All Points West Announced

All Points West announced its line-up and dates today. To my surprise The Roots will not be performing, but Q-Tip, Pharcyde, Beastie Boys and Kool Keith are, so that is good enough for me. There are also tons of non-hip-hop acts like Coldplay, MGMT, Elbow, Echo & The Bunnymen and The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.

Check out the site if you are going to be around Jersey City, NJ from July 31st to August 2nd. You might want to swing by.

http://www.apwfestival.com/

APW Announcement Monday.

All Points West, regarded as the east coast Coachella is making their big announcement Monday. I'm assuming it is the dates and bands. I attended last year at Liberty State Park, Jersey City and had the time of my life, I can see myself there again this summer. Highlights from last year include The Roots, Little Brother, Girl Talk, Radiohead (twice) and Kings of Leon.

Something Good

Rap heavyweights Kanye West and T-Pain appear on GLC's new track titled "Flight School", which I'm sure is going to be on his first album Love, Life & Loyalty due out this year. For those that don't know, GLC is a Chicago based rapper that is friends with Kanye and is signed to Kanye's label G.O.O.D. Music (and also appeared on Kanye's hit Drive Slow off of Late Registration).

If you want it, its right here.

Heroes

Not much going on right now with me or hip-hop as far as I'm concerned, so I figured I'd show you one of my favorite beats from Nas' single "Hero", which was released summer 2008.

Nas - Hero (Produced by Polow da Don)

"ANYTHING BUT RAP!"

Have you ever been to a good party, but the music just didn't suit the mood? Maybe I can re-phrase that. Have you ever been to a bumpin' party (or other social event) where everyone is hyped and all you can hear in the background is the mellowest Kings of Leon or Jose Gonzalez song? Music has always been a way to set a mood, and people react to what they hear. Some genres of music just seem more fit for certain times/events. I never understood who could bare to listen to something mellow during a party, pub, or insert random situation where a lot of friends and drinking is involved. There have been times when my friends and I are drinking and having a good time, I reach for the iPod or iTunes and all I hear is "OHH NO JORDANS GONNA PUT ON RAP!"... Seriously? What is wrong with rap at a party? Especially when my ears have been continuously flooded with the latest hyphy hipster indie pop. I can't bare to listen to mellow music or continuously indie music at parties. I never understood it. How House of Cards by Radiohead would be favored over Still D.R.E. by Dr. Dre. In no way am I comparing them as artists (I thoroughly enjoy Radiohead, in fact), but at a party when people are trashed and want something to sing to, I think we know the clear answer. Clearly not everybody likes hip-hop, and that is fine, there are a fair amount of great songs that aren't hip-hop related that I love hearing at parties. But in the end it comes down to a time and a place. And in my opinion mellow indie music should be extremely limited during a party and hip-hop should be at the forefront. You can't deny its entertainability (just created a word there), and the catchy, sing along factor involved.

PS. I'm really not trying to sound bias, just because I have a hip-hop blog. And I am also not trying to diss other peoples taste in music, this is just my opinion on a certain situation!

PPS. St. Patty's Day at 7A King is prime example of proper music selection. Keep up the good work.

Not Much, You?

I don't have much to say, but I'm bored and wanna write a blog so here I go...

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a love affair with Jersey City, New Jersey. A few weeks ago Jersey City resident Joe Budden released his second studio album titled Padded Room. I don't entirely feel like reviewing the album, mainly because I haven't listened to it that thoroughly, but I do feel like sharing a few songs I enjoy off of it. So check out some personal faves off of Budden's latest album Padded Room.

Do Tell

Now I Lay

In My Sleep (Albums second single)

The album has a different feel from older Budden tracks (and other East Coast/New Jersey artists altogether), but none the less it has some enjoyable tracks.

Boombox, V1

I'm pretty new and oblivious to this blog thing, so I apologize for always copying you, Kellen, for ideas for blogs. Here is a list of songs I've been into lately that I think are worth checking out.

Young Buck - 30 Birds

The Roots - Star

Wyclef Jean - Slow Down (Featuring T.I.)

Mos Def - Life In Marvelous Times

Ludacris - Everybody Hates Chris

Kanye West - Through The Wire

Scarface - Guess Who's Back

Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think

There, I even provided you guys with links to the tracks if you're interested.

