Oct
17

R.I.P Eyedea (1981-2010)

Immediate reaction regarding the untimely and tragic demise of Eyedea, nee Michael Larson, a.k.a. Oliver Hart, has been to eulogize him as one of the greatest freestyle battlers of his era — likely the last one where large swaths of hip-hop fans genuinely prized the importance of being “nice off the dome.”  A Scribble jam,… Continue reading »

Oct
15

The Weekend Blotter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY1DE0mpDlU Weekends are for Rozay. Ross is a liar, but we already knew that. He denies being a star, but he is. Only a celebrity could boast this level of delusion. He is the Jenna Maroney of rap music. He’s living theatrically. If only Hollywood would return to their love of high concept and allow… Continue reading »

Oct
15

Frank & Beats: James Blake’s Songs of Experience

Aaron Frank empathizes with James Blake having two first names.  It was a welcome surprise when James Blake opted to follow his stellar CMYK with another in the same year. CMYK was a groundbreaking first step for the “post-dubstep” genre, and though I’m circumspect towards that particular name (I remain vague on the definition of… Continue reading »

Oct
15

Douglas Martin’s Dirty Shoes: Crush, Abe Vigoda’s Bold Step Forward

Douglas Martin wears black on the outside, because that’s the way he feels on the inside. Or something. From the outset of Crush, Abe Vigoda draws a bold line in the sand between themselves and their past efforts. Gone are the bright, jangly guitars, calypso-influenced punk, and gleeful destruction of breakout debut Skeleton. Their Reviver… Continue reading »

Oct
14

Sach O: Return of the Stella Sessions

According to Skream, the Magnetic Man album is hitting #4 on the UK charts. While I can’t universally endorse anything that could potentially be embraced as Trance-Step, I will admit that a few of their tunes are guilty favorites and I hold no grudge against the group. If anyone’s going to make money pimping the… Continue reading »

Oct
14

Big L & Jay-Z – “Freestyle on Stretch and Bobbito”

So ahead of its time, its parents haven’t met yet. The long mythologized, nine and a half minute long freestyle on Stretch and Bobbito was just excavated Chilean-style, courtesy of the DJ Premier blog. Jay-Z and Big L in 1995, going in over the “Keep it Real” instrumental — better known now as the beat… Continue reading »

Oct
14

Freddie Gibbs ft. Sean Price & Tek-”The Ghetto Remix”

The people who brand Gibbs little more than a “traditionalist” remind me of a tediously “progressive” Creative Writing professor I once had, a strait-laced shrew who once informed me that the traditional narrative was dead. If other rapper’s live life like a soap opera, Gibbs constructs evocative worlds in 16 bars. “Freddie Gibbs grew up… Continue reading »

Oct
14

Vado, Slime Flu and Celebrations

It’s understandable why those with a boom-bap bent have endorsed Vado as their ambassador (no Bolton). With New York starving for a superstar and the name Maino lingering in hottest local rapper circles, Killa Cam’s right hand man seems like a gust of fresh O.G Kush.  He’s essentially a better rapping but less funny Jim… Continue reading »

Oct
14

Question in the Form of An Answer: Black Milk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RJPTzq2cuc Jonah Bromwich prefers Black Milk to Strawberry Quik. But he prefers Bosco above all else. It takes a lot of balls to name your album, Album of the Year. Do you think you succeeded in what you wanted to do? Yeah, I think I accomplished what I wanted to do. Saying that my album… Continue reading »

Oct
13

R.I.P. Rodger “Uncle Jamm” Clayton

An abbreviated and mildly belated obit on Rodger “Uncle Jam” Clayton is live at Pop & Hiss.  Eulogies have been sadly scarce on the co-founder of one of LA’s original and greatest mobile disco crews. Predictably, Davey D has one of the best around. Everyone from Egyptian Lover, to Rodney O & Joe Cooley, to… Continue reading »

Older posts «

» Newer posts