Black Thought & Danger Mouse "Cheat Codes" (Album Stream)

The natural chemistry between Brian (Danger Mouse) and Tariq (Black Thought) comes through in the ease with which the artist and listener move through this album. Moreover, Cheat Codes is an album untethered to any genre, era or trend — uncategoriseable and timeless. It is the sound of the pair observing their own culture and asking questions they still may not have the answers to. Brian Burton (AKA one half of Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells, and Karen O & Danger Mouse — and universally regarded as the most versatile producer in modern music) has found a formidable new partner in the incomparably prolific rapper Tariq Trotter - rapper, MC & co-founder of The Roots, film and theater actor, producer, writer or, as Hypebeast sums up: "one of the best lyricists in hip-hop history." Cheat Codes is Danger Mouse’s first hip-hop album in seventeen years - since his 2005 DangerDOOM collaboration with the late, great MF DOOM - and Black Thought’s only full length collaboration beyond his pioneering music in The Roots. I was almost hesitant to click play and listen -- with such high expectations in place -- be better than me and click play immediately...

Happy 49th Birthday, Hip-Hop (The Source, 1993)

In 1993, The Source Magazine celebrated its 50th issue with well-known hip-hop personalities taking a walk down memory lane. They asked each of them their favorite album of all-time, their favorite 12-inch of all-time and their fondest hip-hop moment. As you can imagine, most of them found it hard to pick just one of each! As today marks the 49th birthday of Hip-Hop, I thought it'd be a fun way to celebrate and look back at what artists had to say were some of their favorite albums, singles and moments in their hip-hop lives. Maybe by the end of reading this, I'll share some of my own, too! Yeah that sounds like fun... Well, my favorite hip-hop album of all-time is "Illmatic" by Nas, "The Low End Theory" by A Tribe Called Quest and more recently, Blu & Exile's "Below the Heavens" to add something post-2000. My favorite 12" singles would be "Protect Ya Neck" bw "Method Man" by Wu-Tang Clan; AZ's "Sugar Hill" and "Rather Unique" and Eric B. & Rakim's "Know The Ledge (Juice)" from 1992. My favorite hip-hop moment... that's so hard to narrow down. One of the Rock Steady Crew anniversaries; going up to DJ Premier's show with Eternia on Sirius and he cut up records for 2 hours; after hours at Fat Beats on Halloween and Christmas parties; the Knitting Factory with Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Kanye West, and so many others. I can't narrow it down. I really can't. Hip-Hop has given us all so much, to know it'll be celebrating 50 years in 2023, I can't wait to see what the culture does to honor it. Anyhow, read below for answers from Casual, Positive K, Too Short, MC Eight, Maseo, Luke, Masta Ace, Biz Markie (R.I.P.), Red Alert, 2Pac (R.I.P.), DJ Quik, Jam Master Jay (R.I.P.), MC Shan, Craig G, Heavy D (R.I.P.), Kool G Rap, Fab Five Freddy, Fat Joe, KRS-One, MC Serch, Scarface, Chuck D, DIamond D, Common, Sadat X and many more.... HBD!!!!

Shyne "Godfather Buried Alive" (August 10, 2004)

In July 2004, Billboard said, "This summer may end up as the season of Shyne. The MC, now imprisoned for assault, was once viewed as the future of Bad Boy Records. He re-emerges with a multimillion dollar deal with Def Jam Records for his Gangland imprint. "More or Less" is the first offering from Shyne's highly anticipated album, Godfather Buried Alive," due Aug. 10. The single's haunting track, which samples Lamont Dozier's "Rose," serves as a backdrop for Shyne's booming voice. Lyrically, he showcases his honed, thought-provoking writing skills: 'Hip-hop ain't responsible for violence in America/America is responsible for violence in America... The schools didn't want me/So, the drug dealers taught me/Simple math/Step on it twice and bring it back.' R&B programmers have been slow to champion this single. Expect that to change. Soon." Shyne was found guilty of gun possession and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the now infamous shooting incident at Club New York in December 1999 in which three people were wounded. Billboard also shared in a later article, "Shyne is one of hip-hop's most controversial stars. Given his previous affiliations with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and his current imprisonment, the Brooklyn N.Y.-based MC has been through a lot in the past few years. It's no wonder, then, that "Godfather Buried Alive," his second set and first for Gangland/Def Jam, has been so eagerly anticipated. Shyne still knows how to strike a hardcore stance, as evidenced on the lead single, the Kanye West-produced, Lamont Dozier-sampling "More or Less." On "Jimmy Choo," which features Ashanti, Shyne shows his softer side. Cont'd below....

