Just another Ski Beatz track is straight fire. From the forthcoming 24 Hour Karate School, it’s Cream Of The Planet featuring the mighty Mos Def. What more needs to be said but this is the type of beat that fits Mos like a glove. A simple beat, some jazz samples and let Mos get to work and work is exactly what he does here. This sounds better than anything he did on The Ecstatic and it bodes well for 24 Hour Karate School. Needless to say, that record is a must-own for any die-hard hip hop fan. Recommended.
It’s been a while since there’s been a truly brilliant ensemble hip-hop collaboration that completely knocked me off my chair. A song that featured a killer beat and verses delivered with such ferocity and genuine skill that it reminds you how vital hip hop is and will be when the passion is there. Thanks to the guys over at 2DopeBoyz, I’d like to submit for your approval, a new track by North Carolina production maestro Ski Beatz taken from his latest project, 24 Hour Karate School, called Prowler 2 is one of those tracks. I’m loving the hard rock samples especially the cheesy 80s style guitar featured here.
What drives this track home are the verses served by four of the “who’s who” in underground rap. Jean Grae leads off, goes off and then goes in on her verse with a rapid-fire attack on the mic reminding us how truly underappreciated she is in the rap game. Next up is Jay Electronica. More laid back in his flow than Jean Grae but no less potent. As I stated in a previous post, the man is one to watch. His talents as a lyricist and a spitter show through in every single track I’ve ever hear from him in the last couple of year. I look forward to more people hearing him in the very near future. Next up is Joell Ortiz, another underground dynamo whose time shall come as well. His verse is the one that makes me crack up every time I listen to Prowler 2 simply because of his references to Mortal Kombat & Street Fighter 2. Can’t really do it better than that. Last and certainly no least is the icon himself, Mos Def, who ends this wonderful ride as only he can.
“Livin’ off borrowed time, the clock tick faster
That’d be the hour they knock the slick blaster
Dick Dastardly and Muttley with sick laughter
A gun fight and they come to cut the mixmaster
I-C-E cold, nice to be old
Y2G steed twice to threefold
He sold scrolls, lo and behold
Know who’s the illest ever like the greatest story told”
My love for MF Doom knows no bounds and his work with Madlib on 2004’s Madvillainy record is the stuff of peerless brilliance. One of my favourite tracks from the record is also one of the most brief on the record called Accordian. It’s evidence of what made the record so wonderful. The synergy between Madlib’s golden touch at the controls and Doom’s clever wordplay.
Currently Doom is on tour and he brought along none other than Mos Def to get the party started. Thanks to the heads-up by the wonderful folks at URB.com, we have the mighty Mos treating an unsuspecting Chicago crowd with his rendition of Accordian. Mos Def does a great job and the crowd was definitely amped and having it!
Now that Damon Albarn got his Blur itch out of the way, he’s back to making more money with his Gorillaz with Jamie Hewlett. Don’t get me wrong. You won’t find many bigger Blur fans than yours truly but that facts are facts. Alas after years of trying to break the US market,the only consolation prize for their efforts would come via an ironic twist of fate in Song 2. A song where an attempt to parody Nirvana becomes a staple in America stadiums, ballparks and arenas everywhere. So. not. fair.
Keeping with the point of this post, let’s get back to Gorillaz. Easily the best and most lovable “fictional” band going, the brainchild of Alabrn/Hewlett has simply gotten better and better with each release. The 2001 self-titled debut had a ton of promise and boasted a huge hit in Clint Eastwood. 2005’s Demon Days revealed a much deeper and darker direction that resulted in a much more satisfying listen which featured a couple of more hit singles in Feel Good, Inc. and DARE. Both songs seemingly ruled the indie discos and blogs for a good year and a half.
Now we come to the release of the third record Plastic Beach due out 8 March. I don’t think it’s possible to expect anything less than another sterling effort. Judging by the caliber of the collab0rators involved this time around, it’s fair to suspect that Damon Albarn is definitely going for broke in securing the US mainstream success he’s long sought. Lead single Stylo, featuring renaissance man Mos Def and R&B legend, Bobby Womack on vox, is a song that could very well help him get his wish.
