Phife Revival
October 24, 2008
“Phife Dawg’s long fight with diabetes recently took a new turn for the better, as the Queens native finally received a kidney transplant.
The new kidney comes after a waiting period of over two years, which saw Phife endure problems performing live and a dramatic weight loss through his dialysis treatment.”
WOW. Big ups to the legendary Phife Dawg, and hopefully his health will finally take a turn for the better. Could this mean a new Tribe album in the near future? I’m thinking yes…
Juvenile Hella
October 24, 2008
Last weekend I stumbled across a record collection from a former mid-nineties DJ from New York. Needless to say, there was an amazing selection of golden era material, and I spent much more than I should have. Within this collection was some classic Organized Konfusion, Jungle Brothers, pre-Reasonable Doubt Jay-Z, M.O.P., and a ton of old school Mobb Deep. I grabbed a little from each, but was especially excited about the Mobb Deep selection.
This included a couple 12″ from the Queens duo during their Juvenile Hell days (when they were around 16 or 17 years old). I’ll be the first to admit that I was sleeping on this first release…The quick lesson learned is “catch-up on some Mobb Deep dunn.” If you’re a fan of their sophomore LP The Infamous, you will definitely feel their earlier stuff.
Continue on for a breakdown…
White Van Music
October 23, 2008
I was back home in Seattle last weekend, and made a brief stop to the infamous Sonic Boom Records on Capitol Hill. At that moment, I’d already bought four new albums within two weeks, and had no intention of getting anything at all…But being the musical drug-addict that I am, I went to take a look anyway.
At the moment, the top selling albums at Sonic were Madlib’s WLIB, Raphael Saadiq’s The Way I See It (dope), and this new Jake One…
Long story short, the Seattle in me kept it real. While I’ve never had the privilege of meeting Jake yet, I can’t help but get a little proud to see local hip-hop make it globally (I see you Blue Scholars).
Continue on for my thoughts…
In My Lifetime
October 23, 2008
For Bass Radio this week, I felt it was necessary to bring it back to 1995. This was the period when Jay-Z went from Jaz-O’s sidekick, to the incredible mind behind Reasonable Doubt. I happened to find this 12″ randomly last weekend and freaked out a little to just how ill this guy is. Jay-Z and DJ Ski working together is about as perfect as hip-hop gets, and “In My Lifetime” is no exception.
Jigga!
Raekwon Makes Another Classic
October 21, 2008
…Or at least according to him:
“I just want to tell all of the real fans that I’m coming. I know I put ya’all on hold for a minute, but always remember that you got brothers that work hard and brothers that work harder. I just happen to be one of them brothers who work harder. [Cuban Linx 2] is definitely in the mix. It’s a beautiful record, it’s a classic again. Whether you may feel like it’s a classic, it’s a classic to me ‘cause that’s how we made our music from the door. Get ready. It’s a lot of things I’m working on with this project, that’s really going to blow people’s minds. The album is coming out in early March, or the middle of March, so get ready for the excitement, man. The Purple Tape Part Two… it’s going down! You’re going to have the formula that y’all wanted plus some and like I said, it’s a classic. Trust me on that.”
I don’t think I’ve anticipated a hip-hop album as heavily as OB4CL2 in my life. Will it live up to the hype? I’m thinking yes..
Props to Smoking Session.
Waxpoetics #31
October 17, 2008
Issue #31 has arrived! From Waxpoetics themselves:
For Issue 31, we talk to some of music’s most mysterious figures. Cover artist Shuggie Otis tells the engaging tale of his rise to stardom and descent from the spotlight. We also look behind the mask at rapper-in-disguise MF DOOM, and we catch up with funky-disco icon Patrick Adams, the man behind many underground hits.
Latest issue available online HERE. Don’t sleep…
Yes We Can (The Mixtape)
October 16, 2008
Available for download HERE:
Official Track List:
2. David Banner,Busta Rhymes,Talib Kweli “Black President” Rmx pt1 *
3. Barack Obama “Stand Up”*
4. Nas Speaks on Politics
5. Styles P and Cassidy “Make It Out”*
6. Jay-Z Speaks “The American Dream”
7. Barack Obama “One Mic, One People”
8. Russell Simmons Speaks on Obama
9. Joe Budden,Twista,John Mayer “Waiting on the World to Change 2008″
10. Angie Martinez “Yes We Need A Mixtape!!”
11. Kanye West,Malik Yusef “Promised land
12. Wale,Rhymefest,Christina K, Royce 529 “Black President” RMX Pt2*
13. Barack Obama “My Life”*
14. Jay-z “Lick a Shot”*
15. Russell Simmons on Change
16. Wyclef “Obama for President”
17. Charles Hamilton “The Moment”
18. Find ur Dreams (interlude) *
19. George Bush’s Highlight Reel
20. Mikkey Halsted “King George” *
21. Obama on Hip-Hop
22. Joel Ortiz feat Dante Hawkins “Letter To Obama” *
23. Akon , U.M. “Aint No Sunshine” *
24. Qadir, Dwayne (Invasion) “Its My Time
25. Johnny Polygon (Invasion),Amanda Diva “Colorblind” *
26. Mavado “We Need Barack” *
27. Jay-Z / Gabe Real “What We Need” (Speech)
28. Qadir “Yes We Can” Outro
Phatback Band
October 15, 2008
It’s been a minute since my last Diggin article, so sorry for the delay…Anyways, I’ve just been knocked on my ass from a recent find at the record shop. The album I’m referring to is the Fatback Band’s Let’s Do It Again.
While I’m a huge 70′s funk junkie, I have yet to really trip off any type of disco, or groups associated with that phase of music. Specifically in the past, I’ve always associated the Fatback Band with this disco era, and typically steered away from giving them a listen..
Continue on below for the breakdown..
Dead Bent
October 15, 2008
In celebration of the forthcoming Waxpoetics issue with Doom on the back cover (#31), I thought I’d bring this weeks Bass Radio back to when he first put on that infamous mask. This is some real weirdo (but incredibly dope) hip-hop music straight off the debut MF Doom project Operation Doomsday (in 2000). You can also hear some new joints from the villain himself on the new Jake One album White Van Music.
Do I smell a comeback? Hopefully, he hasn’t completely lost his fan-base from his recent actions…You know, not performing when scheduled, or sending an imposter to walk around on stage with a metal mask.
G.O.A.T. – Jeru the Damaja?
October 15, 2008
Hands down one of the most slept on MC’s of our time…If you disagree, let me ask you this: Can you name five rappers alive today that have two certified classics under their belt? Let’s see, there’s Jay-Z (Reasonable Doubt & Blueprint), and uh…
That’s exactly my point. People are so quick to forget an artist for their accomplishments once they stop being perceived as “hot.” Would you take anything away from the Wu-Tang Clan even though they haven’t made any classic material since Forever? How about Rakim? Or Gang Starr?
For some reason, Jeru gets lost in the shuffle whenever hip-hop’s greats are mentioned. The Sun Rises in the East and Wrath of the Math are two albums that are near perfect all the way through. Take his ruthless flow and add some dirty drums (via DJ Premier), and the outcome is a match made in rap heaven.
Still disagree? Keep reading to get learned..
