Ghost Voices, Gypsy Cabs & Cellphones

Hi, saw your reblog. Not sure how this is ripping off Kitty Pryde, considering she's been rapping (I think that's what you're referring to) since "Stay Away" at least. I mean, I've interviewed Kitty Pryde and like her stuff a great deal, but you could just as easily say this sounds like T'Pau or lots of people.

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:58:23 -0400

I don’t know. If you think about it, the video seems like a high-budget reinterpretation of OKC, and her delivery on the verse for this song mirrors that of Kitty (And let’s be fair, I can’t think of too many other female rap presences in pop that play up a more softer femininity than Kitty or maybe Kilo Kish. Charli is smart to know that the harder edged Iggy Azalea Banks-vibe is increasingly passe, and entirely unbelievable from someone like her.)

thesinglesjukebox: CHARLI XCX - WHAT I LIKE [7.82] In this...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:09:09 -0400

thesinglesjukebox:

CHARLI XCX - WHAT I LIKE
[7.82]

In this instance it would be quite rude to mention that we may have developed a bit of a canon…

Iain Mew: Much of “What I Like” is a song about relationship becoming routine, about the repetition of undressing and undressing and undressing, about getting “on some husband and wife shit” to the point where there’s no need to spell out what she likes anymore. Charli makes it clear just how much she’s getting out of that, and she’s aided enormously by the rhythm, the quick splashes that wriggle and defy expectation and still make it sound like the rush of first love. So when she sings, “This shit is super cool”, her performance of that line makes it ring true, but it also feels like a reaffirmation of what’s been unspoken all along.
[9]

Katherine St Asaph: I relate a lot to Charli XCX, being another semi-scorned semi-youth who’s one-third hair. I’m invested in her career and also, apparently, her on-record love life. “What I Like” is the grounded, content counterpart to the abstract, half-terrified “You’re the One”; no silver lovers stealing stars, just two kids getting high, fucking around, feeling super-weird about feeling super-cool. I’m biased at least three times toward the former, but even so, “What I Like” is objectively less of a standalone single. It isn’t worse, though. We get to hear more of what Charli liked growing up: the trance intro, the way she’s autotuned to sound like Gwen Stefani circa Rock Steady. “This shit is kind of gangsta” and “ha! we on some husband-and-wife shit” are what they are, but hey, she’s 20. “Playing board games, horror films with the super gore” is perfect in the same way as “rock-paper-scissors — wait! best out of three!” The way she dwells on the T-shirt is perfect; that’s a point in a relationship you dwell on, when it’s morning for the first or whatever time, the guy’s still got his shirt off and he looks one of two ways: decayed, sunken face, chest like a roach, everything at its grotesque worst; or so stunning you can’t quite believe you’re the one looking. (This doesn’t necessarily correlate to anything; it’s just usually one or the other.) But you’ve got to be casual about noticing, and Charli is: very chill, very calm. So even if I prefer her old career direction — she’s been around long enough that this is career shift #2 — songs like these are probably happier to live with.
[8]

Alfred Soto: Her voice, her voice: smoky, declassé, comfortable in post-M.I.A./Santigold distorted mode and sassing her way through spoken word portions. She can sound wistful about memories of T-shirts on the floor and houses by the ocean while still not quite persuading us she’s reached the limit of what she likes.
[8]

Rebecca A. Gowns: Love the song, hackles raised by the video — and I guess by the whole Charli XCX “brand.” But this song is tight. The spoken parts, and the hi-hat riff that pops up in-between the synthy strings (or rather, stringy synths), and the note sequence that surfaces as the luscious little cherry on top of all of it: “♪ you-know just-what i like! ♪♪”
[9]

Anthony Easton: The detail of the “T-shirt on the floor” is so tossed-off it might be deliberately accidental, but the artifice works. It’s so symbolic of something au courant and slightly obsessed with being liked. Deliberateness is made to sound louche and meaningless. This gap between effort and ennui is sort of the mark of recent pop — but instead of making a point about the ennui being essentially anhedonic, that it’s so loose it falls apart, it uses that falling apart to mean nothing more than intimacy and care with another person. I am on record as preferring fuck anthems to making-love anthems, but we need a balance, and of late it’s been measured towards the “fucking as feeling” method. This is feeling, and as a result fucking — that’s powerful!
[10]

Jonathan Bogart: Nothing she’s done since can touch the majesty and mystery of “Nuclear Seasons.” Probably that’s because she wants to move in another direction, and it’s my sad 80s fetish that keeps me from getting excited about the weird robo-trap-ballad thing she’s doing here.
[7]

