Media Assassin Harry Allen loves him some Twitter. Good thing he drops some jewels like this:
I don’t think LL Cool J’s legacy and value to the history of hip-hop has been, in any way, seriously addressed. Delete him, and much of hip-hop history vanishes, or becomes unfathomable. LL, in a very real way, may be the GOAT.
Good point. Why exactly is Todd Smith‘s contribution often ignored? Is the fact that he still releases music and movies, long after his creative and commercial peak, diminishing the value of his legacy? As the originator of the awkward (but widely adapted) GOAT tag, there’s no denying that LL Cool J was the ultimate MC. Arrogant to a fault, he went-up against the rap establishment of the day and destroyed them all. Never lost a battle. Your girl had his poster on her bedroom wall. You had his tape in your Walkman. Laid the blueprint for combining ‘street’ records with broad-baiting chart toppers. Had the stones to kick Champagne Rap years before it became trendy….hold up. That’s a plus? Let’s not forget the ugly part of Cool J’s legacy either – he also made a career of ‘artistic compromise’. He was kicking ‘I Want You’ and ‘I Can Give You More’ to the dames on Radio, but the drum machine was still knocking in the background, but that ‘I Need Love’ shit? There was a reason he got booed off stage under a hail of coins from betrayed hardcore b-boys in the UK. In retrospect it seems like a stroke of marketing genius, but try explaining that to a kid who had memorized every line of ‘Rock The Bells’. (more…)
For anybody who doesn’t fully appreciate how significant Raida’s contribution to hip-hop music was, take a listen to Eclipse’s moving tribute, which is crammed with memories of Roc from some of his closest friend’s.
This get me kinda vexed when I read it last night over at XXL:
Foundation, the new disc by M.O.P did not make it into The Billboard 200. According to the Nielsen SoundScan report the disc sold close to 2,100 copies in its debut week.
The fuck? Sure, there’s not a huge market for non-progressive, hardcore rap in these ever trend conscious times, but even KRS-One and Buckshot’s album (which I haven’t even bothered to listen to yet) sold 8,400. While I can’t personally confirm it, I’d bet my kidney that Survival Skills doesn’t have any songs that knock as hard as ‘Blow The Horns’, ‘Bang Time’ or ‘Crazy’. Predictably, Jay-Z sold a bunch of CD’s to Oprah viewers, while Kid Cudi‘s fruit-filled debut sold over 100,000 in it’s first week. Meanwhile, Raekwon has slung an impressive 89,000 units in two weeks, which is both a testament to the power of Wu-Tang Stans worldwide and proof positive that an EMI deal still holds weight. So why didn’t Bill and Fame get any love at the register? (more…)
The Evil Genius has a habit of popping-up all over the place with beat placement on major albums from Nas, Busta Rhymes and Ludacris, but it’s his work with the hardcore set that has really caught my ear over the years. Flaunting everything from looped vocal snippets to choppy horns or soulful loops, DJ Green Lantern brings some serious heat on the boards. (more…)
The X-Men defined the hardcore b-boy turntablist movement for a lot of us. Not to knock the more experimental techniques of the Bay, but catching them performing those beat-juggling routines live was incredible – so much so that I was compelled break tradition and give Raida a pound the first time I saw him perform a set. A few years later I bumped into him again at a Lord Finesse in-store signing, bugging him out when I produced my cassette edition of Return of the Funkyman to Finesse for an autograph. That same night, Roc and the Funkyman performed a back-to-basics set that showcased two masters of their craft, tearing the roof off that motherfucker. To me, that shit was iller than Public Enemy‘s stadium tour in 1989. Sure, seeing Flav enter the stage on an ambulance was crazy, but to witness Finesse and Raida in action was something else. Best believe I was front row on some Beatlemania shit, rapping every line and snapping my neck to every snare.
