An album of new raps over old Buckwild beats? Approved!
Celph Titled and Buckwild’s upcoming collaborative Nineteen Ninety Now, will feature Celph ripping over vintage unreleased Buckwild beats from the mid 90’s. Guest spots will include Treach (of Naughty By Nature), Vinnie Paz (of Jedi Mind Tricks), Ryu (of SOB), A.G., Diamond D, Sadat X, Grand Puba, R.A. the Rugged Man, O.C., Lord Digga, Majik Most and more.
The Elam family wishes to thank the fans of our son/brother/father uncle/nephew/cousin Keith aka GURU for the outpouring of love, concern and support.
Our hearts are broken by the loss of someone we loved so much. GURU was devoted to his young son, who will most keenly feel his absence.
GURU suffered from multiple myeloma for over a year. Accrued complications from this illness led to respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. As a result, GURU was in a coma from mid February until his death and never regained consciousness. Early on the morning of April 19th, he became hypertensive due to low blood pressure. He again went into cardiac arrest and slipped away from us.
GURU died far too young but he was, and we are, proud of all his many legendary musical contributions.
The family is not aware of any foundations established by GURU. We know and understand that countless fans want to express their condolences and love and, to that end, we are planning a memorial event in the near future that will be all-inclusive. Please look for further details from the family as they become available.
This is fucked the fuck up. I can’t add anything to the piece I wrote in March other than to say Rest In Peace Keith Elam…a true Master of the Ceremony. I can still remember the first time I heard the ‘Positivity’ remix on the radio….
Here’s a piece that was refused publication in a print magazine I do some shit for. Too xenophobic perhaps? Or maybe there were a bunch of Bathing Ape ads all over the issue…
Is it wrong that my first impulse when penning a column for a Japanese-themed issue involves mentions of the classic ode to self-loving ‘Turning Japanese’, Nintendo DS games based around ‘witch touching’ and an obsession with schoolgirl’s undergarments? Now that we’ve got the obligatory cry of, ‘Oh, those wacky Japanese!’ out of the way, let’s proceed. If you were an independent rapper or producer in the nineties of some notoriety, there’s a good chance you cashed some checks courtesy of the place that gave us Akira. In much the same way as marginal jazz artists continued to perform and record in Europe once they experienced commercial decline in America, underground New York hip-hop dudes were courted by labels such as Next Level and Mary Joy, who released exclusive vinyl projects by everyone from Rawkus mainstay Mos Def to more obscure MC’s such as Lace Da Booms and Mike Zoot (if those names mean anything to you, please hand-in your crusty old backpack at reception). The Diggin’ In The Crates crew were even called upon to produce songs for Japanese MC’s, and the market for rare hip-hop singles went through the roof during the height of the rap craze. De La Soul – once hell bent on breaking every long-standing hip-hop tradition they could think of – even featured Kan Takagi from Major Force rapping in his native tongue on a track from their Bahloone Mindstate LP. (more…)
Something new from Brownsville-based MAF, with the always dependable Nottz on the boards and the equally consistent Masta Ace sewing up the final verse. Don’t know much about this kid but he dropped a mixtape with Superstar Jay a while back.
First single from the new album of the same name. I haven’t checked the new record yet, but the first two Sharon Jones LP’s are quality. Great music for that Saturday morning hangover.
You’re no doubt familiar with Marcy’s cameo on Busta Rhyme‘s ‘The Heist’ and his recent features on the P Brothers‘ The Gas, but here another eight note-worthy features from this Strong Island representative while we wait for Marcberg to drop on May 5th. Oh yeah, I just read that Sean P recorded a verse for ‘Snow Pt. 2′!
You could be excused for believing that I spend every waking hour obsessing over rap trivia while preparing for my next interview with an obscure hip-hop character, but that’s not really the case. Admittedly, a lifetime of perusing linear notes and thumbing through old rap magazines can tend to have some unwanted side-effects, but beyond my search for the lost TJ Swan album, there are – in the words of Zev Love X – more than ‘two on my list of shit I don’t give a fuck about’ when it comes to popular hip-hop folklore. (more…)
tj swan is my father…i mean sperm doner..he fell off and is gonna stay off..he doesnt take care of his daughter’s (he has 3) i am his 1st daughter n i want evryone to know he’s a liar and a loser and I don’t respect him. Comment by nicole grant (tj swan’s oldest daughter) 09.01.05
Phillip Mlynar isn’t Australian, doesn’t roam a post-apocalyptic wasteland searching for fuel and may not even own a dog. But ask him the timeless question, ‘U mad, doggie?’ and he’ll reply, ‘Yes, I am.’ Fresh from his stint of yelling ‘Eff you and Your Heroes‘ like this was a listening session for the first Lench Mob tape, Phillip is back to vent his frustrations about the current state of the rap game. (more…)
Visionary or snake-oil salesman? Regardless, the Duck Rock album was very influential in it’s day on the strength of ‘Buffalo Gals’ and ‘World’s Famous’ and the Would Ya Like More Scratchin’ EP, largely thanks to the great work of producer Trevor Horn and The World Famous Supreme Team (See Divine the Mastermind and Justice Allah the Superstar).
You might have caught the search for ‘Rap’s King of Comedy’ a while back. Anyway, the obvious follow-up – as suggested resident barfly, Phillip ‘A Millie’ Mlynar, was a column on entirely humorless rappers for this PDF thing that you might have downloaded but never actually read. After downing enough Irish whiskey to kill a small horse during a weekend card game, I was in no state to argue… (more…)
Some things are hard to define. What exactly is the role of the ‘Executive Producer’ on an album? Is it the guy who paid for the record to be made? The dude who decided which beats to use and which guests to invite? Or the character who sat up the back and simply nodded his head in approval as each song was completed? Truth be told, it can be any of those things and more. Same thing applies to the credit of ‘Producer’ on a rap record. While songs recorded in a studio by a band would have somebody sitting at the mixing desk, yelling out, ‘Cut!’ or ‘Can you redo that guitar solo?’, hip-hop and dance music is a different beast altogether. While you might think that’s it’s simply a case whoever made the beat, it isn’t that simple a lot of the time. (more…)