Patrick St. Michel: That intro is more than a stab at Hyperdub credibility — it’s jittery excitement before a big realization, the first tingles after meeting someone you are really into. Charli XCX spends most of the first half of this song throwing out bold declarations about love lasting longer than the end of the world and reiterating how into one another these two are. But when she gets to the little rap interlude past the midway point, she shows her cards. She’s hoping he’s “gonna be my man,” with all this “husband and wife shit” as her hope. She’s giddy at the prospect, to the point she gets basic in describing how “this shit is super wild/this shit is super cool.” This is a song about being caught in the whirlwind of a new relationship, one that seems especially amazing and actually makes you a little anxious because you really want this one to work. So Charli XCX is putting on a fair amount of bluster… but it’s the little touches of nervousness (“I think I’m into you”) that make this great.
[9]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: On “What I Like”, Ms XCX switches between different takes of settling down with someone you admire, every new performance communicating the different ways she feels about her beau. She’s sexually attracted and content during the narration of the chorus, goofily rapping when explaining the security and happiness found with him, and — best of all — an Auto-Tune interlude showing the wobbly low-stakes teen heart at the core of meaningful relationships: “When the last heart been broken/we’ll be sitting on your bedroom floor just smoking”.
[7]

Brad Shoup: Charli’s mumbleflow becomes a song-length feature, finally, and with it comes all the feared tendencies: schwag-grade lines about weed and judgment and monogamy, all filtered through a Korine-thian conception of hip-hop. (Danny Brown is no one’s concept of gangsta, but he’ll do, evidently.) The production choices are more value-neutral, and the speed-addled cymbal work and distant G-funk synth tweak are the kind of playful you can take outside the house. Those noob exhales aren’t. The difference between this and Lana is propulsion. And marketing. But mostly propulsion.
[5]

Scott Mildenhall: What’s being described here is monotony, supposedly of a blissful nature, but it feels like there’s a heavy implication of the contrary — maybe it isn’t really what Charli likes. Does she know what she likes? Is she kidding herself that it’s this? Has she forgotten? On the other hand, she says things like “I think I’m into you” and they seem genuine. Maybe they are, and any gloomy overtones are just emblematic of the XCX schtick (“horror films with the super gore”!); maybe it’s for the listener to decide. Also, “gangsta”?
[6]

Will Adams: The frenetic opening is great because it doesn’t quite leave the song. As Charli XCX tries to play it “super cool” over the grinding groove, sharp percussion darts in and out like pinpricks. It’s as if the real emotion – stumbling-over-self love – is just beneath the surface, ready to burst out at any moment. 2013, consider your summer jam delivered.
[8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

Maxwell Cavaseno: 10 or so people too oblivious to realize a Major Label ripping off Kitty Pryde when it’s right in front of their face. [3]

One of the things that always bemuses me about Jimi Hendrix...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:05:49 -0400

One of the things that always bemuses me about Jimi Hendrix perception with fans and casual observers, is when the latter group plays up the influence of Dylan, and focuses on that one bit of legendary footage of him crooning “Hey Joe” over an acoustic guitar. It’s always funny for me that one would divorce Hendrix from his true instrument which was the electric guitar as an unstable element. The wild soloing that would often dissolve into pools of sonic noise may not have had musical or cultural value (unless of course, placed in the context of his infamous “Star-Spangled Banner”), but they were a logical extension of Hendrix’s psyche.

Likewise, watching the celebration of “James Blake As Artist” with his debut was a bit of a lark for me being a fan of the frantic synth screeches that established the university student as one of the more essential acts among his wave of dubstep producers. Marrying the G-Funk/Grime Machismo of early Joker to a more gospel-indebted sense of melody, Blake’s early work such as his Untold Remix or the apocalyptic sounds of his Bells Sketch EP marked a high-point in the melange of ‘post-dubstep’. Between that, the autotune-trickstery of his “Harmonimix” projects, he seemed on top of the world.

And then, it happened; the experimental “Measurements”, a R&B-styled response to Bon Iver’s “Woods” premiered on Mary Anne Hobbs BBC Show, well deserving of fascination for how it displayed a whole new world for Blake. He provided haunting vocals for his friends and then peers, Mount Kimbie, during live gigs together. Slowly, the weirdo James Blake was dressed up into James Blake, the commercial digital soul boy that creatures like early Badly Drawn Boy and Thom Yorke struggled to evolve into (the former abandoning it for bland singer-songwriter territory, the other seemingly too frantic in production and life to let his songs breath with a grace he cannot display). It was all very rewarding to see such a talent make it…

And yet, the debut felt like a betrayal. Gone were the eccentric buzzing noises, the weird little melodies. Instead, Blake moaned mantra-like hooks endlessly, while awkwardly cluttering together cheap pastiche lyrics. At least one critic compared it to Kanye West’s “808s & Heartbreaks”, a not entirely unreasonable comparison, given the two records auto-tuned and processed their respective vocal performances. But whereas West had made a record that was seemingly stark, grandiose, harsh and invocating at once, Blake had smoothed out all of his edges into a rather puzzlingly dull sonic haze. He felt more of a subdued Howard Jones than the hardcore continuum’s Jamie Lidell.

