A good little primer to set up the Compton rapper’s Red Album release today. If you’re unfamiliar with Game’s music or are one of the stubbron heads who still don’t rate him as a rapper, check it out. Best ear for beats around or just a beneficiary of circumstance? Shouts to Dirt Dog for the artwork. Download link and tracklist after the jump.
- CC
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As we continue on into one-a-week territory, lets ignore the back to school ads which usually signal the end of summer with our fifth installment in the SLS series. Somethin’ for your car, somethin’ for your hangout spot, or just somethin’ for you to chill to. Hella shouts to dirt_dog from TROY for the artwork. Download link, tracklist and links to the rest of the series after the jump.
— Snoop Bloggy Blogg
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Before the MTV antics. Before the bald chick. Before the Roc-a-fella implosion. Even before “Slow Jamz.” There was a producer from Chicago desperate for validation as an emcee. (more…)
At number 7 we have an entry from De La Soul, Buhloone Mindstate. It is the best De La record to date, and considering how bad their recent output has been, it is probably the best De La album period. Artsy types will often gravitate towards their first two records 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul is Dead, one of which is good and one of which is kind of a cluster fuck. Ill let you figure out which is which. Purists will often go with Stakes is High which is an average effort at best, and the worst of the 4 De La albums that matter, it also signified the beginning of the end for De La as an important entity.
Bulhoone Mind State is the high water mark of their artistic creativity and maturity. Marking the first time in the groups history that all three major contributors were on the same playing feild. Dave aka Trugoy was always a capable MC but was carried by the greatness of Posdnous and Prince Paul. This was the first time it felt like Dave could hang. It is also the only rap record that ever made it into the category of grown folk music that wasnt a Jay-Z post Black Album-esque snooze fest or some crotchety old folks telling the kids to pull their pants up.
The Lyrics are intense, layered, and personal. Posdnous delivers one of the greatest lyrical performances in the history of the genre. His lyrics are brilliant, revealing, and easy to grasp, while still holding true to his abstract style. His patterns are absolutely absurd. The high point being his verse on I Am I Be. Prince Paul’s The production is a cleaned up and more to the point version of 3 Feet High and Rising. They are soulful and not in a shitty Common post Resurrection vibe.
Outside of the weird asian guys rapping (which luckily isnt too long) the album is flawless. Truth be told I have recently become reacquanted with this album and it is the inspiration for this bizarre quest to change the way we look at rap albums, moving from an impact, historical significance and sales number model to one of artistry. Buhloone Mindstate is definitely one of the artistic high points in the history of the genre.
Rap Beef has been the go to move for struggling (Benzino) and successful (50 Cent) artists the last 10 years , and we as rap artists have become either turned off by it or indifferent, and you don’t have to go any further than to look at the sales for “BISD”. The reason why we’ve become apathetic towards it could be because a lot of it realize on empty threats that are never carried out, too many beefs to keep up with, or just the lack of creativity done when releasing a new battle rap. Whatever the case may be, the era of people running to their nearest mix tape spots to hear the Jadakiss/Sigel, Nas/Jay disses are long gone.
However, that wasn’t the case in 1996. When a Chicago MC by the name of Common Sense drew the ire of the legendary (But on his last legs, at the time) Ice Cube, and his Westside Connection gang with his song “I Used to love H.E.R.” We all know the story of what happened, as WSC released jabs on wax and interviews towards the Chicago breed MC. And Common came back with a vengeance and made one of the most image damaging records ever. However, the version most people heard or recognize as the “original ether” on record, is NOT the original record released by Common Sense. Prior to the “Street Version” where Common references their single dissing him “Smacking niggas in the Slaughterhouse” and Mack 10′s label “Hoo Banging, you aint’ banging shit but the table”, there was this one that was not quite as “Hard hitting” as the one most are used to listening to, however, when analyzed further, may actually better than the edited version. Either way, this song represents the end of a era, when diss records actually made rap exciting.
