Extry, extry, read all about it… here.

It’s been three years now, and my monthly hip-hop column for Lostatsea.net has reached its 150th installment. Read it all here.

Check out my latest edition of my monthly hip-hop roundup, Glaciers of Ice, for Lostatsea.net.

My latest hip-hop roundup for Lostatsea.net is up now, the March edition of Glaciers of Ice. Read it here.

Find out what’s going on in the world of hip-hop right here, in my new Glaciers of Ice column.

It’s almost the end of the year, and that means the last installment of Glaciers of Ice for 2009. Read all about the best (and worst) hip-hop releases of November and December right here.

It’s a new month, let’s see what those hip-hop rascals are up to. Read my latest Glaciers of Ice column for Lostatsea.net here.

My new column for Lost at Sea is up now. Click the link or read below.

Better late than never… September edition of Glaciers of Ice, here we go:

Bay Area native D-Lo certainly seems to be having a good time on his new album, The Tonite Show (Clear Label). From the opening talk show strains on, D-Lo’s comical vocal inflections and partner DJ Fresh’s space-age gangster beats take center stage, drawing comparisons with the likes of E-40 and Mistah F.A.B. (who appears on the track “18”). But D-Lo proves his worth here, and even outshines his guests, on tracks like the Eric B and Rakim-sampling “Pump Up the Volume” or the drawling “Mobbin’.”

Gnawledge Doaba (Gnawledge Records) is the new album from producer Canyon Cody, the result of a Fullbright scholarship that sent him and compatriot Gnotes to Granada, Spain for a year. While there, the two fully immersed themselves in Arabic and Flamenco music, absorbing the culture and lifestyle and churning out beats and rhythms in their studio with a bunch of Spanish musicians. While culturally rich and musically diverse, the album does tend to lean a bit towards adult contemporary downtempo in its style. Some may cry foul at disparaging a project such as this, given its high-minded pedigree. But concept aside, the music sometimes fails to pack a punch.

The sampler for Jahdan Blakkamoore’s new album, Buzzrock Warrior (Gold Dust), better be a good representation of the full-length, damn it (I hate samplers!!!!). Let’s assume it is, and if so, let’s tentatively label it a good album. Matt Shadetek and DJ/Rupture handle the electro-Caribbean production, among several others, against which Jahdan’s Jamaican patois rapping style sounds lively and nice. This is definitely not straight hip-hop; this is dancehall, dub, r’n’b, and techno, and more. Sure, there’s a little Autotune involved, but songs like the softly crooned “Come With Me” forgive clichéd little tricks like that.

LA’s Breakestra have returned with a new album on Strut Records, Dusk ‘Til Dawn. This mixture of soul, funk, and jazz is a tribute to DJ Dusk, an LA fixture in the hip-hop scene who tragically lost his life in a road accident in 2007. “Music Man” Miles Tackett is the mastermind here, along with a slew of musicians from various other bands, including Plantlife and Dakah. This is not neo-soul or bass-heavy Soulquarians-style funk. This is early James Brown, Stax Records, funky drummer, big band dance music. Dig it.

Seattle MC D.Black releases his new album this month, Ali’Yah (Sportn’ Life/MYX Music). The album’s title, as explained in the CD insert, is a Hebrew word meaning “immigration to Israel” or “the honor of being called upon to read from the Torah.” Apparently, D.Black is sort of an African American Jew – according to his press release, he is a “firm believer in the Messianic Hebrew roots of Christianity and currently runs his own ministry.” As dogmatic as that may sound, he has managed to make a lively, banging album, full of crisp, funky beats over which he raps in a Talib Kweli-like rasp. NW hip-hop scores again.

Way to ruin the classics, Suburban Noize. Blast From tha Past is a new compilation from the geniuses who brought you Kottonmouth Kingz and Big B, among others. Here, we find the aforementioned KK covering the Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere,” DGAF covering Tupac and Snoop’s “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” and a bunch of other guys covering NWA’s “Fuck Tha Police.” All the participants actually keep it pretty close to the originals, adding that signature rap-rock roughness that you either love or you hate. This is probably the best release I’ve heard from Suburban Noize, but I won’t be adding it to my iPod.

