So last month, Complex played host to Cipha Sounds Presents: The 75 Greatest Tunnel Bangers, a list of tracks from the late 90′s that had been labelled with that infamous tag: ‘Tunnel Banger’.

Tun·nel bang·er (noun) Circa 1994-2000, a record—often hardcore and aggressive—that whipped the crowd into a frenzy during the prime-time hour after 1 a.m. at the NYC club’s Sunday-night party.

Obviously, being in my early teens for most of that period, I never frequented The Tunnel – but I did listen to Tim Westwood who at the time seemed to base his entire show on whatever Funkmaster Flex was doing in New York. So on a Saturday night in Plymouth, I’d be blasting Ruff Ryders, Puff Daddy, Mobb Deep, Noreaga and the rest of them.. It was like I was there. Sort of. But not really at all. I didn’t even know what some of those tracks were until years later (Horse & Carriage for example), but they formed much of my playlist when the radio still meant something.

The list is pretty definitive – as you’d expect from someone like Cipha Sounds – and the small write-ups are occasionally interesting if not annoying to have to click endlessly through on the Complex site. (If you don’t want to read the anecdotes, (the full list in one go is here). Also, some kind soul has prepared a nice download of all the tracks mentioned here if you fancy giving them a listen but don’t really want to buy out the Def Jam / Bad Boy back catalogues.

In response to the list of Tunnel Bangers, Bloggerhouse have been running a series of ‘75 Backpack Bangers‘ (that seems to have reached 100? but whatever) that is a nice counterbalance to the Complex list.

The real reason this post was created was because perusing the list of the 75 greatest Tunnel bangers there were at least 30 of those jawns that underground Hip Hop heads, later referred to as “backpackers” absolutely abhored. Don’t get me wrong, a fair amount of the Complex list brought back some great memories. The thing is a fair amount of the same list brought back memories of me playing a steady diet of Cannibal Ox, Rubberoom, K-Otix, Jigmastas, Five Deez, Cunninglynguists, Atmosphere & Athletic Mic League to combat the bullshit I heard on the radio.

I don’t agree with the ‘bullshit on the radio’ comment, because I actually liked that shit back then – and still do to an extent – but I definitely agree that the list brought a whole range of other memories too. I was getting more into ‘underground’ hip-hop in the late 90′s, much more so than ‘The Tunnel’ esque stuff but it was largely a case of only listening to what I could actually hear. Rawkus were the poster boys and you could get their stuff in HMV, but pretty much everything else underground for me, had to come from the interweb. I’d just started getting onto forums and whatnot, and it opened me up to a ton of new music by people I’d never heard of. Seriously, if it wasn’t for places like Mr Blunts’ hip-hop forum, my musical taste would be so different, but that’s another story. You couldn’t really get hold of anything down where I lived, so you had to buy stuff online. Places like HipHopSite, Sandboxautomatic and UGHH were the shit. They even had Real Audio samples of everything they sold, it was amazing! (Ha! Real Audio. Remember that? I’ve still got tonnes of downloaded .rm files that I have no way of playing anymore. Madness.)

MP3′s were just about picking up pace and you could get a decent amount of this music from Audiogalaxy and Napster. Napster actually had a lively underground hip-hop community come to think of it. But I was still rocking dial-up and getting pocket money so I’d actually try to buy stuff. Most of it I’d never heard before, but got it just because it was underground. Bought Polyrhythm Addicts because I read somewhere that they’d done something with Pharoahe Monch. I got The Arsonists album with a voucher I’d won in an MC battle. I bought Skillionaire from some Swedish guy, but forgot to send him the money. (If you’re reading this J, I owe you!) It was great. But I digress.

Both lists are great, and worth looking through / listening to yourself. But I thought I’d highlight some of my personal favourites from each collection, in no particular order.

Noreaga – Superthug

Download audio file (15-Superthug.mp3)
I never owned this, but I swear Westwood played it at least 17 times every show for months on end. Couldn’t escape it! “Aiyo we light a candle, run laps around the English Channel, Neptunes, I got a cockerspaniel.” Nuff said.

Dilated Peoples – Work The Angles

Download audio file (Work-The-Angles.mp3)
It was the remix of this track on the Sway & Tech album that I really like, but this isn’t too shabby either. Dilated were actually the only US group that I caught live during this time – at The Thekla in Bristol. I could’ve seen Souls of Mischief about a month before in Plymouth but I convinced myself that it wasn’t really going to be Souls of Mischief and must have been some other local group instead. Idiot. Anyway, they were great and The Platform was a quality album. Babu and Rakaa more than make up for Ev.

Arsonists – Blaze

Download audio file (Blaze-Radio-Edit.mp3)
As I mentioned earlier, I got The Arsonists album without really knowing who they were or having heard any of their singles. That’s not to say I didn’t own any of their singles though. I actually had the 12″ of this before I had the album – I just didn’t have a turntable to play it on. Really. I can’t even remember why I ended up buying it, but I did. It’s still shrink-wrapped. Any offers? But anyway, on an album full of quality hip-hop, this track always stood out because of the mind-boggling speed of it. I can still recite 80% of it word for word but the fourth verse is just ridiculous.

Notorious B.I.G. & 2Pac – Where Brooklyn At

Download audio file (37-Where-Brooklyn-At-ft.-2Pac.mp3)
The intro to that Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap – The Tunnel album, this live recording was the closest I’d ever get to seeing either of these live, so it was good enough for me. I was a big 2Pac fan for a long time (obviously; being a white 14 year old boy from South West England) so used to front like the Biggy verse was meh to me, but it’s great.. Seven mack elevens..

DMX – Get At Me Dog

Download audio file (03-Get-At-Me-Dog-ft.-Sheek-Louch.mp3)
I bought the enhanced CD single of this which had a quicktime version of the video on it. That grimy black and white footage of DMX performing in The Tunnel was so ill to me. I used to play this on repeat LOUD.

High & Mighty – B-Boy Document ’99

Download audio file (05-B-Boy-Document-99-Featuring-Mos-Def-And-Mad-Skillz.mp3)
Appearing on pretty much every Rawkus release ever, Mos Def sort of became the face of ‘backpack’ hip-hop. Or at least, it seemed that way. He was like the saviour of hip-hop. I remember having a giant A1 promo poster for ‘Black On Both Sides’ with some tag like ‘the new hip-hop is here’ or some shit. I’m not sure if I believed it, but I certainly appreciated his contribution. The High & Mighty were a bit of an odd one for me – I didn’t like any of their album except for this, Dirty Decibles, and The Last Hit (because of Mos, Pharaohe Monch & Eminem respectively) – but I always associated them with quality music. Weird. This track is a classic though.. I’m still using it as my ringtone today.

Bad Meets Evil (Eminem & Royce Da 5’9”) – Scary Movies

Download audio file (09-Scary-Movies-Dirty.mp3)
Eminem used to rip shit. Undeniable. Loved this track. If they’d have made a joint album, it would’ve been over. As it was though, the couple of 12″s they released will remain gems in my collection.
“The one man on the planet that’ll drive off of the grand canyon, hop off of a grand am and land it hand standing..”

The LOX – Money, Power & Respect

Download audio file (25-Money-Power-Respect-ft.-Lil-Kim-DMX.mp3)
I didn’t like The LOX. Or Lil’ Kim. Sort of liked DMX. But loved this song. The instrumental makes it for me; so many times I would put this on a loop and freestyle to this beat.. It was perfect.

MHz – World Premier

Download audio file (11-World-Premier.mp3)
Again, it’s not so much this track that I remember, but it’ll do for MHz. Long before Copywrite was embarrassing himself all over the internet, I was proud to wear my t-shirt with the big © logo on the front. He was one of the best punchline MC’s to me at that time – a time where punchlines meant so much. In fact, even before all that, I bought a beat off him from his MP3.com page once. It was only like, £10, and was a bit shit, but I didn’t know any local producers and needs must..

Craig Mack – Flava In Ya Ear (rmx)

Download audio file (38-Flava-in-Ya-Ear-Remix-ft.-The-Notorious-B.I.G.-Rampage-LL-Cool-J-Busta-Rhymes.mp3)
You can’t really deny that Puffy came up with a classic on this one. If there’s one thing you can always say about Bad Boy, it’s that they knew what they were doing, and they did it well.

Akrobatic – Internet MC’s

Download audio file (02-Internet-MCs-Dirty.mp3)
Bearing in mind what I used to spend most of my free time doing at that time, I should’ve probably taken offense to this song. But he wasn’t talking to me, so it was cool. Otherwise, I’d've uploaded a maaaad dis onto MP3.com. “So internet MC’s heed my advice: online keystyles don’t make you nice. Bring it to the streets and start to rabble rouse, sincerely yours, Akro 2000.”

Mobb Deep – Quiet Storm / Shook Ones Pt. II

Download audio file (27-Quiet-Storm.mp3)
/ Download audio file (18-Shook-Ones-Pt.-II.mp3)
It was mostly because of the first 30 seconds or so of each track. The slow brooding intro of Quiet Storm before that drum kicks in, or the abrasive, menacing intro of Shook Ones Pt. II. “I put my life time in between the paper’s lines..”, or “I got you stuck off the realness..”. I could never decide which one I preferred, though nowadays it’s Shook Ones Pt. II I reckon. I don’t know what Mobb Deep are up to these days (is Prodigy still in prison?) but I know that for me, they’ll never top either of these songs. (Though, that said, they come very close.. The Infamous is unfuckwitable).

Pharoahe Monch – Simon Says

Download audio file (32-Simon-Says.mp3)
This was actually on the ‘Tunnel’ list, but I always associated it with the ‘Backpack’ realm, what with the Rawkus connection etc.. I’m still always surprised when I hear this on Radio 1 these days because when I first heard it, it was so obscure and fresh to me but I suppose you can’t keep a catchy song down. I could’ve sworn that the 12″ version of this had a remix with Rodney P on too.

Cage – Agent Orange

Download audio file (1-04-Agent-Orange.mp3)
Before Cage the emo ‘rapper’, there was Cage the Clockwork Orange reject. The former > the latter. I realise that people evolve and change but it’s so bizarre to me to see this guy hang out with that bloke from Transformers. Come on Chris, I still have those Smut Peddler videos. Be honest with yourself. I used to lump him in with Necro and that lot and thought he was a dick who had a couple of decent songs, but when he finally dropped an album, I definitely ranked him on a different level to the standard gore shit that Psycho-Logical were putting out. I was waiting for ‘Movies for the Blind’ for ages. I even went for a HipHopSite preorder which came with a ‘people said his brain were infected by devils’ t-shirt. Dope.

Redman – I’ll Bee Dat!

Download audio file (73-Ill-Bee-Dat.mp3)
Another Def Jam enhanced CD that came with the video in QT. I kinda get a late pass on Redman; the first album I got from him was Docs Da Name, after I heard this single. I’ve made up for it since, don’t worry, but because of that, I still have this down as one of my favourite songs from him. It’s catchy as hell.

Last Emperor – Secret Wars Pt. II

Download audio file (Secret-Wars-Pt.-II.mp3)
Last Emp was one of the first people who’s album I downloaded. Fact. The aptly named ‘Legend of Bigfoot’ was almost mythological in the sense that I couldn’t find it anywhere to buy. The only thing I managed to find out about it at all for so long was a tracklisting and tiny image of the cover on Sandboxautomatic. I saw it being shared on Audiogalaxy one night and rushed to get it – but it turned out that the rip was glitchy as fuck so I didn’t really listen to it. I’ve still got it. When it comes on shuffle, it makes my ears hurt. What I did manage to get hold of though was this single, where Last Emperor details the battle that’d take place if he ‘had the power to gather all of his favourite MC’s, with the illest comic book characters, and they became arch-enemies..’. Hearing his slightly shit, but pretty good in context, impressions of GZA, Redman and the like, and about Ras Kass taking out Magneto etc etc.. was so dope. It’s masterfully done, even if it does turn out to be a bit of a one-sided fight.

Ah. Misty water coloured memories.. It was a fun time to be listening to hip-hop. Don’t even get me started on the non-Tunnel, non-backpack stuff!

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What I wanted to mention about the album is that it marks the ‘return’ of The HRSMN!!! In case you didn’t know, ‘The HRSMN’ is a hip-hop supergroup consisting of Ras Kass, Canibus, Killah Priest and Kurupt which has been almost mythical for the majority of its existence. Back when it was first announced, it sounded like it was going to be amazing. There were rumours of album production by Dre and Daz, and substantial features by Pharoahe Monch and Chino XL -- it was all well exciting. The first track I heard them all together on was this freestyle, Abide By, in ’98 or ’99..

Download audio file (4-Horsemen.mp3)

..and I had high hopes for the album they were allegedly working on. Years went by though, with only a few guest appearances on each other’s albums to show for it. Actually, there was that ‘Horseman Project’ release in 2003 ish but I never actually listened to it. I think that even by 2003, I’d got tired of waiting for them to get their shit together.

So here we are in 2010, and one of the selling points of the new Ras Kass album is that it has a HRSMN track. Better late than never(?)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5f8C4it8sA

Ras’ newfound obsession with documenting everything in his life on video and putting it on Youtube with that little intro has led to a weak video with only 2 of the artists managing to submit handheld footage of themselves rapping to the camera in their spare room by the looks of it. Not to mention that the verses are so painfully mailed in and lack any of the quality that you just took for granted when the group was first coming together over ten years ago. It’s a shame.

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In case you didn’t know,

Treme is an American television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer. Tremé is a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. The series begins three months after Hurricane Katrina where the residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and ordinary New Orleanians try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane.

