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DOWNLOAD THE MAY 2008 MIX HERE

Holy Christ. I started Hydrant Sippin’ exactly for months like May. I was overwhelmed with good stuff this month. To make matters worse, my laptop finally kicked the bucket. But hopefully I did a decent job of picking the best of the bunch from this month. Oh yeah, hope you like the hip-hop.

Here’s my take on good albums:

• Tanya Morgan – The Bridge EP: This will hold me over quite nicely until Donwil drops Suburban Sprawl in a couple of days.
• Al Green – Lay It Down: ?uestlove and James Poyser bring the Reverend back to that classic sound that made him famous.
• Elzhi – Euro Pass: The master of patterns drops a tour-only release.
• Guilty Simpson – Ode to the Ghetto: Guilty doesn’t cover any new topics on his debut release. He simply sounds like a badass over some weird beats from Madlib, Oh No and Black Milk, among others. Works for me.
• J Dilla – Pay Jay: Dilla’s unreleased MCA album finally leaks. Hopefully it will soon see an official release so Jay (well, his mom at least) can get paid.
• J-Live – Then What Happened: I had given up on J-Live after he started trying to do his own beats. On Then What Happened, he thankfully went back to having real producers do his beats…I couldn’t be happier.
• Plantlife – Time Traveller: Not quite as good as The Return of Jack Splash, but I’m still pretty excited to finally (after 4 years) hear something new from him.
• South Rakkas Crew – Mix Up: These guys (along with 77 Klash) are making me pay attention to dancehall….something I haven’t done since Super Cat dropped “Ghetto Red Hot.”
• The Roots – Rising Down: I don’t think it lived up to Game Theory, but it’s still pretty good.
• Panther – 14kt. God: A slightly less polished, but more interesting MGMT
• White Denim – 11 Songs (Exposion): Geno Petralli’s son chose rock over baseball. We’re all better off for that. I picked this up when they opened for Tapes ‘N Tapes. Supposedly this tour-only CD will actually be the same as their upcoming debut.
• Santogold – Santogold: A poppier version of M.I.A. that doesn’t quite live up to the hype, but is still a fun album.
• Clinic – Do It!: Imagine a weirder, darker, and more interesting (Howl-era) B.R.M.C., possibly being sung by a guy with his jaw wired shut?

As always, let me know if there was something good that I missed.

1) Lee Fields & The Expressions – My World
Sharon Jones is to Daptone as Lee Fields is to Truth & Soul. Discuss.

2) Soul Messengers – Savior In the East
These guys’ story is well worth reading.

3) Al Green – What More Do You Want From Me?
RZA circa 94 or so would have wet himself over the first couple of bars to this song.

4) Plantlife – Your Love
Jack Splash has done production for Alicia Keys and Raheem DeVaughn, and he’s got one of the best falsettos this side of Curtis Mayfield.

5) Santogold – Starstruck
I’m a sucker for fuzzed-out keyboards like this here (see also “Get Busy” below). Consider it Santi’s answer to “$20.”

6) South Rakkas Crew (ft. Sandy Smith & Professor Murder) – Hot Patty
Any Professor Murder song makes it onto my mixes almost by definition. Glad to see P. Murder and South Rakkas Crew hook up officially after P. Murder unofficially made SRC’s Chinkuzi Riddim all their own.

7) 410 Pharoahs – Fresh
My song of the month. Labtekwon and DJ Booman hook up to bring that B’more style to the floor. Check the video.

8) J Dilla – Trucks
This song is silly as hell, but dammit if it doesn’t put a smile on my face every time I hear it. Makes me want to trade in my Civic for an Escalade.

9) Rick Ross (ft. Lil’ Wayne, Red Cafe & Fabolus) – The Boss Remix
Normally I can do without these “all-star” remixes, but this weird, eerie take on the “Paul Revere” break works like none other. Good enough that I’ll gladly sit through verses by Red Cafe, Fabo…and Rick Ross, for that matter.

10) Killer Mike (ft. Shawty Lo) – 2 Sides
Back to someone who can actually rap…probably my favorite right now. What side of Atlanta is T.I. from again? Pledge Allegiance II dropping in July.

11) Bun B (ft. Lil’ Wayne) – Damn I’m Cold
Weezy’s free-association weird-out’s go nicely with Bun B’s grounded, technical flow. With Pimp gone, Bun B needs someone with an out-sized character to bounce off of.

12) Che Grand – Crash
Von Pea on the beat. Che Grand on his airtight.

13) Pharoahe Monch – Broken Heart
Does this new track mean we won’t have to wait 8 years between albums like last time? My fingers are crossed.

14) J-Live (ft. Posdnous & Oddisee) – The Upgrade
OK, this might actually have been my song of the month. “Fresh” might put a hop in my step and a smile on my face, but this one puts goosebumps on my arms. Oddisee on the beat (who impressed me when he opened for Tanya Morgan in April…and that was before I knew he could make beats like this). Toss the perennially underrated Plug Wondah Why on the top, and you’ve got a classic.

15) Elzhi (ft. Royce da 5′ 9″) – Motown 25
Detroit’s Dr. Dre provides the perfect canvas for two of Motown’s finest to show what lyricism is all about.

16) J Dilla – No One Knows
On one hand, hearing Dilla sounding all triumphant and inspirational makes me sad that such a spirit is no longer with us. On the other hand, he left an amazing legacy that will no disease could ever kill.

17) Guilty Simpson – The American Dream
Madlib laced Guilty with some weird beats for his debut.

18) The Roots (ft. Dice Raw & Peedi Peedi) – Get Busy
Black Thought: “My squad half Mandrill, half Mandela / My band about 70 strong just like Fela”
Dice Raw: “I’m kinda like W.E.B. DuBois meets Heavy D and the Boyz”

19) Tobacco (ft. Aesop Rock) – Dirt
You might know Tobacco from his group Black Moth Super Rainbow. You might know Aesop Rock from his dropping my favorite hip-hop album from last year.

