Dec
20
2011

Top 5 Rappers I Wanted To Like But Ended Up Hating

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Gautamanation!

Welcome to the inaugural installment of my “Shooting Myself In The Foot” series.  This is where I (in a shameless attempt to garner more hits for the blog) share my opinions about hip hop.  I call it “Shooting Myself In The Foot” because if I do my job and really get some eyeballs to the blog I’ll make famous rappers upset and get myself blacklisted by them.  We’ll start by pouring up a tall glass of hater-ade and go in on some new jacks but first a little background info…

… I was born in 1982, which means I’m pushing 30 and in “hip hop years” I’m pretty much a crotchety old man.  I’m currently working on my second decade in this game and things have changed a lot since the mid 90’s when I first started pretending I could rap.  That being said, I generally try to avoid becoming the “jaded head” you know the type, some dude who swears up and down how much he loves hip hop but then can’t stop talking shit about every hip hop artist on earth.  I’m not trying to bring the 90’s back, in the 90’s I was scrawny with bad acne, lived with my mom and was so intimidated by women that I could have probably ended up with blue balls while sitting in a whorehouse with 10 crisp $100 bills in my pocket.  I actually love watching the progress of rap music and am happy to see it expand its horizons.  I’m rooting for the new generation, and I am optimistic that rap will continue to progress.  It is perhaps because of that optimism that I often find myself disappointed by the latest rappers to gain national attention.  The story goes like this, an artist starts building a buzz, they end up on my radar, I check them out with varying degrees of enthusiasm and then –at some point– I realize that as much as I want to love them I actually HATE them.  Here’s the top 5 cases:

#5: Wiz Khalifa

As anyone who knows me– or has read any of my barely articulate and bi-polar twitter posts on Sundays in the fall– may know I am a DIE HARD Steelers fan.  Both of my parents are from that area and I was rooting for them before I even knew it.  So when a rapper emerges from Pittsburgh, giving the finger to industry standards and ending up on MTV without a record deal and I was all for it.  His songs struck me as unique, I liked his playful attitude and when I saw Lamarr Woodley in the “Black And Yellow” video I thought I was going to be a fan forever.  Then the unthinkable happened, the major label debut came out “Roll Up” was everywhere and then the coattail express started rolling, out comes Mac Miller and I realized that the reason I had trouble telling his songs apart wasn’t because he had a “distinct style” that he stuck to with consistency it was because he made the same song 6000 times and was in fact lazy and marginally talented.

Why the hate?  I’m never one to hold someone’s success against them and if “Rolling Papers” had lived up to the limited potential I thought I heard in previous offerings, I’d probably be a fan but the major label debut is not the time to get complacent it’s the time to really crank things up to high gear and for forgetting that, Wiz ends up in this article.

#4 Odd Future

I know it is a whole bunch of dudes and people say that “so-and-so” is the real talent of the group but I’m lumping them all together because everything I’ve heard from all of the members yielded the same reaction from me.  I remember when I first caught wind of these guys and I was exited to check them out.  A lot of people–who’s opinions I respect–were speaking highly of them and I was intrigued by their irreverence and the excitement they were generating.  Name dropping cool bands, doing Lykke Li remixes, I was amped to check them out.  I listened to their music.  I downloaded everything I could find, loaded up the mp3 player with it and easily listed to every song I had no fewer than 10 times.  I was determined not to get left in the dust by sleeping on the crew that would become the hipster illuminati’s newest darlings.  Problem is, I hated it, to me it was just lazily done, I mean not having a chorus doesn’t always mean you’re “lyrical” sometimes it just means you couldn’t come up with a hook.  The supposed “shock value” was neither shocking nor of much value to me.  I’m happy that they were able to break though with such unconventional methods but the music just doesn’t do it for me.  Honestly they sound exactly like what they are, a bunch of teenagers still learning the awkward realities of life and trying there best to cope with them creatively.  That isn’t a bad thing for a person to do but it is a horrible thing for a person to listen to.

Why the hate?  It’s not really their fault, for a while there at the beginning of 2011 I couldn’t go to any music blog without hearing about them, that built up a level of hype that would be hard for anyone to live up to and that quickened my fatigue but at the same time the shit is just uninspired juvenile dribble to me and I wish I’d never heard it.

