompted the bartender to start yelling about how Jacka just ruined his $5,000 mixer and he didn’t care if it was his party. This was the same guy who declared the venue a no weed zone. Jacka, being the gentlemen he is, seemed quite apologetic. What a blast! Do yourself a favor and go by an awesome album free of gimmicks and remind yourself what good Bay Area rap music sounds like.

Tear Gas drops tomorrow. I think I have five copies to give away. So, we will be doing some sort of giveaway here. Stay posted.

Video: San Quinn "Double Dose of Gangsta"

2009-06-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

I had no idea this video existed. I can't tell if it's intentionally corny looking or not. Also, I don't know how Chops turned a producer credit into a guest appearance and music video cameo, but it's pretty creepy.

Anyway, if you watch this to the end, it turns into a trailer for an autobiographical documentary about San Quinn that largely focuses on his cocaine addiction, it seems. I didn't realize that "Ayo" was so autobiographical. Anyway, the movie drops on June 16th, same day as Tear Gas.

E-40 Does Screamo?

2009-06-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

brokeNCYDE - Booty Call Feat. E-40

For those unfamiliar, BrokeNCYDE are the young men from Albuquerque (as they call it "Albecrazy", I believe) who are responsible for the worst song and music video of last year, if not all time, "Freaxxx". I highly recommend reading this LA Times blog that attempts to sort out what we can gain, if anything, from the song and video's existence. One of the more interesting details from the article is that BrokeNCYDE, aside from being Hot Topic fruitcakes, are straightedge. They claim that the 40 they are seen holding in the video is full of apple juice, not malt liquor. Fucking freaky is right.

To make a clunky transition, what do we think the 40 in the video for "Booty Call" is full of? Codeine? Money? What could possibly have motivated Our Beloved E-40 to have made such a piss poor decision? I mean, it's not like he's made long-time E-40 fans very happy in recent years, but about half of Ball Street Journal was pretty damn good. Half of it was pop-Rap nonsense, but T-Pain is a corny R&B singer, not a Screamo band from New Mexico that makes you sympathize with terrorists and Republicans (though something tells me at least half of BrokeNCYDE is actually Republican) and any other group of people who just want to get back to Traditional Family Values.

Now E-40 is not scared of non-traditional guest appearances. Recall that he raps as Carlos Santana on "Santana DVX". Even though I'm positive Mr. Carlo Rossi - whose picture is my small bedroom's lone decoration - is spinning in his grave as a result, the guest verse was good. And funny. And, don't forget that Andy Samberg is from Berkeley. More importantly, though, The Lonely Island are funny because they are comedians not because they made the worst music video in the history of the medium.

Some might also point out - including Earl Stephens himself on Grit and Grind - that 40 (along with Eightball) "did a song with Fred Durst". It's true. Somewhere out there exists a remix of "Take a Look Around" with a verse from E-40. I have never actually heard it, nor could I find one anywhere. Still, no matter how much we make fun of our 6th grade selves for listening to Limp Bizkit, they still weren't as bad in their own time as BrokeNCYDE. I mean, they were bad, but people listened unironically to Limp, and it seems - like other corny American rock bands - that they still have a healthy following in Eastern Europe. I mean, some people thought they rocked. Last time I heard "Nookie" is drunk as fuck, and had a great time. So, no love lost there for E-40.

BrokeNCYDE only has a following because people on the internet like to watch stupid shit to get them through their boring job or life or whatever. It would have been better had he recorded a song with Rick Astley. Or Eli Porter. This is massively embarrassing, and I think he should renounce his pop star aspirations after fucking up so badly. Or he should start making songs with the Keyboard Cat.

Thanks to @misterwheeler for the tip.

Ah Fuck It...

2009-06-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Some of Tear Gas has leaked on the internet already. I'm not gonna say where, but if you're the type to look for leaks you know where to go. I would rather you purchase the album or get your ass out to Amoeba to cop it the first day out. Remember doing that? I bought Crime Pays the day it dropped; it feels good to support your guy [||]. Also, if you are sick of how awful mainstream rap is, get off your ass and go buy an album every once in a while. Bitch as much as you want about the state of mainstream rap, but as the late, great Cougnut would say "That's what your mouth say". Talk with your money. This is 2009.

