The (W) - Rap & Hip-Hop Music Reviews, News & Interviews ...

If you missed any of the new reviews including Kool Keith's "Love & Danger" then do yourself a favor and check out this week's edition of the (W)rap Up!Kool Keith :: Love & Danger
Junkadelic Music
Author: Steve 'Flash' Juon

"When listening to the second track of Kool Keith's brand new album "Love & Danger" entitled "You Love That," it's entirely open to interpretation if Keith is celebrating oversized women who love to eat or mocking their obesity. Needless to say, not every rapper will come to a woman by saying "I'll lace you with that Dannon yogurt." If you expect clearer explanations of what's going on, then you should know right now you've got the wrong rapper. Keith Thornton remains as inscrutable in 2012 as ever. In a career that now spans four different decades, he's been lyrically ahead of his time and a sex obsssed pervert, exhibited multiple personality disorder, and even been incomprehensibly whack at times - but never boring or average. Kool Keith is probably the only person in hip-hop who can get away with the line "Can I have my own autograraph pleeeeease?" in a song like "New York" and have it make perfect sense. On any given day, he may not even know who he is, which is his gift to hip-hop. Make no mistake though, his is a carefully calculated madness with a specific method behind it.DJ Junkaz Lou falls into that rare category of producers who could give Keith a diamond clarity lens to focus his laser beam raps through. Keith is often his own worst enemy, as his self-made audio experiments are often insufferable noise, over which he delivers songs lacking in any recognizeable structure."

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06F_loveanddanger.html

Big K.R.I.T. :: Live From the Underground :: Def Jam
as reviewed by Emanuel Wallace

"Reading those lines from 2005 now almost seems prophetic, but that was the attitude that Big K.R.I.T. has always seemed to inject into his music. Most of the world, self included, didn't really take notice of him until 2010's "K.R.I.T. Wuz Here," but Krizzle was doing his thing way before then. Years prior, K.R.I.T. dared the world to picture him being a success with his "See Me On Top" and "See Me On Top II" mixtapes. It was a pretty lofty goal, being that Justin Scott was only 18 years old at the time, but he remained focused. Back then, K.R.I.T. was still developing his voice and the sounds of others that certainly influenced him could be heard in his flow. Southern legends like T.I., Juicy J, MJG and even a bit of Pastor Troy definitely appear to have left their mark on the younger BK, as he then sometimes would call himself. On the production side, Kritikal was the name and the beats weren't always as soulful as they can be now. On the other hand, many of his beats had a Hypnotized Minds feel to them, so there were always glimmers of his potential. For example, "Just Touched Down" first appeared on "See Me On Top II" before undergoing several tweaks both lyric and production-wise before the release of "K.R.I.T. Wuz Here." With that release, the internet world began buzzing about a dude from Mississippi that wasn't David Banner and sounded a hell of a lot like Pimp C. I usually don't feed into hype but on a whim, I decided to give the project a listen. Honestly, initially I gave K.R.I.T. a chance because of where exactly in Mississippi he was from. Meridian is not far from the state line at all and I have family on the other side of that line over in Alabama. When I visit down there, we go to Meridian to do our shopping at the Bonita Lakes Mall. I've taken photos at the Bonita Lakes Park. Very nice place."

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06_livefromtheunderground.html

various artists :: Hip Hop Mix USA (Mixed by DJ Woogie) :: Phase One Music
as reviewed by Steve 'Flash' Juon

