I Love Rap

Thug Life [2Pac, Big Syke, Macadoshis, Mopreme, and Rated R]- Stay True
Produced by Thug Music
from 1994’s Thug Life: Volume 1

Okay, I’m missing Cali. I admit it. And this song really captures the essence of what the air feels like out there.

It’s mostly a 2Pac solo jaunt with some weird half verses from Stretch and Mopreme. But man does it make you want to have a BBQ in the back of a convertible on an orange afternoon.

DL

Casual - We Got It Like That
Produced by Domino
From 1994’s Fear Itself

First - a biggg holler at one of my partners in rap since way back, Doruk Akan, who’s posted a bunch of great rap tracks recently on his blog. So if you’re digging things here, he’s got some more to love - check here and here. His post of Hieroglyphics’ “Oakland Blackouts” put me back in touch with some classic cuts I hadn’t listened to in a while.

One of my favorite members of the extensive Hiero crew has always been Casual, mostly due to the surprisingly great and underheard Fear Itself. I mean case and point and match and checkmate: this track. Sunny ego stroking track built out of a number of painfully perfect samples. Let the beat build B.

As for Casual’s rapping, his flow is crazy animated. Sometimes it can get out of control and you start wishing he’d lay off the pixie stix, but on this track he’s flying flawlessly and it’s a wonder to behold.

DL

Timbaland - Say Something (ft. Drake)
Produced by Timbaland and J-Rocc
From 2009’s upcoming Shock Value II

As a counterpoint to CuDi I bring you the new Timbaland/Drake song. First off, I love it. But I think there’s an interesting contrast between CuDi’s natural sincerity and Drake & Timbaland’s technical recreation of emotion. Once again, I still really like this song and certainly find the sentiment to be genuine, but I find it hard to believe the actual emotion in the song. Just trying to illuminate what I find to be so appealing about CuDi.

Now on it’s own terms I love this track and hope it’s the beginning of a long relationship between Drake and Timbaland. When Timbaland has someone he connects with, it’s unstoppable, and I think this is a perfect match.

Now I don’t know about you all, but I’m reading Timbaland’s verse as being directed at Missy Elliott. I could be crazy. But then again where is she and why did they stop working together?

DL

KiD CuDi - CuDi Zone
Produced by Emile
From 2009’s Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day

I know this isn’t an unheard of gem or anything, but in the event that anyone’s sleeping on this guy, you need to start checking.  While the album doesn’t hold up on every cut, it’s probably gonna get my album of the year, and should be getting everybody’s debut of the year for sure. When he’s on, he’s golden. And when he’s not, he’s still interesting. He can write great raps. He can write great songs. He’s in touch enough with modern music to do a song with MGMT and Ratatat. He’s got a great voice. He’s sincere. He’s the best doin’ it right now, and I just hope to see him keep running with it. Go CuDi.

DL

Funky 4 + 1 - That’s The Joint
Produced by Sylvia Robinson
from 1980

Got asked if Postive K’s “I Got A Man” was the first example of someone sampling A Taste Of Honey’s “Rescue Me”. The answer’s “no”, and here’s the proof. You might recognize the “That’s The Joint” from The Beastie Boys’ “Shake Your Rump”, but this is a classic beyond it’s references and hyperlinks. It’s one of those early hip-hop/disco hybrids with constant mic-passing and dance floor grooving that go on longer than our attention spans. I won’t be offended if you turn it off halfway through and I won’t be surprised if you start an office dance-party.

DL

Positive K - I Got A Man
Produced by Shawn Thomas
from 1992’s The Skills Dat Pay Da Bills

I love a fair fight, and I love being a fly on the wall. This is one of the few songs out there that has both and it’s great.

In L.A. they play stuff like this on 93.5 FM all the time. Don’t believe me?

Check it — excuse the commercials

DL

Lootpack - Answers (ft. Quasimoto)
produced by Madlib
from 1999’s Soundpieces: Da Antidote!

I’m in LA this week, hence the lack of updates. So here’s one of my favorite Cali tracks to keep you entertained. I love Quasimoto.

And by the by … L.A.’s 105.9 FM is pretty amazing.

DL

Yo-Yo - Stompin’ To Tha 90’s
produced by Sir Jinx and Ice Cube
from 1991’s Make Way For The Motherlode

That last post got me in the mood for some more Sir Jinx, so I grabbed Ice Cube affiliate, Yo-Yo’s, debut expecting some good beats and hoping for tolerable flows. I was pretty blown away when this was the first track. Yo-Yo can seriously run shit and she certainly has nothing to do with the, in my opinion, intolerable school of hyper-sexual female rappers like Foxy Brown and Lil’ Kim. A gem of an album in that Amerikkka’s Most Wanted mold that I was complaining there’s not enough of.

DL

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Letters
produced by Sir Jinx
from 1992’s Live & Let Die

So the extent of my Kool G Rap knowledge was limited to his several “classic” tracks and the first track on that one Unkle album that’s worth listening to.  I did not realize that he laid down an album with Sir Jinx full of that all too rare early 90’s funk. I’m not talking G-Funk — I’m talking about that funky funky funk that propelled the early Ice Cube albums, which, unsurprisingly, featured a bunch of production from Sir Jinx. I’ve always been a fan of this sound and am shocked there aren’t more albums like this out there, as it tends to bring out the best in rappers.  Case in point: the first couple of good tracks off Nas’s Streets’ Disciple.

DL