rockthedub

Wyclef Gets It

Over at XXL's Scratch blog, the transcriptions from a Wyclef cover story are being posted up. Part 1 has Wyclef totally understanding what exactly the Internet and bloggers can do for an artist:

“I think really with the internet, that’s the A&R. So if you want to know who I think the real A&R’s of today are, [it’s] the kids that are on the internet. I’ll give you an example. Take a Wyclef Jean song ‘If I was President.’ Every kid knows that song. It’s not like the song got any radio airplay, they seen that shit on Dave Chappelle, [and downloaded] it. Now over twenty million kids know that song. If you go on the internet its up there with ‘Gone Til November.’ Then you gotta be like, ‘Hmm, interesting.’ But Clef ain’t really never get no airplay for this song. How can that be? Now, honestly bro, an A&R would skip right through that song because that song wouldn’t be a song that’s played on the radio, you know what I’m saying? But we cant run away from the new wave that we’re expressing. So I feel like back in the days we had those underground systems where we heard new records, so today the internet actually is that world where you can put anything on and then the crowd could decide. With Youtube and with Myspace, now you’re able to connect quicker. And so you start off with your Myspace page, you know, you can go ok, all of the people are listening… send out a blog now. ‘Yo what up, I’m working in the studio on The Carnival 2. I’m about to hit ya’ll with this crazy Paul Simon/Wyclef record, some of you motherfuckers is too young to know who Paul Simon is. You other motherfuckers know whats going on, that shit got that acoustic flavor so check it out. Give forty seconds of it. Now you know that the bloggers is gonna go crazy. They gonna find it. And I think that’s like the coolest shit. And at the end of the day its going to turn to revenue. Whether through record sales, whether through live shows, whether through endorsements.”

If that ain't the truth I don't know what is - well, I don't know about 20 million kids know "If I Was President", but I get his point. I knew it was a reason why I copped The Score and Carnival. I might have to go peep that CD. Shout out to the Fugees.

BONUS BEATS: I been feelin' the "Sweetest Girl (Remix)" anytime I catch it on 106 & Park. I love how 'Clef threw "C.R.E.A.M." in there.

Wyclef Jean ft. Akon, Lil' Wayne & Raekwon "Sweetest Girl (Remix)"

And for ish and giggles, here's the video for "Fast Car", which features Paul Simon:

comedy, youtube

American Hustle: The Movie

khal 8:21 AM No comments

I forgot to add this to my Christmas list:

Hip-Hop, review, Review Week, track-by-track

Scarface Made [review]

khal 10:38 PM No comments

I knew that this CD would be good, but I was still surprised at how consistently dope this disc was. I've been a fan of Scarface's, but for some reason I don't own a lot of his material. I am going to change that very soon, and his 7th (and final?) solo LP, Made, made me do it...

"Intro"
Pretty straight forward on this intro. We reestablish that we hate you punk ass snitches, you B.A.N.'s, and we reppin' for them real niggas. And damn, 'Face been doing the damn thing for 20 years? Holla...

"Never"
Best track on the album, and the first new Scarface track I heard off this joint. Just has that hypnotic beat, and the way he plays his rhymes off the "never" sample in the beat was a nice touch. If you wanted to know what 'Face stood for, just put this one on and listen carefully. Real nigga quotes through and through.

"Big Dogg Status (ft. Wacko)"
Nice, 808-and-fake organ beat. Dude is just straight boastin' in this one, slippery smooth flow with that hard edge to it. Thick funk for the trunks.

"Girl You Know (ft. Trey Songz)"
This is the single. Scarface is lettin' you ho's who stay with the Q&A that he is gonna do whatever he wants, but he still loves you. Sort of. Nottz did his thing on the beat.

"Burn (ft. Z-Ro)"
Stone-cold killer feel. Scarface puts you in the passenger seat, letting you know what's going through the mind of a dude who just took someone's life and is escaping from the scene. That chorus is so involved. So involved.

"Go (ft. Nina)"
I feel like this a lot - just need to get the fuck out of the spot every now and again. Get out of everything and just go zone out. Not that you hate your family, you just need time for delf. This beat isn't the dopest, and while the chorus works, I could have done without it personally.

"Dollar"
Tone Capone with a wild track on this one. Scarface comes from the gut with this flow. The beat has these sounds that remind me of raindrops, or could it be change falling from the sky? I don't like the chorus on this one either.

"Boy Meets Girl (ft. Tanya Herron)"
One of the top tracks on this disc. This is some ghetto Romeo & Juliet shit. The story catches you in the end, and it's worth the wait. Another funky number, but on the slower pace.

"Who Do You Believe In"
Dude reminds me of Pac on this one. Just goes extra hard and poetic into the social commentary. Nice, organic sounding beat. I'd love to hear 'Face rock these tracks live with a band behind him. I also like how the chorus is just the title said twice, and the rest is left blank. Dope track.

