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photo & text by nacrowe
in the modern age of streaming and platforms like SPOTIFY there is now incontrovertible proof that HIP HOP is the leading cultural force and has been for more than a generation. one aspect of driving culture results in an outsized influence over economic trends and makes such the focus of the INVESTMENT CLASS seeking to monetize relationships through ENDORSEMENTS, PARTNERSHIPS and INNUMERABLE PRODUCTS. according to ABC NEWS, conservative estimates have HIP HOP generating $10 billion a year in annual revenue. in today's environment, the idea of a PHARRELL WILLIAMS signature shoe line rather than that of an athlete is nothing particularly out of the ordinary. as JAY-Z once adroitly quipped on the KANYE WEST track "DIAMONDS FROM SIERRA LEONE (REMIX)" off of LATE REGISTRATION (DEF JAM / ROC-A-FELLA, 2005), "im not a businessman, im a business, man."
but that was not always the case. THE BIG PAYBACK: THE HISTORY OF THE BUSINESS OF HIP-HOP (NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY, 2011) examines the HUMBLE BEGINNINGS of how rap established itself as a culture and then as a business throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. these were AMOEBIC INCREMENTAL steps that saw NYC community parties in the park evolve into late hour terrestrial radio programs to small business record label entrepreneurship and so on. what is REMARKABLE is the extent to which major players and gate keepers at every turn were reticent to be involved due to an UNPROVEN track record that was largely based on SYSTEMATIC RACISM. looking back the immense untapped market throughout the early period is OBVIOUS, but it took to time for CORPORATE AMERICA to understand and buy-in. case in point from the book is the example of COCA-COLA who were reserved about associating its main brand with a black athlete, so they took their side product in SPRITE (who at the time was a secondary market competitor to 7-UP) and ran a campaign with recent LOS ANGELES LAKER phenomenon KOBE BRYANT. it was massively successful and the continued relationship between SPRITE and black rappers/athletes continues unabated to present. my favorite example of BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP and gaming the system from THE BIG PAYBACK is the WU-TANG CLAN, who signed a record as a collective to LOUD RECORDS but had a clause in their contract that such did not cover individual members. this allowed members to sign with different label such as METHOD MAN with DEF JAM, OL' DIRTY BASTARD with ELEKTRA, GHOSTFACE KILLAH with EPIC, GZA with WARNER BROS, RAEKWON with RCA and so on. that effectively meant that the whole industry had a piece of the WU-TANG CLAN pie and collectively promoted it accordingly. just incredibly business savvy and genius in a manner that THE CLASH and countless ROCK N ROLL bands ripped-off by extended, exploitative contracts would probably be crying and seething with jealousy over. another thread in this book is the extent to which BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP was underpinned by another UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY GROUP that saw their ARTISTIC and ECONOMIC POTENTIAL and nurtured such. for generations there has been much interplay and mutual support between the black and jewish communities, especially in NYC going back to JAZZ age. from producers like RICK RUBIN (BEASTIE BOYS, LL COOL J, RUN-DMC, JAY-Z, EMINEM, KANYE WEST) to managers and executives like STEVE RIFKIND (MOBB DEEP, BIG PUN, WU-TANG CLAN, DAVID BANNER), there is a deep mutual admiration and partnership at play that is largely UNHERALDED and UNSPOKEN. such a relationship makes the anti-semitism from KANYE WEST, NICK CANNON, JAY-Z, 21 SAVAGE and even going way back to SCARFACE, ICE CUBE and PUBLIC ENEMY's PROFESSOR GRIFF a bizarre aberration that denies the SUPPORTIVE, MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL nature of such. its hard to stomach especially after reading this book. if you are interesting in the business and economic underpinnings of HIP HOP and how a culture infiltrated and dominated the mainstream from seemingly nowhere than THE BIG PAYBACK is well-worth investigation. i found it FASCINATING, having read it years before my current path pursuing an MBA. it goes to show that if marketed well, CORPORATE AMERICA will follow suit on any LUCRATIVE opportunity no matter how OUTRAGEOUS or seemingly UNPROVEN. HIP HOP is a case in point. 
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photo & text by nacrowe
i sadly have to admit that i became aware of MOBB DEEP and their landmark release THE INFAMOUS (LOUD, 1995) embarrassingly late, which is odd because I was more or less familiar with the discographies of their EAST COAST contemporaries in the WU-TANG CLAN, THE NOTORIOUS B.IG. and NAS since high school in the late 1990s. its a shame because THE INFAMOUS is a STANDOUT statement even amongst its NYC peer cohort and is produced mostly by HAVOC and Q-TIP (A TRIBE CALLED QUEST) with contributions by the likes of LARGE PROFESSOR (MAIN SOURCE), KERWIN YOUNG (PUBLIC ENEMY) and DJ PREMIER (GANG STARR).
