This is going to sound ridiculous, but I actually wrote this post a few weeks ago. For some reason I thought I posted it. Apparently I didn’t. Yeah, that’s how these last few weeks have been for me! On with with it… here’s some new ish.
Dwele - Open Your Eyes
OK, this is kinda of a strange. Dwele covering Bobby Caldwell’sOpen Your Eyes, which people bug out on due to Common’sThe Light. Funny how things come full circle like that. Anyway, Dwele is the dude so I’m not mad. His new album (dropping very soon - or likely by now) is pretty solid if you got love for neo-soul and the Detroit bump. There’s also a strange Dilla homage on there.
Giant Panda - Cinemax
The boys Giant Panda are back with a new album on Tres. I’ve given it a few listens and haven’t yet really absorbed it, but Cinemax is definitely a jam. Now I’m not going to go as far as to say the album ain’t hitting me right just yet, but let’s just say I ain’t warmed up to it yet. Their last effort was a new classic in my humble opinion.
Atmosphere - Shoulda Known
OK this isn’t THAT new but I wasn’t really checking for it. What the fuck is up with this beat? Ant done flipped his shit up. After the last album they gave away a little while back - I fully expected to hear more Atmosphere to be on the throwback style. I gotta say, this beat is kinda hot and not what I expected from them. Slug, those lyrics about drugs and girls are gettin a little old homie - but I’ll let it slide for this one.
Vast Aire - The Crush
I played the shit out of the Cannibal Ox album when it came out. There were a few things I learn from all that listening; one - El-P is actually a pretty dope producer and two, Vast Aire is a crazy nice MC. That album made me respect El-P. Anyway, I’m feelin this cut - though heard it possibly didn’t make the album.
Hustle Simmons - The Rundown ft. 84 & Fel Sweetenberg
A lot of buzz about these cats right now. Seriously, they had me at the horn stabs. Been playing this a lot lately though, and am excited to hear the album. Dig it.
EDITOR NOTE: Yo, if you can’t figure out how to download these file, click the titles.
EDITOR NOTE 2: Dwele’sOpen Your Eyes was actually first released on the Detroit Soul compilation a while back. Thanks to my discriminating readers. I did however discover it was pruduced by the The Platinum Pied Pipers.
I guess I should start this by noting that I get geeked over American regional club and rap music, (honestly, Europe ain’t got shit on us in this realm.) With the advent of continually cheaper ways to create and record music since the invention of the synthesizer and home studio equipment, regional music has developed qualities that are immediate, visceral and as varied as the regions from which they emerge.
Yet, one common thread unites all regions when it comes to dance music (both the good and the bad) is that nobody wants to dance feeling sad. This shit is for the house party/street jam/bar/whip-on-the-way-to-the-club/blastin’ out the speakers at the club, and I’m not in here to expand my mind—I’m tryin’ to get faded and holler at a breezy… you get the point. Dance music in particular has the ability to be both homogenous-in-a-bad-way across regions, yet successful in its own area. Therein lies the source of my fascination with regional dance music—the subtleties that make it entirely unique. I believe that dance music made specifically for the club environment operates within very narrow confines, (see: house, trance, etc.) and therefore, the ability to infuse a strong sense of regional identity through unique traits is what sets good dance music apart from the run-of-the-mill.
New Orleans, Louisiana is an industrial port town at the banks of the Mississippi River, (as if you didn’t know.). Like many port cities, New Orleans benefits from a constant influx of cultural influences. From Mardi Gras, jazz and blues to voodoo, New Orleans can make the goings on in Las Vegas look as innocent as a kindergarten playground. Gratifying, unique, troubled, unstable, transient, sexual, insecure: these are all descriptions of New Orleans as a city. These adjectives could easily be applied to Bounce music—the dance music of New Orleans.
In 1986, a seemingly ordinary 12” single by a group claiming Queens, New York as their home dropped on Profile Records. Drag Rap was the Showboys’ second single, and outside of being featured on a Mr. Magic Rap Attack compilation, didn’t achieve much notoriety.
Of course, that statement does not apply if you’ve ever spent any time in New Orleans hearing Bounce. Drag Rap (and to a lesser extent, Rock the Beat by Derek B) is literally the basis of an entire genre of rap music. Known locally in New Orleans as the “Triggerman” beat, Drag Rap’s wavering, Casio-induced melody, drum loops and vocoder-laden reprise are the basis for nearly every bounce track. I have yet to hear another regional dance music that shares this trait—one song acting as the primary basis for an entire genre.