20) White Denim – Paint Silver Gold
First time I heard this song, I loved it, but I also thought there was a 90% chance it would end up in a commercial for Nissan Xteras, or something. I was close.

21) Clinic – The Witch
Why did these guys have to play Chapel Hill on a Monday? I’m getting too old to start my work week on zero sleep. But, based on this video, I’d of loved to have seen their show.

22) White Denim – Heart From All Around Us
Just to show that not all of their songs sound like Nissan Xtera commercials. Go see them if they come through your town.

DOWNLOAD THE APRIL 2008 MIX HERE

Great month for live shows (Oddisee, Tanya Morgan, The Walkmen, Spoon, Iron & Wine, White Denim, Tapes ‘n Tapes, and The Roots), but not a fantastic month for albums. Here’s what I liked this month:

• Tapes ‘n Tapes – Walk it Off: Kind of tough to follow-up on The Loon, one of my favorite rock albums. They did a pretty good job though, and their live show is still a lot of fun.
• Thao with The Get Down Stay Down – We Brave Bee Stings and All: I’m almost ready to declare that Thao > Cat Power > Feist.
• These New Puritans – Beat Pyramid: I’m still trying to decide if I actually like this album, or if I’m just intrigued by their weird chanting lyrics about numerology and Elvis.
• Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple: These guys keep making great music. Danger Mouse’s beats either compliment, or bring out, the dark weirdness of Cee-Lo Goodie. Either way, I hope they keep doing it.

As always, let me know if there was something good that I missed.

1) Les Mogul – Sunset In Golden Horn
Zone out to this. I don’t know where I got it from and know nothing about the artist, but some of you might recognize that Dilla sample around the 3:35 mark. As the late great said, “ya’ll ready for some live sh*t?”

2) Queen Eve & the Kings – All Hail the Queen
Two minutes, ten seconds of some furious funk. Sure, there’s a nice, nimble bass-line, some funky organ, the well-timed horn-stab…but nobody’s touching those drums.

3) Pamoja – Ooh Baby
Not a ton of soul hit my iPod in April, but this song (courtesy of O-W at soul-sides) hits my sweet spot of breezy smoothness that seems perfect for lounging with your girl on a warm spring day.

4) Juan Bautista – Estoy Aqui Pero No Soy Yo
Word to Nelson de la Rosa. Wikipedia tells me that bachata is “a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness.” I hope this is playing when the groupies come back to Big Papi’s crib.

5) Thao – Bag of Hammers
A bit cheesy, but when they hit the transition at the 56 second mark, I start skipping down the street like Brian Posehn listening to the Spin Doctors.

6) Tapes ‘n Tapes – George Michael
I guess those opening guitars sound a little like “Faith”? Or is this song about rubbing one out in a public restroom? Actually, I think it’s a tribute to the host of the Sports Machine.

7) The Dirtbombs – It’s No Fun Until They See You Cry
Pitchfork describes this album as a Detroit garage rock band doing “a concept album about creeping future dystopia.” The album opens promisingly with this track, but unfortunately soon peters out. But great opener.

8) These New Puritans – Elvis
I’d describe These New Puritans as a paranoid Bloc Party with balls. Instead of singing about lost boyfriends, they’re rocking out ominously about the meaning of numbers and living in a surveillance state.

9) Jay Reatard – My Shadow
Can’t wait to see him at the Pitchfork Music Festival this July. And I’ll make sure to avoid rushing the stage, like this dumb Canadian kid.

10) Tapes ‘n Tapes – Demon Apple
This was definitely my favorite of the new songs from their show at 506. Josh Grier is sounding a little worked up…I like it.

11) Gnarls Barkley – Charity Case
This song, more than any other, is representative of the general tone of The Odd Couple. So if you like this, go out and pick that sh*t up!

12) Big Boi (feat. Raekwon & Andre 3000) – Royal Flush
Uh oh. If this song is any indication, the upcoming Sir Lucious Leftfoot album could be a monster. A much appreciated return to the Organized Noize days of Southernplayalisticadillacmusik. This is what Cool Breeze was thinking of when he coined the term “dirty South.”

13) The Beatnuts – Ya Don’t Stop
I’ve slept on the Beatnuts for far too long. They were Slum Village before Slum Village was Slum Village. Just a couple of dudes having fun rapping over ridiculous beats.

14) Fat Ray & Black Milk – Flawless
Speaking of SV, sometime SV producer Black Milk dropped an album with Detroit MC Fat Ray. It’s aight. Reminds me a lot of last year’s Phat Kat album. Just dirty, grimy Detroit hip-hop. Fat Ray’s verse here is nice: “High Times n***a, keep the dro growin’ / Inspector Gadget gun go-goin’”

15) Tanya Morgan – Waiting For You
Go download that Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group. It’s free. It definitely would have been on my “good albums” list, but much of the material was older stuff that I already had.

16) Wale – Good Girls
He’s getting enough hype these days that people are learning not to call him “whale.”

17) 77 Klash – Code For the Streets
Dancehall normally isn’t my thing, but this beat is fierce.

18) X Plastaz – Msimu Kwa Msimu
My girlfriend was kind enough to bring me some hip-hop back from her trip to Africa. Lots of it isn’t that great because the guys seem like they’re trying too hard to sound like American rappers. The songs I like the best are those that sound the least like American hip-hop. Tanzania’s X Plastaz do it here, rapping over some Baltimore club music drums and a sitar (?) loop.

19) Set the Tone – Dance Sucker (Francois Kevorkian Mix)
Thanks to the good Captain for posting up this electro-funk gem. If U-Tern hasn’t heard this yet, he needs to.

20) Gwen Guthrie – Peanut Butter (U-Tern Remix)
Speaking of U-Tern, I love his remixes. Upon first listen, I always find myself saying, “I don’t know…this is kind of fruity.” By second listen, I’m bopping my head and there’s a little skip in my step. By third listen, my shirt’s off (gross) and I start grinding up on the first guy with a mustache I can find.

