Rap – Page 7 – 7th Level Music

Rewind Review: MC 900 Foot Jesus – Live in Vienna – A.D. MCMXCII (2015)

MC 900 Foot Jesus (Mark Griffin) was one of the most innovative experimental and hip-hop musicians in the 1990’s. His 1990 album Hell with the Lid Off album shattered conceptions of hip-hop and was a weird, manic masterpiece chronicling madmen, drunks, schizophrenics, and the notion that “Truth is out of style.” He put out a couple more records after that, 1991’s Welcome to My Dream and 1994’s One Step Ahead of the Spider. He retired before releasing a fourth album, citing frustrations with the music industry, but has since come out of retirement and is again playing shows and working on that fourth record.

He’s released, for free, Live in Vienna 1992. It’s a radio station’s recording of a live show there, and it’s outstanding. Griffin and his longtime collaborator, DJ Zero (Patrick Rollins), throw down stunning beats and rhymes of tracks from the first two records.

The album begins with a brief interview with Griffin, in which he says he tries “to put you inside someone’s head who really sees the world in a bizarre way” with his music. This approach is evident throughout all of his songs, which feature bizarre characters and people who believe their worldview is the truth.

“Falling Elevators” opens the set, and the slightly evil bass, beats, and saxophone set the scene right away. “Adventures in Failure” lets DJ Zero cut loose (as does the saxophonist, who sounds like he or she is going for broke), and MC 900 Foot Jesus raps a story about a man so sick of his job and wife that he fakes a kidnapping scheme after he skips work and wrecks his car. DJ Zero scratching the sound of a car screeching to a halt is a stunning lesson to anyone wishing to work the wheels of steel.

“I’m Going Straight to Heaven” again has DJ Zero slinging scratches like a fastball pitcher closing out the ninth inning. Griffin raps through what sounds like a bullhorn microphone. Griffin and his band slow down a bit on “The City Sleeps,” a song about a serial arsonist. There’s more excellent saxophone work throughout it. “Truth Is Out of Style,” Griffin’s first big hit, follows, and DJ Zero’s turntable work is even more impressive on it live. The only blip on the track is when the Austrian recorders cut out a mention of Shirley MacLaine in the lyrics, probably thinking they’d get sued if they didn’t.

The beats on “Killer Inside Me” are killer indeed. MC 900 Foot Jesus raps about a man who pretends to be a simpleton but who is actually a psychopathic killer who strikes after luring his victims into believing he’s harmless. DJ Zero also gets to stretch his scratching muscles more than on the recorded version of the track. He’ll leave you gobsmacked with admiration. “O-Zone” is almost a weird dream with its warped saxophone and droning synths.

The performance ends with “Spaceman,” a suitably trippy song about a bum who gets drunk and high to the point where he sees himself floating away from the Earth. Is he dead? Are aliens kidnapping him? Is he suddenly free of gravity? I don’t know. It’s Griffin’s reality, not ours. Each reality is one’s own truth, and the truth is this live album is worth finding. I got my copy through MC 900 Foot Jesus’ Facebook page, so go there and grab it while you can.

Keep your mind open.

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My top 25 albums of 2016 – #’s 10-6

We’re into the top ten!

#10

If you know me well, then you shouldn’t be surprised that a new record by Deap Vally made it into my top test list of any given year. Femejism, besides having the greatest album title of the year, is solid beginning to end with the sizzling guitar, sexy / snarling vocals, and powerhouse drumming they do so well.

The debut LP from Goggs (or is it “G0ggs?”) is the loudest, wildest punk rock record I’ve heard all year. Ty Segall, who plays guitar on the record, has quickly become one of the most prolific artists in music, and everything he puts out is worth hearing.

Of course a Radiohead record was going to be in the top 10. A Moon Shaped Pool continues the band’s metamorphosis into this generation’s Pink Floyd. It’s beautifully crafted, but a heavy listen. It might be the saddest break-up (Thom Yorke from his long-time girlfriend) record of 2016.

