May
15

Balls Keep Bouncing: Aceyalone Leans on Slick

Max Bell  has been known to sit on park benches.

Snoop is a stoned lion who thought making an anti-gun song with wheelchair Jimmy was a sound decision. Dre continues to make headphone money (and will probably never release another album in his lifetime). Ice Cube makes more movies and TV shows than music, if you can even say that of his recent work. Basically, the faces of L.A. rap in the early/mid ’90s, at least on a national scale (Pac obviously notwithstanding), are all on some other shit. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality.

Fortunately, financially profitable, but artistically detrimental decisions like those above have not plagued many of the “underground” MCs who held things down in Leimert Park at the famed and long since defunct Good Life Café (watch the doc before it goes offline) during that same time. Jurassic 5 has reunited, Abstract Rude is on tour, and, as far as I know, Medusa is still doing her thing. But, best of all, Freestyle Fellowship will be performing this summer at the Airliner and Aceyalone has a new album.

Read more »

Posted in Aceyalone, Freestyle Fellowship, Max Bell, Project Blowed, Self Jupiter | 1 comment | Read Later

May
15

A$AP Ferg’s New Work-Out Plan

nhyjGe3

Ask Slava P about hockey right now and you will get cross-checked.

One day, in the not too distant future, we’ll look back on the A$AP Mob with fond memory. As your read this, there are no doubt children in high-school who are digesting every song in A$AP Rocky’s catalog, pouring over each lyric and quote with the same youthful vigor as the previous generation did to Curtis Jackson and G-Unit, Cam’ron and Dipset, and the generation before to Wu-Tang. Whether we like it or not, millennials have placed the generational pin in A$AP Mob, allowing them to be their soundtrack throughout the day as they scroll through their tumblrs and watch their favorite MTV Teen Mom take it in the ass on their tablet devices.

However far removed you are from the high-school experience or however dead you think it may be due to the advent of new technologies and mediums with which music can be consumed, the thrill of showing your friends a new piece of art that you feel has been discovered by you and you alone remains constant. And while the cliques undoubtedly remain, there’s some kind of intangible about the A$AP Mob that makes the listener feel “cooler” for knowing Rocky and his supporting cast. It’s not as bugged-out and purposefully rebellious as Odd Future – nor is it as derivative and painfully nostalgic as Pro Era, and as far as the rapping goes it’s certainly not any “better” if you approach it from a technical standpoint, but A$AP Mob has somehow found a way to toe the line between decadent and accessible — to be everything to everyone.

Read more »

Posted in A$AP Ferg | Leave comment | Read Later

May
14

Nocando’s “Tits & Explosions” Mixtape

428486_10200911445084591_767568643_n

I host a podcast with Nocando, so it’s pretty easy for me to take for granted that he’s a great rapper. He didn’t listen to my advice to call this mixtape, 85% Tits and Explosions, but everything else here is certified. There will be a review of this sooner than later. In the meantime, soak up the rap game Michael Bay movie. It’s free, but the 3-D Stunner Shades will cost you extra.

Read more »

Posted in Hellfyre Club, Nocando | Leave comment | Read Later

May
14

The Endurance of Reggae Legend, Freddie McGregor (AKA Bobby Bobylon, AKA Di Captain)

hqdefault

If you’re unfamiliar with Freddie McGregor, allow me to temporarily redirect you to a post that Son Raw wrote five years ago when he was operating under his serf name, Sach O.  To call McGregor an O.G. does him a bit of a disservice. He has been doing it since he was 7 years old, boasting the nickname Little Freddie, and railing against oppression and ruthlessness. He’s lesser known among Americans who rarely go past the Marley, Lee Perry, Congos opening round of reggae classics, but if you dig a little deeper you get to Bobby Bobylon.  

