The Hip Hop Shop

Reflection Eternal - Back Again

2009-04-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Reflection Eternal - Back Again [Talib Kweli] from Radio Planet on Vimeo

Kweli and Hi Tek back with a new single and video.

Eminem - We Made You

2009-04-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

I can't decide how I feel about this single. It's the first time that one of his first singles hasn't had him doing the hook, which isn't that important, but it just isn't as catchy as songs like "The Real Slim Shady." The guy can clearly still write rhymes, but he just doesn't seem to have the fire for rap that he used to. Furthermore, he's still making kids music, but his fans aren't kids anymore. He'll go platinum because he's Eminem, but I think he's done being the biggest music artist in the country.

English 342: A Critique of the English Web Site

2009-03-26T09:47:00.001-07:00

For students familiar with the program trying to get information about their major, this site is very direct and helpful. It contains course summaries and succinct requirements for each of its programs. This site does a very good job of helping and informing its own community. However, the further outside that community you are, the less helpful it becomes. Trying to find courses in English that deal with a general subject is difficult. I’d recommend removing those topics from the .word format into an .html page and creating a table of contents with one sentence descriptions of courses. Finally, the site does not go far to entice people to join the program. It seems to be almost entirely devoted to people already dealing with it. I’d consider creating another tab on the top titled “Join the English Department” or similar. The tab would deal with recruiting and helping students outside the major see what’s good about it – with links to the adviser’s information should they want to talk to a live person.

Wale - Back to the Feature Mixtape Announced

2009-03-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to make a mixtape that was different than any of my previous mixtapes. Paint A Picture and Hate Is The New Love were my first two when I was just the young, hungry rapper from MD by way of DC. I was just trying to show I could spit. I truthfully had no direction, I just wanted people to hear me. 100 Miles & Running was after I hired a manager and linked up with Catchdubs, so we went about creating something a little more cohesive showing I could create “intelligent” rap but it was just my mellow mood; some chill ****. The Mixtape About Nothing was showing that I could do a concept album/mixtape. I appreciate the love and critical acclaim I have gotten for it but Back To The Feature is taking it back to the fun days in hip hop when artists worked with each other for the love and not for the checks or politics. It’s an easy listen; no controversy, no dramatic records. It’s pure hip hop from artists that love to listen to. It’s collaborations with me and other artists like Joe Budden, Currensy, Joell Ortiz, Tre frm UCB, Drake, Bun B, J Cole, Talib Kweli, Royce the 5′9″, XO, Kenn Starr and many others.

For those who don't know, Wale is probably the hottest rapper out without an album. This will drop April 29th, check back here for the link.

An Explanation of My Ratings

2009-03-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here is an explanation of my album/mixtape ratings:

Beats – A rating of the sound of the album. This also includes the artist as a vocalist. For example, TI might not be as good a lyricist as KRS-One. But one of the reasons he has more hits right now is because he knows how to use his voice with the beat. How on-beat an artist is, his vocal tone, pace, etc. Any singing is also included here.

Rhymes – A review of the album as it would read. I’m ignoring all sonic implications and just evaluating the lyrics. Rhyme schemes and patterns, rhetoric, subject and poetic skill all factor into this. I’m also taking into account the topics the bring up and how well they handle them. For example, if a rapper has 18 songs that are all about his chain, but he approaches it from a different viewpoint each time (going through its history, visual appearance, metaphorical significance, etc) and doing it well, he could conceivable get a ten. But if a rapper does 18 songs about different topics but I’ve heard it all before and done better, he’s not going to get that high of a score.

Originality – Or uniqueness. How well does the album/mixtape stand on its own? Does it break from the formula’s of the genre/time period it’s in?

Consistency – How well does the album/mixtape sound as a straight-through listen? It’s a particularly hard job to make an album where the songs are different enough to stand out yet similar enough not to be jarring. The quality of the songs should be fairly consistent, but an album with mostly good songs and a few great ones will fair better than an album that is consistently mediocre.

Total Score: An average of the other four.

The Rock Obama - Saturday Night Live

2009-03-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

Don't piss him off, or this will happen...

