This is the album Nasty Nas would have made after Illmatic if I was his A&R in some kind of alternative universe where sample clearance didn’t exist. Alternative title: The Second Time Nas Didn’t Lose. Nas – Kutmatic Track listing:
Internets Celebrities – Somebody Say Chea!
I’m not even going to attempt to explain who the Internets Celebrities are – that’s what the ‘About’ section of their site is for, dummies! Okay, since you’re clearly too lazy and/or hungover to crawl over to your laptop and wipe the Cheezel dust from your fingers, I’ll provide a Twitter-proof rundown in less than…
DJ Muggs & Ill Bill – The Unkut Mini Interview
Press days are one of the worst things about the interview game. Speaking to some dudes about their new album after they’ve spent the whole day answering the same corny questions is rarely a recipe for quality Q&A material. That being said, here are the better parts of my session with DJ Muggs and Ill…
Video: Promo Reel For Lord Finesse’s The Awakening EP
I’m late on this one but shit happens. Lord Finesse is the blueprint of modern Punchline Rap, no question. This also reminded me that ‘O’ Lord’ might just be be the greatest skit with rapping ever… Lord Finesse feat. O.C. – ‘O’ Lord’
Producers – Why Are You Rapping?
Respect to the great Diamond D, but he has to shoulder some of the responsibility for the glut of Producer On The Mic artists that seem to be clogging up the game. Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop worked because because the beats were incredible and the lyrics were straight-forward and amusing, but it also seems to…
Searching For The Perfect Remix: By Request
Before I wind-up the Perfect Remix polls with The 45 King edition, I thought I’d give all the remixes that missed out a chance to make the final cut. Whether it was a favorite of yours that didn’t make the original eight per artist (Large Pro‘s Resurrection remixes, for example), or something from a producer…
Kanye Lost
Artwork: The Home Office RE: ‘Monster’ ‘Power’ [Remix]…
Album Review: Celph Titled & Buckwild – Nineteen Ninety Now
When this was first announced, I thought, ‘Sure, this might be decent’. I mean a new album of Buckwild beats from the 90’s sounded good on paper, but these things have a habit of failing to deliver more often than not, so I kinda forgot about the whole thing after hearing the initial leak. The…
Is Marley Marl The Most Important Producer In The History Of Hip-Hop?
Once upon a time, around 1985 at Unique recording studio in New York city, Marley Marl accidentally sampled a snare drum. It was a mistake, initially, as he’d instructed the engineer to grab a vocal snippet for the Captain Rock song he was remixing at the time. When he played the sound on the keyboard…
Searching For The Perfect Remix: Marley Marl
Engineer All-Star Marley Marl came from the era when a remix often meant turning-up the drums, dropping out the main loop occasionally and adding a horn blast and some echo, but even when the additions were relatively minor, they proved to be incredibly effective. The remixed versions of ‘Vapors’ and ‘Shootin’ The Gift’ both maintain…
Rick Ross’ Simple Simon Rhymin Kit
Any parent that doesn’t cop this for there kids this Xmas is a Bad MotherFuckin’ dad… Another Odds & Ends sure shot.
Did Russell Simmons Blackball Marley Marl?
Last week I received a book in the mail to review, called The BeatTips Manual, by Amir “Sa’id” Said. I haven’t finished it yet, since I’m also in the middle of reading How To Wreck A Nice Beach, but one of the first sections I checked-out were the interview transcriptions at the back. One in…