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Author Archives: plugoneboss
Dipped in blackness: Shabazz Palaces
This essay on Shabazz Palaces was published in the July 14 issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Dipped in blackness What lives in the mysterious Shabazz Palaces “I’m a bright light on the dark side of town,” raps “Palaceer … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged blog stars, dread bass styles, Ishmael Butler, Northwest scene, post-silver age, Shabazz Palaces
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The Roots’ lost paradise
This essay on the Roots’ How I Got Over was posted July 14 on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. Last week, I promised that I would abandon the concepts that … Continue reading
Are iTunes sales an elaborate hoax?
Tommy Boy Entertainment CEO Tom Silverman made an interesting claim during an interview Wired.com posted on July 9: Silverman: People are telling me that the majors have teams of people who actually buy singles on iTunes to try to drive … Continue reading
Dungeon Family’s Future: Big Boi
This essay on new-era Dungeon Fam was posted on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place on July 7. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. Prince once sang, “All The Critics Love You In New York,” mock-celebrating the rock-crit … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged Andre 3000, Big Boi, Cee-Lo, Dirty South, Dungeon Family, Janelle Monae, Khujo Goodie, mainstream rap, OutKast, rap is not pop, Willie Isz
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Reflection Eternal’s “Ballad Of The Black Gold”
Props to Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek for commissioning this video. Kweli gets so much criticism for being an anachronism — a rapper concerned with social issues. It takes a major disaster like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of … Continue reading
Marco Polo, “The Stupendous Adventures Of Marco Polo”
Marco Polo, The Stupendous Adventures Of Marco Polo Duck Down Records It seems counterintuitive for rising producer Marco Polo to turn The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo into a platform for dozens of MCs. But Marco Polo isn’t an instrumental … Continue reading
TOKiMONSTA, “Cosmic Intoxication”
TOKiMONSTA, Cosmic Intoxication Ramp Recordings Jennifer “Tokimonsta†Lee has waded into a teeming L.A. beat scene with her Cosmic Intoxication debut. So give her praise for excelling at production fundamentals and spinning a cool vibe on this 21-minute EP. Her … Continue reading
Onra, “Long Distance”
Onra, Long Distance All City Records The key to Onra’s third album, Long Distance, is the heavy boogie rhythm of “My Comet.†Released as a 7-inch on All City Records two years ago, it sounded uncharacteristic of the French-Vietnamese producer’s … Continue reading
A Brief History of Rap and Bullshit: Drake
This essay on Drake was posted on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog on June 15. It analyzes Thank Me Later‘s mix of hip-hop and R&B. Obviously there’s a lot more to be said about Drake’s rap and vocal performance, the … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged auto-tunin', Drake, it's all Diddy's fault, mainstream rap, R&B vs. soul, rap and bullshit, rap is not pop, Rhapsody, urban radio, Young Money
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Photo(s) from Free Kutmah benefit in Los Angeles
Last week I got a request from a publicist to post a few photos of the June 3 Free Kutmah benefit at the Echoplex in Los Angeles. I was assured that they hadn’t been posted on the Internet yet. Alas, … Continue reading
What’s the write word?
Last month, veteran journalist and Internet pioneer Jason Gross (he co-founded the e-zine Perfect Sound Forever in 1993) invited me to contribute to a collection of advice on music writing. The series, “What’s The Write Word?” was published in four … Continue reading
Welcome to violence: Madlib, “Medicine Show No. 1”
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
Lies, Relatives and Revolutions: Nas, Talib Kweli and Sage Francis
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.B’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
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Uh oh, Taz Arnold’s trippin’ again
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 funk that’s … Continue reading
On TV: “Straight Outta L.A.”
“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
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Kon & Amir’s greatest breaks
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
Free Kutmah
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.
Myx Music Label disappears
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
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A beautiful mine: Flying Lotus
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
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The numbers are in…
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