Friday 31 December 2021

Generic list post: December 2021

Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month when Duke Deuce took a menswear turn for the worse by wearing a pair of Doc Marten books. Ban all crusty-punk clobber from Rap music IMHO.

Bruiser Wolf - Chess Move$ (2021)
SOS B4L - Beeper (2021)
Homeboy Sandman - Animal Kingdom (2021)
Kurious - My Kinda People (2021)
DJ Fresh & Nef The Pharoah - I Make It Make Sense (2021)
Scando The Darklord - Hexes & Jinxes (2021)

Other notables: and speaking of Duke Deuce, I Ain't Worried Bout It makes an alright B-side to the almighty WTF!.

Bonus Generic Lists: best songs of 2021 and 2021 late pass favourites.

Tuesday 28 December 2021

Claudia Stunnaman

"Baby take this L on the chin, 'Clef
Who got Vallejo crackin' again? Nef"


DJ Fresh & Nef The Pharoah - I Make It Make Sense
(From The Tonite Show album; 2021)



And who got Nef slappin' again? Fresh. That's not technically true since this is a DJ Fresh and DJ Chaz co-production, and last year's ABC registered a 707 on the Slap-O-Meter, but let's not get bogged down with details eh? It's a Romper innit. In fact, it's a Romp Tremendo.

Ain't gonna lie, I was bitterly disappointed my NorCal Rap/Strictly Come Dancing puns went flatinum. C'est la vie, I never got the chance to use Studio Tonioli.

Saturday 25 December 2021

To the East, Whitewards

East 17 - Stay Another Day
(From some East 17 album; 1994)



The boys from the Walthamstow roofer's choir still singing shit like Nate, this song stays ringing out on Christmas day.

If there's a glaring omission from my 101 best non-Rap singles of the 1990s list then it's Britain's last great Christmas song here. Tony Mortimer pulling strings like Phil Spector, Brian Harvey as the missing link between Aaron Hall and Aled Jones, Terry Coldwell in Kool Moe Dee's Star Trek shades looking like an 80s B-Boy graffiti character, and the other lad whose name nobody can remember givin' it large with R&B hands of death. Okay, so it's #actually a pop precursor to Z-Ro & Trae's 1 Night with added church bells and a video which resembles the snow globe in Citizen Kane, but it kept Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You off the top of the U.K Top 40 singles chart in 1994. A Yuletide masterpiece which should be sung at Midnight Mass across the world.

From puffa jackets to jacket potatoes, the life of Brian Harvey. Fair play, though - my man was the British Bud "Grandmaster B" Bundy but he still cuffed Daniella Westbrook when she was fit.

Wednesday 22 December 2021

I'm a Blue Tits man, myself

"Pigeons are my favourite bird
I love how they ain't scared and never care 'bout where they drop a turd"


Homeboy Sandman - Animal Kingdom
(From 2 Hungry Bros' Senile Chef album; 2021)



For doz who thought Sandman was a one trick Pony, have a load of Homeboy's ark. Hold ya Horses before you hold ya head because the Cat is outta the bag with this one. To paraphrase some Fish-outta-water blogger, the Elephant in the room is that Homeboy Sandman is Rammellzee if he were born in 1980 and had emerged at the polar bear's toenails of the Fondle 'Em era, and it really gets my Goat when folk don't realise this. Used to feel I was on a wild Goose chase looking for jams from Sandman, but he's frequently been the Dog's bollocks these past two years.

Monday 20 December 2021

I play with the stick, violin

"Bottles of Champagne, some shots, a few beers
I treat my dogs better than white people do theirs
I'm in a drop like a tear
But the engine sound like a pick-up
My roof can do a sit up
These hoes come outta nowhere like the hiccups"


Bruiser Wolf - Chess Move$
(From Dope Game $tupid album; 2021)



Hat tip to Fred for recommending this Bruiser Wolf album. So, Wolf is Danny Brown's sidekick and his musical M.O is that he's Suga Free in a Carhartt Duck chore jacket rather than a Cavalli 3/4 length Mink coat? I can dig that like Ben Byron's dog. It's a cold world and we could all do with more rappers bearing warm clobber. Gotta appreciate the #OutfitSynergy of Bruiser wearing a Superstar tracksuit in a song where he says "sold more white lines than Adidas." Pity the Superstar trackies have been shitty quality since 2017 when Adidas switched to cheaper materials and added the stupid white piping from the armpit to the collar. Holla if ya hear me, AthleisurewearHive.

