1)Rick Ross is a correctional officer, but no one is calling him out on naming himself after a dealer, continuing to constantly rap about cocaine, his supposed source of wealth, and promoting drug dealers like Big Meech and Larry Hoover to youth. He is encouraging kids to engage in the same sorts of behavior the convicts he once guarded did. On top of that, he cannot even use the excuse of describing his life: he never did any of the things he talks about, and has no regretful or admonishing songs to speak of like other rappers with questionable content.
2) Drake constantly talks about coming from nothing, despite being a freaking child television star. Degrassi was huge. Every girl I knew watched it at age 12ish. I want to hate his music, I really do, but unfortunately I don't. His one of his first hits was a ripoff of an old Kardinal Offishall mixtape track. Kardi gets considered a one-hit wonder, but Drake is taken seriously as an artist? You've got to be kidding me.
3) Why did they make Nicki Minaj a singer on her album? Enough said.
Guess I'll just have to mope and listen to underground stuff til I cheer up:
If anyone was wondering how to release a physical album in 2010, Freeway has the answer. His latest effort, a collaboration with producer Jake One entitled "The Stimulus Package", has the best packaging I have ever seen, along with a great promotional campaign through Rhymesayers Entertainment culminating in the release party at the Troc about a month ago. Check out these videos and go pick up a copy if you want to see CD and/or vinyl packaging done properly.
My friend CJ Luzi put me up on OnCue, with whom he will be working on an upcoming project sampling various indie and rock songs for a mixtape. To prepare you for that eventual release, I encourage you to check out OnCue's current mixtape Cueyfornication, on which he spits over beats based on Red Hot Chili Peppers samples, sponsored by IllRoots and The Press Play Show.
You can find it on DatPiff, the largest mixtape download site, by clicking [here]. Mixtape heavyweights Mick Boogie and Terry Urban are already involved with both projects, making Cuey a great bet to make it big in the near future, receiving coverage from major hip-hop blogs including The Smoking Section and 2DopeBoyz. Check out my exclusive interview:
What got you into hip-hop in general and sample-based productions specifically?
Started when I was really young. I have a brother that is 7 years older than myself. When I was roughly 3 or 4 years old, he brought home old rap cassettes (Run DMC, Keith Sweat, Kriss Kross, O.P.P. etc.) And my love, started there. The "sample-based" part of your question, came out of the idea to put out an alternative/indie/electro sounded project mixed with hip-hop, at cost and time efficiency. All of my mixtapes, are/tend to be sample-based projects, but albums, EPs and singles coming soon, will be 100% original.
Do you find yourself pigeonholed into a certain style/persona as a white rapper from Connecticut?
I did once, but I grew out of it. Prior to Cueyfornication I made straight, well generic sounding hip-hop. It wasn't until I did a song called "Inhale, Exhale" [off of 2008's Elevator Muzik] that made it all click. Guitars, pianos, and I started to sing, and now we have what you -- now probably you know me as.
How did you get 'discovered' by big names like Mick Boogie and Terry Urban?
Mick, Terry and I have a mutual friend Christopher Truth. Short and simple, Mick and Terry heard the aforementioned "Inhale, Exhale" and loved it. I also do graphic design on the side, and us 3 tend to help each other out, favor for a favor. I owe those guys alot, they definitely have alot to do with the some-what still building name that I have today.
How much of an advantage is it as an artist to be able to do your own graphic design work?
I love it. I love being creative, that's what I believe I was put on this earth to be -- is creative. It helps me shape the sound of my music, the marketing, the image -- that I myself want to really convey to the fans, listeners, bloggers, DJ's, etc. Plus, design has helped push my career along as perfect as it can be. It puts my music in hands in times when people in high places would be quick to turn the cheek, before they take a listen.
Which artist(s), past or present, do you identify most strongly with?
Good question, wow -- real good question. I was thinking about this the other day. I have this idea I want to be the next Billy Joel. The guy had soul, and heart -- and was one of the few musicians who you could always hear that he was pouring his heart and soul into every note, and lyric he wrote. A few other musicians I admire are Ben Gibbard, Hov, Kanye, Big. But back to Ben real quick, Death Cab and Postal Service changed my life -- "Give Up" and "Transatlanticism" are probably 2 of my top 3 albums ever made.