During the late 1980’s and through the mid 1990’s artists such as DJ Jimi, UNLV, Mannie Fresh, DJ Jubilee and Juvenile (yes, Back That Azz Up Juvenile,) dominated the scene with songs based on Triggerman. Although all of the songs all shared a common origin, they were unique in their call-and-response chants, production and rhyme styling. The lyrics rarely made it out of the female-objectification arena, but it’s nothing worse than what was heard from Miami Bass artists of the same era, Chicago House music from the 1990’s, or today’s Baltimore dance tracks.
Bounce music became the bridge that enabled the city’s rappers to be heard outside of New Orleans. The list of New Orleans rappers that produced bounce tracks reads like today’s “who’s who” of southern club rap production: the aforementioned Mannie Fresh and Juvenile, B.G., B-32 (later known as Baby/Birdman), Lil’ Wayne and the Hot Boyz, Master P., Soulja Slim, and Mystikal were among the literally hundreds of artists producing tracks based upon a single song. Bounce music provided the catalyst for these artists to elevate themselves to larger careers and for the establishment of successful record labels that made their presence on a national scale, (notably Cash Money and No Limit)
However, the role that Bounce played was not static in its ability to catalyze careers, but its unique aesthetic also inspired artists throughout the southern United States for years to come. Recently, Beyoncé featured a very bounce-influenced song on her album Birthday, OutKast repeatedly evoke a bounce-like “Break!” chant to conclude every song on Stankonia and one of David Banner’s most successful singles, Like a Pimp is based on a screwed version of the Triggerman beat.
Today, Bounce music does not share the same ubiquity in New Orleans as it once did, but by no means is the movement dead. Artist like Gotti Boi Chris have stepped in where their predecessors left off, and their sound has evolved into a more complex, faster and strikingly more energetic version than the founders’ had envisioned. Although I would assert that Bounce music’s period of relevance has mostly passed, interest in the genre will continue as long as the newer artists keep cranking out the tracks.
Gotti Boi Chris-Cut it Up
(note: play this LOUD and if your girlfriend doesn’t dance to this, you should probably break up with her, it’s one of the most amped-up tracks I’ve ever heard. The air raid sirens at 1:35… holy crap.)
Here’s part 2 to the Memorial Day weekend jump off. Bang these in your box and step your party jams up. This here is the funk & soul installment to keep things moving. I will also affectionately refer to it as the “hot records I don’t have” post. So holler if you’re holdin!
The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Hihache
Lordy, that’s the business. If this don’t make your shake your ass your shit is broke. Seriously. This has been comped to death but it’s still a classic. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t even have the Soul Makossa album. I’ve never wanted to pay what it goes for and I’ve never come across it in the wild. Shit, the Malik album goes for even more… regardless, this cut is a favorite of mine and this is a pretty crispy version.
Ronnie Keaton - Going Down For The Last Time
This is a record I’ve been looking for. Aside from that mean ass break on the front, this song holds it’s own regardless. This was on a Keb Darge comp a little while back and was also flipped by Madlib for Vast Aire’sLook Ma No Hands. The 45 on Konduko (Miami) doesn’t really ever turn up now that those cats shed light on it - believe me I’ve looked. Oh well, it probably never really did anyway but just means it’s gonna cost me more now. Pass one my way if you see it. Meanwhile… All your Ronnie Keaton records are belong to Keb!
Dyke & The Blazers - Stuff
Now that’s funky. A friend just laid a copy of the Funky Broadway comp on me recently so it was nice to get a full clean listen of a grip of Dyke & The Blazers stuff in one place. These cats were much more than just Funky Broadway. Leon Haywood actually played with these guys for a while as well (more on him later, cause he’s pretty bad ass in his own right). Thanks Andy.
Peter Reno - Silver Thrust
How about some funky flute for that ass! When I was traveling in Baltimore (and record shopping of course) i ran into Jason Willett who had a great story about hooking up with DeWolfe and licensing a grip of music from them to release a comp. I got this from him and it’s a cut I had never heard. There’s so much garbage library stuff out there it’s always a treat to hear the good stuff. I actually brought some tasty library joints home from NYC on that trip as well, they may wind up in a future post. No promises though.
