Benz and a Backpack

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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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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Hot Spitta’s highly anticipated Def Jam debut Pilot Talk is on the way (July 13th!), and in anticipation of the drop CreativeControl put together a video trailer featuring the infamous valet parking clip from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The New Orleans, former Young Money emcee is poised to make major waves with this one. Under the cut, we compiled all the visuals that have been released to date, plus some DLs that’ll turn any doubter into an avid Hot-Spitta-supporter.

Pilot Talk includes production from Mos Def, Nesby Phibs, MonstaBeatz, and one of the most enduring producers ever, Ski Beatz (few people know he did HOV’s “Feelin’ It”, “Politics As Usual”, “Dead Presidents II”, and “22 Two’s” off Reasonable Doubt). Guest spots include stoner heavyweights Wiz Khalifa, Devin The Dude, and Snoop Dogg, as well as Mikey Rocks, Jay Elect, Big K.R.I.T., and more.

CURREN$Y : PILOT TALK from Creative Control on Vimeo.

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There will surely be more to come on the subject, but Snoop Dogg came through Providence for Brown University’s Spring Weekend and wrecked the stage with an ease that I’ve never seen before. He was wearing his classic black shades and using a ridiculously ostentatious microphone, and it felt like the DPGC big man covered the entire stage his presence was so big. After blazing through a bunch of classic tracks (Next Episode, Gin and Juice) to get the crowd warm, Snoop brought Kurupt and Daz on stage and things really got poppin’. The three emcees rolled around the stage, oozing a happy-go-lucky West Coast confidence that permeated through the audience for a close to an hour and sent them home in a daze of contentment.

Clutch has some great post-show stories to tell, but right before he left the stage Snoop told the three things everyone should do when they wake up:

1. Brush Your Teeth

2. Thank God You’re Alive

3. Smoke Weed

Words of wisdom from one of the best performers (and as it turns out, nicest people) of our time. Hit the skip for brand new tracks from J. Cole, Lupe, Jeezy, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Elect, Blu, M.O.P. and more.

J. Cole – We On

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Gil Scott-Heron ft. Nas – New York Is Killing Me

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Lupe Fiasco ft. Alicia Keys – Love Letter To The Beat

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B.o.B. ft. T.I. – Not Lost

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Looks like Jim Jones is gonna have some serious competition in the upcoming Converse Band of Ballers Tourney in Atlanta on May 1st. Participants include Pill, Donnis, OJ Da Juiceman, Shawty Lo, So So Def, Jay Electronica, Sean Price, and of course, last year’s winner, Jim Jones. Check it out (and peep highlights of last year’s tourny here).

Jay Electronica:
“What’s gonna set us apart is that our basketball ability is magic. Not skill, not hard work, it’s not hustle, it’s none of that. The only reason we’re here is to teach Jim Jones a lesson. See, he’s relying completely on skill, you can’t rely completely on skill. Luck is the key word.”

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Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C” has garnered a lot of attention for its lyrical achievements, but nobody’s saying much about the beat except that Just Blaze made it so, you know, it’s good and everything.  I thought I’d offer my two cents on why this song is great, aside from “Jay ElecRamadaan Muhammad Asalaamica RasoulAllah Supana Watallah through your monitor.”

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Oohwee! I don’t even want to spoil this one for you. But here goes: about a week ago Phillip Mlynar wrote an article for Unkut.com (check it here) called ‘Five Zealously Overrated (And Often Dead) Hip Hop Artists’ which sparked– in addition to a 145-comment-long thread beneath it– a ‘rebuttal‘ from the homie Justin over at KevinNottingham.com. In short, Mlynar’s list is comprised of (in order): 5. Freddie Gibbs 4. Bun B and Pimp C [as solo artists] 3. Madlib 2. Jay Electronica 1. J Dilla.
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Ever since grabbing everyone from underground hip-hop heads to commercial mix-show DJ’s attention with “Exhibit C”, the blog-o-sphere has been blowing up with Jay Electronica interviews, live shows, and cameos.  While I tend to skim over most of these videos, this one caught my attention because Jay talks about why his music has veered a different direction than Lil’ Wayne or Juvenile:

It’s funny to me that having a military neighbor and an affection for comics can mesh to create one of the hottest rappers around.

Jay tends to catch a lot of flack for being unable to put together an entire album.  This doesn’t bother me at all, for a couple of reasons.  Number one, his songs themselves have as many dips, dives, and turns than most albums.  Movie samples, quotes, beat changes, no choruses; its no wonder he has released his music in “Acts”.  San Pellegrino is a good example, Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) is a perfect one:

San Pellegrino

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Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)

*Warning* Although this song is 15 minutes long, listening to it the whole way through may change your mind on what hip-hop can be.

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There’s something strangely prophetic about this year in hip-hop. Recent research from credible academic sources (like my boy Richie) has discovered 2010 to be “the year of the J.” Here, J does not mean ‘jumpshot,’ nor is it weed rolled up with white paper. It implies jubilation, or even rebirth. Hear me out, skeptics, the evidence only mounts further from here.

Not only is it the TENTH letter of the alphabet, (count ‘em, bitch) but there are five (half of TEN!) artists that go by ‘Jay’ or ‘J’ for short, that are undoubtedly setting the tone for hip hop in 2010. Let’s run them down real quick.

Jay-Z: This one is a no brainer. Sean Carter has been around for ages, and even though half of us don’t know why he chose Jay as his MC apellation, none of us can question the attention he has brought to the game. I won’t even argue how commercialization has tarnished his rep (read: rap) a bit lately, because there were times in the early 2000s hip hop recession where he straight held it down just long enough for the young talent to emerge. And now, more than ever, those butterflies are leaving the cocoon, or some shit.
Prophets say: This might be the year where Jay realizes he can just let his legacy roll, and with the way he’s lined up Roc Nation’s new talent J. Cole, he just might be able to sit pretty on the mountain he built. Read the rest of this entry →

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Two summers ago I was lucky enough to catch the Paid Dues Tour at New York City’s Nokia Theatre in Times Square. I was particularly excited for it because the lineup included a bunch of artists I’d never seen in concert before: Kidz in the Hall, dudes from Boot Camp Clik, Blackalicious, GZA, all culminating in what I hoped would be a satisfying set from the godfather of hip-hop, Rakim.

I remember the show with particular clarity because my boys and I endured an hour-and-a-half-long train ride that should’ve only lasted twenty-five minutes. The stifling June heat had us sweating our shirts out while we were held in station after station by train dispatchers. People in our car were fanning themselves with whatever they had: Yankees and Mets fitteds, celebrity gossip magazines, folded-up copies of the Daily News (with a picture of a smiling Barack Obama- who’d just secured the Democratic Presidential nomination- under a headline that read: ‘HISTORY!’).

Once we pulled into 42^nd Street, we bobbed and weaved through swarms of people in the station and on the fume-filled streets (hustling because we were already way late), and by the time we got to the Nokia Theatre we’d practically melted. Making it through security felt like clouds parting to allow us entrance into a very well air-conditioned heaven.
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