How important do you think the live show is to hip-hop music?
Now? More than ever. As the music business revenue is rapidly declining, CD sales are in the tank -- ringtones are getting bootlegged -- live shows are the main avenue for profit in today's music business.
Why did you choose to make the move to Brooklyn and how has it influenced your style?
The move to Brooklyn was a mixture of things. I felt as if I was growing tired of my home. I felt back in CT I didn't really fit in, musically. Plus once I did a self evaluation I realized more of the people I work with are located in the NYC area, and on top of that my management just opened a brand new recording studio in Brooklyn as well, it was a no brainer. In addition, Brooklyn really helped me finish writing all the songs for "Cuey Sings the Blues". Being in NYC helps you see things with a pair of glasses you almost thought you never had. I made sure the production sounded bigger. I made sure the lyrics pierced the heart of the listener, yet broad and generic but original at the same time. You see so many faces in this city each day, and I wanted to try my hardest to reach everyone I cross paths with.
Judging by the various artists sampled on "Cuey Sings the Blues", you have broad taste in music. What was the selection process like? How did you narrow it down to the current list of artists/songs to be sampled?
The artists and songs were chosen by myself, my producers CJ Luzi and Chanes, and curated by my manager, Mick, Terry and Chris. Most of the songs were songs I loved growing up, and once I went on this adventure to flip any song I wanted in the genres, I dove right in with the producers. Besides Chanes and CJ, I also worked with Remot, Emay & my dude AJ on this project. CJ Luzi and Emay did a bunch, Chanes did a few and Remot and AJ did a joint each.
How did you meet CJ Luzi, and what motivated you to choose so many tracks from such a relatively unknown producer after working with bigger names in the past?
When CJ and myself were first starting out we kinda clicked over the internet. He'd send beats, I'd send songs back. From there we grew a real friendship, and a great working relationship. CJ did the biggest bulk of production on Cuey Sings the Blues. But overall, the project will be awesome. I'm biting my tongue severely right now because I tend to hype every new project (as I should) -- but this one is on a different level. I'll be quiet and let the music speak for itself when it's released.
Sampling RHCP for a concept mixtape might seem like a gimmick, but for a rapper who claims to want to be the next Billy Joel and cites Ben Gibbard's writing for The Postal Service's Give Up and Death Cab's Transatlanticism as life-changing, the relationship with rock music obviously goes far deeper. Cuey's rhymes are not to be underestimated either, so be on the lookout for his live show and more music in the coming months.
This year's Temple homecoming concert featured Lupe Fiasco, Asher Roth, and Dosage (the opening act I missed because of a friend's birthday mishap involving Distrito). Unlike my previous Temple concert experience, there were no djs working the crowd in between acts, just a bunch of opening shoutouts from MCPB personnel. Asher Roth took the stage fairly promptly, in contrast to the last time I saw him. Perhaps his punctuality was connected to his seeming lack of marijuana or alcohol, again in contrast to my previous experience. His performance, though slightly less enthusiastic, was otherwise unaffected by this alteration. Approximately a third of his crowd interaction was still dedicated to the promotion of marijuana and alcohol consumption, the remainder reserved for criticizing the evils of commercialism and demonstrating his love for and knowledge of Philadelphia (shouting out Harry Kalas, Jim Johnson, historical sites, and repeatedly claiming Philadelphians as the best people in the world). Despite obvious effort, it seemed much of the crowd were either dismissing him as the one-hit wonder behind the party anthem "I Love College" or drunkenly waiting for that song to justify their attendance. Bright spots included interludes from various other popular songs supposedly being played from his boombox, DJ Wreckineyez' impressive turntabulism performance using Weezer's "Say It Ain't So" leading up to the aforementioned single (the original mixtape version with the Weezer sample that he couldn't clear for the album), the addition of a live drummer to his crew, and Temple girls packing the stage to scream and dance along to dancefloor anthem "She Don't Wanna Man".