K'Naan - Troubadour: Album Review

2009-03-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

It’s no exaggeration to call K’Naan a hip hop troubadour. Born in Somalia with a family full of poets, musicians and intellectuals, K’Naan came to the U.S. during the Somali Civil War. He didn’t know English, so he taught himself to speak through Nas and Rakim albums.

All this gives K’Naan (and Troubadour) a completely unique venue through which he expresses himself. He can sing, rap (in different languages), and play the guitar or drums on the same song. He classifies himself as a visual stenographer, and his story – which includes a close encounter with a grenade at the age of seven – makes the danger tales of most gangsta rappers look trifling by comparison.

That has two effects on Troubadour. The first is that the album is a brilliant collage of sounds, genres and experiences. It’s immediately clear that K’Naan just doesn’t have the same restrictions most rappers place on themselves. As he declares in If Rap Gets Jealous, “with respect to the rules of the game, they don’t apply ‘cause I made this far.” For most artists, the would be a meaningless boast, but when he’s singing this with Metallica’s guitarist right after guest spots from Damian Marley and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, you have to take him seriously.

The second effect K’Naan’s vast experience has on Troubadour is that the album can sound like a mess, especially at first. Sonically, this album is all over the place, and does just about everything except quiet. After a few listens, when the songs start to separate themselves, the ride K’Naan takes us on is exhilarating. But when his musical influences are shifting from Africa to Jamaica to pop to hard rock to straight hip hop, it’s hard not to be frustrated. This isn’t an album that many will love from the beginning.

Nonetheless, Troubadour is well worth the struggle. There are few things in music that are more beautiful than an artist who takes both pride and joy in his craft, and it’s clear that K’Naan does. He’s talented enough that his forays into different sounds come off as completely natural, and while he mostly raps, his singing is just as good. He has a good feel for hooks and his ability to tell a story is amazing.

That latter ability, as much as anything, sets this album completely apart. He manages to tell the story of his first crush Fatima, who he lost to war, in a way that is catchy and joyous without ever feeling sorry for himself. Troubadour starts with a bang that keeps up for a solid 30-40 minutes before mellowing out with songs like these, where K’Naan slows down and takes a more somber look at his life. What’s unique about K’Naan is that as the songs slow, they become even more anthemic.

Troubadour takes us on a ride through continents and time. It’s an album that is completely exhilarating, and yet every song is completely worthwhile. In hip hop, we’re accustomed to everybody whining about something. It’s eye-opening that somebody with a life as hard as K’Naan’s can tell us in all sincerity that he has “nothing to complain about.” That’s an attitude that’s prevalent throughout the album, and K’Naan takes us on a ride that, through all its bumps and bruises, is ultimately a joy.

Rating	Description
(Out of Ten)	Explantion of Ratings
8.5	Beats The music is great, but can be jarring at first - the early rock and african influences, combined with K'Naan high-pitched rap voice make it almost annoying at first. After a few listens to sort the songs out and get used to the sound, the depth and personality of the production wins out.
9.5	Rhymes K'naan is a pretty good lyricist, but what sets him apart is his personal story and the joy with which he delivers it. A little more vulnerability would be nice, but it's hard to find much to complain about here.
9.0	Originality To put it simply, this sound different from anything out there. This is one of those allbums you show to people who say hip hop isn't music.
9.0	Consistency All of the songs are good. Not all are great, and a couple of the transitions are jarring. Also, slowdown of the album near the end is a little hard to come down to.
9.0	Total Score

Joe Budden - Padded Room: Album Review

2009-03-04T01:07:00.000-08:00

The Padded Room is a somewhat inappropriate title. The name implies that this album is hosting somebody who’s gone crazy, but that’s not really what this is. As in his Mood Music series, what Joe Budden is really doing here is more like venting – a more appropriate title would be “The Confession.” This, like most of Joe’s music, is a deliberate collage of the emotions he goes through in CD format.

