More Blu....

For those very very few of you who have kept up with this blog (sorry I don't write that much, school is killing me lately), you know my appreciation for Blu & Exile's incredible album "Below The Heavens." One of the main reasons I loved this CD was b/c of the emergence of a nobody, a rapper who was on Dilla's "Jay Love Japan" but nobody knew who he was....suddenly one of the freshest young rappers - BLU. Well guess what kids, Blu is back, with the leak of the album "Powders & Oils," a collabo between Blu and producer Mainframe. The duo go by the name "Johnson & Jonson." After first listen, this is not the same Blu we grew to love on his collabo with Exile. This album provides a much different listen. It is more under the vein of alternative rap, with wierd beats that Blu experiments with a lot. Although this is not really my type of thing, Blu is good enough to captivate the listener regardless, and there are a few tracks where Blu goes back to the usual and just rips it. He is truly an incredible rapper, and this album is worth the listen just based on his abilities. Check it out....despite it sounding kinda wierd at first, its actually a good album that may grow on you....

West Coast Underground

Nowadays, it seems like the West is dead. Mainstream hip-hop is dominated by the South, Kanye, and 50 Cent. The only bit of Leftern influence comes occasionally from The Game...so it feels as if the last time anybody has heard some Cali shit was when Pac was riding with Death Row. Because of this saddening absence of West Coast music on the airwaves, I decided to shout the incredible underground scene that is blossoming out here. Ever since way way back, Cali has been the home to many incredible underground rappers...King Tee, The Liks, E-40, Mac Dre, Spice 1, Too $hort, Hieroglyphics...the list goes on. Nowadays, nothing has changed. Los Angeles is pumpin out great MC's and groups left and right...Blu & Exile, People Under The Stairs, Murs, Ras Kass (yes he's old, but hes still out there making music for us). It's time people awaken to the fact that, although it has been dormant, the West Coast is still the home to some GREAT, GREAT music.....so here's a short list of albums that I been bumpin lately that I think some of ya'll should check out (sorry, no links, but you can find most of these pretty easily out there if you tried) ---

Blu & Exile - Below The Heaves (please cop this ASAP, album of the year STILL!!)
King Tee - The Triflin Album
Defari - Focused Daily
People Under The Stairs - Stepfather
DJ Muggs - Presents the Soul Assassins
Crooked I - Hip Hop Weekly Mixtape (more commercial, but the man is a MONSTER)
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Future Development
Ras Kass - Soul on Ice (West Coast Illmatic, give it a listen!)
WC - Curb Servin
Murs - Murray's Revenge

These are all great albums that show the incredible versatility and talent coming out of the west....you just gotta make a bit of an effort!

Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory

Wow. I definitely did not expect this from Chamillionaire. I never checked out Sound of Revenge (maybe I should), and I had only heard Cham on a few random tracks. Based on those tracks however, especially the ILL chorus he delivers on Ras Kass' "U Ain't Me," I decided to check out his just-leaked LP, Ultimate Victory. After bumping it all of the last two days, I have to say this is easily one of the top releases of the year so far. Although I wouldn't put in up there with Below the Heavens of EarDrum, it's still a solid album that I would definitely choose over the likes of Graduation and Curtis (although that's not saying much).

So what's so good about the album? A lot, actually. First of all, Chamillionaire is a very focused MC. He doesn't just spit to spit, he doesn't throwaway too many tracks. He raps with a purpose, with hunger, with passion. And that makes a huge difference. Compare 50 from Curtis and Get Rich or Die Tryin, for example. The lyrics on GRODT are not classic lyrics, but you can hear the hunger, anger, & passion in his voice and delivery. Now, although the lyrics are not THAT much worse, his material suffers because he now lacks those key ingredients that made him listenable in the first place. Chamillionaire is never lacking in that department.

Along with his evident focus and emotion, Cham is a very diverse talent. He has excellent singing abilities that lead to great chorus' (like the Ras Kass one that made me fall in love with his voice). His diversity makes him a very unique MC, especially nowadays when everybody sounds so similar.
However, the most important thing that Chamillionaire exhibits on this album is lyricism. He can spit, and not just for a dude from the South. The man can rap, plain and simple. He is no Kool G Rap or NaS, or even Blu for that matter as of now, but compared to 99% of the rappers out there, he is a monster on the mic. He spits about all sorts of subjects, from politics ("Morning News," "Evening News") to street shit ("Come Back to the Streets") to laid-back shit ("Ultimate Vacation") to just spittin...he can do it all, and pretty well.
I'm not a Chamillionaire groupie or part of his street team. There are weak points to the album. The production, at times, is disappointing, and even ridiculous at a point ("Industry Groupie"). However, I think the casual listener will like the beats a lot, since they are crisp and definitely bang in the whip. Cham often integrates many pop references in his lyrics, which I prefer to be limited to mixtapes since you would like an album to be as timeless as possible, and referencing Britney Spears and T-Pain and DJ Unk probably won't mean much to somebody 10 years from now. Despite some pitfalls, this album is full of bangers....as well as, suprisingly for a modern-day Southern artist, full of meaning. Chamillionaire put forth a great effort, one that you should at least check out. Save your money the 11th and wait till the 18th...

...what to write about?