my cousin is a recording engineer and i learned of MOBB DEEP through him well after college since he would utilize "SHOOK ONES (PART II)" as a comparison sample to A/B against when mixing HIP HOP records at his old recording studio in GREENPOINT. and i dont believe he was the only one that did that, much like many modern rock producers look to analyzing BRENDAN O'BRIEN's mix on SOUNDGARDEN's SUPERUNKNOWN (review linked HERE) as the unofficial industry standard. there is just something about how hard that opening sample hits on "SHOOK ONES (PART II)" that makes it the epitome of 1990s BOOM BAP production and an enduring sonic presence unabated well into the modern era. HAVOC created a beat that seamlessly evokes the HORROR, TRAGEDY and pedestrian nature of the MENTALITY of a seasoned criminal. as such, lyrically "SHOOK ONES (PART II)" gets into the internal motivations and WARPED PSYCHOLOGY OF A CRIMINAL. its an interesting tact because MOBB DEEP is generally uninterested in meaningless showboating or crowd-pleasing proud boasting about MYTHOLOGICAL past criminal endeavors. their lyrics not only on "SHOOK ONES (PART II)" but also on other standout tracks like "SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST," "GIVE UP THE GOODS (JUST STEP)" and "TEMPERATURE'S RISING" are concerned with the STREET-LEVEL experience and the risks and self-inflicted mental carnage therein. when i first dove into their discography, including the likewise SUPERB follow-up record HELL ON EARTH (LOUD, 1996), it became apparent that their peer's were operating on the level of OCEAN'S ELEVEN (WARNER BROS, 1960) and they were very much more akin to THE GODFATHER (PARAMOUNT, 1972). easily the most quotable lyric on this LEGENDARY album is the concept that there "ain't no such things as halfway crooks" as espoused on "SHOOK ONES (PART II)." its an ALL-IN OR ALL-OUT, entirely binary proposition according to PRODIGY and HAVOC. in that CRIMINAL MINDSET there is an inherent code of ethics that everything essentially boils down to HONOR, LOYALTY and TRUST. its less an occupation and more an IDENTITY, and one that results from a lack of occupational and educational opportunities and SYSTEMATIC RACISM with regards to everything from access to basic essentials like housing, quality healthcare and nutritional food. given whats happened to urban black neighborhoods over the past thirty years since the release of THE INFAMOUS with all the GENTRIFICATION and DISPLACEMENT of long-term tenants who are out-priced from their own homes, it makes you wonder who the REAL GANGSTERS and CRIMINAL MASTERMINDS actually are. in my mind they are developers, commissioners, landlords, real estate lawyers and accounting firms, but thats just my opinion. when i listen to THE INFAMOUS, i am just reminded of the lengths people with limited opportunities have to go through just to survive. in many ways we are all CULPABLE for perpetuating the system ad infinitum me included. RIP PRODIGY. 
photo & text by nacrowe
with all the TURMOIL going on right now with KANYE WEST and his MANIC ego-driven public SELF-IMMOLATION that has seen his reputation eviscerated and his lucrative business ventures ABANDONED by corporate partners, its hard to not question the beginnings of how all this went down. KANYE has long been a controversial figure, even before he became co-opted by CANDACE OWENS and the rabid MAGA crowd and made INCENDIARY public ANTI-SEMITIC statements that have led to his DOWNFALL. in some ways, his CONTRARIAN nature was an asset earlier in his career when he challenged basic tenants of HIP HOP culture and RETROGRADE conceptions of MASCULINITY and essentially expanded the palette of regarding the sound and presentation rappers could get away with. that ANTAGONISTIC personality tic coupled with a RELENTLESS artistic vision led him to make inroads in fashion and footwear the likes of which previously was the exclusive domain of superstar athletes.
last year i was attempting to find the proper context for explaining KANYE, because i myself find the dude to be both a sublimely GIFTED and VISIONARY HIP HOP producer (whose first five albums are near perfect) and CREATIVE while also being a MORALLY BANKRUPT egoist whose need for public attention and validation knows absolutely no bounds. case in point: the fact that such a character flaw led him to cozy up utilize his cultural capital on behalf of the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is a STAIN on his legacy that will never wash off. i kept attempting to think if there was a model for an alternate path by someone of equal cultural stature and artistic bonafides. it hit me that PHARRELL had navigated very similar waters in terms of SUCCESSFUL forays into FASHION (BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB, ICE CREAM SHOES, ADIDAS and CHANEL collaborations), BUSINESS (DOODLES), and of course trend-setting MUSIC PRODUCTION (THE CLIPSE, JAY-Z, SNOOP DOGG, BRITNEY SPEARS, NELLY, OL' DIRTY BASTARD, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, BEYONCE) and solo projects (N.E.R.D.). and he has done all of this while remaining an INCLUSIVE public figure who on the looks of things has remained pretty humble given his STRATOSPHERIC SUCCESS over the past 20+ years. i appreciate the fact that in a world of oversharing (this blog being an example of such), PHARRELL keeps things pretty close to his chest. he is a celebrity who clout is based on his AESTHETIC TASTES and musical genius. his personal life has remained PRIVATE and is the embodiment of a version of the AMERICAN DREAM that holds true (some would say quixotically) that TALENT, HARD WORK and LUCK can get you anywhere no matter how humble your beginnings. im presenting both the PHARRELL and KANYE WEST episodes of DEER GOD RADIO on nonprofit MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC because at the time i saw PHARRELL's example as being a beacon of sorts for KANYE to emulate. unfortunately now they feel like inverses of each other. one is a star that has slowly built up an empire based on ambition, talent and a firm foot in the community that support him. the other is a star that burned too bright too fast and mistook his gifts as a cudgel to extract himself from society with. KANYE is not a tragic hero, he's an ASSHOLE. like everyone i hope he can get help but the DAMAGE and PAIN he has inflicted already is UNCONSCIONABLE and likely UNFORGIVABLE. its probably too late im afraid. i get the feeling even he in his heart of hearts realizes how LOST he has become and has no bearing on how to get back home. if anything KANYE's a CAUTIONARY tale. enjoy both episodes. i see them as a pair. 