Since we’re all gonna be tippin some drank this weekend (hopefully not purple), you are all gonna need some fresh cuts for your box as to keep your party in check. Here’s what’s up…
Lil Wayne - Lollipop (JBlow Remix)
OK, OK I know, not more of this song… Lollipop has gone from entertaining to nearly driving me (and I assume US) crazy. Before the “driven crazy” part a few weeks ago I took a crack at remixing the track. Why? I don’t know… I guess I wanted to see if I could take it in a different direction, which was pretty much necessary since i don’t really fuck with synths. So here’s what came out, kinda on the soulful tip.
U-N-I dropped some shit at the end of 07 and it was dope. It’s one of those releases I completely forgot to give some shine to when I first heard it
U-N-I - K.R.E.A.M.
I’m sorry, we just can’t have enough songs about kicks. They get a nod for the Wu Tang and Lupe flip on this cut to good effect. Step on my shoes, I will kill you…
Kidz In The Hall - Move On Up
Now, before these cats blew up a bit with the Drivin Down The Block cut, they dropped an album called School Was My Hustle in 06. It definitely had a mess of great cuts on it too. The is just one, but that album was pretty solid IMHO.
GLC - I Ain’t Even On Yet
One of Kanye’s boys is comin with some interesting shit. I don’t know too much about this cat, but this definitely caught my ear.
And now for a throwback cut…
Da Youngsta’s - Mad Props
Man I love this beat. Apparently, so does Damu (more on him later - FIYAH!). That filtered MPC style of the 90’s was my shit. K-Def is the dude, so go check for him. Bang this.
AIR HORNS BITCHES!!!! Seriously, this cut is killin it for me right now. I’m a few months late on this shit but fuck it let’s blow it up some more. The Cool Kids…
I’m not ready for a Yo MTV Raps fashion revival myself, but you know - kids these days… Album hasn’t dropped yet, but I hope these cats blow up cause I’m feelin the grimey 80’s boom bap Mantronix shit.
Oh snap… new hip hop! Yeah yeah, we can all bitch til we’re blue in the face about how “hip hop has fallen off” or whatever. Well, just try listening a little closer. What we have here is some fresh shit that might actually make some waves. Now I’m not saying you’ll be hearing this on your top 40 hip hop rotation but this should get some video play and make the dboys listen too.
New cats on the Duck Down roster, Kidz In The Hall (no bird lady or head crushing relevance) are bringing some heat. Drivin Down The Block is a modern whip pushin anthem in homage to Mr. Ace. The Geniuses mixtape that broke a little while back was a hint at what was to come, and it sounded nice (see Sweet 16 below). It’s good to note how the remix steps it up even more.
The Knux are another new act that are bringing some freshness to the game. They got a little bit of an odd southern twist to them reminiscent of early Outkast, so I ain’t mad at that. Now I haven’t heard too much aside from this cut and the remix, but I’m excited to hear more and expect it to be AS good… call me naive.
Last but not least, another new album on the scene for 9th Wonder & Buckshot (more Duck Down). In all honesty I wasn’t feelin the last album. It felt like 9th was strechin himself thin with the the projects and just pumpin out weak beats. Meanwhile the 2nd wave of 9th style Fruity Loopz producers took a crack at the game and 9th seemed to take some time to refine his style. Well, time paid off cause the new album has some heaters on it. As expected, Buckshot does not disappoint and overall the album is WAY better than I expected
Apparently I took a month off. Funny how time passes. In the meantime I’ve been working my ass off, traveling (shout out to my Philly, Baltimore and NYC people), taking care of “business” and overall pursuing some interesting endeavors. Got some crazy nice records on my trip and will dippin into those for upcoming posts. Regardless, I’m still up in this. Cannot be stopped, got posts on deck. In homage to my “time off”, here is some funky shit for your earholes that I’ve been bumping as of late.
Johnny “Hammond” Smith - Shifting Gears
Classic, and one I’ve been playing and listening to quite a bit lately. Was on UBB, but I never hear anybody rock it. Stop sleepin.
Rudy Love & The Love Family - Does Your Mama Know
The quality on this one sucks, sorry. I need a more krispy version of this. Anyone got one?! I actually don’t have this record… yet. Recently used on the new Jay-Z album for you spotters. The track is great.
Rick Ross - Maybach Music
Your boy Ross is growing on me. Sheeeeit, this is a banger. I still haven’t listened to his album, but it’s on my list. Sound familiar? Check it. BOSS. NOTE: updated with non “CLEAN” version - thanks Gabe.
