photo & text by nacrowe
it took me a moment to come around to EMINEM. when his second album and major label debut THE SLIM SHADY LP (INTERSCOPE, 1999) was released i was a high school freshman at a boarding school in NEW ENGLAND and largely ignored it. to put it plainly, the OLDER STUDENTS that HAZED, HARASSED and made my daily life MISERABLE listened to EMINEM. for me it was the music of BULLIES and JOCKS. this of course is IRONIC for anyone who knows anything about the biography of MARSHALL MATHERS and his incredibly ROUGH and often PERIPATETIC upbringing. besides moving around all the time, the dude was hit so hard in elementary school by a MERCILESS BULLY that he went into a 10-day coma. so yeah, for better or worse, when the fanfare around THE SLIM SHADY LP was a PRESENT CONCERN, I consciously focused on other HIP HOP acts that provided me a SELF-AFFIRMING sense of POWER, WILL and DETERMINATION in the face of what i was dealing with alone and away from FAMILY, namely CYPRESS HILL, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, BEASTIE BOYS and WU-TANG CLAN.
and of course such was a MISTAKE. but it goes to show the POWER of peer groups to positive or negatively affect one's PERCEPTION of the WORLD. it didnt help at all that the equally ABUSIVE, RACIST and MISOGYNIST STUDENTS that i encountered my junior year studying in KUWAIT, where my family relocated from NIGERIA, likewise took to EMINEM. for me at the time it was just further CONFIRMATION that his music was the soundtrack for ASSHOLES. it wasn't until THE EMINEM SHOW (INTERSCOPE, 2002) came out years later and i was on a KUWAIT-bound flight from GERMANY to visit my FAMILY that i got around to actively listening to much of his discography in earnest. what i realized very quickly was his SINGULAR ABILITY to BEND LANGUAGE. all that VERBAL DEXTERITY to EXTEND or COLLAPSE VOWELS, introduce COMPLEX MULTI-SYLLABIC INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES, the CADENCE and DICTION to make such PERCEIVABLE and lastly his HUMOR. the whole package was so REMARKABLE across those first three INTERSCOPE records that i became immediately FAMILIAR with on that flight. the CONFRONTATIONAL and intentionally TRANSGRESSIVE NATURE of some of his LYRICS, to me at least, seemed so THEATRICAL and HYPERBOLIC as to establish the WARPED MINDSET of his NARRATIONS and the fact that this SLIM SHADY CHARACTER was maybe not that RELIABLE. the much cited VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY and the like were highly PERFORMATIVE in my opinion and seemed to reflect an inability to positively affect his personal life than anything else. such BRUTAL scenarios related to his WIFE and MOTHER were WILD IDEATIONS and FANTASTICAL PROJECTIONS that his UNENCUMBERED and UNREPENTANT IMAGINATION constructed in order to control that which he couldnt. its like that PERVASIVE TROPE in NOIR FILMS were the NARRATOR speaks about a FEMME FATALE who ruined their life but attempts to control how their interpreted through the IMPOTENT act of VOICE-OVER-NARRATION itself. thats how i viewed such. for me by far the STANDOUT track is "ROLE MODEL." that SIMPLE yet EFFECTIVE GUITAR REFRAIN that projects such a SINISTER, GOTHIC VIBE a la DR. DRE / MEL-MAN PRODUCTION is such a KILLER BEAT that perfectly introduces the debauched and DERANGED WORLD of SLIM SHADY CHARACTER to a tee. the song finds EMINEM comically confronting those who take his word on wax too literally and seeing his DEMENTED example as a VALID path worth pursuing to its EXAGGERATED conclusion by providing some CHOICE scenarios. what comes across is both the TECHNICAL CRAFTSMANSHIP of his WORDPLAY, RHYME SCHEMES and ELOCUTION and the downright VICIOUS WORLDVIEW of his SLIM SHADY CHARACTER who savagely conveys the DARKER aspects of the HUMAN PSYCHE with all manner of EXTREME EMOTIONS ranging from PARANOIA, MALICE, PSYCHOSIS, INDIGNATION and REVULSION in response to the WORLD. in fact, this CHARACTER was intentionally constructed as a VEHICLE to confront his audience with such BRUTAL VISIONS in a manner never seen or heard before in the history of HIP HOP. INFINITE (WEB ENTERTAINMENT, 1996), EMINEM's pre-DR. DRE INDEPENDENT debut record was more TRADITIONAL in SCOPE and PRESENTATION with RELATABLE tales of his efforts to support his FAMILY while working THANKLESS regular day jobs. that thematically HONEST, AUTHENTIC and almost "CONSCIOUS RAPPER" approach didn't garner any public attention and the record flopped. on the follow-up his SLIM SHADY CHARACTER would change all that. there are still mentions of his FAMILY, as the WORLD was introduced to his then-INFANT DAUGHTER HAILIE on "'97 BONNIE AND CLYDE" and the HOMOCIDE scenario that explains the GRIZZLY cover art to THE SLIM SHADY LP. he would go on to use the AFFECTION, RESPONSIBILITY and GUARDIANSHIP he felt for his REAL-LIFE DAUGHTER as a CLEVER means of juxtaposing that of his SOURED relationship with his PARTNER KIM and his ESTRANGED MOTHER DEBBIE throughout his career. you get the PALPABLE sense that with EMINEM, FAMILY is a COMPLICATED concept not because of his failings, but that of others around him who didnt seem to have his best interests at heart. outside of SLIM SHADY, this PRESENTATION of KIM is arguably the next most IMPORTANT CHARACTER in his ENTIRE ouevre. its INTERESTING, but singles like the highly REFERENTIAL "MY NAME IS," the GROTESQUE DR. DRE collaboration "GUILTY CONSCIOUS" and the MANIC "JUST DON'T GIVE A FUCK" never really hit with me. i recognize, like everything EMINEM-related (even at this early stage in his career), that there is CRAFT and INTENTION to these performances, but for my money "ROLE MODEL" was the essential BLEAK moment on an exceptionally GRIM record. THE SLIM SHADY LP is one of many CLASSIC EMINEM records and absolutely ESSENTIAL to anyone remotely interested in HIP HOP.
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parodies by nacrowe
like everything, i came to HIP HOP late. as someone who spent my early youth in SUBURBAN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, it is still quite INTERESTING to me that my first introduction to several SEMINAL WEST COAST HIP HOP ARTISTS like TUPAC SHAKUR, SNOOP DOGG, DR. DRE and the like was after i left and moved to AFRICA of all places. specifically NIGERIA in late 1995. thus it was through NIGERIAN CLASSMATES as well as other INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS from FARAWAY locales like LEBANON, SOUTH AFRICA, UNITED KINGDOM and VENEZUELA that i gained an EDUCATION in the MUSIC from my home state.
