its been a particularly TUMULTUOUS YEAR for CANADIAN HIP HOP as one globally SUCCESSFUL, TORONTO-based MAINSTREAM RAPPER was reduced a peg or two (or three) in the most PUBLIC of TAKEDOWNS.  but enough of that, its a NEEDLESS DICK MOVE to compare anyone to DRAKE, i just want to shed some MUCH-NEEDED PRAISE on the more ECLECTIC and CREATIVE SIDE of the coin with ROLAND PEMBERTON, a.k.a. the CELEBRATED LYRICIST CADENCE WEAPON.  dude is definitely not all up in his FEELINGS about other people's women like the DRIZZLER, instead focused on more POIGNANT THEMES like the LONG-TERM SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS of OMNIPRESENT SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY, RACISM, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, SYSTEMATIC INEQUALITY and GENTRIFICATION on the INDIVIDUAL and their VULNERABLE SENSE of IDENTITY in a CONFUSING and EVERMORE HOSTILE WORLD run by CORPORATE POWERBROKERS.  in both DELIVERY and DISPOSITION, id consider CADENCE WEAPON to be more aligned with the THOUGHTFUL, CREATIVE and SOCIAL-CONSCIOUS WORDSMITHS of yester-year like CHUCK D, BLACK THOUGHT, NAS, COMMON and RAKIM then anything resembling the largely SUPERFICIAL R&B-inflected POP RAP of his FELLOW TORONTONIAN.

im telling you, CADENCE WEAPON is worth checking out.  let all those NORMIES lemming there way to that other decidedly LAME TORONTO MC.

late last year i wrote here about the BUFFALO-based HIP HOP COLLECTIVE GRISELDA and how i felt THEY were the VERITABLE SECOND-COMING of a TYPE of SOPHISTICATED LYRICISM that hasnt been around since the GOLDEN AGE OF HIP HOP in the 1990s with SEMINAL GROUPS like MOBB DEEP, WU-TANG CLAN and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.  add to that list one BOLDY JAMES, a DETROIT NATIVE, who is AFFILIATED with GRISELDA but differentiates HIMSELF with a WICKED, LAID-BACK CADENCE and COLORFULLY and INVENTIVELY presented PERSONAL NARRATIVES regarding STREET LIFE that brings to mind the likes of EVERYONE from GURU, RAKIM, AB-SOUL, JID, MF DOOM and even his DISTANT COUSIN SNOOP DOGG.

DUDE is definitely one to keep an eye on and well worth checking out.

CULTURE is currently in such a WEIRD, TRANSITIONAL PERIOD right now with the advent of SOCIAL MEDIA-enabled INFLUENCERS and greasy POLE-CLIMBING, ALGORITHM-chasing CONTENT PROVIDERS CALLOUSLY seeking out ENRAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT and effectively edging out TRADITIONAL MEDIA, JOURNALISM and the CACHE formerly given to EXPERTS writ large.  what is left is a TOXIC SWAMP of BOTTOM-FEEDERS and HACK-JOBS peddling UNINFORMED OPINIONS, HALF-BAKED THEORIES, STRAIGHT-UP GOSSIP and HEARSAY as well as INTENTIONAL MISINFORMATION. 

and that goes for everything from POLITICS and SPORTS COMMENTARY to HIP HOP JOURNALISM.  maybe its because we are in the AGE of TRUMP and our COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS has been HACKED and MANIPULATED by MALEVOLENT OPPORTUNISTS and MENDACIOUS MALCONTENTS, but it seems without question this DRAKE / KENDRICK LAMAR beef (and specifically the IMPETUOUS ACTIONS of on AUBREY GRAHAM) have functioned along a PARALLEL LANE to that of the seemingly NEVER-ENDING AMERICAN CULTURE WARS.

​which brings me to RAP LATTE,  a PODCAST hosted by VETERAN JOURNALIST TOURÉ and PIERRE DESROSIERS, a.k.a. KING GREEN, of the ECLECTIC VIRGINIA-based ALTERNATIVE HIP HOP BAND RDGLDGRN.  what they bring to the TABLE are INFORMED CONVERSATIONS surrounding CULTURE based on a core CONTENT KNOWLEDGE and EXPERTISE that comes from EXPERIENCE and PERSPECTIVE, both from a STUDENT OF THE GAME and an INSIDE PRACTIONER of such and the COMPLEX PRESSURES and MACHINATIONS of the INDUSTRY.  i find their DISCUSSIONS REFRESHING due to their INNATE SUBSTANCE, QUALITY OF THOUGHT and utter lack of GIMMICKRY and THIRSTY ATTENTION-BATING that comes with attempting to hack the ALGORITHIM through UNECCESSARY CONTROVERSY and CALCULATED SHOCK TACTICS.  TOURÉ and DESROSIERS instead come across as CLEAR-HEADED ADULTS in a VERITABLE sea of DESPERATE, WINING MEMBERS of the MANOSPHERE (i.e. DJ AKADEMIKS, ANDREW SCHULZ and the like) that make up their SUPPOSED COMPETITION.  for me, RAP LATTE is part of an ALTERNATIVE CONSTELLATION of THOUGHTFUL, TEMPERED VOICES i turn to when i seek out an ENLIGHTENED OPINION on MATTERS related to HIP HOP CULTURE and ADJACENT TOPICS.

definitely worth checking out.

the PITTSBURGH-based MAC MILLER was always an INTRIGUING CASE to me since i long-considered him a bit of an ARTISTIC and LYRICAL LIGHTWEIGHT.  when he came out in the 2010s he was largely INDISTINGUSHIABLE from a seeming LITANY of CAUCASIAN PARTY RAPPERS like ASHER ROTH that were seemingly CYNICALLY promoted towards COLLEGE CAMPUSES with their overly BOASTFUL BRAND of EMPTY-CALORIE HIP HOP that again seemed more geared towards entertaining a CROWD than CLASSIC LYRICISM or anything of NOTABLE SUBSTANCE.  making matters worse, in interviews from that EARLY PERIOD MILLER would always reference BIG L and NAS as KEY INFLUENCES which seemed to only exaserbate the DISCONNECT between his PERSONA and his WORK.

his late period SELF-PRODUCED SWIMMING (WARNER BROS, 2018) ALBUM was the RELEASE that made me reconsider MILLER and think about him in LEAGUE of his more EXPRESSIVE and SONICALLY EXPERIMENTAL CONTEMPORARIES in KID CUDI, SZA, VINCE STAPLES, JOEY BADA$$, SCHOOLBOY Q and so on.  i am aware that his CAREER TRAJECTORY was UNEVEN and one of receding into himself and his ADDICTIONS in his later years and really diving into his CRAFT, often collaborating with OBSCURE and CELEBRATED MUSICIANS alike as a BUDDING HIP HOP PRODUCER of note.  a more COHESIVE EFFORT than his PREVIOUS THE DIVINE FEMININE (WARNER BROS, 2016) ALBUM in terms of PRODUCTION and THEME, TRACKS like "SELF CARE," "HURT FEELINGS," "SO IT GOES," "WHAT'S THE USE?" and "SMALL WORLDS" off of SWIMMING have a SOPHISTICATED FEEL and more MATURE LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE that is more INSULAR, HONEST, SELF-CRITICAL, VULNERABLE and by EXTENSION more RELATABLE as a LISTENER. 

and i think that SHIFT in TONE is KEY.  previous to SWIMMING in my ESTIMATION MILLER was still in the PROCESS of AMASSING CULTURAL ATTENTION and largely playing the INDUSTRY GAME.  this ALBUM represents his first REAL RISK as an ARTIST, fully committing to a NEW AESTHETIC that likely alienating many of his CORE AUDIENCE who presumably sought him out for more HIGH-ENERGY, PANDERING MATERIAL that would sound ACCEPTABLE on a WORKOUT PLAYLIST. 

with SWIMMING and its likewise EXCELLENT (and HEART-RENDING) POSTHUMOUS JON BRION-assisted FOLLOW-UP CIRCLES (WARNER BROS, 2020) RELEASE, it felt like the BEGINNING of a NEW CAREER CHAPTER was EMERGING for MILLER.  one in which he no doubt would come to be DEFINED by had he survived past 26.  instead it is another one of those GREAT 'WHAT-IFS' in MODERN CULTURE.  i hear SWIMMING now more than a half-decade after his UNTIMELY PASSING and it just feels like a LOST OPPORTUNITY, all the AMAZING ART he had still yet to conceive and contribute, as it felt like he had finally found his CREATIVE VOICE.

