Generic list post: November 2017

Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month when the Luniz & Michael Marshall musta got a fat cheque from Müller's British department.

Lil' Jon - Play No Games (Instrumental) (2003)
Baby Soulja ft. Boosie Badazz - Dirty (2017)
Nef The Pharaoh - My Way (Freestyle) (2017)
70th Street Carlos & WNC Whop Bezzy - Trell (2017)
WNC Whop Bezzy & 70th Street Carlos - Chill (2017)
Wande Coal & DJ Tunez - Iskaba (2017)
Tove Lo - Bitches (2017)

Other notables: that new recording of Creek Boyz With My Team is a travesty (don't say I didn't warn you about 300 ruining songs!); the only part I like of the proper new Creek Boyz single is the intro over the Never Blink sample; Rude is the first 03 Greedo single I've kinda dug; been enjoying Yung Cat's Fat Tone homages this year but his Ima Getcha flip isn't a patch on its source material; on a similar Kansas City history-of-slaps-past tip, Rich The Factor's Luther is a way better song than his previous track of the same title; how is Ya Boy Big Choo gonna drop a Halloween song when he still hasn't released that Hustla remix he's been teasin' since frigging february?; Ma$e's The Oracle is some Joe Budden gossip-vlog fodder that isn't even a quarter as entertaining as his infamous Hot 97 argument with Jim Jones.

One 4 the Britz: The Beat to Da Beat

The Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom
(From I Just Can't Stop It album; 1980)


Birmingham's alright if you like Sabbath and saxophones! People often dismiss the U.K 2 Tone scene as a buncha nutty boys over cod-Ska, but there were some spooky-arse songs to be found too. Grosse Point Blank is no Point Break let alone a Point Blank, but it does have something special both those movies lack: a John Cusack versus Benny Urquidez fight scene set to Mirror In The Bathroom.

New Age Muzik - Da Beat
(From Da Beat single; 2016)


Still the best U.K rapfrobeats song not recorded by J Hus IMHO. Bare Makosi and Anthony in the hot tub sensual vybz. Pains me greatly that this song never blew up because it deserves to be a U.K classic.

CHILL ENT.

"Bitch, you better chill just like some ice in here
You know how I roll just like some dice in here
I'll leave a n*gga blind just like some mice in here
He gon' need the Lord, he gon' need Christ in here
Revolver hold 5 like Derrius Guice in here"

WNC Whop Bezzy & 70th Street Carlos - Chill
(From Shid Who? mixtape; 2017)


Not as good as Trell, but not half bad. 70th Street Carlos & WNC Whop Bezzy over Trel Itz A Hit are sorta like the Baton Rouge equivalent of M.O.P over Dr. Period. There's a slight difference, though: M.O.P had mad soul like an orthopedic shoe, whereas WNC got mad straps like a Tevas sandal.

Right turn, 'Cyde

Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of The Pharcyde's debut album, and yet their performance of Ya Mama on the British youf TV show The Word in 1992 still hasn't found its way to YouTube. Never mind, though, because some fanboy on the 'Tube has made a video for the Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde song which was never a single but really, really, really shoulda been:

The Pharcyde - Officer (unofficial video)
(From YouTube; 2017)


Oi Terry "Tezza" Christian - remove that Nonce Harris video from your The Word YouTube channel, homie, and put the Pharcyde video up in its place.

Bonus beats: we'll always have the times Public Enemy, Onyx, Digable Planets, Cypress Hill, and Snoop performed on The Word. LMFAO @ the show's bookers choosing Craig Mack over Biggie during the 1995 Bad Boy U.K tour, though.

"It's like people die when their phones do"

As must be obvious, this is a phone hovered over by Mr. Death - an omnipresent player to the third and final act of every conversation. It's been said that what follows this conversation is one of the unfathomable mysteries: an area of darkness which we, the living, reserve for the dead — or so it is said. For in a moment, a rapper will try to cross that bridge which separates IRL and URL, and, of course, he must take the only known route, that indistinct highway through the region we call The Dating Zone:

"I felt so alone, who knew it was all just a broken phone?
Because I ain't never been with a ghost befo'
Because I ain't never been with a ghost befo'"

Open Mike Eagle - Dating Ghosts
(From Soundcloud; 2017)


Linked this in my October wrap-up post, but it deserves proper attention. Open Mike Eagle shouldn't let this one languish as a secerete Halloween Soundcloud exclusive, and shoot a video for it which explains how ghosts went from being inside the machines to being the machines making ghosts of humans.