in a way it made sense. in the mid-1990s NIGERIA was a DANGEROUS place and LAGOS, where i lived and went to middle school, seemed to be at the very center of all the DEATH, CORRUPTION and GENERAL DYSFUNCTION caused by the then-MILITARY DICTATOR and all-around VIOLENT PSYCHOPATH SANI ABACHA. his goons did all sorts of UNSPEAKABLE SHIT that i wont get into, suffice to say that living there was a constant foray into RISK-MANAGEMENT with real-life DIRE CONSEQUENCES. everything off the compound i lived on was weighed with a cost-benefit analysis based on ARMED personal SECURITY availability, time of day, weather and potential unrest in the area. in this TENSE environment where there was WANTON VIOLENCE (usually by the local police) that as quite, listening to CYPRESS HILL attest to how pedestrian the activity of taking another's life is made absolute total sense. same with TUPAC and his VIVD DESCRIPTIONS of the INTERNAL PSYCHOLOGY and HEIGHTENED MINDSET of GANG MEMBER, trusting only their own in what is essentially a HOSTILE LANDSCAPE. for me, the WEST COAST rappers that described and embodied the UNDERGROUND GANG CULTURE of south central LOS ANGELES were in essence describing LAGOS wholesale. same SURVIVALIST MENTALITY, same POTENTIAL for INDISCRIMINATE VIOLENCE, same MISTRUST for anyone in authority. at the time, being in middle school in that sort of ENVIRONMENT was initially beyond CONFUSING and DIFFICULT to make heads or tails of given i was a SHELTERED suburban WHITE KID from ORANGE COUNTY far away from home. but i grew accustomed to witnessing other's UNFAIR and UNJUST PAIN and MISFORTUNE at the punishing hands of DISEASE, LAW ENFORCEMENT, rampant CRIMINALITY and the UNYIELDING MECHANIZATION of GLOBAL CAPITALISM. when i think of WEST COAST HIP HOP, i dont think of SHOCK TACTICS or VERBAL VULGARITY to amass ATTENTION, i think of REPRESENTATION. the idea that the world is collectively sitting up and taking notice of places like COMPTON, OAKLAND, INGLEWOOD, LONG BEACH and WATTS. learning about their SITUATION. potentially empathizing with their TREATMENT. i feel like that reporting aspect of HAPPENINGS on the ground and in the COMMUNITY is a PROUD LINEAGE most WEST COAST RAPPERS have come to carry on. i feel strongly that my exposure to such assisted in my ability to empathize and understand what i was witnessing on a daily basis in NIGERIA. that and my simultaneous exposure to the likewise CONFRONTATIONAL and REVOLUTIONARY MUSIC of FELA KUTI, who was still alive at the time and still performing locally. to me his MUSIC is thus inextricably linked with that of socially aware CURRENT and PAST WEST COAST acts like ICE CUBE, NIPSEY HUSSLE, TUPAC SHAKUR, YG, CYPRESS HILL, VINCE STAPLES and KENDRICK LAMAR. here's hoping such COMMITMENT to COMMUNITY and PERSONAL AUTHENTICITY continues moving forward into the next GENERATION. embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating WEST COAST HIP HOP. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
honestly this RECORD is quite TERRIBLE. no need to not address that immediately. even taking into consideration its relatively early placement in the overall history of HIP HOP, AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE (ATLANTIC, 1989) by SOUTH FLORIDA's 2 LIVE CREW is UNTETHERED in its CRASS depictions of SEXUAL EXPLOITS that crosses well into UNBRIDLED, MISOGYNISTIC territory. more than that, such CLASSLESS OBSCENITY seemed to be the entire point of the project for LUTHER CAMPBELL and company. its a UNIQUE RECORDING in that i most always attempt to find even the glint of ARTISTIC EXPRESSION in EXTREME cases of PROVOCATIVE ART, some GREAT and some not so GREAT, ranging from MAYHEM's THE DAWN OF THE BLACK HEARTS (WARMASTER, 1995), SLAYER's REIGN IN BLOOD (DEF JAM, 1986), DEAD KENNEDYS' FRANKENCHRIST (ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, 1985) to KANYE WEST's MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY (ROC-A-FELLA, 2010), THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's ELECTRIC LADYLAND (REPRISE, 1968), N.W.A.'s STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (RUTHLESS, 1988) and NOFX's HEAVY PETTING ZOO (EPITAPH, 1996), but in this situation i am practically at a loss. in my mind all the OBSCENITY trials (this is the RECORD to be legally deemed OBSCENE) related AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE to are probably somewhat WELL-FOUNDED.
and that is kind of what makes this album so INTRIGUING as a CULTURAL ARTIFACT. i personally find it DEMEANING and devoid of much ARTISTIC merit since there is little in the way of MISPLACED HUMOR or OUTSIDE CONTEXT to even approach the OVERWHELMING SEXISM it represents. but historically this RECORD was the breaking point that led to the DORMANT bi-partisan PMRC (PARENTS MUSIC RESEARCH CENTER) finding its POLITICAL bearings in WASHINGTON DC that altered the MUSIC INDUSTRY with "PARENTAL ADVISORY" labels that effectively blackballed certain FUTURE releases from being sold UNCENSORED in big box stores (like WALMART) nationwide. in this sense, is AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE arguably one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL RECORDS of all-time. in the age of digital media it all seems to be a QUAINT discussion, but much like books a generation before like HUBERT SELBY JR's THE LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (GROVE PRESS, 1964) or HENRY MILLER's TROPIC OF CANCER (OBELISK PRESS, 1934), the whole notion of art so CRASS and TASTELESS that it is undeserving of being marketed or sold in a capitalist system is a beyond INTERESTING situation. do i find AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE to be a RECORD worth checking out for anyone, ever, under any circumstances. not really, it is that TERRIBLE. do i think it deserves being blackballed from RECORD STORES and removed from circulation in the economy at large? absolutely not. that whole line of thinking feels more in line with a LESS ENLIGHTENED country that cannot handle CONTRARIAN INFORMATION or ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES, however crass and UNSEEMLY they may be. by making a grand gesture and putting the thumb of government intervention on what is in essence an individual's ARTISTIC STATEMENT, you are only further ensuring the propagation of said ART. better to just let it lay and die like the CATALOGUES of R KELLY, LOSTPROPHETS, CHRIS BROWN, JOHN PHILIPS and so on. whats more, in the decades since you can find remnants of the TASTELESS OVER-SEXUALIZATION of WOMEN in HIP HOP in the likes of FEMALE MCs like NIKKI MINAJ, CARDI B, ICE SPICE, MEGAN THEE STALLION and so on that seem to trade just as much on their appearance as their MUSIC. its an INTRIGUING inversion that WOMEN took those lessons to heart and decided to self-exploit in glaringly BORDERLINE PORNOGRAPHIC fashion. but all the government overreach and associated over-litigation related to AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE has ensured that it remains a de facto short-hand term for ARTISTIC FREEDOM. which again is IRONIC because it is such a CRUDE, INSIPID RECORD that doesnt match up favorably against HIP HOP from its era or any before or thereafter. entirely FORGETTABLE TRASH. such being the case, i would not recommend it to anyone outside of those wanting to experience it for purely HISTORICAL and CULTURAL reasons related to the OBSCENITY trials and PMRC efforts. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i remember my cousin (an EXPERIENCED AUDIO ENGINEER) and i were recording this superbly TALENTED BRONX RAPPER, whose name i wont mention, when i became aware of TEKASHI 69, this BROOKLYN-born hispanic RAPPER who had recently blown up with the help of his POPULAR "GUMMO" music video. i remember being really CONFUSED about it all since our dude was pretty LOW-KEY, DISCRETE and UNASSUMING about his GANG AFFILIATIONS and even the PRISON TIME he served, instead being all about the current business at hand of WRITING the most CLEVER shit possible and performing it flawlessly during sessions. i'm talking SOPHISTICATED INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES, OBSCURE CULINARY REFERENCES and GENERAL bending-of-the-english-language-to-his-will in the PROUD TRADITION of RAKIM, NAS, LIL WAYNE, early JAY-Z and the like. in my mind, TEKASHI 69 was the ANTI-POLAR opposite. his LYRICS were TRASH, his FLOW was LAUGHABLE, he looked like a COMPLETE CLOWN (literally) and seemingly had NO CHARISMA. the piece i was missing regarding his MASSIVE success was his PRETERNATURAL ability as a MARKETER, INFLUENCER and INTERNET TROLL via SOCIAL MEDIA, where being OUTRAGEOUS and CONTROVERSIAL is more IMPORTANT to gaining a following than being REMARKABLE or particularly GIFTED.
