Categories
Archives
America's Most Blunted
Yearly Archives: 2007
Count Bass D sizes up the road
Have you ever seen Count Bass D live? The man is all over the place, punching keys on the sampler like it’s a piano, then turning around and busting a rhyme you can hear clear as day. He’s got head-knocking beats, too, as anyone who’s heard Dwight Spitz and MF Doom’s "Pot Holderz" will confirm.
Now you can experience the Count yourself when he hits your town … or a town that may be close to you. He’s touring in support of Act Your Waist Size, which came out last October on Fat Beats. Maspyke members Tableek & DJ Roddy Rod and punchline rapper Verbal Kent (who’s supporting his recent album Move with the Walls) will join him. The entire shebang, titled the SnoRock Rebel Tour, is sponsored by auto manufacturer/marketing whiz Scion.
Enterprising heads with promo/venue connects can reach out to Count Bass D, too. While the tour’s already in progress, he’s looking to add dates. Check out the booking information track in his MySpace standalone player. "If I mess with you, you want a show, you gotta send my deposit!"
Lex’s 2007 itinerary: Jneiro Jarel, Neon Neon, Doom & Ghost
Cutting-edge British imprint Lex Records has unveiled its lineup for 2007. On deck for new albums are Jneiro Jarel, Kid Acne, Neon Neon (a collaboration between Super Furry Animals leader Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip) and Fog. None of them have release dates, but are slated to come out during the next several months.
Lex also holds UK rights to the highly anticipated Ghostface Killah and MF Doom collabo, Swift & Changeable. The album has been delayed for nearly a year, undoubtedly to the politics involved in dropping an independent album by two of hip-hop’s most coveted artists. But everyone promises that it will finally come out this year. Nature Sounds has the U.S. rights, but Lex’s version should entice American trainspotters who like its amazing album covers. The label also hints that a new Danger Doom EP similar to last year’s Occult Hymn will soon arrive.
Posted in News
Tagged Fog, Ghostface Killah, Jneiro Jarel, Kid Acne, Lex Records, MF Doom, Neon Neon, Shape of Broad Minds
Leave a comment
Track listing, tour dates for El-P
While you mull over that sloppy-ass Super Bowl game, consider another event of magnitude — a new El-P album! After a five-year hiatus that saw him carefully navigating Definitive Jux through backlash criticism (S.A. Smash, anyone?) and a tentative comeback (thanks to Cage and the Perceptionists), Jamie Meline is ready to step back into the spotlight. His new album, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, is set for release on March 20, and it features a doozy of guests, from Trent Reznor and Cat Power to Def Jukkies Aesop Rock and Camu Tao. A teaser single, "Everything Must Go," has been spinning across college radio stations for weeks. And though it sounds like vintage El-P — his production style is as familiar as the RZA’s at this point — it doesn’t sound as weird as you might expect.
El-P will perform a handful of tastemaker shows when the album hits stores, including an appearance at Coachella. There’s no SXSW dates yet, but I’m sure it’s in the offing. In the meantime, check out the dates below.
Galactic branches out with hip-hop
Over the years, Bonnaroo mainstay Galactic have shared stages with forward-thinking hip-hop groups such as Jurassic 5 and the Roots, and even backing fellow N’awlins son Juvenile. Now, in the wake of losing their vocalist Theryl DeClouet, the funk-jammers are going all Brand New Heavies and collaborating with a slew of indie rappers.
Some of the MCs Galactic are working with include Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, Mr. Lif, Lyrics Born, Boots Riley from the Coup, Lateef the Truth Speaker and Ladybug Mecca, along with New Orleans musicians Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Mardi Gras legend Big Chief Joseph "Monk" Boudreaux. The sessions are set to be released this fall through a to-be-determined label.
