Check Out: Cappadonna

Any avid Wu-Tang Clan fan knows of Cappadonna [Darryl Hill]. He is basically an unofficial member of the clan and has appeared on countless Wu tracks. Perhaps one of his biggest features was on Triumph, which features every single member of the clan. I've always been a fan of Cappa, although there is the odd time where he delivers a verse I'm not feeling. Regardless, Cappa has proven himself at equal caliber to certain clan members (I'm not gonna name names here...) and grew up with some of the Clan members in Staten Island, New York.

You can find Cappa on numerous Ghostface Killah tracks, but he also has five official studio albums under his belt, most notably, to me, is The Pillage, Cappa's debut album featuring production from the RZA, True Master, Goldfingaz and more producers in the Wu camp. The album also features Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon and U-God from the Clan.

Cappadonna has always been an interesting artist for me since he hasn't really been in the spotlight - yet he shines on the countless Wu tracks he is features on, especially on the Forever album. Check out the tracks For Heaven's Sake, Little Ghetto Boys and Heaterz for examples (he is the last one to rap in all three songs). Most notably, Cappa absolutely destroys his verse in Ghostface Killah's Winter Warz off of the Ironman album. I urge you to check it out immediately - he starts at 2:28 and finishes the second the track cuts.

What also interests me about Cappa is his lifestyle choices. He was once in a dispute with RZA, which temporarily cut him out of Clan involvement. During his hiatus from hip-hop Cappa moved to Baltimore, Maryland, gave away all his belongings, and drove cabs for eight months. In a Ghostface track titled 9 Milli Bros Cappa raps "Diggler AKA the cab driver, drop 'em off in the middle of fire" which, correct me if I'm wrong, was one of Cappa's first features after his hiatus.

This all being said, I hope that people find a new appreciation for Wu's unofficial tenth member. Cappa has been spittin for years and for the most part never got the recognition he deserved. Whether you're listening to Oh Donna from The Pillage or Dogs of War off of Ghostface's Fishscale, you can always get some extremely underrated and unknown material from Cappachino the great.

"I'm Going In, Son."

I'm not sure how recent this clip is, but it sure made me laugh.

Can anyone understand the RZA?

Hip Hope Turns ONE!

I almost forgot that today is the blogs first birthday! I don't really have anything planned to update the site with... I've been pretty much busy and on the go this week since it is my spring break. I'll try and get something going tonight for an update. Sit tight.

Everything is Everything

Anyone remember Lauryn Hill's third single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill? It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest written hip-hop songs off all-time. Check out the track and lyrics (which I had to jack from a lyrics site - there was no way I was writting it all).

---

Everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually

I wrote these words for everyone
Who struggles in their youth
Who won't accept deception
Instead of what is truth
It seems we lose the game,
Before we even start to play
Who made these rules? We're so confused
Easily led astray
Let me tell ya that
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
After winter, must come spring
Everything is everything

I philosophy
Possibly speak tongues
Beat drum, Abyssinian, street Baptist
Rap this in fine linen
From the beginning
My practice extending across the atlas
I begat this
Flippin' in the ghetto on a dirty mattress
You can't match this rapper / actress
More powerful than two Cleopatras
Bomb graffiti on the tomb of Nefertiti
MCs ain't ready to take it to the Serengeti
My rhymes is heavy like the mind of Sister Betty
L. Boogie spars with stars and constellations
Then came down for a little conversation
Adjacent to the king, fear no human being
Roll with cherubims to Nassau Coliseum
Now hear this mixture
Where hip hop meets scripture
Develop a negative into a positive picture

Now, everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually

Sometimes it seems
We'll touch that dream
But things come slow or not at all
And the ones on top, won't make it stop
So convinced that they might fall
Let's love ourselves then we can't fail
To make a better situation
Tomorrow, our seeds will grow
All we need is dedication

Let me tell ya that,
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
After winter, must come spring
Everything is everything

Everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually

---

The Intros That Didn't Make It...

This is basically an honorable mention post, so check it.

The Roots - Star/Pointro - This one is the intro to The Tipping Point, which was a solid album - Star might actually be my fave track from the album, and hearing it live twice doesn't effect my decision. "The Tipping Point is here..."