"Git Out My Face"
Hardcore Hip-Hopera. Complete with an opera chorus singing some shit about "fake ass niggas". The way the strings are worked with that beat are dope, too. One of the most original beats on the album, and a bit off center from the rest of the disc, but one of the sleeper gems. Scarface just goes at it on this one.

"The Suicide Note"
Not since Biggie's "Suicidal Thoughts" has a Hip-Hop track about death left me speechless. Super storytelling on this one, with 'Face delving into a situation where he leaves a suicidal friend only to have to turn back around to a grisly discovery. Ill, too ill.

"Outro"
Instrumental of the beat from the intro. Really moody, macabre shit. Cinematic almost.

All in all, one great Hip-Hop album. I am upset that Scarface is planning on not doing any solo albums anymore, for he is one of the only guys who can, lyrically, keep you involved throughout an entire long player by himself. You see those features? Those are all cats on hooks - Face shares no verses. And he doesn't need to. He seems to never smile, but for the dark, gritty, real life subject matter, no smiles or happiness is needed. Know what you expect, and give this elder-statesman of Hip-Hop his props.

rock the dub gives Made a 4 out of 5. For what it is, it performs perfectly. Dope beats, raw rhymes, and a constant theme. 'Face does it the best.

Burn Deez: "Git Out Of My Face", "The Suicide Note", "Never", "Burn"

"Girl You Know" video:

Hip-Hop

Is Jay-Z Chunking The Deuce?

khal 2:59 PM No comments

News like this is nothing new - it seems like every 6 months or so, another article or rumor is out, saying that Jay-Z is going to be leaving Def Jam. I am only posting this because XXL is reputable, even if this bit comes from a New York Daily News piece:

With Jay-Z presidential contract with Def Jam expiring at the end of December, it looks like the rapper’s future at the label is uncertain, according to one report. An article in the New York Daily News’ Rush & Molloy gossip column today claims that contract renewal negotiations between Jay-Z and the Universal Music Group have hit a wall. “He wanted big, big money that was way out of sync with the realities of today’s record business,” an anonymous source told the paper, also claiming that L.A. Reid and UMG big boss Doug Morris are said to have found Jay’s demands “excessive” in light of the time he’s been spending on tour.

“People have lost count of how many times he’s come out of retirement,” the source went on. “Everybody knows he’s not around the office much. Everybody at Universal loves him, but they can’t justify paying him the money he wants when so many people have been laid off.”

Still, a “friend” of Jay’s told the paper that “the talks will continue when he returns
to New York. They still have a ways to go before a decision.”

What do you guys think? Do you think Jay is silly enough to ask for some wild amount of money, even if he's hardly in the office? I mean, he might not be in the office, but didn't Ne-Yo, Rhianna, Kanye West and others have a good year? I mean he might not be batting a thousand, but he does knock a good amount out of the park. More on this as it develops... or fizzles out into rumor smoke.

Che Grand, Hip-Hop, Lessondary, mp3, On That Leak

On That Leak: Che Grand "Swing"

khal 8:34 AM No comments

Che Grand "Swing" - I've been waiting for this, the first single from Everything's Good Ugly, which is to drop during early 2008 - as long as everything works out fine. I've been feenin' for new Che music since I interviewed him last July, and I have not been disappointed. Dope rhymes, a funky beat, and that cool party vibe should set this one off for your upcoming winter jams. Turn this one up LOUD and get down!

related links:
Che Grand on MySpace
Che Grand's Blog
Download The Fixtape, from Che Grand & DJ Low Key (link is down right now, check back soon!)

Hip-Hop, review, Review Week, track-by-track

Barak Yalad A Loss For Words [review]

khal 11:00 PM No comments

Calling both Springfield, Mass. and Brooklyn, NY home, Barak Yalad is one of the Rawkus 50, and his debut album, A Loss For Words, was released on the 27th of November. Dude is super lyrical, and the beats are definitely unique. Let's track-by-track this jawn:

"Intro"
Yalad is mad humble. He don't care if you download it, bootleg it, or whatever, he's just happy to have an album out after 18 years in the game. I love the weird backwards-sample loops in the beat. Kind of a random intro, but hey, it could be on some dumb shit like some other MCs...

"The Beginning"
Oooooo... any track that wheels itself mid-verse gets an instant grin from me. The beat is just ill by itself - imagine a Gregorian chant being looped and pitched, then add a funky bassline and tight drums to it. Def. takes me back to the headnodding tracks of '98. Dude's got rhymes galore, something that makes the title of this album mad ironic, but his voice and delivery reminds me of Pharoahe Monch during the later Organized Konfusion days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. That chorus is kind of lacking, but whatever.

