Album Review: Illmatic

It is time for another album review. I must admit that I am a bit nervous about this album review, because of its significance as it relates to the genre we call rap/hip-hop. I want to begin this week by reviewing Nas’s ‘Illmatic’! I had to consider many emotions and thoughts while writing this review, because this album is considered by many as the benchmark by which many albums released after it are judged. The emotions are a factor, because as corny as it may sound, this time period marked the time where I fell in love with hip/hip. To be exact Common’s ‘I Used to Love H.e.r (both albums were released in ’94) is when I actually fell in love with hip-hop, but that’s another story for another time! I was a huge fan of the genre, but I can remember when I first heard the album I didn’t know what to think, because Nas (in those days he was known as Nasty Nas) incorporated everything that I liked about hip-hop. He had a flow that was laid back. His lyrics left nothing to the imagination. And for the time period his production wasn’t lacking. That’s how I felt then, so fast forward eighteen years later. Now this is the vantage point I will use to review this album.

Many years have passed since the release of ‘Illmatic’, and you could still make the argument that it is one of, if not the most lyrically sound hip-hop albums of all time. I would co-sign either argument. While writing to this review I have listened to the album twice, and I’m considering a third time. On this album, Nas has a flow that is laid back, yet gritty at the same time. Even on songs were you would think he should be yelling, I get the feeling he is lounging sipping coughee (reference 420 ya dig!). Me personally, I can listen to song #3 “Life’s a Bitch” ft. Az quite literally all day, and believe me I have! First Az gives you the analytic side of why times are hard, and the affect they have had. But the reason this is my favorite song on the album is all due to Nas! He begins with a timeless flow that is nothing less than spectacular!  His rhyme on this song is complemented by the sample from the Gap Band’s “Yearning for Your Love” perfectly! I’m not sure Kanye or 9^th Wonder could have done a better sample. The very next song “The World is Yours” uses what I believe the montra that Tony Montana lived and died by. There is even a scene in the video where Nas is sitting in a similar tub as Tony Montana while smoking a stogy. The picture that he paints on this track is one of an ex d-boi looking back on the street life, translating that into a rap. There isn’t a lack of classic material to be found on the album, and I’m sure I could do this review on every song on here and it would all be positive. I won’t spoil you though, because I want you to listen for yourself. What I will do is tell you what songs that you can’t ignore. My second favorite song on the album is “One Love”. The concept is quite simple; Nas is debriefing one of his homeboys that’s locked up on all the dirt that has happened on the streets since he has been locked down. If you listen to the third verse you will notice that a scene from the movie “Belly” is taken from the song almost word for word! (holla at me if you figure it out) To round out the album Nas leaves you with “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”. And actually the premiere of the video for this song was the first time I heard of this rapper called Nasty Nas. “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” is Nas’s thesis on why he is such a great emcee. Ironically enough by the time you get to that song, you don’t really need any proof that he is an elite emcee, but it is the

If you reference my previous post ‘Myth of the Top 5’ I mentioned that some rappers excel in a particular area. Well after this review I’m left conflicted. The reason is that many consider Nas to be a lyricist, and he is. The problem with that observation is that he uses his lyrics to paint poignant pictures that tell stories that are vivid!  This leads me to believe that Nas is often typecast as a lyricist when in actuality he is a storyteller as well, and not just your run of the mill storyteller, but someone in your top 5 storytellers has to move down, and possible out of the top 5. I in good conscience couldn’t place him lower than 3 on the storyteller list, and once you listen to ‘Illmatic’ you will see why. It ain’t hard to tell!

The Myth of the 'Top 5'