and those CULTURAL RAMIFICATIONS and REAL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES of that DETERMINED SOCIAL MEDIA-enabled CLOUT-CHASING PURSUIT DANIEL HERNANDEZ spearheaded with his TEKASHI 69 PERSONA is the focus of the recent 69: THE SAGA OF DANNY HERNANDEZ (HULU, 2020) documentary. in essence, he lost himself in the quite literal ALL-OUT PURSUIT of FAME and NOTORIETY. people forget that SOCIAL MEDIA is a fairly recent CULTURAL PHENOMENON and that SOCIAL SCIENTISTS and ACADEMICS are still in the early stages of understanding the LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES of such. already we know that there is a systemwide bias towards what is known as ENRAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT, which is that CONTENT that is CONFRONTATIONAL, IMMORAL or MEAN-SPIRITED travels faster through the ecosystem than POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE or WELL-INTENTIONED MATERIAL. the CHARACTER of TEKASHI 69 and its ASSOCIATED VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY, OUTRAGEOUS PRESENTATION (face tats and rainbow hair), GANG-LIFE promotion and general EXTREME trolling behavior is almost consciously designed to increase the likelihood of cultivating ATTENTION and thus going VIRAL. and it worked. the documentarian himself, VIKRAM GANDHI, even at certain point considers and questions his own MOTIVATIONS and CULPABILITY in the making of this very film and whether in the end he is just further perpetuating this NEEDLESS cycle of ATTENTION that HERNANDEZ absolutely seeks out. i feel the same just writing about TEKASHI 69. and the lengths he goes through for said ATTENTION from the jump was EXTREME. wearing PROVOCATIVE, SELF-DESIGNED clothing with words like "HIV," "PUSSY EATER" and so on. making UNDERGROUND music videos in which he is constantly engaged in ORAL SEX (eventually he gets caught up in SCANDAL for when a PARTICIPANT of such comes out as UNDERAGE and he pleads no contest). after a collaboration with LIKE-MINDED RAPPER TRIPPIE RED results in a record deal, this court case comes back to bite him in the ass as most of his SUPPORTERS in the MUSIC INDUSTRY abandon and openly mock him. this is the moment he begins to associate himself with a REAL-LIFE GANGE in BROOKLYN, who see him as a POTENTIAL CASH COW and tolerate his presence. that AFFILIATION supercharges his CAREER but the POWER went to his head and he became involved in ACTUAL CRIMES, resulting in a federal case in which he immediately worked with the feds and successfully got nine FELLOW GANG MEMBERS behind bars. now the dude continues his CAREER with heavy security and is no doubt a WALKING PARIAH in the CULTURE and you wonder if it was all worth it. at the end you see him as a SOLITARY FIGURE with no REAL FRIENDS or ALLIES, as he used them all on his way to the top, including his FORMER GIRLFRIEND whom he routinely beat for perceived slights out of what can only be described as MANIC PARANOIA and by extension maintains no MEANINGFUL relationship with his own DAUGHTER. and yet it all feels so PREDICTABLE. you can BLAME the fact that he had no FATHER FIGURE and was raised dirt POOR with few REALISTIC OCCUPATIONAL PROSPECTS or EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES to better himself, but in the end this FIENDISH PURSUIT of CLOUT and ATTENTION at any cost was entirely his own decision. the DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM existed with all its FLAWS and he figured out the CHEAT CODE to gaining an ONLINE FOLLOWING, but to pursue such with the GUSTO that he did was again his own making. i dont feel any SYMPATHY for him. i dont think even HERNANDEZ considers himself a CAUTIONARY TALE. it is a PATHETIC NARRATIVE that is still very much being playing out as we speak. the only thing i take from his example is that it showed the path of least resistance to a whole NEW GENERATION OF ARTISTS who no doubt are now aware of the RISKS and PITFALLS of being EXTREME and OUTRAGEOUS in the SHEER PURSUIT of CLOUT and NOTORIETY. but is it worth it? photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i was made aware of the INDEPENDENT and highly ECLECTIC OHIO-based TROPIDELIC and their HYBRID SOUND due to their 2022 COLLABORATIVE single "FALLING DOWN" with NICK HEXUM of 311. mixing FUNK with a healthy dose of REGGAE, PUNK ROCK and HIP HOP, TROPIDELIC have a similar SUNNY AESTHETIC and HIGH ENERGY SOUND to that of LIKE-MINDED bands in PEPPER, THE URGE, SUBLIME, IRATION, DIRTY HEADS and, yes, 311. originally formed at KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, what differentiates the band in my mind from the pack are the SMOOTH, MELODIC VOCALS of frontman MATTHEW ROADS. at least that was what stuck out to me upon first listen.
although the band has been around since the MYSPACE era, i love the fact that their hard work has seemingly paid off with a recent uptick in VISIBILITY. i always figure that when i know of a band, such means they have long been out of the UNDERGROUND. which only bears well for the prospects of TROPIDELIC. definitely worth checking out, especially where i am on the EAST COAST during this UPCOMING HEAT DOME of beyond OPPRESSIVE sunlight. maybe their GOOD VIBES will translate to such being a little less BRUTAL. maybe. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ever since i went head over heals for EL GUINCHO's POP NEGRO (YOUNG TURKS, 2010) album more than a decade ago, ive been on the lookout for something that was as equally SONICALLY and AESTHETICALLY ADVENTUROUS, INNOVATIVE, INVIGORATING from HISPANIC HIP HOP. much like its ENGLISH-language cousin, most of what is churned out is PATHETIC trend-hopping pablum.
in the ARGENTINE EXPERIMENTAL HIP HOP/ELECTRONIC MUSIC duo CA7RIEL & PACO AMOROSO, i may have found an answer. while their MUSIC VIDEOS are often VIVID and EXOTIC as they are TRANSGRESSIVE challenges of entrenched and OUTMODED notions of ENGLISH MASCULINITY, the MUSIC to me is what takes center stage. its just FUN and INFECTIOUS with an IDIOSYNCRATIC MUSIC PRODUCTION AESTHETIC that more than matches their OUT-THERE VISUALS. definitely a group to pay attention to and well worth checking out.
parody & text by nacrowe
the minute that whole RECENT DRAKE NONSENSE started, i knew it was over.
