The Co-Op review

Reposted from rapreviews.com, where it was the featured review.

“The Co-Op” DJ Envy and RED Café, Koch records
reviewed by Patrick Taylor

Wikipedia defines a co-op (short for cooperative) as an “autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.” I’ve mostly seen the model applied to health food stores and housing. Now DJ Envy and RED Café have applied it to hip hop.

Or not. Other than the fact that this album is a cooperative effort between DJ Envy and Red Café, there isn’t anything here that has anything in common with whole foods or shared housing. Still, as a duo, Envy and Red work together nicely. Envy supplies a steady supply of glossy, New York beats for Red to work with. Standout tracks include the bumping synths of "What It Be Like," the 80s bounce of "What It Do," featuring a verse by Remy Martin, the reggae of "Ghetto Children," and the Neptunes-lite of "Dolla Bill." He also misfires a few times, like with the melodramatic synths on "Move Like A G" and the uber-cheesy "Shakedown 4 Life."

While Envy sets up some nice shots, Red Café doesn’t always get it in the basket. He is of the Lil’ Wayne school of hip hop, ie. rappers who rap about the same old gangsta bullshit with enough originality and wit to make it sound good. Unfortunately, Red Café isn’t quite as original or witty as Weezy, Listening to him rhyme, I could understand both why he has made such a splash on the mixtape scene , and why he has been shuffled around between three or four record labels. He’s got skills, but he’s not always, shall we say, maximizing his full potential. He’s pulling punches, rapping about the same tired shit when he should be taking it to another level. Take "Invincible," which has a ridiculous chorus:

"Shakedown invincible
Never let a nigga get the best of you
Always keep a chopper next to you
You know, .38 Spesh-u-al
Let it go like (Pow Pow Pow)
Let it go like (Blau Blau Blau)"

Red Alert also frequently indulges in that dubious but popular rhyming style where you just repeat a word or phrase as a rhyme:

"Ocean 11 motion, loking toting Mac 11
Poke him both him and his unborn son
Arm and Hammer man
Oakland 211
Shoot first when I bang I'm the last to run
Matter fact, can't remember when last I run
When last I ran
I rather blam
My hood more like Afghanistan
Goddamn it man"

The major problem with this album can be summed up by the skits, which chronicle the life and death of MC Death Murder Homicide, a rapper who comes off tough on his records but is in fact a total dork who loves Justin Timberlake. The first skit is funny, and I was thinking, “OK, Red Café is commenting about how wack gangsta rappers are, and how lame it is to rap about violence.” However, the Death Murder Homicide trilogy ends with the MC being killed by Red Café for lightly dissing him. I realized that what Red Café was REALLY trying to say with the skit is that phony myspace gangsta rappers are wack, because they don’t really come from the streets like he does. It’s an unconvincing argument, and makes for some unconvincing rhymes.

"The Co-Op" has some good beats and some decent rhymes, but I think that Red Café can do better than this. I respect that he comes from the streets and wants to use that in his lyrics, but he needs to find a more original and creative way to leverage being shot and being in prison. As it stands on “The Co-Op.” he just sounds like a million other rappers doing the same thing, backed by beats that are good, but not good enough to truly stand out.

Sandpeople review

Reposted from rapreviews.com

Yet another Portland crew that I wanted to like more than I did. Maybe I'm just prejudiced against white rappers.

“Honest Racket” Sandpeople, Sandpeople Music, www.sandpeoplemusic.com
reviewed by Patrick Taylor

This is the third album by Portland’s Sandpeople, an eleven-member collective who have been around since 2004. The group includes Al-One, Ethic, Iam, Gold, Illmaculate, Only, Mo-B, Sapient, Simple, and DJ Spark. Their bio mentions the fact that most of the crew hadn’t even met when they recorded their debut album, “Points of View,” and it was only after recording their follow-up “All In Vain” began that they all were introduced. “Honest Racket” offers up sixteen tracks of underground, Northwest hip hop, adding to a vibrant scene that includes acts like Othello and the Lifesavas.

The album starts off with the crew flying their indie flag high over an industrial beat by Sapient:

"I duck the limelight proudly
If you see me then you probably wouldn't doubt me
When I say there's nothing Hollywood about me
Fucking A-list just a bunch of K-Fed's claiming they made it
Made what? (I made it to the top, dog!)
Shut up, you ain't made shit
Most your fame's derived from luck
Right place at the right time
If you get signed it doesn’t matter if you suck you'll do just fine
Lose your mind thinking you're God's gift to music that speaks the truth
Until your 15 minutes are up and we're like 'Where the fuck did you go?'
[…]
Now that we out of the gates our crew makes its case for hardest working
We 10 deep these pens speak but we remain observant
Make ends meet but rent's cheap and music's most important
Now we got heads either nodding or turning towards Portland"

I definitely respect where these guys are coming from. I like the fact that the Sandpeople are DIY and underground, and I appreciate that they go for more honest, thoughtful lyrics. They talk about the frustrations of being young and broke on "Lose It," and on the beautifully sad "Not Alright" they drop lines like "sharpie my existence on the inside of your eye/so you'll never forget the vision in which beauty lies/I'm ugly/or says the two-way mirror." I particularly enjoyed the more psychedelic side of their work. I'm a huge fan of Lil' Wayne's "I Feel Like Dying," and it always makes me happy to see other artists go off in a trippy, drugged-out direction (lyrically, that is).

Simple and Sapient provide all of the beats, and most of them are on point. They particularly excel at infusing an electronica quality to their work, perhaps a remnant of Simple's days as a trance DJ. They also layer in a lot of different types of instruments, like the acoustic guitar and xylophone on "I Don't Care," the drum, bass, and organ on "Group Home," and the horns on "The Air We Breath." Some of the tracks are too mellow or generic sounding for my taste, but for the most part they do a good job on the knobs and turntables.

It was impossible for me to keep track of all of the MCs, but not all of them are genius on the mic. There are a few of them whose flow has an exaggerated, forced quality that I just can’t get into. I call it the Eminem disease where MCs try to ape Marshall Mathers' when he's being VERY SERIOUS. It ends up sounding too much like play-acting, and not enough like rapping.

The Sandpeople have a lot going for them, but “Honest Racket” doesn’t quite manage to harness their magic. The end result is an album that is decent but not great, made by a crew who are more exciting because of their potential than their output to date. Still, I’d rather listen to a crew like the Sandpeople, who are at least trying to take rap in an interesting and positive direction, than suffer yet another gangsta crew bragging about crimes they haven’t committed and jewelry they can’t afford. “Honest Racket” may not get heavy rotation on my stereo, but I’m going to keep my eye on Portland.

Nas has done it again...

According to www.sohh.com, Nas is planning on naming his upcoming album "Ni**er." I'm not sure if that is how it will be printed on the album, or if that is just what the label is calling it. One Brooklyn politician is already threatening Universal with legal and monetary actions.

What's rad about this, besides the fact that it is more blatant controversy-pandering by Nas (oh he of "Hip Hop is Dead"), is that the album will be impossible to ask for or talk about. We can't say "Nas' new album 'Nigger'", and you can't pronounce "Ni**er". Very Prince-like. I'd love to think that Nas is trying to engage the public in a conversation about what that word means, but really, I think he is just admitting his increasing cultural irrelevance and making a bold move to sell more records.