The wait for a Joe Budden album has been a long one, but label drama has given us three of the best mixtapes (The Mood Musik series) that we’ve ever seen. For fans of those mixtapes, this is bound to be a letdown. We usually expect artists to be saving their best songs for their official albums, with the leftovers given to us in the mixtapes. Since Joe’s mixtapes were so good, a lot of fans were probably expecting a classic, or at least a great album.

The difference with official albums is that concerns like selling records, getting a hit single and sample clearances get in the way. The first two problems don’t really hurt this album, but beat choice definitely does. There just aren’t a lot of songs on this album that are easy to listen to. In other words, if you don’t already like Joe Budden, there’s just no reason to pick this up. The production here isn’t a disaster, it’s just average.

On a better note, Joe is still the same artist he’s always been. He’s completely unafraid to admit his insecurities, thoughts and sins to anybody who will listen. It makes him a very sincerely compelling artist – there just aren’t too many rappers who will tell you that they consider themselves bad fathers, for instance. Joe makes the everyday struggles of his life into stories of his soul, and that type of confessionalism is a breath of fresh air in a rap game where most feel the need to pretend they don’t have a soul. When he goes back and forth with God in Pray for Me, you can really feel how conflicted the man is about life in general:

[Joe]
Look I'm only human I aint perfect.

[God]
That I understand. When I take you out a jam
you don't even think to worship, and when you do
you never talk about what you can do for me, it’s what I can do for you
I blessed you with health, family and wealth
with all the blessings you received, you still always want help

[Joe]
Yeah there’s been times in my life I needed help to make money
But why everything I love, you manage to take from me?
Yet you stand there and question a nigga that tries hard
and finds a way when you keep dealing him FUCKED up cards!
You make mistakes like me far as I can see
I think it’s a mockery whenever rich niggas win the lottery
Gave us Bush twice, God I hate to be rude
But you let skinny niggas starve give obese niggas food
THE NERVE of you telling me I don't deserve to stay here
When you gave us drugs and guns, you put AIDS here!
Take a look at you, your actions are cold hearted
The harsh shit is you bring babies in the world retarded
I know most my actions put me in a cell
But how you mad at me when you put me in this hell?

When he’s not railing at good, he’s reliving dreams, crazy ex-girlfriends, his reputation, dead friends, how he treats his family, and so on. It bears repeating that Joe’s sheer amount of themes makes him stand out from most rappers. But it’s not like everything’s serious business either. There’s a few light-hearted songs like Family Reunion, where Fabolous, Ransom and Hitchcock join Joe for a throwback swagger track.

Those moments end up being the mediocre parts of the album, not so much because Joe can’t pull it off as because the beats just aren’t strong enough to pull it off. There’s nothing like Pump It Up to carry the album commercially here, and it’s to really listen to the album straight through. There are some different sounds here, so it’s not exactly monotonous, but since none of those songs stand out, it’s hard to stay interested in it.

Padded Room is a second above average album from an interesting artist. For fans of Budden, it will fill a void until the next mixtape to come out. But for people who aren’t that into him, or want to hear him for the first time, this just isn’t close to his best music. Stick with the tapes, because Joey just didn’t bring it as hard as he needed to here.

Beats: 2.5/5

Rhymes: 4/5

Uniqueness: 3.5/5

Consistency: 3/5

Michael Steele Gets Served By Steven Cobert

2009-03-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Michael Steele Gets Served

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor

Rap Battle
Joke of the Day

Not a big Colbert fan, but what can I say? Colbert's rhymes are so fresh they're served at whole foods.

QuESt - Distant Travels Into Soul Theory

2009-03-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

As you might have guessed, this mixtape is built entirely off of soul samples. What you might not have guessed is this is a conceptual album that tells the story of a relationship chronologically. I say album, because for all intents and purposes, this is really a free album, and a pretty damn good one. Shout out to illroots for the link.

Download here

Videos of the Week: 02-27-09

2009-02-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

A New Hip Hop Violinist:

I'm always suprised by how well this combination works, this kid goes through a bunch of great tracks; I especially like Roots' "The Next Movement" at 3:12

Jadakiss - Can't Stop Me

The Last Kiss, dropping March 10th.