Which is why this past week, hearing those synths harass me every time I click a youtube link, has been such a relief. Admittedly, considering the relative success of Blake’s debut, I assumed he would simply continue along at his given course, while ocassionally releasing relatively uninteresting little sketches or warped remix side-projects. But much to my, and the world’s benefit, Blake’s new album feels like the proper debut of the James Blake I was introduced to. So many of these songs play with the charged synths and startling sounds of his pre-Pro League work, to create a much more expansive and fascinating listen. Helps that he’s also stepped up the vocals a bit, and the songwriting a bit much more.

The point is, I am relieved to hear James Blake finally return to his instruments of choice, that demonstrate what REALLY makes James Blake one of the more exciting artists of his generation.

oneweekoneband: On the evening of November 4th, 2008, Chi Cheng...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 01:01:43 -0400

oneweekoneband:

On the evening of November 4th, 2008, Chi Cheng was riding in a car back from a memorial service with his sister, when their vehicle lost control. The car would flip three times, and impact another vehicle at 60 MPH. During this, Chi was thrown out of the vehicle—due to not wearing a seatbelt—and ejected from the car. The resulting trauma left him in critical condition and effectively rendered him comatose for a period of time. Thankfully, he regained conciousness as of May 2009, but remains physically incapacitated up to the present day.

It was one year ago that I got the opportunity to contribute to One Week One Band about deftones, and whilst doing so, pay tribute to their bassist Chi Cheng, then in a coma, and now, finally at peace.

I never had the chance to meet with Chi, or the band at all, and have only admired them afar, through their music and brief interviews. Of the band’s members, Chi always struck me for being very mature, esoteric and serious. Possibly the only Lynyrd Skynyrd fan I ever took ‘serious’. A man who played on all of my favorite deftones records, but more importantly was a loving husband and father.

I’m sitting here, listening to various tracks from “Around The Fur” and hating the fact that I’m providing a eulogy to someone who was a key part of records that helped save my life when I was younger and still struggling with self-loathing and frustration. When I wrote about this band, and when I took the time to pay tribute to this man, I remembered struggling with the difficulty that something so simple as ‘I care about this’ was so difficult to word. But nothing’s more difficult than trying to word why I cared about Cheng.

Was I particularly fond of his bass parts? Yes, certainly. Was he charismatic and likeable? Quite. Did he seem like a ‘good guy’? I still feel as such. But inadvertently he had contributed an amazing gift to me, and I may always feel inadequate about how well I tried to reciprocate the man as a fan. For how do you truly pay someone back for the gift of relief from a weight on your heart?

So RIP to Chi Cheng, and may your soul rest well knowing that you’d been such a blessing to me and millions around the world.

dalatu: Late Nights - Jeremih “Late Nights” grows stronger, as...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:40:31 -0400

dalatu:

Late Nights - Jeremih

“Late Nights” grows stronger, as the evening clocks moves from the PM to AM. The track’s lone hand claps begin to feel like distant applause from a previous concert. Keys and synths linger, anticipating one final encore. And each backing track reveals Jeremih’s personal vocal tics, as one has fallen into his world. Too many great songs have been given the lazy metaphor of being soundtracks to late evening drives. “Late Nights” is not for those drives. Characters stumbled far too many times, after the first “after show” party for that to be an option. Instead “Late Nights” is in memory, ironically, to the nights unremembered. Evenings pieced together in a hope of rediscovering the pleasurable hours between a show’s end and the sun’s rising.

I think everyone’s had more than a good chance to talk about Jeremih and his superbly executed mixtape helping establish him as a forerunner in R&B right now, and it’s good for him. He’s penned at least two massive hits for himself, and “Late Nights” was a demonstration of sublime confidence. For the most part, the artist is currently struggling with a twinfold desire to do battle with soundscapes, or to be such a great shining presence that you can’t ignore them.

All over “Late Nights” however, Jeremih has been opting for a third option, namely corruption. All over the tape, his songs drown into seas of Chopped & Screwed vocals, slurry rushed raps caked in reverb. Jeremih has not become so succesful that his voice is so identifiable and separates him from the chaff, yet he isn’t so in love with himself to not destroy his identity by subverting it WITH the song. (Such was a great deal of my hesitance with Frank Ocean’s album last year. YES, he was singing adequately and writing well, but it tended to be over listless R&B cliches that threatened him in no way and felt too post-Sadiq/Las Vegas to take seriously sometimes. On a song like “Fuck U All The Time”, Jeremih and his female accomplice are reduced to sonic scraps.)

I wouldn’t say any of the songs on this mixtape are immediate standouts (in this regard I would compare it to the critically-adored but truly light-in-the-ass ‘classic’ of Prince’s “Dirty Mind”), yet I feel like this serves as an excellent indicator for Jeremih’s headspace right now. Yes, the collab w/ Shlomo was a nice slab of hype, but it was pretty meh in itself. But if there’s any positive gains from this, it’s to show Jeremih is currently attempting to move out of the typical field of R&B. But unlike say, everyone’s favorite indicators of R&B super-cession (Weeknd/Miguel) this has become less about the artist proving himself to be ‘more than his music’, but rather, letting his music override himself.

