Hip Hop Radar (Week Of 12/1-12/7)

NACHO PICASSO & AVATAR DARKO - Vampsterdam
The duo Nacho Picasso (@NachoPicasso) and Avatar Darko (@AvatarDarko) strike a decidedly dark theme with their mixtape Vampsterdam. With production that barely rises a certain register, it’s a rather good effort. Their delivery varies between odd, fast, and intelligent metaphors. Something in their music is strangely hypnotic. I find myself enjoying the mixtape as a whole.

SUGGESTIONS: “Vampire”, “Emptiness”, “Mad Max"
RATING: 4.5 of 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: Nacho Picasso & Avatar Darko


MAC X SLIM - Pre Crooklyn
Conversely to the previous tape, Mac X Slim (@MacXSlim) depends on more sounds and really well crafted production. Pre Crooklyn is rhythmic and plays with a cool vibe that sometimes feels like Texas hip-hop. Each beat punctuates an amazing flow that ensnares you with each track. This tape is one of those rare projects to put on repeat as you ride.

SUGGESTIONS: “45”, “Questions”, “Forget Me”
RATING: 4.8 of 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: Mac X Slim


THECOOLISMAC - Underground Grammy
Not many people can pull off a mixtape that sounds like a studio LP but TheCoolIsMac (@thecoolismac) does it on Underground Grammy. Each song seems as if it has been crafted as opposed to written or recorded. With features from Quentin Miller and Scotty ATL, the tape is another strong effort from yet another Georgia born MC. This one is inspired in every sense of the word.

SUGGESTIONS: “Intro”, “FaceCard”, “Live From The A”
RATING: 5 of 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: TheCoolIsMac

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Week Of 21/1-12/7)

1. Nelson Mandela-We lose a beacon, a lightning rod in South Africa, and a warrior against the apartheid. Although the world mourns him publicly and with fond memories, I am reminded of something that the great man said:

“ Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.”

On that note, I move on. Mandela has said it all.

VERDICT: GOOD (for the rest), BAD (for the family he leaves),  UGLY (with these memes lumping his death in with an actor [Paul Walker] and a cartoon character [Brian Griffin])


2. Grammy announcements-The nominees for the Grammy awards have been released. This year looks to be a good one. This mostly hinges on the best people in their given categories winning. The last thing we need is for music industry politics to make the loud outcries overshadow the night.

VERDICT: *insert your verdict here*


3. Kendrick Lamar-The man who woke up hip-hop with his murderous verse on the now infamous “Control” has been nominated for a few Grammys, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist among them. Having seen who he’s cometing with in each field, it’s admittedly strong competition. Despite that I hope he can walk away with Album Of The Year at the very least . Or would that be the very most?

VERDICT: GOOD


4. Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes-What happens when two legends in the hip-hop game collaborate? I’m not sure but in a short amount of time, Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes will show us with their collaborative effort The Dragon And The Abstract. This one’s going to be a classic. At least, I hope so.

VERDICT: UGLY (because it’s about to GO DOWN!)


5. Christmas is coming-Do I even need to say anything here?! It’s fucking Christmas!!!

VERDICT: GREAT (despite the fact that great isn’t in the title)

Hip Hop Radar (Week Of 11/24-11/30)

JAIMZ - Keeping My Balance

London rapper Jaimz (@Jaimzmusic) gives us a strong mixtape called Keeping My Balance. It’s an understated effort that shows his [Jaimz] flow without overproduction or foolish things you’d see from more mainstream artists. His accent in theory should be harder to understand but I find that he’s intelligible and it adds a depth to his delivery. If you’re looking for a unique sound, Jaimz is just the man for the job.

SUGGESTIONS: “My Way”, “Never Know”, “Dead Presidents”

RATING: 4.8 of 5

DOWNLOAD HERE: Jaimz

TINASHE - Black Water

I am enthralled by both vocalist Tinashe (@Tinashe) and her mixtape Black Water. This is a beautiful soul belting out equally beautiful words over great production. This puts me in mind of many artists but sounds like none of them. Tinashe has her own sound, a heavy neo-soul/contemporary R & B groove to it that shouldn’t be ignored in the slightest. It also plays as a dark journey you need to take.

SUGGESTIONS: “Black Water”, “Vulnerable”, “1 For Me”

RATING: 5 of 5

DOWNLOAD HERE: Tinashe

HARDO & DEEZLEE - Fame Or Feds 2

Hardo (@trapnhardo) and Deezlee (@Popn_Deezlee) present a sequel to the original Fame Or Feds, aptly called Fame Or Feds 2. This mixtape strikes me as a narrative told by two rappers who understand that in their current position you can either seek fame or find yourself locked down. The tape is filled with great interludes, strong flows, and relatable anecdotes. This will be a tape that I will be playing heavily for a while.