Top 10 All Time Hip-Hop Albums

Yesterday my friend Kellen challenged me to make a top 10 list of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. This got me kind of excited since for the past decade or so I have treated hip-hop as a religion (lame I know, but I love it). So in light of Kellen's well constructed top 10, I now offer you my own. Note: These albums are in no way what I think are the most influential albums of all time of any of that, but simply albums I have listened to profusely while growing up and have spent an excessive amount of time in my CD player.

10) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – E 1999 Eternal (1995)

9) OutKast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994)

8) Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001)

7) Big L – Lifestyles ov da Poor and Dangerous (1995)

6) Ghostface Killah – Fishscale (2006)

5) Nas - Illmatic (1994)

4) The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die (1994)

3) The Fugees – The Score (1996)

2) Wu-Tang Clan – Forever (1997)

1) The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death (1997)

Some people might be wondering why Life After Death ranked higher than Ready to Die on my list. The first Notorious B.I.G. album I got was Life After Death, which really got me into his music even though it was a (hardly) posthumous release. After years and years of continuous playing time on my iTunes and CD player, the album still never wares out on me. Life After Death demonstrates B.I.G.'s lyrical ability, flow, and also his mastered art of storytelling.

Albums that make me wish it were a top 13.

N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton (1988)

Dr. Dre - 2001 (1999)

The Roots – Game Theory (2006)

Notorious

On this day twelve years ago, rapper Christopher Wallace A.K.A. the Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in Los Angeles, California. I'm sure I don't need to ramble on about his talent, flow, and all round influence he left on the rap game even before his death. So, unless you have been living under a rock or just aren't that knowledgeable about hip-hop then go get a copy of his first album titled Ready to Die, which dropped in 1994 (also don't be shy to check out Life After Death, which came out sixteen days after Biggie's death in 1997)

Wallace is still present in contemporary hip-hop. His music is often sampled or mashed up with other artists (because who is more marketable than him nowadays). He was signed to Bad Boy Entertainment and is often referred to in tracks by P. Diddy, Jay-Z and a number of other east coast rappers although he had influenced an entire generation of artists.

Without further adieu I will post one of my favorite Biggie tracks for both mine and your enjoyment. R.I.P. Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997)

Ghostwriters, part 2

After writing my last post I looked into other artists that ghostwrite and/or don't write their own lyrics and found some interesting facts. Clearly, not all rappers have the time or lyrical ability of their own to write their own material and sadly some rappers just don't have an appealing voice or flow and charisma to entertain audiences. This is where ghostwriting comes in. But why would anyone want to ghostwrite? Especially if you're Nas or Jay-Z and have several platinum albums, tours and other commitments. Artists like P. Diddy and Will Smith for example have the money to make hit records by paying a ghostwriter and also getting a well produced track. That right there is enough incentive to hire a ghostwriter. I managed to find a few examples of ghostwritten songs that I'm sure the majority of you have heard before. Dr. Dre's part in Still D.R.E. was actually written by Jay-Z, Will Smith had Nas write for him on his hit single Getting Jiggy With It. Southern rapper Smitty was a ghostwriter before rapper, Eminem ghostwrites a lot of work for artists, and if you listen closely on Forgot About Dre by Dr. Dre, Dre flows similar to Eminem. It is also rumored that rapper Gillie the Kid wrote lyrics for Lil' Wayne on the album Tha Carter, which was released in 2004. This escalated into a feud between the two rappers once Gillie admitted to writing for Wayne in an interview. I wouldn't doubt that Gillie did work for Lil' Wayne, if you listen to old Wayne and new Wayne there is clearly a difference in lyrical style, which now revolve heavily around metaphors.

Obviously the artist does not want anyone to know that their work wasn't written by them. Royce the 5'9" admitted to writing songs for Dr. Dre on the Chronic 2001, which ultimately severed their friendship. Also, Diddy's song I'll Be Missing You, about the death of his friend The Notorious B.I.G. was ghostwritten by a man that goes by Sauce Money, who got $1,000 US for his work. Unfortunately someone with a wallet as big a Diddy's only forked over $1,000 for lyrics that he used to commemorate his late friend.

