July 3rd, 2009
But I LOVE this track. This covers every aspect of summer, even up north. Windows down on a gorgeous sunny day, sunglasses on. Driving around the city at night, rolling into your favorite night spot. Partying by the beach, at a houseparty, in a club. This is one of those anthemic catch-all tracks, sort of a club-friendly alternative to The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” or MGMT’s “Time To Pretend.” Yes, I just made the comparison. Now listen, damnit.
Big Krit - The South [mp3]
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July 3rd, 2009
June 30th, 2009
It’s finally here, ladies and gentlemen. I know I’ve been Wale-in’ you guys for a while with a mixtape some of you thought might never drop (or even exist!). But it’s here. Right here. For download. For those of you who aren’t very computer savvy, you can stream with with the “play” button, or right click the link above it and ‘Save’ it. Crazy, right? Whatever, here’s the tape ‘n’ tracklist.
Ezra Mechaber - Show Me What You Got (Demo 2009) [mp3 download]
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1.) Jay Z - Show Me What You Got
2.) Jagged Edge - Where The Party At?
3.) Clipse - When The Last Time
4.) Beck - Hell Yes
5.) BoomKat - The Wreckoning
6.) Notorious BIG - Party & Bullshit (Ratatat remix)
7.) 50 Cent x Naughty by Nature - High All The Time (dj ezra mechaber blend)
8.) Naughty by Nature - O.P.P.
9.) Jackson 5 (RIP Mike) - I Want You Back (Roger72 & The Walk remix)
10.) Lady Gaga - Summerboy
11.) Mark Ronson feat. Nate Dogg, Ghostface, etc. - Ooh Wee
12.) Kevin Rudolf feat. Nas - NYC
13.) Lomaticc feat. Kardinal Offishall & Sunny Brown - Tonite
14.) The Roots - The Seed 2.0
15.) ABX - Shawty Got Looks (mashup)
16.) Seidah Garrett - Do You Want It Right Now?
17.) Donnis - Party Works
18.) T-Pain feat. Ludacris - Chopped and Screwed (dj ezra mechaber blend)
19.) Miguel Migs feat. LT - So Far
20.) Empire of the Sun - We Are The People (Jimmy2Sox remix)
21.) Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling (Barletta edit)
22.) Agent Stereo - Keep On Groovin’
23.) Master Shortie - Dead End (Chew Fu Ghettohouse re-work)
23.) MSTRKRFT feat. NORE - Bounce (A-trak remix)
24.) The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction (DiscoTech remix)
25.) Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas (Calvin Harris remix)
26.) The Streets - Weak Become Heroes
Leave a comment, much appreciated.
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June 30th, 2009
June 27th, 2009
Track 4, huh? I might have to condense a few of these tracks into a single post, because this is gonna take forever otherwise. Sweet beat, okay lyrics, but nothing amazing. Shouts to Joe Budden for the best line on this track: “You met Wale & 9th Wonder, now meet the 10th: Joey.” Amusing little vocal snippet about rapping at the end (and how the mixtape isn’t about singing), but it doesn’t really work considering Night Life and Pot of Gold comes only a few tracks later. Oops.
Wale - Tito Santana [mp3]
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June 27th, 2009
June 24th, 2009
Time for track three, you readers (all 6 of you! just kidding). This is by far one of my least favorite joints on the tape, as almost every version I’ve heard of “Chillin’” inevitably seems to be. What the hell is with these remixes?
Okay, we need to face it: “Chillin” wasn’t amazing to begin with. It was a noble effort on Wale’s part to find a chart-plausible single, but my guess is it may have been shoved down his throat by his label. Lady GaGa was a wise choice for that kind of move, the beat sounds like it should, and the lyrics are smart. But the whole joint finds empty. Even with Lady GaGa gettin’ her MIA on in the background, it fails to impress - it sounds like the token chart-friendly-single.
Calling this joint empty is harsh (and honest), so lets admit there are some great lines: “Let’s talk about the cars ya’ll got/You say you got a lotta whips? Well I’ve got a LOT.” This line is genius in it’s own way, if only because most people will never get it. He means a LOT, as in a car-lot of cars. It’s not obvious, but it is. Which makes it annoying and pseudo-clever. I like it. Whatever, shut up.
Now let’s talk about this remix. The intro sucks - it repeats the same orchestral hit WAY too many times in the same pitch before it leads into a totally disappointing beat. It isn’t a bad remix, but it certainly isn’t what I would expect from Nick Catchdubs regardless, but it certainly isn’t what I would put on a mixtape. The beat just doesn’t ever manage to make up for that truly awful intro, and every other time I hear the orchestral beat (every bar or so), I cringe.
Why did this make the cut? Honestly, I don’t get it. It’s a remix, Catchdubs did it, maybe that was enough - they certainly couldn’t include the lead-off single of Wale’s unreleased album on a mixtape as it was. Whatever, it’s hard to polish shit.
