Part 1
Vodpod videos no longer available.In this part of the interview Pharoahe talks about coming up with Organized Konfusion, and his early days with Prince Po. He also talks about styles of his that other emcees have interpreted and used in their own way.
Part 2
Vodpod videos no longer available.In the second part of the video Monch talks about how he actually wishes he would have dropped something in between Internal Affairs & Desire (8 years). He also discusses what he would consider to be his five favorite emcees (at this point in time). He also talks about why the borough of Queens produces so many great emcees and why he feels Barack Obama is the right man for the job.
Both of these parts are very in depth and are a must watch for any Pharoahe Monch fan.
The first thing that I need to tell you in regards to this album is that it’s never easy to follow in the footsteps of a legend. The second thing that I need to tell you is that this album may be the best treasure trove of “Ummah era” beats I’ve ever heard, and for that alone I could give the album at least a 7. The beats that are on this album are very laid back and very omniscient of the work that Jay Dee did with Tribe and Pharcyde. The one thing that I love about Jay Dee is that he had the ability to make beats seem so effortless, and at the same time sound so complex.
Illa J is one of those cats that can rhyme and sing (as Phonte would say “Sometimes I rap, sometime I sing like the Moody Blues), and it really makes for an interesting mix. “We Here” is the first track that really kicks things off with a sly and smooth beat with Illa going off like a pistol on this beat. I’ve heard a lot of people critisizing Illa J’s flow but I don’t think that’s necissary because this kid definitely has some major potential. “R U Listenin’?” is a serious highlight for the album that has Illa J and Detroit veteran Guilty Simpson exchanging verses over a futuristic synthy beat. Guilty completely kills this track (“I cheef cheeba/sleep with divas/and serve these whack rappers like pizzerias”) and outshines Illa J a little but not too much. Frank Nitty (of Frank N Dank) gives some great insight into the Yancey family and very well may convince you that they are all aliens and Affion Crockett provides some comedic relief and spits some rhymes as well. The beats (as I’ve said before) are great, and this album may be one of the best compilations of ummah era Dilla beats I’ve heard.
I have seen a lot of people giving this album a pretty low rating for the quality that it actually has. I think that a lot of people are over estimating Illa J because they expect to hear the next Dilla. Illa J has some serious potential, and I wouldn’t be surprised to end up seeing him on the Stones Throw roster doing some serious damage in the future.
7.5/10
Well, in a seemingly endless year of great releases it looks as if there is going to be another great compilation album from a Staten Island legend before it’s all said and done. Tony Starks aka Ghostface Killah will be releasing his first official Def Jam collection entitled Ghost Deini the Great. This collection will feature appearances by Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, Styles P, Ice Cube, Pusha T (Clipse), Raekwon & more. This album also (CD only) features live footage from Ghost’s trek on the Hip Hop Live! Tour, as well as rarities and remixes of some of your favorite Ghostface songs.
Ghost has had one hell of an illustrious solo career, he is highly regarded by many critics and this guy might be up there with the greatest emcees of all time. To me there really aren’t too many guys that can paint a picture like Ghost as well as be funny as hell at the same time. Go out and grab this shit because it promises to scorch the hell out of your speakers and break your neck.
Tracklisting:
01 Slept on Tony
02 Run [Remix ft. Jadakiss, Lil Wayne, Raekwon, and Freeway]
03 Kilo [Remix ft. Raekwon and Pusha T]
04 Be Easy [Remix ft. Ice Cube]
05 Tony Segal (aka Barrel Bros.) [ft. Styles P and Beanie Sigel]
06 It’s Over
07 Walk Around
08 9 Milli Bros. [ft. Wu-Tang Clan]
09 Mighty Healthy
10 Apollo Kids
11 All I Got Is You [ft. Mary J Blige]
12 Cher Chez La Ghost
13 Back Like That [Remix ft. Kanye West and Ne-Yo]
14 Street Opera [ft. Sun God]
15 You Know I’m No Good [ft. Amy Winehouse]
16 The Champ [Remix]
17 Ghostface Christmas
Also go check out the WU on tour:
11-29 Portland, OR – Roseland Ballroom
11-30 Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
12-01 Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
12-03 San Francisco, CA – The Grand Ballroom at the Regency Center
12-04 West Hollywood, CA – House of Blues
12-05 San Diego, CA – House of Blues
12-06 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
12-07 Tempe, AZ – Marquee
12-08 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
12-10 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
12-14 Chicago, IL – House of Blues
12-15 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
12-17 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
12-18 Rochester, NY – Main Street Armory
12-19 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
12-20 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
12-21 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
12-23 New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
01-01 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
01-02 Providence, RI – Lupo’s
01-04 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
01-07 Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
01-08 Richmond, VA – Toad’s Place
01-09 Greensboro, NC – N Club
01-10 Charleston, SC – Music Farm
01-11 Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend
01-12 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
01-13 Columbia, SC – LEVEL
01-14 Atlanta, GA – TBA
I really don’t need to say too much. Stay tuned.