photo & text by nacrowe
hailing from OAKLAND and part of the HIEROGLYPHICS collective centered around DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN and his collaborators, the UNDERGROUND group SOULS OF MISCHIEF to my ears is the perfect distillation of what was great about early 90s, NATIVE TONGUES-influenced HIP HOP. case in point is their classic debut 93 'TIL INFINITY (JIVE, 1993) which deftly utilizes vintage JAZZ samples in a manner not dissimilar than high-profile JIVE RECORDS label-mates A TRIBE CALLED QUEST. and i make that direct connection not as a disservice to SOULS OF MISCHIEF as means of writing them off as emulators, but instead as a means of providing context to a highly INFLUENTIAL sonic template that still very much informs HIP HOP production to this day (MOS DEF, PHARRELL, OUTKAST). when i consider A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, their innovative production on those early records was in essence a foundation for Q-TIP's and PHIFE DAWG's INGENIOUS, HUMOROUS and highly IDIOSYNCRATIC perspectives and personal psychodramas about daily life in NYC. what is compelling about SOULS OF MISCHIEF, especially on their debut, is how their seamlessly their SMOOTH vocal cadences and delivery meld into the RELAXED vibe of those JAZZ samples, especially the title track "93 TIL INFINITY." its an absolutely striking counterpoint to the AGGRESSIVE WEST COAST HIP HOP of the period (DR. DRE, ICE CUBE, SNOOP DOGG, TUPAC SHAKUR) associated with their distant cohorts in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. for me, their debut is an exploration of groove.
lyrically all four members, A-PLUS, OPIO, PHEST and TAJAI are deft craftsman when it comes to writing and executing SOPHISTICATED internal rhyme structures. as a former english teacher, i live for this stuff and always appreciate the technical WIZARDRY and linguistic DEXTERITY required in order to bend language to your will. topic-wise the songs on 93 'TIL INFINITY celebrated their OAKLAND roots and the greater community that supported them. as a listener, this record feels EMPOWERING in how it promotes RACIAL NITY and PRIDE in their community. again, that lyrical stance is a stark contrast to what was brewing in LOS ANGELES at the time on DEATH ROW RECORDS, who took their cue from the remnants of N.W.A. and created a discography that marketed and perpetuated the almost-MILITARISTIC concept of the BLACK community as an OPPOSITIONAL FORCE to that of rampant INSTITUTIONAL RACISM of the state at the time. it was an AGGRESSIVE and defiantly CONFRONTATIONAL stance that seemingly bifurcated an audience and created an US vs THEM mentality. SOULS OF MISCHIEF seemed more of a grassroots, bottom-up celebration of a DYNAMIC community that validated itself in the process. to this day i feel like the overall vibe and perspective of 93 'TIL INFINITY when considered in context to its peers, was a SIGNIFICANT record that was a more MATURE and COMPLEX statement of what it was like to be a creative artist during that period before the whole polarization in the industry that defined the decade (EAST COAST vs WEST COAST) reared its ugly, pointless head. definitely check out 93 'TIL INFINITY, its a criminally OVERLOOKED classic HIP HOP record for the ages. 
parodies by nacrowe
the more i stop to consider the HIP HOP duo RUN THE JEWELS, the more i come to the realization that they have quietly become the most significant rap group of the past decade. there are so many concurrent threads and movements in HIP HOP, some cane be described as geographic (SOUTHERN, EAST COAST, WEST COAST) while others are socio-political (NATIVE TONGUES) or hyper-literate (WU-TANG CLAN, EMINEM, RAKIM) or just plain entertainment. whats interesting to me is that RUN THE JEWELS seemingly covers all those bases.
i think what got me think about KILLER MIKE and EL-P recently was the fact that they were set to open for RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE on their recent comeback(?) tour that was cancelled due to ZACK DE LA ROCHA's on-stage leg injury. it made me consider that the last time RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE had a high profile HIP HOP tour-mate was when they co-headlined with WU-TANG CLAN in the late 1990s. its safe to say that at this point in time WU-TANG is a cultural institution that has stood the test of time, both for their lyrical dexterity and creative production, but also for what they represent as a unit of black artists who have supported each other for decades. when i consider RUN THE JEWELS and the communities KILLER MIKE and EL-P represent, they seem positioned to be a likewise beacon for creative stability and potent expression on behalf of their audiences as the speak truth to power. literally. KILLER MIKE is famously from ATLANTA and is associated with OUTKAST during his early career. he has released several solo albums and in the wake of success with RUN THE JEWELS was a vocal proponent of BERNIE SANDERS 2020 presidential campaign. EL-P is a celebrated NYC producer and MC, who previous to RUN THE JEWELS was essentially ALTERNATIVE HIP HOP royalty. his work with COMPANY FLOW and time running the label he founded DEFINITIVE JUX, make him an icon of sorts for underground HIP HOP heads. the fact that this unlikely pairing of respected (but not previously bankable) MCs have become so widely successful is quite extraordinary. what i appreciate is that their time in the spotlight has been utilized deftly as a platform to promote social change by discussing prison reform, police violence and education policy openly in their lyrics. that stance alone puts them in unique company. makes me think of them alongside PUBLIC ENEMY, ANA TIJOUX, KRS-ONE, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST and TALIB KWELI among others that leverage their popularity to advocate causes they believe in. for me that is their true legacy and i look forward to seeing how their music and politics evolve for years to come. below is an episode of DEER GOD RADIO from July 2020 on nonprofit NYC radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC celebrating RUN THE JEWELS. enjoy 
parodies & text by nacrowe
back on new years eve of 2019 i did a DEER GOD RADIO episode on one of my all-time favorite artists in MIKE PATTON. his work with FAITH NO MORE alone basically marked a turning point in my childhood, especially after listening to the glorious epic mindfuck that is ANGEL DUST (review linked HERE) when i was in middle school in the late 1990s. concurrent to FAITH NO MORE (and actually preceding it by a few years) he similarly fronted the relatively more experimental MR. BUNGLE, which likewise has maintained a diehard cult following.
