January 9, 2010
Albums To Look Forward To In 2010
THIS WEEK IN HIP HOP
Wow. It seems like yesterday the world was freaking out about Y2K, and now in the blink of an eye, it’s 2010. The past decade treated me well, and I hope it did the same for everyone reading this, but frankly, it was not too good for the majority of the world’s inhabitants. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that in the next 10 años we make major improvements in the ways in which we treat each other. Anyways, that’s enough of me being thoughtful and preachy, let’s talk about music.
Quan, our other This Week In Hip Hop man, in his unpredictable top 10 list of albums in 2009 requested that I critique his selections, and provide my own. Although I felt that there were some questionable picks to say the least (Juicy J in the top 5?!?), I think his article did a great job of letting the world know that hip-hop as a genre is tremendously diverse, as is the taste of its followers. There is absolutely nothing wrong or contradictory about a die hard Wu-Tang fan enjoying Gucci and Wayne. Hip-Hop is not dead; in fact I think it’s the genre of music most oversaturated with legitimate talent. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to make my own list of favorite albums from 2009. While I must admit that I did hear a lot of new music last year, I still don’t feel like I even scratched the surface of the quality content that was released. I unfortunately didn’t listen to the new Souls of Mischief, Zion I, Tanya Morgan, The Clipse, UGK, De La Soul, Slum Village, etc… so without experiencing those projects, I don’t feel like I can do justice to critiquing an entire year’s worth of albums. Sorry Quan.
On the other hand, I know that there is a lot of music that I am looking forward to in 2010, so without further ado, I want to let y’all know what I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for this year.
Black Milk, Sean Price and Guilty Simpson | Random Axe
You may already know that I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of music that Duck Down Records is putting out, and from the slew of projects they have slated for 2010, Random Axe is the one that I’m the most excited about. When I first heard that Black Milk, Sean Price and Guilty Simpson were collaborating, it seemed to good to be true, but after they leaked “Monster Babies,” it was official. This group is for real. Unfortunately, Black Milk’s hard drive crashed, and with it all of Sean P’s recorded verses were lost. To make matters worse, Kimbo Price only writes his verses on his cell phone, and he purchased a new one, so the written words were gone too. So it wasn’t released in ’09 like it was supposed to be. Instead, Duck Down is hoping to make Random Axe available to the masses in the first quarter of 2010. As long as Sean kept his morale high through the hardships and made sure to persevere, this album could be one we remember in 2020.
More on Albums To Look Forward To In 2010
Roger Daltrey of The Who to Go On Solo Tour, Talk About His Generation to the Youngsters [BrooklynVegan]
As You May Know, We Love Talking Heads. So Please Don’t Call On Oct. 13, When Stop Making Sense Comes Out On Blu-Ray Format [Pitchfork]
Bad Blood Between Matador Records and Victory Records Getting Worse In Wake of House Fire [Pitchfork]
No More Albums Don’t Mean No More Music! Listen to New Radiohead Track, “These Are My Twisted Words” [Consequence Of Sound]
Are You On The Bus? Dan Deacon’s Bus That Is. Watch This Mini Documentary About Deacon’s “Vantastic” School Bus [Pitchfork]
Dr. Dre to Rescue Your Ears From All Those Sad Tinny mp3s You’ve Been Listening To, Thus Saving the World of Digital Music! [Pitchfork]
What Dislocated Shoulder? Randy Randall and No Age Back On Tour, Hitting New York In October [Tiny Mix Tapes]
RIP Rashied Ali, Jazz Drummer, Coltrane Collaborator [NME]
compiled by Erin Sheehy
Wavves Show Disaster at Primavera Sound Festival [Pitchfork]
See NYTimes Talk to Iggy Pop [Brooklyn Vegan]
Hear the Whole of Dark Was the Night Show from Radio City Music Hall [NPR]
Because Anything that Lady GaGa Does is Amusing [Prefix]
Dr. Dre/Pepper [Tiny Mix Tapes]
Artists Protest British National Party [NME]
Major Music Labels Make Nice to Small Companies [NYTimes]
Rock Out This Summer at The Whitney [Brooklyn Vegan]
compiled by Elana Jacobs
March 13, 2009
Eminem: New Album Soon and Bitches in Tahoe
TOP DOG
“So crack a bottle, let your body waddle. Don’t act like a snobby model. You just hit the lotto. Uh oh uh oh, bitches hopping in my Taho. Got one riding shotgun and no not one of them got clothes.”
Yes, it’s a recession, so all you can do these days is pony up enough flow for a bottle, crack it, and have your model friends come over for a light bacchanal. This is the economic stimulus package that Eminem is prescribing with his long-awaited fifth LP, Relapse.
Relapse was slated to be completed months ago, but producer Dr. Dre and Eminem got to rhyming and reasoning, and now the album has been delayed over six months and will be accompanied by a second disc of extra hits, titled Relapse 2.
“Crack A Bottle,” the first “chart-topping” single, rides a sample of familiar, cartoonish Slimshadyesque, limping, three-chord vaudevillian bomp. Dr. Dre and silky-throated 50 Cent trade off verses with Eminem. Topics covered: partying, crashing Benzes, and fucking bitches. No new territory here.
Will the new double album improve the image of Detroit? Will Em bury the hatchet with ex-wife Kim and litigious Mom? Does Eminem think we should give more money to AIG? Who knows!? But he thinks you should lick Fromunda cheese from under his nuts. Gross!
by Thomas Wilk
February 13, 2009
Eminem Relapses
TOP DOG
Back from whatever black hole he was swept into, Eminem hits the ground running. With help once again from 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, Eminem’s single “Crack a Bottle” is currently number one on the Billboard Hot 100. (Prior to Eminem, the number one track was the Kelly Clarkson song “My Life Would Suck Without You,” which is funny because my personal life would benefit greatly from the absence of Kelly Clarkson). In the first week of its arrival, “Crack a Bottle” was downloaded over 400,000 times, setting a new record.
The song will appear as the first track on Eminem’s upcoming album, Relapse, and will possibly also be featured on 50 Cent’s Before I Self Destruct, and Dr. Dre’s Detox. With three times the exposure, the seriously catchy “Crack a Bottle” will be on the shelf collecting dust in no time.
by Dan D’Ippolito