SWIMMING remains a HEART-BREAKING ALBUM that is much RECOMMENDED alongside its SIMILARLY-THEMED FOLLOW-UP, both of which have largely cemented his LEGACY as a HIP HOP ARTIST of NOTE.

as much as 2024 was a CONSEQUENTIAL year POLITICALLY, within the COMPETITIVE WORLD of HIP HOP it was no less TRANSFORMATIONAL given the enduring CULTURAL RAMIFICATIONS of the EPIC LYRICAL BATTLE between DRAKE and KENDRICK LAMAR, in which the latter absolutely eviscerated the STANDING and CHARACTER of the former in a MANNER never before witnessed to that extent by the GENRE.  more than that, both RAPPERS seemingly represented OPPOSING POLES in the HIP HOP SPECTRUM, with DRAKE symbolizing the VACUOUS, SELF-AGGRANDIZING CRASS COMMERCIALISM and EFFECTIVE MERCENARY MENTALITY of MODERN HIP HOP with no HEART or PARTICULAR RESPECT for the HISTORY or LONGSTANDING TRADITIONS of the GENRE outside of what could directly benefit him. this while LAMAR is the WALKING EMBODIMENT of the SELF-MADE ETHOS of the most CELEBRATED RAPPERS in the HISTORY of the GAME with his ACUTE, CRITICAL SENSE of SELF-AWARENESS and an INQUISITIVE LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE centered around the SUBTLE and highly DYNAMIC INTERPLAY between COMMUNITY and the INDIVIDUAL.  for LAMAR, his PROFESSIONAL GOALS align with shining a light on the PLIGHT, AMBITIONS, STRUGGLES and SUCCESSES of his NATIVE COMPTON while DRAKE  is from TORONTO but his LYRICS reflect NOTHING of SUBSTANCE about his RELATIONSHIP with such, just BORING, EMPTY PLATITUDES about the WEALTH, WOMEN and POWER he amassed. the fact that LAMAR decimated DRAKE so COMPLETELY to the point that his SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS have failed to palliate the CONSIDERABLE REPUTATIONAL and COMMERCIAL DAMAGE to his PUBLIC IMAGE feels like a VINDICATION for all that is right about HIP HOP against the CYNICAL FORCES that serve to effectively demean and exploit such.

which brings me to the BIGZOETV YOUTUBE CHANNEL.  when the BATTLE exploded during the spring of 2024 there was understandably quite a bit of COMMENTARY ONLINE, and around then i came across BIG ZOE, this MIAMI-based PODCASTER with a MODEST FOLLOWING (around 20K) to be pretty EVEN-HANDED when examining and assessing the BROADER CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS of the FEUD with less of the LOOK-AT-ME CLICKBAIT GIMMICKRY of his ONLINE PEERS.  that and he is HUMOROUS and LIGHT-HEARTED about it all.  more IMPORTANTLY, in the WAKE of the BATTLE there has been a COLLECTIVE EFFORT of CONTINUED GASLIGHTING, OBFUSCATING, TROLLING and BAD FAITH NARRATIVE-mining by the allies of DRAKE in a futile attempt to negate and spin the IMMENSE DAMAGE he sustained somehow back on to LAMAR.  this includes, but is certainly not limited to, EVERYONE from PODCASTERS and STREAMERS like DJ AKADEMIKS, JAMIL "MAL" CLAY, ANDREW SCHULTZ, POETIK FLAKKO and ADIN ROSS among many other PATHETIC prominent SUPPLICANTS.  these are particularly TERRIBLE PEOPLE with SELF-SERVING INTERESTS outside of HIP HOP CULTURE and continually pump BAD FAITH ARGUMENTS and laughably TROLLISH BEHAVIOR towards there ADVERSARIES. 

i cant watch or pay ATTENTION to them, which to me is the WHOLE VALUE PROPOSITION of BIGZOETV.  he is continually mired in that TOXIC SHIT and reports back with MORAL CLARITY and HUMOR about what the new INEXPLICABLE ATTEMPT at a COGENT NARRATIVE of is for DRAKE and his SORRY APOLOGISTS.  as a FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER, this TYPE of DEBATE and PERSUASION intrigues me just on a purely TACTICAL LEVEL and considering OUTSIDE VARIABLES like AUDIENCE and UNSTATED BUSINESS AGENDAS (regarding DRAKE and those that publicly support and defend him) makes such eternally COMPELLING.  the fact that i agree with 95% of BIGZOETV's points is not important, more just that i appreciate his PERSPECTIVE and ABILITY to maintain OBJECTIVITY and stay RELATIVELY ABOVE-THE-FRAY when seemingly so many OTHERS ONLINE are continually losing their COLLECTIVE MINDS over this SITUATION.

and its still ONGOING.

so yeah, i look to BIGZOETV as a RESOURCE navigating this CONTINUING BIFURCATION in the CULTURE, which EERILY mirrors that of the COUNTRY ITSELF POLITICALLY.  the very fact that DRAKE chose recently to align HIMSELF with ADIN ROSS, an UNREPENTANT 24 year-old TROLL with a HISTORY of being REPEATEDLY booted off MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORMS for ABUSIVE RACIST BEHAVIOR as well as, of course, being a PROMINENT DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER (who even groveling interviewed the man HIMSELF this past ELECTION CYCLE), just makes that COMMONALITY ring out that much more GLARINGLY. 

definitely check out the BIGZOETV YOUTUBE CHANNEL.  much RECOMMENDED.

the BEASTIE BOYS' SOPHOMORE FULL-LENGTH PAUL'S BOUTIQUE (CAPITOL, 1989) over the past few decades has been near universally REVERED as a LANDMARK HIP HOP ACHIEVEMENT in PRODUCTION and AESTHETICS that stands out even within a MUCH-HERALDED ERA, the SO-CALLED GOLDEN AGE OF HIP HOP, that is routinely credited with being the point at which the GENRE itself blossomed into a MATURE ART FORM.  but when it came out a few years after their hit debut LICENSED TO ILL (DEF JAM, 1986), it fell far short of COMMERCIAL EXPECTATIONS and was considered a FAILURE at the time. 

part of that was due to the fact that BEASTIE BOYS painted themselves in a corner with their FRAT BOY IMAGE and JUVENILE LYRICS that virtually define LICENSED TO ILL in the PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS.  the MEMBERS themselves, ADAM "AD ROCK" HOROVITZ, ADAM "MCA" YAUCH and MICHAEL "MIKE D" DIAMOND, where all fiercely INDEPENDENT-MINDED VETERANS of the DOWNTOWN NEW YORK HARDCORE scene and took on that PUERILE LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE largely as an INSIDE JOKE, but what they thought of initially as PURE PARODY and PERFORMANCE ART quickly manifested into something else entirely, especially in light of their CONTROVERSIAL TOUR in support of their DEBUT that incorporated SEXIST BANTER and even an over-sized INFLATABLE PHALLUS.  in essence they were considered a NOVELTY ACT by both the INDUSTRY as well as their FORMER LABEL, including PRODUCER and DEF JAM RECORDS CO-FOUNDER RICK RUBIN.

so the GROUP unceremoniously departed from their NATIVE NEW YORK CITY and relocated to LOS ANGELES, signed with CAPITOL RECORDS and sought out to reinvent themselves.  they subsequently hooked up with the PRODUCTION DUO THE DUST BROTHERS (BECK, TENACIOUS D, LINKIN PARK, TONE LŌC) and GIFTED BRAZILIAN ENGINEER / MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST MARIO CALDATO JR on a FOLLOW-UP that, along with PRINCE PAUL's STELLAR PRODUCTION on the DEBUT DE LA SOUL ALBUM THREE FEET HIGH AND RISING (TOMMY BOY, 1989), is widely-considered the GOLD STANDARD and CULTURAL HIGH-WATER MARK of SAMPLING in HIP HOP PRODUCTION. 

bear in mind that this is still half a decade away from their COMPLETE LYRICAL TRANSFORMATION on CHECK YOUR HEAD (CAPITOL, 1992), which is post-MCA's CONVERSION to BUDDHISM and his COMPLETE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and CONTRITION towards MISGUIDED MISOGYNY in their PAST CATALOGUE, so the CHEEKY, YOUTHFUL, and frankly CHAUVINISTIC BRAVADO on TRACKS like "SHAKE YOUR RUMP," "TO ALL THE GIRLS," and "HEY LADIES" are very much still in FULL EFFECT.  "EGG MAN" in particular is the IMMATURE NARRATIVE of the BAND egging RANDOM PEOPLE during their time in LOS ANGELES, a FAVORITE past-time of theirs back then.  so LYRICALLY and CONCEPTUALLY PAUL'S BOUTIQUE is very much a TRANSITIONAL RECORD and a moment in time for the GROUP as they sussed out their post-DEF JAM IDENTITY and really experimented with the form itself.  i'd argue that that NEW BEGINNING of sorts begins on CHECK YOUR HEAD and continues until the end of their career together.  

what is INTERESTING about PAUL'S BOUTIQUE in the GREATER CONTEXT of HIP HOP is that it marks the CULMINATION of a PRODUCTION STYLE that absolutely cannot be REPLICATED today due to contemporary RIGID CONCERNS over COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.  THE DUST BROTHERS essentially raided their VINYL COLLECTIONS for SHORT SNIPPETS of MUSICAL INTERLUDES and RHYTHMIC BREAKS and INGENIOUSLY re-contextualized them in an AURAL PASTICHE of sorts.  thus transforming them in TERMS of TEXTURE, STYLE and SUBSTANCE.  these days producers either attempt a RE-RECORDING of a DESIRED SAMPLE, a PROCESS know as INTERPOLATING, or just OUTRIGHT LICENSE the SAMPLE from the COPYRIGHT OWNERS, which can be prohibitively EXPENSIVE and lead to PRODUCTION DELAYS. 

