We’re a long way from turntablism’s halcyon days in the late 90s and early 00s, when stars such as Mix Master Mike and Qbert scratched and picked their way across the globe. The shows were frequently amazing – jaw dropping displays of technique and skill set against the visceral backdrop of rap music – but […]

One of Kevin Gates' first interviews ever.

Hit-Boy occupies an unsettled but not uncommon space in modern rap culture. At 25 years old, he’s had an inordinately busy career producing pop singles for acts like the Pussycat Dolls, Brandy, Jennifer Lopez, and Rihanna. He’s also created a significant body of production work for rappers ranging from Snoop Dogg to Slaughterhouse. Hit’s biggest […]

Douglas Martin is lo-fi power pop personified. Before those of you in the peanut gallery start throwing things in the name of nepotism, I must remind you that we here at Passion of the Weiss aren’t in the business of writing about bad music. Barry Schwartz — he of Disco Vietnam — just happens to […]

This is Part 3 of my interview with DaVinci and Al Jieh of San Francisco’s SWTBRDS label. In this segment we talk about the history of Bay Area rap, certain misconceptions about it, and how SWTBRDS fits into the overall legacy of the region. As our ride continues we talk more about the close knit […]

This is Part 2 of my interview with DaVinci and Al Jieh of San Francisco’s SWTBRDS label. In this segment we talk about the history of their label and how its heritage derives from the legendary Fillmore neighborhood where DaVinci grew up. — Alex Piyevsky Previously: Part I of Question in the Form of an […]

Below is my interview with DaVinci and Al Jieh of San Francisco’s quickly rising SWTBRDS label. My original idea was for the guys to take me on a guided tour of the Fillmore, DaVinci’s notorious home neighborhood, cited frequently in his songs as a source of both inspiration and frustration. Instead we ended up driving […]

When Mount Kimbie first emerged from the ashes of the dubstep scene in 2009, they were quickly tagged with the “post-dubstep” distinction along with their friend James Blake. By 2012 though, dubstep had become a dirty word altogether and with the rise of EDM and “bro-step,” virtually no one wants to align themselves with the […]

Douglas Martin endorses most pheasants. If you consider the minor technicality of Royal Headache’s stellar self-titled debut actually being a 2011 release (in the band’s native Australia), that makes The Mallard’s Yes on Blood 2012’s Dirty Shoes Album of the Year. One cursory listen should indicate why this was an almost laughably predictable choice: It’s […]

There can be a lot of disconnect between rappers and the critics that review their work.  Frequently these (nebbishy, academic) critics, at least the ones I relate to, are content to let rappers define their own worlds—the critics understanding that they may lack perspective on the black experience with which rap is frequently concerned.  To […]