Cunninlynguists - Never Come Down (Brownie Song)

Cam'ron - Get It In Ohio

I'm not a big Cam fan, but he's always had a knack for great beats.

500 Pounds of Marijuana Found on Fabolous' Tour Bus

2009-02-25T22:52:00.000-08:00

Arkansas police seized approximately 500 pounds of marijuana and $6,500 in cash from Fabolous' tour bus over the weekend. The story initially broke via the Arkansas Courier, ThisIs50.com and several other Hip Hop Web sites and blogs.

The Courier reports drivers Edward Thimas and Robert Morris both blamed the rapper for the stash, which was found in a locked compartment on the bus. Neither Fab nor any other rappers were present on the bus at the time of the arrest.

According to police reports, the pair said they were returning from the NBA All Star game in Phoenix, Arizona and en route to pick up an unnamed rapper from Boston. Both men were arrested after giving conflicting stories to authorities. Thimas and Morris were arrested on drug possession and other charges; Morris received a bond of $200,000 while Thimas' bond was set at $75,000.

No official statement has been released from Fabolous’ camp about this incident, and he is not believed to be a suspect in the case.

What does anybody need with 500 pounds of weed? Stories like this always leave me shaking my head, because it's just unnecessary. Fabolous is too rich to need to sell it, and nobody smokes that much. I have a lot of problems with this country's drug laws, but I really have no sympathy for people who put themselves in situations like this.

Source: Hip Hop DX

Video: HHO Interviews Wale

2009-02-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hip Hop Official catches up with Wale on the road in this clip. Wale's poised to be the next big thing in hip hop, and this is a cool glimpse into the mind of one of our budding stars.

Talib Kweli - Blacksmtih TV Episode 4: Rocking the Bells pt. 2

2009-02-24T15:47:00.001-08:00

Blacksmith TV Episode 4 - "Rocking The Bells Pt. 2" from tunji balogun on Vimeo.

The next episode from Blacksmith's mini-reality TV series. It's fun to be able to see behind the scenes of an event this large from the artist's perspective.

Zion I: The Take Over – Album Review

2009-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

When most people think of California Hip Hop, they think L.A. and gangsta rap. That’s perfectly fair, because California got its shine from rappers like Ice T, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. But the hyphy and alternative scene in the Bay Area (Oakland/San Francisco) is arguably much stronger right now musically and commercially.

Zion I is right in the middle of all this. Made up of producer AmpLive and rapper Zumbi, Zion I is more or less a bridge between hyphy artists like Mac Dre and alternative artists like The Coup. Even though they’ve been pretty prolific (this is their sixth album and they have at least eight mixtapes and EP’s), they’re pretty far under the mainstream radar. Nonetheless, they have a history of making great music, and “The Take Over” is no exception.

For all that Zumbi is a very good rapper, this album is all about AmpLive’s production. “The Take Over” has an amazing variety of influences in its music – African-inspired drums, 90’s pop, crunk, jazz, house music, black gospel, and rock guitar riffs all contribute to the sound of this album. But the most important musical influence this has is 80’s hip hop. While “The Take Over” is completely progressive in its sound, its spirit is a complete throwback to early hip hop in the sense of rhythm, energy and sheer joy that is present in this record.

That sense of past meets present is where Zumbi really shines. Zumbi is easily capable of dropping complex rhymes and dead serious narratives – he has a couple here in Parts 1 & 2 of “Caged Bird” – but he takes a step back in this record. His flow is focus entirely on making the beat sound better, and he plays that role perfectly. It might make some of his simple, but he and AmpLive have a chemistry that makes their music buttery smooth. This is never truer than in “Radio.”

While “The Take Over” never really struggles as an album, it does lack a defining song that pulls the whole thing together. There’s no obvious favorite here; it’s just all good music. That’s a break from most albums, which focus on the two or three best songs and tack on the rest for a commercial release. This was clearly meant as an album from start to finish, and so its greatest strength is also one of its few weaknesses.

That said, this is an extraordinarily easy album to listen to – and probably the best of 2009 so far. Zion I’s chemistry is a sheer joy to behold, and there isn’t a single moment of this album where they aren’t completely in sync with each other. “The Take Over” is a joy to listen to, and you’re cheating yourself if you don’t buy it right away.