21) Gnarls Barkley – Who’s Gonna Save My Soul
I need some soul savin’ after what I just did to that guy with the mustache. Peep the video.

22) Thao – Geography
I couldn’t leave you on that downer. Something about this song feels vaguely inspiring to me, which seems like a good way to leave you until May.

Top 5 things to yell at an Iron & Wine concert:

1. How long have you been in the Witness Protection Program?
2. Is it true the government provides generous subsidies to beard farmers?
3. Play some ZZ Top!
4. How many squirrels live in that thing?
5. Eat a dick, you bearded freak!

DOWNLOAD THE JAY-Z REMIX MIX HERE

As with the Black Album, an untold number of beatmakers decided to have a go at remixing Jay-Z’s American Gangster. I ended up downloading seven of the damn things:

• Nigerian Gangster (Mike Love’s remixes built entirely off of Fela Kuti samples. If you download any of them, this one’s the best)
• American Angster (Von Pea‘s remixes)
• Brooklyn Soul (Mick Boogie & Shuko remixes built entirely off of Marvin Gaye samples)
• Beirut Gangster (Beirut’s remixes)
• Philadelphia Gangster (Hezekiah’s remixes)
  
• Billboard Gangsters (Cookin Soul’s remixes built entirely off Elvis Presely samples)
• American G-Funk (Benzi & the Knocks remixes)

Below, are the best of the bunch. Enjoy.

1) Pray (Beirut Remix)

2) American Dreamin’ (Von Pea Remix)

3) Hello Brooklyn 2.0 (Mick Boogie Remix)

4) No Hook (Von Pea Remix)

5) Rock Boyz (Mike Love Remix)

6) Sweet (Mike Love Remix)

7) I Know (Mike Love Remix)

8) Party Life (Von Pea Remix)

9) Ignorant Sh*t (Mick Boogie Remix)

10) Say Hello (Hezekiah Remix)

11) Success (Mike Love Remix)

12) Fallin’ (Mick Boogie Remix)

13) Blue Magic (Beirut Remix)

14) American Gangster (Hezekiah Remix)

DOWNLOAD THE MARCH 2008 MIX HERE

I’m not feeling terribly motivated today, so I’m going to keep it short and sweet.

Good albums this month:

• Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Pt. 1: Glad to have her back after such a long layoff.
• Roddy Rod – Blunt Park Sessions: Reminiscent of Madvillain or Uncut Raw’s First Toke
• Born Ruffians – Red, Yellow & Blue: Like Vampire Weekend without the baggage
• Ilwil – Tanya Morgan Presents Beat Thieves 2: Quality mixtape from Cincinnati’s finest. Check em out on tour (Chapel Hill on 4/12). Download here.
• Jamie Lidell – Jim: A worthy follow-up to his fantastic 2005 debut, Multiply…not better, but worthy
• Del the Funkyhomosapien – The 11th Hour: It’s actually pretty mediocre, but I’m a Del dickrider

As always, let me know if there was something good that I missed.

1) Erykah Badu – Soldier
Rest in peace to the 4,000 we’ve lost in a stupid war. This song’s not about that, but March was about that.

2) Billy Paul – Let the Dollar Circulate
Word to Ben Bernanke.

3) Jamie Lidell – Hurricane
There’s never been a hurricane named Jim.

4) Quintron & Miss Pussycat – Jamskate
Saw Quintron open for the Black Lips, and he blew me away. Best live show I’ve seen in a while, although I could have done without the puppet show. Anyways, thought this song appropriate since March marked the first time I’ve ever been to a roller derby.

5) Quintron & Miss Pussycat – Wild West (Bank)
A good song, but you definitely need to catch them live to get a real feel for the Quintron experience.

6) Jamie Lidell – Figure it Out (LA Garage Remix)
Another artist whose live show is much different from his recorded work.

7) Erykah Badu – Honey
I still can’t believe this is a 9th Wonder production. Good work, Mr. Douthit.

8) Kidz in the Hall – Dreamin’ (Baby I’m the Sh*t)
The Kidz keep making appearances on my monthly mixes, even though I’d never call them one of my fave’s. But I’m starting to anticipate their new one The In Crowd due out in May.

9) Spec Boogie – Bed Stuy
One of the Lessondary’s finest. Von Pea on the beat. These two should do an album together.

10) Shawty Lo (ft. Ludacris, 4-Ize, Young Jeezy & Plies) – They Know (Dey Know) Remix
Nice to hear Luda slaughter a bunch of other jokers on an all-star remix. “6 David Beckham’s or a trunk full of kickers!” Appropriate, given that March marks the opening of MLS season 13.

11) Roddy Rod (feta. Y.U.) – Actions Show
Not to be confused with Rod Roddy.

12) The Cool Kids – Action Figures
Good to hear Young Anakin rapping about something besides his clothes or his bike.

13) Ilyas – Fire & Brimstone
One third of Tanya Morgan gets all emo on your ass.

14) Amp Live (ft. Del the Funkyhomosapien) – Video Tapez
Zion I producer Amp Live decided to remix In Rainbows and get a bunch of his rapper friends to rhyme over them. Del should consider letting Amp do all his beats on his next album since this is probably better than anything on 11th Hour.

15) Roddy Rod (ft. Kaimbar) – Whip
Cool song…cool video.

16) Nubian Crackers (ft. Artifacts) – Do You Wanna Hear It?
Rough rugged and raw. Mid 90s were such a great era for hip-hop that I totally forgot about this gem.

17) Amp Live (ft. Too $hort & MC Zumbi) – Nudez
Maybe Too $hort should get Amp Live to do all his beats, too. Or maybe he should collab with Thom Yorke. I’m sure it would be a dream come true for Thom.

18) Born Ruffians – Barnacle Goose
Saw these guys in March. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

19) Nick Lowe – 36 Inches High
An oldie but a goodie.