Last year, the greatest ‘trillwave’ singles actually...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:23:54 -0400

Last year, the greatest ‘trillwave’ singles actually came from some dude in Africa. Please delete your pirated copy of LongliveA$AP, cradle your head in your hands, and realize that America isn’t even doing the ‘melting pot of internet-based universal influences’ thing well anymore.

Months later, and “YSL Cheetah” remains top form...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 11:26:50 -0500

Months later, and “YSL Cheetah” remains top form Future Hendrix. The gleeful toying with early Gucci (poetically laced with Zaytoven providing a cluttered beat full of sino-music-box melodies seeming more like a failed Ryuichi Sakamoto demo than the boring miasma of ‘trap production’) demonstrates that Future is more than his autotune and ballads, amazing as they can be. It’s been frustrating to see Pluto, a relative commercial struggle to take off as succesfully with critics as it has. Because while songs like “Turn On The Lights” and “You Deserve It” showcase a maverick in hip-hop, moments of technical brilliance like “Astronaut Chick” get lost for not being as bombastic. Future already has been struggling with a post-“Racks” stigma of being a ‘hook’ guy, and while more than enough attention is coming his way, it still doesn’t feel like he’s recognized for his abilities as one of the best young rappers in his generation.

But I’m actually not here to talk about that, I’m here to talk about the guest.

Juelz Santana has had one of the most painfully obvious public disintergrations in rap that rap doesn’t seem to care about. Once “What The Game’s Been Missing” showcased him for all his impressive strengths (and admitted limitations) and his dual rise with Wayne cemented his seeming rise… It all fell apart.

Maybe it was the drugs, as Cam’ron reportedly accused. Lord knows that Juelz appearing on reality TV as a near-comotose zombie was a shocking image for anyone who remembered the hyper-animated young man who helped turn Dipset into one of the biggest movements in the dawn of 21st century rap. The current Juelz, even with his restored focus, now simply makes half-hearted gestures, and mugs at the camera with the ham-fisted bravado of fellow fallen star Jim Jones. So much of his former glory depended on the tension of his delivery, whereas new Juelz is dishearteningly laconic.

However, the bigger crime is how whenever Future works with one of his favorite rappers, they truly never connect with him on that level of admiration. Gucci Mane publically snubbed him whilst announcing the defection of longtime Freebandz associate Young Scooter to Brick Squad, Wayne has only provided the fleeting bits of work that comes from both Drake’s co-sign and the obligation of staying relevant within the audiences he leaves behind for that big chain-wallet mall-rap kingdom in the sky, and Dipset traditionally treat him as a utility player (See: T-Pain) than as a rapper who should command respect.

With 2013 still anyone’s guess, hopefully Future avoids being typecast as an auto-tune dependent novelty artist and finally breaks through as a rapper.

P.S.: To all my friends who are religiously pontificating Future’s ballads, I respect and appreciate this. But you guys aren’t helping me out, because “Loveeee Song” is NOT GOOD, and if I have to see one of the best Atlanta Rappers continuously made into some cartoonish post-The-Dream romantic figure, I’m personally going to blame you lot.

Young Chop officially throws down in strip-club/R&B joints,...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:38:30 -0500

Young Chop officially throws down in strip-club/R&B joints, with his little brother (and most underrated Chicago Artist Of 2012) Johnny May Cash to provide a properly ice-skateable rap record. May Cash’s autotuned slur is a predictable formula of one part Future one part Kirko, but there’s a teenage malleability that has been really leaving an impression on me. From the cheeky trancehall/trap anthem “Codeine” to the Mavado-esque marriages of melody and violent bombast on “Let Me In”, to this new record, I can’t wait for May Cash to finally get a solo tape out, and demonstrate his full capabilities. Also, it’s great to hear Chop continuing and succeeding to expand his pallet.

3 Things To Note About This Record; 1) Droop-E should truly...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:32:00 -0500

3 Things To Note About This Record;

1) Droop-E should truly produce a full EP with Kendrick Lamar, or some other rapper, because he remains one of the greatest producers on the West Coast, with only his father granting him any real recognition. Granted, those checks are STILL coming in, but I feel that Droop will ultimately remain a critic’s choice rapper (not unlike Young L, more beloved for his artistic visions and sonic innovations than his actual rapping). But with even his younger brother getting more internet focus than himself, the time has come for Droop-E to really devote himself to showcasing some other rapper’s talents (Preferably not in his family’s stables), and reinvent himself into a West Coast Mike Will. We know he’s capable of such.