Unfortunately the glowing white ball of fun on the stage had no sooner left than the crowd's "Lupe! Lupe!" chant preempted his planned encore... which was then done anyway. Roth's excellent "A Milli" and "Roth Boys" were overshadowed by both the crowd's overwhelming desire for the next act to arrive and familiarity with the original songs using those instrumentals. The ensuing interlude between performances serves as an excellent segue in a brief mention of the venue and atmosphere more generally. This concert was held in Temple's Liacouras Center, a cavernous space the college students only filled up to the first level in most places. Security was fairly tight, but that didn't prevent many concertgoers from smoking assorted varieties of ganja, an activity discouraged only by shining flashlights at offending parties. One couple chose an activity evidently much more discouraged, and provided my friends and I with the amusement of watching security interrupt a repeat sexual encounter on the upper level, unceremoniously escorting the two lovebirds out.
When the lights came down and a DJ, guitarist, and drummer played the intro to "The Cool", the screaming fans finally got what they wanted-Lupe Fiasco. With guitar and drum solos, fans singing along, peeling off layers of clothing, coming down into the crowd, and his manic stage presence, Lupe was put on what could have almost been described as a rock show, right down to the Jimi Hendrix-sampling "Fire" (free mp3). Any attendees unsure of how hip-hop this was were immediately pacified when he began asking his DJ for various beats, freestyling and performing his "Everybody Nose" N.E.R.D. remix and Kanye collabo "Touch the Sky". Despite substantial contributions from and shoutouts to the instrumentalists and backup vocalist he brought onstage with him, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was Lupe's show. Mesmerizing flows from albums new and old, mixtapes, and off the cuff over a variety of beats kept the crowd's attention from start to finish. At one point he almost lost control when he went off on his new album title (L.A.S.E.R.S. which stands for love always shines everytime, remember to smile) in a way my friend Evan Scott described as "a universalistic sermon" that another reviewer complained about here. This diatribe went on just long enough to be memorable, then he got into several snippets from the new album-just enough to interest the audience without providing any bootleg-worthy moments. Clear crowd favorites included skating anthem "Kick Push", "Paris, Tokyo" (dedicated "to all my beautiful, respectable ladies"), and singalong hit "Superstar". Check out some videos taken from far enough back not to blow out the camera mic here to get an impression of what I'm talking about. It was honestly the best live hip-hop show I've ever seen, featuring one of the more versatile artists in the game right now. Apologies for the terrible sound quality, this is meant to get the vibe of the actual show right in front of a sub. If you want to listen to the music, check out the mp3 link above or buy his album.
In the light of the recent announcement of a Blink-182 reunion at the Grammy's, I thought it would be interesting to explore what the members have been doing with their time since the band went on hiatus in 2005. Since there are 3 band members, this will be a 3 part series. Since he has been arguably the most visible member of the band, I decided to start with Travis Barker. Originally the drummer for The Aquabats, Travis joined Blink-182 in 1998 between their first commercially successful album Dude Ranch and their most successful album Enema of the State.
While a member of Blink-182, he participated in "Dischord emo/post-hardcore" influenced side project with Tom DeLonge called Box Car Racer and the hip-hop and dub influenced Transplants with Tim Armstrong of Rancid.
After Blink-182 broke up, he and Mark Hoppus formed +44, an alternative-influenced pop punk band with electronic elements that had been absent from Blink-182. +44 still theoretically has another album in pre-production since May or July of '08. He also founded LaSalle Records and expanded his Famous Stars & Straps clothing line. Outside of music, he had an MTV reality show called Meet the Barkers with his then-wife and former Miss USA and Playmate Shanna Moakler.
On a more pop level, he has also played drums for Pink and Avril Lavigne. I'm just wondering how much of these influences will be incorporated into any new Blink-182 material. Obviously I don't think Blink should become a rap-rock band, but the hip-hop aesthetic might creep in, and I don't think that would be a bad thing. Travis's connections in the hip-hop world could also make for interesting guest spots and remix possibilities (a chopped'n'screwed Blink album?). Just throwing that out there...
1)Rick Ross is a correctional officer, but no one is calling him out on naming himself after a dealer, continuing to constantly rap about cocaine, his supposed source of wealth, and promoting drug dealers like Big Meech and Larry Hoover to youth. He is encouraging kids to engage in the same sorts of behavior the convicts he once guarded did. On top of that, he cannot even use the excuse of describing his life: he never did any of the things he talks about, and has no regretful or admonishing songs to speak of like other rappers with questionable content.