Even though I'm not a journalist (you fat fuck), I thought, out of a journalistic interest, I should listen to the album to let you - the consumer - know if it's good or not. And, considering I never give away entire albums (except for hard-to-find/OOP/Classics), I thought, for the sake of promotion (though I am not a promoter, you fat fuck) I might liberate the single here. For promo purposes. I hope this doesn't ruin my chances with his Marketing dude to go to the listening party/give away schwag (two firsts for the Nation!).

Jacka, Andre Nickatina "Glamorous Lifestyle"

Traxxamillion produced. King Nicky on the third verse. And The Jack is just perfect with his patented sing-songy gangster raps. This is the first single off the album. And if you like it, you should like the rest of the album, from the songs that I've heard. So, let's do right by our own this time around. Also, feel free to participate in this bizarre ad campaign. That's not a bad deal, right?

Staying Culturally Relevant

2009-06-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Whoa. I didn't post anything for a week here, and some anonymous commenter told me that I'm no longer "culturally relevant" (was it u, Carles?) and that he's not going to mention me anymore on his blog (?). Well, shoot. I have been lazy/busy lately, so apologies to people who still read this blog. I'm gonna keep posting stuff, it's just that sometimes there's just no good rap music out there. You know?

Mistah FAB, Gucci Mane "Boom Boom Pow (Southwest Rmx)"

I guess this is a Black Eyed Peas song or something? It's about time these guys got together, but I just wish FAB would shut the fuck up about Twitter. His twitter sucks. My Twitter, on the other hand, is really tyt. This song is cool, but I probably wouldn't listen to it in public cause then people will think you're listening to BEP.

Roach Gigz "Beat Steady Knockin"

Rrrrrrroach! This dude just kills it these days. According to this twitter update (sent to yours truly, wow!), his mixtape Buckets and Booty Calls should drop some time next month. Just in time for the summer. I think I saw Lil B also say that he has an album coming out soon. As far as blog-core Bay Area hip hop is concerned, this could be a great summer. Speaking of Lil B...

Lil B "Wake Up Mr. Flowers"

This song is incredibly coherent, and I think could be a good new direction for Lil Boss. It almost has a Heiro/Backpacky feel about it, but it's still very much Based/Post-Hyphy. What I find odd is that we know that Lil B's government name is Brandon. And if he's calling himself Mr. Flowers does that mean his name is Brandon Flowers? Does that make him the lead singer of The Killers? I mean, that's some seriously mainstream Emo swag right there. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when Lil B doesn't make sense, but this is a bit weird. Still, coherent, in a way that much of his most recent wore really isn't.

Video: A-1 "Put it in the Air"

2009-06-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

My dude Sac Masta from the Slap Factory hit me up with this new video they just finished. The beat is fucking fresh, and kinda reminds me of the stuff Sac was doing in high school (in a good way. Yo, where can I find an mp3 of "T-Sacks and Cadillacs"?). A-1 comes hard [||] on it. This is probably my favorite Slap Factory track to date. Let's see if Mr. Ramos lets me leak this one...

Finally...

2009-05-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

June 16th, The Jack finally drops Tear Gas. The cover art is terrifying.

Jerkin Hits the Jackpot!

2009-05-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

Why does this video have no sound? It might be hard to tell, because you're watching an embedded version of the video, but if you go to YouTube, you'll see exactly why.

"This video contains an audio track that has not been authorized by WMG. The audio has been disabled."

Just. Like. That. They're signed to Asylum. Something tells me the words "next Soulja Boy" were used in at least one meeting at Warner Music. However, judging from this clip, the New Boyz' first video won't be as self-referential as Soulja Boy's. It actually looks kinda boring.

The saddest part is when they talk to Billboard Magazine about how awesome it was to have fans make videos to their song "Your a Jerk". Lulz. They won't have to worry about that anymore.

I wonder if what the label really wants is rights to the digital distribution of "Your a Jerk" (and on a side note, will they change it to "You're a Jerk"? Or does the grammatical error highlight the grassroots/high schooler charm of Jerkin music, and the label would therefore want to keep it?), because there is no way the New Boyz go platinum, though I wouldn't be surprised if a million people paid 99 cents to download a "high quality" version of the song. So, if they get a video out there, and shut down all the YouTubers, they could probably build some buzz around the song and make a quick buck. But won't Asylum have to worry about that uncleared D4L sample at the end of the song? Hmmmm.

