The Lowdown, 1/8/11
Inspired by my pals Spensaur and Graceface, here are some of the funnest shows I saw in 2010:
1) P.O.S, Grieves & Budo, Dessa @ Bottom of the Hill
2) Greenhouse, Dez & Nobs, Timmy Wiggins, Cloud City @ LiPo Lounge
3) JFK, Insects, Black Mask, Outwitz, etc. @ Rockit Room
4) Moka Only & Factor, Ceschi, Open Mike Eagle, Kirby Dominant, etc. @ Elbo Room
5) Myka 9, Medusa, BPos, etc. @ Club 6
(unfortunately, I had to bounce early from this one and missed this collab. :( But Medusa was A-MA-ZING)
6) Doomtree & Rec League @ Slim’s
7) Daedelus, Nosaj Thing, Jogger @ Mighty
8) Qwel & Maker @ Farmer’s Block
9) Grouch, Brother Ali, Eligh @ New Parish
10) Amoebapalooza 2010 @ Stork Club
(No videos available of this one, as far as I know??? Butcher Cover and Swann Danger at First Church of the Buzzard was type epic as well)
Some other notable shows I attended last year:
Ecid, Noah23, Jordan Miche, Edison, Paulie Think, etc. @ Retox Room
Rec League, Grand Invincible, Dulok Shaman, Lodeck @ Red Devil Lounge
Luckyiam & Mestizo @ Club 6
Daedelus, Gaslamp Killer, 12th Planet & Teebs @ 1050 Folsom
Dark Time Sunshine, Void Pedal, Propaganda, Bru Lei @ Shattuck Downlow
Dark Time Sunshine, Jern Eye @ The Layover
Aceyalone & Sunspot Jonz @ Shattuck Downlow
Afro Classics, Understudies, etc. @ Blake's
Psalm One, Open Mike Eagle, League 510 @ Elbo Room
etc. , etc.
Was a pretty fun and eventful year for shows! Here's hoping for just as many in 2011. :)
Blog banner by Laura "Neila" Yang. http://www.iloveyeti.com
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Random Rap-Related 2010 Lists
The Lowdown, 1/1/11
Some favorite albums from 2010:
1) Dessa "A Badly Broken Code" (Doomtree)
Ani Difranco meets Jean Grae? Lauryn Hill meets Sage Francis? One of Doomtree's strongest releases to date, and arguably the strongest full length by a female MC I've ever heard.
2) Dark Time Sunshine "Vessel" (Fake Four)
Onry Ozzborn has been killing it on the vocal tip lately, and Zavala is one of the top producers of the moment. Together, they went and made some magic. Probably the best-produced album of 2010.
3) Qwel & Maker "Owl" (Galapagos4)
Some of the strongest work to date by all parties involved, which is no joke coming from a long-time Qwel fan. Gritty, heavy-hitting funk production vs. creative and relentlessly intelligent rapping.
4) Homeboy Sandman "The Good Sun" (High Water Music)
One of the most original voices to emerge from NY's underground in years. Fun, playful, highly stylized boom bap greatness. Super impressive body of work.
5) Dr. Oop "The Grateful Dread" (Blacklovemusic)
Hands down one of the most slept on rap releases of 2010. Oop Capone is an LA vet with years of experience under his belt, and he's perfected his mellow style of rapping here while keeping things extra sharp in the lyrics and content departments.
6) Factor "Lawson Graham" (Fake Four)
The sound of a skilled producer running with a concept and improving the sound of his music in the process. An excellent blend of folk and hip hop, with great contributions from a number of talented guest musicians.
7) Xperience "William the VIII" (Oldominion)
Another contender for "most slept on" from last year, this album has Xperience really showing off his talents as a rapper, singer, and producer. Self-released with next to zero promotion, distribution or marketing, this album is never the less a shining example of Xperience's talent and versatility. One of the most soulful Oldominion releases to date.
8) Broken Complex "Broken Complex" (Broken Complex)
The strongest rap group debut of 2010. Though many of the MCs have been touring and putting out solo albums under the radar for years, BC's collective debut really emphasizes the strengths of every artist in the crew. Rarely do so many unknown rappers stand out so distinctly on an album.
