It go down like Frazier/ I ain't talkin' Kelsey Grammar

There's been a lot of talk about remixes/posse cuts of late (here, here, here, and here). Brandon Soderberg and I threw around the idea of making TS, Baby, Weezy, Jeezy and Rick Ross some giant group since they all can only last about one good verse anyway. It would be like Hell Hath No Fury on steroids; nothing but gun/crack/money talk that is so incredibly hollow and cliche that it would be hard to actively dislike it because of its outlandish nature. On No Trivia, I compared this idea of an album to a lame version of "Heat," but I think some combination of "Casino"and "Scarface" is more appropriate since these guys have such an affinity for Miami, bright colors and pretending that they are these wild outlaws who will do whatever it takes to live out their version of the "American Dream." Of course, given their egos, something like this would never work, and all the songs would use the same Vangelis/Michael Mann synthesizers to make lines like "What you talkin is irrelevent (relevent)/Shit'll leave a hole in a elephant (boom)" sound like grandiloquent boasts meant to send chills up your spine anytime you see Ross in something like the "Speedin'" video. In short, it'd be fun for a few songs, but kind of a disaster for rap music as a whole. It would also have a lot of DJ Khaled, which would only serve to remind the listener every 3 1/2 minutes how epic the album is.

Moving on, I am going to have to disagree with Noz about these guys not making posse cuts. I struggle to understand how Khaled may be calling up is famous (hardly talented) friends and getting verses in exchange from airtime is different from Marley Marl, an actual radio DJ/producer, calling up is famous (quite talented) friends and getting verses from them while they, by the simple fact of how good their songs are, get airtime. Maybe it's that these songs, by and large, are pretty terrible. While I'm inclined to agree, the fact remains that these dudes got together and made a song, and have done it enough times to look like their loosely affiliated. In my mind, that's a posse. They just mostly suck at all the basics of MCing.

There are some other points Noz has I would nitpick, like the 3 MC rule, but I don't want to sound like his entire post is baseless, plus he has a tape deck-only Scarface playlist up over at Cocaine Blunts. As soon as I figure out how to record from computer to tape, I am so on it. Anyway, I'm glad Breihan resisted the urge to enjoy any song from that camp, I know it can be difficult for him. Quick note, for those who weren't paying attention, Patrick and Breihan have many of the same speech patterns and a similar voice. Except, listening to the podcast, the Village Voice associate editor is hard to tolerate, though I guess that shouldn't be a surprise by now.

TT is back.

This is a new one: Scarface has the "Song of the Day" on NPR's website. I could see them using one of the Okayplayer usual suspects talking about positivity/"black power"/etc., but instead they chose a song against monogamy. This has caught me off guard to say the least, but I'm happy that the non-hip hop media is writing about rap as music criticism, as opposed to the recent talk of the decline of sales and its effect on the rap business. That song gets stuck in my head all the time, I should check out that album soon.

I was on vacation traveling to Texas and Chicago, and now I am back, finally. This is a bit old, but I remember reading this in my friend's room a couple years ago. Here's a choice quote about Bun's approach to rapping:

BB: Well, the first thing I do is I try to listen to whatever rapping is already on the track. I listen for cadence and melody to see how the track’s already been written, and to make sure that whatever flow or flows I decide to run with, or patterns or melodies that I decide to put into the song, that they’re not already in there. Then I try to see if there’s a different part of the subject matter that I can talk about. If there isn’t, I try to see if I can analogize it, break it down, flip it another way. If that can’t be done, the best thing I can do is pretty much out-rap the guy. And when I say out-rap the guy—say, if he uses ten syllables in a line, I’m going to use fifteen. If he uses fifteen, I’m going to use twenty, twenty-five. If he’s rhyming two or three words within two bars, I’m going to rhyme four or five words in two bars. I’m going to out-skill you.

Here's another one with ?uesto, and if you search the site, there's a lot of other great interviews. Why so few hip hop magazines don't try to get these great interviews is beyond me. Especially since the people writing the interviews in The Believer write for all of the hip hop publications.

No songs about bitches?

"Sony turned out to be phony."

He sounds focused. Or nuts.

Finally... Best of 2007

So, the majestic left-right-left Patrick beat me to the punch with his own year-end list, with categories to boot. My list has changed since I made it back at the end of November, but not much. I'll see what I can do to complement Patrick's list.

