October 13th, 2009
In predictable People Under the Stairs fashion, the video for “Trippin’ at the Disco,” the lead single from “Carried Away,” released today on Om Records, remains severely unsung, rivaling Alchemist and Oh No’s “Under Siege” for funniest rap video of the year. Assuming the premise that “in March of 1980 two young rappers from Los Angeles appeared on the ‘Chikara Kurahashi Hit Station’ variety show in Tokyo. [The tape details] the first time rap music had ever been performed in Asia…here is the lost tape of that performance.”
Double K looks slightly uncomfortable–understandable considering the spanking white leisure suit and cop shades make him look like a Disco dictator from the Caribbean. But Thes One, who nabbed a co-director credit for the clip, hams it up in full handlebar mustache Me Decade glory. This is the sort of stuff that underground rappers ought to be striving for–funny, creative, low-budget videos that don’t take themselves seriously and channel the ebullient spirit of the pre-Gangsta era without aping their antecedents. A decade deep, People Under the Stairs continue to demonstrate a longevity that’s eluded many of their peers from the class of ‘99. To say nothing of the fact that Thes One has arguably the greatest crib in indie-rap history.
Download:
MP3: People Under the Stairs-”Trippin’ at the Disco”
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October 2nd, 2009
Lamentably, this is not a cover of the Peggy Lee via Madonna staple. Still, Ron Artest continues to fantasize that his life closely parallels Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt” and who am I to argue. He is one of the few people capable of making Rick Ross seem subtle and restrained. You know Artest is from when the Bridge because he’s not only one of the last left riding for “Oochie Wally,” but he’ll interpolate it for his song. Questions remain: like couldn’t he afford the real DJ Kool to do the scratched larynx yelling on the outro of the track, and why couldn’t he pass a video vixen to Lamar in time to stop his nuptials. But that is a different dilemma for a different blog. We only focus on the forms of the good here. This video has many forms of the good. Vive le Ron-Ron.
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September 29th, 2009
Continuing the recurring gastrointestinal sub-plot started with his “Trap Goin’ Ham” video, Pill debuts “Cooking with Pill.” The 4th Ward’s finest is one of the only rappers on earth that can get away with making a “Big Boy” with honey buns. Funny stuff and seemingly delicious, but I wish that rappers expanded the spectrum of culinary shout-outs. Mainly, I’m waiting to see a Chef Raekwon guest-spot on Anthony Bourdain. And if you were wondering, 4175: The Refill has been pushed back to early November, presumably for synchronicity with Turkey Day.
Download:
MP3: Pill-”Glass”
MP3: Da Bill Collector, Pill and S.L. Jones-”Grind Time”
ZIP: Pill-4180: The Prescription (Left-Click)
Posted in Pill, Videos | 2 Comments »
September 26th, 2009
A great song from a great album. As Gotty points out, “Raekwon forced his co-stars to “rise to the occasion.” Low-budget as low-budget can be, but judging from the ample waistlines of these Siegel and Shallah, the catering truck must’ve been something fierce. The question remains: where is Blue Raspberry?
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September 19th, 2009
Words cannot describe how happy I am that this man is on the Lakers. There is so much here that there is nothing to say.
Posted in Videos | 7 Comments »
September 11th, 2009
Floating skulls, cosmic dust, Georges Melies homage, dinosaur fossils, tombstones, carious teeth, a tornado of spiraling color. The Black Moth aesthetic in 200 seconds or less.
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September 8th, 2009
Since sequels seem to be the operative theme of the week, I present the latest Brilliant Comrades-produced video, featuring footage shot in the course of our months-long jerkin’ odyssey (there had to have been a better way I could’ve phrased that.)
In other jerkin’ news, The Pink Dollaz have released their first music video, further consolidating their stranglehold on the title of baddest bitches since Trina. According to my sources, a major-label deal is imminent and overdue.
Download:
MP3: Pink Dollaz-”Never Hungry”
MP3: Cold Flamez-”Killin’ Music”
MP3: JINC Ent-”Doy Doy”
MP3: New Boyz ft. Tyga-”Crickets” (Left-Click)
See also: Matthew Africa’s Jerk Songs Pt. 2
Posted in Jerkin, Videos, LA Weekly | 1 Comment »
August 13th, 2009
Completely unrelated to the litany of albums that could’ve, would’ve, should’ve made the Decade Top 50, but consistent with the spirit of records that never got their proper due, I invoke the good name of Crucial Conflict. Written off as Bone Thugs biters, a charge that later led to the world’s least interesting beef, Coldhard, Wildstyle, Kilo, and Never, came with an urban cowboy style so Saddle Ranch that it’s surprising that they didn’t send out promo copies with a free mechanical bull (it was the 90s, after all.)
Granted, overalls rap is not a sub-genre I typically ride for, and it’s a stretch to call either of their key albums, The Final Tic and Good Side, Bad Side classics. But both featured great singles and ferocious rapping that prefigured Mystikal, hyphy, and Houston, as much as it took its cues from Bone Thugs. If anything, their style bears a direct lineage with their fast-rap Windy City fast-rap peers Twista and Do or Die.
Read the rest of this entry »
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August 2nd, 2009
Because I had another spasm of unadulterated West Coast 90s sentimentalism last night, and few songs elicit more memories than “Playaz Club.” The ideal soundtrack for both champagne brunch and pimping in the Fillmore District. If the Players Club Card had swapped Telly Savalas for Anthony Forte, you would still be able to get 25 percent discounts on surf and turf dinners in Tahoe.
Download:
MP3: Rappin’ 4-Tay-”Playaz Club”
Posted in Videos | 3 Comments »
July 30th, 2009
Thanks to Dallas Penn for the video and GrandGood for the audio. It’s times like this that I wish the NYC rent was a little less steep, and the journalistic prospects more sound.
Download:
ZIP: Raekwon @ Noisemakers: Part 1 | Part 2
Posted in Videos | 2 Comments »