As of this writing, I’m giving the much anticipated new Raekwon album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part II (Ice H2O Records), a first listen. Poppa Wu shows up on the first track, shades of the most annoying parts of Wu-Tang Forever. That is quickly dispelled when “House of Flying Daggers” begins, featuring Deck, Ghost, and Meth. But I can already tell this isn’t gonna be close to the original Cuban Linx. Maybe technology has advanced too much, maybe the RZA needs to be a part of these projects more, maybe less… Whatever the reason, I’m gonna bitch about the days of yore. But let’s not despair. This album is eons better than anything Rae has been involved in over the past few years, and “Sonny’s Missing” matches the best Ghost crime narrative. “New Wu” isn’t even that new anymore, after being leaked a few months ago, but it still sounds better than anything on 8 Diagrams. I mean, this actually sounds like something off of a solo album circa ’95. And Ghost is all over the album, another good sign. Sure, Jadakiss talks about how the economy is down on “Broken Safety,” but Ghost just screamed something about bringing the troops home from Iraq on “Cold Outside,” and it really made sense.

That’s all for now, so until next month… e-mail with thoughts and insults, and send me yer shit! I’ll listen to it. Glaciers is ghost like Casper.

My August edition of Glaciers of Ice, a monthly hip-hop roundup, is running today right here. Read it now. (Full text below).

RIP Baatin! The Slum Village member was found dead at his home this week. The cause of death is unknown at this time, though the medical examiner has apparently ruled out foul play. Baatin had recently rejoined SV, bringing his nasal and eloquent flow back to the heralded group. We’ll miss you.
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Dynamics Plus is kind of a nerd. On his albums C.H.A.O.S. Legions I and II, the MC/ producer has created a World of Warcraft-style hip-hop scenario, or something right out of 300. Tales of Roman battlefields and futuristic Centurions are spun over big and sometimes eerie beats. This is D&D rap for role players. But even at its most serious, it seems clear that Dynamics is having fun with the characters he is creating. Besides, horrorcore is so early ’90s – the future is RPG-core.
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La Coka Nostra is a super-group consisting of a bunch of three angry white rappers and one angry, rock-influenced white DJ – Everlast, Danny Boy (former members of House of Pain), Ill Bill (via Non Phixion), Slaine, and Lethal (also House of Pain). And anger is indeed the tone on much of the album. Even the soft guitars of the Everlast-produced “The Stain,” which starts out as a throatily-crooned ballad, erupt into hard-rocking tension. The best moments come on songs like “Bang Bang,” a more straight hip-hop number buoyed by Snoop Dogg’s presence. Unfortunately, the album misses the mark repeatedly with its attempts to combine cheesy rock and mediocre hip-hop.
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UK MC Juice Aleem has released one of the summer’s most eclectic and interesting hip-hop albums. Jerusalaam Come (Big Dada) combines reggae, dub, electro, and hip-hop (not necessarily in that order), creating the best mash-up of Caribbean and old-school NYC styles since Roots Manuva’s Run Come Save Me. The album’s opening track, “First Lesson,” finds Aleem rapping and scatting over a stuttering, staccato bassline, infusing the proceeding songs with a burst of creative energy. “Rock My Hologram” is weird, warped futuristic phaser sounds, while “U4Mi” is softer, almost r’n’b-style rap. But however he cuts it, Aleem succeeds.
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Two new releases, courtesy of E1 Entertainment, arrived last month from the wonderfully off-kilter soul and hip-hop power couple, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins. Muldrow has been getting a bit more notice recently – she guest-appeared on Erykah Badu and Mos Def’s new solo albums. With her second solo release, Umsindo, she proves her creative mettle and earns her kudos, although songs do tend to blend into each other in terms of pace and sound. Still, Muldrow’s funky production and beautiful voice (and capable rhyming, when she is so inclined) make this album shine. Perkins, on the other hand, focuses much more on rhyming than singing. Muldrow handles the production here, and the beats all consist of her signature slinky, writhing funk. Since his days recording with The Alkoholiks and Madlib, Perkins has provided one of the most unique voices to come out of Southern California, a trend that continues on Holy Smokes.
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Remember Us3? In 1993, they burst onto the jazz-hip-hop fusion scene with Cantaloop, and then promptly sank back into obscurity. If “Flip Fantasia” still rings a bell, you may be interested in checking out their new self-released album, Stop.Think.Run. Producer Geoff Wilkinson is joined by a couple of young New York MC’s, Brook Yung and Sene, as he attempts to update his Jazzmatazz-style sound. It works nicely, but to be honest, this kind of jazzy hip-hop isn’t all that interesting anymore.
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Finally, famed producer James Poyser has a new album out with his new project, The Rebel Yell, a collaboration with Khari Ferrari, called Love & War (Rapster). The press release calls it “misfit r’n’b,” and this might actually be a good description. Rapper Dice Raw (of The Roots), and singers Nikki Jean and Domini Quinn SupaStar join Poysner on this electro and house-tinged effort, full of fast-paced beats and sweeping synths.
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That’s all for now, so until next month… e-mail with thoughts and insults, and send me yer shit! I’ll listen to it. Glaciers is ghost like Casper.