Roc Raida‘s status as a champion DJ is widely acknowledged, but don’t forget about his skills on the boards either. Here are a selection of some of my favorite Raida beats as we pay our respects to the great man. R.I.P. Grand Master. (more…)
Quality cut from Danish producer K.V., from the album The Résumé, due early next year. Other features will include Slum Village, Billy Danze (M.O.P.), Prince Po, Chaundon, Doo Wop, Mic Geronimo, D.V. Alias Khryst, Smoothe Da Hustler, Retsam The Prince and DJ Noize on cuts.
K.V. feat. Royce Da 5’9″ & Pace Won - ’5’9″ + Won’
Jay-Z is the most influential rapper of the past ten years, but I only own one of his records. Have I failed as a rap fan, or is Jay just not that incredible? Looking back, we weren’t off to the best of starts as far as the artist/listener relationship is concerned. While he did his thing on a few tracks with The Jaz (‘It’s That Simple’ and ‘The Originators’), he fell flat when he jumped on a track from Big L‘s debut with a not yet refined technique. ‘Dead Presidents’ and ‘Ain’t No Nigga’ were ill, but the whole Champagne Rap feel to much of Reasonable Doubt took the shine off it, despite some exceptional moments such as ‘Regrets’. Raised on LL Cool J and T La Rock, Jay’s whiny vocal tones lacked the punch that my ear expected from an MC, although his wit and sarcasm impressed nevertheless. As he courted Pop Life with his Timbaland, Neptunes and Swizz Beats records, I had even less reason to pay attention, despite Jay throwing the hardcore crowd the occasional DJ Premier-produced Scooby snack. (more…)
Sure, it was good for a laugh when the fake Lil’ Fame post appeared in response to the accusation of beat jacking. And yeah, there was always a strong possibility that it was bullshit, but this being the intehnets, it was worth running the story anyway. It’s since been revealed that it was all a mix-up by M.O.P‘s managed Laz-E-Laze, who hurriedly scribbled the credits together to make the album deadline. The producer of the track, Kil, has excitedly explained that he spoke to Fizroy over the phone, and everything’s gravy, so anyone who was planning to burn the new M.O.P CD in the streets as a form of protest – stand down.
While we’re on the topic, which of the blockbuster September albums are you planning to (or have already) bought? Note: You can vote more than once.
Since Cormega and Tragedy were rhyme partners for a while back in the day, it’s no surprise that they’ve recorded a few cuts together. Here are five of them to wrap up Cormega Week. (more…)
Mega Montana orginally went by the handle of MC Cor for his first couple of guest shots. Here’s six classic Mega throwbacks, some of which he mentioned in last week’s Unkut interview. (more…)
Yesterday a producer from Philly named Kil emailed a bunch of blogs to tell them about how a beat of his had ended-up on the new M.O.P. album on the track ‘Rude Bastard’, but was credited to Fizzy Womack. Things really got interesting when Lil’ Fame left a response over at the DJ Premier Blog (not Premier’s actual blog, but a fan-site):
FizzyWo said…
Shit happens bro. Tag your beat next time, i just happened to have that record, and did the shit up myself! Your version was way too LQ for us to even use it and trust me nigga, your drums are not rare. i got drums out the woodwork, but thank you for finding the right tuned snare for this sample. It’s not your beat anymore nigga, i re-created (as you did as well) with the same record, so LiL FaMe is the one claim!!! Don’t take it there either, we known to mash out. You know you love that song nigga. Stop crying and figure out your next move. PREEM is NOT riding with blog. Get off his balls.
Its true I didn’t do the beat “Rude Bastards” as Kil said….I heard it, it was hot and I rhymed on it…I’d never steal a beat, that’s not me…and the quote on the net is not from me I’m looking into who made that statement as me
Laze (M.O.P’s manager) was handling the credits, I gave him the info for who did the beat.
I just saw the finished artwork and my 1st comment was, “I didn’t do that beat why does it say I did”? (Ref. To “rude bastard”)
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