Lance Hahn 1967 – 2007

Lance Hahn died this week at the age of 40. He had been ill for some time with kidney disease, and finally succumbed to it. Lance was a fixture of the SF punk scene for years. His band J Church was named after the Muni line that serviced SF’s very punk Mission district. He worked at Epicenter, the volunteer-run (and defunct) record store. He wrote regular columns in MaximumRockNRoll, and had been working on a book about anarcho punk bands. His label, Honeybear, put out stuff by J Church as well as other bands.

I used to see him around in the late nineties. He was a well-fed guy with long hair, and he was instantly recognizable. I had a few J Church CDs, and while they’ve never been my favorite band, I always admired his prolificacy and handle on a pop song. Hahn was a punk lifer who was in it for the long haul.

Here’s a fact – Shitty things happen to good people, especially shitty medical things. I’m sorry Lance died so young, but he definitely did not waste his time here on earth.

Dev Rocka

Reposted from Rapreviews.com
“Night Shift” Dev Rocka, Good Hands Records www.myspace.com/goodhandsrecords

By Patrick Taylor

“Night Shift” is a compilation from Philidelphia producer Kevin Devine, AKA Dev Rocka. Dev provides the beats, with rhymes by Reef the Lost Cauze, Planet Asia, Maylay Sparks, and Killah Priest. It is a great introduction to a talented producer, as well as a solid album.

Dev constructs his beats using his trusty MPC 2000 and turntables, mixing a nice, fat drum sound with samples. The result is classic East Coast hip hop: hard beats, cinematic instrumentation, and an overall feel that is as coldly beautiful as the East Coast itself. His music pays homage to masters like DJ Premier and the Rza, without sounding derivative.
The best way to describe “Night Shift” is classic hip hop as only people from the region that invented the genre can produce. The South may have bounce, and the West Coast may have G-funk, but only the East Coast can truly bring the cinematic boom-bap epitomized by artists like Mobb Deep, Gangstarr, and the Wu.

The raw beats are complimented by raw rhymes from a stable of rappers both well-known and relatively new to the game. Maylay Sparks sums it up on "Relax":

"I try to write something different
Not about the drinks or getting spliffted
Exemplify why I'm really gifted
Mic cord stay twisted around my arms dropping realistic
Shit to quench your thirst like mystic
Don't forget that it's a privilege to be involved in the music business"

One of the album's finest lyrical moments comes in "Vocab and Knowledge," when Drac calls out fake gangstas:

"Hundred dollar sneakers, nothing in the bank
Acting like a gunner when you fronting with a shank
Thinking like the masses your ass is grass is a catastrophe waiting to happen
So start strapping on your thinking cap and crack a book
A little vocab and knowledge to scholar from crook
In case you hadn't noticed
Somehow it's uncool to act like you know what you're talking about"

There are a lot of rappers who put out albums with ten different producers, so “Night Shift” is a nice change of pace. In a way it makes more sense sonically for a single producer to work with ten different rappers. “Night Shift” doesn’t feel like a compilation, and works well as an album.

The only real problem I have with “Night Shift” is that it is in danger of being slept on. With so many high-profile hip hop albums coming out this Fall, a little-known producer’s album doesn’t have good shot of making a dent. That’s a shame, because “Night Shift” is one of the better releases this year. Fans of “real” hip hop better check this out, because it is destined to be regarded as an underrated classic in ten years.

Bad Brains

When I was an angst-ridden adolescent first getting into punk 20 years ago, I had to scour to find bands to check out. I didn’t have the internet, none of my friends were into punk, and so I was left to explore this genre on my own. I really wish I had come across the Bad Brains debut back then, instead of now.

Simply put, this is a classic album, and an essential hardcore album. It ranks up there with Minor Threat’s eps, the Circle Jerks “Group Sex,” the Germs debut, Black Flag’s early stuff, Discharges 1st ep, etc. etc. The Brains were/are melodic and fast as hell. They could also play their instruments, which is a novel idea. I put this on my headphones and it gives me the same jolt that I used to get in my teens listening to the Descendents or Minor Threat. Maybe it’s a little pathetic that a grown-ass man could still tap into his teenage angst, but fuggit. As a side note, it’s also weird to me that the music i get nostalgic about is hardcore punk. I wonder what my kids will think of it?

Insane Poetry

Reprinted from www.rapreviews.com
Insane Poetry :: Fallen From Grace :: Long Range Distribution
as reviewed by Patrick Taylor

On the intro to "Fallen From Grace," the fourth album by SoCal underground rap crew Insane Poetry, MC Cyco makes it clear that being an underground legend is hardly a lucrative prospect. He describes working 12-hour days at a bullshit job to pay the bills and alimony. He presents "Fallen From Grace" as a last-ditch effort by a man on the edge of financial ruin and insanity, one last chance to make it in the rap game and prove to himself and the haters in his life that he truly is a rapper. It is a startlingly emotional plea, and adds an element of rawness and honesty to the album.

Insane Poetry's 1992 classic "Grim Reality" laid out the template for horrorcore, and they don't stray too far from that genre on this disc. "Kill You," "Boyz In A Box," and "Murderland" all invoke horror film imagery to describe life on the streets. However, just as on "Grim Reality," Insane Poetry is aware that the grim has to be balanced by the reality, and there are a lot of tracks devoted to describing the realitiesof life. This is where the album shines the most, with Cyco stepping in like an elder statesmen. On "The Game of Life" he warns young rappers about the danger of flirting with gangbanging:

"I'm in the struggle between life and death
So I have to take wiser steps to avoid putting my life in jep
Now that I'm older I had to harness my fury
Took the chip off my shoulder
The world has gotten colder
So fuck that killer talk too many niggas caught slipping
Gang banging when they spitting
Not realizing the friction
Ambitions of a rider
Until the hot slugs burning inside them
Killers mashing off you hear the burning tires
Peeling off after the shots rang out
Scene bloody Clorox can get the stains out
Blew his brains out while getting blamed from a chicken in his Monte Carlo
Don't look startled when that heats drawn
And the reaper comes in the form of slugs"

It is these non-horrorcore tracks that make "Fallen From Grace" worth checking out, and keep it from being monotonous and boring. Cyco barks out his rhymes in a cadence that reminded me of Tupac, minus the sensitivity. He makes his connection to Pac clear in the title track:

"Here come my magnum opus
witness my fall from grace
as the camera focus
I spit it all in your face
What the fuck you figure
Reminiscing of the great Pac and Machiavelli
[...]
The specialist specializing in doom
I am the great knowledge that was buried in King Solomon's tomb
Follow me and just swallow this shroom
And let your brain cells ride to the dark side of the moon"

The true star of the album is Jason "JP" Pearl, who handles production. He offers up seventeen tracks of future funk that sound as good as any West Coast producer has to offer. Highlights include "The Game of Life" with its creeping guitar, "Black Widow" with its spacey take on "Love to Love You," the farting funk of "Heartless," and the triumphant keyboard stabs of "Revenge." JP may not have the budget of a Dre or Timbaland, but it doesn't show in his beats. I love West Coast G-funk, and Insane Poetry serves it up in spades.