9) Soulcrate Music "The Heartland Panic" (Black Clover)
Some really fun, energetic, upbeat rap music from Sioux, South Dakota. The sound of this album brings to mind images of enthusiastic fans like me jumping up and down at live shows.
10) The Opus "Praying Mantis - Plus" (Indus)
Deserves a mention for being the strongest instrumental hip hop release of 2010, though it lacked much competition. A meditative, intricate and impressive return to music by this talented duo from Chicago.
---
Lots of other really dope releases this year as well:
Blue Sky Black Death "Third Party"
2Mex "My Fanbase Will Destroy You"
Mestizo "Elecholo"
Junk Science "A Miraculous Kind of Machine"
JFK "Building Wings on the Way Down"
Awol One & Ecid "Are..."
Thavius Beck "Dialogue"
Lazerbeak "Legend Recognize Legend"
A.R.M "Two Africans and a Jew"
Damu the Fudgemunk "How It Should Sound vol. 1 & 2"
The Let Go "Morning Comes"
Paper Tiger "Made Like Us"
etc.
Just to name a few. :) Was a great year for music.
Some favorite albums from 2010:
1) Dessa "A Badly Broken Code" (Doomtree)
Ani Difranco meets Jean Grae? Lauryn Hill meets Sage Francis? One of Doomtree's strongest releases to date, and arguably the strongest full length by a female MC I've ever heard.
2) Dark Time Sunshine "Vessel" (Fake Four)
Onry Ozzborn has been killing it on the vocal tip lately, and Zavala is one of the top producers of the moment. Together, they went and made some magic. Probably the best-produced album of 2010.3) Qwel & Maker "Owl" (Galapagos4)
Some of the strongest work to date by all parties involved, which is no joke coming from a long-time Qwel fan. Gritty, heavy-hitting funk production vs. creative and relentlessly intelligent rapping.
4) Homeboy Sandman "The Good Sun" (High Water Music)
One of the most original voices to emerge from NY's underground in years. Fun, playful, highly stylized boom bap greatness. Super impressive body of work.5) Dr. Oop "The Grateful Dread" (Blacklovemusic)
Hands down one of the most slept on rap releases of 2010. Oop Capone is an LA vet with years of experience under his belt, and he's perfected his mellow style of rapping here while keeping things extra sharp in the lyrics and content departments.6) Factor "Lawson Graham" (Fake Four)
The sound of a skilled producer running with a concept and improving the sound of his music in the process. An excellent blend of folk and hip hop, with great contributions from a number of talented guest musicians.
7) Xperience "William the VIII" (Oldominion)
Another contender for "most slept on" from last year, this album has Xperience really showing off his talents as a rapper, singer, and producer. Self-released with next to zero promotion, distribution or marketing, this album is never the less a shining example of Xperience's talent and versatility. One of the most soulful Oldominion releases to date.8) Broken Complex "Broken Complex" (Broken Complex)
The strongest rap group debut of 2010. Though many of the MCs have been touring and putting out solo albums under the radar for years, BC's collective debut really emphasizes the strengths of every artist in the crew. Rarely do so many unknown rappers stand out so distinctly on an album.9) Soulcrate Music "The Heartland Panic" (Black Clover)
Some really fun, energetic, upbeat rap music from Sioux, South Dakota. The sound of this album brings to mind images of enthusiastic fans like me jumping up and down at live shows.
10) The Opus "Praying Mantis - Plus" (Indus)
Deserves a mention for being the strongest instrumental hip hop release of 2010, though it lacked much competition. A meditative, intricate and impressive return to music by this talented duo from Chicago.
---
Lots of other really dope releases this year as well:
Blue Sky Black Death "Third Party"
2Mex "My Fanbase Will Destroy You"
Mestizo "Elecholo"
Junk Science "A Miraculous Kind of Machine"
JFK "Building Wings on the Way Down"
Awol One & Ecid "Are..."