“Holy crap” is the way I described my reaction upon first hearing A Tribe Called Quest‘s We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service to a friend. This friend, Dee Tension, is a hip-hop producer, beat maker, and MC in Boston, and he claimed he’d been listening to it daily since its release. You might, too, upon hearing it. It’s not only a loving tribute to founding member Phife Dawg, but also a sharp critique on race, politics, gentrification, and much more.

Speaking of great returns, Underworld had another one we needed in 2016. Barbara, Barbara, We Face a Shining Future is the most uplifting and optimistic record of the year. Every song is about seeing good times ahead and remembering how every moment is divine.

We’re almost there. Who makes the top 5? Tune in tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service

Hip hop legends A Tribe Called Quest (Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip, Jarobi White) have returned after a long hiatus, the Paris bombings of 2015 (which happened the night of their appearance on The Tonight Show), and the death of Phife Dawg with perhaps the best rap album of the year – We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service. The two-disc album is loaded with guest stars like Andre 3000, Jack White, Elton John, Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, Kanye West, and Busta Rhymes and is a great send-off for Phife (who named the album before his death). It’s a bit tough to hear Phife’s everyman flow knowing he’s left us, but he went out on a high note.

The album starts with “The Space Program,” which encourages all of us to “get it together to make somethin’ happen.” Smooth synth grooves and a looped Vincent Price laugh from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” back even smoother rhymes about the 99% of us looking out for each other while the 1% run away with everything. “We the People…” is a scathing rant against gentrification. “Guilty pleasures take the edge off reality,” Q-Tip says in a verbal backhand to all of us who bury our heads in our phones and TV screens to ignore the harsh reality for many around us.

“Whateva Will Be” starts with a Rudy Ray Moore sample (“Girl, this motherfucker’s got rhythm!”), so it’s an instant win, and a triple play when you add Phife’s flow and Muhammad’s killer cuts and beats. Speaking of killer cuts and beats, Muhammad gives a master class on “Solid Wall of Sound” as he twists, warps, and reforms Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets” (with Sir Elton playing and singing the classic track, no less) like it’s Play-Doh. He does it again on “Dis Generation,” sampling Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie” and some jazz guitar while Phife, White, Q-Tip, and Busta Rhymes move around the song with effortless flow.

“Kids…”, a song about the illusions we have as teenagers, and often continue to have as adults, starts with rhymes from Andre 3000 and sounds like an Outkast tune with its simple beats and distorted chorus (“Kids, don’t you know that all that shit is fantasy?”). “Melatonin” has a great funky swagger. “Enough!!” ends the first half of the album. While the title could be a summary for everyone’s feelings on 2016, it’s a bit of a slow jam seduction as the Tribe flirt with foxy ladies and wonder if they’re doing enough to land them.

The second half starts with “Mobius,” bringing popping beats and warped loops with it. “Black Spasmodic” has a reggae groove, which isn’t surprising when you consider ATCQ have often acknowledged their reggae and dub influences. “The Killing Season” goes after the rash of violence against black youth in the country, and the low, creeping bass line throughout it underlines the seriousness of the issue. “Lost Somebody” continues the conversation. We’ve all lost somebody, some from illness, some from age, some from violence.

“Movin Backwards” is about surging forward when life pushes you backward. White’s opening rhymes give way to soul vocals by Anderson Paak and then the synth beats fade in and get your head bobbing. The low-end synths on “Conrad Tokyo” remind me of John Carpenter tracks, but Phife’s strong rhymes are classic Quest. “Ego” is another song about illusion; particularly ones our egos create. “Ego has no ending, has people pretending…This is the last Tribe and our ego hopes that you felt us,” Q-Tip says. We have. This record makes it impossible not to feel what they’ve done.