#3 Yelawolf

Okay, this one really hurt.  I lived in Atlanta for ten years and Yelawolf put in mad work in the ATL.  Shit I have buddies that went to high school with homie.  I loved the style, the idea of a southern white boy doing “southern white boy shit” and getting love in the hip hop arena.  I was late getting around to peeping him, I thought “Pop The Trunk” was a cool song and video but after about three listening sessions I came to the conclusion that instead of being good it was actually offensively bad.  Granted, dude’s got the rapid-fire thing down and he did do a song with Big Boi but I ain’t buying it, shit is whack.  He’s clearly out-matched by his label mates and sadly I think he’s been grinding so long that all label money is going to do is make him complacent and quickly distinguish any spark that may have once burned.

Why the hate?  Gimmickry is a slippery slope, as a southern white man, I can’t help but be offended by the perpetuation of those stereotypes attributed to us.

#2 Wale

First things first, I fucking LOVED “Nike Boots” and “Mixtape About Nothing” still gets spins in my mp3 player but DAMN HOMIE!!! Rick Ross!?!  I’m sure it’s big bread and all the trappings that go along with it but Rick Ross is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with post 2000 rap music and as much as I’d gladly cash his checks I cringe to see a talent like Wale swallowed up by that monster.  I just wonder what the meetings went like “Wale, you are talented… way more talented than the hacks we’ve been putting on… One problem, all that lyricism is not what MTV wants… here’s our plan: pretend to not be talented, BUT since you are talented, your not talented rapper impersonation will sell WAY more than these truly untalented flunkies we’ve already made into millionaires… you DO want to be a millionaire right?”

Why the hate? dude’s boss is a fucking ex-cop… must I elaborate?

#1 Lupe Fiasco

This is coming from a guy that had “Food And Liquor” in the CD player of my Eclipse (RIP) exclusively for at least 3 months.  ”Kick, Push” YES!!! shit I even bumped the hell out of “Superstar” but watching this guy unravel on twitter only to reemerge in a shiny faux Members Only jacket and spiked wristband just makes my blood boil.  This is the perfect case of hopes dashed.  When dude first dropped I was working at The Sharper Image at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, GA.  At this point my dreams of hip hop greatness had endured a tragic shattering following the inglorious demise of my first group Street Temple Emcees.  I was a working stiff trying to nudge myself back into the game by saturating my ears with everything hip hop that I could get my hands on.  I was a full time consumer indie to major and when I worked the closing shift at Sharper Image I’d let the team play V103, this kept me up to date on what the white dudes in suits were throwing their dough behind.  When I heard Lupe in their drive time rotation my first thought was “there is hope!!!”  But “The Cool” nah… “Lazers” no thanks… Lupe sucks, he’s faking the funk to the highest degree and I’d personally like to go 12 rounds with him, he’ll have to get up to 160 because I can’t bring myself to drop any more than 50 lbs for his lame ass but we can do it, he’s rich he can hire the best trainer in the world but I promise you I will clean his clock.  It will be like “The Great White Hype” in reverse.  I’m not joking, we can sell tickets, we can give the proceeds to the charity of his choice, I will starve myself for 6 months to get down to 160 and Lupe will go down in 3… at 210 I’m comfortable at 160 I’m STARVING something Lupe hasn’t been in a long time, that is why he fell off.

Why the hate?  The rise and fall of Lupe Fiasco is indicative of the music environment that claims many a rapper nowadays.  My personal belief is that this is a systematic mechanism of oppression.  Should a rapper that is not just a minstrel show by another name or the rebirth of Al Jolson in black-face start to gain some sort of mainstream cultural relevance why wouldn’t the power elite move quickly to neutralize that voice?  What does the oligarchy (yeah I read 1984) have to gain from the “Food And Liquor” era Lupe becoming a cultural force?  It is the knee-jerk reaction of these aristocrats to promptly take such voices out of the game and if the people resist just twist that voice into something acceptable and force feed it to said people.  It’s not always the case… Dead Prez hasn’t put a record out in a decade and still gets paid, but that’s another topic.  What I’m saying is… rappers with even the slightest inkling of a “message” have no business on commercial airwaves or with a video on Viacom, some people sneak through, but as a general rule, the wealthy business class will never allow true expression to become a blue chip franchise.  The mere fact that someone with an inkling of talent would try to jump through those hoops just breaks my heart.  There is no happy medium, do it yourself or don’t do it at all!!!…