This particular post has been a long time in the making. I want to discuss the myth of the ‘top 5’ emcees/rappers of all time. The way I see it, and think you will agree is that rap has many sub-categories. Under each sub-categories there are artist who epitomize that particular category. So in actuality it would be more efficient to break rap down into sub-categories. I say all of this, because I have become extremely frustrated when my peers try to compare for example Scarface and Jay-Z. This is impractical since Scarface excels in the area of painting a picture of the ills that plague the ghetto thru story. Jay-Z on the other hand excels at bragging about what he has achieved through clever word play and innuendo. This example should illustrate that the two artists don’t belong in the same list, but at the same time both could be at the top of a particular list. I hear people all the time say that my ‘top 5’ consists of so and so. But when I listen to their argument it makes no sense. You can’t compare a car to an airplane. Now if you’re thinking “Keith, how should I break it down?” I would say that the categories would be as follows: lyricist, storyteller, game-changer, gangster, entertaining. My list serves as a loose guide, and I will go as far as to give examples for each category just to make my point! Under lyricist I would go with Big Daddy Kane/Rakim/Krs-1/Nas, for storyteller I would go Slick Rick/Scarface/Biggie, for game changer I would go Andre 3000/Method Man, for gangster I would go Ice Cube/Bun B, and for entertaining I would go Doug E. Fresh/Biz Markie/Devin tha Dude. This example also should demonstrate something else that I want to prove, and that is if you make an all time list and you don’t have one of the pioneers of that category then you list is invalid. I say that with conviction, because I hear people make these comparisons without acknowledging the people who may have discovered that particular style. The second tier to this post is the concept of the hottest emcee in the game. I have a problem with a particular network presenting the ‘hottest’ emcees in the game, because ‘hot’ doesn’t necessarily equate to quality! I feel that this list is driven by listeners who have no real appreciation for the genre known as ‘rap’. I often see the idea of the ‘hottest’ to be driven by who has the most drama, or who has claim to have sold the most drugs, or who has the biggest crew, or even who has the most jewelry. Hey douche bags you’re making us all look bad, so kick rocks! This is the part of the show where I drop the microphone and walk of the stage! Peace!

Need some Soul Food?

          Alright I'm back in the place to be, I got something to unload on your ass! I was thinking what could I hit you with next, and it came to me. In my previous post I eluded to Cee-Lo. Well here it goes. Soul Food, that’s right Soul Food. I had to do a piece on this album for several reasons, but the most important is that if I had to do a list of most ‘slept’ on rap albums, this would fall in my top five somewhere around #3. And if this one the most ‘slept’ on albums, I would also have to mention that the group that is responsible for the album includes one of the most, if not the most ‘slept’ on rap artist/mc/musicians/singers, Cee-Lo. I also have to mention that this album possess something that I find to be lacking in many rap albums after its release, that would be social commentary, and an accurate depiction of what I call the ‘Black’ experience. So if you’re ready let’s take this journey!
          In order to understand Soul Food, I must run down the list of players. Goodie Mob is a rap group comprised of Khujo, T-Mo, Big Gipp, and Cee-lo. I mentioned in the previous post that the first time you would have heard of them is on Outkast’s Southernplayalisticmusic. In 1995 they released Soul Food. The album was mostly a regional hit, but did branch out of the south. One of the reasons that it reached out of the south is because of their first single, “Cell Therapy” which was accompanied by a video that received descent spins on the video stations. Once you hear “Cell Therapy” you get the idea that their music wasn’t just about rapping for the sake of rapping, but like a good pot of gumbo it was also about taking multiple personalities, mix with social commentary to create something that was not only legitimate rap, but soulful at the same time. I would consider the album to the equivalent of a non-fictional autobiography for what young black Americans were going through at the time, and what they continue to struggle with. With tracks like the intro “Free”, where Cee-lo sings like a deacon on Sunday morning about how we may no longer be slaves physically, but are still slaves mentally! They follow that with what a song that contains “classic”, I do mean “classic verses by Cee-lo, and Andre 3000! The title of the song is aptly titled “Though Process”. I understand I may not mention the other members as much as Cee-Lo, but they do make memorable contributions. For example Big Gipp and T-Mo go off on the track “Dirty South”, which also features Big Boi. Oh yeah as far as I know, and are concerned the phrase “dirty south” was coined by Goodie Mob. The tracks on this album give you everything from how the system is working against us (Cell Therapy, Sesame Street, O.M.N.I, and Fighting) to family concerns and values (Guess Who, Soul Food, I Didn’t Ask To Come, and The Day After). For all the reasons mentioned above I believe this album is a classic, but there is one more element.
          Ok now I will talk about the 5^th element of this perfect pot of gumbo! I mentioned earlier that I may mention Cee-Lo more than the others, and there is good reason for that. Did I mention that on the track “Fighting” I’ve heard that his verse is a complete freestyle, and he stands on his soap-box like he is 20” feet tall. It is in this verse that he proclaims that Goodie Mob stands for the Good Die Mostly Over Bullshit, and if you take one ‘O’ away it says God Is Every Man Of Blackness. Not only does he hit with gems such as that, he has a plethora of memorable lines, and certified hip hop quotables. And don’t worry you will get at least three more reviews that include Cee-Lo, because his classic material doesn’t stop here. I have at least two more reviews for you to become better acquainted with mister Green. Make no mistake; I’m purposefully not going into too much detail, because I want you to go listen for yourself. If you don’t listen for yourself, then what I say will have little meaning. I want my words to spark a discussion on why my opinion is valid; yes I am being slightly arrogant! Overall the album covers where we have been and where we need to go, and I have to say now days too many artist just talk about mindless ignorance without addressing the social ills that plague the listeners of their music. For that reason Soul Food gets my vote for classic material, and once you listen I think you will agree. Just remember the Good Die Mostly Over Bullshit, the Lord has spoken through me and the G-Mo-B!