Thavius Beck "Dialogue"
Lazerbeak "Legend Recognize Legend"
A.R.M "Two Africans and a Jew"
Damu the Fudgemunk "How It Should Sound vol. 1 & 2"
The Let Go "Morning Comes"
Paper Tiger "Made Like Us"
etc.
Just to name a few. :) Was a great year for music.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Zoo Has Never Sounded So Awesome
The Latest Greatest, 12/22/10
Whoa. Beastly rap mammoths and lavabanger connaiseurs alike will be pleased to hear that Sims & Lazerbeak's long-awaited "Bad Time Zoo" album is available for pre-order over at camp Doomtree. You can order it in a regular edition (which comes with tons of free goodies) or a mega deluxe package (which comes with the same tons of free goodies, plus an ill green T-shirt and a purty silk-screened art box). Whether you want lots of extras or lots and lots of extras is on you, but I'd highly advise ordering it one way or the other, because this album is pretty much a guaranteed jaw-dropping, eyebrow-raising, eardrum-shocking juggernaut of a rap album. It's so dangerous, it even comes with its own custom box-cutter. I'm predicting an early album of 2011, much like Dessa's "Badly Broken Code" owned 2010. Until this compact nuclear warhead disc properly drops on February 15th, take a look at the tracklisting and give "Burn It Down" a listen if you haven't done so yet. It's ON boyeeee.
1. Future Shock
2. Burn It Down
3. Bad Time Zoo
4. Too Much
5. One Dimensional Man
6. In My Sleep
7. When It Rolls In
8. Good Times
9. LMG
10. The Veldt
11. Weight
12. Radio Opaque
13. Sink or Syncopate
14. Hey You
Sims "Burn It Down by doomtree
Whoa. Beastly rap mammoths and lavabanger connaiseurs alike will be pleased to hear that Sims & Lazerbeak's long-awaited "Bad Time Zoo" album is available for pre-order over at camp Doomtree. You can order it in a regular edition (which comes with tons of free goodies) or a mega deluxe package (which comes with the same tons of free goodies, plus an ill green T-shirt and a purty silk-screened art box). Whether you want lots of extras or lots and lots of extras is on you, but I'd highly advise ordering it one way or the other, because this album is pretty much a guaranteed jaw-dropping, eyebrow-raising, eardrum-shocking juggernaut of a rap album. It's so dangerous, it even comes with its own custom box-cutter. I'm predicting an early album of 2011, much like Dessa's "Badly Broken Code" owned 2010. Until this compact nuclear warhead disc properly drops on February 15th, take a look at the tracklisting and give "Burn It Down" a listen if you haven't done so yet. It's ON boyeeee.1. Future Shock
2. Burn It Down
3. Bad Time Zoo
4. Too Much
5. One Dimensional Man
6. In My Sleep
7. When It Rolls In
8. Good Times
9. LMG
10. The Veldt
11. Weight
12. Radio Opaque
13. Sink or Syncopate
14. Hey You
Sims "Burn It Down by doomtree
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Grouch, Brother Ali and Eligh at New Parish in Oakland
View From the Middle Row, 12/21/10
About a week ago, I was fortunate enough to get guest-listed to "The Grouch Stole Christmas Tour," which has been selling out shows nation-wide and which I figured would be a particularly hot ticket in Oakland, since the majority of the line-up are hometown heroes. The night started off on the wrong foot as I somehow figured the show was on a Friday, and ended up correcting myself at the last minute and rolling out to it a bit late. I missed the opening act, Los Rakas, and didn't get a chance to seize a space front and center like I usually do because of the massive crowd. Still, I didn't completely designate myself to the rear, and got to watch full sets from Eligh, Brother Ali, and The Grouch from a nice space in the center of the crowd.
This was my first time seeing Eligh of Living Legends perform live, and he really impressed
me with his focused and well-balanced set. Eligh has been repping the West since the days of trading underground cassette tapes in the mid-90s, but has been on a musical hiatus for several years due to a nasty drug habit that he had to kick. His full rehabilitation was apparent in the strength of his performance, and everyone could tell how happy he was to be back on stage doing his thing in front of a hometown crowd. He performed a number of solid songs from his most recent album
"Grey Crow" that emphasized the originality of his voice and his amazing flow. He also went into a couple of numbers from his older albums, and brought out a couple of local guests to assist him. Bay area vocalist Paris Hayes backed him up on a number with some sweet singing vocals, and Eligh's mother also came out to perform a duet with him off of their collaborative album "On Sacred Ground." It was a very entertaining set that left the crowd in a good mood, though a few of the more obnoxious Brother Ali fans insisted on shouting his name between songs.
