quick audio picks: 12
I'm not trying to get all Pitts in this review and share too much information about my personal life, but I feel the need to share the fact that I'm recovering from a broken hip right now. And I also need to...
expand review share the fact that I've had the new Erykah album in heavy rotation throughout my recovery. Needless to say that my favorite track has been, drum roll please... "The Healer(1)!" Not only is this song a haunting beauty, but it actually has the power to heal. Between my bike crash, the acquittal of Sean Bell's killers and Hillary Clinton's refusal to accept that she is not part of the next white millionaire Amerikan political dynasty, I've been in need of a natural remedy these days. I'm convinced that Erykah's hypnotic chanting has done more to ease my pain than the entire bottle of Vicodin that I was prescribed. Although the words are what you want to check for in this song, the instrumental is almost worth the price on its own. The smokey, less-is-more Madlib beat sounds like it was made on Mos Eisley with some heavily blunted Cantina session players. “Otherwordly†would be the word. As a bonus you get the non-album cut "Real Thang(2)," which was the subject of a recent remix contest. I have a feeling the original is going to stay on top, with ‘Lib laying down a horn-heavy backing that sounds like what might have happened if Dilla had produced tracks for Beyonce. This single really deserves a pic sleeve, but Universal is usually so off-point that I'm really grateful this is even seeing vinyl at all. That being said, it probably won't be around for very long, so buy now and let the healing begin. -Telekinetic Kat
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Official 12" pic disc release of the Kanye vs. Daft Punk track, "Stronger," with artwork done by Takashi Murakami, released off Roc-A-Fella. If you don't know this song by now, peep the madness - Kanye's vocals gracing the "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"...
expand review sample slowed to a hip hop tempo, with a straight club beat underneath. I've always loved the original version of this song and I have a couple Kanye favorites ("Overnight Celebrity"), but hearing the two together is like history in the making. Call it a PB&J of music, if you will. Never before (and maybe never again) will you hear this combination. For the fans, you get a radio version, LP - clean and dirty versions, and yes... the instrumental. If you haven't checked the video yet, YouTube will help you out. Expect Daft Punk in a futuristic Tokyo, playing on controls boards making a bionic Kanye West. Crazy as it is, I think that's Cassie and she is fine yo. -C'mish
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At last, official 12"s for this bumper. "Get Like Me" has those crisp Dirty South beats for the trunk, glitchy fx and the Yung Joc sample to ensure a mean hook, and Chris Brown for the ladies, but the bookend verses from...
expand review the dude Banner kill it as always. The first is the more chill dude we've come to expect, but wait for the second and you'll get that gruff Crooked Lettaz barking styles he came with back when. Can't ever go wrong with some Banner. Both sides include dirty, instrumental and "super clean" versions. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Finally available on double vinyl, thanks to Fat Jon's Ample Soul label (who also brought us the Samurai Champloo vinyl collection). In a way, RZA's whole career has been leading up to this project. If you read that Wu-Tang Manual he wrote,...
expand review you know how much of the Wu mythology / philosophy is rooted in cartoons, action heroes, kung fu, samurais, codes of honor and all that. After laying down the scores for Ghost Dog and both Kill Bill movies, it's only natural that RZA should create the soundtrack for an ultra-violent anime revenge tale, which happens to star Samuel L. Jackson as a silent samurai with wild hair. This isn't your run-of-the-mill soundtrack neither: RZA called in the big guns for this one, as evidenced by Talib Kweli's appearance on the heavy "Certified Samurai(1)" and Big Daddy Kane & GZA on "Cameo Afro(2)." The show's "Afro Theme(3)" is woefully short, but has a hot beat and some classic marble mouthed RZA vocals. 20 tracks total. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Man, I am so excited for this shit! New Erykah!! Ak Boogs here at the Lab was telling me that producers have been sending her beats steadily over the past couple of years being like, "Make us another album Erykah! We got...
expand review beats for you!" Finally, she said yes and hence - New Amerykah (Part One).
She comes a little different on this one than her last albums, with almost a seventies soundtrack type of feel. Like it could stand next to Black Caesar or something. But it's still got that sweet, jazzy, soulful and heartfelt Erykah that we all know and love. With production from Madlib, 9th Wonder, ?uestlove and SA-RA among others, it goes everywhere from that real power to the people type anthem shit, to insightful rnb. My picks on this one are "Soldier(1)" and "Me(2)" just cuz they are too pretty and have that smooth sound that reminds me why I love her so much. Madlib's "The Healer(3)" is another banger, has that new NEW soul kinda sound and I'm feeling it. Highly Recommended. -RikRok
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Badass PE joint from their huger than huge Fear Of A Black Planet. I listened to the album for months as a kid and this was probably Flav's highlight besides 911 is a Joke, which killed it. Although the original version...
expand review of this track isn't on here, it's all good! The Bomb Squad produced this shit and the remix(1) is banging! The break science on this is so ill and ahead of its time(18 years ago), it makes some of today's productions sound thin. You'll be glad to know the dub(2) is on this also. Other tracks included are the non-album track "Get The Fuck Outta Dodge(3)" which features Chuck D ripping the mic, and the awesome posse track about racialism on the big screen "Burn Hollywood Burn!(4)" featuring Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane. I kinda feel that way when I see Jackie Chan kicking ass but not tapping some fine ass. -C'mish
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Right, I know what you're thinking, but this one-sided cheese bomb is gonna be your best friend the next time you get simultaneous requests from the cute indie rock chick and cute rap chick. A bootleg bastard spawned from Jigga's "99 Problems"...