Analogic & DJ KO - Ladder Of Success (feat. Phonte, Wordsworth, K-Hill & Masta Ace)
I think I kinda slept on this one. From 07, but went under the radar. Phonte is nice with it. Sounds like a 9th Wonder production but I don’t think it actually is.
PS Shout out also to whoever sent me that Choklate track. Thanks!
Honey ain’t beat just yet, so here’s the Internet Crates special dedication. Even though the single’s been out for a minute now - there’s a grip of remixes, and different verses on the beat now surfacing giving Honey some new life. I wanted to run em down, since I’m still feelin the cut and it feels fresh enough (also, since I have the new album in rotation - check the last post). Here’s what’s what…
Erykah Badu - Honey (Capt. Planet Remix)
I heard this first on Soul Sides. This is one that’s grown on me and it’s a bit different. I’m pretty sure this was done by the cat at Captain’s Crates, which is great site for those of you out there who don’t read it. This remix is pretty jumpin.
Erykah Badu-Honey (DJ Day Remix) DJ Day is killin it again with this one. Makes me want to bust out Three Times Dope. Rumor has it there’s a limited 7″ coming out next month. Check in at olski.net to see what’s up with that - don’t sleep!
Erykah Badu-Honey (JBLOW Remix)
I’m throwing mine in too. I’d been listening to a lot of S.O.U.L lately and also been chopping up drums in some experiments… (Live 7 is pretty bananas) so, this happened to come out. I tried to make the cut slam a little more. Been playing it around the way a bit so I figured I’d give it up.
Well, I’m not sure this album will be a commercial hit for Erykah Badu but it’s def worth hearing and a bit of a surprise. She’s kinda going off on her own thing this time - it seems it’s her Electric Circus dare I say. Ironically, the first single (Honey) doesn’t really seem like an album track and more of an after thought (possible due to the need for a single?). It definitely sticks out a bit, but is worth the inclusion as it’s one of the better songs IMHO. Anyway, I just finished listening through it and it’s pretty interesting. The Sa-Ra boys are at the production helm for most of the album, which is pretty apparent and an interesting choice for Badu. There’s a little thrown in by Madlib, Kareem Riggins, TheRoots crew and 9th Wonder as well. Gotta say, Madlib’s tracks are pretty nice, and not what I was expecting. The Sa-Ra cuts seems a bit too sloppy for my tastes (see prior Sa-Ra posts for my rants). All in all, it’s pretty damn good and a solid listen. Here’s a few for your earholes.
Ok, I need a late pass on some of this shit. Between havin Shawty Lo up on the repeat, here’s a bunch of cuts I’ve been bumin that deserve a little shine, though I’ve not yet had time to give it (and they aren’t terribly new, just slept on… by me).
Atmosphere - YGM
You don’t have to be a fan of Atmosphere to feel this. Hell you don’t even need a backpack! You just gotta feel what they did recently when they made an album and gave it away. That’s love. To top it off, it’s pretty good too. Here’s just one cut, flippin some old classic shit and the one I’m definitely feeling.
Basic Vocab - Come Get With It
I had no idea who Basic Vocab was at all. I saw them name dropped a few places and then made a point to listen to the album when I saw it. Hot damn, these Miami cats are worth a listen. This is a jumping cut I’ve been playing out recently. The entire album is worth checkin out though, so make note.
El Michaels Affair - The PJ’s w/ Raekwon Day was the one who recently tipped me off to this. El Michaels Affair has been on some Wu-Tang cover shit for a bit now and even toured with Raekwon. However, this 12″ was news to me (late news).
NOW, here’s the Pete Rock version and I’m not sure if it’s the or OG or a remix though. Raekwon is hollering “Pete Rock Remix” all up in this, but it really sounds like El Michaels Affair covered this version. Supposedly this will be on NY’s Finest… regardless, it’s crazy nice.
Mojoe - Funky Lac
Again, these are more cats I don’t know much about. When I saw it, I grabbed it and was pleasantly surprised. Mojoe is very soulful and of course funky. I hate to make comparisons so let’s just say that if you feelin Sleepy Brown and the Dungeon Fam but want your shit a little bit more underground, then you should check Mojoe out. Funky Lac is my cut though.
Dwele - Open Your Eyes
Giant Panda - Cinemax
Atmosphere - Shoulda Known
Vast Aire - The Crush
Hustle Simmons - The Rundown ft. 84 & Fel Sweetenberg
