Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Prodigy & The Alchemist “Dough Pildin”
- HMAN feat. Sticky Fingaz “Heavy with the Drop”
- Raekwon “Son of Sam”
- Jon Connors feat. Talib Kweli “Rise Up”
- Stalley “White Minks & Gator Sleeves”
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There was a time when hip-hop had to make you dance. Chubb Rock always came with the perfect dance tracks. He was also respected lyrically. One of my favorite hip-hop records, this week’s Re-Release is Chubb Rock’s “Treat Em Right“.
“If you’d asked a hypothetical leading hip-hop expert what the main difference between East Coast and West Coast rappers was in the early ’90s, he might have explained that the West was more interested in beats and grooves, while the Northeast was concerned with rapping technique. Well respected in New York rap circles, Chubb Rock had plenty of technique — something there’s no shortage of on The One. The album leaves no doubt that his rapping skills are first-rate, but technique only carries Rock so far. Although decent and at times exhilarating, The One isn’t a great album. Rock (who often incorporates dancehall reggae) is at his best on excellent message songs like “What’s the Word” and “The Night Scene,” an arresting description of the horrors that surround drugs. But his boasting raps wear thin after a while. Rock has the chops; it’s his lyrics that aren’t always memorable.” - Allmusic.com
Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Lauryn Hill “Neurotic Society”
- Harry Fraud & Tech N9ne “Rising”
- P-Money feat. M.O.P. “The Hardest”
- Revalation feat. Dominique Larue “Here We Go”
- Havoc feat. Styles P. & Raekwon “Favorite Rap Stars”
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Listen. Ludacris is a criminally slept on emcee. Period. I know, I know. His antics on videos and tracks make him come off goofy but you can’t front on the lines. This is probably the only Ludacris album that “completely” backs up that statement. This week’s re-Release is Ludacris’s “Undisputed“.
“Calling its guest vocalist co-stars and kicking-off with a “the movie’s about to begin” intro, Ludacris‘Theater of the Mind is dressed-up as some conceptual piece but this hodgepodge of high-gloss tracks just barely sticks together. While his previous effort, 2006′s Release Therapy, was much more the thematically tight album and deserved a concept, this loose set of tunes is all-together more entertaining, thanks in no small part to a highly inspired Luda and all the punch lines he lands. Most are unquotable jokes that sound nothing but filthy when taken out of context — especially the one about rappers so full of something they end up “rhyming in farts” — but the superstar team-up with T.I. called “Wish You Would” boasts about “So many shoes that my closet look like Finish Line” and brings other reminders of “Pimpin’ All Over the World” and its unashamed vision that wealth equals victory…” - Allmusic.com
Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Chance The Rapper feat. Childish Gambino “Favorite Song”
- Jay-Z “100 Bill”
- Talib Kweli feat. Busta Rhymes “Rocket Ships”
- Kurupt feat. Daz “Now Ya In, And Then Ya Gone”
- J. Cole “Cole Summer”
HEAR:
This week I decided to put up a tribute mix to Nas & AZ collabos. Get em while it’s hot! Cause it is…
1. Nas & AZ (DJ Clue)- Serious
2. Nas feat. AZ- Life’s Bitch
3. The Firm- Firm Biz
4. The Firm feat. Canibus- Desparados
5. AZ feat. Nas- How ya Livin’
6. AZ feat. Nas- The Essence
7. The Firm- Affirmative Action
8. The Firm- Affirmative Action (remix)
9. Nas feat. AZ- The Flyest
10. AZ feat. Nas- Mo Money, Mo Murder, More Homicide
11. The Firm- Phone Tap
12. Nas feat. AZ & Biz Markie(Demo)- Understanding
13. The Firm- La Familia
14. The Firm- Executive Decision
For a long time Redman was my favorite rapper. Not only was he nice on the mic, he was crazy funny. I never knew what he was going to say. I never skipped a track as a result. Redman was always more than a “weed” rapper. The dude was (and still is) a dope lyricist. This week’s Re-Release is Redman’s “Tonight’s Da Night“.
“Never quite a superstar, Redman was nonetheless one of the most off-the-wall, beloved, and enduring rappers of the ’90s and 2000s. BornReginald Noble in Newark, NJ, he made his initial impact on EPMD‘s 1990 album Business as Usual and stepped out as a solo artist with 1992′s Whut? Thee Album, one of the year’s best debuts, rap or otherwise. He blended reggae and funk influences with topical commentary and displayed a terse though fluid vocal style that was…” - Allmusic.com
Ah, Snoop…I don’t know what the hell to make of you at this point. Has he run out of sh*t to rap about? Is this a gimmick to gain attention? Is this just a reason to continue to smoke weed (I thought he quit)? Or was he truly inspired by the Rastafarian Religion? I have no idea.
Part of me was skeptical because Snoop has proved in the past that in order to continue as a viable rap artist, he had to expand his horizons. He couldn’t just be the “Gin & Juice” Snoop, he had to also be the “Beautiful” Snoop. Then he became the “Sexual Seduction” Snoop. Sh*t, he even did a record with Willie Nelson of all people. I’m not mad though.
He is here. He’s not on a “What Ever Happened to…?” show. He has survived a lot. He really shouldn’t be as visible as he is today. There are rappers who debuted last year that don’t have as much buzz. I mean, his career is one hell of a roller-coaster ride when you think about it. Somehow I feel like this could be his last ride.
I’m saying, what kind of insensitive dude would adopt a religion as another means to sell records (Ma$e?). If Snoop Lion was to return as Snoop Dogg, he would be forever scrutinized. Not only would the Rastafarian community sh*t on him (They already have in some circles), but his fans wouldn’t respect him. Do they respect him now? Are Snoop Dogg fans now Snoop Lion fans?
Has his fan base evolved with him? The messages contradict one another. The music/lyrics are about peace and spirituality now. Not “B*tchez ain’t Sh*t”. Honestly, more people should be happy for him. More fans should applaud his music. Is this not the kind of music people say is lacking in today’s hip-hop? Is it hip-hop?
Honestly, I still don’t know what to feel about the whole situation. I am not a die hard Snoop fan, but I have a couple of albums. This Snoop Lion isn’t my cup of tea. Why? I just don’t think he is any good at Reggae. Whatever makes the man happy though… Salute Bruhda.
THE EVOLUTION THAT IS SNOOP DOGGY DOGG -> SNOOP LION:
Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Homeboy Sandman “Dag, Philly Too”
- Logic “Nasty”
- Reks “Trap Rap”
- Ab-Soul feat. Mac Miller “The End is Near”
- Marco Polo feat. Talib Kweli & Dj Premier “G.U.R.U.”
HEAR:
