DJ QUIK AND KURUPT—BlaQKout (Mad Science)
This was the year of the “temporary” rap duo, as declining record sales and other factors led everyone from EDO.G and Masta Ace to Buckshot and KRS-One to pool their resources into one-off collaborative albums. BlaQKout was easily the most revelatory of these releases, a decidedly un-gangsta, throw-everything-in-the-kitchen-sink type party album that works from start to finish. Kurupt sounded reinvigorated in his role as hype man and pinch hitter while Quik continued to quietly elevate his production and mic game, almost 20 years in. Read the rest of this entry »
50 Cent is a remarkable specimen. He simultaneously embodies everything that’s wrong and everything that’s right with hip-hop at the same time. I look at 50 like a frustrating old friend who you thought you were done with ’cause he was never a good, reliable or even likable friend but, after you ignore him for a while, you feel like hanging out with him again ’cause he’s more fun to be around and easier to relate to than the seemingly cooler yet actually boring, surface-oriented people you’re currently stuck hanging around with. Read the rest of this entry »
Larry Smith’s name rarely shows up in discussions of the “greatest” hip-hop producers. But the sea change Smith ushered in on Run-DMC’s “Sucker MCs” makes advancements associated with more lauded beatmakers like Pete Rock, Dr. Dre and Timbaland arguably pale by comparison. In building “Sucker MCs” around nothing but the kicks and claps of an Oberheim DMX drum machine, Smith (and co-producer Russell Simmons) killed off the quick-buck rap records of ‘79-’82, and laid the framework for hip-hop that reflected the hardcore vibe of park jams while actually bringing something musically fresh to the table. In this post written just after RUN-DMC’s recent induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Russell Rush commendably points out to his public that Jam Master Jay wasn’t the only person missing from Daryl and Joe’s side that night. Smith, the musical mastermind behind RUN-DMC’s first two albums as well as classic tracks by Whodini, Jimmy Spicer, Kurtis Blow and the Fat Boys, is still recuperating from a serious stroke.
Jalil from Whodini told me Russell has been footing his old co-producer’s medical bills: I hope that’s true. While Russell’s launch of RUN-DMC helped put him on the road to mogulhood, Larry wasn’t as fortunate. I had a very brief conversation with him a few years back, and the gist of it was that he frequently changes phone numbers to avoid bill collectors; the interview I’d hoped to arrange never happened. Unable to find a proper retrospective of Larry’s contributions on the web (let alone a decent photo of dude), I figured I’d pick up where Russ-O left off, and compile a list of the most vital productions from St. Albans, Queens’ other Mr. Smith: Read the rest of this entry »
Thanks to a little help from some friends, my recent Just-Iceposts have gotten a flattering number of hits. Figured I’d take the opportunity, then, to post up some of my other recent contributions to XXL’s “Backtrack” (formerly “Classic Material”) department, since they don’t put these online. Jump for three greatly underrated ’80s rap classics: Stetsasonic’s In Full Gear, Kid ‘N Play’s 2 Hype and the king of all underrated ’80s jawns, Whodini’s (somehow out of press) Escape. I’ll be posting some outtakes shortly. The great Brian Coleman, who started “Classic Material”, turned his interviews into two greatbooks, so I figure why not get a few good blog posts out of ‘em. Read the rest of this entry »
Phife from A Tribe Called Quest, whose health situation had taken a turn for the worse in recent years (you might recall his gaunt appearance at 2007’s Hip-Hop Honors), recently received a much needed kidney transplant. I spoke to him about it in the current (March 09) issue of XXL.
Speaking of that Tribe Hip-Hop Honors performance, “Check the Rhime” should get more credit for being the classic that it is. You never hear it mentioned among the all-time great rap tracks. I can’t say it’s my fave joint ever, but, damn, when that hit on NY radio in late ‘91, it was a wrap for me. I went from casually enjoying and loving hip-hop to sitting in front of my tape deck with the TDK ready, flipping back and forth between WBLS and Red Alert on KISS-FM every Friday. I can still remember the whole day when I finally bought my Low End Theory tape. It was Martin Luther King Day, 1992, seventh grade, no school. My mom took me to Smithhaven Mall. Bought myself a Colorado Rockies Starter hat that day, too. I used to love sports expansion team logos in those days, what a ridiculous fad.
