Praise the Lawd!

Despite Jay Electronica's seemingly sloth-like work ethic which usually produces two or three songs per year, he is being lauded as not only one of the greatest rappers of his time, but perhaps of all time. For people familiar with this force of lyrical ferocity, it is easy to see why many are lauding him with such high praise. It's not only that he makes unbelievable music, but also that he seemingly can't make a bad song and has very little apparent interest in seeking enormous amounts of fame and revels in his continued mythical-like ambiguity. 

Tracks like Exhibit C and the unreal Just Begun should continue to build his mythical status even as he continues to delay releasing any sort of album. What kind of person introduces a preview for a track that is seemingly as great as Dear Moleskine then makes people wait for over half a year with no further mention of it? But is this all part of Jay Electronica's master plan? Is he just sitting on all of this material that he knows is legendary and is just waiting for the right time to unleash it upon us mortals? Are we just not ready for his presence? Excuse the religious undertones that this man evokes, but if hip-hop needed a savior, he would be it. 

Jay Electronica- Exhibit C

Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, J. Cole, Mos Def- Just Begun

Home Is Where The Dope Music Is

The weather outside is frightful...

I forget what Christmas song that is from but he may have been speaking of Detroit Christmas 2009. Or was that line not meant to apply to a Christmas day which consists of a rain that could be considered a downpour and menacing clouds that shroud the American side of Lake St. Clair while sunlight mocks me from the Canadian side? Perhaps a sign from the Big J.C. to finally put the finishing touches on this health care reform? Without a doubt! 

But despite the weather it has indeed been a merry Christmas and Detroit producer/MC has contributed greatly to the days merriness with his unstoppable song 'Keep Going' which will be on his upcoming summer release titled Album of the Year (Yes, that's really the title). 

Maybe I'm just showing my bit of favoritism for Detroit musicians but I like to think Black Milk can actually have such an audaciously titled album as long as he keeps the album on par with this song. A magnificent song that is distinctly Detroit with it's sporadic dirty drums and oozing chorus. Spread the Christmas cheer!

Black Milk- Keep Going

To Live and Die In Authenticity

After shelving Freddie Gibb's rather awesomely raw mixtape The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs I've dusted it off and brought it to light again mainly because he's been popping up in all the publications you wouldn't expect to find him in (New Yorker, New York Times, Pitchfork). The situation is similar in all these publications. Hip-hop is dying or is dead, and Gibbs is the man to resuscitate it with his brand of Gary, Indiana gangster rap that manages to stay true to its mid-90's 

roots without being anywhere near nostalgic. 

Now I have my own feelings about Gibbs future success. The very rawness that made his mixtape

often doesn't translate well to a studio album for various reasons (see declining hip-hop album sales

and worried studio executives). But my main concern with articles such as these are their simplistic

views of the hip-hop genre and their constant love of gangster acts like Gibbs. Like I said before, the Gibbs

mixtape is fire, but this doesn't mean that hip-hop hasn't blessed the world with other great music this year.

I can't help but think that publications such as the New York Times and especially the New Yorker

look upon hip-hop with a tinge of fetishization. It seems the only records that are 'real' in hip-hop, 

according to these publications, are the gulliest examples of gangster rap. The more nihilistic the better.

They discount Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 for not being real enough and praise Gibbs for his authenticity

when in reality comparing those two artists, one a young twenty something from Gary the other now 40,

married to Beyonce and trying to move the Nets to Brooklyn, is like comparing apples to oranges.The

truth is their is more than enough room for both in hip-hop. There will always be room for the kid like Gibbs

in hip-hop but as the genre continues to grow as the world's most popular music genre you have to

believe (and desire) that as legends like Jay-Z push 40 they will change their subject matter somewhat.

Or is growth not allowed in this industry? Should Jay-Z go the route of The Who and continue to sing

his equivalent to 'I hope I die before I get old' at his shows into his AARP days. Or in hip-hop does one 

actually have to get killed, like Biggie or Tupac, to be considered TRULY authentic?

The point is, there is room for both in hip-hop as it continues to grow as a genre. There are times when 

I can't listen to The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and there are times when I can't listen to The Blueprint 3. 

Each is good in it's own right. Gibbs isn't the end all be all of authentic rappers. While hip-hop continues to grow

it seems hip-hop critics are stuck in the mud desiring a return to the so-called authentic time of the genre

when most of the artists were broke 20 somethings telling ghetto tales. Now that those artists have grown up

they have been discarded by those same critics. You have to wonder: does Gibbs need to save hip-hop

or do publications such as the New Yorker need to change their views of what hip-hop is? I'll put my money

on the latter.

Freddie Gibbs- The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs

Life After Death

A couple years back I bought a t shirt proclaiming 'Dilla Lives' shortly after the untimely, tragic, and downright unfair death of the legendary Detroit producer. Of course at the time I thought the message was purely sentimental as I endlessly rolled around playing 'Donuts', the album Dilla recorded on his death bed. 