Review: Peanut Butter Wolf presents “Stones Throw Ten Years”
Peanut Butter Wolf’s Stones Throw team has been cranking out product lately, from free albums to idiosyncratic manifestos. This retrospective is a re-release of a compilation exclusively released through Guitar Center last summer. Continue reading
Sage Francis helms “Human the Death Dance”
‘Tis the season of great white rappers! Following anticipated releases by El-P and Brother Ali (who, granted, is albino), Sage Francis returns with a new album of spoken-word-styled rhymes and Ernest Hemingway-sized manifestos. The Providence, Rhode Island citizen will soon release his third major album (and umpteenth overall), Human the Death Dance.
"With all the work Epitaph plans on putting into this record, I suspect it will break the 100,000 point, which is something I have never done. Fingers are crossed," writes Francis on his website. "The material on this album is strong as hell. I have to say…there are Personal Journals moments…there are Hope moments…there is ONE Healthy Distrust moment…and the rest is probably the stuff I will be most remembered by."
Guests featured on Human the Death Dance include eccentric folk stylist Jolie Holland, character rapper Buck 65 and trumpeter/movie composer Mark Isham (Crash, The Cooler). Several of Isham and Francis’ collaborations will appear in Pride & Glory, a forthcoming drama about New York police corruption starring Ed Norton and Colin Farrell. Human the Death Dance hits stores via Anti/Epitaph on May 8.
Snowgoons bring “German Lugers” to America
In recent years Americans have heard hip-hop from the UK (Roots Manuva, Lady Sovereign), Japan (DJ Krush, Teriyaki Boyz), Canada (K-os, Buck 65) and even Australia (Macromantics). But next month, Babygrande will bring the Snowgoons, a quartet of German producers (Det, DJ Illegal, Torben and DJ Waxwork), over to America. Their debut, German Lugers, is set for release on February 27.
German Lugers…corny, right? But check out the crazy guest list: Sean Price, O.C., Edo G., Living Legends, Rasco, Chief Kamachi, Last Emperor, Jus Allah, El Da Sensei, Wise Intelligent, Reef The Lost Cauze, Doujah Raze, MED, Craig G., Celph Titled, Baby Blak, Pumpkinhead, Afu-Ra, Wordsworth …the list goes on and on. With over twenty MCs on tap, the album is one big massive cipher.
Wu-Tang Clan reunites for “8 Diagrams”
On December 22, Street Records Corporation CEO and rap industry legend Steve Rifkind cooly announced that he signed Wu-Tang Clan to a one-album deal. "I just got off the phone from Divine and RZA from Wu-Tang. We are joining forces for one more album," he said in a memorable YouTube video. "Wu-Tang and Steve Rifkind are back in business together."
A month later, plans are solidifying for the fabled Clan’s fifth album, 8 Diagrams. “People want something that gives them an adrenaline rush,” said RZA in a press release. “We’re here to supply that fix. How could hip-hop be dead if Wu-Tang is forever? We’re here to revive the spirit and the economics and bring in a wave of energy that has lately dissipated.”
RJD2 & Busdriver expand tour schedule
It didn’t make sense. Why would Busdriver, one of the most acclaimed rappers of recent years, opt to do an indie-rock tour with Deerhoof ? And true, RJD2 set out to make an indie-rock album with the forthcoming The Third Hand. But couldn’t he have put together a bill that would entice his conservative ol’ rap fans to try some of his new material?
Well, fear not. RJD2 and Busdriver are not only joining forces, but venturing out to cities that weren’t initially scheduled. Busdriver will still open on Deerhoof’s Friend Opportunity tour, and then he’ll join RJD2. After a break for SXSW (Busdriver isn’t scheduled to be there, but that may change), the two musicians will soldier on together until April 23.
Little Brother loses 9th Wonder, may leave Atlantic
Little Brother, the acclaimed Raleigh, North Carolina trio, is now down to two members. In a January 27 story on HipHopGame.com, Big Pooh and Little Brother manager Big Dho revealed that rising producer 9th Wonder is no longer in the group.
"Little Brother has decided, in the best interest of the group, for Little Brother and 9th Wonder to part ways," said Big Pooh, who shares the group with Phonte Coleman. "There are no hard feelings and no beef. This is just a decision that had to be made so all three of us could move forward and continue to provide the world with dope music."