… There it is, perhaps one of the seven people that read this with have the gall to challenge my assertion, I welcome that.  Yes, I do sound like a “hater” and perhaps I am.  Yes, I have been a little harsh on the aforementioned rap artists but before you shed tears for any of these rappers remember that they have legions of fans and tons of money and I live with my grandparents and spend my Saturdays taking fifths of Canadian Club to the face while watching Comedy Central.  I may sound jealous, envious or other such adjectives and to say these things would be totally missing my point.  I WANTED to be fans of these dudes THEY blew it not me… now blow up the comment board!!!

By Ghani | Posted in Bring Your A Game Tour Goes to the Capitol, Bring Your A Game Tour: Bennington Bound, Events, Free Music Friday, Music Monday, Music Reviews, News, Pittsburgh Steelers 2010, Politricks And Culture Wars, Shooting Myself In The Foot, The Bring Your A Game Tour, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Nov
14
2011

#MusicMonday Crocker does Audible Palindrome

What’s up Guatamanation,

Been a hot minute but I definitely need to get back into the groove of writing in the blog since now this baby’s got a fancy Android app…

… Today I’m going to tell you about a record I’ve really been feeling.  It is Spartanburg SC’s resident rabble rouser, Crocker lending his rhymes to Prof. Logik’s instrumental album “Audible Palindrome.”  I’ve been keeping up with Crocker’s output for almost a year now and have been impressed by the growth he’s shown.  He does rap the way I like it done, with enough principle and conviction to avoid the trappings that ruin the careers of radio-rap impersonators but with enough bravado and irreverence to keep things enjoyable.  I consider him a kindred spirit in that regard since we both harbor animosity towards minstrel show mainstream dribble and self-righteous underground babble with equal ferocity.  It is that ferocity that has shined the brightest through Crocker’s previous work.  In your face, bombastic punch-lines delivered with a raspy timbre and unique drawl has been the trademark tool in his toolbox.  That’s what makes the smoothed-out cleverness of “Audible Palindrome” such a refreshing departure.  The same sharp wit we’ve come to expect from Crocker but delivered with a more measured and in-the-pocket attack that exhibits a knack for phrasing and cadence that his previous offerings don’t.  Prof. Logik’s down-tempo future-funk that permeates the album creates the perfect compliment and in ways the atmospheric synths and slick-yet-aggressive drums become the perfect hype-man…

In all, I highly recommend checking for this album.  We here at The Gautamanation are big fans of Crocker and think you will be too:

By Ghani | Posted in Music Monday | Comments (0)
May
16
2011

#MusicMonday J. Leggs

This week’s #MusicMonday is dedicated to a very hungry artists who along with the rest of his N.O.R.T.H. Coalition comrades has been steadily grinding and making noise throughout the Carolinas and beyond.  This is evident in N.O.R.T.H. Coalition’s impressive collection of mixtapes.  Recently J. Leggs was selected the winner of nchiphopconnect.com’s Who Killed It? contest I’d like to extend my congratulations J. Leggs on behalf of The Gautamanation. The Notorious Others (as N.O.R.T.H. Coalition sometime refer to themselves) aren’t just “studio” rappers either. They put on a high energy live show, but you don’t have to take my word for it come see for yourself on June 10th. Y’all make sure you check for J. Leggs and the rest of N.O.R.T.H. Coalition:

JLeggs on Twitter

N.O.R.T.H. Coalition on Twitter

J. Leggs on Reverbnation

and help spread the word

and click on the picture below for a FREE DOWNLOAD

By Ghani | Posted in Music Monday | Comments (0)
May
14
2011

Strong Medicine Cover and Tracklist

Ghani Gautama: "Strong Medicine"
Ghani Gautama: “Strong Medicine”

Strong Medicine Tracklist (OFFICIAL)

