Generic list post: December 2024

Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month which is basically an excuse to make various vanity lists. And so: my favourite songs of 2024, my favourite non-2024 songs I discovered in 2024 and my favourite movies & TV shows of 2024. How much do I love bloggin'? Like Tyson Fury loves bacon, lettuce & tomato. See yous in 2025.

UGK - Funky Connection (1990/????)
LaRussell & Cam Cortez ft. Malachi - Brainchild (2024)
LaRussell & Cam Cortez - Beautiful Day In The Bay (2024)
Seiji Oda ft. LARussell - Peaceful 2 (2024)
Nef The Pharaoh - Puppet Theatre (2024)
Richie Rich ft. The Yee Section - Side Show (live at The Bakery) (2024)
Ka - Borrowed Time (2024)
Rio Da Yung OG - Rio Free (2024)
Ramones - Wart Hog (live) (1985)

Bonus bloggin: 1nce again I'm gonna use my monthly wrap-up post to keep track of the best movies and TV shows I've been watching. * indicates rewatches dunnit.

Movies I watched and liked:
What's Up, Doc? (1972)
Porridge (1979) *
Repo Man (1984) *
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992) *
Anora (2024)
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)
Grand Theft Hamlet (2024)

TV shows I watched and liked:
Doctor Who - The War Games (colourised re-edit) (1969/2024)
Porridge - No Way Out episode (1975) *
Porridge - The Desperate Hours episode (1976) *
Prisoner: Cell Block H (episodes 164 to 169) (1980/1981)
Neighbours (new episodes) (2024)
WHAM!: Last Christmas Upwrapped (documentary) (2024)
Cunk on Life (2024)
Only Connect (new episodes) (2024)
Match Of The Day 1 and 2 (new episodes) (2024)
Toy Shop on Tour (series 3 episodes 1 to 6) (2024)

Shout outs to Dadadebaser, Chicken-N-Kalinka and Crimedawgbylaw for comin' through with some cool 2024 lists.

Wart Hog Barbarians

Allow me one more killer clip of the Ramones performing live on the British TV show Old Grey Whistle Test. Here they are cranking out Dee Dee & Johnny's hardcore-inspired choon Wart Hog in 1985. This was the song where the Reagan twentysomethings bodied Reagan Youth with their own style. Highlights include Joey awkwardly throwin' shapes with no vocals to contribute, and Richie stealin' the show by shrieking the chorus like he's accidentally stepped on a Hedgehog.

Ramones - Wart Hog (live)
(From Old Grey Whistle Test TV show; 1985)

From the BBQ to The Bakery (part 2)

So the Splash Bakery YouTube channel is basically Tiny Desk Concerts but for NorCal Rap fiends, backed by a group called The Yee Section who are legit NorCal Rap fiends themselves (they work with LARussell, Seiji Oda and Lil' Ricefield.) The performances occasionally get a bit too Real Musicians With Real Instruments™ for my liking, but when they do work they genuinely make Slap-Classicos hit different. My fave performances so far are Nef The Pharaoh doing Big Tymin', Seiji Oda doing A Gentle Gigg, DaBoii doing Calvin Cambridge, and this new clip of Richie Rich doing... wait for it... Side Show from the first 415 album! Now that's a Christmas surprise nobody was expecting.

Richie Rich ft. The Yee Section - Side Show (live at The Bakery)
(From Splash Bakery channel; 2024)


Oi Splash Bakery crew, get E-40 in to perform Flashin'. The Yee Section lads could potentially make that shit sound flambrilliant.

In The Woods

"No if, ands or maybes
I like butts tho
You can look all you want
But don't touch tho"

Seiji Oda ft. LARussell - Peaceful 2
(From Peaceful 2 single; 2024)


Refrained from posting this because I've already blogged about three LARussell songs this month. But it'd be disingenuous of me not to post it since it's my go-to jam of the last week or so. Sendin' this one out to all Nature Boiz-In-The-Hood searching for some peace of mind rather than a piece of mine. LARussell caught that Turf Bucaneer Furley Ghost at 2:05 with my favourite pirate impersonation since Tom Baker in Blackadder. I've never liked Mac Dre's Thuzzle Dance, but for some weird reason I fuxwit interpolations of it like this and Nef The Pharaoh's Tattooed.

Previously: Twinkle twinkle, little slap (part 2) and Don't worry, be hyphy.