20) The Black Keys – So He Won’t Break
The new one from the Black Keys is OK. Despite working with Danger Mouse, they were able to hold on to their blues-y sound. But DM gives it a smoother shine, while also making it sound a little darker in that way that he does.

21) Born Ruffians – Kurt Vonnegut
I’m a sucker for songs that lend themselves to drunken sing-alongs.

This is kind of embarassing, since I’m not in middle school. But a couple of my friends decided to pick our top 6 rappers, make a mix tape, and send it to the other guys. We actually made the selections in draft format (hey, work can be boring…sue me). Here’s who I ended up with:

1. Ghostface Killah
2. Lupe Fiasco
3. Black Thought
4. Sean Price
5. Killer Mike
6. Pusha T

Are these the 6 greatest rappers in the world? I don’t know…they were just the first 6 I chose. Not a lot of thought went into it. But I figured if I went through the trouble of making a mix, I might as well post it up here on the blog.

Download the Top 6 Mix Vol 1 here

1) Clipse – Keys Open Doors
I probably picked this more for that beat than I did for Pusha T’s lyrics. Whatever. He still comes with it: “Open the Frigidadre 25 to life in here / So much white you might think your Holy Christ is near / throw on your Louis V Millionaires to kill the glare / ice trays, nada, all you see is pigeons paired.”

2) Sean Price – Call the Ambulance
This pretty much sums up Sean P right here: “N*ggas tryin’ to free Mumia / I’m unravellin’ roach clips tryin’ to free this reefer / got a Boot Camp hat on, Wu-Wear shirt / Funkmaster Flex Lugz lookin’ like a f*ck*n jerk / no money, clothes bummy, nose runny / been Metrocard, 44 blow dummies.”

3) The Roots – Web
This one’s all about breath control. No punch-ins here. ” You see the squad come in the place, they all freeze / Ice cold, with his mellow cool breeze / MCs, never showed loyalty yet / Kool Herc ain’t never get a royalty check”

4) Lupe Fiasco – Switch
Not the first song where the rapper switches up his flow/style every couple of bars, but Lupe might execute it better than anyone else.

5) Re-Up Gang – Dey Know Yayo
“You’re middle-mannin’, I’m touchin’ the hands of the growers / from Texas, to Tijuana muthaf*ckas know us / drier sheets line the trunks to disguise the odor / your price is low, but I bet my number Shawty Lo-er”

6) Killer Mike – The Next Bitch
Just about every a-hole out there has a song comparing hip-hop to a woman. Killer Mike takes it up a level, penning a break-up song as he leaves his real girlfriend for the crack game, who he leaves for the rap game, who he leaves for the corporate game. The quotable lines (“f*ckin’ with this rap b*tch help me get my bread up / girl I live good, girl I live plush / and I’ll I do is tell a bunch of lames ’bout us”) are nearly as good as the between-verse ad-libs (“I don’t wanna get the worms, b*tch”).

7) Ghostface Killah – Shakey Dog
Nobody tells stories with greater, more vivid details than GFK. “Straight ahead is the doorway, see that lady that lady with the shopping cart / She keep a shottie cocked in the hallway / Damn she look pretty old Ghost, she work for Kevin, she ’bout seventy seven / She paid her dues when she smoked his brother in law at his bosses’ wedding”

8) Lupe Fiasco – Make Sure
Lupe can rap his ass off. But sometimes his ambitious song concepts don’t quite hold together (see pretty much every song off The Cool). This one barely works (comparing the US to a pimp, and Iraq to a hooker, I think?), an opinion that I probably hold partly because I love that Marvin Gaye sample the beat is based off of.

9) Sean Price – Black History
This song is one big quotable, start to finish: “Jimi Hendrix OD’d off drugs / David Ruffin got hi sh*t roughed up by some straight-up thugs / Pac & Biggie, Freaky Tah / brought my son to Pun tape the next week, he died / Eazy-E, Donny Hathaway, we smell death / it’s hard listenin’ to BLS / Ol’ Dirty got shot in the piece / Eddie Murphy played his-self he let Ru Paul hop in his V / Richard Pryor on fire, he got jokes / Red Foxx hot but he died broke (damn)”

10) Re-Up Gang – Hate It Or Love It
One of the rare cases of Pusha reminiscing without expressing regret “I was coppin from E and them / he was coppin from K and them / K died, Pooh came home, he started placin’ them / Pooh died, and I can’t tell you who is replacin’ him / cause he’s still livin, and I ain’t tryin to catch no case with him”

11) The Roots – Don’t See Us (DJW Remix)
One of my all-time favorite Black Thought verses: “OK Computer / Radiohead’s knock to the future / shock like Curtis, at your service / none other than / the fifth government playin the cut again / y’all clueless to what the f*ck us up again / yo, hard times and sufferin / what, my peoples in the crevices strugglin / ‘Nuff of them are toy soldier thespian / but I’m from the next e-on / supreme being that’s unseen for MC’n”

12) Lupe Fiasco – Get Down
He makes it sound too easy “I was nuts with the cane, Planters Planters / adjust my frames, tamper, tamper / I’m real…as Seinfeld / they ain’t talkin’ bout nothin’, George Costanza”

13) Ghostface Killah – Beat the Clock
Nobody sounds cooler when spitting complete nonsense “People be talkin’, I feed dolphins / My defense’ll fly the coop off your mean office / My skills is a fortune, robbin’ leech out a suite auction” Um, sure thing, dude.

