Just Blaze on the technology of music

I found this video on a danish hip hop producer's blog and thought it was interesting. Everyone is so busy saying that they keep it real these days and if you're one of those, this video will definitely convince you that nothing is exactly "real" anyway.

New track: Proof feat. T3 of Slum Village - The Fizzo (prod. by J Dilla)

Detroit legend Proof passed away five years ago after having been shot in the face. Paul Rosenberg, manager of Eminem, started releasing old tracks he and J Dilla made together in the 90's, and a track called "The Fizzo" from 1994 is his contribution to the legacy of Proof this year. I think all the songs come from cassette tapes so the quality aint all that (+ they've been uploaded to Youtube which affects the quality too). Below is also the track (On the go) that Paul leaked last year.

The Fizzo feat. T3 of Slum Village


On the go


Remember to check out this track too. It's a solo track he recorded and released for the first time in 1996 when he was a member of the group 5 Elementz. It later appeared on the group's one and only album called The Album Time Forgot. Produced by Dilla:

Searchin'


Rest in peace, Big Proof!

New album: Spanish Jose - Zemental Vol. 1

I just heard about this instrumental album (the sequel is coming out in May) and thought that I should spread the word. The duo consists of two guys from New York who are trying to get their name out so as the true hip hop fan that I hope you are, please give them a chance to prove their worth to you. If you wanna stay in touch with them then follow them on Twitter.

I'd classify the sound as soul inspired hip hop with a bit of rock.

The great adventures of Slick Rick

I've had this in my collection for a long but only recently given it a proper second listen which I now realize I should have done a lot earlier. Honestly, this is one of the most charismatic albums there has ever been released. Every single song is "story telling" and tells a story about something he has witnessed (quite a few are probably fiction) in such a humouristic way.
I think Jay-Z said in his book that Slick Rick was a master of expressing feelings that he couldn't name so he kindda made funny stories and let the story itself reflect how he felt at the time (the ending of Children's Story is a prime example of that).

When it comes to studying the art of telling stories through rap, this album is the blueprint. You can clearly hear how someone like Eminem was influenced by this album if you listen to a song like Brain Damage.

The production is quite boring although I gotta say that I love the old school sound on some of the tracks (mostly Teenage Love).

New album: Apollo Brown - Clouds

I learned about Apollo Brown last year when I heard The Left's debut album called Gask Mask. Every single beat on that album goes hard and is definitely one of the most interesting projects I have heard in years. It has such an insane feel of the 90's and was rightfully amongst DJ Premier's favourite albums last year.

This year he has decided to put out an instrumental album called The Clouds, and it is absolutely crazy stuff here. Same sound as the Gask Mask which means tons of beautiful beats with a shit load of vocal samples from other genres such as Jazz.

Talking of Apollo Brown, he acutally had a beat on D12's most recent mixtape so I guess it is only a matter of time before he really blows up.

Without a doubt the most exiting young producer at the moment.

Online hip hop "library"

I found this blog a couple of days ago and thought I'd share with you all. I love the history of the whole genre, and I think people should show some respect for legends such as Kool g rap and Rakim and unsung heroes such as Jeru the damaja and Brother J who helped shape the music.

I think the owner of the blog tries to update it regularly with new artists and albums so there's something for everyone.

A video about the misinterpretation of hip hop music

A guy from England made this video. Thought I'd share with you.

New album: Eminem - The Comercia Park Concert

Here's an unofficial live album. His performance at Comerica Park last year recently got aired on his own radio station. This is the rip, enjoy:

Sadly this is only Eminem's part of the show and Jay-Z is therefore not included in this rip. Rumour has it that Home & Home DVD is on the way though.

Is Hip Hop really dead?

From time to time I hear fans say that hip hop is dead. Why is that? It is true that it has been commercialized a lot but it is the same situation with almost every genre. Do I hear anybody say that rock music has passed away? No.

I agree that a lot of mainstream rappers lyrically are trying to fit in and make money but does that mean that’s all the culture has to offer mainstream wise? Nas, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Eminem are still making quality albums while we in recent years have been blessed with new rappers such as Lupe Fiasco, B.o.b and now J. Cole.

The reeeeeal hip hop

Fans seem to use this term to separate commercial stuff from profound tracks. Am I really the only one on this planet who thinks this is bullshit? At the end of the day it’s a matter of taste and since we all relate differently to the lyrics, I just can’t see how anybody can dictate what’s real. A line about a cat can mean the world to you while it can be absolute garbage in my ears.

Electronic music seems to be a sin in 2010 (soon ’11) and people use it as a reason to hate someone’s album and as an argument as to why the genre is dead.

Electro (“pop”) has always been popular and has had an enormous influence on the hip hop genre. Just listen to tracks such as Dick Almighty by 2 Live Crew (1989), Rocking it by The Fearless Four (1982) and Ghetto Thang by De La Soul (1989). They all contain samples from Kraftwerk.

The fact that electronic music was a part of hip hop in the 80’s makes it a part of the roots of the whole genre. Who decided that it all of a sudden should be illegal?

What is pure hip hop anyway? Artists have sampled other genres since forever; soul, blues, funk, rock, jazz etc.

With the invention of the Ipod and Internet, music is so accessible so I can’t believe that anyone would ever be dumb enough to say a whole genre has passed away. All the amazing Rakim, KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane albums are still possible to put on your mp3-player, and they are still on the shelves in the stores.

Is it because your favourite rappers aren’t getting airplay? Because the most popular rappers these days aren’t necessarily the best and most skilled? If you ask me, it is all about what you let get to you. No one forces you to listen to someone you don’t like.

Maybe if the general hip hop fan stopped acting like a dictator and welcomed innovation, he would see how wonderful and great the genre still is and always has been.

P.S. Did I forget to mention that Talib Kweli had a sold out concert in my little country, Denmark, a few months ago?

A little thing I learned about rhyming from Jay-Z' book

Two pages from Jay-Z' new book (Decoded) changed my whole studying and thinking of rhymes in hip hop songs. I always thought of rhymes as something that was almost automatically great if the words had more than one syllable. What I hadn't thought of was how rhymes can be used as an argument, as a way of convincing the listeners of something you're trying to get across.

Take Eminem's lines from his song I'm Back:

"And by the way, N'Sync, why do they sing?
Am I the only one who realizes they stink?"

A lot of the words rhyme but the N'Sync/They stink part is a brilliant piece of writing. The rhymes can almost stand alone and still make sense. They tell a story and rhyme in such a perfect and witty way that it's hard to argue against what he says.