They say a picture is worth a thousand words — I can work with that. That should mean that instead of writing an extensive introduction about our latest Beat Drop honoree, one Timothy Mosley, I can simply show a picture and be good. And for that picture, I ask you to pause the below video at 1:52.
As you may have guessed, and likely seen before, that was Timbaland and Jay-Z, from the concert-mentary Fade To Black, taking the first step in the process of crafting “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”. After hearing a couple of beats that he appeared to be none too fond of (one of which ended up as “The Potion” on Ludacris’ The Red Light District), Jay hears the beat that would become “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and makes the face that should be looking right back at you on your screen… that is, if you paused the YouTube video, like I asked you to do.
That screwface-invoking reaction is the trademark of a Timbaland production. Most great hip hop beats will have you nodding your head as soon as it drops, but, when Timbo provides his magic touch, the head-nodding comes after a brief delay of a few seconds — a moment in time where everything else stops, confusion ensues, and a grown man dancing around with a banana (no Peanut Butter Jelly Time) in his hand is commonplace.
Does that make Timbaland “the best there is”, as he so eloquently puts it toward the end of that clip? If you’ve been following these Beat Drop posts, you’d know how hesitant we are to crown someone at the expense of others. But when it comes to pushing the envelope with production (and not just hip-hop production), Timbo may have a case for the throne. And since he’s lost all that weight since Fade To Black, the crown wouldn’t have to be fitted over that pack of hot dogs on the back of his neck.
So, if you haven’t heard about Phish’s comeback tour after breaking up in 2004, then you must be living under a rock. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get tickets to their three night opening run at Hampton Coliseum in Virginia, but the band was kind enough to release free soundboards from each night that were quickly put on Livephish.com the next day. After listening to each show I can ecstatically say the boys are back and playing with a vengeance. Opening with “Fluffhead,” a fan-favorite that hasn’t been played since 2000, they set the tone for the next three nights. After witnessing the trainwreck that was Coventry, their “final” show/festival and my one and only time seeing them, hearing the band (especially guitarist Trey Anastasio, who dealt with drug addiction and was practically nodding off while playing at Coventry) absolutely nail complex compositions such as the aforementioned “Fluffhead” and “You Enjoy Myself,” and looking like they were having the time of their lives while doing it, has put a smile on a face that won’t be leaving for a while. Here’s a phan’s video of the opener that gives me chills every time i watch it:
Can’t wait to catch these guys at Bonnaroo and hook it up with another review!!!
There’s nothing quite like that warm west coast sound. Terrace Martin is one of the better producers on the west right now. He’s firmly rooted in jazz, which makes this collab with Pete Rock a perfect match. His mixtape from last summer is classic west coast debauchery.
Focus… continues his series of tributes with a salute to Pete Rock. His Premo was pretty good, but I thought his J Dilla was a little off (duplicating Dilla is no easy feat). His Pete Rock might be his strongest yet and boasts some heavyweight verses as always.
The single off our New Orleans connect Curren$y’s album, This Ain’t No Mixtape — now with 100% less tags! Curren$y is playing with a very original sound and I think his album is going to surprise a lot of people.
And Curren$y can send me his song with Bun B whenever he wants.
Pixar’s latest is Up, the story of a reclusive 78-year old man who hoists his house off the ground with balloons and flies away — only to discover that he’s accidentally brought along a portly, over eager stowaway. It looks like Pixar has done it again, an amusing premise and a host of endearing characters, but I would’ve kept the trailer gully with an all too appropriate Styles P track.
This is dope except for the excruciating hook. Still, Meth and Red together! Could this be from Blackout 2? They still bring it live, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for a quality album.
