I have to admit, I slept on Pearl Jam for a long time; in fact, I just woke up from my twenty year slumber. Some people tend to say that it’s better late than never, and in the case of Pearl Jam’s music, I definitely agree. My buddy Steve is one of the biggest Pearl Jam enthusiasts I know, and after hearing about his experience at the Alpine Valley leg of the PJ20 tour, I had to find out what he was so passionate about. The first time I listened to Ten from front to back, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; I felt like Ten was the equivalent of Tommy, just twenty-two years later. I just watched PJ20 for the first time on the fourth of July; I was absolutely blown away by Cameron Crowe‘s attention to detail and his desire to tell Pearl Jam’s fascinating story through incredible concert footage and exclusive interviews.
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Movie Review: Cameron Crowe, Pearl Jam Twenty
Posted in Movie Reviews, Reviews with tags Cameron Crowe, Mookie Blaylock, Mother Love Bone, PJ20, Ten on Saturday, July 7, 2012 by Tim AlthausKanye & Pusha T Bring That “New God Flow”
Posted in Audio, Media with tags G.O.O.D. Music, Kanye West, New God Flow, Pusha T on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 by Tim Althaus
Well, isn’t this interesting? As many people know, I haven’t been a huge fan of Kanye’s music in the past few years. I actually submitted an opinion editorial about him to the local newspaper a few years back, and although it didn’t get published, I still felt good about it. Don’t get me wrong, I really like College Dropout and Late Resgistration, but I really don’t like any of the material that he’s put out since Graduation. I was on Facebook yesterday, and this track popped up a few times, so I figured I would humor myself and check it out; I’m really glad that I gave it a chance.
This song is truly unbelievable, and it makes me want to see a full-length project between these two. I haven’t been too keen on Mr.West’s flow as of late, but this is the hungriest he has sounded in a while, and it takes me back to the College Dropout days:
“Hold up, I ain’t tryin’ to stunt man/but the Yeezys jumped over the Jumpman/went from the most hated to the champion god flow/I guess that’s a feelin’ only me and Lebron know”
Pusha T also has some subliminal words for person(s) remaining nameless:
“Step on they necks til’ they can’t breathe/claim they five stars but sell you dreams/they say death multiplies by threes/line them all up and let’s just see/Fuck em’ Ye/Fuck em’ Ye/ I wouldn’t piss on that ni**a with Grand Marnier/their shit is shoppin’ at Tarjay (Target)/my shit is luxury gourmet”
This is the type of track that I love to hear Kanye on, and if this is what I can come to expect for the future, then I will be definitely keeping closer tabs on his music. Don’t sleep on this one.
Album Review: M.i, The Coldplay Sessions
Posted in Album Review, Music Reviews with tags M.i, Prep Time, The Coldplay Sessions, The Jack Johnson Sessions, Tyler Keyes on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 by Tim Althaus
I’m the type of guy that really likes a jack-of-all-trades; if an artist is capable of rhyming and producing their own music, then I’m most definitely going to be a huge fan. Michael Maldonado (aka M.i) is a perfect example of my aforementioned statement because he literally does everything (emceeing, producing, mixing, engineering) himself. The Austin, Texas native has been on his grind for quite some time now, and The Coldplay Sessions is actually the fifth project that he’s released; back in 2010 M.i released The Jack Johnson Sessions (which featured a Jack Johnson sample on every track), and last year he released the superbly stellar album Prep Time (Produced almost entirely by musical genius Tyler Keyes). Continue reading
Happy Anniversary to Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt
Posted in Album Review with tags Clark Kent, DJ Premier, Irv Gotti, jay-z, Notorious B.I.G., Reasonable Doubt, Ski Beatz on Monday, June 25, 2012 by Tim Althaus
Sixteen long (or short, depending on how you look at it) years ago, one of Hip-Hop’s finest opuses was released. Reasonable Doubt is an album that would transition Jay-Z from an underground aficionado to a rap superstar, and it also changed the Hip-Hop game forever. Jay-z had been a hungry emcee as early as ’89, and he was sick of the way that his label (Payday) had been promoting him; he decided to take things into his own hands, and he started Roc-A-Fella Records. Together with Priority Records, Roc-A-Fella Records released Reasonable Doubt.