The album ends with “The Donald,” and you might think it’s about Donald Trump, but it’s actually a loving tribute to Phife. Every line from Busta Rhymes in the beginning namedrops him, and all of Q-Tips lyrics pay tribute to him (i.e., “You speak wicked every verse.”). Phife’s name is the last lyric on the album. It’s a great way to end a great record.

This is one of those albums that everyone wanted, but didn’t realize how much until they heard it. It begs multiple plays just to hear all the great beats and to attempt to catch all the wicked lyrics. It was in my top 10 of 2016 after the first listen.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Eric B. & Rakim – Don’t Sweat the Technique (1992)

Released in the prime time of hip-hop, Don’t Sweat the Technique is a classic featuring one of the best hip-hop duos of all time – Eric B. and Rakim.

“What’s on Your Mind” is a slow jam with a club beat as Rakim puts down rhymes so good that ladies want to snuggle with him on the couch and guys want to take lessons from him. Plus, only he can get away with a rhyme like “I seen you in the subway on the way from Brooklyn / Hello, good lookin’, is this seat tooken?”

“Teach the Children” is a plea to leaders to fix the environment, the drug abuse epidemic, and economic inequality. Eric B.’s groove on it hits as hard as Rakim’s message. “Pass the Hand Grenade” has Rakim challenging other MC’s to take the mic from him before he blows it to smithereens.

“Casualties of War,” one of their biggest hits, is a salute to troops serving in Iraq in the early 1990’s and how many weren’t sure about their mission, what awaited them when they returned home, or if their sacrifices were worth it. “Rest Assured” has drums so crisp they belong in a Pringles can. “The Punisher” could very well be about the Marvel Comics character with its chorus of “Kill ‘em again,” but it’s actually about Rakim slaying inferior MC’s with his hand grenade microphone. After all, he’s one of a select few who could put down such smooth rhymes on a track like “Relax with Pep” while Eric B. spins an acid-lounge groove behind him.

“Keep the Beat” is an even sexier slow jam than “What’s on Your Mind,” especially with the nice touch of female backing vocals on the chorus. The horn and flute loops in “Know the Ledge” are sweet, but Eric B.’s scratching is even better. “Kick Along” closes the record with the fastest beats and rhyming from the influential duo. “Try to keep up,” Rakim says at one point. It’s nearly impossible as the two of them race along faster than a lit dynamite fuse.

The title track is a lesson on rhymes, beats, and cuts. It’s no surprise that it and this album are hip-hop classics. Eric B. and Rakim are highly regarded, but often forgotten in the discussion of hip-hop greats among the general public who only have a cursory knowledge of rap. School is in session when you hear them, so pay attention.

Keep your mind open.

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Azealia Banks drops hot new track – “The Big Big Beat”

People tend to fall into two categories when it comes to Azealia Banks – lovers or haters. I’m firmly in the first category, because she’s a musical titan with great rhyme, a lovely singing voice, and beats that “will make you gag” (as she puts it) because they’re so sick. I don’t care about her Twitter tirades (none of which have offended or affected me or anyone I know). In fact, more power to her for speaking her mind in the sausage fest that is the music industry.

So, I was one of the many excited when she started dropping a few cuts from her upcoming album Business and Pleasure on us this week. The only one you can still find with good quality is “The Big Big Beat,” which has Banks rhyming about her double-D’s to being the baddest girl on the block. The beats are killer and it’s a hot warm-up for the new album. Her last, Broke with Expensive Taste, was among my favorite records of 2014. This new record can’t get here quick enough for me.

Keep your mind open.

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The Five Foot Assassin’s mission is complete. RIP Phife Dawg.

Rest and peace to Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor of A Tribe Called Quest. Phife Dawg was a powerful MC whose flow bounced off Q-Tip‘s like they were winning a doubles tournament at Wimbledon. Phife Dawg’s style of rapping was in the everyman vein. He made you think you could rap, even if you had no flow. He was effortless. His loss is a hard blow to hip hop and music fans everywhere, but we have his rhymes with us forever.

Keep your mind open.