August 25, 2007 | Tags: none

With previous posts by my DX blogging cohorts about Lil Weeziana, I figured I'd add my two cents. Just as a disclaimer from jump, some of these are my own ideas, while some were initially (as far as I know) touched on by other bloggers, like my homies Noz and Sickamore, and more recently, J. Burnett. I had initially finished this the day Brillyance finished his, but I think I've got some new material to add to the mix.

Simply put, Wayne isn’t the most lyrically adept MC, and his punchlines are often more laughable than clever. But while many rappers are whining about new jacks not giving them the respect they deserve, relying on their old shit or crutching on production and trends, Weezy’s coming differently. He doesn't take himself seriously enough to actually rap instead of repeating a chorus over and over (i.e., his Kanye West-helmed "Did It Before"), but he does take himself seriously enough [1] to sincerely claim that he's the best rapper alive. He's whimsical enough to say bullshit lines like, "Here's the funniest joke: I'm broke," but he has the work ethic to put out a new mixtape every month to keep his fans simultaneously satisfied and yearning for more. What Wayne exemplifies is an interesting kind of nihilism that's rare in today's rap scene: he seems to actually look at himself as an artist, so that everything he delivers is, by definition, art. No "I need to make a hit record" bullshit (Curtis), no "I'm not a rapper, I'm a hustler" bullshit (Jeezy), and no "I'm a veteran, respect your elders!" bullshit (take your pick, seriously). [2] Instead, simply, "I'm the best rapper alive, so I'ma bask in that glory and make all the music I can. Enjoy." Disagree with him all you want (Hell, I do myself), but once you tie that in with his comical, satirical (but not really) materialism, people like me find it damn fun to watch.

Plus, while his actual content doesn't exceed (or even match, for that matter) that of his peers, Wayne is stylistically and aesthetically one of the most brilliant, if not interesting, rappers to come out in a while. Tracks like Swizz Beatz' "It's Me Bitches" remix show this perfectly. His voice is damn near as musical as Mannie Fresh's production [3] for Cash Money used to be. And If Wayne's combination of an intricate-yet-careless delivery, engaging implementation of faux patois and French linguage, AND corny-yet-comical lines (“...I love my riches/bonjour my nigs, and au revior bitches”) in that verse isn't art, then what is? Kingdom Come? [4] Nevermind how genuine he sounds when he actually does speak his mind, on tracks like "I Miss My Dogs," "Georgia...Bush," [5] "Prostitute Flange," or "I Feel Like I'm Dying." Fact of the matter is, Lil Wayne is overrated; but these aren’t just blind, stannish accolades—there’s something to them. Sorta like Phil Jackson; is he as good of a basketball coach as legend says he is? Nope...but homie's got rings, so you can't really deny him.

This isn't a shot at any of you guys - a few months ago, I felt the same way you did. I was puzzled at why I enjoyed all these damn cameos so much, and why I'm so enamored by lines like, "Weezy F is in the building, I will step on yo building, from the steps of my building." But a "style over substance" approach isn't so bad when most mufuckas' style and substance are wack anyway.
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[1] Under the influence of the illest pallette of drugs since Marshall Mathers himself. It's interesting that instead of selling, he raps about taking drugs; this somehow further adds to his iconic aura, at least in some critics’ eyes.
[2] Homie's actually been a mainstream rap figure since he was a young teen; how often do you hear him bring that shit up as a defense or justification for anything?
[3] Most underrated mainstream producer out there, if you ask me.
[4] The album wasn't nearly as bad as people made it seem, but you get my point.
[5] BTW Meka, you're right: David Banner > Weezy. He's definitely one of the realest people I've ever interviewed, and homie's the most underrated rapper in the South in my opinion.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Y'all Really, Really Need To Hear This... (Part 3)

August 24, 2007 | Tags: none

I haven't backed out on my Diggin' In The Crates column just yet; that's coming next week. And since my colleagues have, I've got an entry on Lil Weeziana coming in on Monday. But in the meantime, here's the latest addition to what you've been missing (© Oddisee).

Alias

Born in East Lansing, Chadwick "Alias" Phillips has been an incredible talent since I met him during my freshman year at Michigan State Univ. The thing is that now, people are starting to take notice: last week, the fairly fresh Brooklynite won a contest put on by NY's Hot 97 and was awarded a deal with KOCH Records. An emcee's emcee, Alias can do it all: vivid storytelling, chill music, blistering punchlines and an opinionated self-awareness, complete with a potent delivery and incredible beatmakers to boot. Hopefully, KOCH doesn't drop the ball on this one.

