Chris Daly is cool, Chris Daly is fast French beat legend, Mr. Flash (who the well informed will recall dropped the first album on the Ed Banger label back in ’03), is getting ready to drop his proper debut, “Sonic Crusader,” this June. To prepare the uninitiated, Flash has dropped his first single, “Number One,” […]
| Spring Mix: Dewey Decibel | May 5, 2014 |
Dewey Decibel is an emcee/visual artist from Philadelphia who has a deep love for breakfast foods and brunettes. This is a mixtape that reminds me of the ones I used to make for myself when I was in High School. I would dub cassette tapes with all of my favorite hip hop tracks jammed together […]
| Tango Bravo: When Dreams Come True — Action Bronson Meets Chuck Inglish, DARKSIDE Meets St. Vincent | April 4, 2014 |
Brad Beatson saw what you did there. When two of your favorite artists tango and drop an unexpected gift, it presents for a drop-everything-and-lose-it opportunity. Then it happened twice this week and I slipped into a hedonistic binge. St. Vincent and Darkside. Action Bronson and Chuck Inglish. The efforts are as good as you could […]
| Spitta Andretti’s Drive In Theatre | February 19, 2014 |
Max Bell also enjoys the New Beverly theatre. After 30 plus projects, summarizing and/or describing the tropes of Curren$y’s music seems futile. The kush is from L.A. and the wax is from the Bay. The kicks are dead stock, the finest vintage. The money, classic cars and women keep moving. I know, you know, and Curren$y […]
| Stretch Fours: Curren$y & Action Bronson Are Godfathers | January 28, 2014 |
Will Hagle is eating gazpacho with Ralph Macchio. Hip-hop rarely gets this luxurious. While tuxedo and mask-wearing artists like Jay and Ye often force-feed their excess, Spitta and Bronsolino casually discuss their Italian marble floors over delicate strings. Neither have the star power to assert dominance over the throne, but their laid-back braggadocio suggests that […]
| Passion of the Weiss Winter Mix #4 — Chris Daly’s “Cold Blood” | January 22, 2014 |
Chris Daly is cold as ice yet unwilling to sacrifice. Shit gets rough in the wintertime. You don’t need me to tell you that. Unless you’re living in some unnatural environment, there’s never enough sunlight, it’s colder than a battle rapper’s baby’s mama, and god damn if even your dog doesn’t seem to be pissier […]
| Fuck Swag, Got Pizzazz: Action Bronson’s “Blue Chips 2” | November 14, 2013 |
Jonah Bromwich steers the whip with one arm like Herman of Herman’s Military Antiques. Action Bronson is so consistent that it can be tough to figure out what makes his two best projects to date, Blue Chips and now Blue Chips 2, qualitatively better than other recent work. Saab Stories was underrated, and some feel […]
| Roc Marciano: The Pimpire Strikes Back | November 8, 2013 |
Max Bell murdered Jar-Bar Binks. There isn’t one Star Wars reference on Roc Marciano’s The Pimpire Strikes Back. It’s not a blatant disregard for source material so much as it is honest and telling revisionism. In other words, a young Marciano probably wasn’t rushing off to see George Lucas’ The Empire Strikes Back. Instead, he […]
| Action Bronson’s “Blue Chips 2” | November 1, 2013 |
I am well aware that Blue Chips 2 has already been posted all over the Internet, but if you didn’t think it has earned at least a pro forma post on this site, then my name isn’t Neon Boudreaux. It also so happens that I interviewed Bam Bam for Rolling Stone. We discussed grilled cheese, […]
| Action Bronson & Riff Raff Bring the Cocaine Nail Job | September 16, 2013 |
Max Bell is doing Jamaican dances. Sequels rarely live up to the original. For every Blues Brothers there’s a Blues Brothers 2000. You hope for the best yet end up disappointed, admiring the intent more than the product itself. Really, it’s a matter of capturing the spur of the moment, recording the perfect combination of […]