1. Strong Medicine (beat by Ty Bru)

2. Dance Cowboy (beat by DBZ Beatz)

3. What Am I Waiting For (beat by B.E. Productions/LexZyne Productions)

4. The Standstill feat. Evaready R.A.W. (beat by Metrognome)

5. Stonehenge (beat by In Depth Jay)

By Ghani | Posted in Events, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
May
12
2011

Bill O’Reilly is a Fascist Bigot

So I’ve been tossing around ideas on how to punch this blog up a little, make is more engaging for the reader and gain a wider base of regular readers. I don’t know if this the way to do that but it is definitely a departure from my normal fare. So anyone who follows me on any of my social networks knows that I can, at times, offer a little T.M.I. I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve, despite my attempts at stoicism, and now, via status update, I also broadcast my heart to network of people whom I may or may not know, at least well enough to talk politics. As I type this on May 12th 2011 I realize that my social network includes a wide array of people from all walks of life with a plethora of ideas, values, and opinions. I’ve made statements in status updates before about cable news pundits and the result has been a long thread of comments that undoubtedly flooded my friends time-lines and resolved nothing. This post is an attempt to avoid that situation because social networks are a valuable marketing tool for me and I’d hate to weaken my network on account of Bill O’Reiley.

I watch Fox News when I’m at the gym on the elliptical for two reasons: 1) it helps keep my heart rate up to the vigorous levels that I like to optimize my workout and 2) I’ve lived in the Southeast my entire adult life and Fox News is very popular thus watching it gives me an opportunity to attach context to the opinions I hear amongst my fellow Americans in my daily comings and goings. I am above all a populist. I consider myself a man of the people and try my best to be respectful of all views and opinions and since Fox News is the highest rated cable news channel–and therefore highly influential– I feel like it is important to expose my mind to that viewpoint. Plus it’s the only 24hr news channel my gym has and I’m addicted to the news. It is in this setting that upon watching the first 15 or so minutes of the May 11th airing of “The O’Reilly Factor” I took to my personal Facebook page to make this status update: “I try not to drink the pinko lib’rul kool-aid and give these pundits a fair shake but… Bill O’Reilly is a fascist bigot.” I was compelled to such action after watching a segment-and-a-half about the supposedly “controversial” invitation of rapper Common by the Obamas to the White House poetry night.

I’ll try my best to reconstruct what happened but fist allow me to preface that by addressing a few points that I feel will better frame my assertions going forward. First, I am, by no means, a “Pro-Obama” person. My feelings toward President Obama are much like my feelings toward any politician, I agree with some of what he does I disagree with some of what he does. I am not a Democrat and I consider myself political independent. I do– for the sake of full exposure–harbor a lot of ideals that would fall on the left side of the political spectrum.

Second, I don’t subscribe to the knee-jerk alarmism that some on the political left subscribe to pertaining to Fox News and it’s pundits. I don’t believe that it “needs to be stopped” as some like to say. In fact, I do at times agree, at least partially, with some assertions that Mr. O’Reilly makes. For instance on the May 10th airing of “The O’Reilly factor, I found myself in agreement with Billo on the notion that immigration reform must include securing our borders as well as a proactive and transparent process of nationalization and citizenship. Just to clarify, I’m not anti-immigrant and don’t think we should have snipers shooting illegal border-crossers but I do think secure borders are important to the process, plus it would create jobs, not just through increased border patrol personnel but also in the construction of the fences and through the support staff (admins, maintenance staff, ect.) that would be needed to facilitate a stronger presence along the border. I digress, the point I’m trying to make is that I don’t reflexively disagree with Bill O’Reilly just because he’s a Fox News pundit.

Finally, I don’t harbor any delusions about the nature of cable news. I admit I prefer my propaganda left-leaning (or perhaps leaning forward) but I know that MSNBC is a subsidiary of GE and another thus in the employ of the corporatocracy and are merely the Pepsi to Fox News’ Coca-Cola. I watch “Hardball”– Chris Matthews is a chest-beating loudmouth. I watch “The Last Word,”– Lawrence O’Donnell is a pretentious Ivy-League ideologue. Let’s not even start with Ed Schultz. I excluded Rachael Maddow from my scathing indictment because, honestly, I find her show to be journalistic and intellectually sound and I find myself rabidly attracted to her (Some of you may think that’s weird, but I think smart is sexy.) I won’t even touch CNN because their brand of centrism is solely for the sake of widening market shares and aside from a few flourishes from Anderson Cooper and Fareed Zakaria I haven’t seen them as relevant for years.

