No Respect for Kanye

I have to admit that I own the most recent Kanye West album Graduation.  And I have to admit that I think it was a pretty solid album.  And I have to admit that I AM a fan of Hip Hop.  So I guess its time to admit why I have absolutely no respect for this guy.  I do think that Kanye has lyrical ability, but that doesn’t mean that I like the guy.  I could go on and on about how he constantly whines and complains but I think his blog post explains everything:

I am  sick of negative  people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall… Why????  I understand if people don’t like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much,  But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I’ve ever had in my life. This is the most offended I’ve ever been… this is the maddest I ever will be.  I’m typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!!   Call me any name you want…. arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of….  BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL!   NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL!  THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY  TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN!  LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON’T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I’M FLYING!  I’M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS.  JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN  A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, “KANYE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE.”  CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ?????????

Two Part Nas Interview

  Two part Nas interview discussing his past, new album, and legacy in hip-hop.

Part 1

Part 2

“War is Necessary” (CD Quality Rip)

3rd Shift AKA The Cincinnati Monster

    Loyola student Kelvin Brown AKA “The Cincinnati Monster” has recently created hype around campus about his “remix abilities”.  I checked out some of his MySpace and YouTube stuff… complete garbage. I’m sure you have seen his face, you can’t walk more than 5 feet on campus without seeing his photoshop flyers. Watch the embedded video if you want, its not even in the same key.  This will be a short review because I don’t feel like wasting my time talking about this trash.  He sat in on one of my management classes and was very arrogant and negative towards a class full of students trying to help him out.

Stop the hype 

Trifecta: The Sikkis

    Trifecta was the first hip hop group that I interviewed here at M2M.  The Trifecta mix tape is finally here.  I was able to listen to it thanks to my roommate AKA Rockwell, who left a copy sitting in the common room.  To be honest, I had very high expectations because I know how hard Rockwell has been working on this project and I have to say that I was blown away on all levels: beats, lyrics, production, etc.  With their second project already underway, I see nothing but big things happening for this trio.

    The group recently had a guest appearance on Crescent City Radios’ The Hip Hop Hour.  Trifecta played some tracks for listeners and talked about The Sikkis and their upcoming project which is expected to be released in August 2008.  It is my understanding that The Sikkis will be released on both TuneCore and iTunes soon.  I have been listening to The Sikkis for two days straight and there are some great tracks, my personal favorite is track 13 (don’t have the tracks names!).  The one track title I do know, “NO To The Bay”, features Loyola rapper G-Eazy.  For more information check out Trifecta MySpace and Rockwell Beats.

 

M2M Interview: Trifecta

  I’ve decided to start making video interviews of local musicians, producers, and entrepreneurs on M2M.  My first interview is with a hip hop group named Trifecta.  Trifecta is made up of three members: Paasky, Riko Sanchez, and Rockwell Beats.  Trifecta is currently finishing up their upcoming project, Sikkis. The M2M interview section is still being developed and I will be adding more videos soon. I would like to thank Trifecta and Alex Wiltz Productions for the help with the video.

 

You’ll sell more records if you dumb it down

 

  Lupe Fiasco.  Wow. Thats all I have to say after listening to his most recent album, The Cool.  Lupe Fiasco has been noted as “a breath of fresh air for the hip hop community” from rap veteran Jay-Z.  When discussing rap/hip hop with friends I will occasionally use the term “intelligent hip hop”.  When using this term, I’m referring to artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, MF Doom, etc.  These artists tend to focus more on political issues surrounding our community instead of “hookers and 40oz malt liquor”.  A good example would be Lupe Fiasco’s song “Dumb it Down”.  In this song Lupe talks about several issues surrounding the current state of the hip hop community. “I’m fearless, now hear this, I’m earless, and I’m peerless, that means that I’m eyeless, which means I’m tearless, which means my iris resides where my ears is.”  In this first verse, Lupe seems to be talking about ignorant hip hop fans who focus more on the image of hip hop than the actual music.  The song seems to be an analysis of hip hop and the current state of the music industry.  The most obvious lyrical interpretation supporting this statement would be the chorus:

 You goin’ over niggas’ heads Lu (Dumb it down)

 They tellin’ me that they don’t feel you (Dumb it down)

 We ain’t graduate from school nigga (Dumb it down)

 Them big words ain’t cool nigga (Dumb it down)

 Yeah I heard Mean and Vicious nigga (Dumb it down)

 Make a song for the bitches nigga(Dumb it down)

 We don’t care about the weather nigga(Dumb it down)

 You’ll sell more records if you (Dumb it down) 

  I recommend anyone interested in hip hop to check out Lupe Fiasco.  His lyrical abilities and use of samples/beats surpass most of the hip hop out there today.  I really feel that artists such as Lupe Fiasco and Jay Electronica will be the future of hip hop.  If not, we are in big trouble because the inferior beats and lyrics about “getting crunk at the club” are getting old.

Have a nice weekend.

Update: Jay Electronica

 

URB feature interview with Jay Electronica.  Check it out.  

Most recent YouTube video posted by the man himself, interesting to say the least: 

  After disappearing from the hip-hop scene as well as the online music community, Jay Electronica has released two new songs. Check them out.  Also, Check out new video of Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu on VIMBY.

 “The Cauldron“

“Colors” 

  As I mentioned in my previous blog about Jay Electronica, I expect him to reappear on Control FreaQ’s first major project.  The project is expected to be released sometime in April.

 

 

The Next Big Thing out of Detroit

Black Milk AKA Curtis Cross is a hip hop producer and MC from Detroit, Michigan.  I recently bought his mixtape entitled Caltroit and was blown away.  I feel that Black Milk is one of the up and coming artists in the hip hop “game”  along with artists like Jay Electronica.  

Caltroit was released in the January of 2008 with Bishop Lamont who is best known for his work with Aftermath.  The mixtape features seventeen full length tracks with explosive lyrical ability and head-bobbing beats.  While I am not a fan of “gangsta” rap or the mainstream rap, I feel that Black Milk has the ability to bridge the underground hip hop with the mainstream artists.

Other than producing a few beats for Slum Village, Black Milk has yet to explode onto the hip hop scene.  I found a cool two part interview on youtube. Part 1 and Part 2 .  I found part 2 to be more interesting where he gives producers tips on timing for their beats and samples.  I found a recent interview with Black Milk and Insomniac Magazine.  Black Milk & Fat Ray will be releasing a album March 4 entitled The Set Up.

“The Day The Game Changed”

  Cool interview with DJ Drama talking about the history and legality of mix tapes in the hip hop culture.

Where is Jay Electronica?

Where the hell did Jay Electronica go?  Check out this cool BBC interview. 

 

The interview has Jay Electronica discussing the future of underground hip-hop and how he is attempting to evolve the genre with his innovative lyrics and samples.  This is the type of artist the music industry needs, someone who finds genre as a confining word.  I find this very interesting because as of a few weeks ago Jay Electronica was all over myspace and blog sites…  Now, he has disappeared… including his MySpace and a few other “buzz” sites.  I was discussing this with a friend who works in the local New Orleans hip-hop community and we both reached the conclusion that perhaps one of the major labels or hip-hop producers stumbled across his work and took him off the web in order to “re-create” or change the marketing strategy before releasing an album or mix tape.

 

I checked out Control FreaQ Records website, the new label started by Erykah Badu .  Control FreaQ announced its first big project to be due in April, I have a feeling that this is when we will see the return of Jay Electronica.  My friend Glenn AKA Rockwell, had the privilege to work with Jay on one of his tracks as well as speak to Erykah about his upcoming material and plans.  

 

The opening track on the interview is titled “Victory is in My Clutches” and its one of the better hip-hop tracks i’ve heard in awhile.  I really ask anyone who likes underground hip-hop, “intelligent” hip-hop, whatever you want to call it.. check out Jay Electronica.  I found a video of him recording this track on imeem the other day.