"Fallen From Grace" isn't the classic that "Grim Reality" is, but it is a solid album by longstanding underground legends. I don't know if it will cure all of Cyco's financial worries, or free him from the drudgery of his day job, but it should prove once and for all that he is a rapper to reckon with.

Bangers and Cash

Reprinted from www.rapreviews.com

Spank Rock and Benny Blanco :: Bangers & Cash :: Downtown Records
as reviewed by Patrick Taylor

One of my favorite albums of 2006 was "Yoyoyoyoyo," the debut by Spank Rock. Spank Rock embody the Baltimore sound: equal parts hip hop, electro, Miami bass, and electronica, all distilled through a little hipster irony. The album was an ode to partying, sex, and having a good time. On this EP, producer Armani XXXchange steps aside so Benny Blanco can have a chance at the boards. Blanco and MC Naeem Juwan go to their roots, paying homage to the 2 Live Crew while giving that dirty Miami bass sound a facelift.

The cover of the disc is an homage to "As Nasty As They Wanna Be," and four of the tracks sample the Miami raunch kings. "Shake That" opens with Luke and Crew declaring "Welcome to the fuck shop!" before Naeem raps:

"I got a dollar for you push it put your ass up on that pole If your friend over there lick it then you might earn $20 more How your knees don't bend with your hand flat on the floor? See the sweat drip to your kush from your doody hole"

The beat, like all the tracks here, is all groin-punching bass, handclap beats, hi-hat snaps, and synth flourishes. It's booty-shaking and brilliant. Speaking of booty-shaking, "B-O-O-T-A-Y" is an adrenaline rush that mashes Miami bass with electro glitch and a siren to create a frenetic ode to the female posterior.

The best track is "Loose," an ode to hotties with naughty bodies at the club. The lyrics manage to both diss and pay homage to hoochie mammas:

"She a hoochie watch the miniskirt ride up Dimes and pennies twerp get it hotter Hootchies wanna get on the guest list Eat a small dinner so they fit in their dresses Fuck a meal go for bills big breasted Shoot it like gas I'm serving dick for breakfast Pussy pop she like three things The club, money, sex, yes just like hip hop Did a full strut when we pulled up Said she liked D's I said "These nuts" Ain't that what you want A Hilton and a Trump Making sex tapes get dick get cum All this money make a bitch go dumb Coke on the table make the bitch go numb She ain't nothing but a hoochie mamma Hoodrat, hoodrat, hoochie mamma"

Amanda Blank contributes a verse defending the ladies, but lines like "I fuck to bust nuts, fuck a man's respect/I rap for money to spend and to keep my panties wet," would hardly impress bell hooks.

"Pu$$y" mixes things up with its screwed vocals. "Bitch!" is the oddest track on the album: It samples the signature expletive from NWA's "A Bitch Iz A Bitch," but mashes it with ambient synthesizer chords, a house beat, and a chorus that has a Trent Reznor sound-alike repeating "Cop Killer." It's bizarre, but kind of awesome.

Or rather, it would be, except for the fact that "Bitch!" is repeated about fifty times during the three minute track. I get that they are riffing off of 2 Live Crew, I get that they like sex, drugs, and partying, but it gets old and childish. The song titles read out "Shake That. B-O-O-T-A-Y. Loose. Pu$$y. Bitch!" Come one, guys, really? At a certain point, if you look like an asshole, and you are rapping like an asshole, you are probably an asshole. Spank Rock seem to want to dabble in old school uber-sexism with hipster irony, but it's still the same old bullshit that wasn't ok when Uncle Luther was doing it.

"Bangers & Cash" sounds amazing, and based on the beats alone would be the ultimate party record. Benny Blanco has truly updated the Miami Bass sound for this millennium; it's just a shame they couldn't update the lyrics as well. I don't want Spank Rock to stop making songs about fucking and partying; I just want them to do it a little more intelligently.

Othello Review

My review of Othello's album is below. I actually pulled some punches in my review. I REALLY did not like this. At first, I liked the live music and the fact that it referenced classic East Coast hip hop. But the more I listened, the more I hated it, to the point that it would make me angry when it was on. The problem is, the music is fucking cheesy, and the whole thing has this hippy/christian vibe that I can't get with. I got into hip hop as a way to get AWAY from hippiedom. In general, I am not a fan of "conscious" hip hop when it becomes cheesy, lite-jazz bohemian bullshit. So. Not my cup of tea, but then I think the Roots are boring as fuck too.


"Alive at the Assembly Line" Othello , Hip Hop Is Music www.hiphopismusic.com

reposted from www.rapreviews.com

Seattle-born, Portland-based Othello is the musical child of A Tribe Called Quest, the Roots and Talib Kweli. He combines positive lyrics with jazzy, sometimes live beats to create music that references the classic late-90s Rawkus days while trying to find its own niche. “Live at the Assembly Line” is his second album, following up on last year’s “Classic.”


Production is handled by L Mind, Stro and Mr. Jay of the Procussions, and D-Minor and M-Phazes of Wax Reform. Some of the beats are programmed, but a lot of them feature live instruments by Othello’s band the Black Notes. The live music is the best aspect of "Alive at the Assembly Line." I'm a drummer, and hearing live drums on a track sounds amazing. They are warm, funky, and miles better than the cold, trebly synth beats too many producers are rocking these days.


I have two issues with this disc. One is that while I like how the music was recorded, I don’t actually like the music itself. It's too jammy, jazzy, and neo-soul for my taste. That isn’t to say that it’s bad, but definitely not my cup of tea. The other issue I have is that while I appreciate Othello’s positive, conscious lyrics, his rapid-fire flow make it difficult to understand what he was saying, and what I did understand didn’t blow me away. "We all face rough times ahead/Steady being pushed until we find the ledge/Step back and smooth it out," he rhymes on "Smooth It Out," and it sounds like the same message I've heard 100 times from 100 other "conscious" rappers. Don’t get me wrong, he is nice on the mic, but his mellow, upbeat flow just didn't move me.

I’m happy that there are artists like Othello creating interesting and positive hip hop music. He is a talented MC with a nice sound that should appeal to fans of golden age, jazzy hip hop. However, while I'm glad “Alive at the Assembly Line” exists, and while I can appreciate it on an intellectual level, I don’t actually enjoy listening to it. Keep doing what you do, Othello, but forgive me if I take a pass.

Shep Dog Review

"Underground Strong + Pimp N' Ho Mixtape" Shep Dog, Intrinz INK Records www.myspace.com/intrinzink

Reposted from www.rapreviews.com

Shep Dog is a 50-year-old homeless man who was discovered by Intrinzik and Joe Dank spare-changing outside of a Circle K. Shep was an aspiring rapper, Intrinzik and Joe Dank own a label, and a beautiful friendship was born. Intrinzik evidently saw the perfect clown to exploit - one part ODB, three parts Rudy Ray Moore, and ten parts "Bum Fights." Shep raps exactly like you'd expect a 50-year-old panhandler to rap: badly. His lyrics are limited to bragging about getting pussy, fucking your mother, being underground, and being from Fresno. Did I mention he likes pussy and fucking your mother? Because he does. A lot. It isn't clever, it isn't funny, and it isn't enjoyable to listen to. Shep may be getting paid, and obviously is a willing participant in this debacle, but the whole thing has an exploitative vibe to it. Shep may think he's in on the joke, but the project is designed to laugh at him, not with him.