As a Fuck You to Warner, here's the track (again):

New Boyz "Your a Jerk"

Let's see if they take it down!

The Pack: Hoes in this House

2009-05-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yessssssss! The Pack is still making neo-Miami Bass party rapps. Also, they still wear really cool clothes, and hang out with hot light-skinned teenage girls. So, not much has changed. But who would want it to?

I have to say, though, their outfits take backstage to Lil B's appearance in this video. I have been posting the occasional Lil B track here, but if you want to understand what Little Boss has been up to as of late, you might want to read Noz's breakdown/interpretation of his barrage of "Based Freesyle[s]". Now, is it just me, or do Lil B's eyes look a bit sunken? His cheekbones a little sharper? Don't you get a thousand yard stare kinda vibe from him? Also, does he only rap eight (or so) bars? I'm a big fan of what Lil B is up to these days music-wise, but I wonder if he's entirely in step with his boys in the WolfPack. Also, is he in good health?

On a lighter note, when is the last Pack video you saw where Stunnaman totally out-dressed Young L? One-Eyed-Smiley-Face-Tie-Dye-Fitted >>> Turtleneck Leather Jacket. [||].

The Pack "Hoes in this House"

This kind of song makes me wish I were still in college. Or at least that I had the opportunity to straight cut someone's music off at a party and replace it with my own.

Thoughts on Branding and Gang Affiliation as it Applies to Nipsey Hussle

2009-05-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

The longer and longer I pay attention to mainstream (or online-Nah-Right-core) rap, the more I realize that it's much more important to be from Los Angeles, Atlanta or New York than it is to be actually talented at rapping, if you want to be commercially successful. Take Nipsey Hussle, for example. I have recently discovered that he's really good at rapping, actually. With the release of his latest mixtape, Bullets Ain't Got No Names Vol. 2, he looks poised to have some mainstream success. That's all well and good. However, his whole hyper-realistic-gangbanger persona and throwback to early 90's West Coast sound has already been done by a man named Mitchy Slick, from San Diego.

Not only does he - like Mitchy Slick - have what would be a humiliating and emasculating name, that we would consider quite soft, were it not obviously given to him by fellow gang members (we assume, though Nipsey Hussle is also a play on Nipsey Russell, the black comedian). He also posts Youtube videos where he walks around his neighborhood and points out different places where he and his friends have done stuff that is against the law. Like Mitchy, it almost seems like Hussle feels the need to make up for how nice the surrounding housing stock is. To someone from the East Coast, these neighborhoods might look somewhat idyllic. There aren't even bars on the windows. A rapper from Baltimore or Philadelphia would not have to do this. Those cities look hard as fuck as it is.

Continuing with the comparison, Hussle is also very (perhaps overly) open about the precise set he claims. Mitchy's, as we know, is the Lincoln Park Bloods from Southeast San Diego. Nipsey's is the 6-0 Crips, from South Central LA. But here's one difference. In the picture above, and the video I linked to, Hussle is actually wearing a shirt that reads "6 Owe CRIPS". This, to me, seems patently absurd. Part of our collective fascination with Southern California street gangs is all the code, the insider knowledge that these guys use to differentiate themselves from one another. The signs, the colors, the bandanas, the cryptic graffiti, the SOO-WOOPs and so on (For Northern Californians, isn't this why it's so much fun to look up at the street sign on 24th and Mission to find the two s's crossed out, and know exactly why?). A picture of Hussle wearing a blue Dickies shirt, khakis with a blue rag hanging out, and blue Chuck Taylors would have gotten the same message across - this dude is a Crip, or he's out of his fucking mind. There's something overly explicit about that shirt, which gets right to the heart of why something about Nipsey Hussle's recent buzz troubles me.

It seems clear to me that the Marketing Geniuses at Sony (Hussle is signed to Sony, it seems) have seized upon his actual gang affiliation as a way of branding Hussle as something fresh and authentic. Unlike The Game, who we were told was actually actually gang affiliated, Nipsey Hussle is actually, actually, ACTUALLY STILL IN A STREET GANG OKAY!. Look at the shirt!

But these heavy-handed attempts to prove Nipsey's authenticity completely destroy his authenticity, and make it incredibly apparent to anyone paying attention that his image (despite the fact that I don't doubt he is or was a 6-0 Crip. To quote Mitchy Slick, "Imagine what'd happen to a West Coast MC/that got rich off lying about a gang history") is manufactured by a corporation trying to improve their bottom line.