14) Sean Price – 60 Bar Dash
So ignorant, but so clever: “Evel Knievel hot wheels jumping like Duke boys (yeeeehaaah!) / Posdnous, Mase and Trugoy (what?) / Plug one in your neck and plug two in your chest / Turn around and plug three in your rest”

15) Killer Mike – 112 Freestyle
Nothing beats a good story “this n*gga bust out the bathroom, gun in hand / he was yellin’, screamin’ shootin’ and missin’ / it was like that first scene in the movie Pulp Fiction / before I could duck, Big Z gat was spittin’ / left that boy laid out, holy as a Christian / them white girls spazzin’ out, cryin’ flippin”

16) Clipse – Ride Around Shining
The hook is one of the all time great hooks. But if you don’t focus on the verses, you’ll miss stuff like “Pusha push John P Keys, with these sounds of crack-ness / the black Martha Stuart, let me show you how to do it / break down pies to pieces, make cocaine quiches / money piles high as my nieces”

17) Killer Mike – That’s Life
Best…adlibs…ever (“I can’t rap about doin’ crime, but if I actually do crime and do time, I can come out and have an TV show with an all white audience? If I rob shareholders of millions? But if I rap about getting some money on the block, it’s a problem? Are you f*cking retarded? I’m not even gonna tell you how stupid you are right now, cause you should already know”). And maybe the best song ever (“George Bush don’t like blacks, no sh*t Sherlock / and his daddy CIA and flooded the hood with rock”). The most amazing part? According to this (amazing) interview, “I didn’t write it; it’s a freestyle. I don’t do the whole ‘I don’t write, I just go in and freestyle’ thing. Sometimes what’s in me is just so at-that-moment, I go in, do it, come out the booth, rewrite it, refine it, and go back in and redo it. With “That’s Life,” I fired in all directions because as a young American it comes at you from all directions.”

18) Ghostface Killah – The Forest
Somebody does lots of drugs and watches lots of cartoons. And we’re all better off for it: “Pippy Long Stockin’ had it poppin’ / her and Barney had an army out in pink house, the sh*t was rockin’ / guess who got rich and bounced? / Scrooge McDuck, he had an ounce / ain’t no money out in CandyLand, we out…”

19) Killer Mike – The Whole World vs. Stevie
Killer Mike shows you how to flow. His cadence on this verse makes drums unnecessary.

20) The Roots – Quicksand Millenium
Black Thought doesn’t exactly get political, but he can paint a picture of a failing society like few others. The style he kicks on this one was really a preview of what we ended up getting from him on Game Theory: “South Philly turnin into Kuwait, what’s going on / welcome into the quicksand millennium”

21) Sean Price – I Love You (Bitch)
I don’t recommend dedicating this to your girl next Valentine’s Day “stretch marks, titties lookin like prunes / f*ck you with the lights off from behind in the room / my sister told me leave your ass alone, but f*ck it, I love you”

22) The Roots – Live at New Year’s at Jay Dee’s
No one rocks a live show like Black Thought. When he’s in front of the crowd freestylin’ he can have fun and act a fool. Here’s a little glimpse behind the curtain of his rap-machine facade. Being a great rapper isn’t just about being a great lyricist.

23) Ghostface Killah – Whip You With a Strap
Nobody does poignant songs about childhood like Ghost. “despite the alcohol, I had a great ole mamma / she famous for her slaps and to this day she’s honored”

DOWNLOAD THE FEBRUARY 08 MIX HERE

When it rains, it pours. Last month, I complained that I struggled to put together a good mix. This month, I could have easily put together two volumes. I think that extra day made all the difference.

Good albums this month:

• Turf Talk – West Coast Vaccine (The Cure): Remember a couple of years ago when hyphy was cool? I never got into it, so I didn’t pay attention when Turf Talk dropped his album last year. But it kept ending up on some best-of lists from people whose opinion I respect, so I decided to give it a listen.
• Re-Up Gang – We Got It For Cheap Vol. 3: A buddy of mine recently asked me if there’s ever been a rapper as captivating as Jay-Z. Here are four of them.
• Bilal – Love For Sale: An unreleased album from the only good male R&B singer still doing it (a title he’ll continue to hold until D’Angelo comes out of retirement).
• Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend: Not as good as the hype, but nowhere near deserving of the backlash.
• Various Artists – Giles Peterson Digs America Vol. 2: The London DJ compiles some rare gems of American music.

I’m still waiting to hear some good rock music this year. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know in comments.

1) Turf Talk – Bring the Base Back
This song begs to be cranked. Turf sounds like he’s having fun getting to rap over something so bombastic.

2) Kidz in the Hall – Low End Theory
Fun with analogies: “Low End Theory” is to cars as “Black Mags” is to BMX bikes. More fun with analogies: Gary Busey is to Nick Nolte as Tim Floyd is to John Edwards.

3) Lil’ Wayne – Brand New
“You know I’m a boss, chillin’, relaxin’ / probably in my office, doin’ my taxes.” Just picture Weezy sitting behind a desk, furiously pecking away on a calculator, all while rolling on E.

4) Turf Talk – I’m Ghetto
If you couldn’t tell from these first four songs, I’m a sucker for retro beats with lots of low-end. “Rick Rock, make the beat knock.”

5) Suburb – Something a Little Twisted
Props to Sweeny at Classic Drug References for posting about this dude. Definitely a producer to check for.

6) Gil Scott-Heron – The Klan
Easily my favorite song of the month. My resolution for March is to listen to more Gil Scott-Heron. So hopefully you like this sh*t, too.

7) Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band – The World (Is Going Up In Flames)
From the same musical geniuses who brought you “Make the Road by Walking” (as featured on the November 07 Mix).

8) Soul Children – Move Over
Does that piano sound familiar?

9) Willie Hutch – Brothers Gonna Work It Out
This song’s been sampled several times, but it will always remind me of Project Pat’s “What Money Do.”

10) The Diddys (feat. Paige Douglas) – Intergalactic Love Song
What a delightfully weird little tune. Those space-age keyboards kill me, especially around the 53 second mark when the vocals drop out, and you’ve got dueling space-keyboards noodling around in each of your ears. This is what the year 2000 was supposed to sound like.

11) Jay Electronica – Departure / Are You Watching Closely?
Jay’s been getting plenty of hype, with people like Badu and Just Blaze showing him love. I don’t quite see it. But this song (songs?) is pretty incredible, and serves as a good intro to a guy who’ll definitely be making moves this year.

