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
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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.
In a year that brought us the Olympics (Michael Phelps is just starting to dry off I think), a new President Elect (please get rid of the BCS like promised), and endless amounts of slightly above average rap music (yes little wayne, that means you), I present to you the most definitive end of the year list, EVER!
TOP TEN ALBUMZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cut Copy “In Ghost Colours”. In a year littered with disappointing releases from formerly impressive acts (see Cold War Kids and Kings of Leon), Cut Copy managed to resurrect their careers with the stellar release of In Ghost Colours. Not that the act was dead, it is just that Cut Copy hadn’t released an LP in years and seemed destined to fall off the map, but they’ve managed to do just the opposite in 2008. Touring around the globe and making people of all ages dance with their 80’s styled synth pop music, Cut Copy is here to stay. Highlighted by booming tracks like “Lights and Music” “Unforgettable Season” and “Hearts On Fire” In Ghost Colours makes a lasting and overwhelming impression on the listener. It’s hard to say enough good things about an album this polished; all that’s really left to note is that if you have not yet heard In Ghost Colours you are either 1) foolish or 2) in denial for not admitting to option one.
Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend”. Can Vampire Weekend save American Music? Well it’s hard to say if it actually needs saving, but the boys from out East do a mighty fine job of making sure we have some great music to listen to. From first track to last, the debut effort is the easiest to sing-along to, easiest to bob your head to, easiest to love album of 2008. Accessible and appreciated by people who don’t usually cross into the “indie” genre, this album was probably the most listened to of any on the list. A perfectly tight live performance and some enjoyable b-sides floating around the internet, Vampire Weekend made more headlines than most acts this year…and for good reason.
Hercules & Love Affair “Hercules & Love Affair”. It’s hard to write a summary about an album that just so weird, well, as far as genre goes. This, let’s call is disco-pop, album surprised many fans of their two track ep released a long year before this self-titled debut. Adding vocals, minimal yet effective samples, and an overall tempo much higher than that of the 45, Hercules & Love Affair delivered a delightful and exotic mix of dance and minimalism. Singles like “Blind” and “You Belong” are immersive tracks that repeat while at the same time build and end up exploding in the listeners ears. The opposite of Vampire Weekend, Hercules & Love Affair may be the hardest to love, but it’s certainly worth the trouble of getting use to this fine wine.
Of Montreal “Skeletal Lamping”. I’m not gonna mention the album here, okay I lie. The album is great, go listen, yadda yadda. Praise needs to be given; however, to the work that Kevin Barnes has put in surrounding the album. As I write this I’m wearing an Of Montreal t-shirt, no big deal, except for the fact that this was my Skeletal Lamping album too. The insane packaging offers that Of Montreal did for this release was a fun and different take on the usual four page booklet and otherwise boring cd case. As Barnes suggested, the listener can “wear” the album around, and I’m doing just that. Along with an Album release comes touring, and the Skeletal Lamping tour is nothing short of absolute madness. From faux-gallows to giant nerd rope looking characters, the show is a non-stop romp though the new album, old favorites, and tones of covers (I never live “Smells Like Teen Spirit until the played it for an encore). So yes, Skeletal Lamping is an amazing album that again adds to OM’s expansive and impressive catalogue, but this time around it’s everything else around the release that impressed this listener.
Girl Talk “Feed The Animals”. Any passerby may mistake a Gregg Gillis ran concert for plenty of other shows. I’m willing to bet Kelly Clarkson never had as many people screaming “BUT SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE” at one of her own shows as this summer when Girl Talk took the stage of various music festivals. But If that same person gets stuck on the corner of a street waiting for a light to change he might also note the immediate change in tune, the obvious draw for this mash-up masterpiece. Feed The Animals is more of a lesson in musical history than it is anything new persay, but that doesn’t mean it deserves any less credit. I have been waiting all my life to hear “I wish that I had Jesse’s girl” and “but I’d rather get some head” plastered together, and the day has finally arrived. Sure, a bit unconventional and what many people consider a complete sham of what real music is, Girl Talk delivers one thing that no other band on the list can: pure, and often (thank god) excessive fun.
Department of Eagles “In Ear Park”. Never a fan of any Grizzly Bear effort, I was skeptic before I first played Department of Eagle’s In Ear Park. The Second the album ended however, I immediately opened my MacBook, opened iTunes and easy and conveniently accessed the iTunes Store (pay me Apple, you owe me big) to try and find more material from this group. The first four tracks off of this album are the most carefully sounding songs I’ve heard in along time. Perfectly hollow and echoing music is accompanied with a scratchy vocal lead that makes for a song that could seemingly transcend time. “Teenagers” is the perfect example of this, with the slow strings, mellow piano, and vocals that can easily be confused with a sample from any early twentieth century song. The perfect record for this time of year, In Ear Park is like carefully knitted scarf around your neck- warm and immersive.
Fleet Foxes “Fleet Foxes“. High hopes from the Sun Giant ep, Fleet Foxes did not disappoint on their first full length album. Fleet Foxes features the sounds of four perfectly harmonized, beard adorning, flannel loving Seattle natives. The record can go by fast if you don’t pay attention, especially in the early-going when album highlight “White Winter Hymnal” builds more a mere 2:27 before faintly turning into the expansive five minute “Ragged Wood.” More surprising than the achievement of this great album may be the live sound these guys create. Seeing them this summer at Pitchfork Music Festival I was weary of the terrible acoustics of an outdoor show on a rainy day dragging down their beautiful sound, but Fleet Foxes still delivered and amazing performance, showing the truly unending potential this group has.