​ HIP HOP by its very NATURE is founded on CREATIVITY, INNOVATION and AUTHENTICITY, and COMPTON RAPPER KENDRICK LAMAR is arguably the latest scion apparent in a long lineage of universally RESPECTED LYRICISTS such as CHUCK D, EMINEM, RAKIM, TUPAC SHAKUR, ICE CUBE, NAS, RAEKWON, BIG L, SCARFACE, B REAL, ANDRE 3000, KRS-ONE, BIG DADDY KANE, Q-TIP, LAKIM SHABAZZ, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., GHOSTFACE KILLAH, E-40, PRODIGY, BUN B, REDMAN, LIL WAYNE, METHOD MAN, KURTIS BLOW, BIG PUN, and of course, JAY-Z. im speaking of a GENERATIONAL TALENT with a PRETERNATURAL DEXTERITY with LANGUAGE including a TECHNICAL MASTERY of RHYME SCHEMES and MANIPULATED ELOCUTION as well as a SINGULAR knack for CREATIVE and highly IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING CONCEITS that render most of his recorded efforts as EFFECTIVE concept albums. THEMES throughout his catalogue include THOUGHTFUL, MATURE takes on GENERATIONAL BLACK TRAUMA, RACE, OPPRESSION, EXPLOITATION, INFIDELITY, CELEBRITY WORSHIP, ECONOMIC DISENFRANCHISEMENT, GANG VIOLENCE, LIFE, DEATH, COMMUNITY and FAITH. the other was DRAKE. a MIDDLE-CLASS raised, FORMER CHILD ACTOR from SUBURBAN TORONTO and MODERN POP STAR who likes to cosplay at times as a RAPPER. anyone who knows me knows about how LAME and CORNY i find the "6 GOD" and how ecstatic i was to see him get eviscerated when he made the HORRIBLE career move of lyrically going after LAMAR. dude DOESNT WRITE HIS OWN MATERIAL, which is beyond PATHETIC and quite the handicap for a supposed ELITE MC. i just couldnt believe the dude didnt just stay in his lane and continue to create HIP HOP-influenced music for CONTEMPORARY RAP heads who dont know much, or care to learn, about the GENRE and its HISTORY. i can still remember back when i was in high school and EMINEM coming out with his debut and there was this feeling amongst the HIP HOP COMMUNITY that eventually somebody from the OLD GUARD or perhaps one of his PEERS would put him lyrically in check. maybe call him out and go after him on wax. shit never happened. at least from anyone on his ARTISTIC or INTELLECTUAL level. it was as if all those aforementioned names just came to the same collective conclusion of "nah, im good." the rise of LAMAR felt very SIMILAR, with his NEXT-LEVEL ABILITIES making him both a REVERED POET and an EXPERT STORYTELLER. i mean the dude won a PULITZER PRIZE for god's sake, an award usually given to the WRITERS of LIBRETTOS for major new INTERNATIONAL OPERAS. why anyone would want to take on that dude in particular is beyond me. my sense was that DRAKE and LAMAR were polar opposites of one another. the former being a GIFTED yet SELF-INVOLVED TACTICIAN who solely focused his career on SUPERFICIAL matters of WEALTH GENERATION and SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT, no matter who he screwed over in the process, whereas the later was a more SUBDUED COMMUNITY-focused EXPERT WORDSMITH who wrote instinctually about himself through the social prism of his NEIGHBORHOOD, acutely SELF-AWARE of providing HARD-EARNED guidance and criticism to such in equal measure. DRAKE is the WORSE breed of BRAGGART who exploits other ARTISTS essentially for their very LIFE FORCE, whereas LAMAR tends to uplift and showcase the TALENTS of those he collaborates with. this "competition" was DOOMED from the get-go. DRAKE never stood a chance. and thats ultimately what i dont understand. even if you were not a FRAUD like DRAKE, say you were a LEGITIMATE MC who wrote their own material and jelously guarded it, why would you ever want to tangle with LAMAR? id do everything i could to appease the dude and let me work in relative peace away from being annihilated on the mic. the SHEER ARROGANCE of DRAKE is truly something else. embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the REVERED WEST COAST RAPPER KENDRICK LAMAR. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
CYPRESS HILL's sophomore release BLACK SUNDAY (COLUMBIA, 1993) was a MASSIVE record for me and my friends during my middle school years living in NIGERIA during what was effectively a VIOLENT MILITARY DICTATORSHIP. while it dealt with similar SOCIAL ISSUES surrounding URBAN GANG LIFE and INNER-CITY WARFARE, which made sense given that their frontman B-REAL was a FORMER CRIP, this record expanded their public ON-STAGE ADVOCACY to include CANNABIS LEGALIZATION. this SPECIFIC CAUSE in time would become wholly SYNONYMOUS with and CENTRAL to the group's PUBLIC PERSONA, much like BOB MARLEY and WILLIE NELSON before them. along with TEMPLES OF BOOM (COLUMBIA, 1995) to a lesser extent, BLACK SUNDAY is my all-time FAVORITE CYPRESS HILL release given the HERCULEAN step forward in terms of PRODUCTION by DJ MUGGS, who created an IMPRESSIONISTIC and ATMOSPHERIC yet HARD-HITTING SONIC AESTHETIC that was incredibly INNOVATIVE at the time, as well as the much IMPROVED LYRICAL SOPHISTICATION and VOCAL INTERPLAY between both B-REAL and SEN DOG who even opted for LEVITY and HUMOR at times of PEAK BLEAKNESS on BLACK SUNDAY.
not surprisingly, my FAVORITE tracks are the HIGH-ENERGY ones dealing with GANG LIFE like "LICK A SHOT," "A TO THE K," "I AIN'T GOIN' OUT LIKE THAT," "BREAK 'EM OFF SOME," "COCK THE HAMMER" and of course the crowd favorite "INSANE IN THE BRAIN." those tracks all have a DISTINCT sense of MELODY and PUNCHY PERCUSSION that just snaps with such conviction that is married seamlessly with the B-REAL's higher register tales of SURVIVAL while SEN DOG and his BARITONE deliver brings it all back to STREET-LEVEL. CYPRESS HILL never sounded as DYNAMIC and COMPELLING as on these handful of tracks in my estimation. they are the SINGULAR reason i fell in love with the group as a teenager. this leaves the more sonically SUBDUED but no less IMPASSIONED paeans to MARIJUANA in "LEGALIZE IT," "HITS FROM THE BONG" and "I WANNA GET HIGH." funny thing is that back in middle school i had a LEBANESE friend that played "HITS FROM THE BONG" so often at school, in his car and at home that it is the first RAP SONG i memorized in its entirety, irregardless of the fact that i did not SMOKE WEED then or now. just saying. CATCHY song no doubt. with NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION efforts over the last couple of years blunting (pun intended) the once HARSH PUBLIC PERCEPTION concerning RECREATIONAL DRUG USE of THC and its associated NON-PSYCHOACTIVE CBD compound, it may be harder to understand what a STRIDENT POLITICAL STATEMENT this was back in 1993. especially with regards to CALIFORNIA's three strike laws and the THEN-ONGOING WAR ON DRUGS, which was really a WAR on MINORITIES, THE DISPOSSESSED and the POLITICALLY UNCONNECTED. time would prove CYPRESS HILL absolutely correct regarding this issue of CANNABIS LEGALIZATION. and thank god for them taking a stand and being part of the CULTURAL VANGUARD set squarely against the SENSELESS INCARCERATION of urban MINORITY YOUTH over several generations. i know CLUELESS WHITE PEOPLE that took ADVOCACY as a joke, but it was absolutely deadly SERIOUS. still very much is an ACTIVE ISSUE with the way the SUPREME COURT is currently constituted and the IMMINENT and likely EXISTENTIAL THREAT of a TRUMP second term on the horizon. regardless, BLACK SUNDAY is an ESSENTIAL HIP HOP record. end stop. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i remember being at the recording studio with my cousin and these two RAPPERS from OZONE PARK in QUEENS when word got out that the EMERGING and CONTROVERSIAL SOUTH FLORIDA SOUNDCLOUD RAPPER XXXTENTACION had been SHOT and KILLED at nearby a motorcycle dealership that afternoon. my cousin, who is a RECORDING ENGINEER, and i ran this studio in NEW YORK CITY and were on a break from a session when these two IDIOTS decided it was a bright idea to repost GRAPHIC footage they found online of the LATE RAPPER's CORPSE laying idle in his car seat. promptly thereafter their INSTAGRAM account was suspended for OBVIOUS reasons, at least to most people. the rest of my night was hearing them complain about not having access to their FOLLOWERS.