"Other highlights include "For The Record" (which is aimed at 50 Cent) and the East Coast Gangsta mix of "Behind the Walls" featuring Kurupt and Nate Dogg. However, Shyne is at his most impressive when he is contemplative, as on the melancholic "Martyr," where his reflections on life and death have real emotion." In 2006, Vibe reported, "Citing New York's revised "Son of Sam' law preventing criminals from profiting from their crimes, a judge freezes royalties from 2004's Godfather Buried Alive as well as Shyne's $500,000 Island Def Jam advance. Shyne reportedly sought a release from his label after clashing with L.A. Reid over poor promotion for his album." Vibe's earlier review said, "Godfather Buried Alive pieces together the political possibilities and the street arrogance of a pre-jailed Shyne," and rumored a supergroup of the "Firm proportions" between Shyne, Jay-Z and Foxy Brown. What would you have thought of that? Different, coulda been ill, who knows! Revisit it...

Gravediggaz "6 Feet Deep" (August 9, 1994)

The video for "Diary of a Madman" by the rap band the Gravediggaz includes a warning that the clip does not condone Satanism or blasphemy; the video for "Live Evil" by the Flatlinerz depicts members of the hip hop band rapping from the inside of a grave, and the video for "Hellbound" by the Almighty RSO takes the deaths of the band members as a starting point and climaxes when the rapper E. Devious is shown with the mark of the Devil, 666, shaved into his head. With gangsta rap having exhausted nearly every imaginable murder scenario, a new breed of rappers is taking hip-hop beyond the grave. Some call this development horrorcore because it uses horror film as metaphors for ghetto life. Others prefer the term death rap because the genre takes hip-hop to musical and lyrical extremes in the same way that death metal bands like Obituary and Carcass bring rock to a boiling point. To a certain degree, both death metal and death rap try to escape from reality, offering nihilism as a cure-all. But in doing so, both end up commenting on a reality so grim and alienating that the only direction its outcasts turn is toward darkness. The fans of the two genres find comfort in fantasy, in finding a collective myth for their private pain. Unlike heavy metal, rap has had death on its agenda since its inception. The genre's earliest tracks were usually counterbalanced by cautionary tales of drugs and shootings. Rap has also always looked to horror films to conjure a quick image, from the Sugar Hill Gang dropping "Rapper's Delight" to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince parodying Freddy Krueger in 1988's "Nightmare on My Street." Cont'd below...

A few years ago, rap and death metal began to recognize that they were sitting on opposite sides of the same cell wall. Public Enemy sampled the Satanist band Slayer, Ice-T collaborated with them on the soundtrack for the horror film, "Judgment Night," and Cypress Hill put a Gothic-looking graveyard on the cover of its latest album, "Black Sunday." Not until this year, however, have hip-hop bands been willing to complete their move from the streets to the graveyards. "I'm the resurrector," the Gravediggaz rap on their first album, "6 Feet Deep." "Be my sacrifice. Commit suicide, and I'll bring you back to life." For those who cross the Gravediggaz, a band made up of members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Too Poetic, De La Soul and Stetsasonic, death is only the beginning of their punishment. "First I'll assassinate 'em," they rap on "Diary of a Madman." "And then I cremate 'em, and take all of his... ashes and evaporate 'em." Citing suspense-film directors from Alfred Hitchcock to Wes Craven and displaying an impressive knowledge of anatomy, the Gravediggaz rap about means of dismemberment, rituals of exorcisms and torments of hell. They never credit heavy metal as an influence, but "Diary of a Madman:" is also the title of a 1981 Ozzy Osbourne album and the song "Bang Your Head" borrows its name from the 1984 Quiet Riot metal album. Musically, death rap is developing its own repertory and cliches. The Gravediggaz use creaking doors and howling wolves as rhythm tracks and often rap in a cartoonish, exaggerated style. - New York Times (October, 1994). RZA and Prince Paul were such an amazing combination on 6 Feet Deep!

