Birthday Girl

Yesterday was my wife's birthday, so (among other things, of course) I sent her a link to this video. The song isn't really reflective of her specific birthday. "Birthday Girl" is about a girl turning 18 years old and finally kind of being accepted into the adult world (and having adult men legally go after her). The video is a little strange with strange men bringing the girl strange presents hinting at their 'desire' to have her. The only similarity is that it was my wife's birthday.

Plus, we both like the song a lot. When it was first released/leaked to the internet there was an uproar from a lot of fans of The Roots. They were complaining that the song was too pop for them. That including Fall Out Boy was just wrong. And since the band had also recently signed with a major label (albeit a hip hop label, Def Jam) these fans feared that they were going pop altogether to try to get some fame and fortune while they could. I read a lot of comments calling them sellouts. Shortly after, it was announced that "Birthday Girl" would be cut from the tracklist of the new album altogether.

Good thing I downloaded a copy, I thought. I liked the song a lot from the very beginning. It's true that the song doesn't scream "The Roots". It's not something I would have guessed they'd make. But, so what? It sounds good.

Now, I'm not someone who says that these fans that hated the song and spoke out about it are not really fans at all because if they were they would stand by the band. Despite what some think, that's not how it should work. A band or MC I like is not part of my family. I don't have to be there through good times and bad. Why would I want to listen to music I don't like? Why should I force myself? Because I like other songs they have done? That doesn't make any sense to me. I had a lot of people say that kind of thing to me when I said how shitty an album Encore by Eminem was. And, it was.

However, I'm also not the kind of person that thinks pop/radio-friendly music is inherently bad. It's all what you do with it. Is there a point to the song? Is the music and melody good? Are the lyrics good to? Is it original and genuine, or is it just part of a "pop formula" orchestrated by the record label, or the artists themselves to get the attention of the masses? I'm pretty confident to say that only a few of the people that dissed the song and the band just didn't like the song. Most of them didn't even give it a chance. They heard the guitar riff and the Fall Out Boy singing the hook, and immediately dimissed it as pop music trash. A sellout move. That's a little ignorant if you ask me. I think if they bothered to listen to the lyrics and structure of the song they'd see what my wife and I see. A great performance by The Legendary Roots Crew (and Stump). It's a lighter sound than The Roots usually deliver, but it is well-done. It has a topic and meaning. It has substance - the lack of which is what bothers me personally regarding much of today's pop music. And while it may sound 'poppy', it sounds good to me. I will keep this song in my Roots collection forever even if others have discarded it foolishly.

Rebel INS Vs. Mouse?? - Who Cares?

One thing is for sure, ANY member of the Wu will kick Joey's ass on the nickname tip...especially Method Man! Remember that skit on Tical 2 with Chris Rock introducing him? "AKA The Iron Lung...AKA The Ticallion Stallion AKA..." I haven't listened to that in years. Skits were occasionally good back then.



But, is it me or is this beef/battle shit really getting ridiculous? Everyone's so sensitive and wants to start some shit to get attention, or even worse, so that they can have something to talk about in their rhymes. Now this is the latest "beef" - Joe Budden versus a member of the Wu other than the one that was "dissed". Too bad for Inspektah Deck. I kinda feel bad for him in a way. He must be really hard up right now. In need of someone to say his name again. So, Joe Budden looks at some bullshit list constructed by the now defunct (thankfully) Vibe Magazine, gets his feelings hurt and makes some comment on video (because every shit he takes has to be on video apparently) about how Method Man is ranked higher than him for no good reason. Who cares?