But IS “Chillin” shit? I’ll never really figure it out - it’s not TERRIBLE, but Wale is so much more. The music can be so much deeper on an emotional level, so much more raw in terms of energy - this beat is just totally over-produced, and GaGa’s presence (love her though I do) doesn’t help things.
Remixes of “Chillin’” worth listening to as alternatives? DJ Benzi and Skratch Bastid (via the fabulous Mixtape Maestro!) both have different takes on the track, and both are interesting in their own right. Benzi takes the acapella, speeds the fuck out of it, and laces it over a Nightcrawler-The Feeling type house beat (with a video totally worth watching), while Skratch Bastid’s is more off the walls in an old-school hip hop and funk sort of a way. Just listen, you’ll understand what I mean - and enjoy the MIA/Arab Money samples at just the right parts.
…NEXT!
Wale - Chillin’ (Catchdubs v 9th) [mp3]
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Wale - Chillin’ (DJ Benzi remix) [mp3]
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Wale - Chillin’ (Skratch Bastid remix) [mp3]
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June 24th, 2009
June 22nd, 2009
Track two off of Back to the Feature.
The beat is go-go, for sure, minus the congas perhaps. It’s the got the bubbly bassline and horn section. That said, I’m really not in love with it - it’s essentially the same two bars endlessly repeated. But the horns are sick, I will concede that.
The track features two members of rap group State Property (Beanie Siegel was famous for releasing that solo album whilst incarcerated, and Freeway is a badass) and Young Chris.
There are some truly great lines in here:
“You niggas is John Q/You don’t have the heart for it” - Wale
“Me too, I’m sayin, bringin the banger right here/I be hip-hop gamin’ dropin’ bangers all year/Freezer’ll bang that thing and end your singin’ career” - Freeway. The way the words fit around the beat here speaks way more than the lyrics themselves.
Honestly I’m not even sure how I feel about half of the other lyrics but they mold to the beat SO well. That goes for Freeway and Wale’s lines especially. Beanie Siegel’s verse is really a little awkward, not sure why, both in content and delivery. Honestly, this isn’t a track I’d really listen to more than twice, though the lines from Freeway and the “st-st-stutter” from Wale definitely make it worth that second time around.
Wale (feat. Young Chris, Freeway, & Beanie Siegel) - Cyphr [mp3]
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June 22nd, 2009
June 21st, 2009
I am going through this mixtape track by track, posting all the mp3s with my comments. Does ever song really deserve this much attention? Probably not. Does the mixtape really deserve this kind of attention? Duh.
This is the intro track off of “Back to the Feature,” and it opens with an explanation for the delay. Whatever, all water under the bridge. Let’s just get this started already.
When I first heard this song, I thought the beat was an old Numark/Cut Chemist joint, it would fit PERFECTLY on a Jurassic 5 album. Funky samples, an unconventional chorus, and a bassline that is laidback yet still manages to bang. This definitely isn’t my favorite track, but it’s solid.
Favorite line? “Ya’ll riddles don’t tickle a bit/Ya’ll similes is literal shit”
Wale (feat. Currensy & Tre) - Wordplay [mp3 link]
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June 21st, 2009
June 20th, 2009
The wait is over? Oh hot damn, this 75-minutes of music is absolutely my jam. But more about that in a minute. First, the backstory.
The backstory: Wale’s “Back to the Featre” mixtape (a followup to “100 Miles & Running,” and the critically acclaimed “Mixtape About Nothin’”) was due out for release in April. April 29th, actually. How do I remember? I had an iCal appointment to sit down and listen to it. Sadly, April 29th came and went, and there was nary a tweet about it on the hyperactive WaleDC twitter account. So, like an obedient little fan, I sent him a tweet: “@WaleDC Hey man, any word on that mixtape?” No response.
A week later, word surfaced that a May release date was possible, though he didn’t say much on Twitter. Weeks passed, and more release dates came and went without a mixtape. I was discouraged, worried that this mixtape might never come out (Was he having MC-block? If it did come out, would it disappoint?), when a glimmer of hope surfaced. Wale announced that it would be out by June 13th or bust.
Bust.
It wasn’t out, there was no word last weekend about progress, and I was ready to give up. Some way to treat your fans, right? Early this week there was an announcement on his Twitter, simple and to the point: the mixtape is done, putting the final touches on, out this Friday. On Friday, he missed the deadline for getting it online. Damn, right? But then it came out.
IT CAME OUT. Now, back to the future (now). Or rather, Back to the Feature. Straight to my iPod with my obscenely expensive headphones, and when I drove into Boston it went straight into the car stereo. I could. Not. Turn. It. Off.
Over the next week I’ll run through reviews of some of my favorite tracks, but for expediency’s sake, here’s a few good ones: Pot of Gold, Rhyme N Reason, Um Ricka.
Cop it here: http://www.zshare.net/download/61605401574105cb/
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June 20th, 2009
June 14th, 2009
There is no doubt that flamenco is sexy. But flamenco is sexy with a hard edge – it’s beautiful with a bite. Hip hop is, like flamenco, kind of a dance – there’s posturing, posing, and raw energy.