PAUL'S BOUTIQUE PRE-DATED court cases that set the INDUSTRY STANDARD for SAID LICENSES so it is very much an DOCUMENT of a place and time in HIP HOP history.  and that is largely its LEGACY.  its INNOVATIVE PRODUCTION is what it is CELEBRATED for in retrospect way more than its OVERALL CONCEPT or LYRICAL CONTENT.  as such it is not one of my personal GO-TO BEASTIE BOYS ALBUMS, my DISTINCT PREFERENCE being the JOVIAL but SOCIALLY-AWARE later OUTPUT that marked the SECOND PHASE of their career starting with CHECK YOUR HEAD.  all that being said it is a LANDMARK RECORDING well worth checking out for any WOULD-BE HIP HOP HEAD and should be considered required listening, no doubt.  a DECENT enough INTRODUCTION would be my personal FAVORITE TRACKS "HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER" and "LOOKING DOWN THE BARREL OF A GUN."

NEW YORK CITY is UNIQUE PLACE with a STORIED LEGACY of SELF-CANNIBALIZATION.  due to its GLOBAL STATUS as an UNRIVALED NEXUS of all things CULTURAL and ECONOMIC with an EVER-SHIFTING POPULATION, the CITY has a NATURAL TENDENCY to inevitably FEED ON ITSELF which is simultaneously INVIGORATING and absolutely CONFOUNDING to LONG-TERM RESIDENTS.  i look no further than my own IRISH side of the FAMILY who descend from the BAY RIDGE SECTION of BROOKLYN, from whom i have heard for decades concerning the CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS of the NEIGHBORHOOD which was once NORWEGIAN, then PUERTO RICAN, then ARAB and now PRIMARILY CHINESE over the relatively short span of 70+ years.  that CHURN of NEWCOMERS and the subsequent DEMOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION rooted in the ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES that the CITY affords OUTSIDE INVESTORS and DEVELOPERS alike is the CENTRAL NARRATIVE of NEW YORK CITY and by EXTENSION the UNITED STATES.

when NEW YORK CITY was in an ECONOMIC LULL back in the 1970s and DEMAND for REAL ESTATE was at an HISTORIC NADIR due to a plague of HIGH CRIME RATES and RAMPANT UNEMPLOYMENT, such provided SCRAPPY ARTISTS with an OPPORTUNITY to set up shop in UNCONVENTIONAL INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS, like ABANDONED FACTORIES, to go about creating their ART with SPACE in RELATIVE ISOLATION.  such was the STORY when the band MATERIAL decided that creating a MAKESHIFT STUDIO in the POLLUTED and altogether UNDESIRABLE GOWANUS section of BROOKLYN in the BASEMENT of a FACTORY suited their ARTISTIC NEEDS.  such was the INCEPTION of BC STUDIO and the PROFESSIONAL TRANSITION of MARTIN BISI from a LIVE SOUND ENGINEER to a RECORD PRODUCER.  SOUND AND CHAOS: THE STORY OF BC STUDIO (COLLECTIVE EYE, 2014) is a DOCUMENTARY that examines the DEVELOPMENT and LEGACY of a RECORDING STUDIO and PRODUCER that has witnessed everyone from BRIAN ENO, THE RAMONES, SWANS, IGGY POP, SONIC YOUTH, THE DRESDEN DOLLS, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, FOETUS, GINGER BAKER, COP SHOOT COP, HERBIE HANCOCK, VIOLENT FEMMES, JOHN ZORN, POP. 1280 and even WHITNEY HOUSTON record within its CAVERNOUS, SUBTERRANEAN TRACKING ROOMS.

given the ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC SCENE at the time with the UNDERGROUND HIP HOP, NO WAVE and POST PUNK MOVEMENTS, the CLIENTELE for BC STUDIO were understandably interested in NONTRADITIONAL SOUNDS and PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES.  and that was largely out of NECESSITY.  fast forward a few decades and the STUDIO has amassed a CELEBRATED CATALOGUED of INFLUENTIAL records that connects them to a NEW GENERATION of EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIANS and SONGWRITERS, but the NEW YORK CITY REAL ESTATE MARKET has caught up as SYMBOLIZED by the INCURSION of a NEW WHOLE FOODS MARKET across the STREET which predictably drives up LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES and pushes out the LONG-STANDING ARTS COMMUNITY.

now this FILM was made a decade ago in 2014 and the HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS has only grown in STATURE as a NATIONAL SCOURGE in the INTERIM, pitting GENERATIONS and COMMUNITIES against each other as NIMBYism and GENTRIFICATION tear apart the very FABRIC of NEIGHBORHOODS.  the UNENVIABLE and highly TENUOUS PREDICAMENT of BC STUDIO provides an USEFUL PERSPECTIVE to view NEW YORK CITY's SELF-CANNIBALIZING NATURE through. sure NEW OPPORTUNITIES provide the POTENTIAL for GROWTH and PROSPERITY, but for WHOM and at what cost?

and that QUESTION is as RELEVANT and PRESCIENT right now as those REVERED SWANS, JOHN ZORN and BRIAN ENO RECORDINGS BC STUDIO is FAMOUS for birthing into EXISTENCE. SOUND AND CHAOS: THE STORY OF BC STUDIO is a PENETRATING DOCUMENTARY well worth further INVESTIGATION with THEMES that transcend its FOCUS on CULTURE and URBAN GENTRIFICATION.  it also has an INCREDIBLE LIST of PARTICIPATING INTERVIEWEES from the likes of LEE RANALDO (SONIC YOUTH), MICHAEL GIRA (SWANS), JG THIRLWELL (FOETUS), MICHAEL HOLMAN (GRAY), BRIAN VIGLIONE (THE DRESDEN DOLLS), BILL LASWELL (MATERIAL), GRAND MIXER DXT and JIM COLEMAN (COP SHOOT COP).

so much of HIP HOP from its INCEPTION seemed to be centered around the concept of COMPETITION.  from the GRAFFITI and the BREAKDANCING to the DJing and the MCing, the WHOLE CULTURE seemed to be about proving onself as ILLER, FRESHER and more DEF than those around them.  in my ESTIMATION its one of the DEFINING and DIFFERENTIATING CHARACTERISTICS of HIP HOP as PREVIOUS FORMS like JAZZ, BLUES and even ROCK AND ROLL were more about MUSICAL COLLABORATION and the HOPE that your MUSIC may be ultimately heard and have an EMOTIONAL AFFECT on a POTENTIAL LISTENER.  the INCLUSIVE IDEA of effectively bringing OUTSIDERS into the fold.  with HIP HOP it seemingly is more about the END GOAL of SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT and the CULT OF PERSONALITY that comes with such GLORY.

which is why the BIZ MARKIE is such a SEMINAL FIGURE since he counteracts that WHOLE LINE OF THINKING and back in the day during the FORM's INCEPTION.  probably rooted to his own TROUBLED CHILDHOOD being thrown around the NEW YORK FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, MARKIE from the jump he was always about COLLABORATION and got a SUPPOSED RIVAL like BIG DADDY KANE and THEN-UPCOMING LONG ISLAND RAPPER RAKIM their first MAJOR GIGS on stages they shared at his behest.  not that MARKIE couldnt hold his own as an MC, but his VIBE was decidedly INCLUSIVE and about bringing the COMMUNITY together.  and that PERSPECTIVE definitely translated on his CELEBRATED sophomore RELEASE THE BIZ NEVER SLEEPS (COLD CHILLIN', 1989) which includes the INDELIBLE SINGLE "JUST A FRIEND" that addresses the universally RELATABLE but very un-HIP HOP SUBJECT of being PASSED OVER and JILTED over by a ROMANTIC INTEREST.  that SONG with its gloriously OFF-KEY VOCALS and TORTURED ETHOS surrounding the UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE of NOT MEASURING UP to the COMPETITION is one of the most EARNEST and AUTHENTIC HIP HOP SONG this side of SKEE-LO's "I WISH."  it is absolutely REVOLUTIONARY in its lack of PRETENSE and BRAVADO.  i just cannot fathom RAKIM, BIG DADDY KANE or any RAPPER PAST or PRESENT daring to be so FORTHRIGHT about their own PAINFUL SHORTCOMINGS. 

that FEARLESS EMBRACE of his HUMAN FRAILTY to me is what made MARKIE such a SPECIAL PERFORMER and SINGULAR FIGURE in HIP HOP.  one who's INFLUENCE is seen on SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS of RAPPERS that stray outside the ESTABLISHED LINES of NORMATIVE MASCULINITY from OL' DIRTY BASTARD, MF DOOM, KOOL KEITH and DANNY BROWN to TYLER THE CREATOR, LIL B and ANDRE 3000.  MARKIE is often tagged "the CLOWN PRINCE of HIP HOP" but in my OPINION that is a COMPLETE MISNOMER since the DUDE was in fact the very essence of HIP HOP.  the INTERCHANGEABLE CLOWNS are the DRAKEs, TEKASHI 69s, JA RULEs and RICK ROSSes of the WORLD that parade around MINDLESSLY pushing CRASS MATERIALISM and promote CORPORATE INTERESTS with NO SUBSTANCE, LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE or AUTHENTICITY to the their AUDIENCE.  they are just INDICATIVE of what amounts to a wave of SOULLESS ENTERTAINERS that use HIP HOP as a VEHICLE to other SELFISH INTERESTS like FAME or WEALTH rather than the COMMUNITY that put them up. 