Speaking of Brother Ali, he seemed to be the reason that many of the people in the crowd were there, myself included. Brother Ali has shown and proven over the course of three full l
ength albums and a couple EPs that he's one of the nicest MCs in modern hip hop, and his live shows are generally a great showcase of how talented and soulful a rapper he is. The last time I'd seen him live was when he was touring for his 2007 album "The Undisputed Truth," so I was looking forward to seeing him perform some of his more recent songs. Well, big surprise, he did not disappoint. Brother Ali barreled through a number of his newer tracks like "The Preacher," "Fresh Air" and "Tightrope" with an ease that can only come from years of touring experience, transitioning smoothly from song to song and adding extra elements to each one to cater to a live setting. He was really feeling the Oakland crowd and got open with them between tracks, talking a lot about the success of the tour and about love and 
unity between people. I felt that there was a little too much of this talking at times, though Brother Ali has a soulful preacher quality to his voice that made it almost feel like watching an entertaining sermon at points. One of the more surprising elements he added to his set was a cover of his recently deceased friend Eyedea's "Smile," in which he improvised and freestyled the second verse, noting in one line that "Mickey [Eyedea] would have wanted it this way." He also kicked some of his older favorites like "Blah Blah Blah" and "Forest Whitiker," and got an enormous crowd response for every track. Great set from one of the stronger MCs working in hip hop today.
The Grouch, a Bay area favorite responsible for putting together the tour, closed things out as the headliner of the evening. While I have a great deal of respect for the Grouch's tireless work ethic and productivity, I've never been a huge fan of his music and this set was not on
par with the other two in my opinion. There were clearly long-time followers of the Grouch in attendance who got excited over numerous songs from his catalog, and were chanting the lines word by word... I just wasn't one of them. Granted, Grouch did go out of his way to make his set special. He called Eligh to the stage to perform a bunch of G&E numbers, which was ill, and also got Bicasso of Living Legends up to help him with a few songs. I also appreciated the way that Grouch tapped into songs spanning his entire extensive catalog, including collab tracks like "Silly Putty" from Zion I's "Mind Over Matter." Still, I don't think that the set was really my cup o'tea in the end, though it didn't detract anything from what was otherwise a completely awesome show,
Here's a video of Brother Ali performing his song "Tightrope," off of the album "Us":
About a week ago, I was fortunate enough to get guest-listed to "The Grouch Stole Christmas Tour," which has been selling out shows nation-wide and which I figured would be a particularly hot ticket in Oakland, since the majority of the line-up are hometown heroes. The night started off on the wrong foot as I somehow figured the show was on a Friday, and ended up correcting myself at the last minute and rolling out to it a bit late. I missed the opening act, Los Rakas, and didn't get a chance to seize a space front and center like I usually do because of the massive crowd. Still, I didn't completely designate myself to the rear, and got to watch full sets from Eligh, Brother Ali, and The Grouch from a nice space in the center of the crowd.