Man...there definitely isnt much good new music to write about nowadays. Other than the new Blu & Exile joint, the only other CD I have heard lately that I enjoyed was Blue Scholars - Bayani. It kinda reminded me of Below the Heavens, except more political...and not quite the level of MCing. Still a dope album tho. Other than that, the only new album has been Graduation, which, if you take a look down, I thought was pretty weak....speaking of which, you HAVE to check out this video, Kanye is absolutely INSANE!!!!!

Anyways, on some other type shit, since the music world is slackin nowadays, lets talk some b-ball! As all you know, USA killed the World Championships, and the play of some players had me debating with my friends, ONCE AGAIN....who is the best player in the league, and who would you pick to win a championship?? Well, of course the best player today is Kobe...that is becoming more obvious everyday...and trust me i hate Kobe, but its just the truth now! The other question raises much more debate...while my friends picked Kobe and LeBron, I had to go with the boring pick - Tim Duncan! How can you go wrong with TD manning down the middle?? You can't...thats right...as boring as TD is, if you wanted a ship this year and u had the first pick of a draft, TD ALL DAY!!!!

Random Thoughts on Kanye...

...hmmm, so Graduation leaked this week. A lot has been said about it, and from what I have read (on the net) and heard (from friends), most of the criticism has been very positive. To be honest, and this is only based on about 7 full listens so my opinion may change, I'm not feeling Graduation at all. And it comes down to a few pretty basic reasons...
-Kanye's rapping
-Lil Wayne
-"I Wonder"
-"Drunk & Hot Girls"
That pretty much sums up the major reasons why I don't really like this CD. There are a lot of solid tracks such as "Good Morning," "Champion," & "The Glory." There are amazing beats such as "Flashing Lights," "Can't Tell Me Nothing," & "Everything I Am." The problem, even on the better tracks, is that Kanye's rappin just does not do justice to his beats. His flow is mediocre, he speaks about nothing, and his punchlines, although sometimes creative, are more often soft. And I'm not even knocking this album for being soft, as many people have. I actually like the vibe, and I appreciate Kanye for attempting to push Hip-Hop outside of the boundaries, but I honestly think he just fails. There are way too many UNLISTENABLE songs. I'm not even kidding, I cannot get through "I Wonder," despite having one of the dopest beats on the album and having an ILL vocal sample. The song just sucks. And I won't even get into how wack "Drunk & Hot Girls" is.
Anyways, thats just some of my thoughts on the album. As you can see, it has its ups and downs. It has its accomplishments and its failures. It's just sad that the most anticipated album of the last 2 years has so many downs...

One of the greatest MCs.....

I know a lot of people have lost respect for the man after the Game incident (YouTube video? demons? c'mon Rassy), and to tell you the truth, I kinda feel the same way. Regardless, Ras Kass has proven himself as one of the greatest lyricists on the West Coast for over a decade, and he has plenty of material to prove it. His classic debut, Soul on Ice, immediately established him as not only one of the best lyricists on the left coast, but in Hip-Hop in general. Although many critics blasted his ear for beats, it was his intense lyrics, staggering wordplay, and outstanding metaphors/punchlines that left listeners begging for more. Unfortunately, Priority Records never let this happen, shelving Rassy for basically the rest of his career, rendering him helpless over the control of his records (Goldyn Chyld, Van Gogh). A third DUI sent Rassy to prison, leaving us with no music other than his shelved material. Rassy finally got out in 2005 (?), and although he has fallen off a bit lyrically, his music is still some of the best stuff coming out nowadays. He is a must-listen artist for anybody into hip-hop, especially those that are looking for incredible lyricism...so to get started, definitely check out Soul on Ice.


Soul On Ic e (1996)

It is his best album by far...standout tracks, well thats tough, but I'd go with Reelishymn, If/Then , Nature of the Threat (his acclaimed masterpiece), and The Evil that Men Do.

If you are looking for more modern-sounding stuff, with better beats and a more accessible flow, listen to his first mixtape since he was released from jail, Institutionalized. This mixtape has great material, especially Intro/Its The Bizness, Air Em Out, and Write Where I Left Off. Still some incredible lyrics from Rassy, just over newer, cripser beats for those who are not ready for the raw sound of Soul on Ice.


Institutionalized (2005)

Album of 2007 so far...

My first real post is dedicated to my favorite album of the year so far: Below the Heavens by Blu & Exile. Although it is pretty safe to say that this has been a lame year in hip-hop as of now, this does not take away from the genius that is Below the Heavens. Rapping behind soulful beats provided by Exile, Los Angeles rapper Blu introduces himself as an instant addition to the underground elite. Other than that, there is really not much to say about this album - much has already been said over various blogs and message boards, and you really have to just listen to the album to understand it. There is nothing more that I can say...so check out the link...and enjoy...(I know the retail version leaked recently, but I haven't checked it out myself, so go with the advanced for now)....

http://rapidshare.com/files/44584909/blu_and_exile-below_the_heavens-_advance_-2007-RHHB.rar

PS -- BUY THIS ALBUM TOMORROW! Support good music...

First Post!

Whats up ya'll? This is my first time doin a blog, so give me a while to master this shit. I'm not really sure what direction I want to go in with this blog, but I think I'll mostly stick to some reviews and shit, maybe posting some links along the way once I get more familiar with it. I will try to stay consistent posting, since that personally bothers me about a lot of blogs, and most importantly, I will try to provide some good thoughts on some real hip hop shit! Peace....