MARKIE was the NERVOUS ENERGY and INCLUSIVE SPIRIT of COLLABORATION that is the very CORE of HIP HOP CULTURE writ large. and THE BIZ NEVER SLEEPS arguably is his BEST EXPRESSION of such a PERSPECTIVE. 

and he is still DEARLY missed. RIP LEGEND.

the FREEDOM an ALTER EGO presents to an ARTIST or SONGWRITER is one of lifting them from the ARTISTIC CONSTRAINTS of being THEMSELVES.  look no further than DAVID BOWIE, arguably one of the more EXTREME CASE STUDIES of such in POP MUSIC, and the DRAMATIC SHIFTS in PRODUCTION, GENRE, STYLE and INTENT that his MAJOR TOM, THIN WHITE DUKE, HALLOWEEN JACK, ALADDIN SANE, ZIGGY STARDUST and THE BLIND PROPHET CHARACTERS afforded him throughout his STORIED CAREER.  one wonders if the AUDIENCE would have bought into and followed these SHIFTS had not BOWIE thrown HIMSELF so COMPLETELY into these THEATRICAL ROLES.  its FUNNY, even BOWIE was a PERSONA that emancipated DAVID JONES from being HIMSELF.

its ARGUABLE that no other POP ARTIST has extracted so much VALUE from a CHARACTER than CELEBRATED DETROIT RAPPER EMINEM and his SLIM SHADY ALTER EGO.  pre-SLIM SHADY, EMINEM was a DEFTLY LYRICAL but STRUGGLING MC that was more in the CONSCIOUS RAPPER MOLD of TALIB KWELI or COMMON, diving deep into his STRUGGLES of staying FINANCIALLY and EMOTIONALLY AFLOAT while attempting to raise his YOUNG DAUGHTER.  what SLIM SHADY afforded EMINEM was the ability to shed any SEMBLANCE of PROPRIETY and fully act out his ID in a PUBLIC MANNER that was FEARLESS and UNDAUNTED to call out ANYONE and EVERYONE without any PRETENSE for for niceties like HUMAN DIGNITY or SELF-PRESERVATION.  it made him into a LYRICAL KAMIKAZE PILOT barreling into all of AMERICA's SACRED COWS in manner not dissimilar than that of his INDUSTRIAL METAL PEER in FORMER FLORIDIAN MUSIC JOURNALIST BRIAN WARNER, a.k.a. MARILYN MANSON.  in essence SLIM SHADY made the CAREER of EMINEM possible and for some the two are SYNONYMOUS given his NOTORIETY and VAUNTED STATUS within MODERN HIP HOP CULTURE.

so how do DIVORCE YOURSELF from your own ALTER EGO.  your own CREATION.

for EMINEM that has proven to be quite TRICKY throughout his CAREER.  once he gained his SOBRIETY in 2008 he made a DELIBERATE ARTISTIC DECISION to play down the SHOCK TACTICS considerably, shelve his SLIM SHADY ALTER EGO and regroup back to a still CAUSTIC but more PERSONAL LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE that thoughtfully analyzed and addressed TOPICS and SOCIETAL ISSUES he was PASSIONATE about, from FAMILY and ADDICTION to WHITE PRIVILEGE and the ever-shifting INTERNAL POLITICS of HIP HOP.  this was the RELAPSE (INTERSCOPE, 2009) and RECOVERY (INTERSCOPE, 2010) ERA of his CAREER.  its INTRIGUING because these more MATURE EFFORTS where he experimented LYRICALLY with the FORM and further developed his PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE and STYLE were some of the least FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL RELEASES of his CAREER.  not that i think he cared much about that since he was on a SINGULAR TRAJECTORY being a culturally RELEVANT MC well into middle age.  at some point he outgrew SLIM SHADY, a CREATIVE and USEFUL ANACHRONISM from his YOUTH, that didnt sit well with him decades later in a DIFFERENT CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT in which RIGHTEOUS ADVOCACY for AT-RISK DEMOGRAPHICS grew in PREVALENCE. years later in a post-#BLACKLIVESMATTER / post-#METOO WORLD in which INGRAINED SYSTEMATIC RACISM and SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST WOMEN was taken more seriously, the SLIM SHADY character felt like even more of an ALBATROSS he needed to address, especially with a NEW GENERATION of SIDE-EYED GEN-Z TIKTOK INFLUENCERS attempting to cancel EMINEM, CONFUSING SLIM SHADY for HIMSELF.  embedded in there as well is the SORRY FACT that the MAGA CROWD was perverting the INTENT of the CHARACTER to be one of AIR COVER for their own SICK, REVANCHIST FANTASIES of CHRISTIAN NATIONALISTIC WHITE MALE DOMINATION.

a view i know MARSHALL MATHERS didnt share.

all of this is to say that THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) (INTERSCOPE, 2024) is EMINEM's INVENTIVE WAY of putting to bed this SIGNIFICANT ASPECT of his CAREER while addressing and defining the LEGACY of the CHARACTER in the PROCESS.  in my ESTIMATION its a SINGULAR ACHIEVEMENT because the SLIM SHADY ALTER EGO is just as QUICK-WITTED, WARPED and TRANSGRESSIVE as ever, not being ADULTERATED or DILUTED in the least, while EMINEM is able to literally battle such and put the MUCH-MALIGNED and REVERED CHARACTER into CONTEXT.  the tracks "HOUDINI" and "GUILTY CONSCIOUS 2" are the NARRATIVE FOCAL POINT of the ALBUM in that regard, DEFTLY illustrating the DIFFERENCE between EMINEM and SLIM SHADY for POSTERITY.  this ALBUM also has MIDCAREER-like INTROSPECTIVE MOMENTS addressing the PERSONAL LIFE of MATHERS as it pertains to his RELATIONSHIP with his CLOSELY-GUARDED FAMILY on "SOMEBODY SAVE ME" and "TEMPORARY." it has been hinted at that THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) may be the FINAL EMINEM ALBUM as MATHERS is now past 50 (and a GRANDFATHER-to-be), so such a SOBER REFLECTION on his MORTALITY in RELATION to his CHILDREN (and by EXTENSION his CAREER) seems WARRANTED.  my FAVORITE TRACKS bar none are "HABITS" with an absolutely DEVASTATING CHORUS by BRONX-based SINGER WHITE GOLD and "FUEL" with the feature by the EMERGING ATLANTA WORDSMITH and DREAMVILLE SCION JID.  twelve ALBUMS into his CATALOGUE and EMINEM is still bringing STELLAR new TALENT from the bench into the SPOTLIGHT. 

cant hate on that.

again, i found THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) to be quite an ACHIEVEMENT.  by no means has EMINEM WATERED-DOWN or DULLED his notoriously NIHILISTIC ALTER EGO, but somehow was able to find a BALANCE that took HIMSELF to task for his own PAST LYRICAL TRANSGRESSIONS with MESSAGES that did REAL DAMAGE to certain EMBATTLED COMMUNITIES in earlier decades.  it was a TIGHTROPE WALK that he deftly completed and fittingly brought his CHARACTER, and maybe CAREER, to a SATISFYING CLOSE.  in terms of INTRICATE WORDPLAY, MIND-BENDING INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES, NARRATIVE COHESION, DICTION, FLOW, DARK HUMOR and OVERALL PRODUCTION, MATHERS has never been in BETTER FORM.  even at the half century mark he is still very much a SINGULAR CULTURAL FORCE that has kept up with the J COLEs and KENDRICK LAMARs of the WORLD, just like he did with NAS, JAY-Z and ANDRE 3000 a GENERATION before. 

​THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE) is definitely a RELASE for the AGES that is well worth checking out.  plus that 'R-A-P-E-R' LINE about P DIDDY on "FUEL" is one of the most BRUTAL and DEVASTATING CHARACTER ASSASSINATIONS ive witnessed in RECENT MEMORY.  DUDE hasnt lost his EDGE one iota.

when the SOUTH AFRICAN ALTERNATIVE HIP HOP GROUP DIE ANTWOORD came to PROMINENCE in the late 2000s with their WARPED and outright TRANSGRESSIVE VISUAL AESTHETIC, PROVINCIAL ARIKAAN-inflected VERBIAGE and CONKED-OUT MUSIC that ingeniously blended the BOMBAST and DRIVE of RAVE and DANCE CULTURES with that of HIP HOP, it felt like a WHOLE MOVEMENT emerged overnight out of thin air.  and i wasnt alone in that FEELING.

in the RECENT DOCUMENTARY ZEF: THE STORY OF DIE ANTWOORD (PRESSURE COOKER, 2024),  the DUO of NINJA and YOLANDI, as well as their DAUGHTER SIXTEEN JONES, PRODUCER DJ HI-TEK and PHOTOGRAPHER ROGER BALLEN flesh out the details on what is one of the most UNLIKELY success stories that no doubt was indebted to the GLOBAL DOMINANCE of MODERN INTERNET CULTURE.  not surprisingly, whole swathes of this FILM are dominated by GNARLY and STRIKING IMAGERY of MANGLED and DISTORTED BODIES, COPIOUS NUDITY, ANGULAR HAIRCUTS and truly ODD ANIMAL CAMEOS that is no doubt meant to distract the VIEWER from the PLOT at hand and give the group an AURA of being EXOTIC and 'OTHER.'

for me the most COMPELLING COMPONENT of this ECCENTRIC DOCUMENTARY is the RELATIONSHIP between NINJA and YOLANDI and how DIE ANTWOORD evolved from such.  the look of the GROUP, inspired by ZEF CULTURE out of the DOWNTRODDEN and economically IMPOVERISHED POPULATIONS within URBAN SOUTH AFRICA. i believe most OUTSIDERS do not realize just how DANGEROUS the country is, especially MAJOR CITIES like DURBAN, PRETORIA, JOHANNESBURG, PIETERMARITZBURG, CAPE TOWN and PORT ELIZABETH, which all ranked higher in the 2024 CRIME INDEX than LAGOS, the NOTORIOUS NIGERIAN PORT CITY and MEGAPOLIS where i spent my middle school years in the 1990s with ARMED GUARDS on constant standby.  it is no joke out there and SOUTH AFRICA is one of the WORLD's GREAT MELTING POTS of CULTURE due to its COMPLEX DUTCH, BRITISH and AFRIKANER COLONIAL HISTORY and LONGSTANDING GEOGRAPHIC POSITIONING as a PROMINENT TRADE HUB between EUROPE and ASIA.  the fact that DIE ANTWOORD broke through the NOISE ONLINE and presented this SINGULAR CULTURE of their NATIVE UNDERCLASS from a FORGOTTEN part of the GLOBE is quite REMARKABLE. 

and UNEXPECTED.

the FILM makes clear that INTERNATIONAL FAME and SUCCESS was DIFFICULT for NINJA and YOLANDI and ultimately ESTRANGED them from each other in the PROCESS.  relocating to LOS ANGELES and being ingratiated and courted by fellow celebrities in SEN DOG (CYPRESS HILL), MARILYN MANSON, CARLA DELEVINGNE, FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),  DITA VON TEESE, GHOSTFACE KILLAH (WU-TANG CLAN), JACK BLACK and the like given their PROVINCIAL and UNASSUMING ROOTS must have been such a MINDS-CREW.  despite all the CRAZY VISUALS that perpetuate this DOCUMENTARY, its heartening to learn that the SEPARATION of the two MAIN MEMBERS from each other was what brought the GROUP to a CREATIVE STALL.  this FILM serves as a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT of sorts that their TRIAL BY FIRE is over and that DIE ANTWOORD is back in action and STRONGER than ever. 

which is GREAT because HIP HOP and MODERN CULTURE is in a RUT at the MOMENT.  everything POPULAR seems rather INAUTHENTIC, PREFABRICATED and GROUP-TESTED to death, especially HIP HOP where there is a dearth of GENUINE MATERIAL.  DIE ANTWOORD offer a SINGULAR PERSPECTIVE, albeit a DARK and TWISTED one that is more worthy of INVESTIGATION than the MAJORITY of PRETENDERS currently filling up my NEWSFEED and INSTAGRAM STORIES.  ZEF: THE STORY OF DIE ANTWOORD is an INTRIGUING INTRODUCTION to the GROUP, albeit one that is a little LIGHT on SPECIFICS and saturated with STAGGERING VISUALS.

regardless it is well worth checking out.

parody & text by nacrowe

when i was still a PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER in ALBANIA over a decade ago, i landed a TEACHING GIG in VENEZUELA and knew id be there shortly after my stint in EASTERN EUROPE was over.  it was a heady time and the start of what id hope would be a LONG CAREER TEACHING OVERSEAS and i went about preparing by investigating CONTEMPORARY MUSICIANS from SPANISH-speaking, predominantly in LATIN AMERICA.  i discovered during this PERIOD a whole host of ARTISTS including ANA TIJOUX (CHILE), LA VIDA BOHEME (VENEZUELA), BOMBA ESTÉREO (COLOMBIA) and EL GUINCHO (CANARY ISLANDS). 

it was the LATER SPANISH MUSICIAN / PRODUCER that absolutely blew me away with a contagiously HYPNOTIC AVANT-GARDE SOUND that seamlessly incorporated ELEMENTS of HIP HOP, TROPICALIA, AFROBEAT, DUB and PSYCHEDELIC POP.  then i looked into the LYRICS, which were thoroughly SURREALISTIC and open to INDIVIDUAL INTERPRETATION a la CAPTAIN BEEFHEART or GEORGE CLINTON.  my INVESTIGATION went from finding INTERESTING new ARTISTS to possibly locating the NEXT PRINCE.  both of EL GUINCHO's more RECENT ALBUMS POP NEGRO (YOUNG TURKS, 2010) and HIPERASIA (EVERLASTING, 2016) are REQUIRED LISTENING in my OPINION.

what i dont understand is the DEARTH of NEW MATERIAL in the meantime.  i know he is a highly IN-DEMAND PRODUCER, especially in his NATIVE SPAIN, but it just feels like a WASTE that there is not a NEW RELEASE from an ARTIST with such an OVER-BRIMMING sense of CREATIVITY and an instinctually UNIQUE and COHESIVE LYRICAL, SONIC and VISUAL AESTHETIC.

my HOPE is that such will change in the next few years.  the game needs him!

TYLER, THE CREATOR and the ODD FUTURE COLLECTIVE in general through me for a loop when i first came across their CATALOGUE in the early 2010s.  at first i thought it was all a bit of an INSIDE JOKE gone AWRY, like they were just being INFLAMMATORY for the sake of being CONTROVERSIAL and getting attention.  but then i quickly realized they were collectively far too GIFTED and CONSISTENT with their CREATIVE OUTPUT for such to be the case.

that being said, "YONKERS" off of TYLER's second album GOBLIN (XL, 2011) was the first SONG i came across by anything RELATED to the ODD FUTURE CAMP and he is pretty much CONFRONTATIONAL to the point of being DIABOLIC, rattling off MURDER and TORTURE FANTASIES that would make METHOD MAN and his WU-TANG CLAN COMPATRIOTS blush.  speaking of which, the PRODUCTION throughout GOBLIN is decidedly SPARSE and MINIMALIST a la RZA which succeeds in putting the FOCUS on the WICKED LYRICISM at hand.  its almost a LYRICAL THROWBACK to the FANTASTICAL HORRORCORE-themed likes of EMINEM, MF DOOM and GRAVEDIGGAZ in terms of STYLE and SUBSTANCE, separating him THEMATICALLY and SPIRITUALLY from his HIP HOP CONTEMPORARIES who are either more concerned with ISSUES surrounding the SOCIAL JUSTICE and the BLACK COMMUNITY (KENDRICK LAMAR, CHILDISH GAMBINO, PUSHA T), PAEANS to one's BLOATED EGO and EMPTY CONSUMERISM (KANYE WEST, TRAVIS SCOTT, DRAKE, PLAYBOI CARTI and A$AP ROCKY and ) or somewhere in between (MAC MILLER).

looking back at GOBLIN in retrospect i look at it as a PALETTE CLEANSER of sorts, since his LATER RELEASES very much expand on his INNATE CREATIVITY and NEAR LIMITLESS CAPACITY to fearlessly follow his own MUSE, bringing CULTURE along with him in a MANNER SIMILAR to that of PHARRELL WILLIAMS or (for a time) KANYE.  STANDOUT TRACKS here include "GOBLIN," "SHE," "TRON CAT," "SANDWITCHES" and the AFOREMENTIONED "YONKERS," which are all in that same TRANSGRESSIVE LYRICAL VEIN, but really what these SONGS accomplish is an EXPECTATION that this ARTIST is BOLD to the point of EXASPERATION and not afraid of saying or producing anything.  in a GENRE like HIP HOP that at times feels claustrophobically CONSERVATIVE and prone to GROUP THINK, it is quite REFRESHING to have something this unrepentantly OBNOXIOUS thrown in the MIX just for the sake of breaking the MONOTONY.  more than BASTARD (self released, 2009), this RECORD set the table for an INTRIGUING career as a MAJOR CREATIVE and VOICE in AMERICAN CULTURE writ large.

at the very least GOBLIN is definitely worth checking out.