That’s according to Wikipedia anyway. I’d describe it as the immensely watchable ‘follow up’ from The Wire that just ended it’s 10 episode run this weekend. (Apparently a second series has been given the nod but it doesn’t look like it’ll be anytime soon, so there’s still plenty of time to catch up.) I wont waste space trying to give it a decent review but I will say that the relatively small number of character’s makes it easy to get more emotionally attached to them. It’s really interesting to get a decent range of viewpoints on life in New Orleans, and personally, it’s opened me up to a completely different world. Obviously, growing up on the South Coast of England means that I’ve not really had the N’awlins experience as such, but I was literally completely oblivious of things like the Second Line and St. Joseph’s Night. Not that I’m suddenly an expert, but the show has brought things like that to my attention and caught my interest.

I’ve wanted to go to New Orleans for a while now.. Probably since watching Interview With The Vampire and reading Jitterbug Perfume (ha!), but I feel like I’ve got a new appreciation for it. I realise that sounds cheesy as fuck and the representation in a fictional TV series has to be taken with a pinch of salt but really, Treme makes it look like a great city. Mardi Gras 2011(?)

The main thing that stands out from the series is (by FAR) the music. I’ve never previously considered myself a fan of jazz / blues / swing / anything with trumpets (apart from this and this) but the music in Treme is really great. I’ve been put on to tonnes of new (ooold) stuff via the programme. John Boutte (who does the ‘theme song’), Kermit Ruffins, Professor Longhair, Donald Harrison Jr… the list goes on. http://songsfromtreme.tumblr.com/ is a great blog of all the songs that have appeared in each episode and is well worth spending an hour or so on.

All in all, I’ve really enjoyed watching it and if you like decent drama – or David Simon – or The Wire – or find yourself with 10 hours to spare, it’s wholeheartedly recommended. Great stuff. Roll on the second series!

Download audio file (02-At-The-Foot-Of-Canal-Street.mp3)

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There would’ve been a time, probably about 10 years ago, when this would’ve excited me. Actually, that’s not fair, as it vaguely excited me last week when I heard about this, but nowhere near as much as it would’ve done in 2000.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGocOyuUeRY

This, the 2010 Wake Up Show anthem is apparently the last one Sway & Tech are going to do, and I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. I LOVED the 1999 version.. The track and the video were amazing -- it was actually probably one of my most listened to tracks of the year. And though this years’ attempt has a far few decent appearances (Ras Kass ftw), it’s lacking the star power of the breakout ’99 version. I remember having countless arguments about who’s verse was the best on it (I’m still sticking with Chino XL).. I think I’d be lucky to even find someone else who had heard the latest incarnation, let alone cared enough to think any of the verses were great. Oh, and the video comes with an extra 10 minutes or so of superfluous content which doesn’t help the cause. Oh well. Sway & King Tech -- you’re still heroes to me, despite your inability to know when to stop churning out ‘anthems’.

Thinking about it, there was a version in 2001 which flew under the radar. Apart from the awful chorus, it’s not too bad but is generally forgettable on the whole. The Crooked I verse kills it though.. “Crooked I’s a cannibal, a mechanical animal, that’ll dismantle your mandible; with a manual on how to make raps flammable!“..

But anyway, all this is mostly an excuse to post the 1999 version. I even remember geeking out when I borrowed a copy of the video that my mate had taped.. Prior to that, I’d only seen a fuzzy version on ViVo (remember that?). It was great.

Sway & Tech featuring Chino XL, Kool G Rap, KRS-One, Jayo Felony, Pharoahe Monch, RZA, Tech N9ne & Xzibit -- The Anthem:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XIoXLQUbvs

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via strangefamousrecords.com

First CD I’ve bought in 2010. Fact.

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I’m not really into comics, but I definitely appreciate the talent of some people who can draw the most amazing illustrations for them.. It’s a strange alien world to me though. I don’t get how people can keep up with the sheer number of issues of the various comics that get released and I really don’t understand the fandom around certain artists who may have done a particular cover or something; because they all look the same to me. I’m so ignorant. Well, I was. At least now, I have a name I can look out for next time I roll through Comic-Con or whatever it is. Chris Bachalo is apparently ‘internationally recognized as one of the most popular artists in the comic industry’ according to his website. I have no idea if that’s true but he’s at least recognised by me as the artist behind the Wu-Massacre cover art that I briefly posted about last month.

The album drops at the end of March and I’ll happily be making it my first ACTUAL CD purchase of the year. In fact, I’m vaguely tempted to buy 3 copies so I can get each of the cover variants. Thinking about it, surely they’ll be releasing it on vinyl(?) That cover art is crying out for some twelve inch action. (Pause). Soooo dope.

