Few descriptions are more trite than “organic.” It’s a word used to describe everything from music played with real instruments, to the seamless incorporation of seemingly irreconcilable styles, to the produce grown by white people with natty dreads and Sage Francis records.  Over the last few years, a glut of rappers have attempt to escape […]

While national attention is largely fixated on its producers, the Low End Theory simultaneously operates as a ’10s extension of the Project Blowed. Alumni like Busdriver, AWOL One, and Ab Rude regularly rock shows, and before becoming the Beat Baron of Alpha Pup, Daddy Kev ran the obscure but oft-excellent Celestial Records, whose legacy was […]

Lest I cannibalize myself (and not in the inspiring Alive way), should you have any interest in reading my thoughts on Nocando’s excellent “Hurry Up and Wait Remix,” I will point you in the direction of my Sam Zell-owned feudal overlords. The concise version is that its arguably the best morning commute anthem since “9-5ers […]

The polarization between rappers and rock groups has always bothered me. Granted, one can interpret it as a wise conclusion gleaned from the Durst era, but I suspect otherwise. The last few years have seen arbitrary barriers between genres collapse, with hip-hop producers swiping samples from MGMT, Vampire Weekend, and Radiohead, Dame Dash and The […]

In lieu of being able to actually enjoy the Airliner’s lax weed policy and jumbo-sized Fat Tires, the Low End podcasts offer an ideal window into what makes the weekly so unique. But until now, they’ve neglected to feature Nocando as anything more than a host. Wisely, Daddy Kev enlists his Alpha Pup protege and […]

The latest video from Jimmy the Lock provides a visual for possibly my favorite song from the record. A Gangstarr sample and a dope Busdriver guest spot will do that. The clip is filled with girls who look like they regularly attend Vinyasa yoga classes in Silverlake and provides more empirical evidence that Busdriver has […]

Nocando used to earn a living testing for EA, so I trust him when he claims that the quickest way to beat a video game is by exploiting its glitches. Originally, James McCall’s Alpha Pup debut, Jimmy the Lock was named after this song, the first to receive video treatment. Equating video game ability with […]

If you’ve ever stumbled into the Low End Theory, you know Nocando. Every Wednesday, the night’s lone rhyming resident incinerates beats that would leave lesser rappers like nudists searching for a spot to store their wallets: exposed and futilely searching for a pocket. The Project Blowed veteran raps over beats that should be un-rappable, freestyling […]