Here is the tracklisting:
‘Orchestral Intro’
‘Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach’ (feat. Snoop Dogg)
‘White Flag (feat. Kano & Bashy)
‘Rhinestone Eyes’
‘Stylo’ (feat. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)
‘Superfast Jellyfish’ (feat. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)
‘Empire Ants’ (feat. Little Dragon)
‘Glitter Freeze’ (feat. Mark E Smith)
‘Some Kind Of Nature’ (feat. Lou Reed)
‘On Melancholy Hill’
‘Broken’
‘Sweepstakes’ (feat. Mos Def & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
‘Plastic Beach’ (feat. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon)
‘To Binge’ (feat. Little Dragon)
‘Cloud Of Unknowing’ (feat. Bobby Womack)
‘Pirate Jet’
It’s about that time once again, Suede-heads! Another year has passed and I’m going to share my favourite records of the year that just passed us by. 2008 was a wonderful year and put a halt to the overwhelming mediocrity and crapitude we had been subjected to in recent years. 2009 upped the ante by introducing us to some note-worthy new artists and some brilliant returns to form from a veteran or two. With that said…
Never mind the bollocks, here’s Billy Suede’s best of 2009. Part one!
20. Little Boots. Hands. (679)
2009 brought the debut by Miss Victoia Hesketh better known as Little Boots, the pixie beauty who showed the world that pop music isn’t the realm of the likes of Lady Gaga alone. While we’re still waiting for the official release of Hands stateside by Atlantic, those of us who bought the import, LEGALLY downloaded it or or…got it off the torrents (Shame on you!) were treated to some of the best pure pop gems of the year. Lady Gaga might have had the mainstream, Jersey Shore crowd but Little Boots had the blogosphere on its knees. Truly an artist to keep an eye on for the next decade, to be sure.
19. Raekwon . Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Part 2. (ICEH2O/EMI)
While everyone and their mother was singing the praises of Jay-Z’s trimuphant return to the charts with The Blueprint 3, Another luminary in NY hip-hop was releasing a better record on the same day. Raekwon of the almight Wu Tang Clan came out of hiding and released his fourth solo record and the long awaited sequel to 1994’s Only Built For Cuban Linx. Needless to say, there’s nary a bad track on here. As is normally the case with any record from a Wu-Tang Clan member, there are appearances by fellow members throughout. What puts this record on this list is the lyricism and the storytelling that Raekwon displays here. No matter how many producers had their turn manning the boards, there is a consistency throughout that is rare in hip-hop right now. Another shining example to prove that if you’re looking for real hip-hop, it’s not on the radio. It’s in the streets of New York.
18. Franz Ferdinand. Tonight. (Domino/Epic)
It must be said. I am indeed a fanboy of the Franz. It also must be said of their second record,2005’s You Could Have It So Much Better which should have been retitled This Could Have Been So Much Better that aside from a couple of songs, the record as a whole was a disappointment compared to their sterling debut. The band returned with a vengeance in 2009 with a smart and tidy record that brought back the groove, added with some synthetic ornamentation and cut back on the balladry which is not the band’s strength. While the record didn’t get the love that the band had enjoyed in the past, be assured that Tonight was proof positive that the Franz is not going anywhere.
17. Filthy Dukes. Nonsense In The Dark. (Polydor)
Another solid debut from the indie dance world. The Dukes had been making waves for quite a while through the blogosphere with hot tracks like This Rhythm (featured above), Messages and Tupac Robot Club Rock. Much like the Raekwon record, this album is one of there are many movable parts. In this case, virtually each song is given a different personality as there are different vocalists throughout. The record doesn’t suffer a bit for it. It’s an adrenaline boost from the get-go and one of the few dance records that can also be looked as a pop record and we haven’t had one of those in quite a while. A shame they don’t have a US deal as yet. Hopefully 2010 will be the year the Dukes gets some shine. Hey, at least Kanye likes them!
