Lists » Passion of the Weiss

Jan
06

Abe Beame is talking square biz. It’s hard to keep up with the internet in 2011. Both music and its criticism changes faster than truths can even be registered. By the time you figure out what’s happening, the herd has already moved on. So it should come as no surprise that since I started writing… Continue reading »

Nov
15

The Greatest Producers of All-Time #10-1

See Also: The 50 Greatest Producers of All-Time #50-1 The Greatest Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mention 10. Prince Paul Prince Paul didn’t just expand the definition of what hip-hop could and should sound like – he took the Hip-Hop dictionary tore it up and then recorded a skit about it. Whether playing as part of… Continue reading »

Nov
10

The 50 Greatest Producers of All-Time #40-31

See Also: The 50 Greatest Producers of All-Time #50-41 The Greatest Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mention 40. Battlecat At the risk of excluding forgotten pioneers, you can trace the local roots of LA hip hop production to five names: Dr. Dre, Joe Cooley, Egyptian Lover, Arabian Prince, and DJ Battlecat. The latter broke in as… Continue reading »

Nov
09

The 50 Greatest Producers of All-Time #50-1

Yesterday, I realized that everything was out of whack. There were Honorable Mentions that should have replaced people in the Top 50. The order of this list was all wrong. Why is Rashad Smith on it? Should DJ Screw have been eligible even if he never produced anything? How many of those classic Fresh Prince… Continue reading »

Nov
08

The Greatest Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mentions, Part III

I scream, you scream, we all scream.. Actual list starts tomorrow. Previously: The Greatest Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mentions, Part I The Greatest Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mentions, Part II Clifton “Jiggs” Chase Often left out of the shuffle when considering hip hop’s early production pioneers, Jiggs was enlisted by Sylvia Robinson to be Sugar… Continue reading »

Nov
04

The Greatest Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mentions, Part II

Part II. Hoverboards don’t work on water unless you’ve got MPC-1200s. See Also: The Greatest Producers of All Time: Honorable Mentions, Part I The Greatest Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mentions, Part III Bink! Naming yourself “Bink!” leads one to assume that you were a founding member of Harlem World, not a certified head cracking producer… Continue reading »

Nov
04

The Greatest Hip Hop Producers of All-Time: Honorable Mentions

Next week, Passion of the Weiss will be counting down the 50 Greatest Producers of All-Time. Before then, we’re highlighting some of the best to ever yell at people for labeling them “beat makers.” (It’s better than the excessively pause-worthy, “knob twiddlers.)” Before you ask, #1 is going to the guy who made the beat… Continue reading »

Jul
14

The Best Rap Albums of the Half Year

All picks filtered through a mathematical formula devised by Jay-Z’s accountant’s butler, Chauncey. Chauncey met Jay-Z through his long-time best friend, Marvin. Marvin videotapes Jay-Z videotaping things for a living. It was his iPhone that captured Sean Carter capturing Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit. Marvin’s iPhone is currently being shipped to the Smithsonian. All selections are… Continue reading »

Jul
08

Son Raw’s half-year singles round-up

Son Raw listens to too many records. Son Raw, not Sach O: which is to say that this is a list of my favorite singles to play out rather than an ostensibly objective journalistic account of the 20 biggest tunes of the year. Not that I chose a lot of of obscurities here but rather… Continue reading »

Jun
24

Sach O’s Half Year Round Up: Full Lengths

Sach O doesn’t play well with others on the playground. I’m not going to argue about it. When it came time to submit mid-year lists for the site, I saw that I had maybe a choice or two in common with some of the other guys and said “Fuck it, all good, Ima do me”.… Continue reading »