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Author Archives: plugoneboss
The residue: B.o.B
This piece on B.o.B was published in the April 28 issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. ————————————– The residue B.o.B and an era of hip-hop that’s pop, pop, and more pop “Drug boys steady shooting. The streets don’t give … Continue reading
Posted in Interviews
Tagged ATL hip-hop, B.o.B, Dirty South, mainstream rap, mall rap, number one hits, popapocalypse, SFBG
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Ninjasonik, “Art School Girlsâ€
Ninjasonik, Art School Girls Green Owl/Chief Records This full-length from a trio of Brooklyn smart-asses is a puzzling conceit of hipster in-jokes. Ninjasonik is undoubtedly the Art School Girls in the title, flipping through cool indie styles like a wardrobe … Continue reading
Masta Killa, “Live”
Masta Killa, Live Gold Dust Media Masta Killa has quietly carved out a fine solo career independent of his Wu-Tang Clan brothers, issuing modest gems like 2004’s No Said Date. On Live, the New York rapper “keeps it classical like … Continue reading
Inspectah Deck, “Manifesto”
Inspectah Deck, Manifesto Traffic Entertainment Inspectah Deck has dropped many classic verses and hooks for his Wu-Tang team, from “C.R.E.A.M.†to “Hollow Bones.†But unlike Ghostface Killah and Method Man, he never evolved into a compelling solo artist. Inspectah Deck’s … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Short Cuts
Tagged Inspectah Deck, Rhapsody, Traffic Entertainment
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Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx, “The eXXecution”
Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx, The eXXecution Duck Down Records Canadian producer Marco Polo knows how to cajole strong performances out of recalcitrant thug rappers. For Ruste Juxx, the star of The eXXecution, he lays down a template of grimy … Continue reading
Flobots, “Survival Story”
Flobots, Survival Story Universal Republic If you’re looking for another “Handlebars,†the insanely catchy anti-imperialist anthem that put Denver, Colo. rap band Flobots on the map, then you won’t find it here. If anything from Survival Story emerges as a … Continue reading
Dessa, “A Badly Broken Code”
Dessa, A Badly Broken Code Doomtree Like many spoken-word artists turned rappers, Dessa makes music that can’t be easily pegged as hip hop. Instead, A Badly Broken Code has a wintry, quiet tone reminiscent of mid-90s trip-hop, and she spends … Continue reading
Get ready for more short cuts
Starting today, I’ll post some of my Rhapsody reviews on Plug One. I’m a little wary of doing this because these reviews tend to be more “service-friendly” than my usual work. At best, however, they cut to the chase and … Continue reading
Number 1000
I’ve finally reached my 1000th post, and it damn sure wasn’t easy. I’ve already detailed at length the various problems I’ve had in building Plug One, so I won’t rehash them here. Given all that’s happened (or rather, hasn’t happened), … Continue reading
R.I.P. Keith “Guru” Elam
I wrote this tribute to Guru for my weekly Rhapsody column, Rap is Not Pop. It was posted posted earlier today on the Rhapsody Music Stuff Place blog and its new Rhapsody Hip-Hop Blog. ————————————– Rap Is Not Pop: R.I.P. … Continue reading
Posted in Hip-Hop Heaven, News
Tagged 7 Grand Records, DJ Premier, DJ Solar, Gang Starr, golden-age hip-hop, Guru, rap is not pop
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The Plug One 2000s: Mike Ladd, “Welcome To The Afterfuture”
98. Mike Ladd, Welcome to the Afterfuture Ozone Music Released January 13, 2000 Welcome to the Afterfuture sounds like a relic of 90s pre-millennial tension and the culture wars of Giuliani-era New York (before Bloomberg-ian gentrification schemes and hipster-dom permanently … Continue reading
An interview with Murs
Two weeks ago, Murs and I spoke for a half hour for Rhapsody. It was part of a promotional push for his new album with 9th Wonder, Fornever. I posted the interview on Tuesday, April 13, the same day that … Continue reading
Posted in Interviews
Tagged 9th Wonder, independent hustle, label red tape, ladies in hip-hop, Murs, Paid Dues Festival, Rock the Bells, Warner Bros.
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The Plug One 2000s: 2Mex, “B Boys In Occupied Mexico”
99. 2Mex, B Boys in Occupied Mexico Mean Street Records Released October 9, 2001 Alex “2Mex†Ocana’s career dates back to the mid 90s, and sprawls over dozens of tour-only CD-Rs, side projects (including now-defunct supergroup the Visionaries) and poorly-distributed … Continue reading
The Plug One 2000s: 9th Wonder, “God’s Stepson”
100. 9th Wonder, God’s Stepson HipHopSite.com Released March 2003 9th Wonder inadvertently pioneered the album remix when online retailer Hiphopsite.com obtained a cappella recordings of Nas’ albums, and sought out three producers to rework them with original music. He was … Continue reading
Why Duck Down matters: Duck Down’s 15th anniversary
This essay on Duck Down Records’ 15th anniversary was posted April 9 on the Rhapsody Music Stuff Place blog and its new Rhapsody Hip-Hop Blog. I have a weekly column called Rap is Not Pop. ————————————– Rap is Not Pop: … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged anniversaries, Boot Camp Clik, Buckshot, Dru Ha, Duck Down, indie rap labels, rap is not pop, Rhapsody, Stakes is High era, street rap
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Until then…
Don’t worry, I’m still here. But since I’ve promised to stop wasting time on release date press releases and concert listings, I won’t be updating my site unless I’ve actually got something interesting to write (or re-publish). Stay tuned.
VH1 Soul is dead, long live Centric
Today, the lovely folks at MTV/Viacom removed VH1 Soul from Comcast’s programming slate in my area. Instead, there is a new Viacom channel called Centric. What is Centric? “What we’re creating is a brand-new network targeted to adult, upscale, sophisticated … Continue reading
Posted in Greatest Hits, News
Tagged BET, blog angst, Centric, Emmis Communications, MTV, reality wasteland, VH1 Soul, Viacom
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Tigallo vs. Ninth
Next up on Hip-Hop Smackdown: 9th Wonder vs. Phonte Coleman. Isn’t it interesting when rappers start beefing with other rappers, catching weapons/drugs/robbery charges, and dating R&B singers just months before their albums are released? It seems like this is the … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged 9th Wonder, Hall Of Justus, internet beef, Little Brother, Phonte, pre-release hype, twitter
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Endless Hookup: The Hood Internet
From now on, I’ll re-post my articles from other outlets on Plug One. These will be stories that are relevant to the site and achieve a certain level of quality (in my opinion). This piece on the Hood Internet was … Continue reading
Posted in Interviews
Tagged Chicago scene, credit to the edit, mashups, popapocalypse, SFBG, The Hood Internet, turntablism
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Jun “Nujabes” Seba, 1974-2010
In the midst of my Hamlet-like soliloquy I neglected to note that Jun “Nujabes” Seba died last month from injuries related to a car accident. The Japanese producer made over a decade’s worth of downtempo and instrumental hip-hop. My familiarity … Continue reading
Posted in Hip-Hop Heaven, News
Tagged Adult Swim, Five Deez, Hyde Out Productions, Nujabes, Samurai Champloo, Shing02
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