Dr. Dog “Fate”. Fate may be the forgotten, or rather the undiscovered, great album of 2008. Taking from the play book of many sixties and early seventies era rock bands, Dr. Dog put together a sound that’s not too Rock and not too Indie but is instead a perfect blend of music and vocals. “The Breeze” barely missed by top tracks of the year list thanks to the layered music, clever vocals, and effective use of those wooden block instruments you always use to use in grade school and thought were probably pointless. That aside, the Fate of this album has already been decided (terrible pun, my bad), people who don’t know about these guys already didn’t seem to hear much of this album in 2008. I hope to see Dr. Dog on plenty of year end lists, gaining exposure for this excellent record.
The Walkmen “You & Me”. Styled much like the already mentioned Department of Eagles album, the Walkmen’s “You & Me” is an empty and yet beautiful lp. When used effectively, You & Me is dominated by guitars that sound miles away, and drums that come to the foreground and paint a picture of fall evenings done by. Look no further than “On the Water” and you will hear exactly what I mean, the guitar draw out and the music all slows while the listener is engulfed by the echoing cymbals. This formula is used on most every track for this album, not necessarily a bad thing for how well it is executed.
MGMT “Oracular Spectacular”. The Justice of 2008, MGMT have been remixed, edited, and covered by more acts than anybody else this year. Not a big surprise though for any listener of Oracular Spectacular. Tracks like “Electric Feel” and “Time To Pretend” just beg to be chopped up, and praised by all patrons of the dance floor. Plenty has already been said about this duo, but I’ll just have to reiterate what the world has already agreed upon- MGMT pretty much rocks, on tons of levels. Oracular Spectacular never lets up from the first synth hit to the last drop, and the countless number of re-works won’t allow for this album to be forgotten anytime soon.
Fuck Guns ‘N Roses part deux; the only thing I’m excited about today is my free Dr Pepper that they promised me. However, right now now Dr Peppers’ lack of foresight is making this pretty hard for me; apparently the soft-drink company failed to predict that when it said it’d give the world free soda people would actually want it. The coupon for the free Dr Pepper is only supposed to be available through the company’s website today until midnight, but because they didn’t add enough server capacity to support the web traffic, their site has been unavailable for most of the day already! According to a report at WalletPop.com, a Dr Pepper spokesman said at noon EST that “the company was working to add more servers to handle the Web traffic”, but I’m going to guess that that might be too little too late. If I don’t get my free Dr Pepper AND there is a new Guns ‘N Roses available for purchase, this will be a very shitty day.
The date was November 17, 2008, and Deerhunter were in Minneapolis with their friends in Times New Viking and Disappears to play a blissful set at the Triple Rock. I was there to witness the magic and see how huge Deerhunter really sound in person. Here are some photos that I took during the night; click on one to access the whole photo album.
Can any of us really believe that it has already been 5 years since our friends in Burnt By The Sun presented us with some new music? If you’re not aware of the last several years of breakup rumors and lengthy member searches, forget about it; there’s no need to be sad, because as far as you’ll ever know, all is well in the realm of BBTS. The band is back, revitalized and more determined than ever; and they just posted a new demo called “F-UNIT” online from their forthcoming album Heart Of Darkness!
Although they has been pretty quiet for the half a decade, audibly the band really hasn’t lost any steam. In fact, it would even be hard to say that the rest of the metal scene has caught up with Burnt By The Sun at all during the last few years. I’m still spinning Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution and The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good quite often, and in all honestly, they sound more progressive (and awesome!) than 90% of the metal that’s been released since they dropped their last album. Personally, I can’t wait for the new release any sooner. The new track reunites us with with the BBTS we all remember and love exactly where we left off – feeling scared for our lives.
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
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.
Can’t make it home from the cities for the holiday? The metro’s favorite danceteria, First Avenue, has got you covered as they have teamed up with our favorite college radio station, U of M’s Radio K, to present a free turkey dinner next Thursday. Everyone’s invited to come down to the 2nd Annual Too Much Turkey free Thanksgiving dinner at First Avenue & 7th Street Entry on Thursday, November 27, 2008 if they have no other place to go. Among other things, mainroom will feature a full Thanksgiving dinner catered by The Meadows Café and the Rock Bottom Brewery. Sovietpanda, the weekly DJ at the infamous Too Much Love party, will be spinning his treats while you eat to your hearts content.
What: The 2nd Annual Too Much Turkey free Thanksgiving dinner at First Avenue Who: All Ages-Open To The Public When: Thursday, November 27, 2008 5-8pm Where: First Avenue, 701 First Avenue North, Minneapolis How: rsvp@first-avenue.com or just show up! Why: It’s a completely FREE dinner! Why not?!
Fuck Guns ‘N Roses part deux; the only thing I’m excited about today is my free Dr Pepper that they promised me. However, right now now Dr Peppers’ lack of foresight is making this pretty hard for me; apparently the soft-drink company failed to predict that when it said it’d give the world free soda people would actually want it. The coupon for the free Dr Pepper is only supposed to be available through the 
Can’t make it home from the cities for the holiday? The metro’s favorite danceteria, First Avenue, has got you covered as they have teamed up with our favorite college radio station, U of M’s Radio K, to present a free turkey dinner next Thursday. Everyone’s invited to come down to the 2nd Annual Too Much Turkey free Thanksgiving dinner at First Avenue & 7th Street Entry on Thursday, November 27, 2008 if they have no other place to go. Among other things, mainroom will feature a full Thanksgiving dinner catered by The Meadows Café and the Rock Bottom Brewery. Sovietpanda, the weekly DJ at the infamous Too Much Love party, will be spinning his treats while you eat to your hearts content.
MIND INVERSION 