2) How is it, that when everyone was SOOO fascinated with late 70s/80s boogie funk in ‘chillwave’, nobody brought up the fact that rappers had been using those same synth textures and beyond in some cases? So in that regard, the fact that one of those artists is finally paying it forward (Because sampling built the reinvestment in this back catalog of funk for it to be reissued and become ‘inspiration’ fodder, obviously) and working with rap artists is revealing of how that point of influence was always there. And thankfully enough, it’s not some overtly arty “Remix”, but a graceful meeting of mutual points of inspiration, with Nite Jewel turning in a very slow burning and tasteful hook.

3) We need to put an end to Livewire ‘pass’. These are a varied group of talented rap artists with a steady supply of great production, who should be commended in 2013 for still remaining unchanged by the constant haphazard sliding musical trends that plague the world of rap. But there’s nothing so unnecessary as this deluge of tiring, adult-oriented rap that they’re consistently pouring out with no remorse. I shouldn’t complain about very professional and consistent musical squads, but in a post-Mustard/Invasion world of synths, this trend for the Bay Area to produce “Steely Dan Rap” is exhausting to push through. Especially as the current Bay Area Climate remains thriving, but there remains no healthy CFOPA/HBK/Post-Hyphy response to the considered critical audience for the Livewire/DJ Fresh centered scene of ‘grown man rap’.

I did my End Of Year List over @ NoJumper.com; this gem failed...

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:10:00 -0500

I did my End Of Year List over @ NoJumper.com; this gem failed to make it in because I’m an idiot, and nothing more.

It’s been a weird year, due to economic, educational, and mental strains, but I’m happy to have had a really productive year:

I did “One Week One Band: deftones”; an ultimately rushed and sloppy, but fairly intense whirlwind take on one of my favorite bands ever. I got knocked by Norman Brannon, made lyrical errors, and occasionally came off more like an emotionally hurried post-teen than a writer. But I like the general intent still. Plus I still did a better job than the trenchant murk that was Anthony Fantano’s review of their new album (which I still haven’t listened to!).

I did a bunch of reviews, interviews and articles for The Wavery, a newly formed web magazine which is… AWOL for now. I managed to do the following, and should they remain indisposed, I may republish them.

Future - Pluto (Album Review)
Waka Flocka Flame - Triple F Life (Album Review)
Khalil Nova Feature (The Bulk Of The Interview Making It’s Way On Nojumper)
Top 5 Most Awkward Kanye Interviews

I also had a lot of fun with a cast as diverse as The Martorialist, H.L., Dalatu, David Drake & more to contribute to Droptops & Lattisaw Tapes’ “50 Songs You Need To Hear Right Now”. In a bit of ego, I will say that my selection of Ike Eyes “Blue Roxies” appears to be a crowd favorite.

Compared to 2011 and 2010, No Jumper’s productivity remains a bit sluggish, but we still kept up as much as we can. I praised DC weirdo Yung Gleesh and Lil’ B’s illegitimate son Yung God, waxed poetic about The Weeknd, navigated the confusion of Travis Porter’s debut album, broke bread about the apocalypse and video games with Khalil Nova, struggled to comprehend Miami’s Metro Zu both through their music and their own Lofty 305’s words, chatted with recent Fool’s Gold signee GrandeMarshall, and got to dig into the mystery world of Snubnose Frankenstein. There were other things too, but that’s enough for ‘a start’.

I also was on twitter. A lot. (@CrowleyHead). Other things I’d been working on never quite made their ways out the womb (Features on Gorgeous Children & Ryan Hemsworth, review of the new L.W.H. album CIA TV, an in-depth analysis of the 3rd Wave of The Futuristic Movement), but we’ll see. I also made a mess of random opinions here, as noted.

For 2013? Expect more scattered, patchy work. More obnoxious opinions on twitter that prompt eye-rolls. And maybe even a few surprises, who knows?

gunshotmeansfwd: Castro - All Hallows Prod. By Skywlkr of...

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 23:29:08 -0500

gunshotmeansfwd:

Castro - All Hallows

Prod. By Skywlkr of Bruiser Brigade fame.

In 2012, the former Castro Saint’s comeback was one of the highlights of Grime Nostalgia that had nothing to do with Grime Nostalgia. Acts from Flirta D to Ears to Hitman Hyper all returned to some relative success, capitalizing on the near-decade long existence of their legendary bars and sets on pirate radios such as Rinse, Deja, etc. But aside from a few MP3s, a shitty video of a freestyle, and the briefest snippet of a live set, what legacy did the Tottenham-based MC leave behind to come back to be welcomed with open arms?

So instead, the comeback was mounted. He started wearing a serial killer like mask to play up his seeming anonymous identity. He’d already been one of the first grime MCs to explicitly rap about cocaine, but now had a synth/trap-leaning sound to compliment it.

Over time however, the goals shifted… CAS now appeared to be evolving into a more post-internet artist, as songs ranged from anti-drug tales, to Curren$y-esque weed odes, to this… a horrorcore themed regular rap record. More and more, it’s not easy to qualify CAS as a grime artist the same way his early material fit, no matter how many old JME instrumentals he freestyles to.