The genius boys from Cookin’ Soul took note of this and promptly set Camron’s fierce posturing to an even fiercer beat, a castanet-laden work of incredible beauty.
There is, as there tends to be with Cookin’ Soul’s music, a sort of wordplay in the mashup: the backing track is a set of samples by Camaron de la Isla, one of Spain’s greatest flamenco exports of all time. Mixed with Camron’s vocals, we’re left with the title “Camron of the Island.” Clever? Not exactly, but this track is so raw and excellent. I would love to see a mixtape of this kind of music: hard flamenco-inspired beats mixed with rap acappellas.
Camron vs Camaron - Camron of the Island (cookin soul mashup) [mp3 link]
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June 14th, 2009
May 28th, 2009
It’s odd, really. This is a Busta Rhymes track, but it’s not Busta I remember when I think of the song, it’s that laid-back piano beat (almost certainly John Legend, who is featured on this track) and Legend’s cool voice singing the hook (even though Mary J Blige AND Jamie Foxx sing before him).
But then I listen to it, and I realize how good his verses are. He’s a beastly MC, even if I don’t like most of his work, and it’s an interesting change to hear him rapping low-key. I mean, even in other tracks with slow-ya-roll beats, there’s a certain aggressiveness to the way Busta approaches it. But not here, here you can really here the way Busta accents each and every word and there isn’t any snarl to it (don’t get me wrong, Busta’s snarl is one of Hip Hop’s best, right up there with Ludacris and a few other choice MCs). Some of the change in tone may be the actual volume of the vocals: they’re a little quieter in “Decision” than some of his other tracks.
This realization led me to another, a ‘decision,’ if you will: this track isn’t his. Sure, this is his track in the literal sense, perhaps most of it was even done under his direction, but this track no longer belongs to him. Why? Because there are so many voices here that this track ceases to be about any one of them.
Normally, I hate these sorts of tracks (with two exceptions: “Yes We Can” that featured Hollywood as a whole, and rap tracks that have more than 5 rappers - any less and it’s just someone trying to capitalize on big names). That this track no longer belongs to him is only an issue until you really understand what this track is all about, and the chorus is pretty clear about it:
“I made a decision, despite all the things that we go through,
I’m going to take more time with you, and be a friend indeed
I made a decision, that everything will be alright
Going to stay strong and keep it tight, I’ll be there indeed.”
I’m not going to go into the deeper meaning of this track, because I’m not really sure it has one and I don’t want to take a pompous misstep. I don’t often keep up with Hip Hop’s beef, much less it’s close friendships, so it’s hard to tell if Busta really feels this way about all the people he brought in on the track. My guess is that he does about some but not all.
Honestly, from a production standpoint, I would take both Blige and Foxx off the track. To me it would feel much more authentic with just Busta, Common, and Legend on the track. Blige and Foxx have the unfortunate side-effect of somehow making this song sound a little less sincere. Maybe I’m wrong; maybe they’re all great friends, in which case this preponderance of voices is understandable.
Despite it, “Decision” is a track that feels better and better with every listen. Take special note of Common’s verse.
Busta Rhymes - Decision [mp3]
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May 28th, 2009
May 24th, 2009
I meant to write this one up a few weeks ago when it leaked because I’m not sure too many people outside the blog-world knew about it and it’s really worth listening to. It’s almost a moot point now that Eminem’s album is out today, but you should listen to “Beautiful” now.
Like right now. Like, scroll down and hit play, and then scroll back up and start reading again. Em suffered from a few weird singles: “Crack A Bottle” was supposed to be a club anthem but was a little goofy (that said, the Discotech remix hits quite correct); “We Made You” was hilarious in video form, but not exactly something I would put on repeat; “3Am”? Not really worth talking about - if you want a track that’s actually creepy, check out Bishop Lamont’s Toe Tag (attached at the bottom).
Oh right, we’re supposed to talk about Eminem’s “Beautiful.” If you haven’t already started playing it, do it now. The rock sample draws the easy comparison to the delectable “Sing for the Moment” production, and he (like in ”Moment”) drops the goofy white-boy accent. More importantly, this song is raw. As raw as “Moment,” or “Lose Yourself”? Probably not, but this is a step in the right direction for New Em. There are a number of reasons it doesn’t quite touch “Sing for the Moment”/”Lose Yourself” - he’s been out of the game for a while and he’s dealing with different struggles. He’s fighting the idea of being washed up, now, trying to convince everyone that he’s still relevant, and my guess is that struggle isn’t quite on the same level as proving yourself the first time around. He’s dealt with a lot of his demons by now and I think the angst is different. This, though? This is good anyway.
There are some parts that delve into the old part of Eminem I didn’t like anyways (the whole line about the clown and comedian is just goofy), but it’s worth a listen. Certainly more than any other single of his so far.
Eminem - Beautiful [mp3 link]
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Bishop Lamont - Toe Tag [mp3 link]
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May 24th, 2009
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