Category: RAP
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‘Be’ at 20
20 years ago, after facing scrutiny for his previous record titled ‘Electric Circus’, Common released Be. Unlike the album before it, Be went back to Common’s roots of Soulquarian production with help from an up-and-coming producer from Roc-A-Fella records, Kanye West. At this time, Kanye had just come off of one of the best albums…
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The Transformation of Method Man’s “All I Need”
The album version of “All I Need” is very grimy, with a dark synth line that interpolates Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need to Get By” (keep that song in mind for later) and 36 Chambers-type drums. Not really single material.
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Every Producer’s Best Sample Flip – The South
What would music be without producers? From the well-known ones like Quincy Jones (RIP), Dr. Dre, and Teddy Riley, to the more underground ones like The Alchemist and Conductor Williams, producers have shaped the way music is made for over half a century. But, the one genre where producers are the most recognized is, of…
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‘Ready to Die’ at 30
Brooklyn is home to some of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. JAY-Z, Jeru the Damaja, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Lil Kim, Fabulous, Your Old Droog, Papoose, Joey Bada$$, and Pop Smoke. But, before all of them, there was one kid out of Bedford Stuyvesant with a deep voice and a lot of talent.…
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12 Remixes Better Than The Original Song
The value of a remix can not be overstated. It can rework a song to show another person’s vision of what could have been. Here’s my take on a dozen remixes that are better than the original song.
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Every Producer’s Best Sample Flip – West Coast
A good producer needs to have a musical ear for things that most humans might not hear, it could be a one-second snippet, or many layered chops of random parts of a song. This series will comprise the best sample flip from producers from each coast (East, West, Midwest, and South).
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The Elements of a Great Posse Cut
I’ll discuss each element I feel is critical in making an epic posse cut, and provide an example of a song that perfectly represents that element.
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‘Illmatic’ at 30
Years ago, there was a conversation about albums that can base the entire art form of hip-hop around it if it disappeared. There were many albums in contention: Run-DMC’s self-titled, The Low End Theory, Paul’s Boutique, Follow The Leader, Good Kid m.a.a.d City, Enter the Wu-Tang, The College Dropout. But, with all of these different…
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Every Producer’s Best Sample Flip – East Coast
A good producer needs to have a musical ear for things that most humans might not hear, it could be a one-second snippet, or many layered chops of random parts of a song.
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Who Woke Kendrick Up?
Man was sleeping in his castle until he got a call from Metro, and then he basically recorded “Control” pt 2 going at Drake and J. Cole’s head, and making sure that throne doesn’t go to anyone.
The Music In My Mind 