MC Shan "Down By Law" (August 8, 1987)

There was a time when the Juice Crew were running things, and truly believed that nobody could compete with them. MC Shan embodied that belief, with his braggadocio rhymes and "battle anybody" attitude. Overflowing with confidence, Shan has been a well-rounded emcee since he first showed up on wax in 1985, coming correct whether he was story telling, free styling, or kicking some of the most impressive extended metaphors in Hip Hop history. Shan's bio shares, "MC Shan, Shawn Moltke, is one of the freshest, most intelligent and coolest rap stylists and innovators to "rock the mic viciously" in recent memory. His professional character is partly one of pure virtuosity, and partly one of exciting showmanship. His debut album on Cold Chillin' Records, Down By Law, surpassed the 150,000 unit mark last summer with virtually no airplay. Ever since going out on the road with Roxanne Shante in 1985, without benefit of a record, the word on the street has been that MC Shan is a serious performer who can fire up basic human instincts, like humor, romantic sentiment, and a strong desire for something essentially hip and physically intoxicating. Over the past couple of years, he has unleashed a torrential outpouring of fresh def jams, including "The Marley Scratch," "The Bridge," and the preachy but funny anti-crack rap, "Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing," all produced by main Homeboy, and blood cousin, Marlon "Marley Marl" Williams. His 12-inch "The Bridge," a tribute to the Queensbridge Projects in Queens, NY, was the subject of a hilarious answer record called "The Bridge Is Over." Prior to signing with Cold Chillin', MC Shan built a following with releases on Nia, MCA and Bridge Records. Cont'd below + revisit Down By Law...

For some background story, the 1990 press bio also shares: "In 1983, Shan was a devilishly wicked street brat, with a big chip on his shoulder, and a series of misdemeanors longer than a New York City crosstown block. "I was a hood," he says today. "I was lucky I didn't have a police record. One time I was so young when I stole a car that, the cops refused to believe that I did it. I never committed any felonies." Our juvenile delinquent's salvation and ascent up the ladder of stardom began on a Brooklyn street on Halloween night, 1983, when rap manager Tyrone Williams, now Chairman of Cold Chillin' Records, caught him breaking into his car." It also says that while Williams didn't turn him over to the police, he did kick Shan's ass, understandably. For an artist that is considered one Nas' earliest influences, Shan also had Suede Puma designed after him, a "Rap Quotes" sign in Queensbridge, a double-disc reissue of Down By Law, as well as a highly publicized interview on Noreaga and DJ EFN's acclaimed podcast, Drink Champs. In the interview, MC Shan went deep into his feelings on the culture, his come-up, successes, failures and of course, his beef with KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions. The showman is still very much inside of Shan as he took over the interview and really gave us a look at the man and the artist. You can watch that interview HERE, plus dig in the archives for more interviews/content from MC Shan, a true pioneer! 

Jadakiss "Kiss Da Game Goodbye" (August 7, 2001)

In terms of sheer anticipation, Jadakiss' buzz was at an apex at the time of this album's release. While fellow LOX members Sheek and Styles flashed improved flows and lyrics on their group's sophomore strike, We Are the Streets, Jadakiss remained the group's undisputed frontman. And with the streets virtually foaming at the mouth, Jadakiss returned from the lab to birth his solo debut, Kiss tha Game Goodbye on this day in August, 2001. The majority of reviews -- including the above-referenced review in AllMusic -- found it ironic that the crew jumped ship from Diddy to get away from the shiny suits, then Jada went directly after mainstream attention with his debut. Surely he woulda had a better chance at that just sticking it out with Puff? Yes/No/Maybe? That's not to knock the harder album cuts on here, such as the Alchemist-produced "We Gonna Make It," featuring Styles; the DJ Premier-blessed "None of Y'all Betta," featuring Styles and Sheek; and "Feel Me", also produced by The Alchemist, among others. While Styles P remained closer to the independent route, Jada was always more comfortable taking those mainstream budgets and making it happen -- even if it meant sacrificing his chances at having a true "classic." In the Rhyme & Reason article below, Jada said it in his own words when discussing "What You Ride For?": "There's something for everybody." That's straight label talk. West Coast, Down South; an Aerosmith remake and more, there's a lot going on with this album. You can read more about the various cuts below...