According to Okayplayer the Roots’ tour bus crashed last night in Paris. Thankfully everyone that was on the bus was ok. The thing about the situation is that the Roots’ European tour bus is a double decker bus and could have done some really serious damage. I’m glad to hear these guys are all okay, they are definitely innovators and legends, they need to stay around for a long time.
I don’t really need to say much more than that. You can read ?uestlove’s blog and recall of the situation here.
I was very relieved to hear that one of my favorite producers, Ramble John Krohn (aka Rjd2), was back in the studio making more music. He had mentioned that his new album should be ready sometime around mid-2009 (although he doesn’t like to say things like that pre-emptively). I am really hoping that Rj goes back towards his Hip-Hop roots (Dead Ringer which was released to high critical acclaim) and stays away from the indie pop music. This guy is one of the most talented producers I’ve ever heard, and his music is simply beautiful.
I also found out that the Simpsons recently did a parody of the AMC show Mad Men (which is a Golden Globe winner) and they chose to use Rj’s track “A Beautiful Mine” off of the Magnificent City (which teamed RJ up with veteran Freestyle Fellowship emcee Aceyalone). When RJ was asked how he felt about the situation: “It’s really something when music you made in your basement for your own enjoyment ends up in places you never imagined it would. You can tell they recreated the music for the show using orchestration and all live instruments, so that made it even cooler.”
It’s been 10 long years since Chali 2na, Akil, Mark 7even, Zaakir (Soup), Cut Chemist & DJ Nu Mark bust onto the hip-hop scene with their legendary Jurassic 5 EP. The Jurassic 5 EP was as close to a perfect record as you could get, hard hitting drums with great samples and absolutely amazing lyrics.
To celebrate the eleventh anniversary of this modern day classic, the EP is being re-released (it had been out of print since 2004) with additional bonus tracks (there are 29 tracks total on 2 discs), as well as a DVD with live performances, a documentary and the video for “Concrete Schoolyard”. I don’t know about you, but this package seems to have a great deal of added value here. For all of you die-hard J5 fans (I happen to be a pretty damn big one) this is a great item for you to add to the collection.
There are only 5 days left until EV drops The LAyover EP and EV was kind enough to drop the 4th video (produced by Jason Goldwatch) he’s released off this EP entitled “Don’t Hate”. The track features Defari who is a Cali native and solo artist, as well as a collaborator with DJ Babu in Likwit Junkies. This video is in straight black and white and there really isn’t too much to it, but that’s what I like about it. Both emcees flow craftily over this Evidence beat and make this a great listen. Watch out for the last video to drop on the 25th when the LAyover drops, you know I’ll have the video up as well as a copy of the EP playing all fucking day.
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Also Check:
“So Fresh” (Featuring Alchemist) (Step Brothers) (Video)
“The Far Left” (Featuring Alchemist & Fashawn) (Produced by Alchemist) (Video)
Well as I’ve repeatedly told you before, Evidence is one busy ass mother fucker. It seems as though the same can be said about his HIGH school friend Alchemist. Together they are releasing 6 different projects in the next year. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s mad ridiculous the work that these two are putting in, and I can’t wait to hear the fruits of their labor. Evidence already released the LAyover Mixtape, The LAyover EP is coming in less than 2 weeks (I can’t fucking wait). Alchemist has Alchemist’s Cookbook EP and Better Living Through Chemistry (which he claims he’s remade 5 times) due out in the next year. Alchemist also has a project with one of my favorite producing/emcees Oh No entitled Gangrene which should drop by the end of this year.
All of this work is ultimately leading up to the release of the album for their project Step Brothers next year, as well as Evidence’s follow up to the critically acclaimed Weatherman LP, Cats & Dogs. The song “So Fresh” off of the LAyover EP is the first official Step Brothers single. If you haven’t seen the video check it out below and make sure you get all this material coming out because it’s gonna be fresh.
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MIND INVERSION 