I suppose a slight nod to Alex Haldi is required but it’s the pretty pictures that kill it. Props to Mr Bachalo. I kinda get the feeling from his website that he’s not necessarily a Wu-Tang aficionado but he’s clearly not let that effect his work. Tis superb. And there’s a lot of it too. Peep the single cover for ‘Mef vs Chef 2′ below.

How much do you think he charges for portrait work?

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via click3x.com

Annoying catchy song; but the video is something else.

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via hiphopisread.blogspot.com

How ill is this cover?! Love it! My most eagerly anticipated Wu project in years..

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via the answer

Amazing gangster skills on the mic.. Seriously.

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Poor Michael Jackson. Have they decided what happened to him yet? Was it the evil Dr Death? Was it the stress of preparing for the UK shows? Is he hiding in Cuba with 2Pac and Elvis? I got lost in the deluge of MJ based ‘news’ over the summer and have no point of reference any more. All I know is, I had tickets to see him, then he died.

I’ve been a fan for most of my life. My parents have fond stories of me trying to the various dance moves when I was growing up, and I still have the cassette version of Bad that I got for like, my 6th birthday or something. Even this blog is named after a Jackson lyric. There’s no need for me to go into the whole obituary thing; we all know how amazing his music could be. Timeless. Which is why I forced myself to get up early back in March, to join the millions trying to get tickets for his ‘This Is It’ tour at the O2. It was actually quite easy getting tickets as it turned out, and we got a couple for July 26th 2009, just a few days after we were due to return to England from getting married in California. (They were potentially great seats too). Would’ve been a great way to end the summer. As a warm up, we went to the Bournemouth leg of the ‘Thriller’ musical and the excitement grew!

So on the 25th of June, just after we’d finished packing all our stuff and were about to hit the sack ready for our flight the following morning, when I switched on the TV just to see what was on, it was quite a surprise to see the footage from L.A. of Michael Jackson reportedly dying in hospital. In fact, I didn’t really believe it. I was really tired anyway, and it was very surreal. We waited up for a bit, flipping through the various news channels, until Sky News claimed that he was officially dead, then went to bed. (That seems heartless writing it like that but what else were we going to do? ).

Anyway, the day after, we flew to California, did the whole marriage thing, and saw the hysteria grow via snippets of the news in various hotel rooms. It was literally the only thing on TV for those couple of weeks (and I’m sure, beyond that). Interviews with friends of people who knew cleaners at the same company that did cleaning at one of his houses in the 80′s etc etc.. utter madness. Just a constant barrage of non stories vaguely to do with his death; it began to get irritating. It wasn’t until we got to L.A. that I really paid it any attention, but visiting the Hollywood Star bearing his name was a weird experience. So many people just flocking around this tiny plaque in the ground, leaving hundreds of mementos behind.

We did of course, leave our own note, crudely scrawled on the back of a scrap of paper, but it got swallowed up by the mass of A2 sized collages and drawings. Seriously, some people must have put hours into their tributes.

While we were in the city, as well as driving around blasting out the classics we applied for tickets to the ‘official’ memorial service to be held at the Staples Center but didn’t get them, so we went to Six Flags instead. But that’s by-the-by. We also went to the house in Beverly Hills that he was living at in those last days, and it made the star on the walk of fame look bland in comparison. I felt out of place for not wearing any MJ themed clothing.

When we left L.A., we left most of the madness behind. But Michael Jackson still cropped up now and then over the next few weeks. Mostly, it was an easy thing to fall back on during conversation with random americans who we met throughout the trip. Everyone has an opinion on MJ! And people loved the fact that we had tickets to go and see him – even though they would never get used.

Arriving back in England, we had the choice of getting a refund for the tickets, or getting a ‘souvenir’ ticket stub type of thing instead. We opted for the money. A piece of paper costing £70-odd quid wouldn’t quite have been the same as actually seeing him, so it was a non choice really. At least we still have the confirmation email from Ticketmaster. Show that one to the grandkids.

There was still a part of me that thought ‘oh well, the show probably wouldn’t've lived up to the expectations anyway’ – so I kinda got over the fact that we weren’t going to see him. On the night we were due to be at the O2, we went out in London anyway, seeing as we’d already booked the train and hotel months previously. Walking past the venue for the ‘Thriller’ musical was poignant, but I still had that ‘oh well, it would’ve been blah’ feeling. That persisted until I saw the trailer for the ‘This Is It’ movie. Comments about AEG cashing in on his death aside, the film looks amazing and makes me sad that I never got to see it live, in person. He’s doing the dances, has the outfits, and there are zombies on the stage!! What more could you ask for!?