BRITISH RAPPER LOYLE CARNER is definitely more-than-FAMILIAR with the heyday of the NATIVE TONGUES movement and SEMINAL HIP HOP ACTS like DE LA SOUL, BLACK SHEEP and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.  in fact, his SMOOTH, EFFORTLESS, LANGUID FLOW and CONFESSIONAL LYRICS dealing with VULNERABILITY and DISAPPOINTMENT over JAZZ-influenced BEATS has a close ring to the PRODUCTION and FLOW of one Q-TIP.

for me his MUSIC hits a SWEET SPOT for me since it bucks the all-too-PREVALENT TREND in CONTEMPORARY HIP HOP of WANNA-BE GANGSTER-ISM, TOXIC MASCULINITY and RIDICULOUS FICTIONAL PERSONAS in favor of something more personal and real.  teh fact that he is so ELOQUENT and THOUGHTFUL and his LYRICS so ACCESSIBLE and AUTHENTIC just makes it all the better. 

LOYLE CARNER is definitely a VOICE worth checking out.

seems like just about everyone has a PODCAST these days. 

add to the list one JOEL MADDEN, VOCALIST of 2000s MARYLAND POP PUNK ICONS GOOD CHARLOTTE and ALL-AROUND LOS ANGELES SCENESTER.  his PODCAST ARTIST FRIENDLY WITH JOEL MADDEN is a one-one-one EXTENDED CONVERSATION / INTERVIEW FORMAT where MADDEN basically reconnects with FRIENDS from the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY over the years, whether they be from METAL, ALTERNATIVE ROCK or HIP HOP COMMUNITIES, or even other WORLDS like COMEDY and FILM.

it is never in doubt how WELL-CONNECTED and LIKED MADDEN is regarding his GUESTS, but what stands out to me about this PODCAST is not the IMPRESSIVE CATALOGUE of PAST INTERVIEWEES, which include BRANDON BOYD & MARK EINZIGER (INCUBUS), LIL WAYNE, VIOLENT J and SHAGGY 2 DOPE (INSANE CLOWN POSSE), RAFA (PRAYERS), CLAUDIO SANCHEZ (COHEED & CAMBRIA), MORGAN LANDER (KITTIE), PETE WENTZ (FALL OUT BOY), JACOBY SHADDIX (PAPA ROACH), MIKE HERRERA (MXPX) and so on, but rather how BANAL, INARTICULATE, UNINQUISITIVE, UNINFORMED and just laughably SELF-REFERENTIAL MADDEN is as an INTERLOCUTOR. 

it is SHOCKING how POOR of an INTERVIEWER he is. 

no matter the QUESTION, it all seems to be about him.  he just comes off as being particularly NARCISSISTIC, INARTICULATE and UNCURIOUS INDIVIDUAL who maybe sees this PODCAST as a means of generating ATTENTION as his music career has SLOWED-DOWN considerably throughout the years.  i routinely leave these CONVERSATIONS with a LIMITED UNDERSTANDING of COMPELLING novel INFORMATION unlike the music-related NO DOGS IN SPACE PODCAST, the SST RECORDS-centric YOU DON'T KNOW MOJACK PODCAST, the DISCHORD RECORDS-centric END ON END PODCAST or MADDEN's own PUNK ROCK PEERS in FAT MIKE (NOFX) and his FAT MIKE's FAT MIC PODCAST, DAMIAN ABRAHAM (FUCKED UP) and his TURNED OUT A PUNK PODCAST or  MIKE HERRERA (MXPX) and his NAMESAKE THE MIKE HERRERA PODCAST.  there are just so many BETTER OPTIONS with PREPARED, KNOWLEDGABLE and INTELLIGIBLE HOSTS that seem emotionally and intellectually ENGAGED in the TOPIC.  i just get the sense from MADDEN that he is just coasting and riding on VIBES with these INTERVIEWS, or worse, using these other ARTISTS to prop up his PUBLIC PROFILE.

which oddly feels FITTING for his IMAGE as a hopelessly MEDIOCRE FRONTMAN who once sought further CELEBRITY in the HOLLYWOOD party scene two decades ago.  this PODCAST the WOULD-BE VEHICLE to CULTURAL RELEVANCY.  i am fairly OPEN-MINDED and will watch or listen to almost anything once, and even i was wondering why i was listening to this after a while.  just painfully TERRIBLE STUFF not worth revisiting outside of PRIOR INTEREST in a PARTICULAR GUEST.

parody & text by nacrowe

without doubt, DEATH GRIPS is the most EXCITING GROUP to come out in the past two decades.  the only other EMERGING BAND ive found myself nearly this INFATUATED with during that same period is DRAB MAJESTY, which is a completely DIFFERENT VIBE, more DOWN-TEMPO and MOODY to DEATH GRIP's UNBRIDLED SONIC EXPERIMENTS and DYNAMIC, BIT-CRUSHING, FIST-BUMPING, GENRE-OBLITERATING AURAL TERRORISM. 

when i even consider LIKE-MINDED BANDS from the past, all i can think about are NO WAVE INNOVATORS like SWANS and BUSH TETRAS as well as LOU REED's deliberately ANTI-COMMERCIAL METAL MACHINE MUSIC (RCA, 1975) release the spurred on later EARLY INDUSTRIAL ACTS such as THROBBING GRISTLE and EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN.  its all that plus CONFRONTATIONAL / NIHILISTIC HIP HOP with a POLITICAL EDGE a la PUBLIC ENEMY or DEAD PREZ at their most INCENDIARY.  that is to say that DEATH GRIPS is a wildly INNOVATIVE BAND with no real PRECEDENT and anything you can point to as a POSSIBLE REFERENCE POINT is likewise beyond GNARLY, EXPERIMENTAL and BADASS.

the SACRAMENTO-based TRIO is made up of ZACH HILL, arguably the GREATEST DRUMMER of this (or maybe even any) GENERATION, KEYBOARDIST ANDY MORIN and VOCALIST STEFAN BURNETT, a.k.a. MC RIDE.  on TRACKS like "GUILLOTINE (IT GOES YAH)," "KNOWN FOR IT," "THE FEVER (AYE AYE)," "GET GOT," and "NO LOVE" the BAND just seams to completely revel in SONICALLY ASSAULTING its AUDIENCE with UNREPENTANT DISSONANCE and WHITE NOISE while surreptitiously embedding, however SUBTERRANEAN, a PALPABLE sense of MELODY.  its just INSANE that SOMETHING so POWERFUL and outright CONFRONTATIONAL and COMPLEX on a SONIC LEVEL maintains any semblance of STRUCTURE and MELODIC COHESION enough to manually tap or head-bop a RECOGNIZABLE BEAT to.  its an INTRIGUING DYNAMIC that is quite the ACHIEVEMENT and sounds in its entirety like NOTHING i can immediately point out.  its a ONE-OF-ONE SITUATION.

likewise the corresponding TRANSGRESSIVE ARTWORK is just as ABSTRACT and tangentially RELATED to the MUSIC.  what it provides is a VIBE and a CREATIVE ASSERTION that what you are about to EXPERIENCE is not for the faint of heart.  after an unremarkable year living in the suburbs of SACRAMENTO my senior year of high school back in the day, i was absolutely convinced that NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE (besides DEFTONES) would ever come from that CULTURAL BACKWATER.  it was just too CONSERVATIVE and BORING.  decades later CHELSEA WOLFE, HELLA (featuring ZACH HILL), TERA MELOS and DEATH GRIPS have proved me WRONG MULTIPLE TIMES over.

obviously i was gravely MISTAKEN.

regardless, DEATH GRIPS is an EXPERIENCE.  definitely check them out, especially their DEBUT ALBUM THE MONEY STORE (EPIC, 2012) as well as their previous SELF-RELEASED MIXTAPE EXMILITARY (2011).  you will not be disappointed.

watching the recent RETROSPECTIVE DOCUMENTARY ALL UP IN THE BIZ (MASS APPEAL, 2023) about the LIFE and CAREER of the LATE LONG ISLAND RAPPER BIZ MARKIE is a veritable CULTURAL HISTORY of the EMERGENCE of HIP HOP with many PROMINENT early LUMINARIES paying homage in the process.  given that he was such an INTER-GENERATIONALLY BELOVED FIGURE whose IMPACT far exceeded his IMPRINT on the GENRE, which is CONSIDERABLE, his EARLY DEATH at 57 in a BALTIMORE hospital during the COVID era was COMPLETELY SHOCKING.  his PASSING followed a lengthy hospital stint that originated with a STROKE followed shortly thereafter by a DIABETIC COMA.

much of his LEGACY revolves around his CHARACTER.  always a PRANKSTER and always up for a GOOD TIME.  his  REAL-LIFE was quite DARK with his MOTHER PASSING AWAY at an early age and a FATHER that put him up in the FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.  much of his CHARACTERISTIC HUMOR and LEGENDARY WILD ASIDES was a means of DISTRACTION from feelings of NOT BELONGING and DIMINISHED SELF-WORTH.  being POOR and BLACK on LONG ISLAND was a STRUGGLE (BIZ having been born in HARLEM) and his METHOD of relieving TENSION and addressing ADVERSITY was a contagiously FLAMBOYANT and completely DISARMING SENSE of HUMOR.  you dont get the SENSE that such was a COMPLETE ACT since BIZ seemed preternaturally PREDISPOSED to bouts of DEEP EMPATHY and COMPASSION, but there is a PERFORMATIVE ASPECT such nonetheless and its COMPELLING that such followed him through his ENTIRE LIFE, in and out of the SPOTLIGHT.