Call me, Al

Al Green - Simply Beautiful
(From I'm Still In Love With You album; 1972)

"Hahaha you so crazy, I think I wanna have your baby!"

Salt-N-Pepa ft. En Vogue - Whatta Man
(From Very Necessary album; 1993)


There really should have been a Whatta Man remix with a Grand Puba verse singing his own praises.

Thanx 4 the beat, shout out 2 Trel

"Before I leave the house I make sure to say a prayer
Shit, 'cause all these n*ggas hatin' I can smell it in the air"

70th Street Carlos & WNC Whop Bezzy - Trell
(From Shid Who? mixtape; 2017)


Ah, so this is that, and what this/that is is some jeep beat beserker Bounce. Real Hip Hop™ is when rappers record homage songs in tribute to their in-house producers. True story - the realest shit I wrote this year was that post about the parallels between the WNC tracks Trel Itz A Hit is behind and the Just Ice joints Mantronix was in the boiler room for.

PS: when I say jeep beat plz believe I ain't talking about Dave The Ruf.

Craig Bayvid

"I met her on a monday, I called her on a tuesday
Knocked her on a thursday, and sent her on a friday
If that pussy mine Ima have her on the highway"

Nef The Pharaoh - My Way (Freestyle)
(From t'internet; 2017)


Already mentioned that I like this beatjack of Beeda Weeda & Lil' Kev's My Way more than Nef's most recent single Drop Addy, but I prefer it to Nef's latest single Poppin' Again too. New rule: from this point forward, rappers are only allowed to beatjack songs they had as their profile songs on MySpace.

Thus, today's topic: joints you had as your profile songs on MySpace? I'd alternate between classics like Spoonie Gee's Love Rap, DJ Quik's Safe And Sound or UGK's The Game Belongs To Me with MySpace exclusives like Jacka's Heavy Rain, Mic Terror's Juke Them Hoes, or Prodigy's Raining Guns And Shanks.

Generic list post: Dead Rappers Get Better Promotion

30 bona fide classic choonz by rappers who've died since ya host started bloggin' in late 2008. Meet me at the crossroads like Bone Thugs, lads.

Prodigy - Keep It Thoro (2000)
The Jacka - Aspen (2007)
MCA of Beastie Boys - What Comes Around (1989)
Grip Plyaz - Ray Lewis (2013)
Heavy D - The Overweight Lover's In The House (1987)
Lil' Phat - Countin' Money (2012)
Phife of A Tribe Called Quest - 8 Million Stories (1993)
Nate Dogg - I Got Love (2001)
Young Ready ft. C-Loc & Max Minelli - 1 Rubber (2007)
Shawty Lo - Dey Know (2007)
Guru of Gang Starr - Code Of The Streets (1994)
Speaker Knockerz - Lonely (2013)
Big Bank Hank of Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (1979)
Nu$$ie - They Hate My (2008)
MC Breed ft. 2Pac - Gotta Get Mine (1993)
Govna Mattic ft. Outsidaz, Roz Noble, Redman etc - Family Day (1997)
Mr. 3-2 - Comin' Down (1996)
Fresh Kid Ice - Dick 'Em Down (Chinaman Mix) (1992)
Doe B ft. T.I. - Homicide (2014)
Mac Daddy of Kris Kross - Da Streets Ain't Right (1996)
Sean Price ft. Tek - Onion Head (2005)
Magic - What (2002)
Lil' Snupe - Ketchup Intro (2013)
Big Syke & Johnny J - Forever Ballin' (1996)
Tommy Hill of RAM Squad - Unfortunate (1996)
Bankroll Fresh ft. Travis Porter & Boochie - Walked In (2015)
Chinx Drugz - Superlight (2011)
Da Real Gee Money - Take It There (2016)
Dot-A-Rock of The Fantastic Five - Can I Get A Soul Clap (1982)
Killa Sha - Nightshifting (2011)

Nowt by Lil' Peep because the one song of his I liked was ruined by the guest bloke who sounded like someone from a Pitchfork podcast.

My momma his momma neighbour, I owe him 100 favours

"N*ggas be loudmouth until they hear that 'K buss
Potato on the barrel, I don't really like to say much
I catch him at his bitch house with his dick out where he cake up
And leave what he was thankin' on the blanket by her make-up'"

PC Tweezie ft. Murk - Pay Up
(From Palm Beach Post mixtape; 2015)


Who knew Trel Itz A Hit was lacing random Florida rappers back in 2015? Not me.