In the case of "None of Y'all Better," Jada says, "You know you can't make a classic album without using Premo. He's like the god of producers. We made it a LOX song because nobody better than the LOX." 100% facts, gotta have a DJ Premier beat! For "Feel Me," he shares, "That's like a personal joint that I'm giving people. Everybody wanna know a little something about your life. That's 40 bars of just me spillin' my guts out." For "We Gonna Make It," he says, "I had to do that one. That's like more of my element right there. I pulled out Alchemist. I was feeling it. That was my first time ever meeting him. I threw my man Styles P on there. You know, Jadakiss and Styles collaboration." Then there's "Knock Yourself Out," where I cram to understand, "Everybody always come up to me and ask me when I wanted to do a song for the clubs, for the ladies. That was the politics of the whole thing." On the flip-side is the Nas-assisted, "Show Discipline," which Jadakiss describes: "I just wanted to do a hard joint, real hard, for the "hood." I wanted Nas on there. My own vintage, that's all that is." If nothing else, Jada knows how to keep it simple, stupid. Dig into the full Rhyme & Reason article and more below + of course, revisit Jadakiss' Kiss Da Game Goodbye today! D-Block!

Jay-Z vs. Nas (Angie Martinez Interview on Hot 97, 2002)

August 2002: Jay-Z took over Hot 97 for several hours over a two-day period to sound off on all his naysayers. For two consecutive days, Jay-Z guested on Angie Martinez's afternoon show, speaking out on rumors of civil unrest within the Roc-A-Fella camp -- which he scoffed at, insisting, "How could I leave the Roc? I am the Roc" -- as well as his falling-out with former mentor Jaz-O. More significant, though, was Jay-Z's reaction to the ongoing beef with rapper Nas. Echoing a challenge that he made in the The Source magazine, Jigga suggested that the two rivals settle their differences with a pay-per-view rhyme battle. He added that each party could pony up $1 million for the wager, with all event proceeds going to a charity of the winner's choice. By day two of Jay's marathon interview, he reported that boxing promoter Don King had already faxed in a proposal to organize the event. - MTV. Nas responded saying the contest should be decided in record stores, not on TV. ”Pay-per-view is for wrestlers and boxers. I make records,” he told MTV. ”If Jay-Z wants to battle, he should drop his album the same day I do and let the people decide.” Jay-Z was scheduled to release ”The Blueprint 2” on November 5th, 2 weeks before Nas released ”God’s Son.” 

 

In the interview, they discuss when Nas flirted with idea of signing with Irv Gotti to Murder Inc. A decision that Irv later regretted, as he was also the producer on "Super Ugly" for Hov during that battle. Jay-Z said of the battle with Nas, "It's wrestling," alluding to the fact that it's just music. Jay-Z explained that he's not a perfect human being, and owned that he went too far with certain things he said. But, "people clash at the top," so as competitive artists, that's just where things went. Then they jump into a discussion about the battle: the pay-per-view funds/proceeds and tickets at the door (Madison Square Garden?) would have gotten to charity, with only the $1 million they each put up, going to the winner. A show with 3 freestyles from each MC, but "they gotta be vicious." He added, if anyone felt a way AFTER the battle, they could've gone to a gym, "put on some head gear", go 3 more rounds as men and go separate ways. Additionally, they discussed Jaz-O, R. Kelly, Cam'ron, Dame Dash and more. Ultimately, it's bigger than hip-hop and they squashed their beef, but all these years later, Hov still petty AF, if you ask me. A special moment in hip-hop!

Widowmaker vs. D-Styles "Fair Warning" (Instrumental Album)

With production from Widowmaker and live cuts by D-Styles, Fair Warning, is their collaborative effort boasting over 20 tracks. Side A is produced by Widowmaker and D-Styles and Side B is drum breaks and skratch music kits, recored between October, 2020 and March, 2021 at Midschool in Gresham, Oregon and The Shit Palace in Las Vegas, NV. I was impressed with Widowmaker's production on two separate collaborative projects; one with Ayatollah titled Colossus (2015) and the other with the homie, Big Ghost Ltd., titled An Open Tomb (2020). D-Styles is a producer and DJ, most known as a member of Invisbl Skratch Piklz, Beat Junkies and Third Sight. An incredible artist, he's been featured on countless projects over the years! This is a fun listen, dig into the LP below...