That, or I've been reading too much David Foster Wallace as of late (apologies to anyone who has read Up, Simba!). The really important question is this: Can Nipsey rap? Fortunately, the answer is Yes. He can rap pretty well, and he's got quite a production team behind him (thanks Sony!). But, for my taste, Mitchy Slick is ten times better. He has certainly branded himself in the same way as Sony has branded Nipsey, but the fact that Mitchy recognized this vacancy in West Coast rap himself and aimed to fill it makes him a much more compelling character, in my mind. Nipsey Hussle, despite the fact that I like him, feels more packaged, because he is. It's too bad, because it's not his fault. On the other hand, he'll enjoy a great degree more commercial success (if he can recoup his advance!) than Mitchy ever will, most likely because he's from Los Angeles, and not San Diego.

With no further bullshitting, here are a few of my favorite tracks off of Nipsey's new mixtape:

Nipsey Hussle, Sean Kingston "She Said Stop"

You KNOW the Crips fuxx with Sean Kingston!

Nipsey Hussle, The Game "Bullets (Ain't Got No Name) Rmx"

And, they fuxx with the Bloods, too! Smart marketing!

Nipsey Hussle "Piss Poor"

Also, word is Mitchy Slick has a new album coming out called Deep in the Yay. As in, both knee-deep in cocaine, and neck-deep in The Bay. Lots of Bay Area artists to be featured. I'm tardy on sharing that tidbit, but trust that I will keep my eyes open for this one.

Bay Bridges 2....Coming Soon

2009-05-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Remember when Bay Area rap was still really exciting to people, on a national level? Droop-E put out a compilation of songs by up-and-coming Bay artists, and produced all the tracks. It was called the Bay Bridges Compilation, cause like, there's two sides to the Bay, or something. With much of the hype surrounding Bay Area rap gone (in no small part due to his father's surprisingly disappointing Ghetto Report Card), Droop-E is set to release a second Bay Bridges compilation (according to both his Twitter and his Myspace, it will be released "SOON"). The biggest difference, I imagine will be how much better Droop-E has gotten at producing rap records.

Most of the stand-out tracks on 40's latest work has been produced by Droop-E, and rumor has it that Droop-E will be producing all of his dad's next effort. Here's an example of what this might sound like (via That Drip):

E-40 (prod by Droop-E) "On Oil (Turned Up)"

The production on this one is nasty. It's reminiscent of the truly "sinister mob" type music 40 was doing in the 90's, but the synths get all stressed out and tweaked in the background. Hear that? Almost sound like a electric cello constantly hitting the wrong note. That's what makes Droop-E fun as a producer.

As for E-40's rap, it's good. It's not that good, considering this is his son's album. You have to wonder if he's trying to teach his son a lesson: No matter what, successful rappers will not give you good verses on a small-time compilation, even if they're your father. There's something to that.

Bonus Jerkin Post:

Twin Boyz "Your [sic] a Bitch"

What if the Roxanne wars were just between teenage boys who were all from Hesperia, CA? This is what it might sound like, but this isn't a diss song, just kinda related to "Your [sic] a Jerk", thematically and grammatically.

Main Attrakionz [sic, they don't even have a "t" in there] "Swine Flu"

This song is no good, but I thought you'd like to know that it exists. Welcome to rap in the 21st century where people are incapable of giving a shit about anything for more than a week. Swine Flu scare is over, though the disease isn't (is it?), and the Main Attraktionz' career never even started anyway, nor will it. Just think this is an interesting cultural artifact.

"Drunk Bus" > Asher Roth

2009-05-07T10:11:00.001-07:00

I had forgotten about this song entirely (it's probably a couple years old now) until I looked through my old shared links on Facebook, and found it again. I have no idea how it never ended up here on the NoT. It's the best college-oriented rap song I am aware of, and easily the best MS Paint music video EVAR.

So, take that, Asher Roth! College rap can actually be pretty tyt. Let's get this guy a multi-million dollar deal!

Weekend Slaps: Iceland, Liberated!