At one point, McGregor was touted as “the next Bob Marley,” by those searching for the next international reggae star. That never happened, but he was part of the last gasp of great Studio One Records that pumped out of Kingston during the late 70s and early 80s. You may never have heard his name, but he was a Sound System hero, a certified reggae music legend operating at the nexus between roots, dub, and early dancehall. What’s most impressive about McGregor might not be his history, but the fact that he’s still making great music after 50 years as a professional. His latest album, Di Captain, combines covers and originals with the sadness and beatific sense of uplift that’s always existed in his music. It’s trite to say they don’t make music like this any more, but they don’t. The style might be anachronistic, but the rhythms, vocals, themes are timeless. Just watch the video for “Bag a Hype,” the one-time prodigy turned growling wise older god, trying to stop violence with the eyes of someone who has seen too much of it.  It has the power that can only come from age, authority, and acres of well cured grass.

Read more »

Posted in Reggae | 2 comments | Read Later

May
14

Lil Cali, Mystikal, and Juvenile Walk Into a Rain Forest Cafe…

944160_522867324416811_170755533_n

There are two essential reasons why this post exists: the first is obviously Mystikal. Every time I write one of these posts, I feel a twinge of uneasiness considering Mystikal was convicted of an indefensible crime. It’s a little strange to write posts in all caps about OMG MYSTIKAL, but yo, listen to this man rap. I don’t even care if it’s on the 427th Louisiana rap song about someone’s dick. He is really operating at a level only known by James Brown and R Kelly. He is not singing or rapping, he is acting out scenes set to music, unleashing nasty come-ons to women who follow him on Instagram, convincing them to fuck him because their man won’t get out of jail until January. It’s practically hip hop opera (no Carmen). He is definitely the best rapper above 40 right now, probably the best rapper over 30, and possibly the best rapper.

The other reason for this post is to show the world a picture of Juvenile in what appears to be a flesh colored owl (or lion or liger) t-shirt. This is very real and very spectacular. Shades of Rain Forest Cafe memorabilia. Juvie does his thing on this track, bouncing along for the last 16. If you don’t know Lil Cali, he’s a regional star from Ponchatoula, a country town between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that doubles as the Strawberry capitol of America. The more you know. He used to have a deal on Asylum, but to my knowledge never dropped a full length for them. However, he does have a full-length collaboration with Juvenile coming soon, which is good news for people who still listen to Juvenile records in 2013. Below the jump, there is an MP3 of the “Dat Dick (Remix)” and some tracks that Cali has done with Boosie and Kevin Gates because why not.

Read more »

Posted in Juvenile, Louisiana Rap | 2 comments | Read Later

May
14

Dally Auston in the Iron Woods

thewood-coverJordan Pedersen plans to name a mixtape after an obscure Omar Epps movie.

There’s blood in Chicago. The question for Chicago rappers is not, “Do we deal with it?” but rather, “How do you deal with it?” Chief Keef and the Glory Boyz have taken to recreating it, their catalog an Apocalypse Now evocation of what it feels like to duck strays south of I-55. Tree has settled on serving up sweet soul trap, certainly not escapist but decidedly comforting. And the Treated Crew take refuge in fashion, in the hope that if we all just dress for the good life, we can escape the real one.

The Save Money crew dreams up their own worlds, parallel to our own and similar in key ways, but still fantastical. Chance the Rapper’s miraculous, transporting Acid Rap almost feels like magical realism in the way it drowns details from Chance’s life in a wash of color and blotter acid.

Fellow crew member Dally Auston has opted to hide out in his own bars. This isn’t to say he eschews medication; his excellent debut mixtape The Wood certainly comes to us through a kush cloud. The uniformly excellent production favors dreamy stabs of piano and ghostly vocal loops. Even C-Sick, who can do wonderful things with a few hi-hats and some gaudy synths, falls in line with the muted cool of the project. Dally himself rarely pushes his crackling husk of a voice above a murmur.