This was my first time seeing Eligh of Living Legends perform live, and he really impressed
me with his focused and well-balanced set. Eligh has been repping the West since the days of trading underground cassette tapes in the mid-90s, but has been on a musical hiatus for several years due to a nasty drug habit that he had to kick. His full rehabilitation was apparent in the strength of his performance, and everyone could tell how happy he was to be back on stage doing his thing in front of a hometown crowd. He performed a number of solid songs from his most recent album
"Grey Crow" that emphasized the originality of his voice and his amazing flow. He also went into a couple of numbers from his older albums, and brought out a couple of local guests to assist him. Bay area vocalist Paris Hayes backed him up on a number with some sweet singing vocals, and Eligh's mother also came out to perform a duet with him off of their collaborative album "On Sacred Ground." It was a very entertaining set that left the crowd in a good mood, though a few of the more obnoxious Brother Ali fans insisted on shouting his name between songs.Speaking of Brother Ali, he seemed to be the reason that many of the people in the crowd were there, myself included. Brother Ali has shown and proven over the course of three full l
ength albums and a couple EPs that he's one of the nicest MCs in modern hip hop, and his live shows are generally a great showcase of how talented and soulful a rapper he is. The last time I'd seen him live was when he was touring for his 2007 album "The Undisputed Truth," so I was looking forward to seeing him perform some of his more recent songs. Well, big surprise, he did not disappoint. Brother Ali barreled through a number of his newer tracks like "The Preacher," "Fresh Air" and "Tightrope" with an ease that can only come from years of touring experience, transitioning smoothly from song to song and adding extra elements to each one to cater to a live setting. He was really feeling the Oakland crowd and got open with them between tracks, talking a lot about the success of the tour and about love and 
unity between people. I felt that there was a little too much of this talking at times, though Brother Ali has a soulful preacher quality to his voice that made it almost feel like watching an entertaining sermon at points. One of the more surprising elements he added to his set was a cover of his recently deceased friend Eyedea's "Smile," in which he improvised and freestyled the second verse, noting in one line that "Mickey [Eyedea] would have wanted it this way." He also kicked some of his older favorites like "Blah Blah Blah" and "Forest Whitiker," and got an enormous crowd response for every track. Great set from one of the stronger MCs working in hip hop today.The Grouch, a Bay area favorite responsible for putting together the tour, closed things out as the headliner of the evening. While I have a great deal of respect for the Grouch's tireless work ethic and productivity, I've never been a huge fan of his music and this set was not on
par with the other two in my opinion. There were clearly long-time followers of the Grouch in attendance who got excited over numerous songs from his catalog, and were chanting the lines word by word... I just wasn't one of them. Granted, Grouch did go out of his way to make his set special. He called Eligh to the stage to perform a bunch of G&E numbers, which was ill, and also got Bicasso of Living Legends up to help him with a few songs. I also appreciated the way that Grouch tapped into songs spanning his entire extensive catalog, including collab tracks like "Silly Putty" from Zion I's "Mind Over Matter." Still, I don't think that the set was really my cup o'tea in the end, though it didn't detract anything from what was otherwise a completely awesome show,Here's a video of Brother Ali performing his song "Tightrope," off of the album "Us":
Not to be Confused with West Coast Workforce...
The Latest Greatest, 12/21/10
The first official video from Blueprint's sophmore solo album on Rhymesayers, "Adventures in Counter Culture." This album has been a long time in the making, so long that Printmatic had to assure people that his dog didn't eat it on BK One's 2009 full length. I've been following the evolution of 'Print's MCing for like a decade, so it's great to see this thing finally coming out on 3/1/11 via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Looking forward to what sounds like a more experimental offering from one of the strongest voices of Columbus, OH's hip hop scene. Hopefully, the new Greenhouse full length won't be nearly as long a wait!
1. Five Years Ago
2. Go Hard or Go Home (Printnificence)
3. Automatic
4. Keep Bouncing
5. Wanna Be Like You
6. My Culture
7. Mind, Body, & Soul (feat. Angelica Lee)
8. So Alive
9. Stole Our Yesterday
10. Radio-Inactive
11. Welcome Home
12. Fly Away
13. The Clouds
14. Rise & Fall
15. The Other Side
The first official video from Blueprint's sophmore solo album on Rhymesayers, "Adventures in Counter Culture." This album has been a long time in the making, so long that Printmatic had to assure people that his dog didn't eat it on BK One's 2009 full length. I've been following the evolution of 'Print's MCing for like a decade, so it's great to see this thing finally coming out on 3/1/11 via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Looking forward to what sounds like a more experimental offering from one of the strongest voices of Columbus, OH's hip hop scene. Hopefully, the new Greenhouse full length won't be nearly as long a wait!