So this Sunday, I’ll be rejoining the online queues, trying to get a ticket to see ‘This Is It’. Only, it wont be the real show. It’ll be the film of the rehearsal footage. That’s as close as I’ll get to seeing Michael Jackson perform live, but it’ll do, and it’ll be the only way I can get closure after my MJ summer. RIP. Blame it on the boogie.

http://thisisit-movie.com/

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You know when you used go back to school after the summer and had to write down a story about what you did over the holidays(?) – (edit: Did anyone else have to do that? I’m not even sure that I ever did that.. but it sounds like I should’ve) – Well, this is that. Except not in story form. Just the facts. I’m not 100% sure why this is relevant to anyone but it goes someway to explaining my silence and besides, this is my blog, and I’ll cry if I want to. Or something.

I suppose the main thing was that I spent the best part of a month in California and Hawaii. Ostensibly due to a marriage / honeymoon – mine, that is. It went great, thanks for asking – the trip actually served to develop a yearning for a less stringent U.S. immigration policy. Seriously, it’s practically impossible to move there from the UK, which is a shame, but probably just as well because it’s a superb holiday destination and living there would ruin that. So anyway, in a trip that wasn’t too dissimilar from our Californian adventure 2 years ago, we started in San Francisco, stopped in Big Sur to get married, went to a few different places in Los Angeles for a bit, flew to Hawaii (Oahu – Big Island – Oahu again), then flew to Las Vegas. I still haven’t finished sorting the photos yet, but they’ll be here soon, along with a bit more detail. It was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

(^ custom made wedding figurines of us.. it’s an exact likeness.)

Also went to the Reading Festival and lost a glowstick (and some dignity) to The Prodigy who were the definite highlight for me. They were STONKING. I’ve mentioned before that Out of Space is just immense, and mentalling out to it live was great . Catching the ‘secret’ performance from rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures was quite good too, and Little Boots was ace. But generally, though the festival itself was fun, the bands are all pretty much meh to me. It’s no ‘rock the bells‘, put it that way. Nonetheless, two groups that I didn’t get to see because they were on the main stage at midday (on different days) but wished I had seen were Sonic Boom Six and Mariachi El Bronx. Until a week before the event, I had no idea who they were but then I discovered them just in time to be disappointed that I didn’t see them live. Ah well. Maybe next time.

What else? Oh yeah, I finished two-thirds of an M.A. (time-consuming), sold my house (exciting), watched the whole of The Wire (awesome), and mastered the art of caring for an injured hen (sadly necessary). Some of those things could do with longer explanations but now that I’ve mentioned my M.A., it’s dawned on me that I really ought to be doing something for it this weekend, so I’ll wrap this up now

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So, a while ago, before people like Benni Benassi and Eric Prydz started relying on tits, sweat and slow motion tits and sweat in their promotional material, dance music videos used to be brilliant. You know, back when artists appeared in their own videos, and not just as a seedy looking fat man in the midst of a club of semi-naked girls. Or if they weren’t in the video, it was because the video consisted of groundbreaking 3D animation which more than made up for it. Back when the dangers of strobe lighting effects triggering seizures were irrelevant. When anything was possible. I miss those days.

So in a loose attempt to revitalise the dance music video genre and drag it out of the slump that they’re currently in, I present my top 7 dance music videos from the 90′s. A selection of the best of the best, each one has carefully been considered against the following criteria:

Got any salmon?
How well does it embody the ethos of dance music? Is there a clear use of salmon in the video? (high). Or no dancing at all? (low).

de l’Épée factor
Were the production crew clearly deaf? (high). Or does the video actually have any relevance to the song? (low). (Named for Charles-Michel de l’Épée)

Dworkin-ism
Distinct lack of tits, arse, or any other excessive sexy time allusions in order to try to promote the music. (high). Or, does it look like a promo for ‘nuts’ magazine? (low).

You’re not alone..
Its influence and clones etc.. Also known as the ‘dolly’ element. Because of dolly the sheep. (Two birds, one stone. Genius.) More influence = more sheep.

Sound basis for evaluation, I think you’ll agree. There’s also the factor of whether I like the song or not, but I’m trying to be objective. Honest.

Anyway, Let’s begin by pushing the limits at number 7...