whats interesting about PATTON is that he is not particularly nostalgic and is constantly and fearlessly chasing his muse, usually juggling several unrelated projects simultaneously and maintaining a virtually unmatched streak in quality for what is now decades. notable past projects include FANTOMAS (collaboration with members of MELVINS, MR. BUNGLE and SLAYER), TOMAHAWK (collaboration with members of THE JESUS LIZARD, MELVINS and HELMET), DEAD CROSS (collaboration with members of SLAYER, LOCUST and RETOX), PEEPING TOM (collaboration with members of MASSIVE ATTACK, KOOL KEITH, AMON TOBIN and NORAH JONES), LOVAGE (collaboration with DAN THE AUTOMATOR and JENNIFER CHARLES), TETEMA (collaboration with ANTHONY PATERAS) and NEVERMEN (collaboration with members of TV ON THE RADIO and DEEP PUDDLE DYNAMICS). even more varied and extensive are his guest appearances on albums by the likes of BJORK, JON ZORN, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, MERZBOW, THE X-ECUTIONERS, ZU, MELVINS and JOHN KAADA. he even did a solo album where he sang classic ITALIAN film music (MONDO CANE). its quite the exhaustive discography that very much runs the gamut from ALTERNATIVE ROCK,POST HARDCORE,TRIP HOP, PUNK ROCK, METALCORE, HARDCORE, INDIE ROCK, POST PUNK, avant garde CLASSICAL MUSIC, POST ROCK and even HIP HOP. the dude has limitless range. whats funny for me is that this late 2019 episode was the second time i used this playlist (the first was in 2018 on EPISODE 8 which has since been lost to the livestream gods) and i still failed to include music from every project he had been a part of up to that point in time. it was my second attempt and i still failed! some collaborations and projects are very obscure and ive only come to learn about them recently. but this just proves as evidence of his remarkable range as a singer and artist as well as his eclectic taste in art. i pretty much look at PATTON as a compass in that anytime i feel jaded, like nothing is new and exciting, i just check out whatever is going on with his solo projects or IPECAC RECORDINGS label and i am dissuaded of that notion. cant think of a higher compliment than that. if you are unfamiliar with PATTON then the show embedded below is a good teaser but is anything but comprehensive regarding his ever growing exhaustive discography. he is most definitely worth checking out. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the innovative and socially conscious music of the multi-talented DONALD GLOVER, aka CHILDISH GAMBINO!
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
join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the lyrically provocative and thoughtful music of rapper CHILDISH GAMBINO!
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, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo & text by nacrowe
from my perspective, when considering the transformative HIP HOP albums from a lyrical and production standpoint, the ones that tend to immediately come to mind include:
1) PUBLIC ENEMY's FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET (DEF JAM, 1990) with its strident political firepower matched by THE BOMB SQUAD's unapologetic bombastic production. 2) BEASTIE BOYS' PAUL's BOUTIQUE (CAPITOL, 1989) and it's postmodern pastiche of film soundtracks, found sound and esoteric 70s vinyl courtesy of the DUST BROTHERS that matched the carefree, idiosyncratic, stream-of-consciousness lyrical content of the group. 3) DE LA SOUL's 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING (TOMMY BOY, 1989) and PRINCE PAUL's kinetic, playful bouncy production likewise constructed utilizing countless samples that synchronized perfectly with the group's intellectually curious, almost SURREALIST mindset. in my opinion 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING is the last of a breed records that came out around that time, not only from PUBLIC ENEMY and the BEASTIE BOYS, but like-minded groups like A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, WU-TANG CLAN and MOBB DEEP. there is a sense with these artists that samples utilized are an extension of a perspective shared by the group itself. it is like an extension almost of their collective ego. these artists also had identifiable producers/production teams that tailored their sonic identity, whether such be J DILLA, THE BOMB SQUAD, THE DUST BROTHERS, RICK RUBIN, MARIO CALDATO JR, Q-TIP, THE RZA or HAVOC. i dont believe that is the case anymore with modern producers instead marketing their signatures sonic compositions for in-house stables of artists or at a premium for outside artists, think TIMBALAND or PHARRELL WILLIAMS. shit evolves. that is now the model more or less. in PRINCE PAUL compositions off 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING like the iconic "ME MYSELF AND I," "POTHOLES IN MY LAWN," "EYE KNOW," "BUDDY" and "SAY NO GO" there is a kaleidoscopic, playful blending of JAZZ with 1970s R&B/FUNK/CLASSIC ROCK samples that serves as a perfect sound-bed for a group equally concerned with SOCIAL JUSTICE, POST-COLONIAL BLACK IDENTITY and SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS. what i love about this era in HIP HOP and this specific record in particular is how the interplay between the sample and the MC and how they transform and contextualize one another. it is an absolute palimpsest of complex meaning that is only deepened over time. it is a special alchemy that i go back and enjoy all the time. but it probably wont happen again. due to copyright laws and usage rights, a record like 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING is not evil possible without a mammoth budget due to permissions needed and copyright holders paid. the nearest thing to this record to come out in recent memory was DANGER MOUSE's notorious yet savant level JAY-Z/BEATLES mashup THE GREY ALBUM (SELF-RELEASED, 2004) which likewise entirely skirted copyright regulations. its unfortunate because these artists and producers transformed said content. and it is that contextualization, that transformation, that ALCHEMY which is the basic active ingredient in the magic of HIP HOP. thats my opinion at least. 
