May
16

TDE, They Got the Belt…

TDE have listened to enough Pac to know that rhymes alone can be the blueprint for money-making. The “Black Lip Bastard (Black Hippy Remix)” is a week old and I feel compelled to ensure that everyone has heard it. Even though I know you’re reading this on the Internet, so you’ve already heard it. But… Continue reading »

May
03

Ab-Soul: Black Lip Bastard, All Empathy

Jimmy Ness feels your pain. Ab Soul takes a break from rapping about pills and dirty Sprite to channel the spirit of OG Nate Dogg. The Black Hippy grooves while ringing a booty call, tries his best to look like Wish Bone and wears sunglasses in the dark. With help from TDE affiliate JaVonte, Soulo… Continue reading »

Apr
06

Ab-Soul & Danny Brown, American Terrorists

“I just don’t want to be in no one’s shadow.” Ab-Soul, the rare rapper open to admitting that he’s the dismissed member of a crew. Rather than aimlessly complain, he’s dedicated himself to rapping his way out of being unsung. Between this and the previously leaked “Black Lip Bastard,” he’s on the verge of getting… Continue reading »

Feb
16

Pain and Cereal: Kendrick Lamar, King Hippy

We’re at that point where we might have to unanimously acknowledge that Kendrick Lamar is the best rapper alive. Feel free to a dissenting opinion. But when I talk to people who obsess over rap with the intensity of John or Steve Nash, the conversation returns to Black Hippy. Between Schoolboy and Kendrick, the label… Continue reading »

Jan
27

Ballin’ on a Budget: Schoolboy Q – “Nightmare on Figg St.”

“The landlord turn your lieutenant into a tenant/and if your rims spinning/your jaws dented.” That barely makes sense and it’s the hardest thing since MC Ren. Sorry Mos Def (uh Yitzhak Bey), this is the diametrical opposite of “Niggas in Paris.” I would be cool with hearing it eight times consecutively at the next Black… Continue reading »

Jan
20

Video: Schoolboy Q ft. A$AP Rocky – “Hands on the Wheel”

Before someone makes the Ice Cube comparisons, understand that Schoolboy Q has never listened to an O’ Shea album straight through. His favorite rapper is Nas, which makes no sense until you actually think about it. If A$AP Rocky is remembered for nothing else: let him be known for being the one to bring Stussy… Continue reading »

Jan
17

Quincy, 2012: Schoolboy Q’s “Habits & Contradictions”

The secret’s been out on Schoolboy Q since he stole the show on LIVELOVEA$AP. So there was a certain futility in playing the “first” game when he dropped Habits & Contradictions over the weekend. After all, what’s special about a rapper like Schoolboy is that he makes you realize how stupid it is to try… Continue reading »

Jul
24

Hippies Don’t Lie

Ignore the minute and a half of nonsensical jabbering that bookends this video. Don’t mind the ongoing irritance that is being forced to watch this on YouTube itself. Watch because these guys have a chemistry rarely seen since the days of Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, Freestyle Fellowship and Tribe. They need to make an album… Continue reading »

Feb
04

Schoolboy Q ft. Ab-Soul- “Druggys Wit Hoes”

School Boy Q ft Ab-Soul “Druggys Wit Hoes” (Official Video) from Ramses Perryman on Vimeo. The official video drops for one of my favorite songs of last month. Compton rappers finally expanding beyond the G-Funk/Aftermath gangsta rap cliches. No skinny jeans either. Ask Curren$y, smoldering stoner rap is the new riding with that K. You… Continue reading »

Aug
17

The Benefits of Being a Black Hippy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRY1k6aSE0g I have a stilted piece at Pop & Hiss about Black Hippy and the unsung merits of ditching a solo career in favor of the group. For those who typically associate black hippies with Hendrix, I’m referring to the new kinda’ sorta’ supergroup compromised of Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q–four LA… Continue reading »