Even when I was wrong, I got my point across.

Jan
26

Did you want to hear Suga Free rapping over a sample of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” about how much he wants to sex Jill Scott, Sade, and Raven Simone? Maybe it’s best that you don’t publicly answer that question (though the comment section is open). Not only does Suga Free protege Pomona Pimpin’ Young have the best new name in rap, he is far more than weed carrier. on their new mixtape, there is also a song called “Succa Repellent,” where Suga Free kicks his silky flow with waves still deeper than Redondo Beach. This is Cadillac-riding, Vaseline-smooth pimp shit and that will never go out of style. At least according to Jezebel, the website and biblical worker.

Download:
MP3: Suga Free ft. Pimpin Young & Casino G-”Turn Me Up”
MP3: Suga Free-”Automatic”

ZIP: Suga Free & Pomona Pimpin ‘ Young-We Do the Work

Jan
26

Whitewashing the Fence: White Fence’s ‘It Will Never Be’ and the Subjectivity of Influence

Indie rock fans are an interesting breed. While rap and electronic music steadfastly push forward progression (at least lately), indie rock circa 2012 rarely produces anything substantial that doesn’t mine nostalgia for the near past. Whether its Cloud Nothings and Jimmy Eat World, The Men and the Replacements, or Yuck and every band in the 1993 MTV Buzz Bin, critical acclaim is often how well you synthesize the teen favorites of the average indie critic between the ages of 27 and 40. A lot of Pavement never hurt no one.

If you don’t rock a retro Sub Pop pin, you might be dumbfounded at what passes for the cream of the crop of contemporary indie rock. Sure, great bands like Grizzly Bear get lavish acclaim, but then they’re on Warp — an electronic label. More often, we receive polite recreations of a once-great vanished era and are told that this is the new-new, when in fact, it’s the same song (word to Shock G). To translate this to rap terms, this would be like if 9th Wonder had been the recipient of widespread critical adulation. Okay, that happened. But I think that the fact that no one bitched when we left him off even the Honorable Mentions of our Greatest Producer List means that we have all agreed to atone for our sins.

Jan
26

Passion of the Weiss Mix Series: 56 Mix by Stones Throw’s Tim Nable

What you know about Marsha Raven, Eastern Gang, Z-Factor, and Section 25? Probably nothing. You are not alone. My goals for a great mix are pretty simple: if you have original selections and funky sensibilities, I am easily sold. The 56 mix, the latest installment of the Passion of the Weiss Mix Series, succeeds on both fronts, with rare and random boogie funk, disco-rap and minimal wave. I have never heard 93 percent of these songs and I would dance to all of them (were I not painfully aware of the awkwardness that accompanies 6’3 Jews dancing. This is the root of all oy.)

The mix is blended by Stones Throw employee Tim Nable, who is one of the resident DJ’s at 56, the label’s bi-monthly party at Mr. T’s in Highland Park — the first regular party that the label has attached itself to in its 15 year history (in other random self-promotional shills: I wrote about the label’s anniversary in last month’s LA Weekly). 56 launches tonight with DJ sets from Peanut Butter Wolf and the Funkmosphere’s “Gemini Twin,” an enigmatic funk doctor who may or may not have the most impressive hair this side of DJ Quik.

The mix is here. The tracklist is below the jump. The advice is implied.

Passion of the Weiss Mix Series: Stones Throw’s Tim Nable – The 56 Mix by passionweiss

Jan
25

Gangrene Alchemize Vodka & Ayahuasca

Last week, I spent four hours rambling around weed dispensaries with Alchemist and Oh No, watching documentaries on Ayahuasca, and smoking enough weed and hash to harm the health of even a “legalize hemp” advocate. They are true professionals. The article drops in the LA Weekly two weeks from tomorrow and I’d planned on timing something about the new Gangrene record with the article. Clearly, I’m opting otherwise.

Between this video and the Roc Marciano-assisted cut leaked earlier this week, there is no choice but to post in a more timely fashion. As it is, this video has clocked nearly 50K views in almost 24 hours. Funny thing about a record like Vodka & Ayahuasca is that it will elicit zero coverage from non rap-centric publications. There is no narrative to attach to it, other than two grimy stoners warp psychedelic soul samples until the souls start screaming. It’s popular, just not within the would-be cool kid demographic. After all, Hip Hop DX has more readers than The Fader.