i knew who XXXTENTACION was but was not a fan of his MUSIC, nor most of the UP-AND-COMING so-called SOUNDCLOUD RAPPERS, who utilized the free music-sharing platform that had emerged a few years prior, including POST MALONE, LIL YACHTY, DENZEL CURRY, LIL UZI VERT, PLAYBOI CARTI, JUICE WRLD, 21 SAVAGE, LIL PUMP, TEKASHI 69, SMOKEPURRP, TRIPPIE REDD, SKI MASK THE SLUM GOD and LIL PEEP. all of these ARTSTS got their primary INITIAL EXPOSURE via SOUNDCLOUD before getting signed, much like a previous generation utilized MYSPACE or cassette tape demos another generation even prior. what DIFFERENTIATED XXXTENTACION from the pack in the late 2010s was his NOTORIETY, having picked up multiple charges related to AGGRAVATED BATTERY OF A PREGNANT WOMAN, DOMESTIC BATTERY BY STRANGULATION, FALSE IMPRISONMENT and WITNESS TAMPERING while still in his teens. at the time of his MURDER he was awaiting court appearances related to said charges. the RECENT DOCUMENTARY LOOK AT ME: XXXTENTACION (FADER, 2022) is an effort by his FAMILY to provide a NUANCED, CLEAR-EYED, WARTS-AND-ALL portrayal of JAHSEH ONFROY. to do so they involved all RELEVANT FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, ASSOCIATES, PRODUCERS, MANAGERS, ASSISTANTS and most importantly his FORMER GIRLFRIEND JENESIS SANCHEZ, who no doubt had her life SEVERELY negatively impacted by ONFROY. the narrative itself is unsparingly BRUTAL, but you get the very REAL sense that the focus of the FILM is not in creating a hagiography of a BELOVED DECEASED MUSICIAN, but something HONEST that will begin the HEALING PROCESS for all involved and place his LEGACY on an AUTHENTIC footing here on forward. the FILM also serves as an OUTREACH EFFORT for people in need of help to seek such out via PROFESSIONAL CHANNELS such as the NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE (1-800-799 SAFE) and the NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS (1-800-950-NAMI), and showcases said information multiple times throughout. ONFROY was undoubtedly a TROUBLED kid. and he was a child. again, he DIED at age 20. in the age of SOCIAL MEDIA he was able to adroitly market himself and his MUSIC through SHEER CHARISMA, TALENT, SHOCKING facial tattoos and a PROPENSITY for seemingly RANDOM VIOLENCE. he saw his PERSONA as that of a VILLAIN and through the INSTAGRAM STORIES feature, was able to livestream INTENSE STREET FIGHTS and SAVAGE BEATINGS of supposed enemies live for his FANBASE. he was part of a whole generation of YOUNG ARTISTS that came up as NATIVE USERS during the SOCIAL MEDIA era that went to EXTREME lengths to drive ATTENTION, any ATTENTION, in their direction. as a supremely TALENTED, SELF-TAUGHT SONGWRITER who crossed genres at ease and organically developed a HARDCORE FANBASE that was admired from afar by the likes of everyone from A$AP ROCKY and KANYE WEST to J COLE and DIPLO. it seems apparent that he drew from the PAIN and TRAUMA of a TROUBLED childhood with no DISCERNIBLE FATHER FIGURE, marked by his inability to CONTROL his emotions and having to literally fend for himself physically from an early age. for ONFROY, his sense of MASCULINITY was unfortunately inextricably linked to his ability to INTIMIDATE and DOMINATE those around him, especially WOMEN. post-charges he finally received court ordered MUCH-NEEDED COUNSELING in the last year of his life and was on the beginning track of CORRECTING those THOUGHT PATTERNS and BEHAVIOR based on SEVERE TRAUMA and NEGLECT. this did not include reconciling or admitting GUILT with how he treated SANCHEZ, his FORMER GIRLFRIEND, whom he mercilessly trolled and sicced his ONLINE FOLLOWERS on to the detriment of her PHYSICAL and MENTAL HEALTH. one gets the feeling that would eventually come had he survived, or maybe such is WISHFUL THINKING. at least on the part of the ONFROY FAMILY, this FILM in itself is an embrace of her story and her TRUTH and SUPPORT for her RECOVERY. the whole narrative surrounding ONFROY is so SENSELESS and SELF-DEFEATING, even before his RANDOM DEATH which was prompted by him naively broadcasting his whereabouts on SOCIAL MEDIA sans security, which was exploited by OPPORTUNISTS. you get the feeling that ONFROY was a BROKEN soul who made a continual series of POOR decision-making based on a deeply felt PAIN and irredeemable sense of SHAME. it was this PURITY OF INTENTION and WELL OF EMPATHY through his MUSIC that ironically that connected him with his FORMER GIRLFRIEND as well as his extended audience. the underbelly of such was also the root of his FURY and RAGE. you also sense that had his time not run out and been given the OPPORTUNITY to enjoy being a father and supporting his new FAMILY, that his RECOVERY was part of that potential offering. that he would be able to turn the page and MATURE as an INDIVIDUAL and become a deeply FLAWED yet RESPONSIBLE beacon of DIGNITY and REDEMPTION to his FANS. just such a SAD, TRAGIC story for everyone involved. but kudos to the ONFROY FAMILY and SANCHEZ for gifting the public their TRUTH. such provides society the basis for any future debate regarding and XXXTENTACION his COMPLICATED CULTURAL LEGACY.
parody by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the EXPERIMENTAL HIP HOP group DEATH GRIPS!
​​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!
parodies by nacrowe
i discovered the music of DONALD GLOVER, a.k.a. CHILDISH GAMBINO, when i was working and living in JAPAN almost a decade ago. a SIGNIFICANT chunk of my life has been spent in UNFAMILIAR environments and CULTURES ranging from NIGERIA and KUWAIT to ALBANIA and VENEZUELA previous to my time in EAST ASIA. as a third culture kid, im pretty well-acquainted with that that UNRESOLVED feeling of being well out-of-my-element in a given situation. arguably that state is my NORMAL, or at least was for a long-time when i was abroad for extended periods of several years.
but JAPAN felt different. in the UNITED STATES people tend to fantasize about and mythologize this island nation and its UNIQUE culture to the point that it renders little of the actual place. out of all the countries i lived in, which included several developing nations and even a few dictatorships, i never felt as ISOLATED and LONELY as i did in JAPAN. which is saying something since they are technologically ADVANCED, administratively EFFICIENT and a DOMINANT and INNOVATIVE generator of GLOBAL CULTURE (MUSIC, ANIME, CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, BASEBALL, CUISINE, VIDEO GAMES, CINEMA, etc). but i feel like i tapped into something there at the heart of that CULTURE. its INTENSITY burns people out and even snuffs out students who feel UNINVOLVED or OSTRACIZED by society with one of the HIGHEST TEEN SUICIDE RATES in the world (along with SOUTH KOREA). it was also a place that i was ENDLESSLY reminded of my status as an OUTSIDER. a PERMANENT OUTSIDER that would always be an OUTSIDER. its FUNNY, because in every other foreign country i lived in that was obviously also the case, but each time NATIVE coworkers and NEIGHBORING friends and families invited you into being a vaunted piece of the COMPLEX social tapestry of the LOCAL COMMUNITY. without fail. except for JAPAN. i felt utterly alone. that was the context of first hearing BECAUSE THE INTERNET (GLASSNOTE, 2013) by CHILDISH GAMBINO, which to my ears thematically spoke of the implications of finding COMMUNITY and COMMON similarities in COMPLETE STRANGERS online. i found his LYRICS on that album to be quite VERBOSE, THOUGHTFUL, OBLIQUE and incredibly AMBITIOUS in its DENSITY and sheer SCALE. it all revolved around how one's relationship to their COMMUNITY and by extension themselves is affected when one has access to seemingly LIMITLESS INFORMATION. suddenly geography no longer matters. you are almost floating above PREVIOUS SOCIAL PRESCRIPTIONS and AFFILIATIONS that tethered you down by HISTORY, CLASS and RACE. just you and this ocean of INFORMATION. that feeling of being effectively UNTETHERED from SOCIETY and by extension MYSELF was my experience living and working outside of TOKYO at an international school in nearby YOKOHAMA where i had no ties or relationship to the LOCAL COMMUNITY. almost by design. being theirs not mine. for whatever reason, walking around HARAJUKU, SHIBUYA or even the VACANT beaches of KAMAKURA at night listening to that record helped me put everything in perspective, if not intellectually than at least on an EMOTIONAL level. and for that i am still GRATEFUL. embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating CHILDISH GAMBINO. enjoy! photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
im kinda on the fence about this.