Album Review: Outkast Southernplayerlisticadillacmuzik

I finally decided do an album review. Although I hinted in an earlier blog that I would blog about an artist from California. Spoiler alert, I was going review Ice Cube's Amerikkas Most Wanted, but I will save that classic for later. I decided to make the change while I was on my way to the VA today. As I jumped in the car, and looked at my ipod something told me to scroll to Outkast's first work,Southernplayerlisticadillacmuzik, which I though was Southernplayerlisticfunkycadillacmuzik, but thats another subject for another time. To understand how I review this album, you need only ask yourself these simple questions: when, why, and how.
The first important question is when? Outkast first album was released April 26,1994. The importance of the year the album was released is that up until that year the rap scene had been dominated by  east coast rappers, and respectable albums had that come from the west coast. Southern rap was considered to be laughable at best by artists from the dominating regions. This doesn't mean that there hadn't been quality rap from the south. There were artist such as the Gheto Boys, UGK, Eighball & MJG, and other regional artists like 2 Live Crew that had minor success. Being from the south I could list others, but it will be a sizeable list. Anyway Outkast  first single hit the scene in 1993 with Players Ball, which was originally released on Laface's Christmas album. Ok, before I continue I have to mention that Laface was a record label that was created by record industry vets L.A Reid and Babyface (that's right, the Babyface!) Back to the script, when Player's Ball came out I immediately went out and bought the maxi single. If your from this era you know that a maxi single came with every mix of a particular song possible! I can remember it like it was yesterday, my brother was stationed at a naval base near Jacksonville,FL, and I went to spend the weekend with him shortly after getting the single. I would be remissed if i didn't mention that we played the breaks off that single, so much so that after my weekend trip was over I had to purchase another copy(real shit!). It was amazing feeling, because prior to Outkast, you couldn't tell me I wasn't from Brooklyn. My collection was all Wu-Tang, Nas, Tribe, De La, and the like. It was a great feeling to have a group from my neck of the woods that acted like me, dressed like me, and talked like me. Quick footnote, when I saw the video I was beside myself to say the least! Then 1994 hit and they released Southernplayerlisticadillacmuzik, oh boy!
Now let's get to the nitty gritty, why I think this album is classic. The album begins with an intro from "Peaches", and from the onset she sets the mood for the cd. Once you hear the intro you know that you are about to listen to some pimp ish. Not just pimp in the sense of the content, but beats that lather the ear with a with silky smooth rhythms, and bass  guaranteed to rattle your trunk! To second that emotion, Outkast hits you with Myintrotoletuknow, which Big Boi and Andre 3000 give you  a teaser of how they feel, and what they are about. If you questioned their rep, they hit you up with Ain't No Thang, where they join together and let you know that "Ain't no thang but a chicken wang!" Within two songs you know that they are 'playa made', and don't think that we are southern we're soft. Honestly the album posses the rare quality that is often lacking in alot of rap albums, you can literally start at the intro, and just walk away. At the same time there are gems on the album that you must pay special attention to. One particular example is "Playa's Ball". For the squares a players ball is a function that gathers all the hustlers and players for what I would call an 'award show' of sorts, but I think that they are actually speaking how a group of like-minded individuals gather to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Another example would be "Funky Ride". I can only describe  this song as something to put on as you cruise through Anytown, USA  at night with the moon in the sky, and the windows down!  The bass contained in this song is something that is a staple of southern music, and this song is full of it. I would say the bass is like gravy in the since that it makes a great dish that much better.If I didn't mention earlier this album is coughee friendly(reference 420), because even if you don't they make you feel as if you have. There is another signifigance to this album, because this is the first time you hear of a little group named Goodie Mob, which you first hear on "Get Up, Get Out". If you pay close attention one of the founding members of Goodie Mob,  and Gnarls Barkly does a funny skit at the beginning of the song,  where get the feeling there is a difference between Buckhead(a swank part of town that is exclusive), and Bankhead( an area in Atlanta  that you should probaly know someone before you go, and not go at night). I will save that for another review. "Get Up, Get Out" stands out, because it gives the listener the montra get up, get out and go do something with your life. Another first appearance is the skit that follows, performed by Big Rube. I have it memorized, because Big Rube defines Outkast(notice the 'K') encouraging you to look deeper than the definition, and look at you self, and whether you as the listener fits in the mold of an outkast. Interestingly enough he encourages you to be different, and question the status quo. There are many songs that I didn't mention, but that doesn't mean that they aren't worth your time, trust me! I consider this to be a classic rap album, and i'm sure you will once you check it out, so 'Get Up, Get Out', and go get it if you don't have it already! Right on to the real, and death to the Fakers, Peace Out!

