elmattic

A little roundup of recommendations and club sandwiches while the next mix keeps kicking my ass.

• Open Mike Eagle :: Helicopter Podcast Episode 1 OME spins some of his most loved tracks, speaks on Project Blowed, what's coming in 2011 and suchlike.
• Uncommon Records :: Podcast [subscribe here on the iTunes]  Def Jux graduate, engineer extraordinaire and founder of Uncommon, Nasa and friends hook up this meaty show.
• Pure and crew have been hooking up Pitch Control Radio, and it's dope.
• Third Sight and Tenshun have a bunch of new tracks streaming on the ol' Soundcloud (which I still don't understand why it's not taking off.  Maybe it's the Howard Johnson's color scheme.)
• L*Roneous :: The Roller Coaster EP got slept on, but now everyone's playing catch up...some definite '90s style head-nodders on here.
• Skip Coon & Mr. Nick :: Independents Day EP starts the year with a fresh drop.
• Mister Cee :: Best of Mobb Deep mixtape takes the grimy way to QB.
• The Dirty Sample :: The Insane Chessboard is an 11-track Ghostface remix set...goes well with the hilarious faux-Face Chronicles.
• Memory Man :: I Am... (The Unauthorized Autobiography) takes on Nas' weakest LP and gives it newer, better beats.
• Nocando's 'Hurry Up And Wait' [below] was definitely an MMX Honorable Mention I missed.  You can also hear him flip verses over El-P's 'Time Won't Tell' instro here.

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• Google hits for 'Haiti earthquake' : 8,100,000
• Google hits for 'Kanye West' : 40,800,000
• Death toll from Haiti earthquake : est. 220,000
• Albums sold by Kanye West : 20 million
• Cost of Haiti earthquake : $8-14 billion
• Kanye West's annual income : $25 million

Get your shit correct.

Chuck D - 'This Bit Of Earth'

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Pummelvision of my 2010 Tumblr, set to Beat Rabbi's 'Double Dog Dare You.'

Hmm. Next year needs a bit less Wu, a bit more Pesci.

Internet's so brilliant at helping me piss away my life.  And give people graffiti-induced epileptic fits.

'Black Christmas' :: Army of the Pharoahs (Yazza Remix) [below]

Ace The Creator (Tyler of OFWGKTA) - 'Fuck Santa'

Every Xmas Rap Song Ever

[via Steady Bloggin']

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So here's the best of MMX mix, all the juiciest bangers.

Danger - Remedy / Never Fail - Adjust / Reasons - Grey Matter / Brainstorm Troopah* - Serum / General Patton - Big Boi / Gunfire - DJ Muggs & Bambu / 911 Is Still A Joke - Analog Amazon (Cas Metah & Mouth Warren) / Brolic - Killah Priest (feat. Empuls) / Chase Manhattan - DJ Muggs & Ill Bill (feat. Raekwon) / Philaflava Possecut 2010 - Blockhead, Self Says, Godamus Rhyme, Cadence Weapon, Rob Sonic, Ardamus, Tayo, Piff Tannen & Open Mike Eagle / It's So Hot - 4th Pyramid (feat. Greg Nice & Cosmo Baker) / Wallys & Pringles - Raekwon / Movement Music - Malcolm & Martin / The Radar Remix - Large Professor & Marco Polo / International Hitman - Lewis Parker / Who I Be (Marco Polo Remix) - Diamond District / Birds & Bees - Oddisee (feat. Diamond District) / Orange Juice - Earl Wolf aka Earl Sweatshirt of OFWGKTA / Strangers With Candy - Super Chron Flight Brothers / Shadow Temple - Bloody Monk Consortium / Silver Mountains Remix - Qwel & Maker / Unified Field - KRS-One & True Master (feat. Dr. Oyibo) / Smile - Greenhouse (Blueprint & Illogic) / Taxi - Ski Beatz (feat. Mos Def & Whosane)

Side A is here; download here.