2009-05-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

I can't think of a harder to find Bay Area recording than Cold World Hustlers' Iceland, released in 1995, not that I'm much of a crate digger. Cocaine Raps Vol. 1 comes to mind, but you can find every single track on that album on Raven in My Eyes, which is also rare, now that I think about it. I used to have Coke Raps on cassette tape ($4, used at Amoeba, no joke), but lost it, and I used to have Raven in my Eyes on CD, but it got stolen from a house party. But I digress.

Iceland is the type of shit that you go to the Alemany Flea Market hoping to find, but you never do. It's a San Francisco classic, but it's fucking impossible to find, for me anyway. Until now.

There's this place called The Internets, and you can find damn near any album EVAR made there for free. Pretty tyt place, when you think about it. Still, as long as this place has been around, I've been looking for this album, on occasion, with no luck. I would sometimes stumble across one of those European Bay Area rap blogs where they show off their incredible collection of 80's and 90's rarities that I didn't even know exist - nor do I understand how someone in France could get their filthy hands on, say, Fly Mar's first album, on cassette - to find a dead link to this album. Or I'd download it and the password didn't work. It was my white whale! My Rocket 00000! It really killed me that I couldn't find this goddam thing. Not that I gave it much thought, but when I did, it bothered me.

I mean, I could've bought it for $130-odd dollars off of Amazon, but then I'd be a chump. Or, I could've searched more thoroughly on The Internets, and probably come up with something. But, that would take away from the narrative here, anyway, which I should probably wrap up.

My roommmate, and former NoT correspondent, Chocobot discovered a Bay Area rap channel on IRC (some hax0r shit I cannot be bothered with), and told me. The first thing I asked is "Do they have Iceland?". They did! Chris was kind enough to re-up it for me, and I'm passing it on to you guys now. Password free. Drop.io-ed, so it won't die.

I never post albums here, for the obvious ethical complications involved (being a total hater and posting mp3s, in my mind, is OK), but this just feels right. If all of us bought the album from some dickhead on Discogs, 4-1-So-Sic-Ass-Rell, E-Sic and Big Ric wouldn't see a penny anyway. Might as well enjoy it now that I've found it. So, here it is, internets. Iceland.

Have a good weekend.

Video: D-Lo "No Hoe"

2009-04-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

I had no idea this was gonna happen. What a treat! Rather NSFW, by the way.

Team Knoc, Back Together!

2009-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Team Knoc "I'm a Gigger"

via Digital Drip

I couldn't be happier to see new Team Knoc music out there, but at the same time, this makes me somewhat sad for them. They really carved out their own sound - I think - and never received that much recognition, outside of this blog. Now, their sound will only be recognizable as Jerkin. Even if you absolutely hate Jerkin music (I go back and forth), you have to admit that pretty much every other song sounds a hell of a lot like Team Knoc. Then again, I've been known to give these two more credit than they deserve.

Here's some bonus slaps:

Clyde Carson "Bo"

Oh, cool, a song about cough syrup that samples the only song about cough syrup worth listening to.

Roach Gigz "Sidekicks and Fly Kicks"

Biggie on the hook, and it's straight GAS. Also, Roach Gigz probably buys his Jays off of craigslist, just like that Huberok.

Lil B "You're a Snitch"

An excellent cover of Kid Cudi's smash internets hit "Day N Nite". Lil B waxes philosophical at the end of the track about what constitutes snitching and what doesn't.

Ya Boy the Jerk?

2009-04-27T10:20:00.001-07:00

"Yes, UNIQLO? I'll have ten pairs of the red skinnies, STAT!"

Does he really think that he can just hop on any trend to sell records?

Ya Boy, Goon Squad "What's Jerkin?"

It's actually unclear to me whether or not he's making fun of Jerkin with this song, but the fact remains, he made a Jerkin song. A very cynical political move, in my mind. If Jerkin totally flops, Ya Boy can say he made a parody song. If it succeeds, he can show labels what a trendsetter he is.

I swear, though, he did a great job walking the line, because I have no clue whether this is parody or not. It ends with some hypeman type sincerely shouting out various Jerk squads, including the UCLA Jerk Kings, which is clearly a parody of the genre, as well as an excellent example of internet faggotry. Which is unfortunate because the kids seem to be from the Bay Area (judging from music choice), and go to a UC school, so we have a bit in common. Maybe they even used to read this very music blog!