expand review acapella and the percussive twee-bounce of Architecture In Helsinki's "Heart It Races" is a groaner on paper, but on wax it's fun and crowd-pleasing as they come. Get yours before Mr. Tight Jeans does. -Larri Byrd
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Real grown rnb styles with a cast of heavy hitters jumping on the sexytime beat from Felli Fel. Kanye bats lead-off, followed by So So Def's main munchkin JD and F-A-B-O, but it's Ne-Yo locking it down with the "I got more...
expand review money than your dude" hook. ("He showin' you the minor things / We showin' you the finer things / Let me show you what you been missing...") I know you're reading this and being like "but where can I mix it into Surkin?" but I'm gonna let you in on a secret... girls still like to hear some smooth rnb shit in the club! Includes dirty, clean and instrumental versions on both sides. -Chris Lemon-Red
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ATL's Shawty Redd has been leasing out his intense, moody club beats to the likes of Jeezy, Ball & G and others for a minute, but he pocketed a nice one for himself here. Not only does "Drifter(1)" recall his most recent...
expand review smasher ("Sensual Seduction"), but the shouldn't-work-yet-does combination of a wailing choral sample and background 8-bit cascades makes this one tough to ignore. Acknowledging the fact that he can't really sing/rap (still pretty cool tho, kinda sounds like a half-assed Weezy), Redd gets Snoop on the remix and this whole thing comes together... nephew. Includes dirty and clean mixes, instrumental on both sides, plus both dirty and clean acapellas. -Chris Lemon-Red
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White label pressing of Common's "The Light 2008(1)" which revisits his 2000 hit. This version has been completely rebuilt by Just Blaze with airy strings and vocals by Bilal and Marsha Ambrosius. Don't look for this on any album, this only appears...
expand review on the Smirnoff Signature Mix Series (luckily no corporate references in the track). Instrumental included, same program on both sides. -the mgmnt
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If you don't dj at clubs with more than 50 people, you might hate on this. But if you understand the power of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock And Roll" or the perfectly-timed Fatman Scoop mash-up, this record is for you. When...
expand review trying to please a diverse crowd who want to get f'ed, grab any Aristocat record, and you're set. Top billing here goes to a Missy-ACDC mash(1); notice the perfect execution, this is premium mash. Next up, the most unexpected stadium rock anthem, "7 Nation Army", gets mashed(2) with NERD. The side ends with the unlikely paring of Lil Kim and The Offspring(3). Side B starts off with my favorite mash of the set with Outkast's "Wheels Of Steel" over Blink 182's "I Miss You." In addition, you get all the instrumental versions of the tracks (the "I Miss You" instrumental is especially awesome). Well-done. -the mgmnt
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It's about time Jive rereleased this ultra official Tribe comp. You've seen them on nuff Classic Re-Edits, mixtapes and bootleg anthologies, but here they are, pressed up so nice and straight from the source. Got all your favorite jams here: "Scenario," "Electric...
expand review Relaxation," "Bonita AppleBaum," "Jazz (We've Got)," etc. When you play these out at gigs, everyone starts spittin' ATCQ lines. That's the true value of this record. It's that familiar shit that you aren't ashamed to play 'cause the tracks are that good. I'll even admit an inside the warehouse fact: overall, when EVERYTHING gets tired... Tribe is always there to sooth our pains. It's the chemistry of Tip's smooth lines, Fife's witty comic relief and Ali Shaheed's smooth production that makes it so timeless. Let's not forget the "rarities" in the title. "Mr. Icognito" was one that I'd searched for forever in college. I'd heard it on a friend's mixtape (O-Dub mabye?) and it killed me! I spent years lookin' at dingy thriftshops and online hip hop stores until I found it on a bootleg comp. Still not as clean as this. "The Night He Got Caught" is also a lost burner that I've never seen before. Like many ATCQ tracks, it rides that midnight love groove which is perfect for the dudes as well as the fine females. -C'mish
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Six more essential current club tracks, refitted with 8-bar intros and outros by the good folks at Crate Savers. A-side features Madonna's "4 Minutes(1)" with Timbo & Timberlake, Flo-Rida with will.i.am and Fergie on "In The Ayer(2)" and C-Side's "Boyfriend Girlfriend(3)" featuring...
expand review Keyshia Cole. On the flip, another chance at Soulja Boy's "Yahhh(4)" if you missed the promo 12", plus Rick Ross & T-Pain's "The Boss(5)" and "Dat Baby(6)" from Lil Jon and Shawty Putt. BPM info included on the center label. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 12
Another single from Graduation, another flossy (and totally NSFW) Murakami-designed pic disc! The contrast between Larry Gold's lovely string arrangements and the lil rave synth jabs always made "Flashing Lights(1)" for me, though the rare Dwele hook is pretty sweet too. Nice...
expand review to have the instrumental included without Kanye's verses cluttering shit up too. (Just kidding, Kanye... kinda...) The flip holds a house remix of "Stronger(2)" by Andrew Dawson, who thankfully keeps the Daft samples intact. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Lloyd? Check. Luda? Check. Turn it up, make it knock. Official 12"s with both versions of this radio burner, "How We Do It Around My Way" and the much preferred "How We Do It In The A(1)." The clapping midtempo beat and...
expand review nasty synth work set it off, but you can't underestimate the power of a Luda verse and even the pubescent Lloyd comes off gully on this one. A-side features "Around My Way" vocal and acapella, B-side has "In The A." Instrumental included on both sides. -Chris Lemon-Red
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