photo & text by nacrowe
i was a senior in high school in KUWAIT when the 9/11 attacks happened and shortly thereafter i quickly departed the MIDDLE EAST to live with a relative in SACRAMENTO of all places. it was a jarring and disorientating time in my life, irrespective of geopolitics of the time. i was basically dropped overnight into a cultural backwater full of naive, privileged white kids and their parents. i got through it.
part of getting through it was developing a ravenous reading and listening schedule where i basically investigated everything that caught my interest. musically this included discovering and investigating POST PUNK, SHOEGAZE and TRIP HOP. it was an interesting time because not that long after i dove headfirst into groups like PORTISHEAD and MASSIVE ATTACK i saw TRICKY (with MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD!) open for TOOL at the local stadium. the synergy of that moment was so cool, although some dick behind me was constantly asking his uninterested companion "who is this n----r?!", which is yet another reason why i will always continue to hate SACRAMENTO with a passion even over two decades later. i bought TRICKY's iconic debut MAXINQUAYE (4th & B'WAY, 1995) at the former TOWER RECORDS on columbus and bay near FISHERMAN'S WHARF in SAN FRANSCISCO right before flying home to NEW JERSEY after graduation in 2002. it was literally my last day in CALIFORNIA. along with several APHEX TWIN releases, NOTHING'S SHOCKING (WARNER BROS, 1988) by JANE'S ADDICTION or TROUT MASK REPLICA (STRAIGHT, 1969) by CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, MAXINQUAYE is definitely one of the most transformational records i have ever heard. it is a deeply personal yet highly idiosyncratic record that seemingly splits the difference between HIP HOP, REGGAE and ALTERNATIVE ROCK. named in reference to his mother who passed when he was four, the record is very much thematically tied to his mixed-race experience growing up in a BRISTOL council estate with immigrant parents. being one of the architects of the TRIP HOP sound through his collaborations with MASSIVE ATTACK, of which he is an extended member, there is a sense of the music being the creative embodiment of a new, diverse and multi-cultural GREAT BRITAIN. with his debut MAXINQUAYE, the music is much less optimistic and seemingly the perfect sound-bed to his lyrics on "PONDEROSA," "OVERCOME," "AFTERMATH," "HELL IS AROUND THE CORNER" and "SUFFOCATED LOVE" that deal with personal themes of PARANOIA, OPPRESSION and SELF-DECEPTION. one of the defining traits of TRICKY as a songwriter is how he utilizes the female voice. the contributions of TOPLEY-BIRD cannot be understated, especially on haunted tracks such as the "PUMPKIN," "FEED ME," "ABBAON FAT TRACKS" and the PUBLIC ENEMY cover of "BLACK STEEL." its really interesting hearing a female singer voice the words of a male narrator, which is a juxtaposition that TRICKY has employed ever since with other collaborators. but never more affecting than with TOPLEY-BIRD on this record who holds her own and is arguably the star of the record. when i got into TRICKY in the early 2000s it was an aural journey of self-discovery that really made me rethink the inherent value of musical concepts like genre or audience expectation. his records were experiences into a headspace of someone who was lost but always searching, always on the hunt for the truth. he is one of my favorite artists and arguably MAXINQUAYE is his finest moment. i cannot recommend this record more empathically. it is most definitely worth revisiting and checking out. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ive come around recently to the AUCKLAND DJ and former long-time BBC RADIO 1 RADIO PERSONALITY ZANE LOWE, especially with regards to his current THE ZANE LOWE INTERVIEW SERIES on APPLE MUSIC. ive watched and listened to his interviews for years and while he always came across as INFORMED and an ardent fan of his subject, there were times his PASSION seemed to stray into straight-up adulation. or so i thought. i believe the dude is fully aware of his role in the wider ecosystem of modern culture as a bridge of sorts for the global public to access emerging and established musicians, and i feel his ENTHUSIASM is a reflection of such. his queries are often the types a hardcore fan would want answered by a favored artist if given the opportunity and the nerve.
and that perspective of LOWE from that as a stand-in for the public was how i judged him until recently. i began to realize that, like HOWARD STERN, he is a great listener. and i think such may be an outgrowth of the long-form format of THE ZANE LOWE INTERVIEW SERIES of podcasts as it gives him time to weave and contextualize competing narratives and informed takes on his subject's career. in essence he isn't necessarily flattering his guests, instead he's creating a SAFE ENVIRONMENT for them to open up. and post-pandemic he is doing such physically as well, often meeting his subjects on their home-court. at their favorite spots. in their cities. sometimes even at their home or recording studio. i've also noticed that he is shrewd in his interviewing style as he allows his subject to TAKE THE LEAD, with him interjecting only to clarify or contextualize a point he found interesting or needing of clarification for the average viewer. LOWE is the type of interlocutor that is comfortable not being "in the know" at all times and lets it known when he finds something genuinely UNEXPECTED or COMPELLING. i've also noticed he is not afraid of silence. it reminds me of my teaching days where there were sometimes pregnant silences were students or myself were conjuring a response to a BOLD question hanging in the air. the silences in his interviews are ones where people are fully contemplating and thus fully ENGAGED. it took me a while to come around to the fact that the guy is just a fan of music and art and the processes/ALCHEMY from which such rise from the ether. in that sense it is almost inconsequential who the subject is, from DAVID BYRNE to MILEY CYRUS. i look forward to seeing where his long-form interview series leads him. hopefully he can interview some of my heroes like Q-TIP, JOHNNY MARR, SHANE MCGOWAN, JUSTINE FRISCHMANN, HUGH CORNWELL, MARK MOTHERSBAUGH, MIKE PATTON or even transcendent emerging artists like DRAB MAJESTY and CHELSEA WOLFE. one can dream. 