From the moment that Pain In Da Ass opens the album on “Can’t Knock the Hustle”, the gangster mentality takes hold, and Jay-Z displays a lyrical ability that pierces the listener’s brain like a nine millimeter. I don’t think anybody, including Hov himself, knew how much of an impact this album would have on emcees for decades to come.
Vinnie Paz, “Cheese Steaks”
Posted in Video with tags Cheese Steaks, God of the Serengeti, Jedi Mind Tricks, Psycho Les, The Beatnuts, Vinnie Paz on Friday, June 22, 2012 by Tim AlthausThis is what I’m talking about; I don’t think I could ever complain about hearing Vinnie Paz over some Beatnuts production. Vinnie and legendary Beatnuts member Psycho Les teamed up for the first single from Vinnie Paz’s forthcoming solo album God of the Serengeti; the track is called “Cheese Steaks”, and it goes hard on all fronts. Psycho Les lays down a haunting canvas that enables Vinnie to paint a perfect picture that encapsulates his demeanor. This is the type of track that I love to hear Vinnie Paz on; it always brings out the best in his rhyming ability.God of the Serengetiwill be releasing this fall on Enemy Soil Records.
Notable Quotable: “The only time beef is mentioned around me is for steak sauce/I work harder than ya’ll/it’s no days off/the knife work scratch and cut you up like Main Source“
“Stop The Press”… Brother Ali is Back!
Posted in Audio, Media, News with tags Brother Ali, Jake One, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, Rhymesayers Entertainment, Stop The Press on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 by Tim Althaus
It appears as though Brother Ali is back folks. You may recall that he dropped a free EP earlier this year called The Bite Marked Heart, and on August 21st, the Good Brother will be releasing his latest full length album Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color. The effort will be produced entirely by Seattle beat smith Jake One; I’ve been a huge fan of everything that these guys have done together, and I can’t wait to hear what they’ve cooked up on this project. This is Ali’s first full length album since Us back in 2009.
“Stop The Press” is the lead single off of Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, and at first I wasn’t to keen on the track, but it is definitely growing on me after a few listens. Jake’s silky smooth beat provides the perfect canvas for Brother Ali to inform the people about what he’s been up to since his last major release. A lot of fans might be slightly apprehensive because Ant isn’t producing the entirety of the album like he has in the past, but I can assure you that this album is going to be special; Brother Ali and Jake One have a great deal of chemistry, and it’s going to shine through on this album.
Music Discovery: Of Mice & Musicians
Posted in Music Discovery with tags Bottles & Bones, Detroit Hip-Hop, Of Mice and Musicians on Monday, June 18, 2012 by Tim Althaus
We all know how much I enjoy music from the Murder Mitten, so it’s no surprise that I dig the musical offerings from Of Mice and Musicians. The seven man band from Detroit has been on their grind for a few years now, and their latest album (Bottles & Bones) is an impressive collection of rock infused Hip-Hop. If I could compare the sound of the guys to anything, it would probably be a mix between the instrumentals of Sublime and Citizen Cope mixed with the vocals of Weerd Science and Cage.
One of my favorite lines from Benjamin Miles is on “Sorry My Mom Called”, and it defines what making music should be about: “…Didn’t start it, probably won’t save it/but I appreciate it/I am proud of what we makin’/even if we don’t make it/if I can rock a show on the weekend with my friends, I’ll take it”. Another track that jumped right out at me was “Don’t Hate”; the guitar work and instrumentation is unbelievable, and Miles spits stanzas filled with passion and pain.