Who knows? Perhaps I will have to retaliate with the Bushwick Fuck Boyz debut, just out of UCSD pride.

Weekend Slaps: Roach Gigz

2009-04-24T11:52:00.001-07:00

Roach Gigz "RRRoach"

~~Roach Gigz "Watch Me Gas"~~

Via Roach Gigz' Myspace and Digital Dripped, respectively.

@misterwheeler has been talking Roach Gigz for a good 5 months now, and I've been slowly picking up on it. Needless to say, this shit is SICK, and Roach is probably the tytest new rapper coming out of San Francisco that I'm aware of. Think about Mac Dre if he drank Coedine. Or The Pack if they were a little more lyrical. Mix all that with a little of San Francisco Rap Pimp Talk, and you've got Roach Gigz.

Enjoy your weekend. I'm off to work, then to Philadelphia. An ideal day would involve eating a cheesesteak while skating Love Park and listening to some nonexistent Peedi Crakk freestyle over "Eye of the Tiger".

Correction

2009-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

The other day, I posted "House on the Hill" and identified it as the most sinister song on Philthy Rich's Neighborhood Supastar. I was wrong. This is the most sinister song on the album, or mixtape, or whatever this thing qualifies as.

Philthy Rich, HD, Lil Ru "40 Glock User"

Really, to me, this sounds nothing like a Bay Area rap song. The eerie synths remind me of maybe an 8-Ball and MJG record circa 2003, which is a really good thing, obvs. The two no-names actually kinda come with it on this one, if you forgive their missteps ("Mexican meatloaf on the block gettin Chalupa" wtf?).

Philthy opens his verse with what I would consider a bit of a physics conundrum. "Clap him with the 40 cal, close range/ make sure he heard the 40's sound when it blew his brains". This is the kind of thing that I can think about forever. Now, obviously a bullet will travel faster than the speed of sound, no matter what. But is it possible that shooting from a closer range will make your victim more likely to have heard the bullet? I'm not so sure. It makes it much more likely you will blow their head off, making it utterly impossible for them to have heard much of anything, given the fact that they will be missing most of their brain.

Anyway, before this gets too morbid, let's move on to the most touching [||] track on the album (or mixtape, or whatever) in my opinion. Unfortunately, this one also has a lot to do with death.

Philthy Rich "I Need my Ni--a Back"

This one is a tribute to Philthy's best friend, who was gunned down in Oakland last year, while walking to a memorial for another slain friend (NB: I am pretty sure that is the same guy, but I can't be sure, I suppose). I don't think I've ever heard a rapper let down his guard about a male friend like this before. It's really pretty impressive.

What is upsetting is that Philthy can share his pain over senseless violence so effectively, but can turn around and endorse the same nonsense on another record. What is still more upsetting, personally, is that I really do enjoy songs like "40 Glock User", and I really don't think I should.

Inevitable

2009-04-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Mistah FAB "Hit Me on Twitter"

I'd much rather skateboard than share my thoughts on this song. Let's leave it at this: If only rap songs like this had a 140 character limit.

Mistah FAB's twitter is so massively tedious I had to un-follow him. This song is about as entertaining as trying to read through his nonsense. Also, suggesting that one can use Twitter to holler at broads 140 characters at a time is just fucking stupid (I can see your Twitter, FAB, you aren't hollering at broads. You're just shamelessly self-promoting). Though, the idea of having really concise game is really entertaining. Perhaps, for another song.

You Already Know, Do

2009-04-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

New D-Lo mixtape just dropped. I'm off to work, but thought I might drop one of my favorites based of my first listen.

D-Lo, Beeda Weeda, Hongry "No Squares"

Beeda Weeda more or less disses The Pack by hating on tyt jeans and Vans. But, having a robot sing your hook isn't hipsterish, Beeda?

As a counter-point, allow me to post the most amazing Lil B song evar (spotted via The Drippiest One)

Lil B "Based in England"

If this song doesn't make your weekend, I don't know what will.

Smoov-E Does the Classics

2009-04-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

This song isn't new, by any means, but I was reminded of it late last Saturday night, and realized I had never gotten around to posting it, even though it is amazing.