what is also INTRIGUING is how he shared the ATTENTION on STAGE, even during the early days of HIP HOP, and helped get TALENTED and fiercely COMPETITIVE ARTISTS he met along the way their FIRST OPPORTUNITIES in the GREATER COMMUNITY.  the FILM specifically lists LYRICAL LEGENDS BIG DADDY KANE and RAKIM as such BENEFICIARIES.  just on that alone his HIP HOP BONAFIDES are UNTOUCHABLE.  the ARTISTS, COLLABORATORS and ADMIRERS that participated and paid HOMAGE to the BIZ include ICONIC PRODUCERS MARLEY MARL and PRINCE PAUL, RAPPERS DARRYL 'DMC' MCDANIELS (RUN-DMC), RAKIM, BIG DADDY KANE, DOUG E. FRESH, ERICK SERMON (EPMD), FAT JOE, DAVE 'TRUGOY THE DOVE' JOLICOEUR & KELVIN 'POSDNUOS' MERCER (DE LA SOUL), DJ JAZZY JEFF, and MASTA ACE, as well as DESIGNERS DAPPER DAN and BENNY THE JEWELER, and COMEDIAN (and PROUD BROOKLYNITE) TRACY MORGAN.  and NICK CANNON.

i have to admit that in my COMPLETE NAIVETE, i only became aware of the HIP HOP LEGEND in the late 1990s via his INVOLVEMENT with the BEASTIE BOYS' HELLO NASTY (CAPITOL, 1998) RELEASE.  it was during his post-CAREER DJ phase when he became more of a BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRODUCER, COLLABORATOR and DJ-for-hire of the HIGHEST ORDER.  BIZ was part of a GENERATION of HIP HOP ARTISTS that preceded my own.  but instantaneously on record he came off as this TALENTED, GREGARIOUS, LARGER-THAN-LIFE FIGURE who lived for HIP HOP.  and to me that CRAZY, CONTAGIOUS ENERGY is the DEFINING TRAIT of the LATE, GREAT BIZ MARKIE.  INDUSTRY PEOPLE call him the "CLOWN PRINCE of HIP HOP" but i feel like he opened the doors for a WHOLE COHORT of IDIOSYNCRATIC LYRICISTS to find their way and be accepted as EQUALS in the GENRE, and from the outset.  i am talking about PECULIAR INDIVIDUALISTIC ARTISTS like OL' DIRTY BASTARD, ANDRE 3000, KOOL KEITH, TYLER THE CREATOR and DANNY BROWN.  BIZ created that LANE.  never mind the fact that THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, NAS, WU-TANG CLAN, JAY-Z, DE LA SOUL and BEASTIE BOYS all are on record as having let know their ABUNDANT PRAISE.

dude was a SELFLESS INDIVIDUAL that wanted to make sure EVERYONE around him was ENJOYING THEMSELVES, even when LIFE was NOT PLEASANT or FAIR.  to me that sense of COMPASSION, EMPATHY and LOVE was his REAL GIFT to the WORLD and will undoubtedly be his LASTING LEGACY.  in a GENRE that seemingly seeks out and consciously profits of of the ELEVATION of TIRED TROPES around NEEDLESS CONFLICT and lionizing TOXIC MASCULINITY, BIZ MARKIE stood as a RESPECTED ELDER STATESMAN that seemingly EVERYONE could agree on and believe in.

i was going through an UNFORTUNATE PHASE recently where i was FEELING pretty DISGRUNTLED about the CURRENT STATE of HIP HOP and the seeming INANITY of MODERN CULTURE with its SOCIAL MEDIA-indebted EMPHASIS on VAIN SELF-BRANDING, HOLLOW, ATTENTION-SEEKING GIMMICKS and LAME MARKETING SCHEMES as opposed to AUTHENTIC ARTISTRY and some IOTA of HUMILITY.  i kept thinking back to MCs from my childhood (i.e. BUSTA RHYMES, JAY-Z, BIG PUN, TUPAC, MADLIB, ANDRE 3000, EMINEM, BLACK THOUGHT, NAS and Q-TIP) that even at their most BRAGGADOCIOUS always seemingly maintained some SEMBLANCE of a RESPECT for the LINEAGE and TRADITION of the ART FORM itself, knowing full well that they were the CONTEMPORARY STEWARDS of such.

i kept trying to think if there was ANYONE more RECENT that i had FORGOTTEN that was firmly in that SAME CULTURAL VEIN.  and then it hit me, i remembered those INCREDIBLE mid-to-late 2000s RECORDS by the ENGLISH RAPPER and PRODUCER THE STREETS such as ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL (LOCKED ON, 2002), A GRAND DON'T COME FOR FREE (LOCKED ON, 2004) and EVERYTHING IS BORROWED (VICE, 2008). 

what always struck me about the MUSIC of MIKE SKINNER was his VULNERABILITY.  even more so than his HYPER-LITERATE RHYME SCHEMES and his identifiably LAIDBACK BRUMMIE FLOW, it always felt like his THE STREETS PERSONA was centered around his CHARACTER-BUILDING RESPONSES to LIFE's SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENTS and FAILURES.  things i knew i could relate to like FEELINGS of INADEQUACY related to LOVE, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, FRIENDSHIP and the STRUGGLE to stay EMOTIONALLY AFLOAT.  when i devoured those EARLY RECORDS during my undergraduate and post-collegiate years, such OPEN DISCUSSION of REAL STRUGGLES hit me as unquestionably AUTHENTIC and even COURAGEOUS, as most MCs are more optimistically (and understandably) FOCUSED on the COME-UP then the INEVITABLE COME-DOWN.

remembering of those RECORDS made me go back and revisit his CATALOGUE as well as appreciate more RECENT QUALITY OUTPUT in NONE OF US ARE GETTING OUT OF THIS LIFE... (ISLAND, 2020) and THE DARKER THE SHADOW THE BRIGHTER THE LIGHT (679, 2023).  all this to say that THE STREETS is definitely worth checking out.

its FASCINATING to me that HIP HOP GROUPS a la WU TANG CLAN, MOBB DEEP, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, THREE 6 MAFIA, ERIC B. & RAKIM, PUBLIC ENEMY, N.W.A., BEASTIE BOYS, OUTKAST and DE LA SOUL arent more of a thing these days outside of maybe MIGOS and RUN THE JEWELS.  by and large SOLO ACTS have TAKEN THE WHEEL with the CULTURE to the DETRIMENT, i feel, of the QUALITY and DIVERSIFICATION of the MUSIC itself.

what i love about the BUFFALO-based HIP HOP COLLECTIVE of GRISELDA is that they are a CONSCIOUS RETURN to the UNPREDICTABLE, PASS-THE-MIC ETHIC of the golden age of HIP HOP with a defiantly OLD-SCHOOL BOOM BAP SOUND.  if you listen to those EARLY HIP HOP RECORDS from the 1980s and early 90s you will hear MCs hyping one another up and even talking over each other, finishing each others sentences and the like.  the MUSIC and the LYRICS were a GROUP EFFORT and the PERFORMANCE was indicative of that distinctive ARTISTIC and INTERPERSONAL ALCHEMY at play.

GRISELDA and its MEMBERS in WESTSIDE GUNN, CONWAY THE MACHINE and BENNY THE BUTCHER have such in spades.  definitely a COLLECTIVE worth keeping an eye on for FUTURE REFRENCE.  and their WWCD (INTERSCOPE, 2019) RELEASE is similarly very much RECOMMENDED.  you're welcome.

its so ODD and RANDOM, but my MEMORIES of the DEBUT BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME (DEF JAM SOUTH, 2000) album by the FRENETIC ATLANTA-based RAPPER LUDACRIS center around a semester abroad i undertook in the summer of 2003 on the MEDITERRANEAN island of CYPRUS.  this was shortly before i obtained an IPOD, and i can distinctly recall the NEW CDs i either brought with me or obtained during that STINT being VULNERABLE (EPITAPH, 2003) by TRICKY, DEFTONES (MAVERICK, 2003) by DEFTONES, STRAYS (CAPITOL, 2003) by JANE'S ADDICTION and ST. ANGER (ELEKTRA, 2003) by METALLICA.  hearing songs from any of those RECORDS instantaneously puts me back in my hostel room on the outskirts of NICOSIA or VARIOUS COASTAL LOCALES amidst LARNACA, PAPHOS, LIMASSOL or AYIA NAPA.