Music Rant

Ok I have been feeling a certain way about music for quite some time. If you read my earlier post you will see that I have a particular taste in music. I started with soul oldies, moved to pop and rap in the 80's then pretty much just floated through the 90's with rap. Here we are in the new millinium, and  I find myself at a crossroads. I understand that what I'm about to say is only my opinion, so I hope you will find something sprinkled in here that will peak your intrest, or spark a meaningful debate. Now that I have the formalities out the way, I shall begin. In the mid 90's or so rap began to take on this persona of this how  much money I have why don't you? I understand that the main idea of rap is to brag, and be as manly as possible. What changed is that they went from bragging about what made them special and different to look what I got. I will admit that I enjoyed what was coming out at the time, and I also concede that some very influential artist were produced during this time period. I believe the problem began when big record labels began to heavily invest in this mindset, and concept. The proof is that although rappers don't wear shiny suits anymore, they continue to throw money at the television, and flaunt materialistic items that 98% of the people who purchase there music can't afford. It is similiar to society in that the people with the money try to tell people without money how they should live not realizing that it is fucking silly! Back to rap, this rant occured to me the other day when I was watching the tube, and a particular artist (who I will not mention their name) had a video come on, and all they did was talk about how much money they got, and how much I don't have. Before I continue I am by no stretch of the imagination a 'hater'(as George Bush would say), but I am someone who works hard for my lil piece and change, and spend quite a bit of this change on music. So tell me how would you feel if the guy that you are helping get rich turns around and says you suck, because I have more money than you. I understand that isn't necessarily what he is saying, but doesn't it get awkward after awhile when someone you jam to is always telling you how silly he can be, because he or she has the money we gave them and thows it back in your face?! This rant can be seen as a gross over-generalization, because they could be referring to sucker mc's (I'm sorry there aren't any more mc's, just rappers). I will do a post just to clarify the latter, but I digress. Now back to us as consumers, the only reason they get away with it is because we let them, much like the government. See, record labels decide who they want to be hot. You say, 'well how do they do that, I'm my own person I do what I want to do.' Wrong, by flooding the airwaves, and appealing to your visual stimuli they present to you what they want you to see therefore leaving you little to no choice in the matter. Don't get me wrong I like a good beat just like the next person, but the content is important!!! Just something I wanted to get off my chest.Oh yeah by the way stop supporting auto tune!!!!! Let Peter Frampton and Roger Troutman have that.... it's so 1980's! Stay tuned for my well overdue music review.

Ok now that I have posted my my musical resume, I would like to fast foward to my adult listening taste. Let me first start by saying that Outkast has been my favorite rap group since "Player's Ball" appeared on the Laface christmas album circa 1993.  To be honest that was the first southern rap group that I began to listen to. As an adult my musical taste began to really to take shape. I remember when I enlisted in the Air Force, I opened up to music from all over the country. Everything from GO-GO, to house music. I didn't necessarily like either one, but I experienced both. From that I met some cats from Texas, and thats when I was introduced to 'screw' music, which I loved!!!!!!!