Again I digress, I suppose what I am getting at is that I am an independent thinker and I don’t take to Facebook to spew out recycled opinions.

So back to my potentially incendiary status update. First I’ll address the fascist claim. Benito Mussolini defines fascism as follows: “Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” I think the definition speaks for itself, ideology aside, Fox News and O’Reilly are unabashed in their pro-corporate stances and repeatedly champion policies that promote Mussolini’s “merger of state and corporate power.”

As far as bigotry, there were three distinct instances on the show where O’Reilly asserts viewpoints that I can only define as bigoted. When addressing the issue of Common being invited to the White House’s poetry night by the Obamas, O’Reilly called it a “PR disaster.” This assertion was based, as best as I could gather, on the fact that Common has some controversial lyrics that cover controversial topics. In his “Talking Points Memo” segment, Billo stated that Barack Obama’s decision to invite Common showed the president’s lack of “understanding of the sensibilities of regular Americans” and then went on to state that Common’s audience was young, urban, minorities. I could only infer from this that it was O’Reilly’s opinion that young, urban, minorities are somehow not “normal Americans” since Obama’s decision to invite Common (an artist who, as Billo puts it appeals to young, urban minorities) to the White House was indicative of President Obama’s supposed lack of the aforementioned “understanding.” This assertion took an even more bigoted tone as O’Reilly interviewed his first guest (the head of a national police organization) and made repeated implications that President Obama was somehow not smart enough to know why people would think Common a controversial guest. The problem is, the controversy that Billo and his guest kept referring to was a fabrication of their own making. They both made multiple claims that Common promoted murdering police officers in his songs. This, however, is simply not the case. In the lyrics in question, Common expresses his skepticism about the guilty verdict leveled against Assata Shakur for the shooting of a police officer. He also expresses similar skepticism about the Mumia Abu Jamal case (another police shooting.) While Common’s views are not necessarily conventional they are not without precedent and they certainly don’t condone killing police officers. Questioning weather a guilty verdict was valid in a police murder trial is quite different than condoning killing police officers. O’Reilly’s attempt to paint Common as a cop-killing advocate seems a lot like a spin, which is interesting in the self-proclaimed “No Spin Zone” but neither this or his attack on Obama’s intelligence are outwardly bigoted. O’Reilly did fail to challenge his guest (to police officer) when he began to make personal attacks on Common calling him a “fraud” because his father was a professional athlete and Common himself had a college education. That reeked of bigotry from where I was standing. What it sounded like to me was that this pig was saying that a black man with an education and affluent roots is somehow not genuine and in fact a “fraud.”

All of the above still didn’t explicitly indicate bigotry. It was when Billo made his play achieving the coveted “fair and balanced” status that I saw the bigotry come to light. After the cop, O’Reilly brought on two supposedly liberal guests to provide a counter point to his assertions that Common’s invitation to the White House by Obama was a “PR disaster.” As the guests futilely attempted to illustrate why they didn’t agree with this statement one of them brought up the fact that Bill Clinton had invited Eric Clapton to the White House and caused no such controversy. Eric Clapton as you may know is famous for songs such as “Cocaine” and his rendition of “I Shot The Sheriff” a song that explicitly details the killing of a police officer. O’Reilly dismissed this out of hand and then proceeded to interrupt and insult his guests at which point I could no longer watch. I left the gym steaming at what I had just witnessed. O’Reilly’s dismissal of the Eric Clapton argument revealed clearly to me what the other questionable notions had been hinting at. All of the sudden the exclusion of young, urban minorities from the ranks of “normal Americans,” the repeated implications that President Obama was not intelligent or perceptive enough to see the controversy, and the failure to challenge the cop’s attack on Common’s character became unmistakable indicators of one thing:

“Bill O’Reilly is a fascist bigot”

thank you

take care of yourselves and each other

By Ghani | Posted in Politricks And Culture Wars, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Apr
17
2011