Also very necessary is Bruiser's tragicom song about his mum being a baghead. Tears of sadness and laughter at the SAME DAMN TIME like the end of Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

"Pushed me outta the womb and left me when I was two
No first days at school or watchin' me jump the broom
I was ashamed when people asked me what Momma do
So I made up somethin' crazy like 'yeah, she work at the zoo!'
Can't trust women 'cause I couldn't trust you"


Bruiser Wolf ft. Apropos - Momma Was A Dopefiend
(From Dope Game $tupid album; 2021)



"I am you, but I ain't you
You left my dad bitter like grapefruit"

Thursday 16 December 2021

The obligatory 2021 late pass list post

From Peter Crouch to Wavy Crockett, it's Maya Jama AKA The Murkle Woman.


Call me Marty McFly the way I'm takin' trips back-and-forth through time. Personally, I'd hate to be one of those fellas who only listen to old music because they've become trapped in their own past; conversely, I'd also hate to be one of those fellas who only listen to new music because they're desperate to be part of The Discourse™. Ya host is All Ears For All Eras because the True Connoisseur™ needs a balanced diet of old and new music. Like Yasmeen from Corrie said the other night, it's okay to look back as long as you don't stare.

Top 20 favourite old Rap songs of 2021:
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Jeff Waz On The Beatbox (1989)
Digable Planets - Little Renee (1992)
Perfection ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Understand Perfection (1992)
Coop MC - Blue Sunday (1995)
Phil Blunts - On The Attack (1996)
Sporty Thievz - Ya Don't Stop (1998)
Lil' Sin ft. Mr. Joshay - Love It Or Hate It (1998)
Killah Priest ft. Shangai The Messenger - Atoms To Adam (1998)
Ugly Duckling - Fresh Mode (1999)
Andre Nickatina - Nickatina Says (2000)
Blackalicous - Make You Feel That Way (2002)
Mac Dre - Don't Hate The Playa (2004)
Max B - Bang Bang Boogie (2006)
Kurious - Snake Charmer 2 (2010)
Digital Underground ft. J. Stalin - Hyphy Hump (2010)
Foxx - Friends (2011)
Young Stoka - Dope Man Swagg (2011)
Homeboy Sandman - Conjugal Visit To The Prison Of The Mind (2014)
P-Lo - Boomerang (2020)
BIA - Whole Lotta Money (2020)

Top 20 favourite old Other Genres™ songs of 2021:
The Jynx - How (1964)
The Attraction - She's A Girl (1966)
Wild Magnolias - Injuns, Here We Come (1975)
Thin Lizzy - Running Back (1976)
Chilly - For Your Love (12" version) (1978)
Chromium - Time Traveller (1979)
The Freeze - I'm Too Good For You (1982/1997)
Stephanie Mills - Never Get Enough Of You (1983)
The Style Council - It's A Very Deep Sea (1988)
Masters At Work - 69 Steps (1992)
DJ Slipmatt - SMD #1 A (1993)
A Guy Called Gerald - Bad Boy Ride (1994/2012)
Money Mark - Rock In The Rain (1998)
Beabadoobee - Apple Cider (2019)
Vybz Kartel - Yami Bolo (2020)
Cookiee Kawaii - Vacation (2020)
UNiiQU3 - 7 Day Weekends (2020)
Real Lies - Boss Trick (2020)

There's only 18 songs in my Other Genres™ list because I couldn't think of anything else ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thursday 9 December 2021

The obligatory best Rap songs of 2021 list

Happy Mondays - Kinky Afro
(From Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches album; 1990)



Sonnnnnnn, I'm over 40
I don't wanna hear Rap that sounds like Playboi Carti
And I don't have a no-drums boner in me
What I love are songs by Eatem and Ezale, yeah
Sooooo, gimme new shit by Mac J, Mic T and Max B
Plus Cellski, Cootie and Cookiee
I'd never be seen dead wearing any Yeezys
Come on and read me...