12) Re-Up Gang – Cry Now
Malice sounds particularly heated on this one: “We the R-E-U-P Gang that’s us, brah / Yes, I said gang, all else is faux pas.” To be honest, I was more caught off guard by hearing Mal use the word “brah” than “gang.”

13) Re-Up Gang – Show You How to Hustle
Don’t let those sick organs distract you from the lyrics. Ab-Liva: “Katrina with the coke, I flood the city like New Orleans, I’m too heavy so the levies break.” Sandman: “They wanna put me in a Porsche, little-ass box / f*ck you n*gga I’m as large as an ox!” That’s the great thing about Re-Up Gang is that I’ll be listening to this album a year from now, and still picking up on lyrics that amuse or amaze.

14) Oh No (ft. Roc C) – Riding High
Yeah, we’ve all heard that Faze-O loop before, but that sh*t never gets old for me. It’s a song that makes you feel about 80% cooler than you actually are.

15) Bilal – Get Out of My Hair
Or as Quasimoto would say, “don’t go away mad girl, just go away.”

16) RAMP – The Old One, Two
Another weird one from the crates of Giles Peterson.

17) Ofege – Burning Jungle
You’ve heard Ofege before on my mixes. This is from their 1978 album How Do You Feel? You can definitely hear the disco influences, but it still works.

18) Tim Maia – Imunizacao Racional
Supposedly this dude is like the James Brown of Brazil.

19) Ofo the Black Company – Let’s Go Where the Action Is
I know this is a pretty trite observation, but the rhythms used in African music put a pep in my step. The drums in the chorus seem to hit with a timing that you don’t hear in most honkey music.

20) Professor Murder – Civilization Three
Speaking of bands with rhythm. One day, these guys are going to release a full album and conquer the world.

21) Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
This album really should have come out during the summer. Sounds like the soundtrack to grilling and playing wiffle ball.

22) Vampire Weekend – Boston
No song about Boston is complete without a reference to scorpion bowls. Maybe next time.

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE JAN 08 MIX HERE

I picked a heck of a month to start a music blog. Not many albums caught my attention this month, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the little collection of songs I put together below. It was the month of free music, as my favorite albums were all available for free download (on purpose, even!). The debut mixtape from North Carolina’s Ced Hughes, Ced and the Technicolor Soundwave, was hands-down my favorite release of the month (word to Currituck County). Killa Cam’s Public Enemy #1 mixtape turned out to be a good listen once pared down to one disc’s worth of music, rather than the original two. And LA rapper Blu continues his hot streak with his hopefully-to-be-released Powders & Oils album with partner Mainframe (under the Johnson & Jonson moniker).

No new non-hip-hop albums really caught my ear outside of going back and acquiring Les Savy Fav’s 2001 album Go Forth.

As always, feel free to hit up comments if there are any recent releases you think I’ve missed out on.

1) Les Savy Fav – Adopduction
Far more rock songs should try to tell a coherent story. Especially when that story involves being kidnapped by a “guy with a mustache, and a chick with an eyepatch.”

2) Ced Hughes – Greetings From the Firing Squad (Interpol Mix)
Lot’s of rappers have recently tried to rap over “indie” rock songs, to often mixed results (see: Elucid, Wale, Mickey Factz, etc.). Hell, even Kanye West tried to get into the act, kicking some shitty verse over “Young Folks.” None have done it better than Ced Hughes. On this song, check how he works the original Interpol lyrics into his own verses. Dude’s a talent to keep an eye on.

3) Rob Sonic – Brand New Vandals
Some typically good Def Jux shit: dark, rock-influenced, and featuring an MC spitting fiercely and mostly incoherently. For some reason, it always works for me.

4) Re-Up Gang – 20k Money Making Brothers on the Corner
The debut single from We Got It For Cheap Vol. 3. Some day, I’m going to grow tired of hearing Pusha T, Malice, Sandman, and Ab-Liva talk about selling drugs…but that day isn’t coming up any time soon. Especially when they continue to do it over epic beats like this Dame Grease banger. Malice: “Fathered so many styles, I’m hading out cigars.”

5) Cam’ron (ft. Hell Rell & 40Cal) – Swagga Talk
Dipset’s finest (and two b-teamers) update “Ebonics” to hip us lames to the latest Harlem slang. RIP Big L.

6) Johnson & Jonson – Half a Knot
If Nas were 21, from LA, and had a good ear for beats, his name would be Blu. Weirdly, lot’s of the songs from this album play fine in iTunes, but skip ahead on my iPod. Not sure how that happens, but I’m not too worried…I’ll definitely be buying this one once it gets it’s proper release (hopefully soon!).

7) Saigon – Saigon Meets Just Blaze
I don’t quite get see what Saigon brings to the table. But as long as he keeps getting beats like this from Justin Smith, I’ll keep listening.

8) Atmosphere – Get It To Get Her
Here are the Cliff’s Notes: if you want to bag a decent broad, get your shit together. Of course, it sounds a lot better when Slug says it over some funky (Lyn Collins?) sample. Off of the free-to-download Strictly Leakage mixtape.

9) Johnson & Jonson – The Only Way
I guess I’m a sucker for songs that work sampled vocals into the rapper’s lyrics (see also, track 2 above). I guess I’m also a sucker for songs that sample some classic female funk (damn, that voice sounds familiar…can anyone help me put a name to it?) (see also, track 8 above).

10) The ARE (ft. Kay & Donwill) – Keep Trying
Houston producer decided to make an entire album built off Jackson 5 samples, then put it on the intertubes for free. The result, Dem Dumb Jacksons, is well worth the download.
DivShare File – 10 The ARE – Keep Trying.m4a

11) Usha Uthup – Chhupke Kaun Aya
The good Captain (of Captain’s Crate fame) has a seemingly endless supply of odd goodies in his crates. This one here is the oddest and the goodie-est: a Hindi version of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.”