Beats: 4 out of 5

Rhymes: 4 out of 5

Originality: 4 out of 5

Consistency: 4.5 out of 5

Nas & DJ Teddy King - Survivng the Times

2009-02-21T20:13:00.001-08:00

This is a great mixtape for any Nas fan. It's basically a collection of unreleased songs, rare verses and remixes. Almost none of this has been released on an album (to the best of my knowledge), so it should be new to even Nas' biggest fans. It's two CD's of good, unreleased Nas music, and it's a nice change from most mixtapes. Highly recommended.

You can download this mixtape here.

Diggin in the Crates - Naughty By Nature: O.P.P. (1991)

2009-02-21T20:06:00.001-08:00

Arm me with harmony...

Video of the Week: Royce 5'9 - "Part of Me" 02-20-09

2009-02-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

Royce Da 5'9" - "Part Of Me" from Three/21 Films on Vimeo

Royce is always sick, but this is really sick. Like, nightmares sick.

Michael Steele Wants A Hip Hop Party

2009-02-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger voters, especially blacks and Hispanics, by applying the party's principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”

The RNC's first black chairman will “surprise everyone” when updating the party's image using the Internet and advertisements on radio, on television and in print, he told The Washington Times.

I know the RNC is desperate for some non-white voters, but this is ridiculous. How about, instead of throwing "off the hook" parties, you guys stop being condescending to us and start addressing the problems that plague the black communities in America. I could care less that the RNC has a black chairman. I want to see some real change in the attitudes and bigotry of the Republican party before I can even consider them a reasonable voting choice.

Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/19/steele-gop-needs-hip-hop-makeover/

Every Rap Album Ever

2009-02-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

So True (cracked.com)

Racist Cartoon from the New York Post?

2009-02-20T12:08:00.001-08:00

The New York Post has been caught up in a controversy recently over this cartoon - specifically, whether or not it is racist. They've accused this kind of stuff before, and they're pretty good at sending subtle messages. Personally, I think if the Post wants to publish racist or bigoted material, that's their business - if it offends you, don't buy the paper. What bothers me are the people who argue that there is no racial connotation here, and that's why it's important to put this type of thing in context.

The counter-argument to this is that it actually isn't referring to Obama at all. After all, Obama didn't specifically write the stimulus bill. On face value, that's a valid argument, but then the cartoon doesn't really make sense. Who else would it be referring to? Congress? If it meant the House or Senate, the police would be shooting a donkey, since it was overwhelmingly supported by democrats. The personified monkey is a symbol for black people around the world, and if you think nobody at the Post noticed, you're being naive. Furthermore, between Congress and black people, who do New York police have a better record of shooting?

The cartoon refers to this incident. To summarize, a woman owned a chimpanzee for a number of years, until it ended up mauling her and attacking a police car. The police were then forced to shoot it down, as seen in the cartoon. How does that make this cartoon racist?

The parallel here is that the chimpanzee isn't really human. Yet it was taken in by humans, accepted among humans, and treated as equal. And because his caretaker stopped treating it as the animal it was, it turned on the humans who gave it equality, mauling the woman who raised it. That's not the chimpanzee's fault, it just could never truly be integrated into human society. (It's worth noting that the chimp had Lyme disease, but that's irrelevant to the cartoon.)

Barack Obama is a black man who is the symbol of the stimulus bill. He is also, through no fault of his own, the symbol of black people being truly elevated to an equal status with actual human beings (that would be white people in this cartoon) in America. And he's tried his best like all other regular human beings, but once he got power, he's ended up ravaging the very people who elevated him to his position - in this case, he's hurting the American people with the stimulus bill.

There's a large amount of people who will never see racism in anything, and nearly as large a group who will see racism in everything. I think they're both blind, and I don't really care if the New York Post or the author of this cartoon think that black people are apes. But there are only four meanings this cartoon can have:

1. Black people are inhuman, and treating them as human can have drastic consequences.

2. Congress is a group of rabid monkeys who need to be shot.

3. Barack Obama (and possibly congress as an extension) is a rabid monkey who needs to be shot.

4. The bureaucratic law system (Congress) has made Barack Obama (the chimp) into a scapegoat for their lack of oversight, and Obama is taking the fall for something that isn't really his fault.

