4/20 Classics

Last night I returned from a week in Paris just in time to enjoy some of the 4/20 celebration. I got so smoked out that I almost didn't finish writing this post.


In between all the shameless self promotion for my new album "Tha Audio Bully" (buy a copy) I've been traveling and listening to a lot of music. In honor of 4/20 (April 20th) I've put together a few of my favorite songs to smoke a bong too.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term. 4/20 is the international marijuana smoking holiday. The term was first used in the 70's by a group of guys who used to hang with the Grateful Dead. Rumor has it that during that era the police would use code: 420 to describe a person caught smoking weed. 

Once weed smokers learned what the police code meant, they began using the term as slang. By the 80's the Grateful Dead had done hundreds of tours the term was nationally known. By the 90's thanks to magazines like High Times the term 4/20 became internationally known and is now part of pop culture.

So to all my fellow cannabis enthusiasts and connoisseurs of fine music. Enjoy tunes from Redman, Method Man, Styles P, Devin The Dude, Snoop Dogg, Tyger Vinum, Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, The Luniz, Wiz Khalifa, and Too Short. Happy 4/20 and medicate responsibly.

Got Music

The title Got Music is a play on the old got milk advertisements which had every celebrity under the sun sporting a milk mustache.

Like the title says... the post below has a lot of music. There's new videos from Ludacris, Xzibit, Ice Cube, Lola Monroe, Loaded Lux, plus a podcast from DJ Modesty.

Loaded Lux is well known MC on the battle rap scene. He has been featured on numerous SMACK dvd's and is considered one of the top contenders for the crown. Aside from battling the kid can make songs, which is something many artists on the battle scene can't do successfully. The song "Santino" shows Lux is more than just a battle rapper.

Lola Monroe is an artist signed to Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang label. She's a talented MC but is often overlooked because she looks like a model. Truth is she was a model and video girl before Wiz took a chance on her and found out she has madd skills. 

If you don't know the rest of the veteran MC's in this post then you're reading the wrong blog!

There's also a podcast from my homie in France, DJ Modesty. He spins the Real Hip-Hop show and always plays dope tracks.  Modesty is a humble dude who has been spinning music for years. He cuts on the turntables better than a chef with a knife. If you want to hear some more of his podcasts click the link.

Album Reviews

There's some good music coming out in 2011 and the summers not even here yet. I never review music that I don't like, cuz I don't believe in giving bad press. If you're familiar with my previous posts you know how I grade music. If you're unfamiliar here's the scoop. I rate in a five star system 5 being the highest 1 the lowest.  

Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers **** (4.50)

Wiz Khalifa’s highly anticipated album Rolling Papers has been released. The Pittsburgh native had a stream of successful hits during 2010 that propelled him to stardom. Rolling Papers is a solid first release. Wiz carries most of the album himself, featuring only three collaborations off the 15 track LP. This was a smart decision cuz it shows Wiz is confident enough that he doesn’t need big names to co-sign him. It also allows listeners to hear more vocal range and lyrical diversity from the artist.

Pharoahe Monch - W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) **** (4.50)

Pharoahe Monch has been recognized as a lyrical giant since the 90’s. He came in the game spitting as half of the rap duo Organized Konfusion with Prince Po. Since then he has released three group projects, two solo albums and has been featured on numerous mixtapes. With his new album W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) Pharoah Monch trades barbs with other lyrical titans like Styles P, Jean Grae, Royce Da 5,9, Immortal Technique, and others. The album has enough heat that it can be played without having to skip through songs looking for the hot track.

 

Lupe Fiasco - Lasers *** (3.75)

Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore album Lasers is a solid politically charged project. The Chi-town native discusses a variety of topics from struggles in the industry "The Show Goes On" to the state of education and health care in the U.S. on "Words I never say" and "State Run Radio". He speaks his mind while balancing the music with pop influenced tracks that have mass appeal. I feel this album shows growth for the artist and is a tribute to his growing fan-base.

 

Joell Ortiz - Free Agent **** (4.25)

Joell Ortiz buzz has been growing steady since the release of his first project The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) in 2007. He spent a short stint on Dr. Dre's Aftermath label before moving on to release the project independently. Joell is 1/4 of Super Group Slaughterhouse who drop their highly anticipated EP entitled, Slaughterhouse in February. The Brooklyn rhyme spitter holds nothing back on the new project Free Agent. He sticks to the formula of spittin hardcore rhymes with witty punchlines over head nodding production.

 

Strong Arm Steady - Arms and Hammers *** (3.75)

Strong Arm Steady (S.A.S) has been climbing out the underground since 2000. The group became known for spitting gang related flows backed by front man Xzibit. He left to continue his solo career in 2006 and the trio of Phil Da Agony, Mitchy Slick, and Krondon have continued working hard to make S.A.S a household name. Over the years they have recorded many mixtapes and have distributed them all over the world.The new project Arms and Hammers is 12 tracks of heat. Standout tracks like "All The Brothers" and "When Darkness Falls" shows the group can spit about more topics than just Gang Bangin.

Remembering 2010

2011 Welcome to the New Year! Its a new year, new plans, and new ambitions. To start it off right I dedicate this post to remembering 2010 with a few highlights and failures.

Last year dance music took the U.S. by storm. Its always been big in Europe but now dance style music is being incorporated into most of the Hip-Hop and R&B released. 2010 also marked the "Death of auto-tune" only to have it return with a vengeance a few months later. Out of all the artists who use auto-tune T-Pain does it with style. Here are a few hot tracks from last year by artists MF Grimm, Brotha Lynch Hung, Wu-Tang Clan, and Wiz Khalifa.

In 2010 was the attack on Wikileaks a non-profit organization that reports news for the people by the people, and its founder Julian Assange. It also documented the privatization of the military and the rise of Black Water mercenaries being deployed in the U.S. and Iraq. Black Water has been termed the secret police working from the shadows to spread terror democracy throughout the Middle-East. Check out the clip below.

Finally, there were technological advancements in cell phones, medicine, aviation, and space exploration. Below are a few notable advancements in 2010.

New Muzik

There's allot of new music out right now...most of its garbage, lets be real. In between the piles of audio trash I found a few joints that had the key components of what I call "New Muzik." The song has a strong beat, good lyrics, catchy chorus and most importantly. The artists image and appearance is congruent to whatever he's relaying in the song. 

In simple terms, making the subject matter believable. An example is, if you got a rapper saying he's pushing mad weight and did three felony bids in the song. BUT when you see them in clips or in magazines there image and demeanor is that of a school kid with no record. The music isn't believable and usually you can hear it.

With that said here is some new music from new and established artists worth checking out. Wiz Khalifa, Redman, Global, Mysonne, and Hopsin.