| Nocando, The Wave, and Little Green Monsters | January 31, 2014 |
Max Bell also endorses the Howie Mandel and Fred Savage vehicle, Little Monsters. Nocando has been riding the wave for a minute. Low End Theory remains popping and popular as ever (ask your local fire marshal). Hellfyre Club dropped one of last year’s best rappity-rap releases (Dorner vs. Tookie) and will soon be headed to […]
| Tree: Soul Trap On Ice | January 28, 2014 |
Max Bell is made of limestone. Ascendant Chicago rapper/producer Tree’s claim that he “invented soul trap” isn’t entirely accurate. Soul trap was around before Pimp C had a pocket full of stones. There just wasn’t a name for it. Goodie Mob and Witchdoctor’s first albums are so full of soul and blues, both lyrically and […]
| Knowns & Known Unknowns & Kevin Gates | January 23, 2014 |
Max Bell conducts all business meetings at the IHOP. The wise man knows that he knows nothing at all. I’m either paraphrasing Socrates or RZA. Listening to too much rap in college can cause you to conflate philosophers and rappers on a regular basis. Baton Rouge’s Southside Brasi, Kevin Gates doesn’t know many things either. He […]
| Passion of the Weiss Winter Mix Series #2: Max Bell | January 20, 2014 |
The weather has no bearing on the blues. They will overtake you in sunny Santa Monica or in the coldest Chicago winter. The question is not if, but when. I’m not exactly feeling the blues now, but they’re never wholly gone. They wait in a street sign or a supermarket that forever signifies more than […]
| Schoolboy Q: “Man of the Year” | January 17, 2014 |
Max Bell once owned a bucket hat. It’s Friday. You may or may not have shit to do. But if you’re already reading this, then you should take a few and watch Schoolboy’s video for “Man of the Year.” “Man of the Year” is a party in the trees as much as it is on […]
| Homeboy Sandman & Paul White Wade in the Water | January 16, 2014 |
Max Bell infrequently boogie boards. Homeboy Sandman is back. Homeboy Sandman never really went anywhere. In 2013, he offered devotees two EPs: Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent (with producer El Rntc) and All That I Hold Dear (with M Slago). For the final installment in this trio of EPs pairing Boy Sand with a single producer, he’s brought Paul White into the […]
| The Modern Montgomery Blues of Doe B | January 15, 2014 |
Max Bell also wishes a happy birthday to Slick Rick the Ruler. Doe B was gunned down outside a Montgomery club in December. A twenty-two-year-old gone too soon, still relishing the success of his first mixtape and on the verge of releasing his Grand Hustle/Interscope debut. As his last retweet revealed, he felt “GREAT.” All […]
| 2013’s Most Overlooked Albums | January 7, 2014 |
Max Bellwas once traded for Pau Gasol. Some pale and anemic soul slumped behind a computer will soon devise an algorithm compiling a list of all the lists on the Internet. Said meta-list will be outdated the minute it goes up; that is unless there’s some automatic refresh built-in. Until that ominous day the Mayans […]
| Dial 7-7-7 “Hit & Run” | December 11, 2013 |
Max Bell holds the weight of 1.2 synagogues. Hit + Run run the live screen printing game, which is probably a game you don’t think about very often. However, they are the best at it and unlike Khaled, their success doesn’t make them suffer. They ardently support of music they bump and believe in. especially […]
| Cognac & Codeine: The Outfit, TX Sit in Their Four-Cornered Room | December 2, 2013 |
Max Bell will take potent potables for $200. The Outfit, TX is one of the best rap groups in Texas. Their 2012 debut, Starships & Rockets: Cooly Fooly Space Age Funk remains one of the most satisfying and fully realized rap albums from last year. It’s nostalgic, contemporary, and futuristic. It’s a regionally reverent re-invention […]
