Blackout! 2

blackout-210 years ago two of the best rappers in the game joined together to finally release an album. The result is one of the better albums from the late 90’s. I’m talking about Method Man and Redman’s Blackout! album. Meth and Red have an undeniable chemistry, on and off the mic. They have been called hip hop’s Cheech and Chong, and their contrasting styles makes makes them the perfect fit for each other.  Method Man is more laid back on the mic, whereas Redman is more aggressive.  10 years have passed without another collaboration album between the two hip hop heavyweights. Today, we see the release Blackout! 2.

I’ve been looking forward to this album for a long time. It’s a reminder of a time when rappers could actually flow and have word play. While some of the lyrics on this album are a bit dated (references to the movies Old School and Tango and Cash), it is one the adults can definitely love while the youngins are listening to the shitty sounds Soulja Boy and Flo Rida.

Don’t get me wrong, this album isn’t amazing or groundbreaking, it’s just more of that Meth and Red that we have all come to love.  Hearing them trade verses again after a 10 year silence is literally music to my ears.  This album has several radio friendly hits, such as A-yo and Mrs. International. It is definitely something you will be able to bump in your car all summer long.  I was excited for this album to drop and I have not been disappointed.  If you are a fan of real hip hop, make sure you buy this album from Amazon or iTunes.

Respect Your Elders

Hip hop is, by far, one of the youngest genres of music in America, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been around for a while.  It really is amazing to see that the pioneers of the music are still around entertaining.  I recently read that one of the pioneers, Grandmaster Flash, released a new album.  If you don’t know who Grandmaster Flash is he is one of the men responsible for DJing.  From his official biography:

The career of DJ Grandmaster Flash began in the Bronx with neighborhood block parties that essentially were the start of hip-hop—the dawn of a musical genre. He was the first DJ to physically lay his hands on the vinyl and manipulate it in a backward, forward or counterclockwise motion, when most DJs simply handled the record by the edges, put down the tone arm, and let it play. Those DJs let the tone arm guide their music, but Flash marked up the body of the vinyl with crayon, fluorescent pen, and grease pencil—and those markings became his compass.

The Bridge: Concept of a Culture

The Bridge: Concept of a Culture

He invented the Quick Mix Theory, which included techniques such as the double-back, back-door, back-spin, and phasing. This allowed a DJ to make music by touching the record and gauging its revolutions to make his own beat and his own music. Flash’s template grew to include cuttin’, which, in turn, spawned scratching, transforming, the Clock Theory and the like. He laid the groundwork for everything a hip hop DJ can do with a record today, other than just letting it play. What we call a DJ today is a role that Flash invented.

By the end of the 70s, Flash had started another trend that became a hallmark of hip-hop: emcees asked to rap over his beats. Before long, he started his own group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Their reputation grew up around the way the group traded off and blended their lyrics with Flash’s unrivaled skills as a DJ and his acrobatic performances—spinning and cutting vinyl with his fingers, toes, elbows, and any object at hand.

Flash, now 51, is still making music. He recently released the album The Bridge – Concept of a Culture featuring artists from all around the world. He is still a grandmaster when it comes to production. Even with all the new technology and style changes in hip hop, the man still has it. If you love hip hop, respect your elders and buy this album.

Chris Cornell – Scream

cornell_scream1Chris Cornell is getting a lot of heat lately. Longtime fans of the Audioslave and Soundgarden singer were quite vocal about the news of his latest solo album attempt, Scream. When news broke that it would not be a rock album and that hip hop uber-producer Timbaland would be producing it, the fans revolted. Many claimed it could be the worst thing he could ever do and bashed Cornell and Timbaland to no end. I understand where they are coming from. An album produced by a hip hop producer probably isn’t going to sit well with fans of hard rock. I was even a bit leery of the collaboration because I love Audioslave. I’ll tell you what though, yesterday I bought it and I love it. I know it won’t appease all the fans who only listen to hard rock and detest everything not hard rock, but Cornell didn’t make this album for them. I applaud him for branching out and testing new waters, quite successfully I might add.

Chris Cornell has a unique voice. There is no other singer that sounds like him and he sounded great with both Soundgarden and Audioslave. I did wonder about the sound of the music that him and Timbaland would come up with. I was scared that it would be a rock-hop fusion that we heard so often in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. But it’s not rock. It’s not hip hop. The tracks on the album are funky and electric with a hint of pop. It’s something completely different from what Cornell and Timbaland usually do. Cornell’s voice over Timbaland’s production fits a lot better than anyone would have thought. This simple fact shows how great singer Cornell is and how talented of a producer Timbaland is. If you are looking for something unique, with great production and the unmistakable soulful voice of Chris Cornell, I suggest you purchase his album Scream.

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Hip Hop History, Part III – Building the Empire

I’ve talked a bit about the history of hip hop music and how it quickly evolved into a profitable form of music, but no other company was able to capitalize on hip hop like Def Jam Records, and no other person could have done it like Russell Simmons.

In 1984, Simmons candidly told Gary Harris, a former Def Jam executive, “I’m sick of making people rich. I want to own my own shit, my own record label, my own movie company.” 1 It was this mentality that drove Simmons to find Rick Rubin. When Simmons found Rubin, he was surprised to find a white kid, but then “realized that Rick Rubin and I had a lot in common.” 2 Simmons decided to ask Rubin to co-produce an album by RUN-D.M.C., a group that Simmons was working with that also included his brother, Joseph Simmons. RUN-D.M.C. were probably the most popular and successful hip hop act of the time, but that did not mean they garnered much chart success. It wasn’t until Rick Rubin convinced the boys of RUN-D.M.C. to collaborate on a song with Aerosmith. The result was “Walk this Way,” which became the first rap record to appear in heavy rotation on MTV. By this time, Simmons knew he did the right thing in pairing up with Rubin, even though Simmons had been working with the group prior to meeting Rubin, and the group was never signed to Def Jam. His mind was made up, and with visions of success in his eyes, he went to create Def Jam Records with Rubin, using the signature name and logo that Rubin had come up with for the T. La Rock & Jazzy J record. Read more

  1. The Men Behind Def Jam ↵
  2. Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money + God ↵

Pre-Order CunninLynguists – Strange Journey Volume One

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I have some great news for fans who love great music. One of the best (if not THE best) hip hop groups has a new release dropping soon. You can now pre-order Strange Journey Volume One by CunninLynguists now. From the QN5 Blog:

We are now taking pre-orders for CunninLyngists’ Strange Journey Volume One.

Featuring guest appearances from Killer Mike, Khujo (of Goodie Mob), Skinny Deville & Fishscales (of Nappy Roots), Slug (of Atmosphere), Tonedeff, Substantial, PackFM, Mac Lethal, Mr. SOS, Looptroop Rockers, Hilltop Hoods and more! Once again, all production duties are handled beautifully by the incomparable Kno.

Respectively entitled Strange Journey – Volume One and Strange Journey – Volume Two, both full-length discs will be interconnected efforts dropped within months of each other and built around the concept of touring and travel. Both releases feature completely original, new material.

Strange Journey Volume Two will be released 09.08.09 and features appearances by Sean Price, Poison Pen, J-Zone, Blue Sky Black Death, Bronze Nazareth and more!

Pre-Order Volume One now and receive your ADVANCED autographed copy with bonus sticker and instrumentals a full 4-6 weeks before it’s available in stores!