Benz and a Backpack

Last week Clutch and I had the lucky opportunity to sit in on a studio session with the legendary Public Enemy members Johnny Juice and Chuck D at Chuck’s house on Long Island. To say the absolute least, it was a mind-numbing experience comprised of keen insights into and wonderful recollections of the game, but it began very typically. From the outside, you’d never guess the crib was home to one of the dopest to ever grace a microphone, and you certainly wouldn’t think an off-white wooden shed in the backyard contained a state-of-the-art studio utilized by quite possibly the most underrated producer ever. These indications of humility would prove far more telling as the day progressed.

It’s Johnny Juice who really uses the studio. The booth is Chuck’s, but the studio is Johnny’s. Unbeknownst to most, Juice was the Bomb Squad member who executed the scratches on Public Enemy’s records, not Terminator X. It’s a common misconception that could easily be remedied by listening to Juice cut for just a few minutes: his style is unmistakable.
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Ridin’ solo has become passé.  Everyone nowadays is linking up, whether it be it hip-pop stars or backpackers.  Young Money, Slaughterhouse, Diddy Dirty Money; the list goes on and on.

Last week, out of nowhere, Dizzy and I were blessed with the opportunity to interview Chuck D of Public Enemy as we sipped sweet tea at his kitchen table.  Much of the conversation was about the decline of live hip-hop shows and the disappearance of crews, two things Chuck believes have a serious correlation.  He dropped knowledge about the predeccesors of hip-hop shows, all out funk fests from the likes of Earth Wind and Fire.  “You think an emcee would come walking onto the stage like nothing after an entire funk orchestra rocked out?  Nah, they would come out dancing their asses off.”

Inspired by miss a.k.w.’s Throwback Thursday: Posse Cuts Edition (Parts One and Two), here are ten of 2010′s hottest team efforts.  At first, I wasn’t gonna rank these cuts so you guys could be insulated from my opinion.  But, fuck it, leave some comments.

1. Curren$y Feat. Mos Def and Jay Electronica – The Day

The lead single and anthem off of Pilot Talk.

“I’m so sorry/ if I don’t look happy to be here/in your label office/cause they said I cant smoke weed here”

The first question we asked Chuck D in our upcoming interview was what he though of Jay Electronica’s verse on this song.

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2. Rick Ross Feat. T.I., Jadakiss, and Erykah Badu – Maybach Music III

Rick Ross’s 2010 release Teflon Don shows serious growth and maturity.  Ross is one of the few artists this year that has successfully put together a solid, 12 track album that is replayable from front to back, over and over.  Top 3 so far for me.

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3. Young Money – Bed Rock

No one can ever say Birdman is bad for business.  After nurturing a young Lil’ Wayne into a mega-star, he has now constructed a super-group of young and up and coming (if you can still call them that anymore) rappers and singers around him.  Now that Drake and Nicki are household names, I’m thinking Tyga is next to burst, starting with “Dueces“.

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4. The Roots Feat. Blu, Phonte, and Patty Crash – The Day

If you put on How I Got Over, the latest release from The Root’s, as background music, you will barely be able to tell when one song ends and the next one starts.  The whole album blends seamlessly, with The Day sitting right at the middle.  The best part might be the rare appearance by Blu.

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“Fine young man with an old man mind / No time for the tickle, fuck the whole mankind / Aw, no maam I’m an old land mine / I been waiting to blow up for a long damn time.”
~ J. Cole, Back To The Topic Freestyle

With his most recent feature in the New York Daily News (and a feature several months ago in the New York Times), it’s safe to say J. Cole is on the precipice of something major. This potential breakthrough, which will most likely occur after the upcoming release of his freshman No I.D.-produced album, has been a long time coming. We’ve chronicled Cole’s ascendance in the game, from his time waiting outside HOV’s studio to force a CD upon him to his eventual signing to Jigga’s label Roc Nation, and it seems there is no more fitting a time for an update on what Hollywood Cole is doing musically than right now.