Read more »

Posted in Chicago Rap, Dally Auston, Jordan Pedersen | Leave comment | Read Later

May
14

Question in the Form on an Answer: Tracey Lee

Tracey+Lee+picture5Despite having spent most of his formative years far beyond the Capital Beltway, Tracey Lee’s name rings out in Washington, D.C. Like thousands of other transplants, the city welcomed him with open arms, functioning as a springboard for an admirable career and livelihood. His 1997 debut single, “The Theme (It’s Party Time),” is still one of the few rap songs released by a D.C. resident, native or otherwise, to make an impact nationwide. Fresh home from a business trip overseas, Tracey opened up about his fascination with go-go culture, attending law school and recording with The Notorious B.I.G. — Harold Stallworth

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Buffalo, but raised in Philadelphia. But I’ve been in D.C. since I came to Howard [University] in 1988.

How long have you been rapping?

I wrote my first rhyme when I was 11 or 12. I mean, I fell in love with the music instantly when I heard “Rapper’s Delight.” I was probably 9 when that dropped.

You were living in Philadelphia at this point?

When “Rapper’s Delight” dropped, I was actually in Louisiana. My mom moved out to New Orleans for a second. Then we moved to Philadelphia in 1980. But when I first started rhyming I was already in Philly.

Read more »

Posted in Harold Stallworth, Interviews, Tracey Lee | Leave comment | Read Later

May
13

Introducing Oscar O’ Malley, CoKo BaJio King

Blunt smoke, semi-automatic weapons and grimy New York rappers produce a conflagration that rarely extinguishes. The vocoder hook had me sold. Straight out of the opium den underneath the ruins of Fat Beats. This is great and I can’t stop listening.

You can download this song for free below the jump. Keep both eyes open going forward for the 20-year old’s music.

Read more »

Posted in Oscar O' Malley | Leave comment | Read Later

May
13

Free Boosie, New Boosie, & Other Updates

Lil-Boosie1At this point, any new Boosie is good Boosie. Reports out of Baton Rouge have pegged his official release at November 2014, but his attorneys estimate that he could come home sooner than that. Odds are he won’t be home for another year, at which point he will be booked for three months solid, at a minimum of $20,000 per show. Cash only.

Boosie’s hard drives were confiscated during the police investigation and to my knowledge, have not been returned. I’m not sure how Mista got this verse from Bad Azz, but I imagine it was recorded sometime in 2009 before he started his bid. Either way, he’s in bell-ringing pistol whip mode, “stepping out of the club looking for the enemy.” If you’re unfamiliar with Mista, he’s probably the most popular rapper in BR after Boosie and Kevin Gates. And like many of his peers, he’s currently incarcerated on murder charges. The problem with Baton Rouge rap is that authenticity is everything and the city is the world’s largest game of telephone. Everyone knows everything, so if you aren’t repping what you rap (or vice versa), everyone knows. This is also why Baton Rouge rap is the best: there is no daylight between record and real life. The stories are visceral, the emotion is unmistakable, the landmarks are specific and littered with ghosts.

Read more »

Posted in Lil Boosie, Mista Cain | Leave comment | Read Later

May
13

Videos: Kendrick Lamar – “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”

VIBE-Kendrick-BDKMVAmber fields of grain? Check. Meditative poses. Check. All white pantsuits. Evangelical overtones. Mike Epps baptizing K. Dot in a pool of liquor? Triple check.

I don’t know how I feel about the “Death to Molly” banner at the end of this video. I understand that Kendrick is mostly drug free and believes in intense devotion and hard work as a means for uplift. I respect and generally agree with this position (my own personal agnosticism aside). But there are a lot of people who hate their lives and recreational weekjend drug use (in moderation) offers a mostly harmless way to have fun, dance, and tell their best friends intensely corny things that they will regret the next morning. Molly is a hell of a drug.

Unless, of course, he means, “Death to Rappers Making Molly Songs,” in which case I will be shouting that, fists up, twirling the baton at the head of the parade.

Video below the jump. Can you imagine how lame this would have been if they’d kept it Gaga? Never forget.