#MusicMonday Venue Revue: The Money, Rock Hill SC

So, in my tenure as a working musician–that now spans my entire adult life–I’ve come to realize a few things about venues. One of those things is, the bathroom tells the whole story. It’s been my experience that if the bathroom is covered in stickers and graffiti, has little to no paper towels or soap available, and requires pissing in a trough or some other metal receptical, that you’re probably going to have an awesome time there. This rule holds up at the jewel of Rock Hill South Carolina, The Money. Sitting just across the street from Winthrop University, with a gravel parking lot and nondescript exterior it can be easy to miss at first visit but once you’ve been inside for an evening you’ll never forget it. You’ll probably be greeted at the door by Bubba, a mountain of a man who handles the door and who has exceptional manners. Once inside you’ll see a well equipped stage with nice sound and an impressive lighting array. There’s pool tables and a back patio and a bar that is always staffed with a pleasant and eager-to-please barkeep. I just played there this Saturday (4-16) and Trista was the bartender, she delivered top-notch service throughout an evening that was eventful, to say the least. The guy in charge is Issac Spivey who is excellent to work with and runs a great venue. I definitely recommend stopping by if you’re ever in the Rock Hill area, they have a fine selection of draft beers and drink prices that are easy on a budget…

…In fact I just played my best show since moving to Charlotte at The Money this past Saturday (4-16-2011.) Ant from Gastonia’s Negative Six Feet was good enough to include me on the bill and it was a honor and privilige to play. I opened the show to a receptive and enthusiastic audience. I was followed by Marshall Alexander who I’ve seen several times at The Money and who’s improved immensely each time, this was easily his best performance as he powered through his set with a rapid fire bounce. Next came Ghost Unknown with his collective of “403 Mobstaz” by the sheer volume of “403 Mobstaz” shirts in the building they definitely came to make a statement, and a statement they made. Next up was a rousing, high-energy set from Abnormal, who stirred the crowed to a beer and shots fueled frenzy that knocked at least one person off of their feet. Then Negative Six Feet took the stage and treated the people to their brand of raucous microphone domination including an awesome rendition of “Pistol Grip Pump” that stole the show in my opinion.  Following that was the highly touted home town hero (well he’s from Charlotte) F. Dux leader of the Low Life Movement. Despite a set that was cut short by technical difficulties, Dux still delivered a highly entertaining set with his booming rasp and imposing stage presence. The headliner was Columbia, South Carolina’s own Lord Lhus of Snowgoons and Savage Brothers Fame. He served up his signature style of lyricism that is both raw and technically proficient and proved why he is a rising force in Hiphop in the states and abroad. The night also got REAL Hiphop during Lhus’ set, I’m not one to churn the gossip mill so I’ll leave it at that, those who were there know what I’m talking about. There were even bonus sets by the always entertaining Audible Thoughts and the perpetually intense Treymattic. Both of these acts I’ve come to know pretty well and always enjoy them. All in all, a spectacular evening of Hiphop that I was extremely happy to be a part of…

… Next stop is Twilight Caribbean Bar and Grill for NTice Music’s QC Music series info about that is right HERE

By Ghani | Posted in Music Monday, News, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Apr
10
2011

Three Shows, Four Days, One Blog Post

What’s up Gautamanation,

It’s been a little while since I’ve hit y’all with one of these. I’ve been slowly chipping away at the scene here in my new digs Charlotte, NC and April just exploded into a super busy month. With the first leg of it under my belt let me recap…

… Monday April 4th, “Monday Night Mic Fights” @ Jeff’s Bucket Shop, Charlotte, NC:

The day started slow, did all my regular day to day stuff, picked up some flyers for another show (the grind never stops) put together my set on the lap top and headed out to the spot around 9pm…

… Landed at Jeff’s Bucket Shop and checked in with Eric Brayman the purveyor of Queen City Hip-Hop’s finest monthly event and all around righteous dude. Also got to link up with David Rea aka Shadow and Garrett Miller aka Rok Six, two Charlotte mainstays who have been extremely supportive of your boy since my arrival here in NC…

…House Of Pain was in town that night so the crowd wasn’t as thick as usual but it was still a spirited and lively bunch that grew thicker as the night went on. I did my set, collected my daps, and went on to meet the people. I got great feedback from the attendees and a few useful pointers from Shadow and even got loose in the freestyle cipher…