Since nearly all republicans voted against the bill, using a foreign symbol to encapsulate the entire congressional body would be ridiculous. To believe that, you'd have to have some agenda in not acknowledging race. There's nobody alive in America who doesn't get symbolic connection that has always been made between black people and monkeys, and I refuse to believe that the New York Post's staff is too stupid to make that connection.

I'm more inclined to believe possibility #4. Congress wants a stimulus bill. Most of the House and Senate have been in office during the economic meltdown, and they're feeling an enormous amount of pressure from angry voters. So they want to be able to take home money to their states and take credit for it. At the same time, the outcome of this bill is very uncertain, and there's already a lot of outrage over it - so they need somebody to blame, and that's going to be the new guy.

The Republicans, specifically, have played this angle masterfully. By voting against it almost unanimously, they're saying they're fighting for you now. If it fails, they're in great position to get votes. And if it succeeds, it's a non-issue. People only really pay attention when things are going to hurt them. In the meantime, Congressional Republicans are happy to blame Obama for his response to the problem that they (as well as President Bush and the Democrats in Congress) created.

In any case, I think it's obvious Barack is the monkey here. I don't particularly like that connection, because it's obviously racial, but it also refers to a recent event. Is it in poor taste? Yes. My first thought was that it is calling black people monkeys, and I think there's a strong argument for that. But given the quote in the the cartoon, I don't think that's the intention here. If it offends you, I understand, but I think there are bigger problems (like actual racial injustice) that we need to focus on.

RZA Takes Chess to the Streets - ABC News

2009-02-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Usually, mainstream media takes a very negative tone towards hip hop music, and usually I complain about it. So it's only fair to give ABC a shout out for actually running a positive story on hip hop. The Wu-Tang has always been into chess (especially RZA and GZA), and they've spearheaded a few community-based chess programs for a while. It's great to see how many rappers are involved in giving back to their communities, and this is a really creative example.

Blu - Her Favorite Colo(u)r Mixtape

2009-02-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

Tracklist:

01_Love
02_Amnesia
03_Since
04_Morning
05_Melo
06_Wind(terludeOne)
07_When(terludeTwo)
08_Silent
09_Pardon
10_Vanity
11_Beggars’/BlackGold
12_Celln’Ls
13_Untitled(LovedU)2
14_Peace

This is a very unique mixtape. It's really laid back with no guest spots, and only lasts about a half hour; all the songs are in the 2 min. range. The music is excellent, and seems to be built off samples from the 50's. Not for everybody, but I loved it, and Blu keeps expanding his range.

Download here or here.

Shout out to 2dopeboyz.com for the source.

Shaq and the Jabberwockies

2009-02-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

The Jabberwockies are usually the main show when they take the dance floor, but not when Shaq's there...

Diggin' in the Crates: Mic Geronimo - Shit's Real

2009-02-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

Mic Geronimo's "The Natural" is most unknown great album in the Mobb Deep/Raekwon tradition. Just grimy, hard raps over spare beats. "Shit's Real" was the biggest single off the album, which has been slept on because it was in Mobb Deep's shadow, and because his second album, "Vendetta," saw more success.

Mixtape Review: Drake - So Far Gone

2009-02-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

The internet has been going crazy waiting for Drake's mixtape to come out, and it was finally released this morning for free. I love free music like nothing else, so I hopped on this as soon as it was released. For those who don't know, Drake is most famous for playing Jimmy in Degrassi. I've never watched the show, so I don't know anything about his character, I'm just interested in finding out why everybody is going nuts over this guy.

After listening to So Far Gone, I honestly have no idea. Drake's a decent rapper, no doubt about it. Rap might just be his next avenue for getting paid, but he does well at it. He's got a nice, easy flow that just flows like butter. He doesn't get too far up or down, his raps are easily clever enough to be solid and consistent without being boring. In terms of subject matter though, he's completely generic. If you care about what he has to say, here it is: he's rich, he's famous, and he gets lots of girls.