SUGGESTIONS: “Choices”, “Going Thru My Phone”, “Do It Then”

RATING: 4.9 of 5

DOWNLOAD HERE: Hardo & Deezlee

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Week Of 11/24-11/30)

1. Black Friday-Once again it’s that time of year for you to be exceedingly greedy and vicious in pursuit of material possessions immediately after the day when we celebrated being thankful for the important things like family, friends, life, and its blessings. I’ve never had (and never have) the desire to freeze my ass of for the newest next generation game console that I’m not even promised to get or a few good deals. I’ll be doing all my shopping online. Fewer lines.

VERDICT: GOOD (for shoppers and companies hoping to make that quota)

2. Broncos/Patriots-This was a good game, all things considered. It started with my New England Patriots fumbling three possessions and giving their opponents on Sunday night a 21 point advantage that they then curtailed into a 24 point lead by the end of the first half. I am unsure what Patriots coach Bill Belichick said to them during halftime but the second quarter saw a decidedly different game and one of the best comebacks ever. Patriots went on to win it 34-31 in OT.

VERDICT: GOOD (for Patriots fans), BAD (for non-Patriots fans), UGLY (depending purely who your fantasy football team has from either team)

3. “Cookie”-Now, I am a fan of R. Kelly and all but this track off his upcoming album Black Panties, a song called "Cookie", is really dirty. And that’s saying something when compared against his catalog of music which includes songs like “Ignition”, “Bump ‘N Grind”, “Sex In The Kitchen”, and “Sex Me”. Keeping in key with his MO, this song is so sonically pleasing that you can easily ignore the content. Damn it, R. Kelly. You've done it again.

VERDICT: BAD (that I love it so much)

4. “Bound 2” parody-Last week I spoke on the ridiculous video Kanye West put together for his song “Bound 2”. Fast forward to this week when actors James Franco and Seth Rogen made a shot for shot remake of the video called “Bound 3”. Franco plays Kanye while Rogen channels Kim K. perfectly. I laughed for like an hour. So did the Internet at large. The saddest thing, though? This video got way more likes than the original by Kim and Kanye.

VERDICT: GOOD

5. Sharkeisha-I’m mostly adding this because it’s been all that people have been making fun of lately. A brief synopsis: Sharkeisha confronts a friend about a dude, friend looks away, gets snuck with a sucker punch that sounds like a video game, more punches and a brutal kic follows. I place this ignorance on here simply because this is a reflection of the next generation that needs to be addressed IMMEDIATELY. Maybe the shame and the jail time will change her mentality.

VERDICT: UGLY

Hip Hop Radar (Week of 11/17-11/23)

CANDICE - Smoker’s Room
Vocalist Candice (@CandiceRnB) kills it eloquently with Smoker’s Room. Her soaring vocals land perfectly in this effort that plays like an amazing weekend story. I say this because its lyrical content includes late nights, copious amounts of cannabis, and not worrying about him or the other girl he‘s with. Listening to this feels suspiciously like a personal set of experience that she [Candice] has lived through and put to song. Definitely worth a listen on those Fridays nights before you head out

SUGGESTIONS: “Smoker’s Room”, “WussaName”, “I Ain’t Leavin’”
RATING: 4.7 OF 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: Candice

LASHUN ELLIS - LaShun Ellis LP
Rapper LaShun Ellis (@LaShaunEllis) offers an intriguing sound profile on his self titled LaShun Ellis LP. Immediately I am hit by the high quality of his flow and his lyrical content. This isn't strictly a hip-hop mixtape but a cool sonic vibe with words to it. I think the thing that draws me in as that it feels almost like neo-soul sometimes with the production and moments in the delivery. I am put in mind in Common and this is a comparison certainly worth looking into.

SUGGESTIONS: “Psycho Star”, “Soul‘d Out”, “You  & Your Friends”
RATING: 4.5 OF 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: LaShun Ellis


FATKIDSBROTHA - Eastside Paradise 2
I like FatKidsBrotha( and their mixtape Eastside Paradise 2. This tape is eclectic and it isn’t for everyone. Personally, I like what I am listening to. There are moments when I listen to their production where I hear notes of 9th Wonder or The Neptunes. As a mixtape it is decent enough but I would have like a bit more personal storytelling. Aside from that one thing the flow is slow and melodic against each beat presented. It is a syrupy sort of sound that I cannot get enough of.

SUGGESTIONS: “Crooks”, “My Mind Only”, “Last Two Orgy”
RATING: 4.4 OF 5
DOWNLOAD HERE: FatKidsBrotha

General Reactions To Kanye West's "Bound 2" Video

Kanye West's latest video has been getting some harsh criticism as of late. One of my favorites is a letter to African-American erotica author Zane. Here is the letter:

Mama Zane, 

Please tell me you came across Kanye West's new "music" video "Bound 2" featuring his "lovely" fiance and mother of his child, Kim Kardashian! 