"It's time for a summer mix - the weather is getting hella hot, the line to get ice cream is getting long, and the pools are packed full of teenagers as the opening night of The Hunger Games. People need some party tunes they can get their dance moves on to, and "Hip Hop Mix USA (Mixed by DJ Woogie)" aims to be your summer lick of chocolate, vanilla or swirl. It's fifteen songs made for the dance floor, and if you buy the physical version of this album it even comes with an instructional DVD showing you how to do the dances some of these songs made famous. Let's stop daydreaming like Rae, Meth, Cap and Ghost though and come back for two scoops in a minute - there's some actual factuals to get through about this mix. There are 15 songs in total, and even though you can chapter your way to individual hits if you like, it's presented as one continous mix you can play from start to finish at your dance party/social gathering. The woman showing off her curves and moves on the cover may not be PG, but the mix itself is - no advisory sticker and no explicit versions of the songs on hurr. For these tracks the lyrics are somewhat secondary to the beat and dance anyway though. You might know the difference between the two versions of "Teach Me How to Dougie," but I guarantee if you're getting your D-Town boogie on, it doesn't matter. "

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06_hiphopmixusa.html

58Beats presents :: Wor(l)d Connects Vol. 1 :: 58Beats/Groove Attack
as reviewed by Matt Jost

"Yeah so technically this is billed to 58Beats, but effectively "Wor(l)d Connects Vol. 1" is somewhat of a follow-up to Glam's "Laceration," which we covered in 2007. As 58Beats' in-house producer he crafted all the tracks on the label's latest release. The difference is that this time around the global connections were established through Urban Vibes, a concert series taking place in Munich since 2006 that aims to showcase urban music from all four corners of the world. Urban Vibes is an official event held under the auspices of the city, more precisely Munich's Department of Arts and Culture, sub-sections Cultural Education/International Relations/Urban Cultures. Glam and crew stick to hip-hop, but they demonstrate diversity on plenty levels. Senegalese rap veterans are featured back to back on track one and two. With someone chatting in patois over a funky, bouncy beat, "Who We Are" could be mistaken for a Kardinal Offishall track first, but the French and German raps that follow mean that Dakar's Pee Froisss are joined by David Pe, rapper for Glam's group Main Concept. Characterizing his vocabulary as regional yet his language as global, David Pe affirms that the whole 58Beats posse can get behind a project like this. "

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06_worldconnectsvol1.html

Clams Casino :: Instrumental Mixtape 2 :: {self-released}
as reviewed by Patrick Taylor

"There are two divergent trends in hip-hop production these days. On the one hand you have producers getting noisier and noisier. Death Grips, El-P, and Bigg Jus have all put out albums in the past few months that sound a little bit like a robot getting into a fight with a laundry machine and electric guitar. These artists are making beats that are chaotic and cacophonous, as soothing as a root canal and as peaceful as an explosion. On the other hand, you have artists like Blue Sky Black Death and Clams Casino who are making music that has more in common with ambient electronica than funk or jazz. Clams Casino has made a name for himself as the go-to producer for Lil B and A$ap Rocky. He has just released his second instrumental mixtape. Volume 2 sees Clams Casino continuing to build on and expand the sounds he worked with on his first instrumental mixtape. There are lots of ethereal synths and re-worked female vocals. He combines these elements with banging bass, skittering hi-hats, and snapping snares. It's Dirty South mixed with Bristol trip-hop, and it works as well here as it did on the first installment. It's not all mellow, however. He mixes things up on Squadda B's "Kissing on My Syrup," which has pulsing synths and driving snares. "Palace" is about as close to Lex Luger as Clams Casino is going to get, adding a vocal chorus to make music that is both bombastic and pretty. "Bass" trades on staccato synth bursts, and "Angels" combines blown-out bass and a woman's voice to create a beat that is both peaceful and energetic."