12) MGMT – Electric Feel
Oracular Spectacular is a pretty good (see also, “Time to Pretend” from the December 07 Mix), but definitely not great album.
DivShare File – 12 MGMT – Electric Feel.m4a

13) Ghostland Observatory – Sad Sad City
If you turned up the bpm’s from the previous song and sprinkled a little bit of cheese on top, you’d pretty much have this song.
DivShare File – 13 Ghostland Observatory – Sad Sad City.m4a

14) Yeasayer – Final Path
My November 07 mix featured two Yeasayer songs, and I’ve been digging their album All Hour Cymbals since then. So much so that I decided to download some live versions of their songs from their Daytrotter sessions. Although I guess I didn’t quite like their music enough to catch their show at Local 506 a couple of weeks ago.

15) Aktion – Masquerade
You might remember Nigerian funksters Aktion from the June 07 mix. Their sound is perfectly funky and fuzzy in a way that I think would be tough to re-produce with modern equipment. Enterprising producers need to sample their stuff, asap. Courtesy of With Comb & Razor.

16) Phirpo Y Sus Caribes – Comencemos
This song is a perfect blend of afro-Latin-funk that I only thought the Budos Band could do.

17) Ced Hughes – On My Lean Casually
I just wanted to show that Ced still sounds great over more traditional hip-hop beats. His appeal ain’t just a function of the “rapping over rock songs” gimmick. This beat sounds like something the Clipse would have murdered.

18) Rich Boy – Get to Poppin’
Rich Boy’s album is actually decent. There’s a little more there than just “Throw Some D’s” and “Boy Looka Here.”

19) Killer Mike (ft. Ice Cube) – Bad Day/Worst Day (Remix)
In 2005, Columbia Records was supposed to drop Killer Mike’s sophomore album, Ghetto Extraordinary. Instead, it got shelved. While most of the songs ended up showing up on his The Killer mixtape, or the I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind “street album” (don’t call it a mixtape!), a few of the songs remained unheard (at least by me). Luckily, Ghetto Extraordinary got leaked this past month so I could hear the “Bad Day/Worst Day Remix.”

20) Bishop Lamont – Music Shit
The latest Dr. Dre protégé has some promise. He’s equal parts gangster and backpacker, and the type of guy not afraid to reminisce on the days when “‘Ice Ice Baby’ through the speakers was thumpin’ / N****s dis it now but back then it was bumpin.”

21) Cam’ron – Just Us
Killa Cam over Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” is a pretty unstoppable combo. As Tom Briehan explains:

He’s got a beautifully assured way of slipping back and forth between totally genuine and specific talk about an unexpected personal connection (“Sound horrific, ain’t a doctor, but your son, I wish him well”) and disgusting sex-talk punchlines (“Gave her a sanchez / Yes, a dirty one”).

22) Rihanna – Umbrella (S.A.S.A.C. Remix)
This remix gives a completely different feel to one of the biggest hits of ’07. I don’t know who S.A.S.A.C. is, but (s)he turns it into a super-mellow slow burning electro-jam. Laid back.
DivShare File – 22 Rihanna – Umbrella _s_a_s_a_c_ remix_.m4a

23) Aaron Neville – She Took You For a Ride
I didn’t really listen to much soul this month, but really enjoyed this one, thanks to O-Dub at soul sides.

24) Gorillaz – Don’t Get Lost in Heaven (Original Demo)
This song’s not all that special. But it’s pretty catchy, and I had just enough space to fit it in to this month’s mix.

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE DECEMBER 07 MIX HERE

1) Cyril Neville – Tell Me What’s On Your Mind
Some classic N.O. funk. Members of the Meters with one of the Neville Brothers.

2) The Rollers – Knocking on the Wrong Door
I’m still waiting to hear the rest of the latest Eccentric Soul compilation, The Outskirts of Deep City, but this one here is a pretty good start.

3) The Clefs of Calvary – You Don’t Know What I’ve Been Through
The Clefs think the Lord is the only one who knows what they’ve been through. Evidently they don’t buy into this whole Santa thing.

4) Millie Jackson – I Cry
Oh No sampled this on his fantastic debut album The Disrupt, and DJ Noodles (who?) chopped it up for Freeway’s not-so-originally-titled “I Cry.”

5) Freeway (ft. Marsha Ambrosius) – This Can’t Be Real
If you haven’t heard the Gil Scott Heron original, go find it…now. It’ll bring tears to your eyes quicker than that Millie Jackson song.

6) Ghostface Killah (ft. Method Man & Raekwon) – Yolanda’s House
Ghostface has something like 5 story-telling songs on The Big Doe Rehab, and they’re all nails. This one particularly so with the fantastic assists from a rejuvenated Method Man (peep 8 Diagrams…he’s back on his game) and the always solid Raekwon.

7) Young Buck (ft. the Outlawz) – Ridin’ Down the Freeway
This one should have come out during the summer. It’s tough to be drivin’ down the freeway “diamond in the back with the sunroof open” in December. Hi-Tek on the beat.

8) Wu-Tang Clan (ft. George Clinton) – Wolves
The new Wu album is pretty awesome (no matter what Rae and Ghost keep saying in interviews). This head-nodder was pretty much picked at random…I could have selected any number of songs. But I like the way U-God opens this one.

9) 9^th Wonder (ft. Big Dho & Sean Price) – Shots
Little Brother’s (former?) manager Big Dho hops on the mic without embarrassing himself! Pretty impressive considering he’s next to one of the best in the game in Sean Price.

10) Busta Rhymes (ft. Rah Digga) – Not Right Now
Busta annoys me now that he’s gone from cartoon character to hardcore dope slinger. But this J Dilla beat is reason enough to put up with him for 3 minutes. And the hook makes me laugh.

11) Wu-Tang Clan – Rushing Elephants
RZA’s shout-out to Holger amuses me: “strangle cold bottles of Beck’s, like a vexed German.”

12) The Money Making Jam Boys (ft. Peedi Crakk) – I Don’t Know What Else to Say
Black Thought’s weed carriers (Dice Raw & Truck North) put out a mixtape rapping over some 80′s beats, and it’s actually really good. You might remember one of the tracks (“Maniacs”) from the January Mix. Anyone know the song sampled here?