Read more »

Posted in Kendrick Lamar | 1 comment | Read Later

Older posts «

» Newer posts

The Top 50 Albums of 2012

All Gold Everything. Read more

The 50 Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2012

No "All Gold Everything"

Read more

A Bluffer's Guide to Rinse FM

Son Raw surveys London's Best Radio Station

Read more

Follow @passionweiss

Excellent Adventures

  • Jeff Weiss Tumblr
  • Jeff Weiss Writer Page
  • Sach O Tumblr
  • Douglas Martin Tumblr
  • Mobb Deen Tumblr
  • Passion of the Weiss Facebook

Bogus Journeys

  • Jeff Weiss Twitter
  • Son Raw Twitter
  • Douglas Martin Twitter
  • Aaron Matthews Twitter
  • Aaron Frank Twitter
  • Doc Zeus Twitter
  • Matt Shea Twitter
  • Evan Nabavian Twitter
  • Jonah Bromwich Twitter
  • Chris Daly Twitter
  • Tosten Burks Twitter
  • Max Bell Twitter
  • Deen Twitter
  • Jimmy Ness Twitter
  • Slava Pastuk Twitter
  • Adam Wray Twitter
  • Alex Piveysky Twitter
  • Jordan Pedersen Twitter
  • Joshua Lerner Twitter

 

 

  • The 50 Greatest Producers of All-Time #50-1
  • Why Harvard & Stone is Against Rap Music and/or Why I'm Canceling My Participation in Tonight's Show
  • Why Is Big Sean Famous?: An Inquisition
  • The Union Forever: R.I.P White Stripes (1997-2011)
  • Earl Sweatshirt, Lost and Found: An Investigative Report by Doc Zeus

Listening

Jeff Weiss

  • Kevin Gates - The Luca Brasi Story
  • Curren$y - New Jet City
  • The Underachievers - Indigosim
  • Zodiac - Zodiac
  • Mandrill - Mandrill
  • King Sunny Ade - Juju Music
  • Nosaj Thing - Home
  • The Besnard Lakes - Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO
  • Stan Getz & the Oscar Peterson Trio - Stan Getz & The Oscar Peterson Trio

Sach O

  • A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP
  • The Underachievers - Indigoism
  • Roc Marciano - Reloaded
  • Wen - Commotion EP
  • Slew Dem - Playground
  • DJ Furious & Wiley - The Eski Sound
  • Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli
  • Captain Murphy - Duality
  • Cypress Hill - Temples of Boom
  • Elijah & Skilliam on Rinse.FM

Douglas Martin

  • The Urinals - Negative Capability
  • Ice Age - You're Nothing
  • Wimps - Repeat
  • Beach Fossils - Clash the Truth
  • Eat Skull - III
  • My Bloody Valentine - mbv
  • Grouper- The Man Who Died in His Boat
  • Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription
  • Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
  • Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin - Reverse Shark Attack

Aaron Matthews

  • Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
  • Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - Fegmania
  • Supergrass - I Should Coco
  • Gunplay - Cops & Robbers

Doc Zeus

  • A$AP Mob - Lord$ Never Worry
  • Meyhem Lauren - Respect the Fly Shit
  • My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
  • Wrecking Crew - Wu-Tang Pulp

Max Bell

  • Black Uhuru - Red/Sinsemilla/The Dub Factor
  • Curren$y - New Jet City
  • Black Sabbath - Paranoid/Master of Reality
  • V/A - Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label
  • The Underachievers - Indigoism
  • Souls of Mischief - 93' Til Inifinity
  • Nosaj Thing - Home
  • Giraffage - Needs
  • Teebs - Collections 01

Evan Nabavian

  • Slum Village - Dirty Slums 2
  • John Barry - The Ipcress File
  • Karriem Riggins - Alone Together

Tosten Burks

  • Roc Marciano - Reloaded
  • A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP
  • Q-Tip - The Renaissance
  • Julian Malone - Enemy
  • Quakers - Quakers
  • Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage

