Dr Dre and DJ Quik - Bad Intentions

Blog Status

No I will not be joining the free Gucci Mane campaign.

In other news, blogging takes time, that’s why it tends to be done by losers. I am slightly distracted by other things. I’m flat hunting and job hunting simultaneously so blogs will be kept to a minimum.

Don’t fret, my twitter game is next level right now. So go on over and see tweets ranging from the banal to the banal. I will be posting things about secret spots in London, unusual people and pictures, tons of pictures. (I hate the word tweeting.)

I’ll leave you with this Rick Ross parody video, one of the best that the internet has seen in a long time.

In The Space

The king is back. Might as well post it since I have been bumping the Janko Nilovic original, somewhat eerie in the middle of the hailstorm.

Cash Flow

Earlier in the week, I wrote about the new Jay–Z single which basically calls for the end of the Auto-tune. Whether or not that will be heeded we can only wait to find out (probably not going to work). Either way after listening to the interviews following his Hot 97 Summer Jam appearance (Hip Hop’s biggest yearly event) he seems to be backing off the harshly lyrics in his songs. Chalk this up to another smart marketing move (similar to Nasir Jones Hip Hop is Dead movement). Either way I suddenly remembered this video put up by Atlanta artist B.O.B back in January.

B.O.B ,or Bobby Ray as he now likes to be called, is a rapper/singer from Atlanta. He is often compared to Andre 3000 due to his versatile singing style. He is must more than that he is also a multi instrumentalist and is known for his captivating live shows. He recently did a remix of a stone cold classic (aka a song that can never be fucked with Bonita Applebum by ATCQ) for the Reebok Classics series which was fantastic. I have been getting up to Put Me On for the past week.

He is signed to T.I’s label which is odd since you maybe wouldn’t expect him to be included in a group that featured Alfamega. He is most likely to be the one to break out and achieve his own success ala Lupe Fiasco.

Trompeta

Love Hip Hop. No question about it. Then again theses things make me laugh. Three pics I saw over the weekend that left me speechless.

This Week in Ice

Due to the success of the Kanye Jesus piece post, I’m going to be posting a different picture of rappers jewellery each week. Now kids, lets not use this as an excuse to blame the excess of capitalism and potentially a catalyst of the whole economic crisis. That would be reaching. This week California's Nipsey Hussle. I like that he went with Malcolm X instead of Martin Luther King.

Valley of Death

Listening to Rick Ross. Is like buying an expensive steak. Delicious for about 30 minutes, then you regret spending that amount of money on food. Either way some of the beats on the album are fantastic. The best ones sound like an off cut of the Thunderball (word to Sean Connery) soundtrack. Cigar Music which isn’t even on the album is my favourite. These videos lead me and brothers having conversations wondering if Rick Ross really gets the ladies. “Money always attracts the needy”.

Animal

I just got back from a weekend in Washington Dc. It was my sisters graduation and in between her ceremonies and family dinners I managed to catch a decent snapshot of the city. So the next few posts are a combination of the sights, sounds and meals that I had whilst over there.

First of all, Friday night. It’s around 11.30pm people are strolling up and down U street trying to find the best bar for the night. And you stumble across five dudes rhyming outside of a hip hop bar. The whole city has this interesting musical subplot. Duke Ellington grew up in DC. You walk past bars who play live jazz and go–go whilst downstairs they are bumping ludacris, loud. Dafna (aka Lady Glock aka Dc’s premiere tastemaker) showed me the vast soundscape of DC in that one night. U street is intriguing it’s like brick lane without the pretentiousness and the middle aged banker tourists. Real people of diverse ethnicities and economic situations gathered together for a night out. Plus any place that has two people playing a violin and a tambourine to the instrumental of Big Poppa is a winner in my book.

Trani

Wale "Nike Boots" video (Directed by Chris Robinson) from Elitaste on Vimeo.

Just got back from a mad weekend in DC. Many , many posts coming from that trip. In the meantime the DMV’s rap hero, Wale, in fine form.

Time Is Money

Like getting a good brekkie with extra portion of chips. The Joel Ortiz Covers the Classics mixtape is a gem upon a gem. First of all it features probably one of the best Mc’s in the game right now 28 year old former UPS worker Joell Ortiz. Then it has 33 of the craziest beats of all time. As a fan of those old school sets the beats on this will make you want to slap your older brother, mother, sister, cousin or whoever for just listening to that when they were your age.Standout track is Bk Get Money (So what he took a leak right around the corner/ What you want homes to do he couldnt hold it any longer/ So what he running the dough and forgot he owe/ when you approach him he like 'fam why you stressing me for). Best thing you will download this week, including the Cassie and Rihanna video. Maybe not the Hoopz sex tape, always had a thing for hood rat chicks.

Download it here.

EPK Tuesday on a Wednesday

Maybach Music

BK T.V. Episode 1 w/ Vyle from Pete Mignin on Vimeo.

Look I love hipster rap (hate the term) as much as the next kid. But please don’t try and tell me you did a track with Busy P when you just rapped on top of one of his songs. Here is Vyle performing on the Boy Kings show.