Apparently, a few people do (or they're just bored and don't have much to talk about). Among the many comments from a multitude of interested parties Ed Lover is calling out Budden on the radio about how he fucked up pretending that Method Man is as good as he ever was and would rhyme circles around Budden (yeah, right). On the same video Budden said he never heard of The Furious Fives' Cowboy, by the way - a comment which I'm glad Ed Lover pointed out. Budden tried to play it off because he felt stupid about that one, obviously. But, Meth gets on the radio and talks some shit, but then backs out of any battle by saying simply that he is not a "battle rapper". So? Is Budden a battle rapper, really? No, I don't think so. He's just good enough to do that as well as anything else. The guy's a beast and can't really be fucked with to be honest. He's on top of his game and very, very few MCs of his caliber exist in hip hop right now. And Meth must realize that to some extent. I don't really wanna see those two battle at all anyway. It would be boring, and there's just too much phony beef in hip hop to make me care anymore about who has problems with who.

But, Meth didn't care enough to respond and it could've blown over, but Rebel INS I guess saw it as an excuse to diss someone that people are talking about these days and took the opportunity to try to get recognized. The problem is no one dissed Deck, and making a diss record when Mth himself didn't spit a verse in Budden's direction looks dumb. Plus, plain and simple the song sucks. It's weak and unoriginal (did he really say "you can't see me with binoculars"? - never heard that before). Deck didn't bring his A-Game so now he looks stupid. He better hope that Budden doesn't decide to make a song in his direction because even with the whole Wu getting at him, Slaughterhouse is pretty strong right now. Although, it may end up looking even worse for the Inspektah if Joey doesn't see it as a track worth responding to.

Bottom line, I wish Joe Budden would shut the hell up and stop dissing people randomly...and INS should get in the booth and create a new great album all by himself. I'm fairly sure he has the skill, and myself and the rest of the Wu fans would appreciate it. There's been too many half-assed Wu member albums over the years.

Note: To be fair, Chamber Music is good despite all of the pointless blather from RZA. "Harbor Masters" is one of the strongest Wu joints in recent memory, and Deck definitely shines on it. Blackout 2 is slowly growing on me, although it is by far neither MC's strongest work. And, I haven't listen to U-God's Dopium yet.


http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.8122/title.inspectah-deck-house-nigga-joe-budden-diss

R.I.P. to another one of the greats...

...Actually, probably THE greatest...ever. I don't think any one person did as much to influence popular music and culture as Michael Jackson. The man was an icon. Everyone around the world knew him and his music. And, regardless of the negativity that some in the media are choosing to focus on, for me and many others, today is a day to look back over his monumental life and career and the part it played in our lives. I am nearly 26 years old. Born in 1983, I don't remember not being aware of Michael Jackson. One of the first (if not the first) cassette tape I owned was BAD - released in 1987!! So, since just after my 4th birthday I wanted to be Michael Jackson. In the next couple of years, I made my mom buy me a little black leather jacket, I wore only one glove (so, it was a Reds batting glove - don't judge me!), and I even told her I wanted my hair cut like his. That last one she couldn't help me out with.

But, I listened to his music all the time, and the only other popular figure I can remember looking up to around that time was the other MJ...Michael Jordan. They were it. Speaking of Jordan, I still remember vividly the day that the video for "Jam" premiered. We sat around watching MTV all day and waiting for it. I was probably around 9 or 10 years old. Seeing the two of them together was something really special at that time. Jordan played ball with Jackson, Jackson tried to teach Jordan how to dance, even physically pulling his feet backward for him one at a time to simulate the Moonwalk, undoubtedly Jackson's signature dance move. One of my favorite rappers at the time, Heavy D, dropped a little verse in there too, which I could probably recite word for word to this day. Classic.

Jackson's video premieres were always a big deal though. They were always something special, usually containing something completely original that no one had ever seen before. I remember sitting around the TV with my family the night the video for Black or White premiered as well. It wasn't just on MTV, it was on network television during prime time! That is how interested everyone was to see what Michael had in store for us next. He was the entertainer of all entertainers. I mean, pretty much every single person old enough to be aware of something like entertainment and music literally all over the world - in every single country - knew who Michael Jackson was.

Hearing the news last evening was upsetting, but it still doesn't seem like it's real. However, answering multiple phone calls, seeing everyone of my friends on Facebook discussing their favorite songs, videos, etc., and reading that Twitter's servers were overwhelmed by the enormous amount of discussion on MJ, just show that I am not alone (pardon the pun). Pretty much everyone of my generation (as well as the one before) have similar memories to share. And, I'm enjoying the conversations. He really was the biggest star ever, and he will be missed.