16. The Temper Trap. Conditions. (Glassnote)
A simply beautiful record. A debut record from a band that certainly has the talent that break through in the very near future. Dramatic. Melodic. Tunes. While the son this record are most certainly singles Sweet Disposition & The Science of Fear, the band has written a solid record that they can be proud of. Another record that while it did well in the UK with the NME crowd as well as the band’s native Australia, the record really didn’t bother the US at all. While disappointing to the band, I’m sure, I’ve got a feeling The Temper Trap will find their way high on the Billboard charts very soon.
15. Editors. In This Light And On This Evening. (Kitchenware/The FADER Label)
The record comes out Stateside early this year but it came out everywhere else in 2009 so it counts! What counts even more is the about-face the band underwent for album number three. Gone is the refined dark post-punk sound of the 2005 debut The Back Room. Tossed aside was the Coldplay tinged arena-rock lite that was 2007’s An End Has A Start. 2009 found the band showing off their love for Blade Runner and the synth! The anthems are still present as is Tom Smith’s stentorian baritone but the use of synths add another element to the band’s repertoire. In some respects, the album is even darker than the debut. While that may scare some fans of their earlier work away, it may also be the reset button the band needed in order to move forward. Anyone who still thinks they sound like Interpol is getting smacked.
14. Mos Def. The Ecstatic. (Downtown)
Before he became a likeable and acclaimed actor, Mos Def was a rapper. A very good one with respect coming from backpackers and the mainstream crowd alike. To date, his 1999 Black Star collaboration with fellow great, Talib Kweli is still the stuff of legend and the template from which today’s underground hip-hop scene draws inspiration from. While his own records do tend to be a bit on the spotty side, no one can utter a negative word on his 2009 opus, The Ecstatic.
Quite possibly, Mos’ most complete work, period. He shows his diverse influences yet again from a little bit of rock, a little bit of Afrobeat…all the while bringing the lyrical force that we come to expect from the man formerly known as Dante Smith-Bey. It’s pleasing to see that while he got the normal shine from the underground circles, Mos’ work was appreciated by the public at large with the record debuting at number 9 on the Billboard charts and garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Record….if you follow that sort of thing, of course.
13. Muse. The Resistance. (Warner Brothers)
Muse has been on the precipice of greatness for a while now. Personally I felt 2006’s Black Holes And Revelations was a slight come down from the band’s high water mark, 2004’s Absolution due to the band’s experimenting a bit more but leaving the urgency of the songs behind. 2009 found the band revving up their political juices and sounding as angry as ever. While political in scope and still embracing the progressive rock sound the band has been delving into more and more with each record, The Resistance is also arguably the bend’s commerical sounding record yet as evidenced by the glam-stomp vibe featured above in leadoff single Uprising. A great band just got even better in 2009. Ten years in and the band is well on their way to becoming an all-timer.
12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It’s Blitz. (Interscope)
Three albums in and NYC’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs have evolved quite nicely over the years. A sparkling, frenetic debut in 2003’s Fever To Tell which spawned the mega-hit in Maps, there was a let-down of sorts as the band veered in lie alt-country with 2006’s Show Your Bones. In 2009, the band came back with a kick in their step and an infusion of synths to augment their sound. It worked like a charm as evidenced by the two lead-off singles Zero and Heads Will Roll. The band finally got their balance right between the rockier pieces, the softer ballads and the more accessible work. Karen O found his footing and the band find themselves as quite possibly the heir apparent to the Pretenders. Always on point, never boring with a beast of a frontwoman leading the way.
11. Hatcham Social. You Dig The Tunnel, I’ll Hide The Soil. (TBD)
A debut record that really came in under the radar in 2009 but it’s my hope that the band will not continue to reside in their current underrated status for much longer. Hatcham Social, a band long championed by the likes of Faris Badwan of the Horrors and Tim Burgress of the Charlatans made their album debut in 2009 after releasing some quality singles beforehand. Their sound is reminscent of the seminal bands one would have heard released from the Kitchenware and Postcard labels in the early 80s like Josef K and Orange Juice but doesn’t lack any of their charm or immediacy. The record is simply a joy to listen to and displays a brilliant future for the band.
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