"Music"
I'm not a big fan of heavily-distorted rock-infused beats, but this one has me open. I like that "fitted like white-people's jeans" line, and dude def. has wild lines, but you have to pay mad attention, which is refreshing. There's mad shit going on in his verses...

"Bewitch"
I'm a sucker for beats that sample from like old TV shows or just that sound of the '50s and '60s. My assumption is that this is jacked from the Bewitched theme song, but that's just an assumption. Dude is stylin' on mad cats with his "slick talk and walk", but there's no real concept as of yet, which is a fault of many underground MCs. That "ritzy" sample at the end of the track is ill, too.

"Beautiful"
Ah, a track with more depth. Yalad spends this one breaking down things in life that are beautiful. You can imagine how this one goes down (peace is beautiful, not paying bills is beautiful), and it does exactly what you'd expect. Dude is mad insightful, and intelligent, though. Understated beat, not really one of the bangers on the disc.

"The Release"
I'm not really feeling this one at all. It seems like it's more about his spiritual ideals, I guess he is a muslim? Not really my thing, and that chorus reminds me of a random Busta Rhymes line...

"Lion"
Best beat on the entire album; sounds like some Shirley Temple shit. I do NOT like how he kind of just stopped rhyming at the end, instead repeating a mantra, but I do like how aggressive and, well, lion-esque he was on this one.

"Times Change"
This one puts me to sleep. The piano-driven sample sounds odd, like it has some weird filter on it. His rhymes are more on the tapping the paranoia and problems of our society today, but I've heard this numerous times in the past, and done a bit better than this.

"Linguistics"
"Eat you like a sandwich". Word. Dude just has rhymes for days. Not all of his lines pop, but put together its a heavy package. This is actually one of the odder cuts, only because he hits with so many lines, this is would be for the punchline-lovers, but its lacking in sharp darts. I really do like that beat, though, with that faint saxaphone in there.

"So Cool"
Interesting organ-driven beat on this one. One of the better choruses on this LP, too. This one would go down well in concert, has a nice swing to it.

"False Prophets"
So he's a Hebrew Israelite? I knew a kid who was a Hebrew Israelite. He used to sell FAT sacks of green, but then when I bought it, I'd be at his tiny crib, so we'd smoke out of the sack I brought. It was a lil better than schwag, but wasn't KB in any sense of the phrase. I saw the R. Kelly video AND Fight Club with this dude, and even performed his ceremony on a Friday night once. He used to kick this stuff, letting me know who was real and who was perpetrating. He was a cool dude, actually. I miss that guy.

"Crop Cream"
I dunno who this chick is rhyming on here, but she's kind of aggressive. "New Jack like Ice T" is a funny line. I was never big on beats like this; it's mad large, but that wailing in there just does not appeal to me. And I wasn't expecting dude to even speak about cats that "will eat your food", but yeah.

All in all, this is a solid set. I'm not sure I know a lot more about Barak than I did when I first heard this - I know he's lyrical and spiritual. He definitely has rhymes, maaaad rhymes, but sometimes it can be quite overwhelming, especially for a 12 track album that's less that 50 minutes long - I feel like I've sat through an hour and a half of lyrics. Some nice ideas on the beats, but really, you've heard a lot of this before. It's just good to hear Rawkus giving guys like Yalad the chance to shine in today's scene.

rock the dub gives A Loss For Words a 3.75 out of 5 stars. Dude has boatloads of rhymes, and the beats definitely knock, but the ultimate goal doesn't feel like it was met. I am intrigued, though, to hear what Barak Yaland has in mind in the future.

Burn Deez: "Lion", "So Cool", "Bewitch"

related links:
Barak Yalad on MySpace
Barak Yalad's Rawkus Profile
Barak Yalad on Facebook
Listen to the entire LP via Rhapsody

Hip-Hop, mp3, On That Leak

On That Leak (5th December 2007)

khal 9:55 PM No comments

Buckshot "Gangland" (prod. by Dirty Elegance) - this is the fruits of hard work. Buckshot and Dru Ha are slowly getting Duck Down Music closer to a status not readily achieved by independent Hip-Hop labels. They have the ESPN College Basketball deal jumping off, and now recently inked deals with both The History Channel (through their Gangland series), they've now got a deal with YouTube as one of their exclusive parternered clients, based off the videos they've been producing and throwing online. Add to that the recent interview with DJ Evil Dee, and it looks like Black Moon and Duck Down are plotting some serious world domination.

DJ K.O. ft. Phonte, Wordsworth, K-Hill & Masta Ace "Ladder Of Success" (prod. by Analogic) - shouts to Jimmy for sending this one over to me. You see that lineup? Yes it's as dope as it looks. Very dope track, ill ass rhymes - quality Hip-Hop, period. This is from DJ K.O.'s forthcoming Perception Is Everything EP (hit up his MySpace page for more info).

Anyone else trying to get their music to the public? Hit me with it - khaldub@gmail.com.