*Fuck.  I just saw this actually came out in 2009.  Well, if that bugs you, replace this track with any joint off Apollo Kids, because that dropped too late for me to put it on.

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So yeah, Wiz Wacka Cudi Kanye Weezy Drake Nicky Minaj blah blah blah.  I just don't give a flying fuck about that stuff.  If My Beautiful Laundrette Fantasy Island is your bag, go for it, but my mission is to hype the unhyped and underhyped.

Anyway I must have listened to about five, seven thousand songs this year.  It's like a sickness.  I can't, I won't, I don't stop.  I went kinda overboard sifting out my favorites for y'all; next year you're on your own.

• Super Chron Flight Brothers :: Cape Verde / DirectTV If you don't know how much love I got for SCFB by now, you got rocks in your head.  This third LP has the best beats yet, word to Bond and Willie Green.  Cape Verde is a dissonant, addled and jumbled look at Amerikkka through the lens of TV--or maybe vice versa.  Woods & Privilege drop more deadly one-liners than there are magic marshmellows in Lucky Charms; the songs are so stream-of-stoned-consciousness that each listen brings out another gem.  Yeah, they let the samples run way long; yeah, the TV concept drifts in and out...because they were high.  Woods spits every line like it's the last, a pissed off, hungover Chuck D; Privilege brings his sly, sing-songy jokester sound in counterpoint.  This is political rap without sloganeering, ghettoism without nihilism, intelligence that doesn't pat itself on the back (when Woods says it's 'a Titus Andronicus moment,' he leaves it to you to Cliff Notes that shit).  Dropping references from Boo Radley to Ally Sheedy, The Shining to Foghorn Leghorn, and about a million other things, Cape Verde is somewhere between PTSD High & Rising and Fear of a Black Sarcasm. Cop that shit and bump it in your soon-to-be-repoed ride.

• KRS-ONE & True Master :: Meta-Historical KRS meets the Wu-Tang sound...it's like chocolate and bacon, you wonder why no one thought of this before.  Best KRS in about twelve years.
• Iron Lyon :: The Foundation EP Just some plain old dope shit.  What can I say.  This ain't Pitchfork.  I ain't gonna go all metaphor on your ass.
• Greenhouse (Blueprint & Illogic) :: Electric Purgatory Part 2 I already showed love for Blueprint, and this was a definite top play for the year.
• June Marx :: Body of God / Core of Vengeance Daaaayumn this shit came hard, like some RZA-produced Mobb Deep.  Don't sleep.
• Ski Beatz :: 24 Hour Karate School Pretty damn dope and not making other people's end-of lists.
• Ghostface Killah :: Apollo Kids Holy fuck, after the majorly lazy Wu-Massacre, Ghost springs back hard with some rock-solid Iron Man shit.  The Wu were kinda on the wane in 2000, but definitely picked up speed the last couple of years and stayed on top.
• Grey Matter :: Grey Matter Straight from the heart, Grey Matter's debut was sometimes too sincere to the point of didactic, but definitely on point and bringing back a deep, deep love of hip-hop.

• Open Mike Eagle :: Unapologetic Art Rap Funny, deft, smart...I wish it had better beats but this was one of the most interesting records of the year.  I know I called OME out on owing Rammellzee, but actually he's more a direct descendent of Basehead (...who I'll get on to next month).  While the hipsterati were all emolliating their privates with Das Racist's Essence of Williamsburg, O.M. Eagle brought a more intelligent, thoughtful, playful, diverse and honest record.

...plus the records I picked in June.

Back in the lab, the Large Hip Hop Collider produced some interesting scientifical theorems.  The Pro-Tools Imbalance proved that advances in software means you get a lot of records with great beats and mediocre-to-shitty rapping (c.f. V8 & Shortrock's All Terrain Bathroom Tile).

