Sheek had to have some crossover joints on this album. What would be the point of a Def Jam deal otherwise? The Jeremih-assisted single isn’t the catastrophe you’d expect. Far from it, actually. Sheek’s long under-appreciated flow lends itself to this seductive record surprisingly well. I doubt Jadakiss and Styles P, who’ve led far more visible solo careers than their group-mate, could do it this smooth.
The video’s on the super-exclusive, bottle-popping, fine-woman-canoodling steez. Cameos include Styles P and Ghostface Killah (anyone else?).
BTW, Look for Sheek on the Pete Rock vs. DJ Premier album.
The crowd at The Local 269, a shabby New York City bar on 269 Houston Street, could not have been less interested. The bartender scribbled on his notebook, two older men talked to a woman half their age, and a gaggle of NYU students crowded a booth by the stage. Midterms were distant enough that they could drink on a Sunday. When an ear-splitting free jazz session finally died down, three NYU students put down their drinks took the stage.
“I thought Dilla was just a rapper,” asked a friend of mine who was there by mere coincidence. I began to reply, but the opening riff from “Workinonit” drowned out my voice. Maybe it’s a good thing more hip-hop kids weren’t in the house — one of them would have replied to that statement with the business end of a broken bottle.
The Detroit hip-hop producer passed away on February 10, 2006, but his influence is inescapable in 2010. The fanatical zeal of the Dilla fanbase has resulted in an outpouring of tributes, but few like this.
Stray Phrases is a jazz trio consisting of Storm Siegel on drums, Dave Mainella on piano, and Evan Crane on bass. On Sunday October 17, 2010, they covered J Dilla’s classic instrumental album Donuts from beginning to end. Metal Lungies is proud to bring you a recording of the whole set.
Alabama hip-hop hit the ground running this year. The main success story is Yelawolf, who landed an Interscope deal and has everyone awaiting his next move. But there’s another Alabama rapper with a major label deal and he’s even more of a black sheep than Yela: Jackie Chain, a towering half white, half Korean with a golden brown mane of hair that hangs down to his collar. Did I mention his name is Jackie Chain?
As far as subject matter goes, his new tape falls in the Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa category (call it Lifestyle Rap) with a touch of Rawse-esque (Rawsian?) excess. But Bama production outfit Block Beattaz takes Who Da Mane to another level with futuristic Southern bangers that beg to be played loud. Hopefully his major label debut I ain’t Slept in Weeks will be bigger, louder, and just as weird.
Of course Paul White’s foray into Christmas music wasn’t going to be of the heartwarming roasted chestnuts variety. Instead, the British producer flipped an OG Christmas carol (or so Wikipedia tells me) into a wintry, wayfaring beat with a tinker-toy feel.
And we’re still waiting for the untagged version of Kanye’s Christmas smash, but Mayer Hawthorne also decided to do a little something for the gentiles. He summed up holiday music pretty well in his Christmas message:
Happy Holidays everyone,
All the best Christmas songs were written by Jews, and Chanukah songs suck. This is my favorite Christmas tune, sung over the Vince Guaraldi instrumental.
Cheers,
Mayer Hawthorne
West Coast rapper/producer Mr. Brady tried to bridge the generational gap between old and new by uniting Diamond D and Blu for a song. Diamond D should stick to making albums 18 years ago. Blu holds it down, though. Labor of Love is out now.
More Alabama heat. Track 6, “Pole Money,” samples “Maniac” from Flashdance (“She’s a maniac, maaaaaniac…”). Stop reading and download. Jackie Chain, Block Beattaz and other Bama regulars make appearances.
I never asked for anything except a purple light saber. George said, “Well, light sabers are either red or green.” I said, “Yeah, but I would like a purple one.”
Always great to hear from Detroit’s very slept on Ta’raach. Curly Castro tells the story of a modern day Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, in a blistering 94-second verbal assault.
“Wise” is the B-side from Curly Castro’s new single. The album Winston’s Appeal drops January. Also peep the A-side, “TeenAger.”