Web Site: myspace.com/1alias

Y'all Need To Hear: "Rhythm In My Soul,"� "The Times," "Glory Dayz" (if he ever puts the song back on his damn page...hint)

The Saint

I don't know much about this cat, as my homie just put me onto him; but if a MySpace rapper can keep my attention for more than three minutes, he's definitely worth a listen. The Saint (nee Mike Reka) really personifies New York hip-hop in a way that I haven't seen that many young emcees do as of late: the gravelly voice, the deliberate Timberland-stomping through his verses, the tough punchlines. Apparently, he's not having a difficult job convincing other people either, as right coast veterans like Teflon from M.O.P., Shabaam Saadiq (?!) and MC Shan (?!?!) have all contributed to homie's efforts, the latter serving as host to his Survivor New York disc. New schoolers like Ali Vegas and Juganot are also taking notice. I wouldn't say he's bringing anything particularly "new,"� but he's damn good at what he does.

Web Site: myspace.com/rekaking

Y'all Need To Hear: "Gangland,"� "Drugs Money Guns War"

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Power In Numbers: The Extinction of the Hip-Hop Group

August 17, 2007 | Tags: none

Don't worry, the "Diggin In The Crates" column is still coming, and I'll probably do a "You Reallly Need To Hear This" joint soon also. But Soul Blogger's new Slang Editorial: Group Therapy piece made me think about a longer blog I had last year on my BlogSpot jumpoff (http://ketchums.blogspot.com), around the release of albums by The Roots and Boot Camp Clik, about the endangered species of the dope hip-hop group. This made me decide to repost my blog from last year - not as any "blogger beef," but basically as a longer, unofficial/unapproved companion piece of sorts. I enjoyed his editorial, and I thought his joint and mine went well together. At any rate, here's the piece (also available here), originally published in July 2006.
--

Two releases this summer have this writer salivating for their release dates: The Roots' Game Theory, and Boot Camp Clik's The Last Stand. But I'm not excited for The Roots' album because it's their Def Jam debut, or because of the much-speculated tribute to the late J Dilla. The Boot Camp Clik album features the heralded return of Heltah Skeltah member Rock, and an all-star production line-up that consists of Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, and Large Professor, but that's not why I'm so anxious to hear it. These releases have me ecstatic, because they're two new albums from the genre's newest endangered species: the spellbinding hip-hop group.

During hip-hop's better days, the crew wasn't only something to look forward to, but it presented some of the best music to ever blare from speakers. There were so many talented groups out there that every niche was filled, and dedicated listeners couldn't even count out all of them with two hands - A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, De La Soul, Boot Camp Clik, The Roots, Geto Boys, Public Enemy, N.W.A., The Fugees, Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, The Pharcyde, The Lost Boyz, Bone Thugs N Harmony, The LOX, and the list goes on (and those were only the groups that I could think of off the top of my head). News of an emerging hip-hop group or a new album from an established crew was a guaranteed treat.

Aside from that, the hip-hop group offered things that a solo artist couldn't bring on his/her own. Group albums offered variety: while a Method Man solo album is fulfilling, there's nothing like listening to Enter The 36 Chambers and hearing all of the members' different personalities at once. Who remembers bumping albums from the groups named above, trying to distinguish everyone's voices from one another and decide on a favorite member? With a group that has three or more members, a lot of things can go wrong: some artists don't work well with each other because of creative differences, and some people just don't get along because of conflicting personalities. But hip-hop groups like the ones mentioned earlier worked so well because they aptly walked the line between emphasizing their members' differences and making sure that everyone was on the same page. It was also interesting to see groups develop within the groups: Wu-Tang was nine members strong, but Ghostface and Raekwon were the Jordan and Pippen to their championship Chicago Bulls; Boot Camp Clik was already solid off of their roster alone, but internal duos like Smif-N-Wessun and Heltah Skeltah provided great back-and-forth exchanges.

But the 21st century hasn't seen many rap cartels make a name for themselves. When most people hear the phrase, "hip-hop group," they would likely name one of the aforementioned collectives, all of which came out in the 90s or earlier. Since 2000, the concept of the hip-hop group has suffered. Crews nowadays usually fall under one of the following categories:

1.) This is the most common category. These groups are decent, but they're only really worth checking out because of their ringleader who put them on, and one or two supplementary members who can hold their own weight (see: D12,
State Property, Flipmode Squad, St. Lunatics).
2.) The group members are talented, but they don't work well together, either because they're only in it to secure a future solo situations for themselves and are busy trying to prove their worth, or because they were thrown together and didn't have any chemistry in the first place (see: Da Band, Boyz N Da Hood).
3.) This group is similar to category #1, in that they only snatched up a record deal because one member blew up already and felt obligated to bring them along. But the difference is, these groups don't even have supplementary members; they're just weak altogether. (see: The Bravehearts, P$C, Harlem World *damn, that's a throwback...who remembers them?*).
4.) The group is absolutely weak, and they don't even have a superstar member who put them on, but they have exposure because they personify the latest trend (*place snap music group here*).