Dont Watch Dat, Watch Deez

It was a trip when The Muppet Show made Young Marty cry, didn't know, didn't ask, didn't wonder why.

Back by unpopular demand 1nce again, it's the Martorialist best movies and TV shows awards post. Told ya, you shoulda killed me last year. Damn, it feels good to be a blogger when you can inflict your year-end lists on the internet. I have no idea whether 2024 will go down as A Vintage Year™ for movies & television, I just know that I've watched some stuff which tickled my specific fancies. Is Natasia Demetriou nadja average actress? Then let's talk turkey.

Best movies and documentaries of 2024 IMHO:
Robot Dreams
Anora
The Substance
Love Lies Bleeding
Late Night With The Devil
You'll Never Find Me
Heretic
Grand Theft Hamlet
Getting It Back: The Cymande Story
Scala!!!

Best TV shows of 2024 IMHO:
What We Do In The Shadows (series 6)
Colin From Accounts (series 2)
Inside No. 9 (series 9)
Peacock (series 2)
Mandy (series 3)
Neighbours (2024 episodes)
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (series 7)
Mr. McMahon (all 6 episodes)
Mammals (series 1)
Saucy! Secrets Of The British Sex Comedy (both episodes)
Only Connect (2024 episodes)
Match Of The Day 1 and 2 (2024 episodes)
Toy Shop on Tour (series 3 so far)


** Kevin Bacon's sleazy hick P.I character from MaXXXine needs his own spin-off prequel movie.

** 2024 movies I still need to see: MadS and The Zone Of Interest.

Best old movies I saw for the first time this year: The Long Kiss Goodnight, Little Shop Of Horrors (director's cut), Near Dark, Miracle Mile, Meantime, Restless Natives, The Cars That Ate Paris, X, The Lavender Hill Mob and Eating Raoul.

** Since coming to the conclusion that the Ramones were the greatest Rock band ever, I've spent 2024 constantly rewatching bits of their movie Rock "N' Roll High School. This is surely one of the best opening credits sequences in the history of cinema innit?

Obligatory shout out to Party Sparty for running my favourite movie/TV blog.

Trunk Muzik

TREE - The 3rd Floor
(From The 3rd Floor mixtape; 2010)


The 3rd Floor has gotta be one of TREE's best songs, right? If he'd never recorded any more music after this, he'd still go down in the history books as mastering the art of Soul-Trap musik on this song. Also a good example of how percussion-free Rap can knock with motion and not linger in the air like a fart in a cold car.

Digging through TREE's YouTube page recently it seems like My Ether was his debut single as a solo artist. Peep his exquisite use of ad libs to fill the spaces during the chorus. A very good debut single which doesn't sound like anything else that dropped in 2010, albeit a very good debut single which doesn't sound like the Soul-Trap musik TREE became known for either.

TREE - My Ether
(From The 3rd Floor mixtape; 2010)


Then again, TREE's sound has always been broader than a lotta folks: Know Y was Swag-Rap with a Chicago twist; 1 Is For The Money sounded like DJ Toomp hooked up a track with the Films drum-break; Probably Nu It sounded like a game of Pong turnt Rap musik; Like Whoa sounds regionally ambiguous in a good way etc etc.

Sittin' here thinking of potential pseudonyms for TREE. So far I've got TREE AKA Branch Nubian AKA Bark The 45 King AKA Chief Leaf AKA Afrika Bambootaa AKA Log Foe.

The obligatory BEST RAP SONGS OF 2024 post

UrFavGrannie - Boy Bye
(From Boy Bye single; 2024)


Martatina says cast ya votes. Tell E-40, yeah grab ya peacoats. Tell Lakim Shabazz, yeah grab ya notes. And DJ Kool & crew, y'all lads clear ya throats. Check it out, I'm bloggin' on the spot, postin' like an anvil ready to drop.

Nowadays, I'm at the point where I consider the modern music I like as the apex of contemporary art, and the modern music I dislike as the worst shit I've ever heard in my life. Listen, anybody can write words, who's prepared to do the dirty work like a swineherd? And searching for new Rap I like REALLY feels like dirty work when I've listened to eight terrible songs in a row just to find that one Killer Track™. Nobody ever said finding Legit Choonz™ would be easy, but when I'm lying on my deathbed I'll definitely regret the time I've wasted separating Rap music's thumbs up from its thumbs down. Fortunately, the pain and strain of listening to audio dung is eased when I come across Certified Gems™ like these songs. That's the beautiful thing about Bona Fide Jams™ - anybody can get 'em and anybody can give 'em to ya, they're like Secret Santa.

