Benz and a Backpack

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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The past year marked a lot of change for me, and my tastes in hip hop responded accordingly. I wouldn’t say they “matured” as much as they branched out. I still like the stuff I’ve grown up on, but I’m getting into artists that have been around for years and are still well-respected in small, loyal circles (AZ, Rakim, Cormega) as well as the newest crop of young talent (Novel, XV, J Cole, Wiz Khalifa). I’ve assembled my list of top 10 tracks of ’09 which I probably could have assembled just as easily if I had an Ipod and put the top 10 highest played in here… but this required a little more thinking. And that’s a good thing. Hit the skip to peep the hottest tracks of the 09 year with artists ranging from Lloyd Banks to Jay Electronica.

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This video was released yesterday (the 4th). Even though in my personal opinion Rakim’s Seventh Seal album was one of the biggest upset of an album in the last ten years.
I had been waiting over three years for the album and, well, it has 2-5 hot tracks. I felt like he didn’t care about the fans and the listeners. I truly felt like he just throw this together, and just put it out for the money. And as I listened to this song again, I noticed he said
“To chips and the chicks in the casino pouring Cliquot,
Cause now I make music for the C-note.”……………

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The problem is that it’s actually really sad. The wonderboy whose temper is hotter than a whistling teakettle may or may not have been straying outside of his marriage, betraying both his wife and their two tiny children. My question is, how would Tiger react if his wife stepped out on him? He’d grab a golf club, curse uncontrollably, and then hit some shit, which sounds exactly like what his wife did this weekend. Hopefully, Tiger and his wife, Elin Nordegren (she’s pictured below, and she’s a dime; why anybody would ever cheat on her I don’t know. Now Kobe has a rival for biggest-most-narcissistic-asshole-of-all-time), can reclaim their lives, and hopefully the media will scale back its coverage of the incident (although I doubt it) so we can focus on what really matters to Americans: Pats-Saints on Monday Night Football. It’s little boys like Tiger and Kobe that give men a bad collective reputation; not all guys are like them, and if you are you need to change up your gameplan. Hit the skip for a whole lotta good new music from the likes of BlakRoc, Meth and the Chef, Cormega, Immortal Technique, AC, Termanology, Bun B, Papoose, Canibus, Rakim, XV, Styles P, Prodigy, and more.

One-2 ft. El Prez – Success To Me [prod. Komplex]

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Cormega ft. Tragedy & Havoc – Define Yourself [prod. DR Period]

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My favorite noise in the world. It has been permanently ingrained in my head from way back. It’s but it wasn’t until later in my life that I was able to figure out what, exactly, that noise was, or how I could describe it. The sound? A squealing trumpet glissando from the 1972 JB’s (James Brown’s band- definitely not to be confused with the hip-hop/jazz fusion pioneers, Native Tounges Posse’s Jungle Brothers) recording, “The Grunt”, off of their album Food for Thought. For me, the noise evokes undeniable nostalgia; its been sampled (along with the accompanying saxophone riffs) in so many songs that I’ve loved since back in the day. I can’t fight the fact that for me, despite its funk roots, the sound screams classic hip-hop.
You already know hip-hop has always maintained a relationship with its predecessors, continuing a legacy and tradition through means like samples. This week’s Throwback Thursday is an incomplete collection, only a relatively small selection of hip-hop songs that continue the traditions of funk, R&B, and soul through samples of the legendary JB’s two-part instrumental track, “The Grunt”.

Ultramagnetic MCs – “Ease Back”

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Salt-N-Pepa – “Break of Dawn”

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Erick Sermon – “The Payback II”

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MC Shan – “Juice Crew Law”

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Some Yankee teams (much to my chagrin) have had too much talent to know what to do with (see: 2001). That’s almost what the roster of artists with albums dropping this fall looks like. Only difference is, we know exactly what to do with their talent.

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Raekwon – Only Build 4 Cuban Linx II
The Chef has endured delays and pushbacks, but in the end he couldn’t be denied. With RZA, Pete Rock, Dilla, and Dr. Dre behind the production, you can bet this album is fire. Raekwon is a master storyteller. Dropped today.

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Jay-Z – Blueprint 3
Drops in three days on 9/11, the 8th anniversary of the release of the original Blueprint and of the attacks on the WTC. HOV has been releasing singles from the album for the past couple months, and late last week the BP3 leaked online. On Friday, the Jigga performance at Madison Square Garden will be broadcast live on TV and the internet. Tune in, because it should be quite a show.
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Ghostface Killah – Wizard of Poetry
It’s been called Ghostdini’s major attempt to attain the commercial success he’s always deserved. Get a more in depth sneak peak here. Drops September 29th.
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Brother Ali – Us
Brother Ali always delights, and the duo of Ali and Ant (who did the production on Ali’s Undisputed Truth LP) is like Muggsy Bogues and Alonzo Mourning; perfect compliments. Ali is at the forefront of conscious, intelligent rap that also penetrates the listener’s heart. Drops September 22nd.
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KiD CuDi – Man On The Moon: The End of the Day
CuDi’s solo debut drops on September 15th, and it’s hyped up for good reason. We got an early listen, and it’s quite the adventure. Peep the Album Artwork x Tracklist and a recent leak.
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