Warren G - Regulate (Featuring Nate Dogg) - Classic West Coast G funk era right here. The intro and the major hit from this album, but it sets the stage for a nice LBC street jam. "Just hit the east-side of the LBC on a mission tryin' to find Mr. Warren G..." ... I can picture it right now.

Akon - Shake Down - Who ever thought Akon would do something like this? This actually be one of the biggest hype songs I've ever heard. If you've never heard it then do yourself a favor and check it. You'll understand then.

PS. Another song I've heard live and basically lost my shit.

Brand Nubian - All For One - Off of the classic album titled One for All, I just can't deny Sadat's voice.

I'm going to stop here because I only realized today that I had this saved as a draft and meant to finish a more extensive "honorable mention" list earlier, but flat out forgot. There are tons of classic intros out there I wanted to add or I just flat out forgot, regardless, I hope you enjoyed some of these tracks.

The Top 10 Intros to Hip-Hop Albums

An intro song to a hip-hop album is, for the most part, a short vocal disclaimer or some kind of song that lays out the foundation of what is to come for the next thirty plus minutes that it takes to complete the album. To me, the best intro tracks come through hard, not only giving me a taste of what is to come, but gets me extremely hyped - like saying "damn, that's just the intro!" Throughout my years of listening to hip-hop I recently got the idea to have a top list for my favorite introductions into a hip-hop album. I'm shoving aside quick, beat-less skits from people like Cedric the Entertainer, the thuggish ramblings of Clyde Smith and the quick "interludesque" style songs that last half a minute. This list pays tribute to those intro songs that can explain the album, go hard lyrically and be an all-round banger.

A usual disclaimer - these songs are picked by personal preference, this list is in no way supposed to explain the most influential intros or anything along those lines, however, I still feel like you could find some interesting points here, and also some classic tracks.

Here we go:

10. Common - Be - Off the album with the same name, Be is a classic intro because of its build up to the song - not that it is epic, but relaxing and wonderful - and the smooth, observational lyrics from Common.

9. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton - From the album Straight Outta Compton, this track introduces the group and the album. For starters, every verse begins with the rapper stating their name and a quick fun fact.

Dr. Dre: "Eazy is his name and the boy is coming..."

Eazy-E: "Straight outta Compton, is a brotha that'll smotha your motha, and make your sister think I love her..."

... and I don't think I need to recite Ice Cube's legendary introduction to that track. This intro track sets the stage for this police-hating group from the city of Compton.

8. Blu & Exile - My World Is... - I'll admit that I haven't heard of Blu that long ago, my friend Kellen actually introduced me to him and its been nothing but good music ever since. This track comes off the album titled Below The Heavens, which is a collaboration between Blu and producer Exile. It makes the list because 1) it is an intro! and 2) Blu is introducing himself like no one has ever heard of him - it is too good. The sample, which is "My Love is Blue" by Dells has also been sampled by Ghostface Killah in the track "Shakey Dog".

7. Ludacris - Coming 2 America - Off of Word of Mouf, an intro could not hype me up and make me laugh at all the hilarious analogies and metaphors as much as a Ludacris intro. Check out the lyrics online somewhere and you will see what I mean.

6. Busta Rhymes - Everybody Rise - From the E.L.E. (The Extinction Level Event), Busta comes through flowing nicely with an extremely hyped east coast banger of a beat (also sampled by Jay Electronica for Exhibit A). This is the kind of song you don't just want to open up your album... imagine this opening up a Busta concert!

5. Kanye West - Good Morning - I'm sure everyone knows this one from Kanye's Graduation. This is Kanye's first intro song that was actually a song, if that makes sense. He even starts it out by saying "Wake up Mr. West" which is what his intro for Late Registration is called. He doesn't only tie that in there, Good Morning is also, besides Homecoming, the only track on the album that addresses the whole analogy of progression and graduating from hip-hop with references to college.

"You got D's motherfucker, D's, Rosie Perez. And yes barely passed, any and every class, looking at every ass, cheated on every test, I guess, this is my dissertation, homie this shit is basic, welcome to Graduation."

4. Big L - Big Picture (Intro) - The first time I heard this I lost my shit. Big L is renowned for his raw, amazing lyricism and this into song displays it on a classic DJ Premier beat.