photo & text by nacrowe
i first became aware of the FUGEES in the summer of 1996 when i saw an advertisement for their second album THE SCORE (COLUMBIA, 1996) on a billboard in KING'S CROSS STATION in the LONDON, which was the connecting hub we used to connect to a northern line that took us to HATFIELD where my relative lived at the time. my family spent a month with this relative in ENGLAND two years in a row and it is a period i look back on with much fondness. this was also the summer i discovered BRITPOP as OASIS and BLUR were at their commercial peak in ENGLAND during this period. just a great time to be a kid.
of course ironically the FUGEES are not from ENGLAND, they are from NEW JERSEY where my family spent the rest of the summer and his been based out of for the past few decades. famously FUGEES members LAURYN HILL, WYCLEF JEAN and PRAS are the children of HAITIAN immigrants and their sound is a mix of SOUL/R&B/HIP HOP with an empathetic lyrical bent towards the underprivileged and economically dispossessed. it makes total sense that they cover BOB MARLEY's "NO WOMAN, NO CRY" on THE SCORE given its similarly concern with the hardships of the underclass. my recollection of THE SCORE was how massive tracks like "READY OR NOT," and "FU-GEE-LA" were during my middle school years in NIGERIA. i remember seeing those videos all the time on M-NET, which was a major television station out of SOUTH AFRICA. it is safe to say that THE SCORE was a big deal well across the AFRICAN DIASPORA, which is not the case with lots of popular AFRICAN-AMERICAN artists, interestingly. their iconic cover of "KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG," a NORMAN GIMBEL-penned tracked made famous by in 1972 by ROBERTA FLACK, was essentially a middle-school dance staple. which is really odd in retrospect given its obsessive lyrical bent. look back at THE SCORE, it was the obvious starting point for the massively successful solo careers of LAURYN HILL and WYCLEF JEAN, but in terms of quality only THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL (RUFFHOUSE, 1998) approaches its cultural impact. for me the standout tracks are undeniably "READY OR NOT" and "FU-GEE-LA" which standup to anything else from that era. still great songs. THE SCORE is definitely worth checking out, especially if you are interested in socially conscious HIP HOP. they werent associated with the movement, but if you are a fan NATIVE TONGUES artists like A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, BLACK SHEEP, THE JUNGLE BROTHERS, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, THE PHARCYDE or DE LA SOUL, then the FUGEES are most certainly worthy of further investigation. 
photo & text by nacrowe
the follow-up to what is probably considered by many his masterwork of staggeringly and ingenious layered HIP HOP production and self-referencing narratives in MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY (DEF JAM, 2010), YEEZUS (DEF JAM, 2013) seemingly does away with continuity and song structure entirely and dives into the deep end of experimental soundscapes. to my ears this is KANYE WEST at his most UNFILTERED and UNADORNED, a painter of sound minimally utilizing his palette for maximum sonic impact. its no surprise that no less an authority on noise than LOU REED (think METAL MACHINE MUSIC) before his death reviewed this record and saw it as a masterstroke of experimental juxtapositions and hitherto unexplored sonic textures.
so that is how i choose to interpret WEST at what is probably the tail end of his creative peak (which the following THE LIFE OF PABLO concludes before his MENTAL HEALTH, PARANOIA and AUTHORITARIAN associations eviscerated his reputation). some interpret most of his discography as the work of a supremely gifted artist who has battled internal forces that range from searing insecurity to outright megalomania. like REED, DAVID BOWIE or even MORRISSEY, i see WEST as a contrarian. for most of his career this worked to his advantage as HIP HOP was in a corner sonically as well as stylistically in the early 2000s when WEST rapped about JESUS wearing pink polos. he somehow merged the experimental and lyrical essence of NATIVE TONGUES-era bands while maintaining the harder edge of label-mates like JAY-Z. arguably the only rapper/producer of equal notoriety and influence from his era is PHARRELL WILLIAMS. both fashion entrepreneurs and musical innovators. with WEST unfortunately at some point the EGOMANIA started to cannibalize his sense of identity and he has become a bit of an antagonistic troll in popular culture. he sees himself as in some quixotic role fighting for the freedom of speech in his warped worldview. sadly pursuing themes of outright MISOGYNY have made his music lyrically one-dimensional and incoherent, if not boring. sadly YEEZUS falls prey to such on songs like "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD", "ON SIGHT" and "NEW SLAVES" among many others. so sonically this work is a singular achievement with lyrics and subject matter that doesn't match. YEEZUS is a complicated work by a complicated artist and for that it is definitely worth checking out again. 
parodies by nacrowe
yes i went there.
