The Tragic Triumph of Mystikal “Shake ya ass, watch ya self, shake ya ass, show me whatcha working with.” This chorus is as familiar as ANY to many a would be club goer in the 2000’s. It’s one of the many classic hits produced by the legendary Neptunes and it helped Michael Tyler, aka Mystikal, …
The Unheard Legend Of Black Milk Often today it’s said that “now music” sucks. This sentiment is generally uttered by those over the age of 33, fifteen years removed from high school. I’d imagine in 1983, one of my favorite years of music (Thriller, Synchronicity, etc.), 33 year olds who grew up on the Beatles …
The World’s Undying Affinity With Snoop Dogg Who is the coolest rapper of all time? LL Cool J? Perhaps. Big Daddy Kane? I can’t argue there. JayZ? He’d certainly garner a lotta consideration. My choice would unequivocally go to Mr. Calvin Broadus aka Snoop Dogg. To me, it’s a no brainer. I suspect legions of …
The Ghost of J Dilla Listening to the brand new Mayer Hawthorne project (w/14 KT) “Jaded Incorporated,” I noticed a familiar bounce on track 2 entitled “Monster”. Further investigation confirmed my suspicions: ‘produced by J Dilla’ – in 2014 eight years after the man’s death? How did we get HERE? Before we answer that question, …
Hip-Hop ToneBits Do you think you know all there is to know about hip-hop? Well resident blogger DJ Raetone puts you to the test with twenty ‘ToneBits’ that you may not know. Check out the list below and see if you know the ledge. Hip-Hop ToneBits 1) ‘Rappers Delight,’ generally considered the first song to …
The White Emcee As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Beastie Boys fourth album “Ill Communication,” I was motivated to share my thoughts on white rappers’ contribution to furthering hip-hop’s progress and boundaries. While being white in a predominantly African American dominated field may be viewed as a novelty and can contribute to positive …
The Legacy of Pharrell Williams It’s a damn near unprecedented occurrence for a music artist to peak at age 40. It simply does not historically happen. Especially in pop music. In fact, many reach their highest threshold in the business 15 to 20 years earlier in life. Someone forgot to share this 411 with SkateBoard …
1994: Hip Hop’s Finest Year Two thousand and fourteen is off and running. We’re already a month and a half in and we are reminded that 1994 was TWENTY years ago!?!?! Really?!? To any of you over the age of 30, ’94 may seem like yesterday. It certainly does for me. I had JUST returned …
Outkast: 20 Years And Counting?! Three months later they released their debut album, “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” to critical acclaim. While they certainly weren’t the first act to emerge from the dirty south (Geto Boys, UGK, etc.), their album had a certain texture that had never been attained by a southern outfit before. Think: the quality of A …
The Acceptance Of Forty Something Emcees and DJ’s The art form of rap music turned 40 this year. The genesis of hip-hop is said to have begun in the Bronx, New York from the turntables of one DJ Kool Herc. Fast forward to 2013 and many older, prominent emcees are still relevant and flourishing in …