the musical and lyrical ENCYCLOPEDIC website GENIUS has long had this ongoing interview series on their YOUTUBE channel called VERIFIED in which PROMINENT SONGWRITERS explain the LYRICS to their HIT SONGS. the variety of said offerings is STAGGERING an covers every genre IMAGINABLE and skews heavily on recent MATERIAL with NEW and EMERGING ARTISTS. LEGACY ARTISTS need not apply unless they have brought something NOVEL to the table worth explaining to a DIGITALLY NATIVE CONSTITUENCY that has no time for REHASHED past glory days or you-should-been-there moments. my contention is not with the ARTISTS, its with the CONCEIT itself. i just dont think that LYRICS are a PARAMOUNT concern when it comes to enjoying MUSIC. when i am listening to MUSIC i am participating in a COMPLICATED INTERACTION that includes EMOTION, PSYCHOLOGY, MEMORY and AESTHETICS, often all at the same time. to have the LYRICIST come out and pour over what their CREATION means to them is largely IRRELEVANT to the ALCHEMICAL PROCESS of contextualizing MATERIAL to your own PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. in a sense the TRACK is no longer theirs, it instead belongs to the PUBLIC. that beings said, some of these are INTRIGUING regarding the CREATION PROCESS for these ARTISTS. where their heads were at, what they were feeling, how the CONCEPTION and RECORDING of this SONG affected them is all COMPELLING information. but that is where i tend to draw the line. any context after that which seems to limit the scope of a SONG seems COUNTERPRODUCTIVE in my mind, but they can do what they want. not sure what i make of it still, but its an INTERESTING series to dabble in once in a while. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ok, first off im well aware J. COLE doesnt need my help getting his name out there. dude is quite established as one of the great MODERN lyricists in HIP HOP. in fact currently there is a much publicized reshuffling of the hierarchy regarding his supposed rivals in KENDRICK LAMAR and DRAKE. to my ears they are three completely SEPARATE ARTISTS.
DRAKE is undoubtedly the CONTEMPORARY KING of CROSS-BRANDING and MARKETING HIP HOP within a decidedly POP CONTEXT, which is no DIG at all. its a DIFFICULT balancing act to be that POPULAR yet still maintain a semblance of DIGNITY and CONTROL over his PUBLIC IMAGE, which he has done and should be praised for such since everyone benefits from an EXPANDED audience base. LAMAR is to my ears is the MODERN-DAY SAVANT, who like JOHN COLTRANE, APHEX TWIN, JIMI HENDRIX, LOU REED or BJORK helped expand the LEXICON of the MEDIUM through his SONIC, LYRICAL and CONCEPTUAL EXPERIMENTS which will undoubtedly stand the test of time, even the less COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL ones. i feel like with LAMAR he is not really playing to today's audience, but a FUTURE one that will appreciate his GENIUS in line with those aforementioned TIMELESS musical PIONEERS. but in J. COLE i am most IMPRESSED. with DRAKE i'll admit i was never a fan of his music, too much HUBRIS and BRAVADO. and dont get me wrong, im a big follower of LAMAR's ARTISTRY, even did a recent radio show focused on him. but J. COLE is bringing something different to his elegantly word-smithed verses: VULNERABILITY. the rappers i admired growing up were usually either pretty IDIOSYNCRATIC or directly HONEST and UNAFRAID with their lyrics, people like RAKIM, Q-TIP, ANDRE 3000, ODB, MF DOOM, TALIB KWELI, KILLER MIKE, GURU, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, EMINEM, DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN, PRODIGY, MOS DEF, and CHUCK D. what connects them is that they all had a UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE. i relate to J. COLE in that he speaks about his STRUGGLES the DISTRACTIONS of FAME, MONEY, ATTENTION, WOMEN, PUBLIC PERCEPTION, EXPECTATIONS and the very REAL IMPLICATIONS of such one his MENTAL HEALTH and sense of IDENTITY. the fact that he is next-level ELOQUENT and able to verbally HYPER-ARTICULATE such depth of EMOTION in its most pure FORM is a REMARKABLE GIFT beyond belief. for my money he is the current greatest rapper alive and in the lineage of other CONSCIOUS rappers that came before him. much is made about his APOLOGY for getting SUCKED DOWN into the LYRICAL FRACAS with his supposed rivals, but nobody gives him his due for being a MATURE, FUNCTIONING ADULT. says more about us and what we expect from our entertainers than him, undoubtedly. if you are UNFAMILIAR, J. COLE is absolutely worth checking out. that goes for his entire catalogue to date.
parody by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the SPANISH EXPERIMENTAL HIP HOP / LATIN MUSIC producer EL GUINCHO!
​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!
parodies by nacrowe
HIP HOP CULTURE is a lot of things to a lot of people, but a genre or venue for aging GRACEFULLY is not one of them. in fact, arguably more than its JAZZ, ROCK N ROLL or POP peers and counterparts, HIP HOP in particular is all about YOUTH CULTURE and maintaining an ear to the NOVEL, UNEXPLORED and CUTTING-EDGE. its the LIFEBLOOD of the genre and historically leaves little to no breathing room for so-called LEGACY acts taking up air space as with other genres (examples being AEROSMITH, BILLY JOEL, KISS, PEARL JAM, MADONNA or U2 still drawing ARENA-SIZED crowds despite being culturally RELEVANT literally decades ago). again, you dont see that with HIP HOP. you dont see veteran groups like WU-TANG CLAN, NAS, EPMD, RAKIM or DE LA SOUL selling out MADISON SQUARE GARDEN multiple dates every few years like their DINOSAUR ROCK N ROLL band compatriots.
