Monthly Archives: May 2010

Welcome to violence: Madlib, “Medicine Show No. 1”

Posted on May 30, 2010 by plugoneboss

This essay on Madlib’s first installment in his Medicine Music Show series was published in the January 27 issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Welcome to violence Madlib, now in his hardcore phase, hands out sonic pamphlets like a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged Guilty Simpson, Madlib, SFBG, Stones Throw | Leave a comment

Lies, Relatives and Revolutions: Nas, Talib Kweli and Sage Francis

Posted on May 28, 2010 by plugoneboss

This essay was posted on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog on May 25. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. ————————————- Rap Is Not Pop: Lies, Relatives And Revolutions Do rappers even rap anymore? When B.o.Bâ€™s The … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged Damian Marley, Hi-Tek, lyrics to go, Nas, rap is not pop, Reflection Eternal, Rhapsody, Sage Francis, Talib Kweli, true school | Leave a comment

Uh oh, Taz Arnold’s trippin’ again

Posted on May 21, 2010 by plugoneboss

I spotted this video over at Okayplayer.com. As you know, I am a big fan of Sa-Ra Creative Partners, even when it comes to their coked-out material. But “South$ide Blood Cuzn” is kind of a mess. It’s bliss funkÂ that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Video Soul | Tagged future soul, Hollyweird, Sa-Ra, Taz Arnold | Leave a comment

On TV: “Straight Outta L.A.”

Posted on May 17, 2010 by plugoneboss

“Stop giving juice to the Raiders, ’cause Al Davis never paid us.” In his clumsily assembled documentary Straight Outta L.A., Ice Cube tells the viewer that he rapped these words because he had fallen out of love with the Los … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged 80s hip-hop, documentaries, ESPN, gangsta rap, Ice Cube, sports nation, TV movies | 1 Comment

Kon & Amir’s greatest breaks

Posted on May 17, 2010 by plugoneboss

On May 13, Complex magazine published a list of the top 50 hip-hop samples from certified DJs and crate-diggers Kon & Amir. If you’ve ever been casually interested in breaks, or been curious about that culture, then this is a … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged BBE, crate diggers, internet ether, Kon & Amir, linkorama | Leave a comment

Free Kutmah

Posted on May 12, 2010 by plugoneboss

Photo taken from Alpha Pup’s Facebook page. Looks like a Hit + Run design. For more on Kutmah’s plight with the INS, visit www.freekutmah.com.

Posted in News | Tagged immigrant stories, Kutmah, L.A. underground, street art | 1 Comment

Myx Music Label disappears

Posted on May 10, 2010 by plugoneboss

Last Thursday brought an announcement of a new marketing company, Quality Control. QC* is the result of four individuals (Karim Panni, Kyle Pierce, Ian Davis, and Jonathan Kim) combining ideas, contacts, experience, and resources to form one like-minded company. QC* … Continue reading →

Posted in Hip-Hop Heaven, News | Tagged Bay Area scene, hip hop is dead, indie rap labels, Karim Panni, Myx Music | 3 Comments

A beautiful mine: Flying Lotus

Posted on May 6, 2010 by plugoneboss

I find it hard to embrace the new Flying Lotus album, Cosmogramma. It’s not as if it’s a bad album — it’s great, in fact. But the secret is out about FlyLo. He’s not mine anymore. I wasn’t one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Greatest Hits, News | Tagged Adult Swim, beat scene, critocracy, Flying Lotus, future soul, L.A. underground, music journalism, Pitchfork, popapocalypse, Sa-Ra | Leave a comment

The numbers are in…

Posted on May 1, 2010 by plugoneboss

I don’t usually post about analytics numbers, and I don’t plan to make a habit of it, either. But the results for this month tie in with my ongoing ramble about content changes. Plug One’s page views are at their … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged ghost in the machine, mea culpa | Leave a comment