The output of CAS hasn’t let me down yet in any way, so I can’t complain; but I can remark on the lost opportunity .. For producer Skywlkr has made a name for himself with Danny Brown for the ability to emulate the slinkiness of Dizzee Rascal’s take on grime, and Brown himself has been able to bridge the gap with Grime Producer Darq E Freaker into newfound territory… Appropriate, given Danny’s oft-cited Grime influences.

So why then, does CAS seem to be getting less and less ‘grimy’ as time goes on? Will it really benefit us to lose one of the best talents in a ever fluctuating scene to the ratrace of tumblrwave and meme rappers?

Timbaland Worship has now finally come full circle into the Rap...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:36:21 -0500

Timbaland Worship has now finally come full circle into the Rap Nostalgia World.

Should this producer help make Troy (“Powder!”) Ave turn into 50 Cent on “Ayo Technology” instead of 50 Cent on mixtapes a good decade too early, I will be content.

Over the last year, all the various Spaceghostpurrp fans who...

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:37:10 -0500

Over the last year, all the various Spaceghostpurrp fans who were once impressed by the sonically captivating though braindead efforts of our young protagonist, have suffered the saga known as “Raider Klan”. What started as one young man’s carving of an identity in a new rap climate driven by personas, characters, crews and traditions devolved into a pretty lame parody of 90s rap cults, be they G-Funk, Memphis, or Wu-Tang performed by a bunch of teenagers aspiring for rap status with a rebellious attitude and a loathing of the current mainstream. The problem was, that for every person like a Robb Bank$ who could demonstrate hints of promise, you had lunkheaded bores like Amber London, Denzel Curry and so on getting nowhere in particular that their idol SGP didn’t already repeat again and again for several mixtapes.

Such is the case of Ethelwulf. Not only is he bearer of one of the least intimidating names in rap, but with a body type and voice that seems reminiscent of video game 90’s rap parody OG Loc (I can’t be the only one who’s noticed this), Ethelwulf’s actual Memphis-native status strikes me in the fact that he has never joined up with actual Memphis veterans like producer/rapper J-Green did, but went straight for internet success. What’s more remarkable is that while his other crew associates all have some backgrounds rapping with other former trends (London’s Hypebeast-era and Metro Zu’s initial forrays as a slightly less evolved Lil’ B/Odd Future/Outkast hybrid) to my knowledge, Ethelwulf was the only member of Raider Klan who ever attempted regular generic trap rap besides Purrp’s initial Muney Jordan forrays.

More interesting enough is Ethel. During the Memphis Nostalgiafest on the internet of the last few years, many people forgot that the ones who made it out of the foray of those murky tapes were usually the ones with their own identity, characteristics, SOME scraps of individuality. Were that not the case, Project Pat never would’ve made his way out of the miasmic sludge of boredom that was the Kaze LP (The whole Memphis thing is dead by now, right guys? We can stop pretending Tommy Wright III albums are good?).

Take Ethel’s hook on this song. His partner, Eddy Baker offers very little unique qualities from his dozens and dozens of Raider Klan peers. Double-timed chops a la Lord Infamous, anodyne pimping/gangster bars, lazy references to Three Six Mafia and Lil’ B, he could really be anyone. Especially with his muted and unenthusiastic performance… When out of the blue, comes the hysterical coyote yelps of young Ethelwulf. To be entirely honest, I am not even sure if it’s good, but to hear someone in Raider Klan not lifelessly obsessed with copying a lifeless copy of DJ Paul’s lost mumbles from 20 years ago is endearing! Plus, the fact that someone in the Klan managed to break out of the mold and utilize a dumbed-down Spice-1 flow, thereby completely abandoning the double-time chop muck making everyone around him turn into a blob of flashy raps…

It’s not my favorite song of the year, and I’m still ridiculously unsatisfied from the Raiders whenever they pop up in my world. But it’s a start for one of them, should he ever decide he WANTS to be more than a costume. It’s his call.

This Crazy Pitchfork People's List Thing? I Did One.

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:08:16 -0400

This Crazy Pitchfork People's List Thing? I Did One.:

Most agonizing 4 hours of my life, probably. Might change a couple times over the next few days, never know.

As we proceed through 2012, it appears as if the Ca$h Out...

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 18:47:49 -0400

As we proceed through 2012, it appears as if the Ca$h Out hysteria is one of those things that never was meant to be. Like it or not, his tape appears to have failed to provide another recognizable hit, his remix was not a serious event, but more of a capitalization opportunity for every bloodsucker in the industry. A shame too. Originally when he arrived, I considered him a derivative of Future, for people who didn’t like Future… But ‘lo and behold, I then remembered this gem.