That is basically a summary of some info I've come across in my search for ghostwriters. Doesn't seem like the most fulfilling job but at the end of the day you're getting paid to write a couple of bars that rhyme (and hopefully satisfy the audience). Maybe one day P. Diddy or Dre will shoot me a cheque for a few hours worth of work.

Ghostwriting for Detox

Ghostwriting is nothing new to hip-hop. Some of your favorite artists don't even write their music. From P. Diddy to Elton John, not everything you hear is written by he who says it. I'm not sure if Dr. Dre had others ghostwrite for him back in his N.W.A. days, but now, in light of his upcoming release Detox, a number of leaked tracks hit the internet with T.I. and Eminem citing Dre's verses. The latest leak off of the album titled Topless hit the net around two weeks ago with T.I. and Nas performing the verses and Dre on the hook. The first time I listened to it I wondered why T.I. was rapping about a beef with Lil Eazy-E (son of the late Eric Wright A.K.A. Eazy-E) and talking so highly about Dre and not himself... then it hit me. Topless is a good track none the less, now I wonder if Dre will sound as good as T.I. while flowing and reciting the exact same words.

Check out the track Topless which will one day be Dr. Dre featuring Nas. Until then check out T.I.

Enough Beef...

Beef and rap music go hand-in-hand. The earliest beef that I can remember was after the disbandment of N.W.A. when Dr. Dre and Eazy-E were releasing diss tracks towards each other. That was the early nineties, and there seemed to have been enough reasoning for their feud. (If you don't know you can easily Wiki it). Present day rap feuds are getting weaker and weaker. Every rapper in New York hates every other New York rapper. Southern rappers feuding over drug slanging and dealing, and rappers everywhere are angry about other rappers misrepresenting their 'hood'. In this world of useless hip hop feuds I have handpicked some of my favorites and most interesting.

The first one I'll mention is Rick Ross and G-Unit. Rick Ross rose to fame after his first single Hustlin', produced by one of the most popular beat makers 'The Runners', responsible for the screw hook fad in southern rap. If you have ever heard Hustlin' or any other Rick Ross track then you would know that his lyrics focus primarily on mass drug distribution through Miami ports. He got the name Rick Ross from the famous imprisoned drug trafficker. Ross plays himself off as one of the biggest drug hustlers in the United States. He even knows Noreaga (and apparently he owes Ross one hundred favors). However, the tables have turned on Ross once photos of a clean shaven Ross in a police uniform surfaced. He admitted to being a correctional facilities officer in Miami before rapping. As if things couldn't have gotten any worse, his old girlfriend wrote a book which exposed Ross' real character, claiming that he was an officer and also NOT AT ALL A DRUG DEALER! Big surprise, how many rappers do you think actually sold mass amounts of drugs and actually admitted to it in their songs? Rick Ross was then more vulnerable than ever. Needless to say Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent pounced on Ross. Both camps released a number of diss tracks, in my opinion in G-Units favor. (I couldn't really care less for both camps anyway, so I'm trying not to show a bias). Rick Ross mainly attacks 50 Cent on his diss tracks, claiming to burn his mothers house down and foolish things like that. G-Unit attacks Ross' fraudulent image and shout "Officer Rickyyyy" on the diss tracks. What I love about this feud is that Rick Ross finally got called out!

My second favorite beef is between T.I. and Shawty Lo, both from the mean streets of Atlanta, Georgia. The reason for this beef is hilarious! T.I. shouted "Bankhead!", which is an Atlanta neighborhood, and did not mention Lo's name. Lo claims that T.I. is not from Bankhead, which fueled the feud. Lo released a track called Dunn Dunn which was the instigator in the Lo-T.I. feud. T.I. responded on his first single from his latest album Paper Trail to Lo through out the song and took even more shots at Lo on the track What Up? Whats Haapnin' saying "cause I yell Bankhead and you feel left out, I ain't mention your name thats what all this about?", which basically sums up this useless beef. Apparently the two have resolved their differences, which is a good idea on Lo's part because he is straight up awful.

That is all for now, I'll have more on foolish rap beefs in the future, as long as rappers keep acting stupid.