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the music of controversial HIP HOP rapper / producer / entrepreneur / contrarian KANYE WEST! 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
PUBLIC ENEMY is the ultimate HIP HOP group in my opinion. the only group that comes close is probably the WU-TANG CLAN. what makes them so innovative and revolutionary is the extent to which they are a self-drive, self-determining, self-contained unit.
at the core is the towering figure of CHUCK D, arguably the most polemical figure in HIP HOP history. i almost see him outside of the context of music and in the vein of great political writers like THOMAS PAINE, JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU, FREDERICK DOUGLASS, THOMAS JEFFERSON, HENRY DAVID THOREAU, BERTRAND RUSSELL, JOHN LOCKE, or ABRAHAM LINCOLN. he is the very blueprint for all conscious HIP HOP that followed including Q-TIP, TALIB KWELI, ICE CUBE, BLACK THOUGHT, COMMON and so forth. his gift is his ability to both methodically and viscerally convey an effective unadulterated viewpoint concerning the BLACK EXPERIENCE in AMERICA. the dude holds no punches on tracks like "911 IS A JOKE," "ANTI-NIGGER MACHINE," "WELCOME TO THE TERRORDOME" and most famously "FIGHT THE POWER" off their epochal release FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET (DEF JAM, 1990). the man is righteous and has done immeasurable good in galvanizing his fans to think for themselves and question the authority of AMERICAN political, cultural, economic and policing systems that are innately corrupt. he also has helped educate WHITE, suburban kids like myself without watering down the message. in my eyes he is a leader and a prophet, as the vision of AMERICA painted here feels more alive now than ever before 30 years after the release of FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET. part of the reason CHUCK D is so effective is the in-house production team THE BOMB SQUAD, which created a sonic palette of jaggedly juxtaposed samples, synths and beats that dont careen and soothe, but rather rip and slash their way through your senses. its an abrasive and infectious sonic aesthetic that synchronized with the political intent of the lyrical content perfectly. years later RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE would appear and take this sense of dynamics and translate it into a ROCK context to similarly great affect to antagonize and uplift listeners with a matching SOCIAL JUSTICE lyrical bent. the importance of THE BOMB SQUAD cannot be understated in the effectiveness of PUBLIC ENEMY's cultural standing. they effective laid the aural groundwork for CHUCK D to push his audience to new levels of consciousness. which brings me to FLAVOR FLAV. since PUBLIC ENEMY is so intense and so politcally charged, it would be very easy for them to come off as joyless nad stubbornly monotonous in tone. what FLAV brought to the table was a sense of comic relief without diluting the intent and message itself. it is a fine line he walks as some have even singled him out as an example of modern-day minstrelsy. i disagree categorically. his gift to the group is a sense of emotional levity, allowing for their to be a moment of contrast before the listener dives right back into the thick of causticly righteous rhymes about society's ills and the corporate structures that serve to undermine us as individuals. without him, the message would not be as effective. he is not a distraction in this sense, he is the glue that keeps the music engaging and effective in its ability to jolt us from our waking sleep. FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET is an iconic record by an iconic group that hasnt aged or become irrelevant in the least. in fact it is a testament and a siren to today's ascending technocratic hellscape run by corporate structures that aid and abet WHITE NATIONALIST agendas. dont believe me? watch the news. welcome to the terrordome, indeed. 
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
rapper M.I.A. is a revolutionary figure. i should just get that out of the way from the get-go.
she's revolutionary because of her background as a first-generation immigrant daughter of a founder of the TAMIL TIGERS (an ethnic SRI LANKAN separatist group in open conflict with the corrupt national government). she's revolutionary because she is outspoken about her experience as an immigrant, a status that is universally derided, discarded and intentionally misunderstood by first-world inhabitants. she's revolutionary because she is unafraid to speak her truth. and i wont lie, her flipping off the camera at the SUPER BOWL was probably the greatest thing ever on such a telecast (right up there with PRINCE's rainy performance). what made her documentary MANTANGI MAYA M.I.A. (CINEREACH, 2018) so compelling is how you see this cultural behemoth finding her identity through 22 years of archival footage shot by MATHANGI ARULPRASAM herself. most interesting is her initial trek to SRI LANKA as an adult, seeking to learn about a struggle she was separated from and the disconnection she felt. as a THIRD CULTURE KID myself growing up in NIGERIA and KUWAIT, i can relate to being stuck between cultures and continents. my whole life i felt disconnected from AMERICAN life which has only been exacerbated during the TRUMP era. i can relate to the experience of being tied to an identity of which you have little control, as an AMERICAN who lived abroad for years in NIGERIA, ALBANIA, KUWAIT, VENEZUELA and MYANMAR. that dilemma definitely hits home. and i believe part of my reason for having so much respect for M.I.A. is her fearlessness in speaking her truth in spite of intellectual charlatans like LYNN HIRSCHBERG and BILL MAHER and the tired conservative media and corrupt political interests they facilitate in effectively silencing and putting down BLACK and BROWN people. its that idea of speaking up for a forgotten population and not shutting up when the WHITE adults in the room tell you to shut up. honestly fuck them. i dont know how one doesnt respect her fearlessness and moral clarity. this documentary is also the type of film that makes me uncomfortable in that it showcases the triviality and shallowness with which of our national discussion regarding war and human suffering. i was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to teach secondary english at an international school in MYANMAR a few years back and was taken aback by the dismissive tone by western journalists when discussing the suffering of the ROHINGYA population. apparently AMERICAN blood is more precious. the pain and suffering of BLACK and BROWN people was less newsworthy. same here with regards to SRI LANKA. again, i am glad for her voice and look forward to her new album. cant wait to see what she chooses to address this go around given the state of the world. i think deep down she knows she has the respect and admiration of her people, so being deliberately smeared by western media conglomerates isnt her worry. it comes with the territory. it proves that she is dangerous. that she is a revolutionary. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the HIP HOP music production career of cultural icon PHARRELL WILLIAMS!
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
join us TONIGHT at 10PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the singular career of controversial rapper/producer KANYE WEST!
