Banish & Aims – Get Up
Get Up Ft. Banish & Aims by UninvitedMedia
Everybody need to pick up a sword, not a picket sign
It’s Banish. It’s Aims. You know what you’re in for. Go punch something/someone to this over the weekend.
Parker & The Numberman – Name Names (Miss Ann pt. 2) x Miss Ann
Parker & The Numberman “Miss Ann”
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From Bandcamp:
the Talented Tenth will be 5 yrs old in feb.
its a cointoss to whether we’ll release:
‘the Couch Tapes’ or ‘Twenty’ in either case this is the leak.“…this is part two, got some heartbreak??? check!
gota smart dame?? check!!
gota dumb me? yep!!! okay than we can start…”
Lots of fun stuff with the idea of progression here. Nearly five years after releasing The Talented Tenth (their first foray as a duo, if I remember right, though the talented 10 was strictly behind the boards at the time), they mark the passage of time with a sequel to “Miss Ann.” But it’s not really a sequel so much as the flip side to the coin. The original “Miss Ann” is a lighthearted, fun pickup song in which Parker brags about having an off-and-on fck-buddy (or something like that?) for some years. Part 2 more or less deconstructs that whole fantasy and reveals the sort of asshole you’d have to be to live like that. Even the production goes from fun and quirky to heart-shakingly soulful and serious. And Parker assumes the role of said asshole. It’s kinda funny: here’s a sequel to one of their first songs to show you how much they’ve grown in five years. Except that Parker is still the same asshole in this song as in the first. The only difference is that he’s aware of it now. But what good is that if he can’t do anything about it? The song asks itself how far they’ve really progressed. Very complex shit.
Key lyrics:
I’m staring at you,
I be trying to be a mirror of the things that you be seeing
But the fucked-up fucking nigga that is really in me
Be staring at you
Like, Is you mothafucking crazy? You ain’t catching a clue?
Odessa Kane – Olmec Mask (the intro)
This reminds me vaguely of that Jay ElecHannukah bit from “Exhibit C” in the sense that he’s reaching out to connect with many different peoples–Filipinos/Pilipinos, Mexicans, Black Americans, Muslims. The way he switches back and forth between English and Spanish rhymes is similar to Jay Elec throwing that string of Arabic (that was Arabic, right?) in his rhyme. Of course, “Olmec Mask” is much more militant in both content and sound, like a Malcolm X counterpart to the more MLK-ish “Exhibit C.”
The Cuetes & Balisongs EP supposedly came out on October 30 but there are so far only two songs. Guess we’ll have to keep waiting.
Day-Go Produce – Speaker Botony x Bottom Feeders
Despite possibly spelling “botany” incorrectly, “Speaker Botony” is kinda that shit. That beat sounds like the most industrial, mechanical synth twisted further by the powers of Magneto (well, it’s a turntable, but it sounds like if Magneto learned how to juggle beats) to create this hard-ass brand of laser funk. “Bottom Feeders” rocks more traditional Latin funk with some very warm brass in the hook that does well to scratch a certain itch I have for brass-friendly hip-hop.
Signator ft. Johaz – Last of a Dying Breed
Last of a dying breed ft johaz dag savage by SIGNATOR CHAMPION
Found this randomly on Soundcloud, a track featuring Johaz of Deep Rooted fame, though it looks more like this track came together because of his Dag Savage fame. Johaz’s verse is nice, straightforward battle raps with a possible jab at the president (“How you gon’ lead a nation when your eyes are closed?/ You got a heart of plexiglass, n*gga mine’s is gold”). This beat is not by Exile, however, it’s by Elusive. The beat’s alright but a little too schitzo and not really touching Exile production. Dag Savage, please drop soon.
Guillotine (Black Resume) – Guilla Duz It
I wouldn’t have expected Black Rez on a beat like this but it’s pretty dope. Most of the time when it’s just the drums, the bass, and the static-y synth noise, it’s got this really raw sound, something between tribal circles and like ’80s punk futurism or something. Also, I’m just gonna assume that you know Guilla can rap so I can get away with not saying anything more.
Gonjasufi – Nikels and Dimes
Gonjasufi “Nikels and Dimes”
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Haven’t covered Gonjasufi enough here which is a shame seeing as how he’s one of the most visible hip-hop artists out of San Diego currently. I’ll probably review The Ninth Inning EP during the extended weekend (because the holidays means more family blogging for me) though it won’t post till next week on SoundDiego.
Anyway, “Nikels and Dimes” is about having enough freaking decency to spare some change for a homeless dude, which means an automatic re-blog here. But morality aside, the song works because Gonjasufi’s voice as well as the instrumental, they both sound broken, battered, and bruised in a sense. Bruised by and heavy with the weight of life. It’s the voice and the sound of the homeless dude on the corner imparting to you sage words on life and compassion.
ScatterBrain The Acid Atheist x V-Rock… The Beatsmith – Black Paint (freestyle)
I read this interview with El-P once where he talked about his thought process behind Company Flow and Def Jux. He was talking about how rap lyricism at the time–and now still–was typically based on a linear narrative structure. What he was trying to do with Co Flow was break from that tradition. Instead of having any sort of narrative, he would try to put together a bunch of disparate imagery to create a sort of impression or mood. I think that’s the best way to understand Scatterbrain’s lyricism and that’s probably true with other members (I think they’re members any way?) of MotU (I’d say “Seppuku” falls under this too; even Orko to an extent). Maybe rhyming for the sake of riddling was actually rhyming for the sake of impressionism.
From Madness & Murder vol. 1. Raps by Scatterbrain. Beats by V-Rock. Coming soon to a cassette deck near you.
Blame One – Angels
Blame One_Angels_Prod by Coper by BlameOne
What’s funny is that literally talking about angels (or, um, as literal as you can get when talking about spiritual things) of the holy and wholly good variety is actually the less obvious route to go with this as far as rap goes. Something more typical would’ve been a dedication to like a deceased loved one or to his significant other or something. Or the other pretty predictable route would’ve been a Jedi Mind Tricks-esque battle rap with sword-swinging angels or angels singing at your funeral or something. But a song about unnamed, non-distinct guardian angels like on some Della Reese steez–I can’t say that I’ve heard that before. Any help here? Is there a rap song about a guardian angel that’s not someone’s late grandma or something?
Produced by Coper. This comes from Blame’s Leaks and Gemz 2 mixtape.
Blame One ft. Sean Price, Fashawn – Disturbed (remix)
15 Disturbed Remix – Blame One ft. Sean Price and Fashawn (Exclusive) by DIRTY SCIENCE
Blame One ft. Sean Price “Disturbed“
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This remix for Blame’s “Disturbed” is also on that Exile Intro To The Outro mixtape. Fashawn hops on the track and Blame spits a new verse, which I appreciate as far as remixes go (don’t you hate remixes that just tack on an extra verse at the beginning or end without changing anything else? Could you please show even the slightest effort?). Still, Blame’s original third verse really goes.
What do you think? Which version wins?