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Last night, BBC Radio 1 & 1xtra broadcast 5 hours of hip-hop as part of their celebration of ’30 years of hip hop’. It was alright.
Most of the quality came from an hour long mix from Jaguar Skills, featuring tracks from the past 3 decades. Superb, and available to download courtesy of the man himself here. The quality of the mix is undeniable, but some of the tracks toward the end (i.e. recent times) are a bit iffy.. Maybe that’s just me and my distaste of modern music, who knows. Either way, worth a listen. Great stuff. I’m not sure how different it is from his ‘Hip-Hop Odyssey’ 1979-2006 mix from a few years ago (I’d need to listen to it again) but to be fair, that was brilliant in itself and pretty hard to beat so he could be forgiven if there are any similarities .

The rest of the show, hosted by Zane Lowe & Tim Westwood, took the form of a top 30 countdown of the ‘most hip hop’ people. It was generated by a ‘consensus vote from influential people in hip hop’ including Dizzee Rascal, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Zane Lowe, Tim Westwood and more. Comprehensive indeed. There are definitely some questionable entries and positions but generally, I was actually surprised at how good it is. Bear in mind this was broadcast on Radio 1 which is generally hip hop retarded, and you’ll share my surprise.

The list, in full, is as follows.. complete with links to their featured songs in case you’re not sure who they are..

30. Q-Tip
Founding member (and the most notable one?) of A Tribe Called Quest.
Featured track: Can I Kick It? (ATCQ) from People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.

29. N.W.A.
The world’s most dangerous group..
Featured track: Express Yourself from Straight Outta Compton.

28. Ice Cube

Don mega.
Featured track: Today Was a Good Day from The Predator.

27. De La Soul
Started the D.A.I.S.Y. Age, repping native tongues.
Featured track: The Magic Number from 3 Feet High And Rising.

26. Beastie Boys
Known to let the beat.. dddddrooppp!
Featured track: Intergalactic from Hello Nasty.

25. Wu-Tang Clan

From the slums of Shaolin.. The RZA, the GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon The Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man! (& Masta Killa )
Only at number 25?! Loco.
Featured track: Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin Ta F’Wit from Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

24. DJ Premier
Producer extraordinaire. He IS that boom bap NY sound.
Featured track: Just To Get A Rep (Gang Starr) from Step Into The Arena

23. Lil’ Wayne
Biggest selling artist of 2008. “best rapper alive”? Fucks sake.
Featured track: A Milli from Tha Carter III.

22. LL Cool J
Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years.
Featured track: Mama Said Knock You Out from Mama Said Knock You Out.

21. Snoop Dogg
Laaiiid back..
Featured track: Gin and Juice from Doggystyle.

20. Rakim

He was a fiend, before he became a teen..
Featured track: Paid In Full from Paid In Full.

19. Barack Obama

Featured track: Victory Speech.

18. Run DMC
Featured track: Run’s House from Tougher Than Leather.

17. James Brown
The most sampled man in the world. Praise be to the funky drummer.
Featured track: The Payback from The Payback.

16. Puff Daddy
Don’t worry if he writes rhymes, he writes cheques.
Featured track: Bad Boy For Life from The Saga Continues….

15. Public Enemy

Featured track: Fight The Power from Fear of a Black Planet.

14. Spike Lee
Doing the right thing.

At this point, I stopped listening. Not in a protest or anything, but because things to do and that.. 5 hours is a looong time. I have the final ‘chart’ entries but the featured songs from here on are my choice as opposed to the tracks that were played on the radio.

13. Nas
Half man, half amazing.
Featured track: Nas Is Like from I Am...

12. Kool Herc
The innovator.
Featured track: Old school documentary.

11. Afrika Bambaata
Zulu nation overlord.
Featured track: Planet Rock from Planet Rock.

10. KRS-One

Knowledge reigns supreme over nearly everyone.
Featured track: Sound Of Da Police from Return of the Boom Bap.

9. Notorious BIG
Mo money mo problems.
Featured track: Party & Bullshit.

8. Tupac
Sippin’ hennesy and ridin’ on his enemies..
Featured track: 2 Live And Die In L.A. from The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

7. Eminem
How the fuck can he be white? He don’t even exist..
Featured track: Role Model from The Slim Shady LP.

6. Chuck D
Different to Public Enemy(?) Never hear a brother like him go solo.
Featured track: Welcome To The Terrordome from Fear Of A Black Planet.

5. Kanye West
Seriously?
Featured track: 2 Words from College Dropout.

4. Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster! Cut-cut-cut faster!
Featured track: The Message from The Message.

3. Russell Simmons
Bigger and deffer.
Featured track: EPMD – Rampage ft. LL Cool J from Business As Usual.

2. Dr Dre

The motherfucking D R E.
Featured track: Keep Their Heads Ringing from Friday Soundtrack.