Little did I realize the t shirt would prove to have a more literal meaning. It turns out that James Yancey's collection of unreleased work was so extensive that many of it is just coming to light now on albums such as Q-Tips The Renaissance released last fall and more recently on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part 2, which is already being anointed as a classic. 

J Dilla contributes three beats to Raekwon's tremendously terrifying sequel and the results are three of the better tracks on an album full of great ones. The fact that beats like these are just now getting play three and a half years after his death does two things. It makes me wonder just how many more beats like these he has and further solidifies his position as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time. It's clear J Dilla's musical legacy isn't even finished forming even if his time on this earth is over. 

Raekwon ft. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface, Method Man- House of Flying Daggers

Raekwon ft. Ghostface- 10 Bricks

Raekwon- Ason Jones

Us

Brother Ali has many gifts. He's a great lyricist, is comfortable in his own skin which seems to elude even the most popular MC's sometimes, and he has one of the most soulful voices in hip-hop. Unfortunately, Brother Ali is a white albino from Minneapolis which leaves him in hip-hop limbo. Besides his cultish following in Minneapolis, not many really know what to make of this man. But when listening to Us, Brother Ali's latest release, you can't help but think how all those physical and regional differences combined with his unquestionable talent has molded him into one of the leading voices of underground hip-hop. 

Listening to this album is personal. By the end of the album you feel like your inside Brother Ali's world as he spends the entire album describing everything from how he parties, to race relations, to buying a new house. By addressing such a wide range of topics Brother Ali does a great job of avoiding some of the common pitfalls of underground rap. His album doesn't get bogged down by a monotonous theme that so many underground albums fall victim to. If he talks about race relations, the next he's talking about how great life is after the birth of his second child, and then right after he goes into telling the story of a rape victim. This gives the album it's honest feel and buy the end I even forget that he's a white albino from Minneapolis, home of the most God forsaken baseball stadium known to man. Despite the Metrodome sabotaging the Tigers, we still escaped with one and now we leave without looking back. 

Brother Ali- Breakin' Dawn

Brother Ali Us

The Salvation

What a couple of weeks it has been for hip-hop music. Big old names, big new names, and smaller new names alike are all bringing forth really solid efforts. By now most know Jay-Z has released the Blueprint 3 to mixed, but mostly positive, reviews and Raekwon has released Only Built For Cuban Linx Part 2, an album some are already calling a classic. There's been some debate over which is better. Personally, and I know you care about my personal opinion, I love them both. There's something to be said about Raekwon making something that sounds like it's straight out of the 90's and there's something to be said about Jay growing to this point in his career. He really is hip-hop's first grown up star. 

Oh yeah, did I mention Kid Cudi released something too?

I'll post more from all this stuff later, but I figured I should start with something a little more under the radar. I've posted a few things from the young Brooklyn MC that goes by Skyzoo but with all the big releases lately I almost forgot about his upcoming debut album. But to Skyzoo's credit, he has knocked Jay, Rae, and Kid Cudi all out of my speakers (albeit for a short while). 

By unanimous decision 

All of them's telling me 

That it's me who can paint true Brooklyn like Shelton Lee

I ain't aim to make a classic

I aim to say what happens

And if the outcome gets praised then blame the havoc

If the outcome gets praised then blame the tragic

My Lord what a line. Combining 'blame hip-hop' viewpoints with the 'hip-hop needs to be hardcore' and shrugging both off. Skyzoo is lyrically on point throughout this album's entirety painting vivid pictures and reminding me why I first fell in love with hip-hop. 

And in case you were worried about production with the debut, have no fears. Just Blaze has a track, 9th Wonder has 5, go-go's greatest Best Kept Secret has one, and for my Detroit peoples Black Milk owns the track titled Penmanship with that haunting Detroit sound. 

Skyzoo- The Opener

Skyzoo The Salvation

Coastin'

Some West Coast stuff. My listening relationship with Zion I has been a strange one. Back when I was first getting into hip-hop at the start of high school I was heavy into their first release 'Mind Over Matter' and I really like their album 'Deep Water Slang'. Then for whatever reason they just sort of fell off the map for me and I got into some other areas of hip-hop. I kept tabs on them and checked in once and a while but I started to get away from strictly underground music. 

Don't get me wrong I love underground hip-hop as it often provides a vastly different voice from the often hyper-consumption driven mainstream counterpart. But at the same time those kind of 'conscious rap' themes of rebellion and down with the man can get tiresome listening to 24-7. Besides anybody not digging Jay-Z saying 'I'd rather live enormous than die dormant' and has to get their head checked. My point is you need a balance of these seemingly divergent sub-genres depending on mood, time and place. 

But this Zion I song is so good it fits into every mood, time and place. And the video is a beautiful thing as well with all it's sustainable technology and oh so smooth feel. Has to make my man Van Jones proud (middle finger up for Fox News; you're still going against those commies? Really?)

Zion I- Coastin'