Don’t ever trying go shot-for-shot with these dudes at the bar.
Author: Robbie Ettelson
Three Cheers For The Engineer
From soundtracks to sounds trash. Ammirite? Three Cheers For The Engineer
An in-depth study of EPMD’s Jane saga
I like to think that Jane somehow snuck in to the photoshoot for the ‘Golddigger’ single. The Jane saga is the longest running series in rap, and also the most confusing. It’s almost as if Erick and Parrish have completely forgotten what happened in each previous episode, as there is very little continuity between each…
Rap Snafus
Seven great rap mispronunciations which have stood the test of time. Rap Snafus
The top ten Zippyshare Records and Tapes compilations of all time
According to the stats, these are the most popular ZRAT comps so far. Spare a thought for A Salute To White Gal Rap, which did Troy Ave numbers with a mere 49 downloads to it’s credit. I recall that the original Counter Strike mixtape did around 6k, but since that wasn’t an official ZRAT release…
Download: A Salute To David Axelrod Samples, Volume Two
After realising that I’d left the original, superior version of Pete Rock’s ‘Strange Fruit’ off the first volume, it was only right that I put together a follow-up to the Axelrod samples compilation, this time mainly focusing on his work as a producer for other artists. And no, I did not forget about Dre –…
The legacy of top-heavy LPs
All that talk about classic albums the other week got me thinking, can a front loaded rap album stand up against something that’s strong from start to finish? The legacy of top-heavy LPs
Download: A Salute To David Axelrod Samples
Jazz fusion pioneer David Axelrod passed away today, leaving behind a legacy of incredible music and a wealth of eerie, atmospheric material for people to rap over. For the sake of keeping this to twenty tracks, I’ve only included his work with the Electric Prunes and his solo albums, rather than covering his equally extensive…
Which four rap classics should Harvard have honoured first?
The good news is that Harvard University will be honouring a minimum of ten hip-hop classics every year for future study and appreciation. The bad news, it seems, is that they’ve put 9th Wonder in charge of curating it and notate everything with links to Rap Dummy. I’m assuming that the enormous importance of pioneering…
Gang Starr’s Daily Operation – the first minimalist rap album
An analysis of the genius that is the third Gang Starr LP. Gang Starr’s Daily Operation – the first minimalist rap album
Fans or fam? The changing role of the rap audience
An in-depth discussion or just my version of Fake Deep Universal? Fans or fam? The changing role of the rap audience
Download: A Salute To Minnesota Productions
Bronx bomber extraordinaire Minnesota has provided the Money Boss Player crew with many a superb beat over the years, as well as contributing classic tracks for the likes of Sadat X, Big Pun and Ghostface. I don’t know much about him beyond his discography, so let’s just let the music speak for itself. Download: A…