Today on March 28th marks the 23rd anniversary of Ol’ Dirty Bastard‘s seminal debut album “Return to the 36 Chambers“. This was the rapper’s first solo album since his rise to fame as apart of the Wu-Tang Clan. This album hit the Top 10 Billboard’s album’s chart and featured songs “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and “Brooklyn Zoo“. Anyone who knows real Rap knows that ODB’s rhymes were original and outlandish, yet HARD. A lot of you may know him for his remix of MariahCarey’s 1995 hit “Fantasy” and his collaboration on Ghetto Superstar” with Pras and Mya. It wasn’t until after, that ODB’s life took an unfortunate turn with his addiction to drugs and numerous arrests. After being placed into rehab and then prison, he passed on November 13, 2004 from an overdose. R.I.P. Brooklyn’s very own ODB Aka one of my favorite rappers. Check out some of my favorite records from him. If you’re an old soul like me, maybe you’ll like them too.
I heard Smokepurpp and Murda Beatz have been working for some time on an upcoming collab project, Bless Yo Trap. While we wait for it’s release, the duo dropped off a the second single to it today and it’s not bad. Smokepurpp and Murda cooked up a new song “Do Not Disturb” and they got Lil Yachty and Offset on it, too. Shout out to Murda for the dope production. Check the song out below via Spotify and tell us your thoughts on it.
When I listen to a song when it is first released, I can predict how well it is going to do commercially. What threw me off was a song that caught my attention around 2015. The song is entitled, “Riding Around” by Gucci Mane and Young Thug featuring Young La & DK. I listened to it on Spotify radio and thought it was a huge hit.
Listen to it here:
With so many big names on the track and the call out of Miley Cyrus in the lyrics, I was sure that this song was going to get at least some radio play or be a song that is at least known in the rap community. I see so much creativity in this song. It doesn’t sound like a classic traditional rap song, but it isn’t necessarily trap either. There is no other song that sounds like this, which is hard to do in an industry where everything is just recycled over and over again.
Even two years after hearing this song, it still gets stuck in my head and I love showing the song to my friends. You can’t help but sing along and dance and it’s too creative to get no credit. Unfortunately, I don’t think this song will see the praise it deserves, but it will continue to be a great find.
I used to be an extreme fan of pop punk when I was in high school. I spent all my time going to shows and spent all my money at Hot Topic. I was a huge fan of the scene, that I let it take over my life. Just kidding, it wasn’t that deep, but I did spend all my time listening to these bands like Citizen, The Wonder Years, The Story of Far and many other artists that scream sung lyrics about the pains of growing up and heartbreak, along with other darker themes. The joy of this music is that it is not afraid to get vulnerable and the “angst” make for some really great music.
I haven’t been listening to the genre for quite some time now just simply because I grew out of the music and bands weren’t really releasing anything after 2015. I was surprised when I went on Spotify radio to find out that all my favorite bands were actually releasing music- I just wasn’t keeping up with them.
Also, I noticed that the bands have grown up too. They are no longer being extremely whiny and are focusing their lyrics more on the distaste in themselves, instead of primarily keeping to the theme of someone who broke their heart.
Here is some of the music I found when I was taking a trip down memory lane:
“Sister Cities” by The Wonder Years:
I am amazed by the talent from The Wonder Years. After their 2015 release, No Closer to Heaven I thought that was going to be the end for them. Their talent is unstoppable.
Citizen – “In the Middle of It All:”
Sorority Noise – “A Portrait Of:”
And here are some other songs I found that are a little outdated but still so good:
Sorority Noise – “Blonde Hair, Black Lungs:”
Wavves – “My Head Hurts:”
Bye guys, I’m going to go grab my eyeliner and buy a ticket to go these their shows.
Following his 2016 album, The Sun’s Tirade, Isaiah Rashad has been gearing up for the release of his second studio album. The TDE rapper gave us a glimpse of some new m from it on Instagram Live and his fans gave him an overly positive response.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Hip Hop history classroom. It has come to my attention that some of y’all don’t know where hip hop as we know it came from. So I’m here to drop some knowledge. Now, there will be some homework, but I promise this class will be the easiest A you’ve ever got (even if it is your first). I’ll be bringing you hip hop history lessons and all you’ll have to do is sit back and listen. And if you stick around long enough you might learn a thing or two. I hope to add some knowledge to your game and add some dope records to your playlists. Let’s get started.
On March 27th, 1984, the world was introduced to Run-D.M.C. They released their debut album Run-D.M.C. and never looked back. The group was an iconic trio; Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay), Darrly McDaniels (DMC), and Joseph Simmons (Rev Run). Run’s brother Russell helped Jam Master Jay with production and Run-D.M.C. handled the vocals. The Simmons’ brothers have gone on to have incredible business success after their music careers, but that’s a story for another time. Run-D.M.C. served as the coming out party for one of the most influential rap groups ever and would become the first album in the genre to go Gold and be nominated for a Grammy. The album had huge success with standout tracks like “Jam Master Jay”, “It’s Like That”, and “Sucker M.C.’s” to name a few.
This album paved the way for Run-D.M.C to take over the game and revolutionize the sound. Jam Master Jay was a true DJ and scratched up countless records to make his tracks but he also incorporated a lot of samples and instruments that were not common in rap at the time. Rev Run and D.M.C. also pushed the art of MC’ing forward. They still used the classic elements of delivery in a nursery-rhyme style at times but also adopted a quicker flow. They are undoubtedly at their best when they play catch with the beat, passing it back and forth with a quick tempo trading bar for bar. If you love the way today’s groups like Migos pass the beat around, then you owe it to Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C. was also greatly influential to the hip hop culture. They were the coolest cats out of Queens all throughout the 80’s. They were always rocking the flyest track suits with fat gold chains and dope kicks. Their famous track “My Adidas” brought the sneaker and clothing brand to the masses. And their huge crossover track “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith broke down major walls and put hip hop on the pop radar for one of the first times.
If you’ve never heard of Run D.M.C. you’ve either been living under a rock, or I’m older than I thought. And even if it is my age, I’m gonna have to have a word with your parents. If you did already know about this great group I hope I refreshed your memory and helped you dust off some classic records. Now go wherever it is you go to get your music, find Run-D.M.C. and start from the beginning. I’ll get you started with a video below. You can thank me later. Make sure to check in for more lessons in hip hop history like this.