Shep mercifully only squeezes out 8 cuts, but the disc is rounded out by 23 by-numbers gangsta rap songs by a bunch of rappers you've never heard of and won't be hearing about and time soon. This doesn't add any potential value to the disc, unless you are into generic, bombastic synth beats and lines like "When life's a bitch, I give it a tampon." There is no reason for this to exist, and even less for anyone to buy it.

Nato Caliph

"Cipher Inside" Nato Caliph, F5 Records, www.f5records.com

Reposted from www.rapreviews.com

Nato Caliph is such an understated and low-key rapper that he makes Cormeaga or GZA look like Busta Rhymes. Nato doesn't spit his rhymes, he mutters them under his breath and without exerting any extra energy, as if he were ordering a cup of chamomile tea at a coffee shop. The St. Louis rapper is about as far from Nelly and the St. Lunatics as you can get, both in his delivery and his lyrics.

I'll be honest: the first time I listened to "Cipher Inside," I was not feeling it. I thought it was boring and preachy, and I couldn't get over the fact that Nato was calling for revolution in tone more fitting for the library than the microphone. The more I listened to the album, however, the more it grew on me. A lot of it has to do with the confidence in Nato's delivery. He speaks softly because he doesn't need to yell - He KNOWS he's right.

The first line he drops spells out his mission statement: "A bunch of words to a beat mean nothing if they're only helping you." Nato does his best to make every line count, and to use hip hop as a positive force. His lyrics are thoughtful, intelligent, and on point:

"They tried to put us against us and you fell for that
Nothing hurts us more than black on black
I've learned new laws so I could properly break them
Stay close so I could properly shake you
I'm better than this
Divine Allah radical on the federal's list
It's a trip
Mastered self so I could swim in the pit
I don't get in where I fit in
I fit in where I get in
[…]
You dissing me? The bottom line is you're ignorant
Because I provide music for the soul and food for spirit
With King Tut delivery and Garvey lyrics"

There is no cursing on this record, and unlike Master P, Nato doesn't use this as a publicity stunt, saying the same tired garbage without the profanity. Instead he tackles subjects like racism, black unity, and the war. One of the most powerful songs is "Death Recall," which is a eulogy to the deceased, whether it be Nato Caliph's family, friends, unborn children, or even black leaders who are no longer with us. This is NOT just Nato pouring beer on the curb for his fallen soldierz. He goes for something much more deep and personal:

"I'm bringing back my unborn seed that I didn't give a chance to
Grow up intelligent, pretty, or handsome
And I know it takes two to decide
I pushed the issue
At the time I had too much pride
I really miss you."

Nato can come off preachy at times. He's like an older brother telling you to act right, and it's not always something you want to hear. He manages to be right on enough of the time to make his peachiness palatable, and he instills his message with just enough humility to not come off arrogant or self-righteous. That isn't to say he's suffering from low self-esteem, which is clear from "Commencement Ceremony”:

“I'm from a city where we separate the more real from the realer
The only light out of this black hole is true skill
We watch movies with no substance
And eat food just the same
And wonder why a bad body can't support a bad brain
I'm beyond doing my thing
I'm watching you do me now
So peep how
I'm the calling and the redail"

The beats, provided by DJ Crucial, Kenautis Smith, Stoney Rock, Tech Supreme, and Lyfestile, are generally as understated and quietly powerful as Nato's rhymes. Many of them are built around piano and string samples, and while there are a couple uptempo numbers, this is not an album for the club. A few of the tracks suffered from recording issues, but for the most part it sounds very good, and is head bobbing if not banging.

"Cipher Inside" is one of those records that grows on you the more you listen to it. Nato Caliph may not be the most energetic rapper, but he has a quiet determination that is hard to resist. He has created an album that is the perfect antidote to flashy, shallow hip hop, and one that deserves attention.

Kala is Fucking Brilliant

I put off buying M.I.A.'s new album, Kala, for a while. I heard tracks on her myspace page, and it sounded too cacophonous. I was also a little irritated at the critical acclaim that M.I.A. had received. I felt like the Western media was praising her because she was a cute Malaysian woman making exotic music. But then I heard "Paper Planes" and my opinion changed. The track uses the Clash's "Straight to Hell" which is one of my favorite songs ever. "Straight to Hell" is about the struggles immigrants face in the West, done with brutal honesty. "Let me tell you about your blood" sings Joe Strummer. "It ain't Coca Cola, it's rice." The chorus is just as blunt: "There ain't no need for you. Go straight to hell, boys." M.I.A. reinvents the song from the immigrants perspective, turning it into an idyll about riding on paper planes. That is, until the chorus. "All I wanna do" she sings before she is cut off by three gun shots followed by the ringing of a cash register. The menace is clear, and it is both frightening and exhilirating.

There are other brilliant tracks - she pairs up with a group of young aboriginal rappers on one track, she quotes Jonathan Richman and the Pixies, she teams up with an African rapper, even Timbaland makes a (lame) appearance. The songs are noisy but lively, incorporating aspects of African, East Indian, and European music and making something that is truly global, truly multicultural. Besides that, it is a lot of fun - it's like a party on wax. When I walk around with Kala on my headphones, I can't help but bob my head and rock out. It sounds fresh, hopeful, and alive. I fucking love it. Go M.I.A.

Too Much Music

When I was a kid, I had a much closer and more personal relationship with music than I do today. I would make my mom take me to the cool record stores in downtown Santa Cruz every other week when I got my allowance. I would by a cassette or two with my twenty bucks, and then listen to it over and over and over again. I listened to "Never Mind the Bullocks" two or three times a day for months, for example. I would listen to the records so much that I knew every chord, every lyric, every drum beat. Music came to me in a trickle, and I savored it.

As I got older and had more money, I was able to buy more and more music. One or two new albums a month became three or four became four or five. However, I still had time to really savor the music and get to know the albums that I was really into.

I've hit critical mass this year. My trickle of music has become a gushing ocean, and I can't begin to digest it, much less savor it. Between my ipod, the mixtapes and free tracks I download, the discs I get to review, the stuff I borrow from my friends, the stuff I get from the library, and the stuff I actually plunk down money for, I'm averaging ten new albums a month. In fact, in the last five weeks, I've acquired 15 new albums, one of which is a five-disc collection of Charlie Parker's early material. That's a solid day's worth of music, practically. There's no way I can begin to listen to all of that, especially since I don't have a job that facilitates listening to music.

Part of this deluge of music is my desire, as I get more into music criticism, to hear as much music as I can so that I'll at least know what stuff sounds like. Part of it is just greed at wanting to have as much music as possible, part of it is consumerism, and part of it is just knowing that there is so much great stuff out there, and wanting to hear it all.

But damn - 15 cds in five weeks. A lot of those were for reviews, and I'll never listen to them again. Some of them were just out of curiosity - I burned or borrowed stuff that I missed the first time around and wanted to check out. Some, like Oh No's "Dr. NO's Oxperiment" and Madlib's "Beat Konducta in India" may not make it into heavy rotation on my ipod or cd player. Others, however, are pretty brilliant - MIA's "Kala," the National's "Boxer," for example.