Matt Shea

  • Serengeti - C.A.R.
  • Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
  • El-P Cancer 4 Cure
  • Serengeti - Kenny Dennis EP
  • Ab-Soul - Control System
  • Burn One - The Ashtray
  • Alpine - A is for Alpine
  • Chromatics - Kill for Love
  • Curren$y - The Stoned Immaculate
  • Grand Salvo - Slay Me in My Sleep

Slava P

  • The Underachievers - Indigoism
  • Chester Watson - Phantom
  • Kendrick Lamar - C4
  • 100s - Ice Cold Perm
  • li>King Louie - Drilluminati
  • Kevin Gates - The Luca Brasi Story

Jimmy Ness

  • Chief Keef - Finally Rich
  • Mike Will Made It - Established in 1989 Pt. 2
  • Deftones - Koi No Yokan
  • James Taylor - Greatest Hits
  • Joni Mitchell - Blue

Jonah Bromwich

  • Shlohmo - Laid Out
  • The Underachievers - Indigoism
  • Curren$y - New Jet City
  • Rhye - The Fall
  • Alexander Spit - A Breathtaking Ride to the Other Side
  • Nosaj Thing - Home
  • My Bloody Valentine - mbv
  • Night Slugs All Stars Volume 2
  • Dawn Richard - Goldenheart
  • Chester Watson - Phantom

Adam Wray

  • My Bloody Valentine - mbv
  • Toro y Moi - Anything in Return
  • Lee Sins - Lina/Youth Gone 12"
  • Lee Sins - Fetch/Taken 12"
  • Physical Therapy - Safety Net
  • The Underachievers - Indigoism

Reading

Jeff Weiss

  • Dorothy Parker - The Portable Dorothy Parker

Sach O

  • Rayond Chandler - The Long Goodbye

Douglas Martin

  • Michael Chabon - Telegraph Avenue

Max Bell

  • Richard Ford - Rock Springs
  • Charles Bukowski - War All the Time
  • Tobias Wolff - Back in the World
  • Kate Chopin - Bayou Folk & A Night in Arcadie
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

Aaron Matthews

  • Pico Lyer - The Lady and the Monk
  • David Thoreau - Walden

Slava P

  • Leo Tolstoy - The Cossacks

Jonah Bromwich

  • Don Delillo - Underworld
  • Adam Mansbach - Rage is Back
  • Italo Calvino - Cosmicomics

Doc Zeus

  • Dan Charnas - The Big Payback

Adam Wray

  • Simon Reynolds - Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture
  • Evgeny Morozov - The Net Delusion

Alex Piveysky

  • HP Lovecraft - The Dream-quest of Unkown Kadath

Evan Nabavian

  • Jon Burlingame - The Music of James Bond

Watching

Jeff Weiss

  • 30 Rock
  • The Lakers' Existential Laments
  • Mad Men - Season 3

Sach O

  • Django Unchained
  • Lincoln
  • Argo
  • Zero Dark Thirty
  • The Daily Show
  • George Carlin HBO Specials

Douglas Martin

  • Mad Men - Season 5
  • Archer - Seasons 1-4
  • Wristcutters: A Love Story
  • The Mindy Project Season 1
  • Girls Season 2
  • Community Season 1
  • You're Gonna Miss Me: A Film About Roky Erickson
  • Parks & Recreation Season 5
  • Style Wars
  • We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen

Max Bell

  • Californication - Season 6
  • The Twilight Zone
  • Miller's Crossing
  • L.A. Plays Itself
  • Steven Wright Stand Up Material
  • Barfly

Aaron Matthews

  • Simpsons Season 4
  • Goodfellas
  • Searching for Sugarman
  • Community Season 3
  • Looper

Evan Nabavian

  • Seven Psychopaths
  • Zero Dark Thirty
  • Hitchcock

Jonah Bromwich

  • The NBA
  • NBC Comedy
  • New Girl/li>
  • Girls
  • The Colbert Report

Slava P

  • Breaking Bad
  • Zeitgeist
  • House of Cards

Doc Zeus

  • Bronson
  • Breaking Bad
  • Warrior
  • The People vs. George Lucas
  • WWE Monday Night Raw