Lastly, since this is a hip hop blog, check the link below for a MJ song remixed by none other than the great J Dilla (courtesy of 2dopeboyz).

http://usershare.net/bdo0evxthfca

http://www.mediafire.com/?fmtdkwzznwz

Asleep in the Bread Aisle

I have to start this one with some talk about being over hyped.

I first heard Asher Roth not too long ago. I started seeing some posts of his material on 2DopeBoyz, and eventually decided to click on one of the links. "I Love College", I guess the first single off this debut LP, Asleep in the Bread Aisle was humorous - good for one listen. Despite the sound and feel of it, I wouldn't call it a summer anthem or anything. I didn't really take him seriously at all either. Over the next few months I saw more and more posts with him on the site, commentary about how dope he was and how we should all be paying attention, and several credible MCs lending their co-signs.

Before I knew it, I flip past MTV and see his face all over it. And, I mean ALL OVER IT. Even my little sister(s) know who the guy is now. I guess when you're a young, white college kid and make a song about young, white college things though that should be the audience you attract. So, fine. Asher's one of the up-and-coming faces in music. I'll bite. But, last night I see the same commercial 3 times in a ten minute span - "...experience the album hailed by critics as a classic...Asher Roth...". Are they kidding?? The album with "I love College" is a classic? What critics are saying this? I then go to the site I mentioned previously and see that the entire backdrop of the site is an ad for this album. Ads and commercials everywhere, both on mainstream music television and on a reputable hip hop website.

This is what over hyping a project does. It is now impossible to live up to the expectations set forth from these media outlets. At some point the music has to speak for itself, and it's best to do that without biases. Plus, Asher is now pretty much a pop sensation before, or as his debut album drops - and that makes it hard to be viewed as a credible MC for a lot of people. Hence, the backlash from some on the net if you read the comments section after a blog post, or check out discussion boards. So, while his marketing team has done a good job at biasing some people in a good way, others were hit in the opposite way. I guess we'll have to wait and see if it all works out.

The certain biases I hold tell me that if MTV is heavily endorsing someone it means nothing except that a bunch of people that don't have their own opinion on music will flock to iTunes and cop all they can from Roth. And, this is true. It will happen. However, a few sources I respect have endorsed the product too. So, I have to at least hear the album when it drops, even though I've only been mildly impressed with the, say 4 or 5 tracks I have heard up til this point. Based on those tracks I think he has potential. Asher has a nice flow, and can put syllables together well. Not necessarily words or concepts, but syllables.

I got my little promo and have listened to the full album now. So, here is my take.

Asleep... begins with a nice little drum beat for the song "Lark on my Go-Kart", but goes downhill with a bunch of rhymes that are silly, but don't really fit together in any way. The next song is an uninspired, token weed song. I used to really like these odes when I was younger, but now I think there are enough out there to listen to. Weed is fun. Tell me something I don't know. I'm personally tired of these songs. They add nothing to most albums, but length anymore. And, in this case it's especially true.

As I continue with the next few tracks, I get the impression that Asher is exactly what he seems to be. A college kid that doesn't pay much attention in class, and hasn't experienced much in his young life to speak about. So, he must resort to shallow songs about college parties and nonsense. This would be fine of course, and even fun if the songs were put together well. I mean, Devin's topics don't really stray from pussy, weed, and alcohol, but I love listening to his stuff when I'm in the mood. The problem is the songs are just not that entertaining to me.

Things begin to pick up though with "As I Em", where Asher spits honestly about what he feels about the comparisons to Eminem, and how the pressure is on for him to deliver something of the highest quality for fear he'll be forever remembered as a gimmick rapper otherwise. The word play on "Bad Day" is top notch no doubt. Asher's showing his ability in that respect and as far as that goes this may be the strongest track. But, the story is just not that interesting, and the incredibly weak hook from Jazze Pha doesn't help it out at all. "His Dream" is a song that really alludes to where Asher could be headed as an MC. It's descriptive, personal and intriguing. The album ends strongly with "Fallin" - an interesting autobiography of Asher as he discovers hip hop music and gets inspired to do what he's doing.