The burden of excess - how typically western. Most of the world is starving, and we are trying to figure out ways to eat less. Most of the world is lucky to own a handful of albums, and I'm lamenting that I have too many to listen too.

Sankofa - "The Tortoise Hustle"

Sankofa "The Tortoise Hustle" www.obeseamerica.com
(reposted from www.rapreviews.com)

Stephen "Sankofa" Brydon does not have a typical hip hop pedigree. He was born in Australia, spent some time in Minnesota and L.A., and wandered around on the Appalachian trail before settling in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That's a long way from Queensbridge. His nom-du-rap refers to a symbol from the Cote d'Ivoire of a bird looking backwards, which means "looking backwards to move forwards." It's a fitting name for the rapper, since he has one foot in the old school, and one foot in the future. "The Tortoise Hustle" is his latest album, coming on the heels of several underground albums and singles.

Sankofa has a deep, commanding delivery in the same vein as Brother Ali. He comes out with both guns blazing on album opener "The Bottom Line," a harsh indictment of the record industry. Over an old-school funk beat, Sankofa booms:

"You don’t exist to make music, you live to make a profit
Selling your advertising space but I know it’s never thought of
I wish you best of luck in all your demographic research
But when you follow the trends you’ll end up leaving feet first
Who are the people making money at radio stations?
It's not the disc jockeys, the ones who live shoddy
It’s the people selling all the advertising slots
The fraternizing jocks with their status climbing flock
Who have got expense accounts in dense amounts
Mileage from driving the cars that are stylish
Benefits, got to have the pearly white gates gleam
Backroom deals are done dirty and they stay clean
Hedging bets putting chick’s drinks on my tab
Write it off to corporate slush funds, thinking to stab
Blink and it’s grabbed, another ass another day passes
Thankful I’m a shark in a world content to stay passive
My reign’s acid it isn't about to cease quick
So spin another clone trying to rap when the beat kicks
You're not a listener, your just a customer
And that's the bottom line"

In my mind, there are three things you need to make a successful hip hop song: you have to have something to say, you have to say it in a clever way, and you have to have a fat beat. Sankofa nails all three on "The Bottom Line," and on most of the tracks on "The Tortoise Hustle." He's dropping an important message, and does it with a lot of skill and style. The production, handled by El Keter, sounds like classic James Brown, and may even be live instruments (there is a picture of Sankofa performing with a band in the insert). There are several other tracks on "The Tortoise Hustle" that have a similar funk sound. The album is rounded out by some mellower, more introspective tracks like "They All Die, which is about religious wars, and the title song, which has a piano loop and handclap beat, and sees Sankofa exploring life as an underground and underpaid rapper. "The Tortoise Hustle" also shows that Sankofa is a little older and wiser than some of the young bucks out there:

"Cause they’re prone to say things which I don’t believe
And I’m known to say things that they won’t repeat
So I guess we’re even in a childish kind of way
Both deaf with conviction-listen"

Sankofa is almost completely free of the fronting and posturing that is synonymous with hip hop. He lays himself out as a struggling rapper who loves his wife and his music, and hates haters and the industry. He isn't even getting his grind on-this album was recorded over a year while he was planning his wedding, and is being released as 250 numbered tins (and also digitally on itunes). Clearly, going platinum is not high on Sankofa's priorities. He also tackles subject matter that most rappers don't deal with, like when he takes on America's obsession with underage starlets on "Shiny":

"It’s the cyclical nature making the sick smarter
Who cares about Alicia Silverstone when puberty hit harder?
A nixed artist, varnished, underaged vargas,
Wispy Disney starlet, risky business with a prissy little smarm
it’s harmless
fun and games, child’s play with grown up customers
Trusted perks and thus disgust is blurred, you must’ve heard
The Olsen twins, talking about centerfolds and such
When they’re old enough, barely legal, evil rolling up
Who sold the smut, the same who profit, you got it
And you wonder how some young girls get neurotic
Vomit on the toilet seat, Hubba Bubba mixed with bile
And the best word to apply is denial
It’s the latest style, fashion, fad and must have
Keeping up with the joneses, eyeliner like a musk rat
And all the good news, I wouldn’t trust that
You wonder what she did when she cut class, just ask"

That's a long way from rapping about having hoes in different area codes. I appreciated Sankofa's thoughtful take on hip hop and issues around it, although the combination of his lyrics and his commanding tone meant that at times I felt like I was listening to my dad lecture me. Thankfully, Sankofa manages to mix it up enough so that the album never feels too didactic or preachy. And when he is on, he is ON. My favorite track is "The Zoom Zip", a funky, uptempo that Sankofa absolutely kills, dropping lines like:

"Act a jerk, you're getting smacked for sure
It's El Keter in the back with a track, superb
and Sankofa with a rap to learn, clap your hands.
Taking it way back to Dapper Dan.

You might find something worth a listen right here
right now, but if you don't try, you'll never find out.
Lie down, taking a load off. making your woes stop.
Oakland to Beantown-A's to the Bosox
Flow locked? No question I'm testing most thought.
Perfection is destined, I'm ready to go off at any given moment
The frozen are arisen with a dose of focus
Delivering the opus, spitting a cyclone
I shiver the light bones and didn’t invite clones
Lip-zip it and fly home, kid it is sick
Minimum I wrote, envision the bliss
With a telescope attached to the dopest rap
Don’t need a skeleton, cause Vogue is wack
Proceed to scatter facts in the mode of fat
Slow speaking data cats grin and grow, with that"

On "The Zoom Zip", as on most of "The Tortoise Hustle," Sankofa is on fire, attacking the mic with a stellar flow and amazing lyrics. His combination of lyrics, delivery, and beats makes this one of the better rap albums of the year, and certainly a disc worth some attention. I've been listening to this album as Curtis and Kanye have been having their public pissing match, and it made me realize that as long as the underground is producing work as funky, innovative, and intelligent as "The Tortoise Hustle," I have no problem with both Curtis AND Kanye retiring.

SEX STYLE

Kool Keith "Sex Style" Funky Ass Records, 1997
As reviewed by Patrick Taylor (reposted from www.rapreviews.com)

Keith Thornton, aka Kool Keith, likes sex. A lot. On his Dr. Octagon project, he interspersed porn film dialogue and gynecology references into his rap persona, and it was freaky but still funny. On his 1997 album"Sex Style", the gloves came off, and he indulged full-throttle in his obsession.