Best Rap songs of 2021 IMHO:
Ezale - Raised Like This
Nino Man - 5-0
Eatem - Go Get Yo F*ckin' Brotha
Max B - Mountains
P-Lo - Going Off
Duke Deuce - WTF!
City Girls - Twerkulator
Solemn Brigham - Dirty Whip
Stunnaman02 & QuakeBeatz - Big Steppin'
Mic Terror - OJ Simpson
Ballout - Lift It Up
Dru Down - Everywhere I Go
Homeboy Sandman - Yup, Do It!
Remble - Touchable
Mouse On Tha Track - Stop Playin'
CeeFineAss ft. MoneyBagg Yo - Payback 2.0
Uncle Murda - Bro Shit
Travis Porter - Same Hoes
Cellski - Still Clappin'
Saweetie - Fast (Motion)
TREE - For Y'all
Mac J - Gotta Grudge
AZ ft. Keffa - Keep It Real
Rio Da Yung OG - Last Call
Reese Youngn - Warrior
DJ Fresh & Nef The Pharoah - Giggerz
Baby Keem - South Africa
CupcaKKe - Mosh Pit
DaBoii - Too Hard 4 The Radio
Cootie & BiC Fizzle - Supafly
YN Jay - Better Days
Bruiser Wolf - Chess Move$
Danny Brown - Dylon

Best old Rap songs which saw the light of day in 2021 IMHO:
KMD - Scrambled Eggs (1992 or 1993)
Sporty Thievz - Hot Pursuit (1998)
KLC ft. Mannie Fresh - No Place Like Home (2006)

Best Other Genres™ songs of 2021 IMHO:
Pa Salieu ft. Slowthai - Glidin'
Cookiee Kawaii - Relax Your Mind
UNiiQU3 - Microdosing
DAWN - Boomerang
Cajmere - So Happy
Jazmine Sullivan ft. H.E.R - Girl Like This
PinkPantheress - Break It Off
Donae'O - She Belongs To The Night
SAULT - Bitter Streets
Children Of Zeus - I Know
Beabaadoobee - Last Night On Earth
Olivia Rodrigo - Brutal
Anna Taylor-Joy - Downtown (Downtempo)

No order of preference, one song per artist blah blah blah. Remember Rappin' Duke? Duh-ha duh-ha, I never thought I'd enjoy Slowthai or Olivia.

Who'll be a dear and link me this list on Twitter AKA the last social media platform which allows blogspot links.

Tuesday 7 December 2021

Born To Audiomack: Re-enter Sandman

Homeboy Sandman threw a strop a month or so back and deleted his YouTube account after an interview he did with some Covidiot grifter got removed. Alas, this meant his three recent Slice of Life songs were self-wiped from t'internet like they were RIFF RAFF's MySpace n-bomb videos. Fortunately Sandman put them shits back up on Audiomack like it's 2015 again. File all 3 songs under 'Rammellzee if he were born in 1980 and had emerged at the arse-end of the Fondle 'Em era.'



Chucked the MP3s in a zip file and uploaded them HERE!

Sunday 5 December 2021

The Testament of Oti Mabuse

Told you this Fresh & Nef shit was some Saturday Night Fever '08 Hyphy. They tried to give the dance game to moshers and punks, it's like them lads never heard Disco or Funk, you can't tell me nothin' when I know I'm right, like a bow-legged gigger on a Stunna bike, Nef rode the track right.

DJ Fresh & Nef The Pharoah - Giggerz
(From The Tonite Show album; 2021)



Lemme take this opportunity to pitch a TV show: Strictly Turf Dancing, as judged by Craig Revel B.O.Rwood, Motsi Mac Buse, Shirley Bay Ballas, and Ant Banks DuBeke. As ideas go, it's a ten from Young L-E-N.

Saturday 4 December 2021

Thinking of a Masta plan

Master Ace - Me & The Biz
(From Take A Look Around album; 1990)




Boggles my mind that the brilliance of Me & The Biz was an accidental masta stroke - the song is a glorified reference track which ended up being released because Biz Markie and Marley Marl both refused to be in the same studio to record Biz's vocals. Masta Ace says he thinks the song would have been a bigger hit if Biz had appeared on it; perhaps, but it would have lost what makes it such a unique song, and Rap would be poorer without the Biz Markie puppet which was created especially for the video. Real talk, though - how'd everyone involved go to the trouble of making a Biz puppet, decking it out with the video's best outfit, and then do the song itself dirty by editing out the entire third verse? You bet that makes me real mad, don't it.

Crazy visions, BOOM: Ace pays tribute to The Diabolical by recording Me & The Biz part 2. There's no need to find a new beat because it's scientifically impossible to come up with a better backdrop for Ace's Bizisms than that Cymande sample.