Jan
25

Daedelus – “California”

Alfred the Great drops a bomb to rip up the nu-”California” stereotype established by Phantom Fucking Planet in 2002 and continued until whenever The OC croaked. How much would you rather hear this than that wrist-cutting-in-the-sunshine sop that soundtracked Adam Brody’s amateur neuroses? (Let the pro’s handle this, son.)

Maybe I’m biased. Daedelus’s original last name had a Weiss in it and he grew up a few miles from me. His California is close to my own. But this song is gentle, gauzy, unnerving and beautiful. You will like it too. It can be found on the excellent Gem Drops Two charity compilation, curated by the Dropping Gems imprint. Sadly, there are no Mobb Deep tracks. Instead, the label wrangles precious stones from a lineup of lesser-known but highly-gifted beatmakers from S. Maharba to Low Enders Strangeloop and Co Fee. The embedded stream is below the jump and if you have the means, buy it and donate to a good cause (cancer research).

As for “California,” the only question is whether or not it’s better than Low’s version.

Download:
MP3: Daedelus-”California”

Jan
25

T. Shirt Is Angry

Tosten Burks #*&^ @*&+ing *#^~ mother ~#*% #^$* >&=*

It takes time to get past the gimmicks of Queens rapper T.Shirt. The name might mock typical rapper-name nonsense, but that doesn’t make it any less dumb. Dubbing a video like this an “essay” doesn’t make it not blatant blog-bait provocativeness. Underneath the antics though, there is substance. (And substance abuse.)

Shirt’s latest mixtape, “The Fuck,” further develops a character that isn’t as much pure New York hip-hop as it is pure New York. This is dark-alley anger rap, shamelessly abrasive, stumbling out of a dive bar. Lyrics that sound best shouted off a cheap, rundown rooftop.
Read more »

Jan
24

The LA Underground (90-94 Mix)

When people invoke the history of the Los Angeles underground, they usually reference the late 90s iteration, the capital letter Underground that produced Dilated Peoples, Jurassic 5, and People Under the Stairs. Less celebrated but significantly more interesting was the period that preceded it, a scene that coalesced around Project Blowed, the Unity party run by Bigga B, and dozens of other parties that never got equal notoriety.

Mark Luv was one of the seminal figures between the last throes of the KDAY era and the delusional epoch when executives brazenly figured J5 could go platinum strictly off the Birkenstock crowd. On the latest Hedrush podcast, Luv guests and drops knowledge for anyone curious about that period in Los Angeles hip hop. Tracklist below the jump, complete with many of the essential obscurities of the period. And Funkdoobiest.

Download:
MP3: The Hedrush – Episode #43 (LA Hip Hop Appreciation Vol. 1)

Jan
24

Meg Myers, Motherfuckin’ Monster

Jonah Bromwich blinks plenty, thank you.
Meg Myers doesn’t blink enough. It’s not as if she never blinks, but they come a little too rarely for someone who’s purporting to be a regular human being. Between the fifteen seconds that the “Monster” video takes to ramp up and the fifteen it takes to wind down, Meg Myers gives off the impression that she’s too busy to waste time with something silly like lubricating her eyes.

The intensity that she conveys through a pretty simple song, the incredible tension lurking in wait for the chorus to hit — these are the things that are keeping Meg Myers from blinking. I don’t know exactly what the person who this song is addressed to did to Meg Myers, but it must have been terrible. Because she’s not just singing that she wants to kill that person (although she is doing that.) Her entire physiological being is conveying murderous intent, one that appears to be ripping her apart.
Read more »

Jan
24

Son Raw’s most anticipated albums of 2012

Son Raw doesn’t know if all of these will drop this year but he hopes so. Also, Schoolboy Q was supposed to make this list but son dropped his album already. I was right about that one so I’m probably right about these.
Read more »

Jan
23

Guido: Free Downloads Giveaway

Guido continues to throw his hoodie in the arena for the award of best songwriter in bass music. That’s a rarely used word for instrumental tunes, but what makes Guy Middleton unique is how carefully he’s attuned to melody, odd filigrees of sound, and bizarre instrumentation. He coaxes sounds out of synths like a great guitarist tuning a guitar into alien formation. About a year ago, I recommended him to the head of Atlantic — as part of my covert machinations to change the sound of pop music back to future funk from its current Coke Zero incarnation. Still, David Guetta dominates.

Until Guido becomes the new Timbo, he’s offered three new freebies via his Soundcloud. His latest single “Micro X/Vessel Dogs” is up for sale on iTunes now. I previously wrote about it here. I prefer Boston terriers to vessel dogs, but I’m not a Westminster Kennel kind of guy.

Free downloads giveaway.. by guido productions