The album cover has Keith wearing a tank top, Kangol, cowboy boots and no pants. He's posing with a model who was most likely found in the back of SF Weekly. There's a car in the background, a motel sign, and that's about it. It has the same cheap and sleazy feel as low-budget porn, and is a good indication of the music inside. The album starts off with an intro, and then the title track, an ominous-sounding song with an even more ominous chorus:

"Sex Style!
Niggas want it free
Their dogs drink my piss"

And right about there is where listeners start to get a little disturbed. Sure, we like porn, who doesn’t'? But dogs drinking piss? That's a little beyond what we signed up for. And it gets weirder and grosser from there. While your average East Coast rapper would use the menacing beat to drop rhymes about life on the streets, Keith goes in a completely different direction:

"You want freestlye, that's right, the style is free
Niggas suck my dick and they girls drink my pee
I'm on some S&M shit you can't get with
Pull your panties down on stage and watch you sweat quick
Suckers back to pull their style's transsexual
Lesbians dance with the funky heterosexual
You on the mic, and when you rhyme I start to jerk off
Let my dog lick you German Shepard want to bust off
I tell your legs and swat em, MC's having anal sex
Step around like a Tampax, and step up next
I enter New York, no problem with my dick out
California porno star, my ass you can lick out
Saying "What?" with sperm dripping down your partner's butt
I see MC's in my face with their ass up
Let me put my cape on, my rubber and my mask up
Not no horror-core shit, this is porno-core
I'm in the club naked man, I'm the fucking pro
Niggas can't wax no ass, girls should let them know"


If there is one adjective that could describe this album, it's "uncomfortable". It's like hanging out with a friend who starts to share a little too much about his perversions. It's like finding yourself at the Clermont in Atlanta watching over-the-hill strippers pay for their songs AND drinks. "Sex Style" marks the area where a healthy enjoyment of sexuality turns into something much darker and potentially damaging. The rumors around this album are that Keith blew all the money Dreamworks had given him to record a follow up to Dr. Octagon on strippers and porn, and "Sex Style" was the result. I don't know if that is true, but on songs like "Don't Crush It" and "Sly We Fly" Keith sounds as strung out on sex as Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac were on cocaine.

Whatever his mental state, Keith still manages to deliver the crazy/clever lines that he is famous for, like "shooting jism/she ride like a Geo Prism." His freakiness and trips to Belvue aside, Keith is a stellar rapper, and has a unique ability to twist language and spit verses that may not always rhyme, but always work. He has amassed a cult following not just because he says a lot of crazy shit, but because he says it in a way that few MCs can match.

A perfect example is on the dis track "Keep It Real…Represent." On the surface it is your standard homophobic track, in which an MC disses his opponents by accusing them of being gay. However, Keith gives it a freaky twist, by accusing his rivals of not just being gay, but being transsexuals:

"I heard you quit rap, your wife went back to porno flicks
You turned drag queen, a call girl doing tricks
Nighttime prostitute kid, I'ma take your loot
I heard you queer now like Boy George, blowing flutes
With high heels, you stole your mom's birth control pills
You on some new stuff, I heard about that sex change
You got a vagina, your grandmother think it's strange
New eyeliner, you was flirting with a gay designer
Your girl felt mines, and pulled off her Calvin Kleins
I saw Tampax, gonorrhea red stop signs
I looked at her and said, "Mmm.. put your panties back on"
then jerked off to Foxy Brown, when her verse was on
I wanna stand back and bust nuts at your butts
Your girl is cocked up, with lollipops, doggie style
I feel I'm dealin with plastic, watch these fake smiles
Yeah, meet my left and my right"

The chorus is a classic Kool Keith one-liner: "Keep it real.. represent what? My nuts!"
The whole track is so wrong, so gross, and so vivid that you can't help but appreciate it.

"Sex Style" was recorded in San Francisco by Dr. Octagon collaborator Dan the Automator, with Kutmaster Kurt handling all production. Kurt manages some dope beats, sampling Star Trek sound effects on "Sly We Fly", and delivering some bounce on "Make Up Your Mind". For the most part, the songs have the sparse, boom-bap sound that Kurt is famous for. This works for some of the songs, but by the midpoint, the songs start to sound the same, and there just isn't enough variety to carry all sixteen tracks. The monotonous production and creepy sexuality make "Sex Style" difficult to listen to in its entirety. If you do make it through the whole thing, you may find yourself needing a shower.

That doesn’t mean that it isn't a great album. "Sex Style" has it's own, perverted charm. He remains one of the more unique voices in hip hop. One of the things I like about him, and that is really evident in this album, is the fact that he is nobody's fool. He marches to his own drummer, and if you don't like it, he doesn't give a shit. It would have made sense for him to try to appeal to the white hipsters that gobbled up the Dr. Octagon album. Instead, Keith made an album that was too freaky for the hipster audience, too weird for the more mainstream hip hop audience, and too dirty to get any radio play. "Sex Style" is proof that Kool Keith is both an amazing rapper and a superfreak. Now when are he and R. Kelly going to do a collabo?

Mac and AK/Money Mont

These reviews are both on www.rapreviews.com. Both artists are from East Palo Alto, an area I've heard a lot about (in that it is scary and crime-ridden), but never been to.


Mac and A.K. "Legendary" E & K Music
originally posted on www.rapreviews.com

If you want a job done right, do it yourself. Just ask East Palo Alto rappers Mac and A.K. The twin brothers made a splash in 1996 with their debut EP, "Westbound (For Riders Only)." They were briefly signed to Tommy Boy, but soon realized that they were better off on their own, and have released two albums on their own label, E & K Music. "Legendary" is their third release, and not only is it on their label, but label co-owner Mac P handles production on all twenty tracks.

The result is an album that is much more cohesive than your average rap record full of tracks cobbled together from ten different producers. Mac P uses a mixture of keys, drum machines, and live instruments to create solid West Coast funk of the same pedigree as E-40's early work or Dr. Dre's later material. The production sounds slicker and smoother than on Mac and A.K.'s previous albums, and has none of the amateurish quality that often plagues self-released music. Mac and A.K. are experienced players who have been around for a while, and it shows in their confident, laid back beats and their equally confident, laid back rhymes. They spit lines effortlessly, as if they didn't even need to think about it. "Grindin'" exemplifies their style:

[Mac]
"I'm from a small town where they grind it out
If you a hustler ain't hard for you to find it out
On the block all day til the lights is out
Hit the studio and tell you what the life's about
We go hard or go home
Hungry grimey out the trunks
But fuck labels trying to sign us cuz Mac the boss
Known throughout the state
As a grimey go getter out the Golden Gate
AKA the Yay, boy, EPA's finest
We don't need no niggas to cosign us"

[A.K.]
"Since I'm a g I'm gonna lean on back
The whole team on the stacks
With bowling ball green on the 'llacs
I bet you never seen more stacks
Cuz when I be on tracks you can call me the king of rap
These other dudes must be on crack
Saying the Bay is dead
You niggas need to ease on back"

The boys aren't going to win any awards for originality, and they aren't going to steal any sales from Talib Kweli or Common. Mac and A.K.'s idea of enlightenment is drinking Belvedere. They stick to the tried and true hip hop cliches of money, women, partying, and capping haters. Titles like "Git Money", "On My Grind", "Grind Time", "Chedda Chasin", and "We Got Swagger" give you a good idea about where they are coming from. They round out the disc with a few party starters ("Make It Hot", "Do That"), a few warnings to haters ("You Ain't Heard", "You Don't Want It"), and the obligatory regional shout outs ("East Meets West", "California", "Where U From").

Much to their credit, the twins don't jump on the hyphy bandwagon, and avoid the bugged out, high-energy sound that is all over the Bay Area. Instead, they look to the roots of NorCal hip hop, and their sound is firmly rooted in the mobb music tradition. Think Messy Marv rather than Mistah F.A.B. I admire hyphy, and the movement has produced some great singles, but I much prefer the menacing funk of "Legendary" to the MDMA-and-Redbull spazz that epitomizes hyphy.