Smoov-E "The Fondler"

Now, if you've listened to the song, you might be concerned as to why I was suddenly reminded of this song late Saturday night. I assure you, I was doing nothing improper. Actually, I was Drinking at a Bar in the Trendy Williamsburg Section of Brooklyn, where the DJ - who looked kinda like the landlord in Flight of the Conchords, and was shit-faced - threw this track on:

Dion "The Wanderer"

And I said to myself (perhaps aloud) "AH FUCK! THAT'S WHERE I KNOW THAT TUNE FROM!" The lag time between recognizing that Smoov-E was covering a song and figuring out which song was about 4 months. Not that I was actively searching, but goddam. That took a while.

Smoov-E, to his credit, seems to be trying something a little different, aesthetically anyway. Thematically, he certainly hasn't strayed from his roots, which is to say that "The Fondler" is mostly about statutory rape, like most of his previous work.

Since about 2002, I have asked every single person I meet from Sebastapol whether they have heard of Smoov-E or not. Essentially, I want to figure out two things about him: Is his name Eli? If yes, that would, in turn, answer my second question: Is he Jewish? My suspicion is that he is. And if you really dig Smoov-E(li?), you should add Portnoy's Complaint to your summer reading list.

I'd Be a Liar...

2009-04-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

...if I didn't admit to being really down with this song.

New Boyz "Your [sic] a Jerk"

Anyway, I'm off to UNIQLO to get some tyt colored jeans, and I'll cop a Starter hat from that dude that sells Starter hats on Broadway. Maybe go to Turban Outfitters for a flannel, and I'll be ready to rock. Who wants to join my JERKin crew? I'm gonna call it the Fuck Boyz*.

I wonder how Team Knoc, Go DAV, Diligentz, and all those other dudes feel about this trend? I mean, Hesperia? This is Strip Mall Hot Topic rap for real.

*Have I ever told the story of how some dude threatened to kill me on 16th and Mission for telling him I was in a band called the Fuck Boys?

Philthy Fresh

2009-04-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

Just downloaded Neighborhood Supastar, Philthy Rich's first solo (read: feature-laden) record that I'm aware of. But I'm on my way to work. Fortunately I have already identified the most sinister track. Enjoy.

Philthy Rich, Stevie Joe, Jamonie, Mistah FAB "House on the Hill"

It's mostly FAB's kinda annoying, kinda tyt chorus that makes this one for me.

Philthy Rich "Thunder Dome"

Still I don't know if he's outdone this one just yet. This is still my favorite Philthy song, and probably one of my favorites this year (even though it came out last). Whatever, blud, I'm already running late.

INCORRECT

2009-04-06T05:07:00.001-07:00

How often do you guys have to explain the proper use of the word "hella" to people? I live in Hungary, so I have to do it a lot. I heard about this book and it just made me mad. So, to make it PERFECTLY CLEAR TO EVERYONE:

"hella" is a booster word. It can intensify adjectives ("hella ghey") or adverbs ("hella quickly"), express quantity ("hella beers"), or just emphasize verbs ("I hella want to drink beers with my bros and chill right now."). Okay? ITS NOT AN ADJECTIVE.

In this interview, the author (who also wrote Generation Kill) explains that it is some "stupid slang" used by an anarchist to describe marginalized people who have rejected "The American Dream," or whatever. Now I haven't read the book, but that's never stopped me before, so I will say that it seems like a crock of shit. If you're going to write about marginalized Americans, how about those marginalized communities whose slang you mangled in your title? You know, rather than implicitly celebrating the "outlaw" mentality of white supremacists by placing them alongside anti-corporate activists?

Phew!

2009-04-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Since I just survived the latest round of layoffs/payouts here at NoT (total nepotism), I figured I should step it up and actually post some music.

Last time I did that, I introduced OJ to the blogosphere, as Pilly graciously pointed out. Unfortunately, no one takes my musical taste seriously (it took like six months to convince Pilly that Webbie's album was any good), so I can't take credit for his subsequent rise. Believe me, I want to. Still, it makes me happy to hear things like this:

JR Writer-Make the Trap Say Aye Freestyle

JR's been making a lot of noise on the generical fake-exclusive mixtapes that I've been listening to lately. Here's more:

JR Writer feat. Hell Rell-Extermination

In both songs, JR does some good old fashioned shit talking. Is he in some beef that I don't know about? I'm in Central Europe, word gets here slowly. Or is it one of those generic second-person attack raps? Those are my favorite.