"We never bring luggage we go shopping when the plane lands..."

In this track Big L will tell how what the game would be like without him in it, so listen attentively.

"Big L rest in peace." (May 30, 1974 - February 15, 1999) - 11 years today.

3. Nas - Stillmatic (Intro) - I know my friends around Mount A will agree with this one. This line sums up all that really needed to be said aside from the Jay-Z feud:

"...they thought I'd make another Illmatic, but its always forward I'm moving, never backwards stupid heres another classic..."

2. EPMD - Intro (Out of Business) - Classic beat for starters. E (Erick Sermon) and PMD (Parrish Smith) spit hot shit on one of their not-so-acclaimed albums, but still well respected.

"Allow me to introduce my DJ Scratch the black balboa, I'm Erick Sermon, the dope rhyme flowa.."

You can still see elements of their old school roots.

1. Jay-Z - Intro (Dynasty) - Too amazing. A Just Blaze production - one of the best beats I can think of. The album came out in 2000, so obviously Jay has a similar mindset to Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint.

"This is food for thought you do the dishes."

NBA All-Star Weekend

As some of you know, this weekend is the NBA All-Star weekend, which around here is overshadowed by the Olympics, but whatever, they're both huge events in my opinion, I was just more excited to watch some of the NBA's finest take charge in Dallas, TX.

The Rookie vs. Sophomore game was on Friday. I didn't get the chance to watch it, but the rooks took it 140-128 under the coaching of Kevin Durant.

The skills competition yesterday was decent. We basically got to watch Kevin Durant make normal shots from all over the court, and out of bounds in the H.O.R.S.E. challenge. Time was eventually an issue in the challenge and it resorted to Durant and the Celtic's Rajon Rondo going shot for show from the 3-point line until they missed. Durant took it effortlessly. Steve Nash took the skills challenge with a flawless run through the course of lay-ups, passing, shooting and dribbling. Paul Pierce won the 3-point contest, luckily nailing all five two-point money balls for a grand total of 20 points. The biggest disappointment, and actually my only major complaint was the dunk competition. If you watched it you know what I mean. Gerard Wallace did nothing. Not literally, but you know... Shannon Brown unfortunately did not deliver either... so it was up to DeMar DeRozan and Nate Robinson in the final round. Nate took it because of fan voting - 51% in favor of Nate, 49% for DeMar. Needless to say, DeRozan deserved it, and if it came down to the actual judges deciding on the winner then DeRozan woulda took it.

That is basically all that I saw. I missed a few events on Friday and I think I'm going to end up missing the All-Star game tonight. I'll just catch the TSN highlights tomorrow I guess.

Stussy X Stones Throw Records

Instead of recycling what someone else said, here is a pic of a Stussy X Stones Throw collaborations commemorating the late great J Dilla.

"In an all-L.A. joint venture, Stones throw records and Stussy have collaborated to produce this tribute to the late hip-hop producer, J-Dilla. The graphic on the front shows Jay sport a Stussy tee and is taken from Raph Rashid’s 2005 book, “The Beat: Hip-Hop Home Studios” which photographed a series of hip hop producers. Both a black and a white version will available, on February 13 (February 10, being the 3rd anniversary of J-Dilla’s passing)."

-Hypebeast.com

Check Out: Tha Carter II

In light of the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl last night, I felt like showcasing a New Orleans artist somehow. That being said, I present to you one of the most hated on rappers alive: Lil' Wayne.

Why Lil' Wayne? Well, old Lil' Wayne is surprisingly really good. Maybe it's not so surprising, actually. I think it is just that everyone is quick to judge him by his latest mainstream releases: Tha Carter III, a more mainstream approach by Wayne, and The Rebirth, which was a drastic shift from rap to a rock album... I know, right?

Unlike my other "Critical Release" albums featured, this one is a lot more recent. Tha Carter II was released in the late quarter of 2005 under the Cash Money/Universal label. It is Lil' Wayne's first album that does not feature production from fellow New Orleans MC and producer Mannie Fresh, who, in my opinion, gave Lil' Wayne a trademark southern sound.