Despite the shallow subject matter, I couldn't help but enjoy "Legendary". The boys do their thing well, and don't pretend to be something they are not. This may not be the most spiritually fulfilling record ever made, but it's a hell of a good time. There are thousands of artists who do this same kind of DIY street rap, but not that many who do it as well as Mac and A.K.


Money Mont "My Life, My Struggle, My Hustle", E & K Records
Reviewed by Patrick Taylor

The only thing worse than growing up in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood is growing up in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood that is in one of the wealthiest areas of the country. Watching the wealthy frolic just down the block while you and your friends and family struggle to survive is its own kind of hell. Money Mont is from East Palo Alto, which had the unenviable distinction of being the murder capital of the U.S. in the early 90s. EPA is a tiny enclave of poverty amidst the excessive wealth of Silicon Valley. 16% of the residents live below the poverty line, the average family income is $45,000, and the average per capita income is $13,000. Compare that to Palo Alto, which is just down the street, home of Stanford University and Hewlitt-Packard, and has a family income of $117,000, a per capita income of $56,000, and about 3% of the population living below the poverty line. That ain't right.

Money Mont, aka Mr. Fetti, has documented the struggles and joys of growing up in the EPA on his debut disc, "My Life, My Struggle, My Hustle". He got his start on Mac and A.K.s debut EP in 1996, and has been featured on songs by local artists for the past ten years. He is clearly a product of the Yay Area: His flow has the same bizarro quality as E-40's, and his production draws from both the g-funk of mobb music and high energy of hyphy.

The production is good throughout the disc. Money Mont uses a slew of local producers like Mac P, Sean T, King Cydal, and Tatum1. Most of the beats are constructed around keys, drums machines, and live instruments, all the better to avoid licensing and legal issues. They manage to mix it up with some cutting and scratching, which adds a welcome old school element. One of my favorite tracks was Blak Muke's "Fresh", which samples a lot of golden age hip hop. "I Been Hustlin" is another great track, which uses the ubiquitous sped up soul sample and strings to create the right tone for Money Mark's introspective lyrics about growing up and getting by.

While I am not a huge fan of the whole hustler motif, Money Mont pulls it off here. Sure, he does a lot of bragging about pimping, making money, having jewelry, and getting with the ladies. However, he manages to instill some honesty and vulnerability into his rhymes, so that you buy into it. He also manages to make hustling seem like an act of rebellion, a big "fuck you" to all of the rich people in the Bay Area who couldn’t give a shit about the people who have been left out of the internet and biotech bonanza. This sets Money Mont apart from a lot of the street rappers who seem to be reading from a script, spewing the same tired cliches because they think that's what hip hop is. He even nails the "sensitive thug" song without coming off as cheesy or hypocritical. On "I'm Blessed" he raps:

"I play the cards I was dealt in the small town cemetery
I was raised in a place where everything wasn't all gravy
Where in the blink of an eye, you can lose your life
When them shots were fired, I should have lost my life
But by the grace of God, I'm here to testify
Yeah, I got hit, but He didn't let me die
Laying on my side, looking at the sky
Didn't say it out loud, but I’m asking why
Was it the dirt I did now back to get me?
They say life is a cycle, everything 360
Don't want no pity, just a chance to live"

That verse might come off to some as a blatant attempt to cash in on 50 Cent's property, but I bought it. He also gives numerous shout-outs to his wife, which is unfortunately pretty rare in hip hop. By presenting a more respectable and sensitive side of himself, Money Mont adds a layer of complexity to his persona that a lot of rappers ignore in their quest to be the hardest, richest, biggest pimp on the block.

I would have enjoyed Money Mont's lyrics even more if I could have understood everything he was saying. Between his garbled, rapid delivery and heavy use of obscure Bay Area slang, Money Mont is not the easiest rapper to comprehend. The slang is fine, and will no doubt enter the popular lexicon (by way of a Southern rapper) in a few years. What Money Mont needs to work on is breath control and delivery. He deserves to be heard, and he should make sure that listeners can understand what he's spitting. "My Life, My Struggle, My Hustle" is a good album by a rapper who deserves some attention.

Public Enemy #1

On September 25, Congress is holding a hearing into media stereotypes and degredation of women titled "From Imus to Industry: The Business of Stereotypes and Degredation". The hearing is being organized by (African-American) representative Bobby Rush of Illinois, who is also head of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. The goal is "To engage not just the music industry but the entertainment industry at large to be part of the solution". Witnesses will include bigwigs from Universal, Viacom, and Warner Music, as well as representatives from African American women's groups. the only artist confirmed at this point is Master P, who made a shitload of paper in the 90s doing gangsta rap, but has recently switched to more positive messages. the fact that his sales had flatlined probably had some influence on his decision to switch tactics.

We are spending billions of dollars a week on an unpopular, unsuccessful, and illegal war. The middle class is getting squeezed out of existence, healthcare is out of control, and everyone in the country is up to their eyeballs in debt. We have 2 million people in jail, mostly for non-violent charges, and african americans are overrepresented in prisons as well as homicide statistics, both as victims and perps.

In other words, the US in general and african americans in particular have bigger fish to fry than the copious use of the word bitch and ho in rap lyrics. I am happy that they are taking on the white execs who help decide that offensive lyrics are what the kids want, and thus what they will produce. But really, the whole thing seems like a waste of time and money. Why not work on helping ex-cons find legitimate work, or in reforming our justice system so taht we don't just chuck mass amounts of young men into prison each year. Why don't we focus on the socioeconomic problems behind offensive lyrics? Hell, for that reason, why don't we focus on women in general rather than african american women only?

We are allowing our government to torture people, to deny terror suspects of their civil liberties, to deny the whole public of civil liberties in teh name of protection, and our biggest beef is with rap lyrics? That's fucked up, Mr. Rush.

Madlib - Beat Konducta in India

Madlib is back on the scene as the Beatkonducta, this time giving us 34 more tracks all inspired by and sampling Indian music. It makes sense that he is reaching out internationally – I’m pretty sure he already owns every jazz and funk record ever made.

I love everything Madlib does because he loves music, and even when it doesn’t quite work his stuff is worth checking out. I like this CD, but not as much as I liked the last Beatkonducta disc. I have the same complaints I had with the last one – the tracks are too short (never more than 2 minutes), you never can get into a groove, and it’s geared more towards trippyness and experimentation than head-bobbing. What this disc is missing is FUNK. By sampling so much Indian stuff, Madlib sacrifices the groove. I liked a lot of the tracks on here, but 34 tracks of Indian music may be a little too much.

But whatever. It’s madlib, it’s out there, it’s worth owning.
pst

Panacea review

Reprinted from www.rapreviews.com

Panacea :: The Scenic Route :: Glow-in-the-Dark/Rawkus Records
as reviewed by Patrick Taylor

"The Scenic Route" is D.C. duo Panacea's sophomore effort, coming just a year after "Ink is My Drink". Their relationship with Rawkus is fitting; Like a lot of Rawkus' past and present roster, Panacea are trying to take hip-hop to another level while paying homage to its roots. Panacea is comprised of Raw Poetic on rhymes and K-Murdock on beats. One of Panacea's biggest strengths is that they are a collaborative duo who are responsible for the sound of the entire album, rather than the more typical scenario of a solo rapper pairing with ten different producers. The result is that "The Scenic Route" sounds like an ALBUM rather than just a bunch of singles glommed together.