1. Five Years Ago
2. Go Hard or Go Home (Printnificence)
3. Automatic
4. Keep Bouncing
5. Wanna Be Like You
6. My Culture
7. Mind, Body, & Soul (feat. Angelica Lee)
8. So Alive
9. Stole Our Yesterday
10. Radio-Inactive
11. Welcome Home
12. Fly Away
13. The Clouds
14. Rise & Fall
15. The Other Side
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Michael Isn't Playing Around
The Latest Greatest, 12/11/10
Kind of late in posting this here, but couldn't continue blogging without mentioning Onry Ozzborn's staggering work ethic these days. The Oldominion vet is dropping a free full length album this month entitled "No Hoax," which comes in weekly three-song installments that drop each Monday of December. The first of these installments has already dropped via Circle Into Square, and it sounds solid as usual. The craziest part is that this free album is just something to hold people over till his next album, "Hold on for Dear Life," is released on Fake Four Inc. on January 22nd in physical format. How he has time to produce two solo full lengths, maintain his group Dark Time Sunshine, and tour all year while keeping a high standard of quality is beyond me...
Kind of late in posting this here, but couldn't continue blogging without mentioning Onry Ozzborn's staggering work ethic these days. The Oldominion vet is dropping a free full length album this month entitled "No Hoax," which comes in weekly three-song installments that drop each Monday of December. The first of these installments has already dropped via Circle Into Square, and it sounds solid as usual. The craziest part is that this free album is just something to hold people over till his next album, "Hold on for Dear Life," is released on Fake Four Inc. on January 22nd in physical format. How he has time to produce two solo full lengths, maintain his group Dark Time Sunshine, and tour all year while keeping a high standard of quality is beyond me...
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Awkwardness Incarnate
The Latest Greatest, 12/4/10
UK electro-glitch rap producer Awkward will be releasing a new official LP, "Grand Prize," on Mestizo's Machina Muerte label on December 14th. I mainly know Awkward for his collaborations with LA's stylistic underground rap scene, which include contributions to albums by members of Swim Team. By the looks of the tracklisting on this new album, he's roped in some interesting voices to compliment his interesting beats, including the likes of Awol One, Open Mike Eagle, and Megabusive. Could end up being one of December 2010's finer surprises, keep your ears peeled.
Tracklisting:
0 The Shapes In Space
1 Build Lights
2 Tanks On Empty
3 Searching with Awol One
4 Adams Apple with Nadia Nair and Shuanise
5 Not In The Same Room w/ Alex Pathetic, Awkward, Dezmatic, Open Mike Eagle, Stepchild and Matt Gamin
6 Advice with Open Mike Eagle
7 High Entry
8 Middlemen Of A Higher Power with Rheteric Ramirez
9 Rare Form with Isaiah Toothtaker
10 The Segment with Age and Rogue
11 For Converations Sake with Megabusive
12 Serious Sentances withh Snagneto, CoMo and Stepchild
13 Stretched Animal Skin Drum Ten with Dee Swift
14 Kings with Roastlonely
UK electro-glitch rap producer Awkward will be releasing a new official LP, "Grand Prize," on Mestizo's Machina Muerte label on December 14th. I mainly know Awkward for his collaborations with LA's stylistic underground rap scene, which include contributions to albums by members of Swim Team. By the looks of the tracklisting on this new album, he's roped in some interesting voices to compliment his interesting beats, including the likes of Awol One, Open Mike Eagle, and Megabusive. Could end up being one of December 2010's finer surprises, keep your ears peeled.Tracklisting:
0 The Shapes In Space
1 Build Lights
2 Tanks On Empty
3 Searching with Awol One
4 Adams Apple with Nadia Nair and Shuanise
5 Not In The Same Room w/ Alex Pathetic, Awkward, Dezmatic, Open Mike Eagle, Stepchild and Matt Gamin
6 Advice with Open Mike Eagle
7 High Entry
8 Middlemen Of A Higher Power with Rheteric Ramirez
9 Rare Form with Isaiah Toothtaker
10 The Segment with Age and Rogue
11 For Converations Sake with Megabusive
12 Serious Sentances withh Snagneto, CoMo and Stepchild
13 Stretched Animal Skin Drum Ten with Dee Swift
14 Kings with Roastlonely
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