“I Got It” is basically an excellent stunted ‘futuristic’ jam of Ca$h’s, also featuring the man with the worst name in rap, Young Thug. Thug and Ca$h are a very complimentary pair… trappers who specialize more in post-Futuristic swag-rap anthems, with both of them showing a penchant for hook writing. The big difference though is that Ca$h’s hooks are catchy in a sort of sing-a-long quality, has great adlibs, and zilch going on in his bars. Thugga, on the other hand, is ridiculously derivative of Lil’ Wayne in 2007-08, to the point you wonder if he still thinks Wayne is in jail. However, despite the constant modeling after Mr. Carter, he provides decent rapping, married to a penchant for startlingly weird autotuned crooning and yelping. A friend of mine once compared him to Future and Danny Brown and, well… IT ALMOST WORKS!

This gem, a 2010 banger, shows both Ca$h and Thug working to their best, sharing verses and hook duties with equal glee. Tragically, Ca$h appears to have “REMADE” this song by doing a new video where he lip-syncs to a half of the hook he does not sing (and involves him clearly calling out to Thug to finish it off), and replace Thug’s verse with another under-performing verse. More disappointingly, all collaborations the two may have done had one not done this appears to have ceased. A real shame, considering the chemistry these two ATL oddballs were demonstrating.

somanyshrimp: andyhutchins: tumblinerb: Trouble - “Molly...

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 09:18:53 -0400

somanyshrimp:

andyhutchins:

tumblinerb:

Trouble - “Molly World” (Duct Tape, 2012)

This is good and all but when exactly did Trouble become Future? (He yoinked the dude’s mixtape title too!) I cannot approve of this rise in hip hop ecstasy use if it means that even the angriest rappers are going to start giving out hugs and shit. It was cool that time when Gunplay temporarily turned into Billy Ocean but this is too much. Soon there will be no rap left to listen to when we punch walls.

Gunplay turning into Billy Ocean was more than cool. This is a shark bite.

You guys are tripping, melodic autotune jams are di rigueur now. & Future may have mastered the craft but he sure didn’t invent it. I’m just glad this song is so well written & I doubt that Trouble’s entire album is gonna sound like this. He’s always had a well-rounded sound, a diversity of styles and approaches.

May we also not forget that Trouble was trying to sound like Drake at one point on his first tape (which he did rather successfully); this guy does these things beyond the meatheaded muscle-trapper corner people try to fence him into.

andgoawaywiththem: maxwellmixtapes: Ex To The Next - D’Angelo...

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:22:19 -0400

andgoawaywiththem:

maxwellmixtapes:

Ex To The Next - D’Angelo covering Gangstarr

Back when I was a kid, and MP3s were raining from the heavens like so many gems, and I was finally able to really start to learn about music, and what I liked, and disliked, covers were the most amazing thing in the world to me.

There is a falsified myth of sanctity about ‘originals’. Everyone in the world would like to believe that a band who writes their own songs is the greatest thing in the world, and no disrespect to those bands who are skilled song-smiths… but it’s a bit of bullshit. Songs are written, but then they become malleable, open to interpretation, and serve the needs of the user. Remember, back in the day, a song would be written, but few and far-between cared about the original songwriter and their enfeebled demos, preferring the ‘star’ and his dramatic reinterpretation. This is totally true in the right situation… No offense to Carole King fans, but if you’re trying to tell me the Tapestry version of “Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow” trumps the original… Well, you’re dumb! Seriously though!

At the same time, you’re not. The whole point of the fact that these songs are malleable is that they are able to be reorganized in ways that maybe the listener DOES prefer the crusty acetate demos of legendary standards to the versions that people know and cherish. Maybe you actually think “Huh. Y’know, I like The Beatles’ version of “Hello, Mr. Postman” better than the original (The Carpenters version, for me personally, is the shit) or maybe you can actually get into beef with your parents and say that *insert newer apsiring band*’s cover of *insert long gone rock band of lore*’s *insert the song in question* is better. It doesn’t matter, no opinion’s wrong.

Covers, and all the mess involved served as a wonder for me, because there was so much to call into question. Was there some weird significance that both the aformentioned Beatles and Metallica had massive stockpiles of covers recorded, demonstrating just how far-fetched their influences reigned; (In the cases of The Beatles, their amazing understanding of the raw yet glistening pop of Early Motown. In Metallica, their almost encyclopedia-like documentation of obscure strains of British heavy metal that made even some of their peers look ignorant of their lineage)? Did simple vocal delivery or even intent send a song spiraling into a whole other direction (Keelhaul’s invitation of Matt Pike whilst covering The Melvins’ ‘Oven’, who’s stoner croon turned an already unusual burst of off-key metal into an even more deranged record. Or Nirvana taking both 70’s stoner rock and 80’s twee-pop and turning them into leaden arena rock jams)? And just how many versions of “Paint It Black” were too many?