Anyway, here's another Writer song, which is actually good enough to maybe end up on an album:

JR Writer-Shut Em Down

He don't give a heck. Remember that.

Oh one last thing: my brother is totally destroying me in terms of twitter followers, so get @ me @ twitter.com/staxwell.

Another "No Hoe" Remix

2009-04-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Spotted via Cocaine Blunts

D-Lo, E-40, Beeda Weeda, Jacka "No Hoe RMX"

This time, it's E-40 and Beeda Weeda hop on, and it seems Mistah FAB got dropped. D-Lo even drops some new bars, and the producer got around to polishing up the beat a little bit. Could this be a Bay Area hit on par with "~~Pimp~~ Mack of the Year"? Speaking of Dru Down, have you seen his bizarre attempt to kind of hop in the 50 Cent/Rick Ross beef? (spotted via @misterwheeler's tweet)

Shouts out to Noz for the track. Dude has clearly been fuxxing with Digital Dripped as of late, judging from his post on Jerkin music that I just found. This is what a petty motherfucker I am. Seeing that post I thought, "Damn, I wanted to trendspot that shit!" I'll probably still write something up for tomorrow. Here's a taste of Jerkin (nh):

Fresh Boyz "I Rock Skinnies"

As in, like, skinny jeans. And is that "I jerk so low" or "I jerk solo". You can see why the distinction might be important. Enjoy your weekend. I know I'm gonna have a great day, because Mitchy Slick twittered me. No twomo.

Lil B = Robot

2009-03-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

Tyt, but not as tyt as my Port of Oakland Pen/USB drive, which I got (indirectly) from Mayor Ron Dellums

Spotted via Digital Dripped, where all bizarre Lil B songs go to die.

Lil B "Robots Forever"

There's easily 20 more "songs" like this on that website that I would never bother re-blogging, but I found this one to have a certain je ne sais quoi about it, which you'll understand after about 20 seconds of listening. I mean, for starters, the instrumental sounds like something out of the artsy parts of skate videos when they film seagulls and, more recently, robotic bugs. On top of that, Lil B does not rap. He doesn't even come close to rapping. I'd actually say that all he does is complain.

Why does Lil B feel like a robot? Is it because he is flexing his hipster/indie/emocore muscles as of late? Or is it because he has a crushing addiction to cough syrup? I suspect a little bit of both.

Lil B, to his credit, is putting out a ton of material. Though he probably is trying to emulate Wayne or Gucci in his approach, he's sounding more and more like a drugged-up First Degree the DE. Now that I think about it, I'm not mad at that. Not at all.

Video: Make The Trap Aye

2009-03-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

With so many bloggers hopping on the Gucci Bandwagon, let's not forget that my brother totally predicted OJ da Juiceman's rise to fame over a year ago on this very blog. In case you haven't noticed, our list of contributors is back to its circa 2005 size: just me and Max. No hard feelings, of course. Chris (Chocobot) was no longer interested in taking part, and I thought I'd just simplify things even further.

So, let's get back to the Bay Area rap, right?

Yukmouth, Keak da Sneak "Da Town"

Whoa, so much Auto Tune. Yukmouth is starting to have that late career thing I've noticed from aging rappers where they embarrass themselves by hoping onto 2 year old trends. Think about E-40's dreads. I mean, he might've been right on time with it, but the lag-time involved in growing dreads led to it looking really silly in my opinion.

San Quinn, Beeda Weeda, J.Stalin "Double Dose of Gangsta (RMX)"

They could have called this one "Triple Dose of Gangsta", amirite? No homo.

Longmont Potion Castle "Pleated Approach"

I have hundreds of these thanks to Chocobot picking up the Longmont Option Package, a box-set of every single LPC prank call ever. This is a current favorite.

E-40's Return to Form?

2009-03-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

VIDEO DEADED

E-40 cut his dreads off. Spotted via DJ Backside's tweet

I also seem to recall a tweet from Droop-E saying that he's producing ALL of his dad's next album, which could be amazing. Ball Street Journal after all, was fucking awesome half of the time, and trite pop shit the other half. Perhaps, along with his goofy-ass dreads, 40 will cut his pop-star aspirations out of his head, and release something truly awesome next year.

E-40 "Mr. Flamboyant"

In case you didn't know what they were talking about at the end there. I had never caught the Exxon Valdez reference in there. So awesome.