13) Percee P – The Man to Praise
“If you ladies were unable to follow my brain-melting lyrics, don’t worry, I’ve got some dumbed-down songs for the ya’ll on my album.” – Percee P, offending everyone with two X chromosomes at the Slick Rick show last week. So, he’s kind of a douche, but at least he got Madlib to lace him with some beats like this one.

14) Freeway – When They Remember
You gotta love Freeway. Every time he grabs the mic, whatever he’s saying is the most urgent shit, like, ever.

15) DJ Drama (ft. Pharrell & the Clipse) – Cheers
It’s a celebration, bitches! The best song off the surprisingly good DJ Drama album.

16) Kidz in the Hall – Hush
I never thought I’d see the day when a couple of Ivy Leaguers signed to Duck Down. Of course, I also never thought I’d see the day when anyone would think it a good idea to call their group Kidz in the Hall.

17) Riskay – Smell Yo Dick
When you want to know if your man is cheating or not, just ask to smell his dick! Genius! Saw this one in a David Cross interview, where he named it his favorite song of the year. It’s pretty damn good.

18) DJ Mehdi – Lucky Boy
He’s like the French version of the Avalanches.

19) Professor Murder – Flex-it Formula
The most fun band doing it today (my favorite show of the year). Can’t wait for the upcoming full-length.

20) MGMT – Time to Pretend
#94 on Pitchfork’s Top 100 Tracks of 2007. As they describe it, “MGMT shamelessly indulge in one simplistic, escapist hook for four guilt-free minutes.” This is the only song of theirs that I’ve heard, but it works for me.

21) Radiohead – Bangers & Mash
From the In Rainbows bonus disc (the one you had to pay $80 for…I wouldn’t bother). This is the only one that really rocks.

22) Band of Horses – Detlef Schrempf
I was underwhelmed with Cease to Begin, but Ben Bridwell’s voice is still pretty undeniable. He’s the poor man’s Jim James.

1) Menahan Street Band – Make The Road By Walking
New group featuring members of the Dap-Kings, the Budos Band and El Michels Affair. Full-length coming early 2008.

2) Jay-Z – Roc Boys (And The Winner Is..)
Does that horn line sound familiar?

3) Kanye West – A Million And One Questions
I liked American Gangster pretty good, but Jay needs to get back with producers like Primo.

4) David Banner – Us and the Gunz
Fun fact of the day: Mr. Banner was president of the Student Government Association while at Southern University. Student government kids at Wake Forest were complete douchebags, for what it’s worth.

5) The Shape Of Broad Minds – Changes
Philly producer Jneiro Jarel is a weirdo. His stuff doesn’t always hit on Craft of the Lost Art, but it’s always pretty interesting.

6) The Budos Band (ft. Wale) – Chicago Falcon (The Washington Sq. Lads & Mark Ronson Remix)
Scion makes some ugly cars, but their marketing budget is great for hip-hop. Not only did I get to see Ghostface Killah for free this month (GFK quote: “when we do that song in cities like Utah, n****s don’t know the words like you guys.”), but they also put out a mixtape of remixes from Daptone Records artists (Budos Band, Sharon Jones, Daktaris, etc.). Download all 9 songs here .

7) Mr. Vegas – Heads High
A dancehall classic that I just never had on my iPod before.

8) Johnny Osbourne (ft. Bunny Brown) – Love Makes the World Go Around
Dub meets doo-wop.

9) Amy Winehouse – Cupid
This is actually an old Sam Cooke song even though Winehouse makes it sound like a Specials song.

10) Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – How Long Do I Have To Wait For You (Ticklah Remix)
Antibalas keyboard player Ticklah gives Sharon Jones the dub treatment.

11) Ticklah (ft. Mayra Vega) – Si Hecho Palante
You’ve hopefully heard Mayra Vega before on Antibalas’ incredible cover of “Che Che Cole”. If you haven’t heard it, you can get it here. More dub goodness from Ticklah.

12) Verkys et l’orchestre Veve – Lina Omasana Boye Pt.2
The Captain (of Captain’s Crate fame) has been crate digging in Africa the past few months. His work is our reward.

13) Oh No – Exp Out the Ox
Oh No > Madlib?

14) Yeasayer – Sunrise
Pitchfork describes Yeasayer as “one of the better bands to put a new spin on (David Byrne’s) polyrhythmic convulsing.” I would describe them as, “indie music with lots of drums.” That’s why they get paid to write about music.

15) Tulsa – Breath Thin
They’re kind of like a melancholy My Morning Jacket. The best band from Boston since Street Credit (what up, Vep)?

16) Iron & Wine – White Tooth Man
I normally don’t get down with pretty singer-songwriter sh*t, so I wasn’t expecting much from Iron & Wine’s latest. His old stuff was mostly bare-bones acoustic. With this latest one though, he’s stepped up his game, including a full band, and placing a bigger emphasis on percussion (have I mentioned before that I really like drums?).

17) Yeasayer – Wintertime
This creepy singalong would sound perfectly in place on Liars’ latest album. Or some classic Black Sabbath.

18) Iron & Wine – Carousel
This should soothe you back out after that last Yeasayer song. Sounds like a guy with a beard singing underwater.

19) Lee Moses – California Dreaming
I love myself some cover songs. And while few songs have been covered as often as this one , few have been so soulful.

20) Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr – You Can’t Blame Me
Life’s been good for the group’s tenor, Mike Tatum. Tatum now lives in Cincinnati, where he’s retired, and spends most of his days watching his wife wash his car in her Daisy Dukes (sorry, inside joke).

21) Larry Ellis & Black Hammer – Funky Thing (Pt. 1)
Who do you think pulled more ass: Larry Ellis, or Black Hammer?

22) Jay-Z (ft. Nas) – Success
I feel like I’ve heard that organ wail somewhere before. For the record “Success” > “Black Republicans.”

DOWNLOAD HERE