… All in all an awesome night and I promise to all my Queen City Hip Hop brethren that I’ll be in attendance more often…

Wednsday April 6th, “Street Beats Invitational Part 4″, @ The Money in Rock Hill, SC:

Tuesday was a down day, catching up on rest and such. Got the call from Evaready RAW around 10am on Wednsday that he was on the way with Teabag Da Herbalist in tow. They showed up at the crib around 3pm and got settled in. We got set CDs together and headed out to the venue around 8pm…

…The usual suspects were at the spot, good chopping it up with Audible Thoughts and Marshall Alexander. It was cool catching up with the homies from Negative 6 Feet, and extra cool chopping it up with Lord Lhus and Knowledge who made the trip from Columbia SC to give folks a preview of what they can look forward to when they come back to The Money on April 16th…

… It was awesome rockin with Evaready RAW again and it’s always an honor to share the stage with Teabag Da Herbalist so the set’s were, needless to say, DOPE. I was glad to link back up with Ty Hann from Gone Ape Music and the dudes from Cat City Records and Blaklabel and let them see some of the people who brought me up in this music thing. Issac and everyone from The Money were top notch as always and I look forward to bringing more excellent music to that fine establishment in the future…

…Despite my old man driving and missing the only turn I had to make on the trip home we made it back to the house and rested up for the next day’s trip…

Thursday April 7th Volume 11 Tavern in Raleigh NC:

This was the show that the week was built around. I had this show set up for a while and was really looking forward to getting back to Raleigh. So much talent was in the building. DJ Elevate (who–unbeknown to either of us before that night–happened to have gone to high school with me in Myrtle Beach South Carolina, small world) held down the tables all night and Ill Tactics handled hosting duties. Cyrano jumped things off and it was a true honor to have Mightier Than The Sword Records’ own Ty Bru rock a set. Ill Tactics was next to dazzle with his rapid fire raps and animated showmanship. Then Crown Town’s finest N.O.R.T.H. Coalition brought their whole team out and really got things turned up to 11. We came next and for only our second time performing together we showed out. Ignite Mindz (of Ignite and Imagery) followed and lived up to his name with an assist from Tuscon and the whole 4th Quarter team closed out the evening. I was exited about having that many talented artists on the bill and can’t wait to get back again. Plus I got to see my little sister which is always awesome and DJ Elevate hooked us up with some couches to crash on so we could make the drive back well rested…

… I love this life!

Catch y’all soon, Take care of yourselves and each other,

GG

By Ghani | Posted in Events, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Mar
29
2011

#MusicMonday: The Wisdom Of Insecurities by LockOne and Ratchet

Artist: LockOne and Ratchet
Album: The Wisdom Of Insecurities
I’ve been fortunate in my musical exploits to have been able to meet a lot of talented artists.  In fact that sometimes has desensitized me to truly impacting music.  I’ve gotten spoiled to the point where I expect a certain level of quality from my peers that even excellent albums sound average.   Every once in a while though, something comes along that totally surpasses those expectations and really forces me to dig in and listen.  ”The Wisdom Of Insecurities” by LockOne and Ratchet is one of those such moments.  It was touted by LockOne as “synth-heavy” and it is definitely that but what struck me most about it was the cohesion achieved between producer and rapper.  In a time where rappers go shopping for the “hottest” beats and albums sound like mixtapes “The Wisdom Of Insecurities” is a welcome departure.  A clear vision and sonic statement persists throughout as LockOne wields his synths like a lead guitar conjuring up post-modern sound-scapes that drive Ratchet’s tourtured bravado all the way from deadpan to dervish and everywhere in between.  The strongest element of the album though is the restraint both artists use.  An album like this could easily go off the deep end with Ratchet’s vocal dexterity and LockOne’s mastery of the boards, but in the case of “The Wisdom Of Insecurities” both artists reign things in just enough to offer up concise very listenable songs while keeping a biting edge throughout.  Highlights include “My Insecurities,” “Desire” and “Fortune Favors The Brave” with “Love Once Lived” serving as a perfect epilogue with the album’s sole guest feature from Poodie The Byz injecting a dose of estrogen into the high octane spectacle and playing the role of the sugar that makes the medicine go down.
Verdict:

COP IT

By Ghani | Posted in Music Monday, Music Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Feb
28
2011

#Music Monday: “The Bastard Sessions” by Crocker

Album: “The Bastard Sessions”
Artist: Crocker

I walk around entertaining the notion that I am perfect in every way. I am boyishly handsome, an electrifyingly entertainer and a generous lover amongst a laundry list of other positive attributes. However I am realistic and know that there is a selective cross-section of the population who just might disagree with me and would be quick to point out my flaws. Among those flaws, one would most likely list my amatuerish abilities as a music journalist…

… That being said here is my take on “The Bastard Sessions” by Crocker:
I always wondered what Slug would sound like if he was born 10 years later in South Carolina. I got my answer. That is not a dis– at least not coming from me– it is in fact a compliment. I really can’t think of a more appropriate parallel to draw for an emcee who references Corey Haim and Freaky Tah in the same line. Add that to the verbose earnestness and willingness to sing hooks and there we go. I personally have a soft spot for South Carolinians who overcome the deep red leanings of that state to address the public with something that challenges the Bill O’Reily’s of the world. Crocker will “piss on your Lambo” and I wouldn’t even be mad at him even it was mine. That is the kind of piss and vinegar that I look for in a rapper on the come up. My take on this project is that you should check for it. I could go track for track and give you an over intelectualized analysis of it but that would be journalistically irresponsible. This one is made for the people and I invite the people to levy their verdict. There is a handfull of rappers who shine on this one and I would like to personally invite you– the reader– to draw your own conclusion but if I have any ability to influence you decision, I would say: “SHIT IS TIGHT”

The Verdict: CHECK FOR IT
Click HERE to listen

By Ghani | Posted in Music Monday, Music Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Feb
18
2011

Ed E. Ruger’s “Ziplocked & Loaded”… A Review

Artist: Ed E. Ruger

Title: Ziplocked & Loaded

Within the first couple of bars of the introductory track of this album Ed E. Ruger establishes the fact that he is a driven, earnest artist (and I do mean artist) with a knack for imagery and an honest “every-man” appeal. Throughout Ziplocked & Loaded, the Greensboro, NC native flexes his gutteral rasp with an elasticity and versatility that sets him apart from the one-trick ponies that have become so prominate in today’s hiphop arena. The album is lush with low end thump, watery synths and moody pianos all driving Ruger’s ongoing narrative of an artist and man capturing the glory of his dreams on his own terms.
Boasting a wide musical and topical range, Ziplocked & Loaded offers a collection of songs that appeal to a broad scope of sensibilities without sounding slap-dash or scatter-shot. This variety coupled with Ruger’s consistancy as a lyricist form the core strength of the album. There is the wistful nostalgia of “Thank The Streets” [featuring guest spots from Drawzilla and Seven] and the visceral energy of “Ima Fuck You Up.” In songs like “This Is The Life (The Hangover Song)” and “Luck Is For Losers” boastful bragadoccio and after hours glamour are juxtaposed with the day-job hustle and rat race stress with equal conviction. The true-school purists get their dose of classic boom-bap on “Get ‘Em” complete with nimble scratching provided by DJ Philly Fresh and loudmouthed laptop DJs, skinny-jean clad hipsters and radio rap bafoons all catch shots in “Dummy Disease.” My personal highlight was the Kaze and Chaundon assisted “Crush Careers” a classic southern hip-hop cut that reminded me of Dungeon Family circa 1995 but with a new millenium ferocity.
While it is a solid record front to back there were a few spots that lagged in comparison to the rest of the album. “Like Yeah” and “Ballin” came accross as heavy-handed attempts at club bangers and “The B Side” felt like a little trite as a tale of urban blight but Rugers artful wordplay and vigorous delivery rescues them from being throw away tracks.

The Verdict: COP IT!!!

ITS FINALLY ON iTUNES! “Ziplocked & Loaded” available on iTunes & 30 more stores!
SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT, BUY THE MUSIC!

“Ziplocked & Loaded” Promo
Sampler

*New Heat* “JUST CUZ I’M BUZZIN” by ED E.RUGER

By Ghani | Posted in Music Monday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)