December 31st, 2009
Brought to you by our sponsors, Brother Love and The Honky Tonk Man.
25. Diamond District - In The Ruff [Mello Music Group]
Taking artists at their word is a notoriously tricky enterprise. Even allowing for 100 percent sincerity, intentions and ambitions are often discordant with the final results. Luckily, anyone attempting to assess Diamond District’s In the Ruff only has to watch this interview to see that they achieve everything they set out to do: take elements of 90s hip-hop and give them a modern day re-interpretation, with heavy percussion, experimental patterns, and a D.C. go-go influence. As forthright about their influences (Pete Rock, Primo, De La) as they are in displaying their hometown pride, the trio of XO, yU, and Oddisee strike a perfect equipoise between the streets and Fat Beats, with backpack boasts sitting side-by-side next to vivid hood stories, as seen on “Streets Won’t Let Me Chill,” where XO cautions a would-be stick up kid eager to flex. Wale might have garnered the brunt of national attention, but the Diamond District delivered the DMV’s most complete album, one that struck a balance between North and South and came refreshingly HPV Lady Gaga-free. –JW
MP3: Diamond District - “Hologram”
MP3: Diamond District - “Something for Y’all”
MP3: Diamond District - “Gully”
MP3: Diamond District - “I Mean Business”
24. Method Man & Redman - Blackout 2 [Def Jam]
History has since been corrected to acknowledge the original Blackout for the classic it is, so as soon as Red & Meth’s decade-long-awaited Blackout 2 leaked to the internet the call to arms was sounded — “TO THE BLUNTMOBILE!” But while this year’s sequel may not have received the same acclaim or generated quite the same excitement as 2009’s other high-profile franchise reboot (no, not this) Blackout 2 is equally worthy of its name. From blunt-cruising anthems “Dis Iz 4 All My Smokers” and “Father’s Day” to the Ghostface and Raekwon assisted “4 Minutes to Lockdown,” Blackout 2 is strictly for the A-alikes, with Method Man and Redman’s unique chemistry and mastery of the form on full display throughout. Blackout 2 may not have the same classic tracks that endure like “Da Rockwilder” or a “How High,” but you won’t find a more reliably enjoyable rap record this year. –Disco Vietnam
MP3: Method Man & Redman ft. UGK - “City Lights”
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Posted in Best Albums of the Year, Best of 2009, Best Of | 19 Comments »
December 30th, 2009
A temporary break from our regularly scheduled programming. This is probably the only way I will ever willingly listen to Drake. I mean,”I’m shutting shit down in the malls?” Is that really something you should brag about? 2010: the year of New Kids on the Block rap. As always, Jason Chung creates a eerily gorgeous beat that James Cameron should’ve used for the Avatar soundtrack. No matter what a disappointment Relapse was, there is no denying that Eminem is still better at rapping than almost everyone else on earth. The only thing he didn’t do on “Forever” is give Kanye, Wayne and Drake melvins.
Download:
MP3: Drake - “Forever (Nosaj Thing Remix)”
Posted in Nosaj Thing | 3 Comments »
December 30th, 2009
Brought to you by our sponsor: “Piper’s Pit.”
50. Exile - Radio [Plug Research]
Best known for producing 2006’s acclaimed collaboration with Blu, “Below the Heavens,” Exile emerged as a viable creative force in his own right on “Radio,” a found-art opus that found him re-configuring taped snippets of everything from old commercials to evangelical sermons to Alan Watts. Sewing them into the fabric of an instrumental hip-hop album in the vein of J Dilla or Madlib, “Radio,” firmly established the Garden Grove-raised producer as one of the West Coast’s leading lights and a vital nexus between the Low End and Los Angeles’ underground hip-hop scene. Scanning the dial for both the surreal and the routine, “Radio” transmits both Exile’s caustic wit (see the sly satire of “Watch Out! False Prophet) and excellent ear. It’s probably the only hour of radio you’ll hear all year that consistently strikes the right frequency. –Jeff Weiss
MP3: Exile - “The Sound is God”
49. Oh No - Dr. No’s Ethiopium [Stones Throw]
The second installment of Oh No’s series of world music beat tapes, Ethiopium really should’ve been called Further Exodus Into Unknown Rhythms. Here the still-breathing Michael Jackson creates 38 minutes of cervical-snapping beats sampling exclusively from the Ethiopian Golden Age of the 1960s and 70s. Pulling out odd snippets of horns, otherworldly vocals, strings and guitars and pasting them to classic breaks and gritty drums, the tracks range from straight loops to sophisticated chops. Despite the inherently limited theme, there’s a lot of sonic variety, with beats running the gamut from dark bangers like “Concentrate” and Scary,” to Highlands headnodders like “Melody Mix” and album highlight “The Pain.” While big brother Madlib receives most of the accolades, Oh No has quietly continued to perfect his craft. The breaks never outstay their welcome and in just under 40 minutes, Ethiopium takes you on a breathless and blunted ride through the Horn of Africa. –Aaron Matthews
MP3: Oh No - “Concentrate/The Funk”
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Posted in Best Albums of the Year, Best of 2009, Best Of | 10 Comments »
December 29th, 2009
As if Sach O needed an excuse to use that album cover.
I’m feverish and in need of chicken soup so I’ll keep the commentary down to a minimum: I hosted a fairly chaotic holiday party a week ago which involved a substantial sound system from Moog Audio, considerable quantities of illicit substances and over five threats to have the cops called on us (all ignored by a particularly gracious and festive Super). For the most part, hardcore Dubstep was on the menu but I think the more textured Bass-weight Reggae I played later in the evening might be more conductive to all the pre-partying that will lead up to the end of this foul decade. Stay tuned, we’re not done with 2009 yet.