so for me the BEASTIE BOYS are a complete OUTLIER. right up until their breakup after the TRAGIC PASSING of ADAM 'MCA' YAUCH from PAROTID CANCER in 2012. with each subsequent release they were given the latitude by their fanbase, and more importantly each other, to truly EXPERIMENT and EVOLVE on wax as musicians as well as individuals. case in point was the conscious mid-career choice to ACKNOWLEDGE their previous MISOGYNY on stage and on record and PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE for such. and not only apologize publicly with mere lip service, but meaningfully ADVOCATE on behalf of charities and groups that work in those AFFECTED arenas. in HIP HOP with its OVERWHELMING FETISHIZING of ANTIQUATED cultural concepts like AUTHENTICITY and SELLING OUT, where one is in disincentivized from ACKNOWLEDGING WEAKNESSES and FAULTS out of FEAR of PUBLIC SHAMING and LOSING FACE, the result of such is ironically a lot of bullshit POSTURING and FRAUDULENT claims of personal hardship. over the years of being a HIP HOP fan, the BRAVERY of the BEASTIE BOYS in celebrating their friends and loved ones and getting that FRAT BOY crap they embodied on the first record and tour just comes off as more and more COURAGEOUS and NECESSARY as they transitioned into EMPATHETIC, QUESTIONING, SELF-REFLECTIVE, THOUGHTFUL adults. likewise when MCA became a BUDDHIST and started bringing that perspective into the music, both lyrically and even sonically on tracks like "BODHISATTVA VOW", both ADAM 'AD-ROCK' HOROVITZ and MICHAEL 'MIKE D' DIAMOND went along with it. rather than feeling threatened by this MAJOR LIFE CHANGE, they openly SUPPORTED and CELEBRATED their friend as he continued to EVOLVE on his own PERSONAL journey. ive long wondered why the BEASTIE BOYS were able to carve out this wide lane while their peers and ARTISTIC compatriots have had to largely compete with their younger selves ad infinitum. was it the fact that the BEASTIE BOYS had a large ALTERNATIVE ROCK following unlike peer groups in CYPRESS HILL or RUN-DMC? one would think that given their race in a black-dominated art form they would be even more prone to being culturally pigeon-holed. i dont know the answer. maybe its just because they did it, damn the consequences. either its a pretty COMPELLING narrative, even in retrospect over a decade after their breakup. embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the BEASTIE BOYS. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
the legacy of OL' DIRTY BASTARD to me is one of UNBRIDLED ORIGINALITY and FEARLESS EXPERIMENTALISM. it may be APOCRYPHAL, but it has been said that the dude entered the booth and went about his LYRICAL DEXTERITY without even listening to the BEAT itself. which kind of makes sense. much of what makes HIP HOP so INTOXICATING musically is the extent to which a GIFTED MC can layer a set of PERCUSSIVELY-EXECUTED RHYMES over an EXISTING track, creating a series of POLYRHYTHMS much like a WEST AFRICAN drum circle where such ODD TIME SIGNATURES ebb and flow from one another and create a MANTRA-LIKE effect. this is on full display with LYRICAL CRAFTSMEN in the TRADITIONAL school of ARTISTS like RAKIM, NAS, JAY-Z, EMINEM and THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. among others. in contrast, the UNORTHODOX RHYME SCHEMES of OL' DIRTY BASTARD are inherently UNPREDICTABLE and IRREGULAR in NATURE, so any POLYRHYTHMIC effect is entirely RANDOM and CIRCUMSTANTIAL, making his AESTHETIC entirely UNIQUE and AUTHENTIC unto himself. to date, no one sounds like him.
there is also a STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS vibe to his VOCALS, with much of it seemingly coming from the top of his head in the moment. the effect, especially among first time listeners, is quite MESMERIZING as if this HIGH WIRE ACT is meant to lose balance and topple over. which of course never happens, instead stumbling into the next VERSE with added MOMENTUM and DESTRUCTIVE potential. the absolute CLASSIC tracks off his debut RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBERS: THE DIRTY VERSION (ELEKTRA, 1995) are "SHIMMY SHIMMY YA" and "BROOKLYN ZOO," which both showcase this invigoratingly ERRATIC sensibility on FULL DISPLAY, with OL' DIRTY BASTARD switching up topics and introducing NON SEQUITURS at a FURIOUS pace. with the WU-TANG CLAN, the only LIKE-MINDED rapper was GHOSTFACE KILLAH who similarly was all over the place with an OFF-KILTER DELIVERY, the difference being his GRITTY LYRICAL NARRATIVES were entirely COHESIVE with an overflowing of MULTIFACETED details shotgunning from his mouth. with OL' DIRTY BASTARD the plot as well as the details were always up for INTERPRETATION, much like an ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST painting. i was in my final year of undergrad when OL' DIRTY BASTARD PASSED AWAY and i took it pretty hard, which was ODD because i am normally quite INDIFFERENT to CELEBRITY DEATHS. with him i felt like there was so much QUALITY WORK left on the table, as he was recently let out of prison (where he was incarcerated on a NONVIOLENT cocaine possession rap) and was in the process of reintegrating with society and getting his LYRICAL BEARINGS back when he PASSED from an ACCIDENTAL overdose of cocaine and an opioid prescription for pain. as an ENGLISH student in college where i was trained to be HYPER-FOCUSED and concerned with things like METER, RHYME SCHEME and CADENCE, OL' DIRTY BASTARD was the prime example of a writer that literally MARCHED TO THE BEAT OF HIS OWN DRUM and created some DIZZYINGLY-EXECUTED GEMS that were HUMOROUS, COMPLEX and highly AFFECTING on an emotional level. still miss the dude twenty years later. RIP RUSSELL TYRONE JONES. WU-TANG FOREVER. photo & text by nacrowe
in retrospect, i believe that KANY WEST's fifth album MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY (ROC-A-FELLA, 2010) marked a SIGNIFICANT shift in both his catalogue and career. up to this point, WEST through SHEER FORCE OF WILL had successfully positioned himself as the embodiment of several previous threads of HIP HOP, everything from the more SOCIALLY-AWARE, so-called "CONSCIOUS" rappers (i.e. COMMON, MOS DEF, THE ROOTS, etc.) taking their cue from A TRIBE CALLED QUEST and the NATIVE TONGUES collective to the more GOAL-ORIENTED and decidedly MATERIALIST strain personified by JAY-Z, 50 CENT and DRAKE among countless others. that WEST embodies both may seem like a COMPLETE CONTRADICTION, but that is kind of the point.
from this point forward WEST seems to take pride in his ability to CONFRONT and PROVOKE to the point that in a few years and a few album cycles he would come to completely lose the plot. before MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY his INDEPENDENT STREAK empowered him, for example, to completely COUNTER men's fashion at the time, replacing oversized clothing and sports jerseys for pink polo shirts and fitted jeans. it also allowed him to seek out EXPERIMENTAL COLLABORATORS in the ART world like VISUAL ARTISTS HARUKI MURAKAMI, VIRGIL ABLOH and GEORGE CONDO and in later years PERFORMANCE ARTIST VANESSA BEECROFT. that CONTRARIAN STREAK is also what led him in recent years to adopt the VIRULENT RACISM of CANDACE OWENS, NICK FUENTES and DONALD TRUMP. the way i see it, both MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY and its follow-up YEEZUS (ROC-A-FELLA, 2013) represents the point at which his head got too BIG and his UNCHECKED EGO led him to actually believe that his powers of INFLUENCE and INTELLECT separated him from HUMANITY. WEST's mother DONDA tragically PASSED AWAY prior to the making of his preceding album 808s & HEARTBREAK (ROC-A-FELLA, 2008) which was a consciously MINIMALIST affair that mourned the loss of not only his mother but a relationship with designer ALEXIS PHIFER. on that album WEST comes across as CONTEMPLATIVE and intensely PENSIVE about his participation and culpability in the dissolution of that relationship. it came across as MATURE and HEARTFELT. in contrast MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY, especially on tracks like "MONSTER," "BLAME GAME," "RUNAWAY" and "HELL OF LIFE," WEST seems to absolutely revel in his own demented and objectifying ideation surrounding WOMEN. it is quite STARTLING the likes of which the depths of his MISOGYNY is on full display throughout MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY, including CRUDE diatribes that are believed to be directed at KIM KARDASHIAN, the socialite / entrepreneur / reality tv starlet who he began dating and famously later married. i am not a psychologist, but it seems evidently clear that the DEATH of his mother had a PROFOUND effect on WEST's life, as it seemingly freed the guardrails on his ability to self-edit his lyrics and ultimately SELF-IMMOLATE his PUBLIC PERSONA on full display to EVERYONE. all that being said, on a purely musical level MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY is arguably his FINEST work. his use of pastiche to inventively interpolate DISPARATE SONIC ELEMENTS from different genres and historical eras of RECORDING TECHNIQUES (everything from KING CRIMSON, JAMES BROWN and MIKE OLDFIELD to MANU DIBANGO, MICHAEL JACKSON, CONTINENT NUMBER 6 and GIL-SCOTT HERON) is truly MIND-BLOWING on just a TECHNICAL and CONCEPTUAL LEVEL. on YEEZUS this same INCREDIBLE proficiency for artistically integrating SAMPLES into a COHESIVE statement would be further harnessed and STREAMLINED to the point of SPECTACULAR obliteration of said SAMPLES, but on MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY he is showcasing that UNMATCHED production foresight that differentiated WEST from his TALENTED PEERS, COLLABORATORS and MENTORS in NO I.D., RZA, Q-TIP, JON BRION, BO1-DA, PETE ROCK and the like. lyrically PROBLEMATIC and musically GENIUS-LEVEL, WEST with MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY and its accompanying short-film entered the conversation with the likewise CONTROVERSIAL legacies of everyone from RICHARD WAGNER, CHUCK BERRY, PHIL SPECTOR, IKE TURNER, MICHAEL JACKSON and MORRISSEY, all of whom made ASTOUNDING contributions to the progress of ART while harboring likewise ABHORRENT PERSONAL FAILINGS that tarnished their public image in perpetuity. do i recommend this album? yes, but with the caveat that one must at least consciously recognize that WEST is not a well-adjusted individual and that during this period in his life the unraveling of the plot was certainly underway. its a SAD narrative to tell you the truth. and very AMERICAN. photo & text by nacrowe
i first came across the LEGENDARY BRONX rapper BIG PUN and the sole album released during his lifetime, CAPITAL PUNISHMENT (LOUD, 1998) back shortly after its release in the late 1990s when i was a freshman in high school. i was at a boarding school and literally the dude next door to me had that record on repeat day after day ad nauseam, so i feel like i learned that album practically by osmosis.