1. Jay-Z
Meh.
Featured track: Can’t Knock The Hustle from Reasonable Doubt.

And that’s that. If you’re in the UK and reading this within the first week of this being posted, you can go and listen to the various hip hop shows that formed this mini celebration over at the BBC here. The Sarah Love UK hip hop show is a standout. Live cyphers from Jehst, Verb T, Mystro and some others..

Word.

Related posts:

1. my ‘most listened to’ in 2008
2. last.fm chart – 7.jan.2007
3. wu-tang – 8 diagram

Saw this today and marveled at the genius of it for a while. Thought I’d share.

It’s basically a collection of songs that have been produced from audio snippets off of YouTube – and the corresponding music videos which are made up of the actual original video footage. I’ll let Kutiman explain it himself;

It’s really nicely done and actually surprisingly listenable-to. It’s also a nice touch having the credits (i.e. links to the source material) because watching the original clips on their own highlights how much of an achievement this project is. Rather mundane videos of people playing guitar in their bedroom or singing to themselves come together to form a decent piece of music. Go watch. http://thru-you.com

Inspired!

Related posts:

1. top 7 dance music videos from the 90′s
2. when life gives you promo
3. wu-tang / mental football / child dj’s

So, happy new year and all that.. I’m not really one for retrospectives (nor for any blog posts at all it would appear) but I thought I’d briefly kick off the new year by commenting on my most listened to music from the past year. Because I’m sure you’re interested. Bear in mind that this is based on my last.fm stats so doesn’t take into account any stuff played at home or in the car (thus ignoring a lot of dance music). But still, it’d be fairly similar anyway.

In a year in which I got to see Atmosphere and Rage Against The Machine, it’s hardly a surprise that they both feature heavily in my rotation. Between them, they make up my top 20 tracks of the year, and rightfully so. The new Atmosphere album is brilliant, and the Rage shit never gets old.

In fact, in the top 60-odd tracks, the only other artists that featured were Justice, Brother Ali (both of who I also saw last year), Nas, Wu-Tang & Doomtree. Quite a Rhymesayers-themed 2008 for me then.

So there you have it. Just something to get into posting in 2009. It’s a start. Incidentally, my most listened to track so far of 2009 is Columbia University Orchestra – Mozart – Symphony No. 40, IV. Could be a sign of things to come. Though it probably wont be.

Related posts:

1. last.fm chart – 7.jan.2007
2. atmosphere & brother ali. live.
3. so i went to the reading festival..

Great post over at formatmag that shows 20 hip-hop album covers done in lego. Well, with lego characters anyway. It’s well fresh.

Granted a lot of the covers wont mean anything to a lot of people but there’s a lot there that everyone should own. Or at least hear at some point. Download some stuff. Expand your mind.

Related posts:

1. when life gives you promo
2. wu-tang – 8 diagram
3. radio 1′s 30 years of hip hop celebration

It’s been a fair while since any new Sage Francis material came out, let alone any stuff with a expressly ‘political’ theme.. I still remember downloading Makeshift Patriot a month after ’9/11′ and being overly impressed with the way it really seemed to capture that moment in time. (The signed 7″ of one of the original pressings of that track is one of my prized possessions) . But anyway, what better time to step back into the fray than this, the last few weeks before the US presidential election..

‘Conpiracy To Riot‘ is, on the face of it, a track released to highlight various issues surrounding the Republican National Convention last month – notably the arrest of his fellow Providence poet and musician Jared Paul but as Sage points out, it’s really..

..less to do with a friend of mine possibly looking at jail time, and more to do with citizen’s rights continually being trampled on. There are thousands of innocent people in jail right now because of their lack of finances. This is a principle thing as much as it is personal. Attorneys working with the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU are identifying this year’s RNC as one of the most extreme examples of strategic, premeditated attacks on the First Amendment in U.S. history..

You can familiarise yourself with all the background info, check the song lyrics, make donations, and of course, download the track for free on the Conspiracy To Riot microsite. It’s recommended.

http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/conspiracy/

No related posts.

I was going through some old records last night and it made me think of this video of Paul Mawhinney’s music collection. The video has been doing the rounds for the last month or so but I remember reading about it at the start of the year when he was trying to sell it on eBay and I presumed that it had actually sold and was in safe hands, but apparently not. A $3m bid fell through and as far as I can work out, the collection is still for sale.. Surely someone wants to buy it(?) DJ Shadow? Premier? Dre? If I had a few milli to spare, I’d happily snap it up.

Anyway, the video is only short, and worth a watch if only to get a vague idea of what a couple of million pieces of vinyl in the same place looks like. Crazy.

The Archive from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.

More about the story here, or on google.

No related posts.