Overall, I'd say almost half of this album is really worth listening to. Asher Roth has moments where I can clearly see how promising an MC he really is. While the whole album is honest, which I appreciate, he needs to really work at making the partying songs better if that's what he's going to focus on. Everything doesn't have to be serious or deep, but it does need to be enjoyable and memorable, and too much of this album is forgettable. The potential is there to craft a classic album in the future, but this one doesn't pass the test.

I'd give it 3 out of 5.

Top 25 of 2007

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!

I recently posted on the best album of 2008, and then followed it up with a list of other albums from 2008 that everyone should check out. Well, here is the list for 2007 for anyone that's a little behind. Like I alluded to in the last post, I was doing the top 25, but last year it didn't work out like that. I probably had about 40 and I didn't want to exclude some and not others. Even though some were better than others, all are worth listening to. What's the difference though? If an album is worth it it's worth it. It doesn't really matter where it would rank if there were a limited amount of spots. Because of this, the list for 2009 will probably be the same - just a list of some of my favorite hip hop albums from 09. Anyway, here's the top 25 of 2007. Now excuse me while I drink a pint of Guinness.

Top 25 hip hop albums of 2007

1. Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth
2. Jay-Z – American Gangster
3. K-OS - Atlantis
4. Scarface – M.A.D.E.
5. Talib Kweli - Eardrum
6. Blu and Exile – Below the Heavens
7. Cunninlynguists – Dirty Acres
8. Little Brother – Get Back
9. Black Milk – Popular Demand
10. Pharoahe Monch – Desire
11. Sean Price – Jesus Price Superstar
12. Devin – Waiting to Inhale
13. Joell Ortiz – The Brick: Bodega Chronicles
14. Marco Polo – Port Authority
15. KRS-One & Marley Marl – Hip Hop Lives
16. UGK – Underground Kingz
17. Kanye West – Graduation
18. Ghostface – The Big Doe Rehab
19. Wu-Tang Clan – 8 Diagrams
20. Lupe Fiasco – The Cool
21. Joe Budden – MM3
22. Chamillionare – Ultimate Victory
23. Smif n Wessun – The Album
24. J-Ro – Rare Earth B-Boy Funk Vol. 2
25. Senim Silla – The Name, The Motto, The Outcome

Other Noteworthy Albums in 2008

Below is a list of albums from 2008 which I think are worth checking out. In years past, I would come up with a "top 25" list. But, this year I found it surprisingly difficult. The best were pretty clear, but to come up with the top 25, leaving others out - well, I couldn't do it this year. There were a lot of releases that I thought were worth a listen, but I couldn't really decide where they fit in when trying to rank them in any kind of way. Also, there were some that were mixtapes that turned into albums later, and well, shit I don't know. A lot of wierd shit going on that made it hard for me to rank. So, here are a bunch of albums from last year to give a listen if you haven't already. And, if you have, go back and listen again because I said they're good. They aren't really in any particular order, although the first few are the very best of the best - the ones I was struggling with for album of the year. By the way, a write up of the album of the year, in my opinion, appears in the post below. Also, clearly even I am unable to find and listen to every single hip hop LP released in a given year, so let me know if there is something of value which I left off the list - I probably haven't heard it yet, and would like to. If not, well, I will gladly argue with you. But, from what I have heard in 2008 here is my list of noteworthy hip hop albums, plus a few extra that you should just listen to.



Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold
eMC – The Show
Nicolay and Kay – Time:Line
The Roots – Rising Down
Elzhi – The Preface
Q-Tip – The Renaissance
Akrobatik – Absolute Value
AZ – Undeniable
Black Milk – Tronic
Joe Budden – Halfway House
Kanye West – 808’s and Heartbreak
Little Vic – Each Dawn I Die
Buckshot & 9th Wonder – The Formula
Braille – The IV Edition
DL Incognito – A Captured Moment In Time
Blount Harvey – Live At The Station
Substantial – Sacrifice
J-Live – Then What Happened
Kidz in the Hall – The In Crowd
Immortal Technique – The 3rd World
Little Brother – And Justus For All
Phonte – The Phon-Tigga
Nas
Murs & 9th Wonder – Sweet Lord
Skillz – Million Dollar Backpack
GZA – Pro Tools
Ice Cube – Raw Footage
Soul Cannon – Kaboom
Pacewon & Mr. Green – The Only Color That Matters...
Reks – Grey Hairs
Jake Lefco – Missing Trooth
Jake One – White Van Music
Heltah Skeltah – D.I.R.T.
Dela – Changes of Atmosphere
Murs – Murs for President
Jean Grae w/ Blue Sky, Black Death – The Evil Jeanius
Johnson & Johnson
Nieve and Cook – Away With Words
DJ Revolution – King of the Decks
Scarface – Emeritus
EPMD – Back in Business
D.I.T.C. - The Movement
Danny - And...I Love H.E.R.

Others:
The Foreign Exchange – Leave It All Behind
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
B.B. King - One Kind Favor

The Best Hip Hop Album of 2008

Okay, so it's the beginning of March now, and everyone is looking ahead to what's coming out in '09. Well, me too. But, I gotta backtrack for a minute (or for the next few posts) because I've been going back and forth in my mind for the past few months about which album I liked best in 2008. I'm not really too sure why. I mean, what does it really matter? A good album is a good album, and people should check it out and enjoy it for what it is - not what it is better than. Someones always gotta be crowned in hip hop though for some reason - even if they do it themselves (right Wayne??) It's the spirit of competition that helps make hip hop so interesting. Another aspect that makes it unlike any other genre. So, in my humble opinion the best album of 2008 can be summed up by one of the first lines in the opening of the album...

"What good is an ear if a Q-tip isn't in it?"

Throughout most of the year, the debate in my head was between Atmosphere and eMC. Both great albums. When I heard Q-Tip was about to drop 'The Renaissance', I actually was sort of dreading checking it out. I wanted it to be good, but I was afraid I'd be disappointed by The Abstract once again. Personally, I thought 'Amplified' was pretty bad, and even though his label trouble made it hard for him to release anything for many years, what I did get to hear was not impressive. Q-Tip seemed to be a shell of his former self, foregoing the sound and depth of his Tribe days, making sub par dance music, and a bunch of empty filler tracks instead. Songs that didn't display any real thought or originality. To borrow a line from Guru, it was "mostly the voice" that carried him.

That said, when I decided after a week or two to put this on while taking a trip somewhere it brought a smile to my face. Q-Tip is finally back. From beginning to end Q-tip is on his A game like never before - or like he was in the early to mid nineties. The songs are original, soulful, and expressive. The lyrics flow so nicely over the musical backdrops, it's hard to imagine they could ever be separated. The Renaissance is hip hop to the core, but is pushing the genre forward in a unique way. Soul, Jazz, Rap. Cutting, scratching, and looped samples are not forgotten on this album, but live instrumentation is added to really bring the tracks to life. The bass guitar and percussion on "Man/Woman Boogie" is a perfect example of where Q-Tip is at musically. Q-Tip rhymes, but isn't afraid to drop some melodic vocals to round out a track (no, not like 50 Cent - I said melodic vocals that round out a song). Those that have been fans since the Tribe days know that no one makes music like Tip does. His voice adds to the music like it was just another instrument in the band. Spoken perfectly by him on "Official", "I feel what the beat does, people fuck wit me cuz, when the song end, I become what the best was". Exactly.

I love this album more and more every time I hear it - and I must have listened to it 50 times or so by now. If you actually have not taken the time to experience The Renaissance yet, then go buy it, put it on, turn it up, and find out what good hip hop music feels like.