all that being said to just state MATTER-OF-FACTLY that LUDACRIS' MANIC LYRICAL PERSONA, KALEIDOSCOPIC REVUE of WACKY CHARACTERS and CINEMATIC PRODUCTION fit-in perfectly with the SCENARIO of being a half-world away in a UNIQUE school environment filled with IRANIAN COUNTERPARTS, all in essence evading MANDATORY CONSCRIPTION back home.  on tracks like "GAME GOT SWITCHED," "U GOT A PROBLEM?," "CATCH UP" and "SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY" LUDACRIS presents a wildly CARTOONISH INTERPRETATION of URBAN ATLANTA filled with SCHEMERS, DREAMERS, LOWLIFES, WERE-NEVERS and ENTREPRENEURS all seemingly making the best of an IMPERFECT SITUATION.  to me that was life in CYPRUS, which at the time was opening up its CONTESTED BORDER (between the TURKISH and GREEK sides) for the first time since the mid-1970s.  all this mere months after the BUSH ADMINISTRATION invaded IRAQ.  for all of LUDACRIS' EXAGGERATED, HUMOROUS TALK of STREET LIFE and the EVER-PRESENT THREAT of VIOLENCE, such again was mirrored in what i saw as GREEK SOLDIERS stared down their TURKISH COUNTERPARTS from PARAPETS on OPPOSITE sides of the DIVIDED CAPITOL in the ANCIENT, CIRCULAR walled city of NICOSIA.  it was a CRAZY EXPERIENCE.

even LUDACRIS' LYRICAL PREOCCUPATION with WOMEN OF DISREPUTE on tracks like "HO," "PHAT RABBIT" and "WHAT'S YOUR FANTASY" was mirrored in the island nation's UNFORTUNATE, LECHEROUS CULTURE of UBIQUITOUS NIGHTCLUBS and BROTHELS that effectively scoured the LANDSCAPE, the island itself being a PARTY DESTINATION akin to IBIZA for the more SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE NEAR EAST and EASTERN EUROPEAN countries that surround it.  not to mention DROVES of DRUNK ENGLISHMEN on holiday.  i am no PRUDE, having grown up to that point in NIGERIA and KUWAIT, both places with DIFFERENT MORES regarding SEXUALITY,  but such was on full display seemingly everywhere i went and it was OBVIOUS that the WOMEN were IMPORTED (or more likely) TRAFFICKED from EASTERN EUROPE.  it just felt ACCEPTED as a part of the CULTURE and NORMAL COURSE OF EVENTS, which was difficult to stomache at the time, no less because my IRANIAN COUNTERPARTS utilized their SERVICES multiple times a week.  oddly, listening to BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME made me sense that LUDACRIS' OVER-THE-TOP BOASTINGS regarding his SEXUAL PROWESS and the ALLURE of the OPPOSITE SEX, even those in the SKIN TRADE, was a PECULIAR MANNER of processing and internalizing the COLLECTIVE TRAUMA wreaked on SOCIETY by an EXPLOITATIVE BUSINESS as a FACT-OF-LIFE not too DISSIMILAR from the likewise ILLICIT DRUG TRADE.  if such is so PREVALENT in your NEIGHBORHOOD and DAILY LIVED EXPERIENCE to become effectively COMMONPLACE, than the only means left of confronting such INTIMATE TRAUMA is through HUMOR, which LUDACRIS does within BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME in spades. 

for me personally, LUDACRIS' first three major label RECORDINGS for DEF JAM SOUTH are his SEMINAL RELEASES that established his ECCENTRIC SOUTHERN HIP HOP PERSONA, in the proudly ABSURD and often SURREAL COMEDIC TRADITION of EVERYONE from the BIZ MARKIE, TRUGOY THE DOVE, REDMAN, SHOCK G and OL' DIRTY BASTARD to KOOL KEITH, DANNY BROWN, TYLER THE CREATOR and GHOSTFACE KILLAH.  not only is BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME more than comical to listen to, my time in CYPRUS observing those in extremely EXPLOITATIVE SITUATIONS informed my OPINION that said HUMOR had a DARK UNDERPINNING at its root that was deeply DISTURBING and made such hit that much HARDER.

definitely an UNDERRATED HIP HOP debut by a VOICE that would go on to be a MAJOR PLAYER in the INDUSTRY.  much recommended.

given the STATUS of RAPPER / SINGER DRAKE in HIP HOP and what he has meant for more than a decade to the BROADER POP CULTURAL LANDSCAPE, especially in the wake of his FALL FROM GRACE in the aftermath of the KENDRICK LAMAR AFFAIR, it is more than REVEALING to look back at what amounts to his origins in this EARLY MTV-aired DRAKE: BETTER THAN GOOD (RADICAL MEDIA, 2010) DOCUMENTARY which follows the lead-up to the release of his debut THANK ME LATER (UNIVERSAL MOTOWN, 2010) ALBUM.  the FIGURE presented (in what is effectively an INFORMERCIAL) is a YOUNG, HUNGRY, AMBITIOUS ARTIST that feels some TREPIDATION and VULNERABILITY going through the cycle of RECORDING and TOURING for the first time as a MAJOR ENTITY.  in other words you see someone going through an TRANSFORMATIVE ADJUSTMENT PROCESS to LIFE as a FAMOUS PERSON, with all of the HYPE and DISAPPOINTMENT that comes with it.

it is quite jarring to witness DRAKE being RETICENT to discuss ANTICIPATED FIRST WEEK SALES and the like, leaving the BUSINESS for others to figure out while he focuses on delivering SOLID PERFORMANCES on his first NATIONAL ARENA TOUR.  obviously in later years his EGO grew substantially to the point that he often used such COMMERCIAL SUCCESS with his string of hits as a BLUNT CUDGEL against RIVAL ARTISTS.  at 24, when this documentary was filmed, his FANS were largely in his SAME DEMOGRAPHIC.  again, over time his hold on the INDUSTRY was through a ZELIG-like ABILITY to be everywhere and everything to EVERYONE, adopting NEW SLANG, ACCENTS and PERSONAS as such seemed fit to EXPLOIT new REGIONAL SCENES and new SONIC AESTHETICS.  AUTHENTICITY would become an OVERRATED COMMODITY when you were attempting to swing a POP AUDIENCE with WATERED-DOWN, highly GENERIC HIP HOP.  you know, a BLAND, INOFFENSIVE SOUND that ICONIC BROOKLYN CONSCIOUS RAPPER MOS DEF described in a recent interview as being "compatible with shopping. or, you know, shopping with an edge in certain instances."  it was this STRANGE COMPULSION to stay CURRENT and RELEVANT to the next generation at the expense of being TRUTHFUL and AUTHENTIC to his situation that did ultimately him in as a once RESPECTED ARTIST.  i feel BELOVED LYRICISTS like RAKIM, EMINEM, ICE CUBE, JAY-Z and even LL COOL J are still WIDELY-RESPECTED with HIP HOP audiences and across the INDUSTRY, irrespective of their current numbers, specifically because they are REAL to who they are RIGHT NOW, not some previous DECADES-OLD INCARNATION of themselves.

its always INTRIGUING to see what ARTISTS reveal about themselves in documentaries and what AGENDA they are seeking to implement.  in this case, it is pretty INCREDIBLE how little is revealed about the CONNECTION between his PERSONAL HISTORY and no-doubt UNIQUE EXPERIENCES as a PROMINENT CANADIAN BIRACIAL CHILD ACTOR and that of his MUSIC.  even at this early stage his PERSONA as a PERFORMER was divorced from AUBREY GRAHAM the person.  for WU-TANG this is no problem since their LYRICAL AESTHETIC and PRESENTATION denotes a FICTITIOUS gang of MONIKERED RAPPERS utilizing KUNG FU films and TERMINOLOGY to express something HONEST and TRUTHFUL about the BLACK EXPERIENCE in URBAN AMERICA.  you dont see that in DRAKE.  his LYRICAL CONTENT is instead intently focused on the STRUGGLE for SUCCESS: FINANCIAL, ROMANTIC or otherwise.  which is pretty BORING, LAZY and REDUNDANT.  with such a COMPELLING BACK NARRATIVE its a MISSED OPPORTUNITY that he didnt dive deep into that reservoir instead of PERFORMATIVE SCREEDS about an INSATIABLE drive towards FINANCIAL SUCCESS and ARTISTIC MEDIOCRITY.

its FUNNY how all of that is there on view, even at this early stage in his MUSIC CAREER before a MAJOR-LABEL EFFORT bearing his name was even on the street.  at least he gives props to the real GENIUS and ARCHITECT of his SOUND, PRODUCER NOAH "40" SHEBIB.  at least that sold was done and recorded for posterity.  sadly we know where this all leads to down the line.  and that is the really INTERESTING ASPECT of watching this film in a post-"NOT LIKE US," "MEET THE GRAHAMS" and even "THE STORY OF ADIDON" universe.  you cant help but wonder about the delta between this CONFIDENT (but not yet COCKY) YOUNG ARTIST and the CREEPY, clout-chasing, sneak-dissing, WANNABE TORONTO UNDERWORLD CRIMINAL and IMMATURE INTERNET TROLL / EDGELORD that he transitioned into.  makes you think decisively about when and where DRAKE's HEEL TURN occurred along the way. 

​no DIDDY.