Shame On A Weed Carrier Theorem a.k.a. Self-Etherization Phenomenon had a lot of MCs getting murdered on their own shit by guest spots (see Hell Razah, Virtuoso, Ill Bill et al.)

Piff's Law states that the mixtape is always better than the album, which is disappointing ass.  Unlistenable, horrifying, smelly, stinky ass.  But the mixtape is fire.

• Joell Ortiz :: Project Boy/Farewell Summer/Belly of the Beast > Free Agent
• DJ Muggs x Bambu :: Los Angeles, Philippines > DJ Muggs & Ill Bill, Kill Devil Hills
• Cypress Hill :: The Uprising > Rise Up
• Mr. Dibbs :: Inducing Panic > Dead World

The Bandcamp Paradox encapsulates the unexplained phenomenon of free and inexpensive shit being better than what's released by record labels.  Not like you pay for that either.

• Malcolm & Martin :: Criminal Minded Off the back of the Movement Music mixtape, this track-by-track cover/reimagining of BDP made me stop hating on the 'classic album remake' concept (since it always just shows the new MCs aren't as good).  Definitely feeling this.
• Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All :: Radical This was definitely Odd Future's year.  With that name and the hype around 'em, I was expecting some kinda Panther Moderns/Clockwork Orange/4chan Clan thing, like Burroughs' Wild Boys but with less salamander butt-fucking.  In reality it's a crew of talented teenagers with straight-up teenage attitudes, a lot more debut Beastie Boys than debut Geto Boys.  Yeah, there's a lot of rapping about rape and other 'shocking' stuff, but they're so obviously fucking around it's pretty hard to be offended.  No question Tyler the Creator makes some incredible beats.  The lackadaisical, rambling, drawling lyricals don't always meet up to that, but the lack of calculated bullshit and raw honesty bring heat.  Pure energy.  Also, how can you not like a crew whose de facto leader comes with tweets like this:

• Bloody Monk Consortium :: Burden of Truth EP Sounds like somebody locked Killarmy in a dark basement for five years with nothing but PCP and Chinese opera records.
• Two Ton Sloth :: Siphoning Dreams I don't know if this is on outer edges of hip hop or not.  Not even sure if it's music.  But it's dope on that what-the-fuck-am-I-listening-to tip.
• PSY/OPSogist :: All The Absent Voices Honestly PSY/OPS' best work since The Cathode Ray Tube, and best instrumental shit I heard this year.