Probably his best asset is that he has a pretty good ear for beats. So Far Gone isn't a banger, but it's a very smooth, easy listen - much like Drake himself. At about an hour long, this is a very good record to put in the background while you're doing something else. The beats, taken from Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lykke Li, among others, are in great place here. Drake is constantly switching up from his more generic R&B sound (think Kanye's 808's & Heartbreaks) to a more rap or pop sound. This keeps the mixtape fresh in spite of it's consistent tempo - a very hard thing to do.

The problems with Drake's occur when he sings to much. He's not a bad singer, just like he's not a bad rapper, but he's a slow singer without the voice to keep the music compelling. He's fairly clever when he raps, but there's no redeeming features to his singing. It won't make you wince, but he's no Akon or even Neyo - there's nothing about Drake's voice that stands out. And as he sings through half of the album, that can be a problem. He's fine while singing hooks and backing up Lykke Li on "Little Bit," but anything more just goes beyond his mediocre talents.

Again, this isn't bad, and it's certainly worth its price. Lil Wayne even shows up on four songs for some reason. Most average artists make bad albums by over-extending themselves, but Drake stays firmly within his comfort zone here, and he ends up with a pretty good mixtape for his efforts. Look out for Drake; he's the kind of rapper that could carve out a great niche from himself in the mainstream rap scene.

Music: 4 out of 5
Lyrics: 3 out of 5
Originality: 2 out of 5
Consistency: 4 out of 5

You can download the mixtape here.

What Does Barack Obama Have to do with Hip Hop?

2009-02-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

This article from straight.com asks whether Barack Obama's positive example can save hip hop. To summarize:

There's been a lot of talk in recent years about the state of hip-hop—and rightly so, as the music has been utterly abysmal. Creativity has given way to mind-numbing odes to booze, booty, and bling. Violence has never been more pronounced; countless rappers have been arrested for a myriad of serious offences; misogyny has become increasingly vicious. Hip-hop, to its credit, knows it's deeply troubled and has been casting about, searching for a savior. And it may well have found one. It looks like it's not going to be a rapper or a record producer who revives the flagging art form, but a president. I'm referring, of course, to U.S. president Barack Obama.

The ills of hip-hop, after all, can all be attributed to a lack of hope. Rappers, by-and-large, come from low-income, inner-city, single-parent homes. They've spent their lives watching their moms—who tend to play by society's rules—struggle endlessly. Exhausted and humiliated by their jobs, these women get neither respect nor financial stability. Their backbreaking labor doesn't achieve much for their children, either. Health care is elusive. Schools don't educate their kids and employers don't hire them. Neighborhoods are unsafe.

[...]

The healing of hip-hop, then, involves letting go of some long-held beliefs. Obama, by virtue of who he is, began that work for hip-hop culture the day he was sworn into office. Obama is an African-American man from a single-parent home who has, without wealth or family connections, managed to get elected to the top office in the most powerful country in the world. The president has succeeded through hard work and integrity. He is embraced by people of all ages and political stripes, all races and religions and nationalities.

[...]

Obama's presence in the Oval Office forever alters the landscape of hip-hop. Suddenly, so much more is possible—and delayed gratification isn't looking quite so bad.

This commentary has nothing to do with hip hop. It has everything to do with the image of black people in wake of Obama's election. To summarize, one of the most prevalent responses to Obama's election has been "now that there's a black president, black people need to stop complaining." All this article does is extend this argument on to rap music, which is commonly viewed as an outgrowth of the worst aspects of black culture.

The problem with this viewpoint is that in reality, nothing has changed. Don't get me wrong - Barack Obama's election was a great event for myself and the black community in general. But these same rappers are coming from the the same "low-income, inner-city, single-parent homes." The streets weren't repaved with gold when Obama was elected, and the reality for anybody from the ghetto stayed exactly the same.

