You never have that moment where you think you've heard everything from an artist and then stumble upon some old new shit? Yeah, that just happened to me. Ok yesterday, but I'm just now getting around to it. THE LOX FTW a-HA! (Jadakiss laugh)

Thoughts on Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito

   So I'm listening to one of the latest episodes of 'Juan Epstein', lovingly known as "Juan Ep" by major fans such as myself, and the guests of honor were Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Gracia. Lovingly known themselves as "Stretch & Bobbito" from the actually (no shots to Sway) world-famous radio show of the same name, they spent the next TWO (!) hours nerding-out with Pete Rosenberg and Cipha Sounds and talking about everything and anything related to that amazing era of hip-hop in the 1990's. They were there to promote the new documentary Bobbito directed called "Radio That Changed Lives", which I can't comment on since I still have yet to see it. (I know, I know...*shame emoji*) I purchased it last night, as my stoner ass spaced on the release date back in late October. ANYWAYS. Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito. Juan Ep. It was an amazing 2 hours. They talked about ALL the shit only dedicated hip-hop nerds would salivate over. Pure nerd glory, as most all Juan Epstein episodes are.
    It all started on Limewire. Well, Napster. THEN Limewire. That's where I, and countless thousands, if not HUNDREDS of thousands of hip-hop heads discovered 'Stretch & Bobbito'. I think the first audio from the show that I ever heard was that legendary "Jay-Z & Big L 7-Minute Freestyle" we all know and love. The piano loop is already playing in my head as I type this, with a smile forming on my face thinking about that specific track as well as those early days in general. I listened to as many episodes as I could back then - risking viruses and damaged computer memory but fuck it - that shit was audio gold as far as I was concerned. Not that I was starving for classic hip-hop radio material here in  Northern Cali - we've had The World Famous Wake-Up Show from day one. And Sway & King Tech get eternal props and endless respect for that groundbreaking show - but  they were on KMEL and had to play by their rules. If you wanted to hear raw, un-cut NY artists and underground in it's purest form - Stretch & Bobbito were the answer. They hit the airwaves on WKCR college radio - Stretch mentioned on Juan Ep that they didn't even ATTEND the college nor alumni either - which meant the freedom to do whatever the fuck. Which meant playing super backpacker material 24/7 and somewhat-talking to artists in between cuts - but more like a "just chilling" vibe and conversations instead of a straight-forward interview.  Stretch & Bob will be the first to tell you that the early days were kinda rough. Mistakes were made. And NOBODY CARED. God bless college radio for that. It was like listening to your homie's 2am-3am slot on the university airwaves - but he had all these heavy hitters coming through to launch new material and promote whatever instead.
   I still have yet to fully comprehend the spectrum of influence both men and their little radio show had on my listening tastes as well as everyone's else. Unfortunately, like most all famous radio shows, the episodes available for listening to the general public is slim. Thank GOD for Youtube - some episodes have made their way onto the site and many other have in the past (before quickly being shut-down and served papers by the label's lawyers) because at it's heart a radio show is meant to promote OTHER people's property. Indeed, the ad-libs and commentary between Stretch & Bobbito and them with the artists is their intellectual property. But most all of the tracks aren't. Hopefully, over time, I'll be able to gather together a hodgepodge of the entire run of Stretch & Bobbito. Kind of like what Questlove does with old Soul Train episodes. But for now, 'Stretch & Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives' will have to suffice. Time to go grab some grub, roll a blunt, and throw on the documentary. Long live independent hip-hop radio!

Genuine...The Bachelor is 100% G

 

 Ginuwine is exactly that - the real article. The, ahem, gen-u-ine article. I guess "The Real McCoy" was too white-sounding for listener's ears. And he had the majority of them playing his slow-jam/hip-hop-and-R&B cuts any chance they could. But the man born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (now you know why he changed his name) couldn't have done it alone. Yes, he has some moves. and that smooth-as-butter voice. But so does Usher. What separated Elgin was his association - early, minor you - with Timbaland aka super producer extroidenaire from mid/late-90's to now-and-forever. Timbaland, especially in the early days (ESPECIALLY in those early days), was a true force to be reckoned with. He was a sonic king-maker - and he knew it. Heavy hitters like Jay-Z (ESPECIALLY Jay-Z) would soon be adding them to their speed dial, their rolodex or beeper number list or whatever-the-fuck you used to keep your go-guys contact info on lock in the dawn of the personal cell-phone era of the mid-nineties. Timbaland was using sounds and twisting them in ways that had never been done before. In hip-hop or otherwise. Ever. His early material with (pretty much) every member/musical act in Da Bassment Crew; especially Missy, G, and Aaliyah,  went on to establish their monumental careers and laid the foundation for a body of work in hip-pop music probably only rivaled by that "other crew from Virgina", the Neptunes.
     But while the Neptunes sounded like bright hues of red and green, Timbaland sounded primarily dark. You know, black. And maybe navy blue. Some grey possibly. Dark shades of it. And that's not wrong - many of Da Bassment's visual ques matched similar color schemes - it just displays how to perceive his music, and more so how to perceive Ginuwine's first album during that early period, 'Genuine...The Bachelor'. BECAUSE IT IS A DARK, MOODY MASTERPIECE.
    Entirely produced by Timbaland - as most all collabs with Timothy Mosley ended-up being in those days - 'Ginuwine...The Bachelor' harkens back to the new jack swing days with a Virginia twist. I mean, Devante Swing mentored the ENTIRE Bassment crew. So it makes sense. The album is completely anchored by runaway hit (and now a modern classic) 'Pony', which is simply amazing. It literally IS both simple and amazing. Timbaland speaks through his personalized vocoder "Yeeeeah x5" and makes his voice sound like an actual bass riff. Kinda of like what Lil Jon would do years later with Ciara's 'Goodies', the cornerstone of 'Pony' is a stretched-out vocal sample. The rest of the album is typical of what we expect from Timbaland's production - weird audio SFX and heavy-hitting drums and bass. Lots and LOTS of hard-hitting bass. He also mixes in some EDM (in mid-90's rap/R&B too!)  and a traditional hip-hop style cut in 'Holler' (which is my personal favorite track...I could repeat it for an entire day and probably still want to hear it again), as well as a FABULOUS cover of Prince's classic 'When Doves Cry', which Timbo and Ginuwine update for the hip-hop era. It's simply a must-hear track.  There aren't many collaborators on this album - it's "100% G" as Elgin would probably say. And with the crucial sonic assist from Timbaland, of course. If your in need of a smooth and laid-back-yet-hard-hitting R&B album, you can't go wrong with 'Genuine...The Bachelor'. It's a classic debut from a classic R&B 90's singer. Yes, Elgin might not be on top of the world anymore, and The Swing Mob/Da Basement crew might be disbanded, but this album as well as many others from this era will forever live on in the iTunes libraries of R&B fanatics for decades to come. It's a true testament to the talent involved. And for the love of G, don't listen to this album during the day. It's definitely a night-time banger - kind of like what you should be DOING while listening.
                  - Casper

