Evan Nabavian is a very irrefutable person. Which is worse: the most ill-considered rap/rock crossover or the cheapest instance of rap co-opting electronic? I vote for the latter, because rappers keep getting away with it. And yet, here I am giving Jackie Chain a pass on a particularly flagrant fist-pumper. “Night is Young” is as […]

Watching this video can give heart attacks to the elderly. Home invasion rap has never been so psychedelic. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Thuggin’ by Rappcats

I wrote about this at my other online emporium, but the union of Freddie Gibbs and Madlib warrants repeat posting. Getting these two together was no idle whim, this was the product of months of clandestine meetings and secrets kept. Granted, Madlib could be a CIA agent if not for his quarter ounce a day […]

The new Freddie Gibbs mixtape, just in time to soundtrack smacking Trick-or-Treaters with sacks of flour. On first listen, this is more trap-oriented than past tapes. So it goes when Jeezy appears twice, 2Chainz once, and Alley Boy on a song called “Rob Me a Nigga.” Best heard while dressed as O-Dog. Download: ZIP: Freddie […]

Bristol and Gary might be polar opposites, but purple connoisseurs like Gibbs and Joker can easily find common ground. Between “The Vision” and “Highway to Hell,” the former is fast becoming the go-to vanquisher for these electrocution bass cuts. The reasons are pretty simple. You need a wrath of God voice to cut through the […]

Gibbs using the first official leak from A Cold Day in Hell to take tacit slaps at Rick Ross, make Steven Seagal references, and talk about his preference for the CPA over the DEA. Finally, a rap song I can play for my father. Gibbs has staked his career on honesty and rapping extraordinarily well. […]

Evan Nabavian is old school when he rides. July 31, 2011. Children and maladroit college grads like me were blindsided by the arrival of summer’s halfway point. Working men and women trudged home through the unbearable heat while I sat in my room, where I had been sitting all day, all month, all summer, and […]

“Versatility” has a different definition depending on who you talk to. When I interviewed FloRida last week, he stressed its importance in sustaining longevity in the commercial rap game. Admittedly, he’s the same dude who had no qualms rhyming over Eiffel 65’s “I’m Blue,” so you have to take his words with a whiff of […]

Photo via Austin Surreal Abe Beame is always cooking up something marvelous. What a difference a year and two critically acclaimed mixtapes make. Last June, Big K.R.I.T. had some buzz going — but not enough to save him from famously being booed off stage for attempting to perform “Country Shit” at a Jay Electronica/Joell Ortiz […]

Skeptics questioned Freddie Gibbs’ decision to join Young Jeezy’s CTE imprint. They wondered why an established independent rapper with a modest but loyal fan base would link with a trap rapper who seemingly can’t get his album released. After all,  rappers aligning themselves with already established imprints hasn’t worked well in the past — see  […]