Big Pooh and Big Dho also revealed that they are trying to leave Atlantic Records. "First, I want to say that Little Brother has not been dropped from Atlantic," he told the hip-hop website. "At this time we are in the process of negotiating our release from the label due to a difference in philosophies."
Free Chrome Children from Stones Throw
Stones Throw has done it again. Today the fan-friendly indie rap label will issue Chrome Children 2 for free. It follows Madlib & Talib Kweli’s Liberation, an internet-only EP posted on the Stones Throw website for just a week (and is no longer available).
Much like its predecessor, last fall’s Chrome Children, this compilation is a collaboration with frat-boy haven Adult Swim. The first edition sampled from the label’s roster; Chrome Children incorporates close associates like Four Tet, Dabrye and West Coast hip-hop legend Arabian Prince.
Chrome Children 2 will only be available on Adult Swim and Stones Throw for a month, so get your download pronto.
Jedi Mind Tricks bring jihad to America
If you visit Jedi Mind Tricks’ MySpace page, you’ll find essays such as "30 Facts about Islam" and "Jedi Mind Tricks vs. Christianity," the latter a response to negative comments such as this Pitchfork review. "When the average person thinks of conservative Christians, they automatically think of Jesus," writes rapper Vinnie Paz, who shares the group with Stoupe. "When I attack their ideas and politics, I use Jesus (Isa) as a metaphor for modern Christianity and it’s stronghold on Amerikkkan culture. I apologize if I’ve offended or confused anyone along the way."
Certainly a pair of white hip-hoppers who post chapters from the late Elijah Muhammad’s virulently anti-white Message to the Blackman in America embrace contradiction. Over five albums, they’ve mixed cosmology and religion with violent and weed-blurred battle rhymes promoting conspiracies, drug use and hardcore sex. Mainstream pubs dismissed the group for years, but they were forced to pay attention when Jedi Mind Tricks’ Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell topped the Billboard Heatseekers chart last September.
Jedi Mind Tricks are currently touring in Europe, but they’re coming back to America for a series of concerts in March. The dates are below.
Waxploitation, Save Darfur tour raises funds for humanitarian efforts
Waxploitation isn’t just the management arm of Gnarls Barkley. For the past three years, the LA-based company has waged a public campaign to draw attention to the Darfur conflict.
The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when bands of rebels, which have since coalesced into the Sudanese Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, launched attacks against garrisons of the Sudanese military. In response, the government enlisted militias known as the Janjaweed to conduct reprisals. As the conflict mushroomed into a national crisis, hundreds of thousands of people were killed, and over two million displaced from their homes, according to United Nations estimates. All sides of the conflict, including the Sudanese government, have been accused of war crimes and genocide.
In 2004, Waxploitation issued Genocide in Sudan, a compilation that raised humanitarian funds for people affected by the Darfur conflict. One of its best tracks was "Paint by Numbers," a collaboration between Murs and Danger Mouse. It also began holding a benefit auction on Ebay. Now in its third year, this year’s Charity Auction for Darfur began on January 12. All of the proceeds will go to Oxfam, Save Darfur Coalition and Human Rights Watch. The auction ends on February 4.
In related news, a coalition of activists led by Seattle rapper Alexander "Alexipharmic" Hallett organized the Save Darfur Tour, a nationwide trek featuring several underground rap groups. Some of the tour’s sponsors include Scion, Playboy and Bebo.
Review: Sadat X, “Black October”
Sadat X is the Brand Nubian underdog, an MC appreciated by true rap fans for his unique lyrical styles. Black October, his solid fourth album, was finished just before he was incarcerated at Riker’s Island, where he currently serves a year-long sentence for gun possession. Continue reading
Review: Ghostface Killah, “More Fish”
On the second album in less than a year from 2006 MVP candidate Ghostface Killah, the onetime king of Wallabies gives his fledgling crew Theodore Unit a chance to shine. Continue reading
Vadim is “The Sound Catcher”
It’s been a long journey for DJ Vadim. The Russian-born, UK-bred producer first came to attention over a decade ago, thanks to mind-bending joints like "Abstract Hallucinating Gases." His second album, 1996’s U.S.S.R. Repertoire (The Theory of Verticality), is one of the best albums from the downtempo/post-Shadow period, taking deconstructionist turntablist techniques to absurdly minimalist conclusions. The years since have seen him evolve into a proponent of less-rigorous quietude; "Your Revolution," his controversial 1999 collabo with Sarah Jones, was a particular high point.
