i smash mics like corn bread you can't kill me i was born dead...

Back again with another post on one of the greatest lyricists/rappers I've ever listened to. BIG L was another rapper that never reached his full potential after he was fatally shot in NY at only 24. After releasing his first album"Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous"(1994) with huge success, L went on to record another album "The Big Picture 1974-1999"(2000) which wasn't released when he was still alive.

The iconic rapper was most renowned for his flowing lyrics and catchy punch lines. His most famous song Put It On is another one of my favourites. With a great instrumental and more great lyrics from the "smooth kid that'll run up in your baby mother", this song is hard to ignore when thinking of the golden era. Go listen to some of his other songs How Will I Make It, Flamboyant, Platinum Plus,  and see why this artist could have brought so much more to hip hop.

R.I.P. BIG L

the mighty mos def

Heres a short and sweet review of two of Mos Def's most famous songs. These are both off his debut solo album "Black on Both Sides" (1999) which is also one of my favourite Hip Hop albums. Ms. Fat Booty and Mathematics are equally great songs and I'll try and write this review a little differently so that they receive the right amount of affection.

Mathematics is essentially a powerful song in which Mos asks his listeners to add up various issues and come to an ultimatum. Produced by none other than the famous DJ Premier,  this song has one of the greatest beats along with sweet samples. Within the lyrics is where this song stands out. Mos Def actually counts numbers into this songs so that we can follow him through various struggles and social issues. To me this requires a huge amount of skill to create something that rhymes and also adds up somehow."Yo it's 6 Million Ways to Die, from the seven deadly thrills. Eight-year olds gettin found with 9 mill's"  One of the the best songs to listen to when your trying to find Hip Hop.


Secondly, Ms. Fat Booty may not possess the same political content but contains lyrics about something equally important. Love and attraction. Mos Def tells us about a woman that was something else and with an "Ass so fat you could see it from the front"  The song features samples from Arethra Franklin and the beat is also really good. All about some wild girl that Mos Def is hooked on, she plays love games with him and forgets him. Sounds familiar right? Anyway another ill song from Mos Def that truly shows his artistic talent with a similar concept to Common's famous song.

Listen to these equally consuming songs to treat your Hip Hop taste buds.

style wars

Style Wars is a Hip Hop documentary that follows the rise of the golden age. Essentially it captures the essence of New York's old school uprising and colourful history while also focusing on the birth of graffiti as an art form.

This film from the 1980s packs heaps of artwork into 70 minutes as it follows the lives of gifted writers around the train systems of NY. Going into the mind of these artist, its clear to see that living for your artwork and expressing yourself is more important than getting caught.  The documentary also includes interviews with the local law enforcement that believe graffiti as an act of vandalism. And they fail terribly with attempts to restrict this iconic movement.

Deep in the roots of this movie are the core elements of true Hip Hop. From the B-Boy breaks to the great soundtrack with pioneers such as Grand Master Flash and The Sugarhill Gang, its only too easy to wish that you could have been part of such an era.

I would definitely recommend anyone to get a hold of this great documentary even if you are not entirely interested in Hip Hop.

Song in the trailer is "8th Wonder" by the Sugarhill Gang

it's, the music that the street love...

"Skills" by Gang Starr is one of the freshest songs I've ever heard.

DJ Premiere's mad breaks and samples along with Guru's natural flow go together so easily to make one of  Hip Hops most successful duos. "Skills" is essentially a song of why not to fuck with Guru and Premiere as the lyrics portray a story of their rise to fame. Also, one of the songs in which Gang Starr solidify their "Mass Appeal" status as one of the greatest in Hip Hop.

R.I.P. GURU

tyler, the creator

OFWGKTA

Goblin is the second album from Odd Future's Tyler, The Creator and it's fucking amazing.

Something about his lyrics along with dark beats make the content of this album addictive and consuming. But let me warn you, not for the faint hearted would be an understatement as this record contains things that would make the devil cry. Nightmare-fantasy has been used to describe the essence of this album as Tyler lays down his conscience and narrates himself as volatile, humorous, moody, needy, even vulnerable.

Tyler expresses himself as somebody that literally does not give a fuck about what anyone else thinks. He goes into extreme detail of his life as he is "interviewed" by a figurative therapist. These songs are dope and even though they may push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in society, he's doing it anyway and ripping the music scene apart at the same time. Every song on this album is worth your irrelevant time.

Currently the biggest hype in live music right now, I would do anything to see Odd Future perform. All I can do is continue to listen to Tyler's album on repeat and follow the other admirers as we witness this crew build momentum. Would definitely recommended this to any Hip Hop listeners as it's not something you can not afford to miss.

They're calling this shit "Horrorcore" and I'm loving it.

...3, 2, murder 1 lyric at your door

Have a listen to this classic track from the golden era.
Featuring none other than Method "Tical" Man and Redman, one of the greatest duos ever in How High pt 1 (1995)
Check out their movie "How High" which is fucking hilarious if you have a chance.

True Hip Hop from the 90's, Enjoy

power of the dollar

Straight up I would like to review an album that most people never heard about. Although everyone should know who released it. 50 Cent's "Power Of the Dollar" (2000) was his debut album and explosive entrance into the Hip Hop scene. Although it was never officially released onto the commercial market, this album is one of my favourites for it's amazing lyrical content.

Now your probably thinking how did he become so successful when his first album basically failed? Well, like all the greats in the history of Hip Hop, somebody wanted him dead. If your familiar with the portrayal/movie of his life "Get Rich or Die Tryin", you would know he lives a tough life and pisses off the wrong dealers. He is then shot 9 times, with one of the bullets leaving him with a speech impediment. He then makes a full recovery and ends up on top. (Who said cliché?) 

The first thing I noticed when I heard this album is how different he sounds compared to his more recent albums. A much clearer 50. The song "Ghetto Qu'ran" was supposedly the motive behind his shooting. The lyrics of this song name and judge high class figures of the NYC elite, and he obviously wasn't giving shout outs. 

Anyway, after he was shot his record label at the time dropped him expectantly and 50 was forced to bootleg his own album and spread it unofficially. Some of the notable songs on this album that are worth a listen include; "Ghetto Qu'ran", "Thug Love (feat. Destiny's Child)", "Ya Life's on the Line" and "I'm A Hustler".

Give this album a listen and try to concentrate on 50's lyrics, they're something special.