It’s always refreshing to hear music that you can relax to, and these guys are definitely the ticket. I know for a fact that Eric would enjoy these guys quite a bit. Detroit has always been what I consider the epicenter of Hip-Hop, and Of Mice and Musicians are carving their own lane with their style of music; that’s something that I can truly appreciate. You can jump over to Of Mice and Musicians’ Bandcamp page and grab Bottles & Bones for free; how can you argue with a free album full of great music? I know I can’t…
Album Review: Apollo Brown & O.C., Trophies
Posted in Album Review, Music Reviews with tags Apollo Brown, DITC, Mello Music Group, O.C., Trophies on Thursday, June 14, 2012 by Tim Althaus
Too often, we bestow the credibility of albums based on how many plaques or awards they have garnered. Detroit beat monster Apollo Brown and legendary DITC member O.C. combined forces to craft an album that speaks for itself. These guys aren’t in it to win shiny objects or gain recognition from the top 40 charts; they do what they do because they love music. Trophies is an album that every fan of Hip-Hop can love; Apollo crafts some of the most brilliant boom bap beats in Hip-Hop, and the legend O.C. spits bars upon bars of truth and wisdom. Apollo Brown and O.C. are from two different eras in Hip-Hop’s history, and that very fact is what makes this album so special. Continue reading
Album Download: Big K.R.I.T., 4Eva N A Day
Posted in Album Download with tags Big K.R.I.T., Live From the Underground, Merdian Mississippi on Monday, March 5, 2012 by Tim Althaus
What a great day for Hip-Hop music; first the Soundset 2012 lineup is announced (which K.R.I.T. will be at), and then the Meridian, Mississippi phenom dropped some new material for the world to hear. 4Eva N A Day is a mix tape that I’ve been anticipating for quite some time now; I really didn’t get into Big K.R.I.T. at first, but once I really started to dig deeper, I instantly became a huge fan. The one thing that I really enjoy about K.R.I.T. is that he always puts out original music. K.R.I.T’s mix tapes contain tracks that have production by none other than himself; he isn’t releasing half-assed mix tapes with jacked beats. In fact, I (along with the rest of the Hip-Hop community) consider his mix tape releases to be album quality
4Eva N A Day features seventeen all new original tracks from K.R.I.T., and there are no vocal guest appearances; it sounds like this tape could be monumental. It seems as though there is no slowing down one of the hardest working cats in the Hip-Hop game; he had released three top-tier mix tapes in the last three years, and he is readying the world for his Def Jam debut, Live From the Underground. Make sure click the download button and get yourself a syringe.
Download: Big K.R.I.T., 4Eva N A Day
Soundset 2012 Announced!
Posted in Concert Dates, News with tags Aesop Rock, Atmosphere, Audio Perm, Big K.R.I.T., Danny Brown, DJ Premier, Evidence, Ghostface, Kendrick Lamar, Raekwon, Soundset on Monday, March 5, 2012 by Tim Althaus
Sorry for the delay in my posting lately folks, but I’ve been swamped in my personal life. Anyways, I was at work today when I got about 3 different text messages pertaining to this year’s Soundset Festival in Shakopee, MN. Let me tell you right now, my heart dropped when I saw this lineup; it is utterly fantastic. I went to the initial reincarnation of Soundset in 2008, and it’s one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. I also went in 2009, but I haven’t been back since because I wasn’t as enthused about the lineup as I had been in past years.
This year they have truly outdone themselves; I can’t even express how excited I am about this lineup. Some of the artists (just to name a few) include Atmosphere (as always), Aesop Rock, Evidence, Big K.R.I.T., Ghostface Killah & Raekwon, Danny Brown, DJ Premier, Kendrick Lamar, hometown heroes Audio Perm and more. Tickets will be on sale this Saturday, March 10th at 11AM, and I can assure you I will be picking up a VIP ticket stat. General admission is going to be $41, and VIP will be $90. I hope to see you all there!
MIND INVERSION 