JS's songs of the year:
Peedi Peedi (pka Peedi Crakk)- Brand New Funk 2K7
Pharoahe Monch- Let's Go
Wu-Tang Clan- Take It Back
Jay-Z feat. Nas- Success
Rich Boy- Let's Get This Paper
OutKast- Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 4)
Ghostface Killah feat. Method Man & Raekwon- Yolanda's House
UGK feat. OutKast- International Players Anthem
Devin the Dude feat. Snoop Dogg & Andre 3000- What a Job

Blackest records of the year:
Kanye West- Can't Tell me Nothing
Jason Fox- Aunt Jackie

Tank on "E" but all drinks on me:
Foxx, Webbie & Lil Boosie- Wipe Me Down

Mazel Tov, you little yentas:
Jay-Z- Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)
Camp Lo- Posse from the Bronx

Best Video:
Snoop Dogg- Sexual Eruption

Best Dance (because I am certain I can do it):
Shawty Lo- Dey Know

Bitch, I wish you would:
Plies feat. Pretty Ricky- Get You Wet
Riskay feat. Aviance & Real- Smell Yo Dick
R. Kelly- Real Talk

Passin' out gifts, blazin' up spliffs

Merry Christmas. One more day until my favorite part of the year.

The Top 5 Moments in Rap- 2007

So I came back home last night, but left my laptop at school and had to get it today. Just the way to start a break. Now that I have more time on my hands, I can actually write substantial posts. Whether they're worth reading is your decision. As promised, I will do my top 10 songs for the year, but first let's take a look at what happened in 2007...

5.Superb wrote Supreme Clientele/ "Yayo can eat a fat dick"
Yayo, as always ruffled some feathers, and Starkey Love said nothing. Then, last month, he ended all speculation.

4. T.I. (or Tip?) has Army Gunz
I am sorry, this was hysterical and sad at the same time. I hope with that arsenal, the thing he knows best is where the gun is kept. He knows all about that. He had 11 Mac-11s, 38 .38s, nine 9s, twin Calicos with pearl handles, and a Howitzer. Congratulations, you squandered all that you worked for in one fell swoop. At least you have Wyclef by your side.

3. Fiasco-gate
This guy might be one of the most frustrating rappers in a long time. He's stubborn to the point that it hurts. You messed up the words to "Electric Relaxtion," oh well, just move along. There's no need to say anything. No, Lupe had to show what a real head he is by essentially saying "fuck Tribe, viva 8Ball & MJG y Spice 1!!!" News flash, a)your music sounds just like Tribe, b) if you don't like ATCQ, don't do a tribute to them. Where's your logic? A quick side note: I got into an argument last night with my brother about this fool and his metaphors, and the cheeseburger song came up. My brother made the point (like many Lupe loves have) that it's really about selling drugs. After thinking about it, I've realized that isn't a very sophisticated metaphor at all, in fact, it's painfully obvious. Clipse et al. have been using the "so many O's, Krispy Kreme" lines for years. Cheeseburgers? That isn't any more clever, and actually a bit worse. If he did another song about robots, intergalactic wars and drugs, on the other hand, I may give him some credit.

2. Dick-in-the-booty Russell Simmons
Sadly, Pimp C died a couple weeks ago. But man, what a summer. First, and great album, then he had the gall to say Atlanta is not the South, Russell Simmons is a "sugar sausage," and Lil' Troy is a bitch. The last one multiple times. The only way to experience this is to read the column and hear the interview on some ATL radio station. Truly amazing. He will be missed.

1. Andre comes back to Earth
What a relief this was. After giving us The Love Below, which proved how selfish a rapper can be when he's in a group and only records three songs with his partner, and Idlewild, where he released his inner Gene Kelly, I was all but sure that I did not need to care about this man anymore. The word "chronometrophobia" only sounds cool when rapped, in most other musical contexts you sounds like a whiny, over-sensitive smarty-pants (like person #3 on this list). Thankfully, I was not alone in feeling betrayed by the man who has helped deliver some of the best rap albums ever, and Dre got the message. Back in the days of "Elevators," when people didn't get the headwrap/no drinks or drugs/no bitches attitude, Chamelio Salamander got angry and just rapped his ass off. Now that no one liked the guy who played a studio gangster in "Be Cool," he was forced to do one of the only two things he knows how to do: rap. Personally, I am glad he didn't go into porn, but that's me. Anyway, after the "Walk it Out (Remix)," 3 Stacks is back and still in top form, from helping Rich Boy throw the moster wheelies on to his pledge to never cause a tsunami in the club. Now, if we could just get another album from Daddy Fatsacks and Benjamin Andre.

There's my list. I know I missed something, so please let me know what else happened this year. I would care about Kanye/50, then I realized that has had no effect on the year, quite honestly. And I also have yet to hear one of those albums at all. Next time, I will finally do my top songs of the year.

Song of the year contender.

Along with Riskay and "Sensual Seduction," we have quite a few contenders. Check it out here. Thoughts?

At some point, I'll post my best of 2007 list that I made for WSRN, that somehow has not been posted (none of them have, I imagine).