It’s sad that it’s come to this. It’s been almost 10 years since I first heard of Saigon. I covered his first vinyl single “Say Yes” back in 2001 for a now-defunct underground hip-hop website ran by a fat fuck with a Napoleonic complex and imaginary wife. It was also the year of the Jay-Z-Nas beef and a million subliminals, but there was something to Saigon that kept me intrigued. He had a certain intangible quality that made you wanna track down everything he’s ever done and cherish it. Back then I described him as “An artist whose whole style is throwback with a razor-sharp new millennium swagger.” Maybe it’s the rap nerd in us (me) that makes us (….me) compare all new rappers to those that came before. The desire to designate lineage, to determine who influenced who, and how. With Sai, he combined everything that was great about hip-hop to me: the street storytelling techniques of Kool G Rap, the intelligent lyricism of Nas, the intricate rhyme patterns of Rakim and the unbridled passion of 2Pac. To boot, he even had the undisputed credibility to speak about the lifestyle he vividly detailed in both sorrow and glorification.
In my own opinion, he was the most talented rapper to debut in the 00s. (more…)
I spent a lot of time trying to fill this slot. I was torn between two albums that I absolutely love, Breaking Atoms by Main Source and Whut? Tha Album by Redman, but the more I listened to those albums the less I could justify including them in the top ten-est rap albums of all time based on the criteria laid out in this space two weeks ago. So I pondered, and tried to figure out what I could put in this slot.  I already had every album I wanted to include on this list plotted out and ready to go. Then it hit me I needed to move Ghostface Killah’sIron Man from its previous position which was so high because it was going to be the de facto Wu album to the number 8 slot and move Enter the 36 Chambers into the slot held by Ghostface. After all Enter the 36 Chambers is a monster that has earned its right to represent itself.Â
So here we are at number 8 with what I consider to be the best of the Wu Tang solo records and one of my favorite records of all time. One could argue that any of the first round of Wu Tang solo records could claim a top spot on this list, but you would be wrong. Tical was very good for its time, but Meth’s style on the record has become dated; Liquid Swords aged horribly mostly due to Gza’s anti-personality; and Return to the 36 Chambers while fantastic was just a little too uneven. That leaves Raekwon’s Only Built for Cuban Linx and Ghostface Killah’sIron Man. I feel like you can make an argument for either of these albums being the high point of mid 90s NYC street rap perhaps only being matched by Mobb Deep’sThe Infamous and Hell on Earth, but I can’t give any credence to an album where Havoc is prominently featured on the mic. So I went with my personal favorite of the two. Iron Man.
There is something special about this record, I wouldn’t say it is the high point creatively for Ghostface and the Rza, that would be Supreme Clientele, and it isn’t even the high point for ghost as a lyricist. But there is something about this album that makes me revisit it for weeks at a time. It has a cohesiveness that the others lack, still holds to the signature Wu sound which you could easily argue was the last sound out of New York that really mattered. Sorry Jay-z’sThe Blueprint was cool and all but it was not redefining shit.  Where Supreme Clientele and Bulletproof Wallets highlight the verbal ability of Ghost they are lacking in a constant that tethers you to the music, causing the albums to lose urgency as time goes on. Pretty Toney, while enjoyable was the start of the downfall of Ghost as a creative entity eventually leading horrifically boring projects like Fish scale and More Fish. Sure they had moments but they were few and far between. I think what makes Iron Man so special is the emotional core and the rawness of the sound.  It resonates through time and the music throughout the record is phenomenal, with a perfect mix of Wu Tang battle raps, street revelry and introspective genius that I think I will still be revisiting well into my latter years. Â
The homie, Navi, has dropped his free album online. A native from the Maryland area, he handles the emceeing and production with this project. Matter of fact, he even gets into detail with the breakdown of what he’s done to put the whole album together in his blogspot (http://swamisound.blogspot.com/2010/01/on-production.html?zx=5a7f2529b23b3f56). If there’s anyone I could say he reminds a little bit of, it would be P.O.S. as far as his voice goes. And yes, just like most music is on the internet, you can get this shit for free at swamisound.bandcamp.com. Recommended tracks “Soundcheck”, “Snakecharmers”, “Flametongue”, “This Room”, and “Monsoon Season”. –Ardamus
You may or (more likely) may not recognize Fella from Trick Daddy’s Dunk Ryders. If “All I Need” is an indication of how his solo career is progressing, people will be forced to pay attention. Pumping out grandiose d-boy bangers with Plies can’t hurt his cause much either. The guy is far from lyrically lyrical, but his voice is grown from the same Miami soil as Trick’s (which is basically saying he added an accent to 2Pac’s style), and Fella’s flow is fairly versatile and always sharp. At the very least, you should be able to enjoy the beat on “All I Need” and the overwhelming hoodness of the video.
The longtime homie Maylay Sparks is prepping his upcoming album “Flaskworthy” as well as the Stupit Amerikans album later this summer. Album will feature J-Ro (The Liks), K-Skillz, Lord Jazz (L.O.T.U.G.), Rasco, Sadat X, El Da Sensei and Big Twin.
Flaskworthy finally drops in physical form on both wax and CD. For those interested check the banner below for retail and online ordering options. –Philaflava
I don’t know what’s funnier, the notion of Jay-Z being some uber-powerful Free Mason who can’t even win a court case over some UK regional-celebrity chef, or the fact that he had the fuckin’ audacity to try and pull copyright cards on a name he stole to begin with.
You have to admire Starlito’s work ethic right now. It seems every month or so he puts out a quality release. Here, we get a “tape-style” mixtape, with two “sides”. Basically two long .mp3s. Kind of annoying, but I see what he is doing leading up to Living In The Past.
