Deen gives a first consultation free, but after that, it’ll cost you. You probably don’t care about my writing process, but allow my to bloviate a bit in the interest of providing context. More often than not, there’s ONE very specific fact or point of interest that inspires me to write about a song or […]

Deen prefers his Kool-Aid unsweetened. Allow me to be slightly presumptuous and assume that you, the reader, have been reading my  posts here. Maybe you may have detected some level of ambivalence in regards to everyone’s new darlings – the Top Dawg Entertainment guys. I’ve read a bunch of complimentary shit about these guys in […]

Draked [drayk – ed] verb The act of turning an ostensibly joyous situation into one that is introspective and sad. Characterized by noirish ambiance, vocals that combine singing and rapping, and an adoration for being swaddled in antique angora sweaters. “Swimming Pools (Drank)” has been Draked. Of course, there’s a fine line between drank and […]

Evan Nabavian is a pioneer in trap-step. We make all manner of excuses, some more valid than others, for rappers without technical skill. French Montana’s ear for melody, Waka’s energy, and Jeezy’s Trapability® are all counterweights to the argument that a rapper, or to use a more lofty title, an MC, is one whose motherfucking […]

Tosten Burks is back. At this point, nothing is hyperbole. A year since its release, Section.80 remains one of the blog era’s greatest triumphs, still profound, still staggeringly ambitious, still technically breathtaking. “A.D.H.D.” still stands as the song of a generation, not hurt at all by its blatant intention to be just that. This is […]

Max Bell is sparking one for Mike Myers’ career. I doubt that if ‘Michael Jackson came alive right now’ he would want you to spark one for him. And I call GZA and those eight other guys he rapped with some of my greatest math teachers so you might have to check my math, but […]

Worst kept secret: slap Dr. Dre’s name on anything and it will sell. This goes for headphones to herb. You haven’t lived until you’ve smoked the Xxplosive line of double triple THC OG Great Grandpappy Kush. It was tied in with Dr. Dre’s last single, “Kush.” Am I joking? You will never know. So it’s […]

In which the Neptunes reveal how many times they listened to Low End Theory in high school. No surprise to anyone who saw the Tribe Called Quest doc, but a warm if not regressive approach to doing a track with Kendrick, who has the most Q-Tip-like voice since Justin Warfield became the first average rapper […]

I vowed I wasn’t going to post three Narduwar videos in one week, but Kendrick Lamar and a brief history of Compton Rap insists otherwise. His research team should win a Juno.

Herein lies Abe Beame’s take on the Oscars. DOWNLOAD: http://www.sendspace.com/file/qv3199 Kendrick Lamar- Cartoons and Cereal: Apparently, Section 80 was his Southernplayalistic. Flatbush Zombiez- Thug Waffles: I’m not late on this it just took a minute to track down a working link. These guys grew up a few blocks away from my crib, but one does […]