Cole’s sustained buzz began when The Warm Up gained traction in the online community. From there, his music spread pervasively across the internet. It wasn’t until he toured with Jay-Z last fall and got his stage legs that Cole’s presence, at first strictly musical, rounded out into a full-bodied cultural persona. Now he can be seen almost everywhere you turn, with successful videos (One//Two) and leaks keeping his listeners closely attuned.

What’s about to happen is clearer than the water in Bermuda (whaddup tho Clutch!), just look at some of the song titles. Hit the skip for DL links to Cole’s most recent cuts, as well as a video explaining The Biggest Misconception About J. Cole.

J. Cole – Higher

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J. Cole – Problems [prod. Jim Jonsin]

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J. Cole – No Holding Me Back (Tags)

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J. Cole – Premeditated Murder [prod. J. Cole]

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Many artists, including Diddy and Young Jeezy (and even Britney Spears) have claimed to be the embodiment of the American Dream. Indeed, the ashy-to-classy narrative that has been woven so thoroughly into hip hop’s fabric suggests that hip hop as an entire genre embodies this idea. Kanye West’s relentless pursuit of recognition and his resilience after his famed car accident would seem to lend itself to a similar American Dream status, but this is not quite the case. Kanye West in his current form is, culturally, the least American musician in the country, and this fact has done wonders for the establishment of his ever-growing importance. Through his duality, complexity and unwavering sense of self, Kanye West has reshaped what an artist in the public eye can hope to be, what is expected of him, and what we can learn from his choices.

Read the rest of this piece over at TheInterludes.com. Shouts to the homies Thiz and Surprise!

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The name of the game this week in sports is: punishment. Sports fans and laymen alike will be punished for not turning the TV off by having Brett Favre come back to the NFL for another season. Yes it is his 20th season, and yes it is getting damn near impossible to root for him. While no one is surprised about Brett’s decision or his seduction of the cameras, the timing of his decision is a little coincidental. On Monday night, undrafted rookie phenom Victor Cruz had three receiving touchdowns for the New York Giants in his preseason debut against the Jets. What a great sports story: the New Jersey native put his name in the headlines in front of a hometown crowd. That was Monday. Brett, fearing that this new feel good story might make people forget him, has rerouted media attention to his preseason debut this weekend against the 49ers. We get it Brett: you’re the man, el Duderino, the Prince of Passing, Old Man NFL. But you’re also a jerk, and I hope you throw plenty of interceptions this weekend because you seem to have escaped punishment to date.

But there are two athlete-wrongdoers getting their proper comeuppance this week: Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) and Roger Clemens. Read the rest of this entry →

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It was after a particularly grueling (but prodigious) recording session in the building known as DD172 that Curren$y, the increasingly ubiquitous New Orleans rapper, decided to defuse and decompress his over-worked crew by joking that working in the studio with Ski Beatz was like a “24-hour dojo.” Though only a quip, Mos Def, also in attendance, ran with the idea, eventually recording the swingy song, “24-hour Karate School,” which would become the purported single off the album of the same name.

Mos Def – 24 Hour Karate School [prod. Ski Beatz]

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Since this auspicious meeting, Ski and his vivacious team of musicians, rappers, artists, and videographers, have been hard at work, catapulting the DD172 collective into the blog-o-sphere and capturing the attentions of journalists, industry executives, heads, and even a few casual listeners. Teamed with Damon Dash, Ski is launching what is beginning to resemble a movement in hip-hop, pushing a sample-based, jazz-oriented revivalism. This sound is defined by its refurbished Reasonable Doubt-era throb and swing, packed in tightly with lush guitars, airy keys, and blustering brass.