and to tell you the truth, i wasnt a fan. HIP HOP from the jump has long been about AMBITION and SUCCESS and the projection of DREAMS of better conditions unto the future that will hopefully materialize and lead to an improved financial future for one's family. a lot of the CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION and CHEAP BRAGGADOCIO related to the GAUDY flaunting of MATERIAL GOODS (CHAINS, CARS, CLOTHING or even literal MONEY itself) comes from that DARK REALITY of UNDERREPRESENTATION, INEQUALITY and loss of opportunity (OCCUPATIONAL and EDUCATIONAL for starters) that comes from decades of LACK OF COMMUNITY INVESTMENT that has long been a real pox on the inner-city. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT came out during the BLING ERA of HIP HOP during the late 90s and early 00s when the VULGAR and COPIOUS display of MATERIAL WEALTH was a given for most MAINSTREAM rappers. when i heard a track like "STILL NOT A PLAYER" back in that context of my high school dorm room and its lyrical focus on bragging about SEXUAL CONQUESTS and the accumulation of MATERIAL OBJECTS, i was uninterested and turned off effectively immediately. much like i was similarly DISMISSIVE (and still am) about the similar efforts of particularly EGREGIOUS offenders such as PUFF DADDY, T-PAIN, JIM JONES, LIL JON and the like. i was raised on a previous generation of HIP HOP in CYPRESS HILL, PUBLIC ENEMY, BEASTIE BOYS and A TRIBE CALLED QUEST and in time would grow to appreciate similar artists upon discovery in ERIC B & RAKIM, DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN, MOBB DEEP, MF DOOM, NAS, GANG STARR, BIG L, MADLIB, EMINEM and especially the WU-TANG CLAN, all RENOWNED lyricists known for their TECHNICAL ABILITY, FLOW, INVENTIVENESS and STREET-LEVEL perspective. at the time BIG PUN to me was more like the PUERTO RICAN version of PUFF DADDY. and for the record PUFFY is and always will be irredeemably LAME. where i should have been looking was the NOTORIOUS B.I.G. for a comparison. like BIGGY, BIG PUN was an EXPERT lyricist who championed his community and embodied the ASPIRATIONAL lifestyle that came with chasing MATERIAL OBJECTS. in the intervening years i have come to correct my initial reaction and respect the WORDPLAY and CRAFT of BIG PUN on tracks like "YOU AIN'T A KILLER," "TWINZ (DEEP COVER)" and "YOU CAME UP." the dude was particularly comfortable with RAPID-FIRE INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES and bending WORDS and PHRASES to his will in an EFFORTLESS and INTERCHANGEABLE manner between both ENGLISH and SPANISH, which is something i still have not come across to same extent in years since. obviously BIG PUN is still much BELOVED in THE BRONX as well as PUERTO RICO and his untimely passing from a heart attack at 28 back in 2000 is a tragedy for that borough specifically as well as the greater HIP HOP community in general. posthumously the peer he is mostly compared to his EMINEM, with his penchant for turning REAL-LIFE experiences into rarified ALLEGORICAL LYRICAL CONTENT with an UNBRIDLED, CREATIVE FLOW that was both highly TECHNICAL and CRAZY CLEVER. obviously i got over my initial dismissal of BIG PUN and have seen the error of my ways. i feel like a lot of artists from that era i need to revisit and reassess. but thats on me.
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the INCREDIBLE LYRICIST and WEST COAST HIP HOP PRODIGY, KENDRICK LAMAR!
​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! photo & text by nacrowe
for all the RIGHTEOUS, EMPOWERING and brazenly TRANSGRESSIVE and SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT content currently emanating from MODERN female HIP HOP MCs in CARDI B, MEGAN THEE STALLION and NICKI MINAJ, i think people forget just how REVOLUTIONARY LIL' KIM's HARD CORE (ATLANTIC, 1996) debut album was back in the 1990s. FEMALE SEXUALITY is largely a COMPLEX CULTURAL TABOO, since AMERICAN society for whatever reason has stuck to its INHERITED VICTORIAN PURITANICAL IDEALS. i believe that with millennials and the next generation that such REGRESSIVE BELIEFS have died down considerably and WOMEN are now somewhat EMPOWERED to say publicly what men have boasted about for generations, i.e. their LOVE OF SEX, DESIRING and BEING DESIRED.
back in the 1990s LIL' KIM was largely seen as a paramour of the NOTORIOUS B.I.G. who was married to R&B singer FAITH EVANS until his untimely passing. just on that information alone i believe that she was seen as everything from UNSERIOUS as an artist to a CUTTHROAT opportunist. of course the MISOGYNY in that assessment is pretty TRANSPARENT, as nobody faults BIGGY for his involvement or agency in such a TANGLED love triangle. the fact that EVANS and KIM later did a track together just shows how adults come together and handle their disagreements with DIGNITY and MATURITY. anyway, KIM absolutely faced this MISOGYNY head on with HARD CORE, as she unabashedly leans into ILLICIT perceptions of her and goes down and dirty to the point that i believe even LUTHER CAMPBELL (of 2 LIVE CREW fame) would blush. standout tracks include the single "CRUSH ON YOU" as well as similarly themed tracks in "NOT TONIGHT," "QUEEN BITCH" and "NO TIME." for my part, its interesting for me to notice how angry people get at modern tracks like the CARDI B / MEGAN THEE STALLION collaboration "WAP" or NICKI MINAJ's "ANACONDA," since i want no part of dictating to WOMEN how they should perceive or describe their own BODIES. to me that line of thinking is beyond PATRONIZING and just indicative of an overt PATERNALISM that is OUTMODED in modern society. i dont believe there is a lane that WOMEN, or men, need to stay in due to their GENDER. my belief is that the real test and judgement is going to be on how AUTHENTIC their music is to both themselves and their audience. thats it. everything else is IRRELEVANT. on those terms i believe HARD CORE is one of the more low-key INFLUENTIAL records of that period as it found a female MC that was willing to take on the boys at their own game, OBJECTIFYING them and PROFITING off of her own INTELLECT and celebration of her SEXUALITY. every time i come across a NEW artists like ARMANI CAESAR, FLO MILLI, KENTHEMAN or an ICE SPICE, it all feels like UPDATED versions of the same playbook LIL' KIM did back on HARD CORE. which im all about. definitely worth revisiting and checking out again. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
July 2024
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