What makes this album stand out? To me, it is that although it achieved mainstream success with singles like Fireman, Hustler Musik and Shooter, it was also, and this could be argued, Lil' Wayne's last studio album where he just flat out spits hard consistently. I say this could be argued because of Tha Carter III, but really, his style changed, and to me it sounds a lot lazier.

Lyrically, Tha Carter II sticks to the fundamentals. That is, talk about the streets, talk about the love, the struggle, and some fame. And as you would expect, his lyrics are loaded with metaphors and similes - original, yet not overly complicated to decipher - that undoubtedly makes his music easier to relate to. Production, like I said, does not include Mannie Fresh, which is perhaps one of my only complaints about this album. Nevertheless, Heatmakerz, T-Mix & Batman, The Runners, Robin Thicke and company do a solid job on a variety of different style beats. Some well sampled tracks by Heatmakerz, who have done a lot of work for the Dipset squad, also, one of my favorite beats coming from the south by T-Mix & Batman on Hustler Musik.

I know it is easy to hate on Lil' Wayne. However, a lot of this hate is post-Carter III (among a few other mainstream singles and features), which leads some to hate Wayne blindly, without giving his older material a chance. I chose Tha Carter II today because this, and the original Carter got me into Lil' Wayne, and I really enjoyed his older studio releases and mixtapes like Da Drought 3 and DJ Drama's Dedication series.

Check out some tracks from Tha Carter II:

Carter II (including intro & outro)

Receipt

Tha Mobb

And don't forget the singles I linked above.

B.o.B - May 25th

I know I am around a week late with this one, but DJ Drama, DJ Sense and B.o.B released a mixtape to hype up his upcoming album The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which is due out May 25th. Some production by B.o.B himself, Kanye West and Alchemist to name a few. It can't do no harm.

Download

Greatest Hits, V4: Booba

"Who the fuck is Booba?" You might be asking. Well... Booba is a rapper from Boulonge-Billancourt, part of the greater Paris metropolis in France, who gets shit done in French. Now, admittedly, I am not a French rap connoisseur, but I think it is safe to say that he is one of France's most popular solo hip-hop acts. He rose to fame while rapping with his friend Ali in the duo "Lunatic". Booba released his first solo album in 2002 titled Temps mort, followed by Pantheon (2004), Ouest Side (2006) then 0.9 (2008). Perhaps his most successful release came from the Pantheon album, the song was titled "Numero 10" - the beat was recycled in numerous mash-ups and remixes on mixtapes. Although his latest release, 0.9, did not fair so well, as fans believed his music was becoming to "Americanized" and mainstream, Booba is renowned as one of France's most appreciated, and in my opinion has one of the best hip-hop voices, in a while. If you're like me and know French fluently, Booba is a must listen to. If you're like a number of my friends and have no idea what the hell is going on, chances are you're still going to enjoy his stuff - a lot of my friends appreciate his work, it is a nice, refreshing step away from the whole North American scene.


This list will also include some work done under the Lunatic duo:


1. Les Vrais Savent (Lunatic)
2. Groupe Sanguin (Lunatic)
3. Numero 10
4. Le Duc de Boulonge
5. Ouais Ouais
6. Au Bout Des Reves
7. Garde La Peche
8. Mon Son
9. Illegal
10. Garcimore
11. Tallac
12. Gun In Hand Feat. Akon


Do yourself a favor and check his stuff out. He is France's best kept secret and a hidden gem to those that don't know of him.
PS. Don't mind the words that should be accented.

Boombox, V13

I feel like I can't apologize enough. I really am not trying to neglect the blog, but school work is piling up and Modern Warfare 2 is just too fun. Just to say I updated, here are thirteen songs since its my thirteenth song recommendation post.

Wale - World Tour (Feat. Jazmine Sullivan)

DJ Green Lantern - Shotgun Season (Fat Joe & Styles P)

Big L - Put It On

J Dilla - Sun In My Face (Blu & Jontel)

The Trammps - Rubber Band

Skinnyman - I'll Be Surprised

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo

Dilated Peoples - World On Wheels

Common - Faithful (Feat. John Legend & Bilal)

Eric B. & Rakim - The Punisher

The Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter 23

Beanie Sigel - Beanie (Mack Bitch)

Method Man - Da Rockwilder

That about does it. A fair amount of songs to hold you over till next time. Some old time classics and some more recent ish.