Curren$y ft. Jay Electronica & Mos Def – The Day [prod. Ski Beatz]

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It’s a lot to take in. Thankfully, the aesthetics of the DD172 movement make it all palatable. Read the rest of this entry →

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In social situations, there’s not much worse than a bad handshake (except maybe forgetting your girl’s name while introducing her to friends). And as weak handshakes go, they can leave the recipient with a bad first impression (I heard former President Bush shook hands like he was holding a dead fish… ewww). Yet a weak handshake can be remedied pretty easily – just remember to shake hard next time, look fellow shaker in the eyes and don’t exceed five seconds of contact.

But in this day of daps, pounds, explosions, finger snaps, pullbacks, hand claps and headbutts, a good dap can be hard to come by. And believe me when I tell you, there’s nothing cool about trying to give dap to a new acquaintance and accidentally tearing off his wedding ring. No, bad dap can be disastrous, and yet it’s all over the place, even in advertisements. That’s why I’ve assembled a list of dap-fails to keep you on your toes while dapping next time. But first, let’s call out Blackberry.

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This summer we’ve got a number of our most beloved hip-hop artists trying to find their way onto the red carpet by starring in some blockbuster movies. From T.I. to Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Bow Wow, and T-Pain, these guys will be featured alongside some of our most popular actors – Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Ice Cube and… Charlie Murphy.

This is not a hip-hop-first, however, and before we break down the upcoming films “Lottery Ticket,” “Takers,” and “Twelve,” we’re going to give you a rundown on hip-hop’s storied relationship with Hollywood AND quiz you on you’re rapper-actor knowledge. Ready?

Let’s do it.

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Hip-hop and heatwaves have a few commonalities – looking back to NYC in the late 1980s, beats bumped from summer stoops, setting a soundtrack for the boys and girls who ran in and out of the spray from fire hydrants. In Spike Lee’s 1989 cult-classic, Do the Right Thing, hip-hop is as much a backdrop for the film as the heat is, as “Fight the Power” blares from a boombox at every turn…

So as we (in the Northeast, at least) do our best to stay out of this record-setting swelter, as the National Grid calls for energy-conservation, and as 6,000+ homes are without electricity in New York, I figured I might as well assemble a little list of ways to beat the heat without using electricity. And let’s face it, not everyone has air conditioning, anyways.

1. Go to a grocery store. Not only do they always have the AC on, but Stop & Shop was giving out bommb samples of sausage the other day. Grab three, sit in produce freezer.

2. Watch people exercise/put out fires. Even if you’re hot, there’s no way you’re as hot as the fireman carrying a bitchy-cat out of a flaming house. Read the rest of this entry →

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YelaWolf guest modeling for KarmaLoop.com

If you have a hip-hop pulse you’ve heard of YelaWolf, the mohawked white-boy from Gadsden, Alabama. If you haven’t got the run down on him, you’re a little behind (see: Benz and a Backpack’s 5 Freshmen Who Might Make XXL Look Stupid and Benz and a Backpack Presents: Listening Sessions Vol. 1), but you’re in for a treat right here.

Starting, it seemed, as just another southern white boy from a broken home, Yela’s already come a long way. If you think rappers like Lil Wayne or Eminem have lived interesting lives, you gotta check this dude’s story. Between substantial drug use, life as a drifter, a short-lived skateboarding career in Berkeley California, and a season up in Alaska on a fishing boat, Yela’s led an exceedingly eclectic life. He even had a stint as a graffiti muralist along the way (he fucks with my boy Banksy). Having signed with Interscope in March, Yela’s on the brink of real stardom. (Hit the skip for three must-read interviews that tell Yela’s story in great detail)

My real interest in YelaWolf, beyond his personal story, is the evolution of his sound since his arrival on the scene. His first mixtape Balls of Flame was an honest effort at rapping. Though it really doesn’t hold much in terms of creative or hard hitting tracks, songs like “Doughnuts” and “My Box Chevy” are worth a listen. The real value of YelaWolf’s first go round is the promise that it holds. Throughout the tape, Yela busts out a variety of flows: slow, on beat, double-time, syncopated. Though it doesn’t all come together musically, you can hear the seeds of his talent.

YelaWolf – Donuts

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YelaWolf – My Chevy Box

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