But hey, look on the bright side. The new albums from The Roots and Boot Camp Clik - Game Theory and The Last Stand, respectively - are both certified head nodders. Along with them, groups like De La Soul and Dilated Peoples are still churning out albums. Some collectives who had their heyday during the 90s are rumored to have reunion LPs and tours in the works (The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest), including the Wu-Tang Clan, who wrapped up a nation-wide tour this summer.

And, to their credit, there's still a limited amount of talented groups out there now: Little Brother works perfectly with two contrasting MCs and a producer (their extended Justus League crew is also solid) **Damn, things change**; the Diplomats rule the streets with an iron fist, while continuing to make their presence felt on Billboard; the constantly-growing G-Unit is a great example of solo members holding their own weight while still working well as a group (despite 50 Cent kicking out the group's most talented member, The Game, and subpar releases from Tony Yayo and Mobb Deep); and the 13-member indie supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, with their immensely talented solo members and chemistry as both a collective and between members, is fairly reminiscent of the Wu-Tang Clan or BCC. Still, the dope groups are vastly outnumbered by those that aren't worth the ear - a huge difference from their predecessors.

So this **er...last** summer, enjoy the efforts from The Roots and Boot Camp Clik, because another worthwhile group album may be months or years away. Hopefully, these new rap crews can get things together.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Diggin In The Crates (The Prequel)

August 16, 2007 | Tags: none

I'm the fakest hip-hop head you know.

Well, that's an exaggeration...I'm not that bad. See, a lot of people
assume that since I do this for a living (and, since I have binders full of CDs
and a nearly-maxed out 80 GB iPod), that I know everything there is about this
hip-hop shit. But I'll be the first to correct you. Don't get me wrong: I have
a solid basic knowledge base, and I'm sure that I know more than the
"average" rap fan [1], but I could definitely step up my hip-hop
history game. Essentially, I download dozens of older albums with the intention
of listening to them and schooling myself, but for one reason or another, the
music ends up collecting digital dust, and my own hip-hop knowledge bank
continues to suffer. I don't know as much as ?uestlove, anybody else on
OkayPlayer [2], or DX's own Master Shake; I came into this hip-hop shit late as
hell, and it's been a bitch catching up.

For that reason, I always welcome schooling and/or criticism from heads that
know more than me. Whether it's J-23 putting me on to MCs I missed in my post
about Rawkus alumni [3], just talking to Shake on a semi-daily basis, or even
peeping reader feedback on my entries, I'm always ready to learn. Now, it's
time to go for self.

I'm starting a revolving column in Speech Is My Hammer, entitled "Diggin In The Crates" (unless I
can think of something more original, lol). This will see me reaching through
the depths of my iPod and reviewing older albums - whether they're certified
classics, overlooked LPs, or obscure/hard-to-find shit [4] - that I've either
overlooked altogether, or had heard but didn't give their just due in terms of
audio real estate. They're certain to not be comment leeches or blogroll
fodder, but I figure that this would be a fun, efficient way to educate myself,
and that at least a few hip-hop heads will either enjoy it or see it as an
opportunity to put me in my place. I'll also be checking the comments that I
get for suggestions/requests on what you'd guys like to see reviewed.

As of now, my first choice is DITC's [5] self-titled album for Tommy Boy in
2000. I'm busy as hell these days, but I'll get to it ASAP.

--

[1] Which isn't saying much, but I digress.

[2] You ever go on their message boards? Seriously, those fuckers know a lot.

[3] Nevermind the fact that the post was originally focused on this year's
happenings amongst them, specifically; like I said, I'm a listener.

[4] After all, what kind of fake music head would I be without alleged
hard-to-find tunes?

[5] Yup, I know all the members. Like I said, I'm bad, but not THAT bad.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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Blogs

Speech Is My Hammer...

William E. Ketchum III's Lil Wayne Blog.

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Y'all Really, Really Need To Hear This... (Part 3)

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Power In Numbers: The Extinction of the Hip-Hop Group

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Diggin In The Crates (The Prequel)

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