More importantly, that reality isn't the one Obama comes from. I really respect the president, but he isn't from the south side of Chicago where he started his career. He grew up without his father, but he never had to face the possibility that he might not have anything to eat, or a place to live the next day if his mother's check came a day late. His background had nothing in common with the realities that most rappers, and the people they claim to represent, had to grow up with.

It's fair to say that Obama's example should create hope for all black people, and for all people who believe in the American Dream. But Obama's blackness doesn't change a reality that's growing more depressing every day. That reality is a an ugly, violent, and alienated one that is often expressed in rap music - and is what makes rap music so great and vital. And the only way that will change is if the realities that black people have to deal with in our everyday lives change. And there is no way any single person can change that.

CNN Says "Bling Is Dead" - Are They Right?

2009-02-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

"I imagine you will see more rappers doing some less-gaudy things just because it would be out of step with the audience," noted author, journalist and BET correspondent, Touré. "The audience is struggling and striving, and then you're like, 'Look at my four diamond iced-out chains.'"

CNN goes on to cite a Nielsen report showing that Rap/Hip Hop sales declined by more than 28 percent in 2008, as opposed to a 6.5 percent decline in Rock sales. Because of this, major labels have been cutting staff, especially when it comes to Hip Hop.

"Every major label has been laying people off," says Joe Torre, Vice President of RCA Records, "This is not about just popping bottles and buying jewelry. Everyone's got to be responsible and mature."

I usually disagree with mainstream media's commentaries on hip hop, but CNN has stumbled onto a pretty good argument here. The fact is, there's less and less money to be made in major labels. If you're Kanye West or Lil' Wayne, then great for you. But Lil' Wayne had the best selling hip hop album last year, and it only sold three million copies. The days of rappers selling 10 million-plus are over. And if our best artists are selling a third of what they used to, then the underground artists who used to go Gold or less are really struggling to make money off of album sales.

Furthermore, hip hop has always claimed to be by and for the people. But in the past decade, mainstream rappers have been moving further and further away from the regular person's problems and lifestyle. There aren't too many people in the hood poppin' champagne bottles and making it rain in the club, but that's half of what we hear about on the radio.

You can see that disconnect when you look at the sales. A lot of materialistic rappers have hot singles, but how many of them are really selling a lot of albums? Kanye, for all his flaws has always connected with people on record. Lil' Wayne is a joker, and Jay-Z's last album had almost none of that.

The bottom line is that people aren't supporting the super-materialistic rappers anymore. Times are too tough, and people are sick of hearing about it. If you want to sell records, you have to make people want to hear what you have to say. And when we're struggling just to get and keep jobs, we don't want to hear about how your chain costs more than the house we had to get a second mortgage on.

Hopefully, record labels will start to realize that what sells in hip hop is music and art that is for and by the real people.

Source - Hip Hop DX

Diggin in the Crates: Ice Cube - Steady Mobbin'

2009-02-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

When he was still a rapper, Ice Cube was, bar none, the rawest rapper out. Nobody to this day has combined his righteous anger and straight up ruthlessness. He's not bad now, but during his run where he came out with AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Death Certificate and The Predator, he was untouchable. One of the all time greats, Ice Cube gets screwed in the greatest of all time discussions.

What Is The Hip Hop Shop?

2009-02-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

The Hip Hop Shop is not a store. It is a place where we come to celebrate hip hop. Whether it's new or old, east or west, north or south, if it is hip hop, it will be here. This is not where hip hop is created, this is where hip hop exists. The mission of this site is to extend an umbrella over all things that could possibly be considered hip hop and give it exposure both to people looking for greatness and more casual fans. I do not believe in the divisions of music and culture. I do not believe in the division between underground and mainstream. I believe in the people who create, produce, consume, and most importantly, the people who love hip hop in all of its forms.

With The Hip Hop Shop, I aim to promote all forms of hip hop that push the envelope in terms of quality and creativity. This is not an equal opportunity forum. This is not a place for nameless artists to get free publicity. This site focuses on the good and the new. You can make great hip hop. You can stretch the boundaries of hip hop to do something new and exciting. Or you can do both. This site will focus on artists who do any of these three things. Everybody else is irrelevant.