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• ‘Ebony Godfathers’ - John Robinson & Lewis Parker Another all-round nice head-nodder.
• ‘The Carpenter’ - Homeboy Sandman I’ma keep my eye on this cat, he’s got some interesting flows.
• 'Action' - Solomon Childs Already said I wasn't crazy about Pollen: The Wu-too-many Titles, but this was a standout.
• 'Return Of The Renaissance' - Hell Razah (feat. R.A. The Rugged Man) This LP wasn't as good as I was hoping, but R.A. eats that beat.
• 'Two Africans And A Jew' - A.R.M. Yeah, I'll admit it.  I had to peep it because of the title.
• 'Paradise Life Relaxin' - Creed Chameleon (feat. Bambu & Geo)
• 'Stop Fuckin' Around' - Amad-Jamal (feat. Maaya Ota aka Lady Dragon)
• 'Gutter Water' - Gangrene (feat. Raekwon) Rae came hard this year on the guest spot tip.
• 'How We Live' - The Left (feat. Hassaan Mackey)
• 'Capital Murda' - Nems
• 'Everyday In The Street' - El Da Sensei & The Returners (feat. Sean Price & Bekay)
• 'A.D.I.D.A.S.' - Ras Kass & DJ Rhettmatic (feat. Frankie Finch)
• 'Unapologetic' - Open Mike Eagle (feat. Nocando) Best cut off of a best-of-year LP.
• 'Sit Down, Man' - Das Racist (feat. El-P) I can't really get with Das Racist.  It's like they're for people who think Aesop Rock is too sincere or something.  They can flow, but it's enough already with the internet references all over the place and the Ellen DeGeneres jokes and the beats are kinda grating.  El-P kills it on this track though.
• 'Tijd' - Ciph Barker Wish I knew what homeboy was talking about, because this song is dope.  And mostly in Dutch.
• 'Chain Swinging' - Gangrene
• 'Step Correctly' - Celph Titled & Buckwild Buck's done better beats and Celph's definitely dropped tighter verses with better punchlines.  Disappointing LP of which this was a standout track.
• 'DC Joint (Guru Dedication)' - Damu The Fudgemunk
• 'From The Top' - Stik Figa (prod. Oddissee) If I'd done that Fitty Songs/Fitty States series, this would definitely represent Kansas.
• 'Snow' - Roc Marciano Ill beat.  Love to have the instro of that.  The remix is also pretty nice.
• 'Spear of Destiny' - June Marx
• 'Cool' - Earl Sweatshirt & Mike G Tyler's beats are really out there.  Earl brings a flow to it that's sloppy in a good way.
• 'The Gift (Oh No Ethio Remix)' - Whitefield Brothers (feat. Edan & Mr. Lif) It's that ill.
• 'How To Make Fire' - Virtuoso
• 'Barkside Corners' - Shabazz Palaces I'ma speak on Ishmael Butler's (née Digable Planets) new crew in the new year.  Peep this below in the meantime.

...why not to 50?  Because fuck round numbers, and this is too goddamn laborious.  Fat link in the comments.

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• 'Now' - Breez Evahflowin
• 'Reunited' - The White Shadow of Norway (feat. Strange Brew & Bobby Brewski) This LP was like a 99¢ store Army of the Pharoahs, but it had this one nice cut on it.
• 'Fingerprints' - The Narcicyst (feat. Omar Offendum)
• 'Goin’ Back' - Statik Selektah and Termanology (feat. Cassidy & Xzibit) Wasn’t really feeling the 1982 LP, but this track banged.
• ‘I Got Mines’ - Ski Beatz (feat. Tabi Bonney, Nikki Wray, Ras Kass, Stalley)
• El-P's Remix of That Justin Bieber Song I Don’t Know The Name Of Kinda a waste of a good sample, but whatever.  Bangin’ Bieber, who’da thunk it?  El Producto thunk it.
• 'Genesis ‘85 Intro' - Ensilence
• 'No Game Around Here' - Suga Bang Bang, Hell Razah, Killah Priest & Tash Mahogany From Pollen: The Swarm: Part 3: The Wu-overtitling
• ‘Fight to the End’ - Krookid Hooks
• 'I Got ‘Em' - Vado Vado came hard this year, no doubt.
• 'War Zone (Remix)' - Sunz Of Man & 60 Second Assassin (feat. RZA, La The Darkman, Prodigal Sun, Timbo King & Da Division)
• ‘Bay of Pigs’ - Virtuoso (feat. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Vast Aire, and Pidi T) [Produced by Blue Sky Black Death] With that lineup, Virtuoso doesn’t have to carry much weight, so we’ll see about his LP later.  Meantime, look at that fucking lineup!
• 'Boom Bap' - Iron Lyon (feat. Craig G) Does what it says in the title.
• ‘The Boogie Down Bombers’ - The Incredible Funk League (feat. Diamond D & Sadat X) The boom-bap revival continues…
• ‘Kill Devil Hills’ - Ill Bill & DJ Muggs (feat. B-Real & Vinnie Paz) Remember when Stoupe was aping Muggs’ style, and not the other way around?  Remember when Muggs used to produce the illest beats, so many he’d just stick in 30-second interludes of extra ones between songs?  Remember when he didn’t team up with 2nd/3rd-rate rappers?  This LP was on some bargain-basement Jedi Mind Tricks, with two good tracks only--both of 'em where the guest stars outshone the headliner.
• ‘Knock Knock’ - Mr. Dibbs (feat. Dose One & Jel) The underunderground bangs too, y’know.
• 'No Shots' - 7L & Esoteric 7L & Eso make some good tracks, but like High & Mighty and other ’90s-flame-keepers, never quite rise to true greatness.  Make some bangers though now and again.
• ‘Bust ‘Em In’ - Army of the Pharoahs Unholy Terror had like two good songs on it, but they were both straight fire.
• 'Overdose' - dead prez Remember when dead prez was actually good, and not some posturing, empty copy of themselves making bad records?  Yeah.  This track was fat though.
• 'Slick Money' - Senor Kaos (feat. P.So) (prod. Large Professor) All-around nice joint.