If you haven't, let me spare you ten minutes of gouging your eyes out with fucking fork!

In the video, it shows Kanye steering a motorcycle while Kim is straddling him BUCKY BALL ASS NAKED with only a shadow covering her naughty bits! Then, they simulate sex on the bike...horrible retirement-home sex at that!

Now, don't get me wrong. I love sex and sexual images and I'm far from a prude, but I've seen better dry humping under the bleachers of a homecoming game!

Check out the video and tell me what you think...after you vomit in your lap. I mean, I'd rather leap ass first into a pool of dildoes than watch that shit again! 

Has Kanye FINALLY lost it?
Has he gone too far?
Is Kim Kardashian ever going to realize that her destiny is to star in interracial porn?

Zane's response was equally hilarious.

Yikes!

MY RESPONSE: Never heard of it, but I watched the video and four things:

1. It has four times more thumbs down than thumbs up. Says a lot.
2. I am not feeling the song but I am not into his music anyway.
3. The horses at the beginning were beautiful and my favorite part of the video.
4. If they were going to do simulated sex scenes on a motorcycle, they should have hired me to do it or watched Zane's Sex Chronicles or Zane's The Jump Off on Cinemax to get some tips on how to shoot them. Neither one of them seemed even remotely aroused-LOL

The comments on the video itself aren't any better...

Used to be a big Kanye West fan, haven't listened to his music is years and can I just say I am absolutely astonished. This is garbage and quite frankly embarrassing. I understand different people have different taste in music but this is honestly a joke. Thumbs down. Wow.

Why the hell would Kim kardashian want to be in this Dumas video Kanye sit your black ass down you have nothing better to do but make Dumas videos like this your big " bound " neck ass sit down some damn where

It was like watching train wreck. You don't want to watch but can't look away. That was one of the worst songs and videos ever. It was almost embarrassing how bad it all was

But a few of these comments made me think...

so whether you do right or wrong people are always gonna have some shit to say ..thats life, u guys really think mr.west gives a fuck about what u think ..hell no , he still making money,and u still got a 9 to 5, 

look how kanye got you guys talkin? the views keep going up, the money keeps goin in his pocket. This guy just played every one of you. hate and love is one in the same, still means views and money for ye, smh. people dont understand, if you dont like someone, dont come and watch the video then, or comment, all this shit talking on here, is misplaced love for ye 

Kanye West is an admittedly polarizing figure in popular society. But with everything he does you have to wonder if he's intentionally making horrible music or doing all these things for attention. Only he knows, really.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Week of 11/17-11/23)

So it has been a while since I have blessed you all with five things from the world of entertainment that fit the title of old Clint Eastwood films. That being said I decided to dust off the segment and bring it live and direct to the Skidatel Newsletter. So without further ado, let’s jump into it.

1. Kanye West’s “Bound 2” music video-I think I was probably one of those people who got that lecture from their mother about saying nothing if you have nothing good to say. This time I may have to ignore that. This video is probably on the long list of Kanye confusions including his Michael Jackson-esque voice during his interview with Kris Jenner and that beef with Jimmy Kimmel. The video is basically a fully naked Kim Kardashian, Kanye,  sketchy shadow coverage, simulated sex, and a motorcycle. About the only thing that will make it bearable is the wild horses running in the beginning.
VERDICT: UGLY

2. Jhené Aiko’s Sail Out EP-The gorgeous Ms. Aiko’s been mostly doing hooks for rappers and building a fan base to amazing returns. Her EP Sail Out is a contributing force to that. In a word: amazing. An upcoming review will elucidate just how amazing the project is. With features from Childish Gambino, Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and Vince Staples it is a strong project.
VERDICT: GOOD

3. “Up Down”-I stated once that I love T-Pain, right? As such his latest single “Up Down” featuring B.o.B. has been hitting all the right notes for me. The video is even relevant to the song (please take notes, Kanye). It makes me excited for the upcoming album whenever it does come.
VERDICT: GOOD

4. New albums-2013 has been the year of one amazing project after another. There are too many artists to name but I have been hearing some of the greatest music ever this year but I will say Eminem's album is legit. Hopefully 2014 continues in the same vein.
VERDICT: GOOD

5. Kanye West-True, I slammed his video at the beginning but this needs to be said. I AM TIRED OF THIS DUDE. Genius though he may be (or may imagine himself to be) is a gift that is to be used to help this world. All he does is make odd music for the sake of odd music, impregnate celebutantes, and other acts of complete fuckery. Not so genius now, are you?
VERDICT: BAD