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06_clamsmixtape2.html

Jesse Abraham & PremRock :: Live at Southpaw :: DJ Booth
as reviewed by Steve 'Flash' Juon

"Jesse Abraham and PremRock got together for a live set in August of 2011, and as so often happens at live concerts, someone there in the venue was recording the show. Thankfully in this case it didn't turn wind up as a poor quality bootleg of a bootleg sold secondhand on eBay. Abraham and Prem set up their OWN recording equipment. "Live at Southpaw" captured the sound of the live raps so clearly it could almost be mistaken for an in-studio recording session. Wait - is that necessarily a good thing? I'm certainly not praising the audio quality of a third generation concert bootleg, but by the same token if you're going to capture what it means to be "live" it has to sound a little dirty. On "JA Medley" they have to encourage the audience to make MORE noise just so you can get the feeling there's somebody in the room with them. The audio sounds slightly distorted by the microphones and amplifiers, but in 2012 we know it's possible to create that effect in the studio, as numerous Beastie Boys albums have shown us over the years. (R.I.P. Adam Yauch.) Sometimes it's the belching of drunk audience members, random haters yelling shit at the stage, and miscues as the performer misses a word or a beat that helps you grab that "live" sound by the throat. By the end of the "JA Medley" they do get that right, as Abraham does his own live cover of the OutKast classic "Bombs Over Baghdad." You can hear that a FEW members of the audience got that it was a call and response song, but the volume of silence as most of them don't sing along with the chorus is almost deafening. That's a live show - when you try something as an experiment and it doesn't work, but nevertheless you suck it up and continue for the packed venue."

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06_liveatsouthpaw.html

Koolade :: Koolade Beats Rocky :: Blackout Entertainment
as reviewed by Steve 'Flash' Juon

"Even if the name "Rocky" wasn't in the title of this album, the lyrics of the above track would have hipped you to the fact this Koolade album is all the way live to 2-1-5. There's an interesting twist to this Phillie Blunt though. As Maylay notes in the opening to "Philly Morning" this album is "all world, West Philly to Zagreb [...] even out in Croatia they feel this shit." Say word? Word son, because that's where Koolade comes from. The man behind some of your favorite songs from Masta Ace, Styles P and Ghostface Killah hails from the biggest little country in Europe, a land of proud people with big balls who drink Oujsko beer and sing about how their soldiers once marched all the way to Paris. The next time you have to put on a three piece suit for a classy function, you can thank them for introducing Parisyans to the style of wearing neckties. (I learned all this from an episode of Zane Lamprey's "Three Sheets.") Getting back on track though, Koolade has decided for the first time in 15 years to create an album of his own, and in keeping with that length, he's created a 15 song release that's styled after the 15 rounds that Rocky Balboa boxes in his title fights on the Hollywood screen. As you'd expect the instrumentals of Bill Conti factor heavily into this CD, which may in part be why this album was given away as a free download. Somehow though I lucked into a hard copy of the album though, and even though it only came in a CD sleeve, it has a professionally printed insert and disc artwork. If it weren't for the high cost of clearing these samples, you'd probably find this one at retail stores somewhere near you. "

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06_kooladebeatsrocky.html

Stretch Money :: 25 Miles Per Hour :: Hot Lava Records
as reviewed by Mike Baber

"Like many underground rappers today, Stretch Money sees a problem with the current state of mainstream hip-hop. After growing up listening to legends such as Biggie, Nas, and Tupac, Stretch reminisces on the days when hip-hop had "substance" and attempts to steer it back in the right direction with his sophomore album "25 Miles Per Hour," inspired by both his love for the music and his struggles growing up in a single-parent household in Detroit. Of course, while this sounds good in theory, it takes more than just grit and determination to make it in hip-hop, and while it is evident that Stretch Money possesses both these qualities, absent from his latest release is the lyrical prowess and complexity ? the substance ? that is necessary to warrant significant replay value. The lyrical shortcomings are evident from the opening track, "Work of Art," as Stretch Money gives the listener a window into his personal life and his career trying to make it in the rap game, voicing his frustration with the hardships he encounters along the way. While Stretch succeeds in getting his message across, the lyrics are very straightforward and lack the clever wordplay or intricate rhyme scheme necessary to set him apart from any number of similarly situated artists with the same story."

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2012_06_25milesperhour.html

Read 92 times:: Subscribe to News by Email

brandi glanville convulsions john tyler chuck elisabeth hasselbeck fran drescher scarlett o hara