Covers were excellent, in which they connected the dots and exposed me to so many bands I wouldn’t have ever investigated without their seemingly distant connections; German industrialists Einsturzende Neubauten changed Nancy Sinatra’s Lee Hazlewood duet “Sand” from kitsch 60’s stuff to sinister fantasies not unlike The Velvet Underground, and now full of accompanying horror noises to boot. Metalcore dorks turned space-rock dorks Cave-In made Black Sabbath’s “N.I.B.” take flight and become a Beach Boys styled prog opus, before diving back into it’s crunchy riff-stew. And Mike Patton’s fantomas turned the theme song from ‘Cape Fear’ into a more gaudily malignant version of an already creepy classic of cinema soundtracks.

The point is, covers are amazing, so long as they make you rethink about the songs you like/love/hate.

Coming up: Lil Wayne

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 16:16:00 -0400

oneweekoneband:

Thank you, Daniella! That was quite something.

We’ll have our long-overdue return to hip-hop next week and take a look at “best rapper alive” Lil Wayne.

Taking you through this will be David Turner, who blogs about music on his tumblr and at So Many Shrimp.

See you tomorrow.

— Hendrik

*Polow Da Don Voice* OH SNAP!!!

occupiedterritories: Mike Watt, of legendary punk group...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:24:08 -0400

occupiedterritories:

Mike Watt, of legendary punk group Minutemen, just tweeted about K-pop. My brain is exploding!

(For the record, it’s a RT, but everything after “I like the K-Pop Boy Group bands” is Watt.)

I like how we ignore Raymond (EVERY FUCKING AMAZING BLACK FLAG TOUR POSTER, THE “GOO” COVER, etc.) Pettibon is into K-Pop. The world is… very different now.

errrr-errrr: robbatussin: Brick Fair- Gucci...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:13:41 -0400

errrr-errrr:

robbatussin:

Brick Fair- Gucci Mane/Future.

Anyone who tells me this isn’t Future’s best verse ever is a damn liar.

Fukk a Mike Will; this song involves Future intricately bemoaning the fact that he has a friend who can kill people for him at whim, and seems to actually fiend for the prospect of murder so much that Future pays him ‘an extra 5’ to make sure he gets shot in the head. Future is actually conflicted that he’s earned the loyalty of people who lack empathy for other people’s suffering, but knows he has to ‘keep it real’ and still remain loyal to his friend.

Earlier in this year’s XXL Freshmen 10 Roundtable, Future described an analogy of two friends, riding bicycles together as kids. That they would live different lives, and go different places as people, but they would invariably still remain the people who were once friends who rode bicycles together as kids. Compared to Iggy Azalea’s rambling about Cotton Candy, French Montana’s Pseudo-Biggie King Of New York posturing, and Macklemore not deserving any sort of recognition he’s ever gotten in his damn life, it was a rather odd splash of philosophy; Hardly surprising when considering the Dungeon Family background he shares, but not as well considered when you view Future as a prankster/troll/idiot of Trap Rap, depending on your ability to understand and appreciate him. Because yeah, “Tony Montana” and “Same Damn Time” are obvious jokes as well as brags. In fact, if anything, Future might be more in the vein of Dipset’s Weird Al-esque hood absurdist mentality than any Dipset fan in the last 5 years.

If anyone’s paid attention to Atlanta recently, you know that DTE is a scum-sucking cancer who looks good because of their ability to extort travelers and bully the shit out of the futuristic movement. Let’s consider the fact, however, that the futuristic movement is made of mostly teenagers from middle-class homes. Yes, they occasionally claim things in their raps that they don’t have any experience with whatsoever, and that’s not something I am particularly fond of. But save Yung L.A.’s brief last bi-polar career failings before DTE went and made a household name for themselves by stomping a teenager into a couch, this is a movement of teen boys making songs for other teens. I don’t get how anyone doesn’t see Trouble hanging around Rich Kidz making gang signs in videos, only for the camera to turn to the Rich Kidz, all looking in terror at the presence of the man who’d had his first music video involving enough guns to raise a small army, and feel some sort of… conflict.

To me, Future has walked the tightrope between these two parties with class and elegance. Yes, he makes street anthems based on experiences he may or may not have gone through, involving illicit activities. But sometimes, he makes simple pop-songs that reveal a great instinct (and forget about “Pluto”, this guy has been making pop-style ballads since his “True Story” mixtape.) only limited by the strength of his singing abilities. And sometimes, he can even combine all of these at once to dazzling effect. Because Navyvadius Cash is one of the few rappers who actually doesn’t belong with any of his peers. He is too mature to belong with the hyper-active brats of the futuristic movement, yet he’s too ‘human’ to belong with the mechanical urge to violence of the post-Flockavelli trap world.

Oh, also, this is probably the flashiest amount of technique Future’s ever displayed in such a limited amount of time. And prior to this song, all of his collabs with Gucci weren’t really good.

For the record, I don’t know what the point is of me having a writing blog if I can’t remember to post elegant posts like this on it. But that’s life Snoopy.