Jan
31

Brothers Wanna’ Flex, They Not Mad Cobra

If you’re anything like me, your knowledge of dancehall scarcely extends past Mad Cobra, Beenie Man, Supercat, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, and the remaining other reggae stars recruited for token New York-meets-Jamaica collabos through the mid-90s. Even though the West Indian-descended Busta and Biggie were two of the few capable of a halfway-decent… Continue reading »

Jan
31

Hip Hop Tweets: January 31, 2011

On Herc-gate, Young Joc’s bowel movements, Rom-Coms and of course, the Based God vs. Kevin Durant –Abe Beame Pill: Have you ever watched a romantic comedy? Oh.. me neither Kevin Durant: I tried to listen to Lil B and my mind wouldn’t let me do it….can’t believe this guy is relevant Kevin Durant: 4sho RT… Continue reading »

Jan
31

From Pasadena to Medina: Mister Cee’s “The Best of Notorious B.I.G.”

Caring about contemporary music is particularly difficult on a Monday. Last night, I attempted to trudge through an iTunes clogged with random demo’s, middling efforts from bands who released one song that I liked a year ago, and uh, The Streets’s George Orwell spaceship grime record released only to iPad users.  Within five minutes,  I… Continue reading »

Jan
31

Sach O: ▽NKOWN SHΔPES – If I should Die

S▽ch 0 is all about weird spelling, mostly because it hides his typos. Anonymity comes standard in the world of electronic music and to me, it’s a major plus. At a time when rappers compete to see who can dress like the bigger douchebag rather than who’s got freshest rhymes, it’s a relief to hear… Continue reading »

Jan
28

Toro y Moi- “Still Sound”

I initially wrote off Toro y Moi after seeing him last year at SXSW. He was playing solo and his songs seemed a little too uh, chill. Frail wispy melodies that lacked the spine to stand up as anymore more than a passing summer trend. Since then, he’s recruited a full band to flesh out… Continue reading »

Jan
28

Dutchmasters: Tribe Called Quest & Jungle Brothers Documentary, Circa 1990

Recently excavated Dutch documentary on the Jungle’s and Tribe circa 1990. As much as we mock the skinny jeans squadron, the Afro-Centric era might have been hip-hop’s fashion nadir. Rap and silk are mutually incompatible. Via the DJ Premier blog.

Jan
28

Tempa T Goes Hard in The Paint

First off — fast forward to the 2 minute mark to avoid being Westwooded. Normally, British rap sounds like an alien dialect punctuated by off-beat caterwauling by a chav who only wants chips and spliffs. Like I’m supposed to understand what the fuck that last sentence means? Luckily, Tempa T sidesteps any notions of meaning… Continue reading »

Jan
28

I Can’t Go to Sleep: Bvdub – “Tribes at the Temple of Silence”

Floodwatch can’t drive no jive 55. One of my own personal genre tags goes something like, “early AM winter driving music” and for years I’ve made notes of records, regardless of the season, that fall under this umbrella. Past candidates have included the first few Autechre releases, Tangerine Dream’s Phaedra (1974), Laika’s Sounds of the… Continue reading »

Jan
27

Sach O: Old Apparatus

As a Grad student, Sach O gets a boner when people use words like “Apparatus.” With UK Bass gone Funky, Neon, Automatic, Instrumental Grime and Mala-knows-what-else in light of its continuing rise in profile, it’s easy to forget that some of the best music to emerge from this musical continuum simply can’t function under the… Continue reading »

Jan
27

I Can’t Go To Sleep: The Good Ones- “Kigali Y Izahabu”

The trio. Folk musicians from Rwanda recorded Kigali in one afternoon. Continuing the tradition of Harry Smith’s local folk music anthologies, this is salvage culture; the instinct to preserve traditional music before it disappeared. Given the circumstances which name, name and name survived, there’s a good chance we would never have been able to hear… Continue reading »

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