Roberto Di Matteo's Waiting

Hi kidz, do you like Venus? Wanna see me stick a middle finger up to the rap internet with Banana clips? Wanna copy me and do exactly like I did? Try poptimism and drop a top 5 Bananarama Top Of The Pops performances list?


Highlight: everything! The TOTP equivalent of Mary J. Blige & Grand Puba on Yo! MTV Raps.


Highlight: 4 years into their career, Bananarama finally bothered to learn some proper choreography.


Highlight: making dungarees sexy after Dexy's Midnight Runners did the complete opposite.


Highlight: Fun Boy Three stealing the show with their proto-Guitar Hero battle.


Highlight: ILX ppl once called Girls Aloud the new Bananarama LMFAO.

Not sure this new Bananarama reunion is a good idea, tbh. Last comeback around they ruined an Italo Disco banger by Auto-Tuneing their vocals on there, and like Baton Rouge rappers, Bananarama should never use Auto-Tune - it makes them sound like everybody else when the whole point is that they're great because they sound like nobody else innit.

This new comeback also means that all the usual suspects from Pitchfork/The Guardian/Jezebel might start churning out ‘Bananarama Are The Outsider Artist Adult Pop Group 2017 Needs’ thinkpieces, and Lord knows nobody in the real world wants to read that shite.

"With 1 and a half pair of pants you ain't cool" 2K17

"See me, I'm a 90's baby
Don't care 'bout what you did, n*gga, we crazy
I'm from where if you hustle, you go a while without bathin'
No food in your house, so your breakfast's the candy lady"

Baby Soulja ft. Boosie Badazz - Dirty
(From Dirty (The Soundtrack) EP; 2017)


Some music sounds seasonal to me, baby! This joint by Soulja Slim's babby & Boosie grownazz makes way more sense to me in november than it did back when it dropped in the spring. Shit's a lesson in how to do 2017 monochromatic street rap right: add a sprinkling of piano keys for Thun-Rap ambiance, and keep the percussion to a minimum so the words can pull all the punches. If C-Loc had kept doing his Concentration Camp compilations with emerging Baton Rogue talent then Dirty has the feel of a song which'd be on the latest Camp LP.

How pissed do you think Baby Soulja is that OMB Peezy recorded the definitive From What I Was Told beatjack, though? Competition is none.

DDDDDRRRRRRRRROP!

"Trell" coming soon 🔥🔥😈

A post shared by @70thstreetcarlos on Nov 2, 2017 at 3:11pm PDT

This upcoming 70th Street Carlos & Trel Itz A Hit spazzout has just gatecrashed my top 5 Most Anticipated Songs list. The other 4? This by Foxx & Boosie, this by Ezale, this by Nef The Pharaoh & Mannie Fresh, and this by Ya Boy Big Choo.

Pour out a little Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire for the now deleted Instagram snippets of A-Wax's supposed prison demos.

Re-Up Gong

My Akinyeke deep cuts compilation was a great playlist if I do say so meself. So great, in fact, that I'm gonna jump back and kiss meself by reposting it. A masterclass in concept (life beyond Vagina Diner and Put It In Your Mouth), choonz (all killers), and content (Akinyele's redemptive character arc between Break A Bitch Neck in 1995 and Love My Bitch in 2001.) 15 steps beyond hardcore, this one will still clap your weak playlists like an encore and ask "Hoo the Ak Ha Ha want more?"



Don't thank me, though - thank Ak' for making it all possible.

Stack Troubles

Mack Trell ft. Greezy & Mac Pearl - Stacks
(From YouTube; 2017)


If Rey's Cafe is now permanently closed for business then this track ain't half a bad valediction for the Kentucky kid's last post. Song's a real grower of the Bird's/Colman's Paradox variety: where the rapping is sloppy like custard, but you can forgive any shortcomings in the delivery department because the production is spicy like mustard. The best Cardo beat that Cardo never made or wot?

This Mack Trell lad dropped his official debut retail album last month and naturally Stack isn't on there; of course it isn't - why would a rapper do something as logical as putting his best song on his official debut retail album? Rappaz R Nfuriating.

Dance To My Misandry

Forget the PUA Righteous Teachers because the Roosh V of VladTV is back:

Even groups like SJW and TLC can't see Lord JaMRA with telepathy.