In more important news Ed Banger signed Breakbot aka the only decent artist that really came out through my super exclusive facebook music group.

The Art of Noise

Do you know how long it takes to get over the flu (swine not included)? 10 muthafucking days. I’m on day 6. Blog went into disarray, my job dicks me around. I’m tempted to sue them. In other news, The Cool Kids x Don Cannon mixtape is a beast. You can grab it here.

Diskodine

EPk Wednesday, this week chocolate boy wonder Pete Rock. Creator of the best hip hop song of all time, T.R.O.Y. This album is actually quite good and features the song that made me respect Jim Jones. Either way Pete Rock has remained a true great over time.

Best I Ever Had

Brand new Kid Cudi mixtape to get you through the weekend. Merry Weekend.

Dans Mes Reves

Why can’t rappers be normal? What is it about them that they need to be elevated superheroes?

Bun B of UGK spoke of how it is ok to have a job and be a rapper. Not everyone has to come up through the hustle. What is the hustle? Hustle is an expansive term; it includes drug selling, prostitution, murder and other street activities. On the other hand it can just be selling t-shirts, food, drinks or even deodorant. A side job. A part time gig that can pay the bills, whilst you try and become the next Plies.

Apart from minute niches you rarely hear about regular people rapping. I understand that in other genres this is not required. You don’t need to know that Tom Jones was a vacuum salesman unless you are a local radio DJ trying to be amusing.

Hip hop is primarily built on tales. Unfortunately those tales of Hollywood excess, Colombian drug lords and other crime staples have been told many times before. Gangsta Rap is just as dead. We have heard the tales of drive-bys, Crenshaw, crips and bloods. What do you do now? Go bigger? If so you are likely to get caught out (see Rick Ross). So here we are rappers talking about their lives. Little did we know that 6years the world’s biggest music star would be rapping about working at the Gap.

There is a current batch of rappers that are rapping about things that people can relate to. Asher Roth, Wale, The Cool Kids, Kid Cudi and others are leading the way of this reality rap. Often hidden under the derogatory term hipster rap and chided for wearing tight jeans, these rappers have shown that people want to hear real life experiences. Whether this will translate into record sales we shall see, but they do have a loyal fan base that supports their music.

Hip hop was basically like a Michael Bay film. Over the top explosions, CGI, beautiful actors and scenery. And with successive film we got even more and more. Until it reached the point that reality was no longer good enough. Every album had to be packed with clichés. Dealt coke? Check. Was a major player in the street game? Check. Went to jail? Check. Like all things, its time came to an end. Now, it’s time for something of substance.

Mind Ya Bizness

Hip hop confession: never listened to a Wu Tang album.

I was too busy listening to the French Wu Tang: IAM

Billionaires

Gold

Gangstarr got me into Hip Hop. It’s rare that you can trace back the exact cd that got you listening to a musical genre but Gangstarr’s Full Cip, their greatest hits cd, was the one that opened my ears to hip hop. The year was 2001, I had heard hip hop before but apart from Wu Tang’s Gravel Pit and Beatnuts No Escapin This, fans of both groups would say that was their most commercial work, I hadn’t still immersed myself in good hip hop.

Full Clip changed that, between Guru’s monotone flow and Dj Premier’s beats and cut up choruses I couldn’t get enough. I even learnt the words to Ex to the Next Girl to impress a girl I was crushing on. My first few months in California where not punctuated by G Funk but by the street tales of Guru. You Know My Steez, The ? Remains, The Miltia, B.Y.S and so on and so forth. Gangstarr was my gateway drug into 90s East coast Hip Hop.

I never thought I could see them perform, the group split up acrimoniously earlier this decade. Guru was focused on his horrible Jazzmatazz series, a series that went stale back in the 90s. DJ Premier was busy producing hits for Christina Aguilera. In terms of a split we definitely knew who was doing better than the other. However, when I got the opportunity to see Guru perform at the Carhartt store, I was over the moon. I downloaded a bunch of acapellas of Gangstarr to try and determine which factor was better. The rhymes or the beats? I couldn’t decide, either way in doing so I began to appreciate his skills as a rapper. He may not have been diverse with his flow but his diction was clear, his wordplay was nice and his storytelling was second to none. I set myself up for an almighty fall.

The Specials are one of my favourite bands. I love their work; I respect them even more because they delayed their reunion tour due to fears of not being able to produce a good show. As Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Fleetwood Mac prepare for their upcoming gigs I warn you lower your expectations. They can not recreate the magic. In our heads they have been canonised. You remember them as a snapshot from a music video, a tour or even live on television. You can’t help it.

The least you can hope for is that they care. Guru hopped on stage performed one full track, two verses from his new crap cd (including one where he sampled Cerrone’s Supernature) and a freestyle. All of the above was performed by a man that began to look his age. He was on stage, like a punch drunk fighter, a journeyman who had no more heart. It was embarrassing, not only for the crowd but also the host. How one can seem lazy whilst rapping, especially such a short set is incredible. A feat on its own. I just hope that you learn to tone down your expectations a bit as the festival season approaches.

[Pics from Hugo]

EPK Tuesday on a Wednesday