I'm sure somebody will be a big chief and upload this as one zip file, and leave the link in the comments.

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I don't want love.  I don't want forgiveness.  All I want is out of here.

--Burroughs, 'White Subway'

Evil Streets (Remix Instrumental) - Onyx / Departure - Jay Electronica / Dead Flowers - Bronze Nazareth (feat. 60 Second Assassin, Killah Priest & C-Rayz Walz) / Sleeping Giant - Epsilon Project (feat. Dopamine Rush P.O.E.) / Loves Gonna Getcha - Boogie Down Productions / Dreams - MoBonix / Paradise - C-Rayz Walz / Dream - Rob Swift (feat. Breez Evahflowin & Noam Chomsky) / Down - Ensilence / Gunbeat Falls - Shabazz Palaces / Will I Get Shot By A Dope Fiend? (Instrumental) - Third Sight / Memoirs of Tragedy - Killah Priest / Hock - 6RME / Vast Hope - DJ Bootsie (feat. Vast Aire) / Ruffturrain - Call O' Da Wild / Open Doors - Super Chron Flight Brothers / The Edge of Never (feat. Jodie Foster & Frank Sinatra) / Shadows - The Reavers

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Candle, that is.

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Blue Scholars - "50 Thousand Deep"

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» abnormL Injustice hit me up on his new instrumental joint, Beauty of the Seduction, showcasing beats from the Ode series.

I studied DJ Pain hard to see how, when and how long he drops in dialogue samples, and I'm always trying to cut mine back to the shortest and punchiest.  But on Odes, abnormL is just like, fuck it, run that shit from start to finish.  Let Chomsky or Thompson or Cooper say their thing, let it ride, and it will seep into brains whether you're paying attention or not.  Subliminal action, kid.

Also peep out Melting Ice, another instrumental joint.

» DJ Blood1's got a free instrumental album I'm feeling, New Motor Control.  He's had some tracks on Tablist.net comps.

» Melodica Deathship :: Doom Your Cities, Doom Your Towns.  Irish pirate rap?!  You know I had  to check that out.  It's not bad, more Blue Sky Black Hornpipe than Pirates of the Crooklyribbean.  Dukes doesn't sound Irish, that's the problem, shit needs more brogue.

» Odd Nosdam :: live @ WE Artspace Oakland 4|4|10.  Fucking genius, like Sonic Youth jamming with John Cale but with the one thing both of 'em's always been missing: fat MPC beats.

» PSY/OPSogist been dropping mad bombs for your ass.  By which I mean ears.  Everything Passes: 01, 02, 03, 04 & 05 and All The Absent Voices, which is hands down some of the best shit he's ever done.

I really been meaning to do a writeup on PSY/OPS, but how do you describe what its maker calls 'no music'?  How do you speak on his melange of hard drums, melodies and anti-melodies, and loops twisted into sine waves of regret?  Just peep it, and hit his blog for his other records.  Today's enclosed track is his 'No Solace In Liquor' off the new EPs.

» Got loads of tracks of the day over at the new Tumblr.  Come on down.

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This ain't funny so don't you dare laugh.

