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mog network

Saturday, September 28, 2002

Who's who in the world of beats?

Posted by El Keter ben Tzadik

It's almost 6 o'clock in the fuckin' morning, all is well here at HQ, nothing good is on television, white people still suck and Phil "The Soulman" Stroman is the muthafuckin' man. Huh? What's that you say? I said is the man you fuckin' herb, that's what I say.

Now what has led me to make such a momentous announcement at this late an hour? Well, I can't get to sleep so I'm sitting here listening to one of The Soulman's break & groove mixtapes called 'Drugs' and the shit is just too dope. Dude mixes, cuts, scratches and blends all the old school funk, jazz, soul, rock and whatever else that cats have either sampled, want to sample, or should sample for your utmost listening pleasure, weaving in some little vocal snippets about drugs that liken the jones us beatdiggers get for wax to that of the common drug fiend. The shit is just so buttery man. The man has the deep crates, that's for sure.

Visit the brotha's site, read his "World Of Beats" columns and try to get your grubby little mitts on some of his mix-tape joints. You will not be disappointed, and hey, you just might learn something about good music to boot.

Posted at 05:34 AM
Filed under — Music Notes

Tuesday, September 24, 2002

Mr. Charlie just ain't got no common sense

Posted by El Keter ben Tzadik

Whitey done fucked up again! Legendary hip-hop icon Chuck-D is pissed after MTV refuses to play a video featuring a reference to embattled political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal and the fight to gain his freedom. Isn't it fun to live in a country where the word "free" is considered controversial political terminology?

In other hip-hop news, I just got the chance to peep "I Got A Right Ta" the new Neptunes produced single from Chi-town emcee Common. One thing's for certain, it sure is ... ummm ... yeah. Once again the Neptunes production team comes through with a body rockin' groove, but Common's laid back, down south influenced rhymes and new vocal style just aren't all that palatable. Add a hook that sounds like Kid Rock's "Cowboy" and you can kind of tell that this ain't really what we as hip-hop fans want from the man who brought us such classics as "Soul By The Pound ( Remix )" and "I Used To Love H.E.R." among other great tunes. Oddly enough though the old school inflected electro track sounds more suited for a new Def Jux single than it does a new Common track. On the real, get rid of the hook, add some extra noise to the track and throw Vast Air on the mic and this just might have been the underground hit of the fall. Too bad it's not though.

Posted at 09:55 PM
Filed under — Music Notes

Friday, September 13, 2002

Another day, another dollar....

Posted by El Keter ben Tzadik

...gone from my wallet!

Ahh well, better times are a-comin', and they're a-comin' quick too! Tomorrow to be exact.

That's right, it's time for another prime-time epsiode of The Urban Alternative Show you suckers! I will be behind the mic from 8 to 10 p.m. live on 90.7 FM WTCC bringing you "the heat" as the youngsters are known to say. My usual co-host The Empress is back in Pittsfield this weekend so once again I will have the homies Orlando and Masir keeping me company in the booth with their unique brand of patently offensive banter. I have some new music too so it's bound to be an exciting show. If you're within broadcast range and you own a radio, tune that bad boy in. And if you live out in the boonies somewhere but you have the internet just click this link which will take you to the station website where you can listen via RealAudio and Windows Media.

Other than that the last few days have been pretty uneventful. I spent most of last night listening to the new Scarface album 'The Fix.' I've been a fan of 'Face since way back in the day but haven't owned one of his albums since 1991's 'Mr. Scarface Is Back.' I checked the new joint out based on the buzz over the recent singles "Guess Who's Back" with Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel and the ultra groovy street-anthem "My Block" and I can't say I'm disappointed. The album is a slab of smokin' gangster funk the likes of which haven't been heard since the heyday of Ice Cube with some sprinklings of smooth soul thrown in for flavor. What sets 'Face apart from other crime story type emcees, especially the younger generation of thug-rappers, is his ability to inject real intelligence, spirituality and political ideas into his tales of ghetto boys & girls. These qualities, plus his wit, personality, mic presence and lyrical skills set him amongst the ranks of elite street lyricists with greats like Kool G Rap, Big Pun and Big L. Highlights of the set include the afformentiond singles, "Safe", "In Cold Blood" and "What Can I Do" featuring Kelly Price. It's nice to see some solid, straight up hip-hop shit like this, especially coming from a veritable pioneer like Scarface, getting released in the mainstream for a change.

Posted at 08:20 PM
Filed under — Music Notes

Sunday, September 08, 2002

Easy Star!

Posted by El Keter ben Tzadik

As part of my on-going quest to relive my teen years as I slowly creep up on my 25th birthday I bring to you Poor Righteous Teachers and their classic sophomore album 'Pure Poverty.'

Yes, this is yet another classic release from that greatest of years for hip-hop music, 1991. It happens to be one of the records I forgot to put on the list I posted a week or so ago actually. I had completely forgotten how dope this joint was. The production is fuckin' raw throughout, with rugged drum breaks and gritty samples sewn together like nobody does nowadays. The crew's lead emcee Wise Intelligent had a ridiculous vocal style that combined rhyming, raggae style chatting and sing-jay style singing in a way I don't think anybody else has. And truth be told I think P.R.T. was one of the most authentic of the spiritually and culturally minded artists to come out of the 5% Nation Of Gods & Earths during the heyday of righteous themed hip-hop. Tracks like "Shakiyla" and "Easy Star" are just so dope because they deal with cultural subject matter but still come accross with that body rocking funk that makes their grooves irresistable. You just can't deny the level of artistic quality and care that went into making a record like this. For real, 'Pure Poverty' is a lost gem of the golden age of hip-hop that deserves a lot more attention than it gets. Track it down and give it a spin, in the least it'll give you a chance to relive my youth with me.

Posted at 10:22 PM
Filed under — Music Notes

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