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, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo & text by nacrowe
what i always loved about ICE-T is his AUTHENTICITY. he doesnt hide behind metaphors or character studies to get his point across. he is the very definition of unadorned directness. on an ICE-T (or even BODY COUNT) record, undoubtedly the main character is ICE-T and his street-level worldview. he has made a career on serving up hard truths. i remember reading that CHUCK D of PUBLIC ENEMY once said that "rap is CNN for black people" and i'd put ICE-T on a shortlist of similar acts from that period including MOBB DEEP, ICE CUBE and (of course) PUBLIC ENEMY who repeatedly detailed an unflinching account of the reality on the ground in urban BLACK AMERICA of POLICE BRUTALITY, the DRUG WAR and generational repercussions that come from a lack of access to economic and educational resources.
arguably this sober, no-punches-pulled sensibility found its early peak on his legendary OG: ORIGINAL GANGSTER (SIRE, 1991) album with seminal tracks "NEW JACK HUSTLER (NINO'S THEME)," "THE TOWER," "HOME OF THE BODYBAG," "ESCAPE FROM THE KILLING FIELDS" and, expectedly, "O.G. ORIGINAL GANGSTER." listening to an ICE-T record is an unrelenting experience as he attempt to lyrically to take you through a lived experience, one in which you definitely would not want to experience firsthand. there is a sense that this is the dark underbelly of the AMERICAN DREAM, one that our exploitive capitalist system doesnt want to acknowledge or give air time to. it is the the experience of the forgotten minorities that these systems seek to politically and economically muzzle or culturally disparage when convenient. while his rhyme-style is a bit staid and repetitive next to the expert flows of peers like RAKIM or KRS-ONE and hasnt aged particularly well, in my estimation this is beside the point. it gets the job done. and unlike most of his contemporaries, ICE-T is still out there and still vital. his longtime BODY COUNT project, which mad its initial appearance on the "BODY COUNT" track off of O.G. ORIGINAL GANGSTER, is very much admired to date tackling current social ills like the seemingly endless senseless murders of BLACK males by racist white people filled with a deeply warped sense of IDENTITY, PRIVILEGE and AMERICAN HISTORY. thank god this dude is still out there killing it. much respect to ICE-T and O.G. ORIGINAL GANGSTER is the perfect place to look into his catalogue. i'd also suggest the BODY COUNT BLOODLUST (CENTURY MEDIA, 2017) record as a bookend to such. love this dude. seriously. 
photo & text by nacrowe
to be honest i was not a fan of this JAY-Z record when it came out.
when VOL. 2... HARD KNOCK LIFE (ROC-A-FELLA, 1998) was released i was attending middle school while living abroad in NIGERIA and was surrounded by peers that were into CYPRESS HILL and the recently deceased TUPAC SHAKUR and THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., as well as NYC HIP HOP groups like A TRIBE CALLED QUEST and WU-TANG CLAN. i distinctly remember returning to NEW JERSEY and having trend-chasing, FUBU-wearing cousins that were into more mainstream stuff like P DIDDY, MA$E and later JA RULE. so that was my initial bias against JAY-Z and this record. i've come around since then. sort of. i think HIP HOP was in an interesting phase at the end of the 1990s, with SOUTHERN HIP HOP acts like OUTKAST not emerging as a cultural force quite yet and the mantle of top MC was still up for grabs after the untimely murders of the aforementioned TUPAC and BIGGIE. if this record comes off commercial and anthemic with lots of R&B-affected beats and song structures (a la "HARD KNOCK LIFE"), that was absolutely intentional and by design. with production credits by the likes of TIMBALAND, SWIZZ BEATZ, DJ PREMIER, THE 45 KING, IRV GOTTI, JERMAINE DUPRI and KID CAPRI and guest appearances by DMX, TOO $HORT, JADAKISS, JA RULE, MEMPHIS BLEEK, FOXY BROWN and BEANIE SIGEL this record definitely stood out from its predecessors for its sonic variety, (which basically discarding the more minimal beats utilized previously) and its abundant use of upcoming and established MCs. for me its a mix-bag record, a definite downgrade from his debut in REASONABLE DOUBT (ROC-A-FELLA, 1996) and not in the same league as later career highlights like THE BLUEPRINT (ROC-A-FELLA, 2001) and THE BLACK ALBUM (ROC-A-FELLA, 2003). there are two absolutely killer tracks in "NIGGA WHAT, NIGGA WHO" and "CAN I GET A..." that stand up there with anything in his discography, but too often trite, reductive faire like "MONEY, CASH, HOES" and "RIDE OR DIE" is what this record relies on. too me it almost feels like a warped feedback loop that is very common in modern country music whereby an artist writes about his/her life in a manner that is meant to chase a desired audience and then that audience takes that message to heart, only perpetuating it further and providing more of an incentive for similarly themed future tracks. it just comes off inauthentic because it appears to come from a place of clout-chasing. but you have to remember that back in the late 1990s there were no internet music blogs or social media, so the only way to gain marketshare was through being commercial. so i get the dilemma he was facing in attempting to claim the mantle of top MC. it makes sense. at the same time its difficult listening back to corny JAY-Z songs dealing with DRUGS, SEX and VIOLENCE during this period. later he will become more personal and i would argue, more compelling as an artist and a cultural figure. he does get better. obviously this is not that peak period in his career quite yet so its an interesting moment in time to revisit. for my money during this period it is better to check out the work of NAS or OUTKAST maybe even slightly later records by DEAD PREZ. 
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