Matt Shea

  • Mad Men Season 4
  • The Dark Knight Rises
  • Birdsong
  • Sorcerer
  • To Live and Die in LA
  • Extreme Prejudice
  • Romancing the Stone
  • The 13th Warrior
  • Margin Call
  • The Olympics

Adam Wray

  • NBA
  • NHL
  • Portlandia Season 3

Alex Piveysky

  • Boxer's Omen
  • The Hobbit
  • Futurama Season 6
  • Killing Them Softly
  • Get A Life

Inner Sanctum

  • 33 Jones
  • A Human Vacuum (Alfred Soto)
  • Analog Giant
  • Bass is the Place
  • Berkeley Place
  • Bloggerhouse
  • Budget Fashionistas (Douglas Martin)
  • Byron Crawford
  • Clap Cowards (Zilla Rocca)
  • Cooler Than That (Trey Kerby)
  • Diving Off Docks (Renato Pagnani)
  • Drop Tops & Stacey Lattisaw Tapes
  • Hip Hop is Read
  • Metal Lungies
  • Marathonpacks
  • Problem World (Nate Patrin)
  • Screw Rock N' Roll
  • Smoking Section
  • So Much Silence
  • Soul Sides
  • Up North Trips
  • Yours Truly

Miscellaneous Apostles

  • 92 BPM
  • 900 Bats
  • Brooklyn Vegan
  • Fake Shore Drive
  • Fluxblog
  • Gorilla Vs. Bear
  • Hidden Track
  • Hipster Runoff
  • I Am Fuel, You are Friends
  • Largehearted Boy
  • My Old Kentucky Blog
  • Nah Right
  • Nialler9
  • Oceans Never Listen
  • OnSmash
  • Phat Friend
  • Question Mark Exclamation Point
  • ReqEffect
  • Root Blog
  • Sasha Frere-Jones
  • Shabooty
  • Skeet On Mischa
  • Slushy Gutter Summer
  • Some Velvet Blog
  • Sonic Router
  • Steady Bloggin
  • The Rap Up
  • The Rising Storm
  • The Singles Jukebox
  • The T.R.O.Y. Blog
  • Typo-Graphical
  • Unkut
  • Voodoo Funk
  • Wayne and Wax
  • Wediditcollective
  • Whatevs
  • You'll Soon Know

Local Natives

  • Aquarium Drunkard
  • Buzz Bands
  • LA-Underground
  • Rollo & Grady
  • Surfing On Steam
  • The Rawking Refuses to Stop
  • The Scenestar
  • Understanding Media

    • Daytrotter
    • Dusted
    • Hip Hop DX
    • LAIST
    • LA Weekly
    • Los Angeles Times
    • New York Magazine
    • New York Times
    • Pitchfork
    • Resident Advisor
    • Slate
    • State Magazine
    • Stereogum
    • The Agit Reader
    • The Daily Swarm
    • The New Yorker
    • Vanity Fair
    • Fact
    • XLR8R

    The Sporting Life

    • Ball Don't Lie
    • Grantland
    • Hardwood Paroxysm
    • The Basketball Jones
    • The Classical

2011

  • Top 50 Albums
  • Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs

2010

  • Top 25 UK Bass Tracks
  • Top DJ Mixes
  • Top 50 Albums
  • Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs

2009

  • Top 50 Albums
  • Top 50 Non-Rap Songs
  • Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs

2008

  • Top 50 Albums
  • Top 50 Non-Rap Songs (A-L)
  • Top 50 Non-Rap Songs (M-Z)
  • Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs

2007

  • Top 50 Albums
  • Top Local Albums
  • Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs

2006

  • Top 25 Albums
  • Top 25 Rock Songs
  • Top 25 Hip-Hop Songs

Miscellaneous

  • Top 50 Rap Albums of the 00s
  • Top 25 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All-Time