Aug
16

Sach O: Frank Zappa – Flower Punk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av26ep0_2go I love 60′s pop as much as the next man and remain a steadfast supporter of hemp based clothing and combustibles, but there’s something truly grating about the weekly doses of hippie nostalgia the mainstream media has forced on us this year. Yes, it’s the 40th anniversary of pretty much everything that mattered to… Continue reading »

Aug
14

Nigerian Rap: The First Decade (1981-1991)

For those whose knowledge of African hip-hop is limited to K’Naan and that song where ?uestlove samples Fela Kuti, this absolutely awesome and extensive overview of the first ten years of Nigerian hip-hop is essential reading. This is the sort of stuff the Internet was made for–that and pictures of rotund cats wearing tuxedos. Download:… Continue reading »

Aug
14

The Next Spot: Royce Da 5’9-”Death is Certain”

The Next Spot is a recurring series dedicated to the albums that could’ve, would’ve, should’ve made the Decade Top 50.  “My wife don’t like my album,” sneers Ryan Montgomery– better known as Royce da 5’9”– on the closing track on Death is Certain, “Something’s Wrong with Him”, “It’s way too dark for women, she say… Continue reading »

Aug
13

Making Hay of Crucial Conflict

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fg2NRCB9Sc Completely unrelated to the litany of albums that could’ve, would’ve, should’ve made the Decade Top 50, but consistent with the spirit of records that never got their proper due, I invoke the good name of Crucial Conflict. Written off as Bone Thugs biters, a charge that later led to the world’s least interesting beef,… Continue reading »

Aug
13

The Next Spot: Cormega-”The Realness”

A late arrival to the Queensbridge canon of classics, Cormega’s The Realness strikes a middle ground between Illmatic’s wistful nostalgia and Mobb Deep’s ice-cold aggression. Mostly produced by a cast of little known QB beat-smiths with choice contributions from Godfather Don, Havoc and Alchemist, The Realness is an exercise in good taste with Mega picking… Continue reading »

Aug
13

The Next Spot: Prodigy–”Return of the Mac”

  Let’s get it out of the way: Prodigy never recovered from The Takeover. Ever since Jay put him up on that summer jam screen, P’s once agile flow has slowed down into Snoop Dogg territory. Worse yet, after Mobb Deep’s embarrassing G-Unit album, it seemed that the once feared duo was totally lost in… Continue reading »

Aug
12

The Next Spot: Lil Boosie and Webbie–Pimp C Presents Ghetto Stories

Hip-hop history is littered with middling records made by teenagers. For every Shyheim, there’s a Kriss Kross, a Bow Wow and a Lil Romeo. Even good adolescent rappers like Illegal and Da Youngstas rarely got much further than a few strong early singles. Needless to say, a pair of dirt-poor 16-year olds from hip-hop backwater… Continue reading »

Aug
12

The Next Spot: Tha Liks-”X.O. Experience” (2001)

Tha Liks’ didn’t look to Jimi Hendrix for sonic suggestions, but for chemical inspiration. Not the acid in the headband Hendrix, but the so drunk-he-choked-on-his own-vomit Jimi–except J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift held their liquor far better. Had they gone the other route, gobbled acid, and sampled psychedelic guitar solos, they would’ve inevitably been critics darlings–or… Continue reading »

Aug
11

The Next Spot: J-Zone-”Pimps Don’t Pay Taxes”

Three jerks and an SP-1200 walk into the record bins at the Salvation Army…that’s not the beginning of a joke, it’s what Pimps don’t Pay Taxes sounds like. Capturing the last gasp of Gulliani era “Fuck you, asshole!” New York and spitting it back over lo-fi 1950’s movie loops, the album casts J-Zone and the… Continue reading »

Aug
11

The Next Spot: The Team-”World Premiere

In 2006, an unknown group out of Oakland dropped an album full of clubs, hoes and fly clothes. Built on blissed-out electronic rhythms inspired by the Bay Area’s Ecstasy culture, The Team composed of Clyde Carson, Kaz Kaizah and (then occasional member) Mayne Mannish seemed determined to bring the player back to national attention. Almost… Continue reading »

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