The intro makes it clear that "The Scenic Route" is not your average hip-hop record. Over a spacey sample, a voice that could do promos for PBS announces: "In life, there exist people whose imaginations are so wildly vivid that they often confuse what is reality and what is, in fact, fantasy. This is the story of one of those people, the story of a man who dreams awake."

Lyrically, Raw Poetic is definitely not lacking in imagination. He has impressive skills, and creates some incredibly complex rhymes, with rhymes within rhymes and metaphors within metaphors. On the title track he spits:

"You want to share my life and times and everyone before me
And still take you on a flow like bubbles that support me
Well help then
They keep me afloat
And I'll be backstroking on the flow of my life because it's dope
And dope is an unnatural high
And I'm a natural guy
Won't cut my hair just so my afro will rise
Love Mother Earth because She's my natural guide"

He shows off some impressive verbal dexterity on "Aim High", where he raps over an intricate jazz beat, which he matches with an equally intricate flow:

"Insanity sometimes be making me howl
On the mountain top like a lion I growl
I look down
Frown
Because of this creation I'm bound
Everything that I denounce I'm taking with me through sound"

I couldn't always follow Raw Poetic's lyrical twists and turns, but even when I got lost, I still enjoyed his flow, breath control, and the way he effortlessly strings words together. His topics are on point as well, taking a decidedly mature look at relationships, love, and creativity.

K-Murdock's beats perfectly compliment Raw Poetic's rhymes. Murdock is obviously inspired by East Coast masters like Pete Rock and DJ Premier, which is evident in the jazz influence and crisp drum sounds on "The Scenic Route”. However, Murdock is no mere imitator: he has a sound all his own, incorporating prog rock elements and other unusual samples to create something that references the past while blazing new territory. His production work is more polished than on "Ink Is My Drink”, and the whole album has a nice, mellow vibe to it. This is definitely a headphone album, because there a ton of nuances that Murcock has inserted into every track, from the jazz guitar in "Walk in the Park” to the various old-school samples.

"The Scenic Route” isn't the most banging hip-hop album of '07, but it is one of the more enjoyable listens I've had this year. Panacea have created a cohesive, mature work that is bursting with creativity. I don't know if "The Scenic Route” is a cure-all for whatever ails you, but it will definitely stay in heavy rotation on my ipod.

Music Vibes: 8 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8 of 10

Originally posted: August 7, 2007
source: www.RapReviews.com

T-Hud Mixtape

Again, a reposting from www.rapreviews.com. You should also check out Matt Jost's review of T-Hud's "Undrafted" on rapreviews. Evidently, it sold 78 copies.


DJ Kay Slay and T-Hud
"First Name 36 Last Name Point 5 Vol. 1"
Nutty Boys Entertainment Group
As reviewed by Patrick Taylor

T-Hud is the stage name of Troy Hudson, whose day job is playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Like Shaq and Ron Artest, he is also an aspiring rapper, and the founder/CEO of Nutty Boys Entertainment Group. This disc is a mixtape featuring songs on his upcoming "Undrafted" debut album.

This being a mixtape, none of the production work or songwriting is credited, and I'm not sure how many of the beats are original and whether any were jacked from other artists. Whoever the producers are, they did a damn good job. "Bulletproof" and "Back It Up" are sparse, trunk-rattling crunk ala Lil Jon and David Banner; "How I Like 'Em" is sleazy, strip-club funk. "On That", with its congo drum and synth pulse, has a sinister beauty that is on par with the Neptunes' work on "Hell Hath No Fury." Another standout track is "Whatever", which chops up several second-long soul samples to create a bizarre sound collage. The only real disappointments production-wise are the incredibly cheesy "Go Gettas", which has a sample that could have come from an inspirational after-school special from the 1980s, and the lackluster "White 550s", which is also the first single. The rest of the disc is solid, South-leaning commercial hip-hop.

As a rapper, T-Hud isn't terrible. He isn't great, and I definitely wasn't blown away by his flow, but he holds is own and doesn't embarrass himself or the listener. Lyrically, he is lacking, and that's where it becomes obvious that he is an outsider to the game trying to find a way in. He thankfully avoids making a lot of basketball metaphors, but he ends up being so desperate to prove that he is still street that it becomes ridiculous. This album is one big front, with T-Hud trying his best to prove to the world that underneath his baller persona, he is actually a thug. On "Back It Up" he raps:

"550 through the city
22s in the wintertime
Hundreds in my pocket
Ben Franklin is a friend of mine
Mossberg in the trunk
Lap is a tech-9
Think I'm lying?
Dummies dying
Think I'm lying?
Mommies crying
I'm rich, bitch, the hummer's mine
Sitting on 29s
Candy paint dripping
Inside peanut butter
If you think I'm slipping
Inside still gutter
The league is new, dude
Don't let it fool you
I'm from the hood motherfucker
I got twos too"

T-Hud is a ball player. He makes millions of dollars a year. So why is he fronting like he's a 19-year-old gangsta fresh out of the hood? Does he really ride around with a shotgun in hi s trunk looking to shoot anyone who crosses him? I understand the necessity in hip-hop for street cred, but that doesn't mean bragging about stuff you clearly are not involved in, and declaring "I'll gun ya and then your body will be shaking from the trauma." T-Hud is an NBA player, not a hustler, and he should stop acting like he's a thug.

Given how uptight the NBA is about how its players present themselves, I was surprised to hear T-Hud dropping lines like:

"Purple, chronic, sticky, dro
That's all a playa blow, that's all a playa blow
Rolling in my chevy through the hood I'm feeling (bulletproof)
I wish a nigga would can't you see I'm feeling (bulletproof)
Smoking on that good sipping yak and feeling (bulletproof)"

It makes for a catchy song, but he is just begging to get pulled over or have a surprise drug test. On other tracks he brags about flipping keys, cooking crack, and being a gangsta. He is obviously taking inspiration from reformed drug dealers like Biggie and Jay-Z, whom he compares himself to. What T-Hud misses, along with a lot of rappers today, is that what makes artists like Biggie, T.I., and the Clipse so good isn't that they rap about selling crack and being involved in illegal business. Those guys have charisma, flow, and talent, and are able to flip language around to make even the most mundane recounting of a drug deal seem like something clever and innovative. It's not their subject matter, it's the way they rap about their subject matter. In a recent interview, Talib Kweli said that he blamed the recent drop in quality hip-hop releases on the hustler mentality, where all these young rappers think that you just need to spit a few lines about cooking crack and capping fools and you have an album, losing the lyricism and artistry of hip-hop. T-Hud falls into this trap, and his record suffers because of it.

T-Hud gets some assistance from Freeway, David Banner, and the Three 6 Mafia, who are all featured on different tracks. They drop a few decent bars which add some credibility to the project, and their expert intervention is welcome. I wish T-Hud had made a record solely devoted to flossing and partying, something along the lines of Paul Wall's "The People's Champ." As it is, this mixtape makes for decent background music, so long as you don't listen to the words.


Music Vibes: 7.5 out of 10 Lyric Vibes: 5 out of 10 Total Vibes: 6.5 out of 10