Intro / Children's Story Freestyle - Shabazz the Disciple / I Can't Go Broke - Joell Ortiz / Children's Story - Everlast (feat. Rahzel) / Catacomb Kids (AspeQt Remix) - Aesop Rock / Children's Story - Black Star / A Gangsta's Fairytale - Ice Cube / Hood Lullabye - The Black Market Militia / This Child - Joell Ortiz / Say Our Goodbyes - Grey Matter / Dead Like The Young - Pasobionic / On Coming From A Broken Home (Part 2) - Gil Scott-Heron / Kids In The Street - Hell Razah / Things Done Changed (Simple & Memory Lane March 9 Remixes) - The Notorious B.I.G. / Boys To Men (Instrumental) - Greenhouse (Blueprint & Illogic) / Our Father - Saul Williams / Synopsis Two: Mother's Day - The 24 Carat Black

Part 1

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Must not sleep.  Must warn others.

Beast Vision - Nephlim Modulation Systems / Delirium #3 - Tenshun / Psychic Dictatorship - Red Ants / Government Secret - Mix Master Mike / On Your Retina - PSY/OPSogist / Slaves - Presage / No Masters - DJ Blood1 / Necessary Illusions - Abnorml Injustice / #35 - The Gaslamp Killer / Delirium #6 - Tenshun / Notice The Spirit - ATMA, Apakalypse & Illuminati Congo / Zombie [Counter] - Alphabethead / Operation World Domination - Spectre / Channel Assign - Jel / They Hate - Dockta Valkus / Reptilian Agenda - B. Dolan / She Watch Channel Zero - Public Enemy / Wake Up (Bubblegum Edit) - Rage Against The Machine / Full System Station - El-P / Emmanuel Goldstein - Super Chron Flight Brothers (feat. Bigg Jus) / Outro

Bonus track: ATMA & Illuminati Congo - Reptilian Body Snatchers

So this got me thinking about conspiracy theories.  It's just a pessimist/paranoid's flip on the unified world view of religion--makes you feel better because everything's under one central control, except instead of Jesus it's the Annunaki.  It's comforting to the extent that all your problems (which if you believe in this shit, are many) can be blamed externally: lost your job?  Socialist conspiracy of the New World Order.  Couldn't get a gun permit (because you're batshit)?  Illuminati master plan.  Feel like the world is too complicated to understand?  Fear agenda of the reptilian overlords.  Haiti earthquake?  MJ12 experiment.  Can't comprehend/process the horror of 9/11?  Bush did it.

Continue Reading »

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1. Basquiat Reeboks!? Who wears these?  Artistic Bay Area chicks?  Those Das Racist guys?

They’re kinda fresh, sort of, but not as cool as my Picasso Pumas.  Or my Kandinsky New Balances.

2. Thirstin Howl the 3rd’s Jail Recipes Cooking Show – Episode 1: Pulpo & Calamares In Rice

You can get octopus in jail?  And cook it with what, a toilet seat and a clothes iron?

Be sure to check out the mail call at 6:35, where Riker's inmate Larry Robinson says:

Your show is off the hook kid...your recipe for Walkman tape deck into tattoo machine is genius.  I made one and the C.O. found it on a search down after somebody snitched.  I'm in the box now and I'll be here for a while so I won't be able to catch the show.  One love.

This show is for people who don't get the Food Network I guess.  Like if you're in jail.  Wait, then you wouldn't get YouTube either.  Wait, if you're in jail, you're not reading this.  Unless you're on an iPhone smuggled in someone's ass.  Wait, if you are in jail, reading this on an iPhone smuggled in someone's ass, how many cigarettes is a blow job going for these days?

3. Where can I get one of these rings and would I look stupid wearing it?  Fuck it, I'd rock that.

4. 'Mossman' - Bomarr & Circus [below]

Mossman?  What the fuck are you talking about?

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