Dean is a Dublin, Ireland-based journalist and critic. In addition to Passion of the Weiss, his work has appeared in Wax Poetics, NME, Pitchfork, Clash and The Irish Times, among others. Get at him on Twitter: @deanvannguyen
| Funk Wit Da Style: The Making of Craig Mack’s “Project: Funk Da World” | September 26, 2014 |
A stone cold classic, ‘Flava In Ya Ear’ (as well as its star-studded remix) was like a hip-hop Molotov cocktail. Built on offbeat horn stabs and crashing drums, it was a perfect showcase for Mack’s gruff baritone that, despite being positively earth shattering, sounded musical to the ear. His album Project: Funk da World – which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary – soon followed
| No Gangster Boogie – Thirst 48 | July 25, 2014 |
Just pass Dean Van Nguyen the Old Gold You’d be hard pressed to find a rapper with a less appropriate name than Boogie. In the realm of unsuitable guises, it’s along the lines of boxers Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham or Audley ‘A Force’ Harrison. Graham – a skilled southpaw – wasn’t exactly known for bombing out […]
| Unsolved Mystery: In Search of Young Lay | April 7, 2014 |
Dean Van Nguyen can ghost ride a hover board The history of Bay Area hip-hop remains a catacomb that requires some amount of digging by genre historians to excavate the wealth of great music that has been cut in the region. Traditionally they make their own stars in the bay. Take away some notable exceptions […]
| New Jack Cinema: From The Block to the Big Screen | October 1, 2013 |
90s New Jack Cinema Flicks >>>>