Now that I have covered most of the music that i loved, I will began the journey through my Ipod. I consider my ipod to be the window by which you will be able to view my my musical taste, and some of musical views. So every post after this one will be a full critique of a random song and or album from my ipod. Some albums are incomplete, so i will just cover what i have from that album. I can only hope that you will follow along, and share your opinions. Just opinions, if you get on here with that bullshit i will call you out, but we are all adults so that will not be an issue. Look for my next post this evening. Just a little hint: The album of the day will be from a west coast artist that used east coast production. Enjoy!

My Music........pt.2

Picking right up from the previous post, i have an older brother who is about 10 years older than me. So around 1988 or so i can remember the first time i heard my brother play this record called "The Show" by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew ft. Mc Rickie D aka Slick Rick. I remember being around 8 or 9, and even then i loved what i heard, but i couldn't tell you why. My brother had classic taste when it came to rap. I'm talking The Real Roxanne, Doug E. Fresh, Dana Dane, Biz Markie, Marley Marl, Run DMC, LL COOl J, etc..... But the moment that rap really made an impact on me is when one of my friends brought N.W.A Straight Out Compton over my house and we listened to it, and the things that they were rapping about wasn't necessarily how it was where i lived, but i loved it! At one point and time had the whole thing memorized. I've been addicted every since. I found as i got older the music that my parents listened to resurfaced, because there became a period in rap were sampling was all the rave. So i would here old songs sampled that we had at the house. Even at the age of about 11 or 12 i had an appreciation for music that might have been a tad abnormal. And then............ when i was about 13 or so i began smoking pot(oh my god!!!) The music began to sound incredible!!!! I will never forget i had an older home boi who had a job and he got paid every tues, and every tues he would bring home pot and a new rap album every week! I vividly remember when he bought Wu-tang Enter the 36 chambers. He (my partner) rolled about 7 joints, popped the tape in, turned to a college basketball game, and it was on! The Cd sounded amazing. By the time i was 14 i had heard many of the classics Nas Illmatic, Enter the 36 Chambers, De La Soul, Reasonable Doubt, Black Moon, Epmd, Redman, K-Solo, Leaders of the New School, Outkast, etc..................... thats just to name a few, and that didn't include my own collection that mostly consisted of Kilo, Too Live Crew, Dj Magic Mike, Nemesis and so on.. This story and the one prior to this one serve as my music resume kinda.

My music.............

 Growing up my parents would have these house parties were my uncles, aunts, and friends of my parents would come thru, and have a good  time. Often these parties consisted of good music, plenty of drink, and occasionally what i would refer to as "those funny looking cigarettes." The backdrop for these parties was the music. I mean the good shit to!!! Sam Cook,  The Temptations, Johnny Taylor(oooh my momma loved some Johnny Taylor!), The Dramatics, Curtis Mayfield, Ashford & Simpson, and what liquor and pot filled party would be complete without Rick James! At the time i was only about 7 or 8, but i remember clearly being the kid that couldn't sleep, because i wanted to see what the grown-ups were up to. I'm not saying that i understood what was going on, but the seed was planted. And almost guaranteed the next morning was what i referred to as the cleaning party.  Saturday mornings my mother would open the front door, put on something to the effect of Smokey Robinson, or even some Parliment Funkadelic, and everyone in the house had to get up and clean. this was the case until my parents split up and eventually got divorced. We moved in with my grandfather, which meant all that secular shit had to go. So now we are listening to gospel, i mean that real salvation type stuff ya dig!!!!!!!! Bout this time i'm around 10 or 11, and one of my grandfather's favorites was Sam Cook! Every Sunday it was 'a change gonna come' or 'jesus gave me water' But occasionally i would go to see my kinfolk in the adjacent city and they would be jammin some Atlantic Starr, Zapp ft. Roger, or the like... Oh i forgot to mention i had an older brother who was totally into rap. I was getting music from all angles.

Introduction

My name is Keith, what my last name is irrelevant, but i wanted to start this blog, because i just have shit on my mind that is funny to me at least, and because i wanted an outlet to express some of the things that i find intresting and outrageous. This is completely new to me, so it will be raw until i get the hang of it, but if you follow i promise it will be fun, entertaining, and informative.