Microphone Mathematics

One of my 2009 highlights: The De La Soul show at the Roseland where I gave a hug to Trugoy and thanked him for all the great music over the years and he thanked me back for all the years of support.

Here’s another badass mixtape project from Mick Boogie & Terry Urban who did a similar project last year with The Honor Roll tape making some modern day spins on some classic tracks. In their words:

“Inspired by 20 years of greatness from hip-hop’s most consistent group, De La Soul, this project unites the cream of the crop in hiphop… including old school legends (Phife, Camp Lo and Skillz), current hitmakers (Talib Kweli and Kardinal Offishall) and future stars (U-N-I, Tanya Morgan, Tabi Bonney) to remake their favorite De La classics.”

Outside of maybe 1 track on this – I’m diggin’ it all. Enjoy…

LE DA SOUL: 20 Years of De La Soul! Mixtape - HERE

1. Intro: Senor Kaos, Von Pea and Homeboy Sandman
2. Me Myself and I: Kardinal Offishall
3. Pease Porridge: Phife Dawg
4. Breakdawn: Tanya Morgan
5. Oooh: Fly Union
6. Baby Phat: Skillz & Colin Monroe
7. Stakes Is High part 1: U-N-I
8. Say No Go: Chaundon, Esso + The Kickdrums
9. Rock Co Kane Flow: Shawn Christopher & Pheo
10. Ego Trippin: Asheru
11 Ooodles of O’s: Camp Lo
12. Sunshine: Christian Rich + Curtains
13. Plug Tunin’: Tabi Bonney + Stalley
14. Hey Love: Chip Tha Ripper
15. The Bizness: Big Pooh, Butta Verses, and 6th Sense
16. I Am I Be: 6th Sense
17. Eye Know: Daytona & Mike Maven
18. Saturdays: Niko Villamor, Brittany Street & Kidd Neer
19. Watch Out: J.Sands
20. Stakes Is High part 2: Talib Kweli

Originally posted August, 15, 2008

Before Jay-Z had his “Izzo”. Before Snoop found his “Fo’ schizzle bizzle”. Frankie Smith was plizzayin’ dizzouble dizzutch and introducing folks to hip hop’s version of Pig Latin. The guy in the funny hat above was the one who introduced the “Izz” to hip hop culture back in 1981 with his song Double Dutch Bus. Since the track was regarded as R&B – the true introduction apparently came from E-40 (ahem…Ben).

Millze cillzan sillzome ….plilzay dilzzouble dilzutch!
Hilzzoo?
My gizzirl!
Brillzing her izzin!

Straight from the Wiki:

Although there are no hard-and-fast rules governing its usage, in general, the izz infix technique is performed by inserting izz, usually after a word’s last pre-vowel consonant in its final syllable without deleting any letters.

Examples: minute becomes minizzute, and Kazakhstan becomes Kazakhstizzan. One-syllable words generally translate better with this technique: cream becomes crizzeam, for example.

It can also be performed by inserting izz at the beginning of a lone vowel:  I  becomes Izzi   and O becomes Izzo. This specific technique is implemented in Jay-Z’s song “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” found on his album The Blueprint. (more here)

Give the song a try. It starts doin’ the ‘Izz’ around 1:52.

Frankie Smith’s “Double Dutch Bus” – HERE

The most straight-up homage to it would most likely be Missy Elliot’s “Gossip Folks” (below).

Just cane across this earlier and thought it was worth posting. Half of it is dope and the other half you can live without. The good news is that the dope stuff is just that..DOPE. Have a quick listen to a track HERE. I found a link for the album here: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture Vol. 2: Enter The Dubstep

Been slacking on posting stuff for a long while now. Here’s a quick re-up of an older Wu post to precede the post of some new Wu later today…

First off, RZA is a master at taking the soul track and turning it into a sinister dope beat. Second, I’ll just refer back to my first point. The majority of these tracks were used on Wu’s first album but there’s also a sample off of Raekwon and GZA works. I think one of the best things about coming across these again was that it got me listening to Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx which I had sorta forgot about and which I think is now my favorite solo Wu project. The one track that still blows my mind when I listen to it is Willie Mitchell’s version of Groovin’. I think mostly cause it such an innocent song and yet when I hear it – all I can think about is the much more sinister and dark sound-scape of GZA’s Liquid Swords. Honorable mention has to go to the sick bass line that drops at the start of  The New Birth’s Honey Bee.