Download:
MP3: DJ Sach - Heavy Holiday Reggae Mix (Left Click)
Tracklist
- Tryptomatik - Polizia Dreadlock
- 6Blocc - Believe it (G31 Remix)
- Alborosie - Ring Di Alarm (G31 Remix)
- Liquid Wicked - Dubwar (Von D V.I.P)
- Radikal Guru -Strong Dub
- Herbalist AKA Numa Crew - Java (Refix)
- Herbalist AKA Numa Crew - Herbalist (Remix)
- Radikal Guru - Kingston Town
- Coki of Digital Mystikz - Burning
- Zomby - Spliff Dub (Rustie Remix)
- Gemmy - Shanti Riddim
- Guido - Beautiful Complication
- Joker & Ginz - Stash
- Gemmy - Watta down Sound (outro)
Posted in Reggae, Dubstep, Sach O | 1 Comment »
December 27th, 2009
Now is not the time, but there is a case to be made for “Real Muthaphukkin’ G’s” being the most underrated diss track of all-time. You can draw a straight line from Dre in a stethoscope to Prodigy up on that Summer Jam screen. I also like imagining the game of gangsta rap telephone that allowed Eazy to hear that at Death Row, Dre was getting treated like boot camp.
Posted in Videos | 3 Comments »
December 25th, 2009
Forgive the pun, but this would seem to be something of a no-brainer. Quoth the levitating Lotus: “Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone as we’re approaching this new year, I felt it was time to let go of some things that have been gathering dust. Some old things, and some new things, I tried to pick out tracks that I know yall haven’t heard yet so there should be surprises around every turn. can’t believe i’ve been making tracks for over 10 years now..That said, there’s so much to learn still. I hope you all enjoy this mix. Thanks to the Gaslamp Killer for doing an incredible job on this.
Can’t wait for you all to hear my album ‘Cosmogramma’ coming out April 20th 2010 on Warp Records.”
Download:
MP3: Flying Lotus - A Decade of Flying Lotus Mixed By The Gaslamp Killer
Posted in Flying Lotus, Brainfeeder | 6 Comments »
December 23rd, 2009
In the most promising development since a woodblock printing revival (and brief epidemic of St. Vitus Dance) swept Germany in the 1440’s, print publications are slowly starting to reemerge from the amoebic stew of the Internet. Well, at least two. One of them is this. You probably have heard about it from your friends that regularly iChat. The other is Poptimist, published by Blink Media, which has also entered the lucrative world of print journalism (as I type this, I recline comfortably in my recliner chair made of skinned seal). The pocket-sized music mag recently published its second issue, which can be found all throughout Los Angeles in shops frequented by those in flannel and fedoras. If you are reading this and rolling your eyes at the bizzaro notion of sunshine on Christmas, you can also read it on the Internet. Here.
If you like Fool’s Gold, Souls of Mischief, and Edan, there are words in said publication that I generated from madlibs. There are also ads for many medical marijuana dispensaries. Clearly, they know their target demo. In related news, Luke Top, the frontman of the aforementioned Fool’s Gold is DJ’ing a party tomorrow night that I would be a shandeh not to mention (my grandmother taught me that Yiddish word today, which feels appropriate in a post devoted to anachronisms).
As Barry Schwartz articulated in what is possibly the greatest essay ever written dedicated to Christmas Envy, there is never much for the Hebrews to do on Xmas Eve. Thankfully, the fine folk at Heeb Magazine are remedying that by throwing a party at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs “in celebration of a certain nice Jewish boy’s 2009th birthday.” There will be comedians, chinese dinners, and African music–in the desert. This is the most Jewish thing since The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg and at the very least, a fine way for the Tribe to atone for Asher Roth. More info can be found here, or at the delicatessen nearest you.
Download:
MP3:Fool’s Gold-”Surprise Hotel”
MP3: Fool’s Gold - “Surprise Hotel (Phaseone Remix)”
MP3: Fool’s Gold - “Nadine (Memory Tapes Remix”)
MP3: Rhoda Bernard -”Cohen Owes Me $97″
Posted in Cheap Ethnic Jokes, Heeb, Poptimist | 1 Comment »
December 22nd, 2009
In conjunction with my Pop and Hiss interview of Shafiq Husayn, I was able to wrangle the Flying Lotus remix of Husayn’s “Evil Man.” While the remix doesn’t rank among Lotus’ best work, even at his most prosaic, he’s better than 95 percent of his peers. I’m also posting two stand-out tracks from Husayn’s latest, Shafiq En-A-Freek-A, tunes closer in spirit to his work on Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah Part One: Fourth World, than his often over-salted Sa-Ra material. For those that don’t know, Husayn’s local hip-hop history is as deep as it comes, dating back to Uncle Jamm’s Army and early production work for Ice-T–including the sound effects on “Cop Killer.” Plus, he answered the phone “Peace and Love” and briefly discussed both the ancient Sumerians and the Lost Continent of Mu with me, which was mildly awesome.
If you still lack something to do tonight, Husayn plays at the Echoplex, along with Blu & Exile, Bilal, Daedelus (DJ Set), and possibly someone named after a gravity-defying flower who may or may not be mentioned in the title of this post.
Download:
MP3: Shafiq Husayn - “Evil Man (Flying Lotus Remix)”
MP3: Shafiq Husayn -”Nirvana”
MP3: Shafiq Husayn -”Lil Girl”
Posted in Flying Lotus | 5 Comments »