The 4th (or 5th?) Coming Of Pusha T

   He has the skills. We know that. Well, I know that. Since his Clipse days with brother/co-member/equally talented emcee, Malice (who has since left the industry completely to pursue a "higher calling" spiritually, and more power to him!). Pusha T, who now goes by "King Push", has done everything - on paper - that is required of becoming a popular artist with Top 40 hits and Billboard 200 albums. There's the obvious Neptunes-thru-way-of-Pharell connection - and all the classic material that was (and still!) created due to that musical team-up. Then Kanye came and saw the still-potential that Pusha T had as a solo artist. 'Ye took Pusha under his wing and guided him to a semi-successful career so far - as well as a new role as president of the G.O.O.D. music label. 'My Name Is My Name' was exactly that - semi-successful. It didn't have the album sales of stand-out success, but the Clipse/Pusha T brand name is strong for a certain breed of hip-hop fanbase; and due to that rabid fanbase, Pusha didn't brick either. He had some success on the Top 40 charts with the Chris Brown-assisted 'Sweet Serenade', which had an equally haunting music video.  'Numbers on the Boards' was also turning heads as a street single. It had a minimal beat with a throwback style reminiscent of earlier "boom-bap" style hip-hop. And the minimal sound with hard-hitting drums - and Pusha interpolating that Jigga sound bite! - suited him perfectly. 

    That doesn't seem to have changed for round 2 on the solo album train for King Push. Except this time, completely based on the new material Push's camp has released thus far, it seems the main strategy is to try to make more 'Numbers on the Boards'-type of tracks. And it makes perfect sense. Pusha T has always been known for being that "super lyrical dude who just so happens to sell crack too" and famous for all the ways and words he used to describe that chosen hustle of his. Due to the minimal sounds in the beat, everyone HAS to focus on his lyrics. Like it used to be. Well, outside the club anyways. 

   'Untouchable' is Pusha's most recently released single. As I said before, and on this song especially, the King Push camp is really attempting to create another 'Numbers on the Boards'-type track. 'Lunch Money', the other major release from this project (which is now SEPARATE from the 'King Push'-titled album that was supposed to come next originally) - was released almost a YEAR ago. All these beats are going backwards while forwards at the same time - they all use similar old-school techniques but filtered through new-school equipment - it sounds crisp and clear with futuristic-type "beeps and boots" SFX thrown over the boom-bap drums and 90's-emcee-lyric samples. 

    'My Name Is My Name' was a superb first solo album for Pusha T. And it seems that now, a couple years after it's release, it's due time for that second album. And the hype-train locomotive is just starting to heat-up - what with the GOOD Music President announcement, the recent release of 'Untouchable', and several cameos/track appearances for other artists. I like the direction their heading - but I'm a sucker for old-school, period. I'm already a self-admitted member of the Clipse/Pusha T Stan fan-club. You don't have to convince me about ANYTHING regarding Pusha T - I'm gonna check it out regardless. It's the rest of America that has me worried. Fingers crossed. KING PUSH FTW! - Casper

Remember when Jay-Z show'd up @ JD's So-So Def 20th Anniversary Party in the ATL wearing a gold chain and some cuban links worth more than the entire GDP of Kenya? ROCAFELLA Y'ALL... ‪#‎IsThereSuchAThingAsTooMuchBling‬ ‪#‎TBT‬ ‪#‎SoSoDef‬ ‪#‎JermaineDupri‬I kinda wanna just print this picture and slap it on my wall with the word "GOALS" written below it, for reals.

I'ma prob just loop this for the next....couple hours. Prob the entire album all damn day. ‪#‎TBT‬ CHEA!

Throwback Thursday (tho that's kinda everyday for me amIright)...this and 'Can I Get A...' were the first two hip-hop traROCAFcks I heard in junior high that made me fall in love with this genre. Don't laugh! Yours was probably Spice Girls smh!

HOV CAME UP WITH THE HOOK AND HIS VERSES IN LESS THAN 10 MINS (according to JD...who says he never had seen that before ESP w/out a pad & pen)... 

ROCAFELLA Y'ALL....