Willie Mitchell – Groovin’ [Liquid Swords] - HERE

Wendy Rene – After the Laughter [Tearz] - HERE

The New Birth - Honey Bee [Clan In Da Front] - HERE

The Charmels – Never Grow Old [CREAM] - HERE

The Emotions – I Like It [Shame On a Nigga] - HERE

Black Ivory – I Keep Asking You Questions [Criminology] - HERE

Just gave this a first listen today and really dug it – good beats and good MC’s. What can I say? It’s catchy. A cool remix project using Peter, Bjorn & John from a DJ/Producer Mick Boogie. Okay, there’s a track or two that aren’t the greatest in the world but all the others outweigh em’. Favorite joints:  ”Nothing to Worry About” &  ”Stay This Way” (Video below)

1. Naledge & Mickey Factz: Blue Period Picasso (rmx by nVMe)
2. Freebass 808 & Christian Rich: Living Thing (rmx by Apple Juice Kid)
3. Bun B & The Kid Daytona: Losing My Mind (rmx by 6th Sense)
4. Big Pooh, Chaundon & Phil Nash: Stay This Way (rmx by Jazzy Jeff)
5. Trouble Andrew & GLC: Lay It Down (rmx by The Kickdrums)
6. Talib Kweli & 6th Sense: I Want You (rmxby William Russell / Good Life Mike)
7. 88 Keys & Outasight: 4 Out Of 5 (rmx by 6th Sense)
8. U-N-I: Last Night (rmx by Remot)
9. GZA, Buckshot & Tabi Bonney: The Feeling (rmx by Marco Polo)
10. Big Sean, Black Milk & T3: Just The Past (rmx by nVMe)
11. Kardinal Offishall, Donnis & Henok Achido: It Just Don’t Move Me (rmx by Jet Audio)
12. Wale, Young Chris & Rhymefest: Nothing To Worry About (rmx by The Kickdrums)
13. Evidence, Jerreau & Fashawn: Amsterdam (rmx by Cookin’ Soul)

Download it HERE or HERE

Okay, so 10 years isn’t exactly diggin’ in the crates but it is enough time to where you might have not listened to this gem in a while & having listened to this album a few times on my trip it reminded me how much I liked it in 1998 (and still do). Two other things also happened when I recently listened to the album:

1) It reminded me how much my friend Ben was a fan of the album & how he had a personal story/experience with Mos way back when – so I asked him to write a little about that and the album.

2) I forgot how on-point Mos’ skills are in his intro verse to the track “Respiration” – listed below after Ben’s part…

Ben writes:

Whether you’re watching Talib Kweli’s self-produced Blacksmith TV (which you should definitely peep) or grooving to Mos Def and his jazz band, The Watermelon Syndicate (which recently closed out the first day of the Newport Jazz Festival), you immediately notice one thing – 1998 was a long time ago! These two artists have continued moving through time and space and conquering new frontiers since they dropped an indelible bomb on the world of hip-hop in the form of Black Star, a one-shot, album-length duo that lives on in the annals of fame.

Not too long after the album drop, I had an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend several days in May 1999 with Mos Def, his keyboardist Weldon Irvine (R.I.P.), Mos’s dad, and his manager Shaka (R.I.P.) in the Netherlands. That was my first opportunity to see Mos Def perform live and he most definitely rocked the socks off everyone in the audience with solo renditions of “Definition,” “Respiration,” and “Thieves in the Night.” What struck me more than anything, though, except for the fact that Mos Def had forgotten his passport back in New York and yours truly had to show immigration officials in Amsterdam the Black Star CD cover so they would release him into the country, was the way that Mos Def integrated his entire being – family, musical influences, travel experiences, romantic relationships, and knowledge of self – into his lyrics, music, and persona, which I truly believe are inseparable from each other. A great example is that Weldon Irvine, Mos Def Sr. (Darrell Toler), and I, just before Mos was to go on stage and perform, were discussing the finer points of slave rebellions in African-American history when Mos Def (Dante Smith) happened by. Instead of hustling me along and insisting that Weldon accompany him on stage, Mos joined us during the final part of our discussion and, once on stage, made a specific reference to the transcendence of freedom struggles in the lives of African Americans and all peoples across the globe. Mos never missed a beat and, on the contrary, lives and breathes his entire experience. This depth of knowledge and perspective is shared by Kweli and masterfully reflected in the Black Star album.

Dust off your Black Star album. Do it for Brooklyn. Do it for hip-hop. Do it for the greatest decade in the canon of lyrics. (Don’t do it for Rawkus, though, as Rupert Murdoch’s son, James, ran that joint into the ground.)

One two three/Mos Def and Talib Kweli/We came to rock it on to the tip-top/Best alliance in hip-hop, Y-O.