Favourite Rap songs of 2024 IMHO:
Mello Buckzz - Move
Ezale - Fun
GloRilla - Yeah Glo!
Kurious - Cow's Eye
LARussell & P-Lo ft. Malachi - Who Else You Know
Sexyy Red - Get It Sexyy
Seiji Oda - A Gentle Gigg
Common & Pete Rock - Wise Up
Pooh The WriteR - Bestie
Coyote - Devils Contract
Pookie F'n Rude - Hold Up
LL Cool J ft. Busta Rhymes - Huey In The Chair
Busta Rhymes - Do The Busabus Pt.2
Eatem - Start It Off
Mac God Dbo - A Whole Brick
Latto - Sunday Service
Brotha Hung Lynch - Da Siccness
41 - Save Me
Nef The Pharaoh - Essence
Mic Terror ft. Bruus - Big Steppas
Kendrick Lamar - Squabble Up
Doechii - Nissan Altima
Myaap & Yonaa - Choppa Sound
Bruiserwolf - Dope Boy
AMB EZ ft. Nasty Nell - Birthday (video mix)
BigXthaPlug - The Largest
Homeboy Sandman - Win Win
Daya1k ft. Kiki Tha Prize - Good
YG - Knocka
R.A.P Ferreira & Furnitake Tamura - Jes' Grew In Osaka
Heaven - In There
Ka - Borrowed Time
Rio Da Yung OG - Rio Free
Richie Rich & The Yee Section - Side Show (live at The Bakery)

Favourite British Rap songs of 2024 IMHO:
Nine & Dex - Pecan Pie
Knucks & K-Trap - Cautionary Tales

Favourite non-Rap songs of 2024 IMHO:
Tommy Richman - Million Dollar Baby
Tinashe - Getting No Sleep
Rajah Wild- Gone Bad
Mall Grab & Real Lies - Ripples In The Timeline
DMX Krew - Cloud Ocean Part 1
Alfonso de Vilallonga - Dog and Tin At The Beach
Beabaadoobee - Take A Bite
Mean Jeans - Reggie

Bonus beats: the 2024 late pass awards.

The 2024 late pass awards!

Year end season done took flight. Here at The Martorialist we're post-time, baby. That's why the old songs we discovered and fell in love with are as important as the new songs we discovered and fell in love with. If the Rap songs list below rings a bid-ell like Big L it's because ya host made a truncated Audiomack playlist out of it last month.

Best non-2024 Other Rap songs I discovered in 2024:
Hard Rock Soul Movement - Double Def Fresh (1986)
Professor X - Professor X (Saga) (1988)
LL Cool J - Illegal Search (Pre-Trial Hearing mix) (1990)
Jay Tee ft. Mac Dre - Do The Crew (CDQ version) (1990/2018)
Kurious - Fill 'Er Up (1991/2008)
G. Dep - Dollar Bill (1998)
Saafir aka Mr. No No - Street Scene (1998)
Warren G - Dope Beat (1999)
AZ - Rap Fanatic (2002)
Big Moe ft. Mike Wilson - Leave Drank Alone (2003)
Saigon - Favorite Thingz (extended version) (2006)
DaBanggaz314 - Run Up Get Dun Up (2009)
Rack-Lo - What's A Lo-Life To Me (2013)
38 Dezzie ft. Mouse On Tha Track - On My Shit (2021)
Pookie F'n Rude ft. Kedaru & Hash Hearted - One Of Them Dayz (2023)
TREE - Prom Night She Puked On Me (2023)

Best non-2024 Other Genres™ songs I discovered in 2024:
Flo & Eddie - Keep It Warm (1976)
Ramones - S-L-U-G (Road To Ruin mix) (1978/2018)
Keith Mansfield - Underlying Menace (1978)
Brian Bennett - Solstice (1978)
Haircut 100 - Nobody's Fool (1982)
Charlie Green - The Bus Stop (1983)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Police Helicopter (demo version) (1983)
Vincent Gallo - Her Smell Theme (1985)
The Feelies - Let's Go (1986)
Bribe - Squidge (1992)
Urban Jungle - Back In The Daze (1994)
Sharon Forrester - Love Inside (1994)
Rogue Unit - Good To U (Rogue Unit mix) (1995)
DMX Krew - Dry Acid (2015)

Holla @ ya host with your own late past discovery choonz of 2004.