For most of that time, when not releasing new product on his now-defunct imprint Jazz Fudge, Vadim was rocking with Ninja Tune. With The Sound Catcher, however, Vadim is switching over to UK future soul imprint BBE. It makes sense: his last joint as a member of the group One Self (with Yarah Bravo and Blurum 13), Children of Possibility, seemed out of place amidst Ninja Tune’s harder electronic sounds. Considering Vadim’s new soulful direction, BBE is a natural fit.
So why should xenophobic Yanks care about this? Well, in a press release Vadim promises that The Sound Catcher is "by far my most concise, precise and best work to date," one that brings his restless experimentation to fruition. And everybody likes good music, right? The Sound Catcher is slated for April 16 in the UK, with a U.S. release shortly thereafter (if not on the same day).
Kanye West back in studio, studying for “Graduation”
I don’t care that Kanye West is making a show with Seinfeld’s producers or is throwing some temper tantrum at a European awards show (although Justice’s comeback was pretty funny). I let the pop culture dorks document his flipping-out-brat antics. But Kanye West actually earning a living by making new music? That’s news to me.
Yep, Kanye is back in the studio working on what will eventually be called Graduation, the third chapter in his ongoing advanced education saga. According to a recent story on Billboard.com, the album is already slated to feature every mainstream rapper’s favorite rocker, Chris Martin of Coldplay, whom will star on the tentative first single "Homecoming." (Past artists in the "mainstream rapper’s favorite rocker" position include John Mayer, Alanis Morissette, Limp Bizkit, etc.) Also featured is multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, who helped produce Kanye’s Late Registration. Hopefully Graduation won’t be as over-produced as that chestnut, which mistook The College Dropout‘s grace and elegance for histrionic pretension.
But hey, enough sarcasm. Though he sometimes overdoes it, Kanye West is a great artist, one of the best of the new millennium, making his third album a major event. Graduation is tentatively scheduled for later this year — probably late summer/fall.
Q-Tip delivers “The Renaissance”
Anyone who witnessed A Tribe Called Quest on the 2K7 Sports Bounce tour last fall witnessed an amazing hip-hop experience…no, an old school hip-hop revival. I mean, even Jarobi was there. Here in Atlanta at the Tabernacle, you could literally … Continue reading
Joell Ortiz debuts with “The Brick”
2007 is supposed to be the year that New York street rappers make a comeback. So who’s first up to bat? Joell Ortiz, a Brooklyn MC and mixtape linguist who’s garnered positive feedback for much of this decade, from a spot in The Source’s "Unsigned Hype" column to much love from New York jocks like Kayslay and Whoo Kid. His debut album, The Brick (Bodega Chronicles), is coming out via indie Koch Records, a label that’s getting newfound respect courtesy of Jim Jones (who would’ve thought?). It hits stores on April 24.
Some of the guests on The Brick include Immortal Technique, M.O.P., Ras Kass, Grafh, Maino, Big Daddy Kane and Stimuli. Beats come courtesy of the Alchemist, Showbiz and Lil Fame from M.O.P.
In a press release, Ortiz says, "It?s a soundtrack to the hood version of David vs. Goliath. That?s the best way to describe it. If you?ve ever gone through some rough waters, this album is for you. It?s the common man?s music. Industry people, so-called ?cool guys? and ?posers,? don?t get this music and they never will. It?s not for them. It?s for us."
Review: Juggaknots, “Use Your Confusion”
Use Your Confusion is the Juggaknots first album in nearly ten years, and follows the 1997 underground classic Clear Blue Skies. Now a group of MCs in their early thirties, Breezly Brewin, Herawin and Buddy Slim have grown considerably since their youth spent as leading lights in the New York hip-hop scene. Continue reading