* Brought to you by Benny Blanco from the Left Coast, by way of BKLYN and the D.F (Mexico City). Also, check out the Scratchamama Crew (MySpace), a weekly hip-hop radio show in Mexico City, at Ibero 90.9 FM every Thursday from 10 – 11 pm CST.

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (LP) – HERE

The new moon rode high in the crown of the metropolis
Shinin, like who on top of this?
People was tusslin, arguin and bustlin
Gangstaz of gotham hardcore hustlin
I’m wrestlin with words and ideas
My ears is picky, seekin what will transmit
The scribes can apply to transcript, yo
This ain’t no time where the usual is suitable
Tonight alive, let’s describe the inscrutable
The indisputable, we New York the narcotic
Strength in metal and fiber optics
Where mercenaries is paid to trade hot stock tips
For profits, thirsty criminals take pockets
Hard knuckles on the second hands of workin class watches
Skyscrapers is collosus, the cost of living
Is preposterous, stay alive, you play or die, no options
No batman and robin, can’t tell between
The cops and the robbers, they both partners, they all heartless
With no conscience, back streets stay darkened
Where unbeliever hearts stay hardened
My eagle talons stay sharpened, like city lights stay throbbin
You either make a way or stay sobbin, the shiny apple
Is bruised but sweet and if you choose to eat
You could lose your teeth, many crews retreat
Nightly news repeat, who got shot down and locked down
Spotlight to savages, nasdaq averages
My narrative, rose to explain this existance
Amidst the harbor lights which remain in the distance…

This is sorta way overdue but figured I would throw it up here. Been on vacation since 5/28 and not coming back till 9/1.

Expect new posts and music then…

M

Back in early 2008 – I posed the what I think was the first of the Jazz Lib projects and it was a damn fine listen. Now comes another installment ….

“A timeless mix of jazzy beatcraft by the Jazz Liberatorz — from breezy, laidback soul jazz soundscapes to more of a funky boom bap on the more MC oriented tracks – with stellar roster of vocal guests including Aloe Blacc, Fat Lip, Wildchild, Mos Def and others! The French beatmaking trio of Madhi, Dusty & DJ Damage do really impressive job of paying tribute to the past without getting bogged down in revivalism, and also bring a lot more of the soul jazz atmosphere into the sound, with lots of groovy keys in the mix. Fruits Of The Past features great stuff and remixed material from earlier 12″s and brand new stuff — and it’s fresh all the way! Titles include ”Music In My Mind” (Parts 1 & 2) “What’s Real”, “Dark Keys” feat M’Selem, “What’s Next On The Menu”, “Force Be With You”, “It Was Only A Song”, “My Style Is Fly”, ”Capture Your Mind”, “That’s Right”, “Breathing Pleasure”, “My Style Is Fly” (Dela rmx), ”What’s Next” and more.”

Jazz Liberatorz’ “Fruit of the Past” – HERE

01. Music Is My Mind Pt. 1
02. Loop Prisoner
03. What’s Real feat Emanon
04. Dark Keys feat M’Selem
05. What’s Next On The Menu
06. Music Makes the World Go Round feat Declaime (20SYL Remix)
07. Force Be With You feat T.Love
08. Diggin Sound
09. It Was Only A Song
10. Always Something
11. My Style Is Fly feat Fat Lip
12. Capture Your Mind
13. A Paris
14. After Party feat Wildchild (Jazz Lib Remix)
15. That’s Right
16. Mountain Sunlight feat Mos Def
17. Breathing Pleasure feat Rico
18. Music In My Mind Part 2
19. That’s Reality
20. Blue Avenue
21. Back Packers feat Fat Lip
22. Slow Down
23. Force Be With You (Drum Brothers Remix)
24. My Style Is Fly (Dela Remix)
25. Music Makes The World Go Round feat Declaime
26. What’s Next

Just came across this mixtape earlier today. Nothing new on this mix but it’s probably been a little while since you listened to some Beasties – so it will be a decent listen.

DJ Reason’s “Hand Me Down Puma Mixtape” – HERE

01. the biz vs. the nudge
02. shame in your game
03. dope lil song
04. rootdown (free zone remix)
05. get it together (buckwild remix)
06. skills to pay the bills
07. hold it now hit it
08. ricky’s theme
09. scratch your rump (irt medley) / shake your rump
10. the vibes
11. car thief
12. mullet head
13. sure shot (european b-boy mix) / sure shot (large professor remix)
14. something’s got to give
15. slow and low
16. dub the mic
17. pass the mic (pt.2 skills to pay the bills)
18. electric worm
19. cooky puss