Albums, Alternative, Hip-Hop | Aer – Aer [Album]

Posted by on January 22, 2014

aer - aer

Sitting pretty at the number 5 spot on iTunes top 10 album list, Aer’s self titled album might be taking noobs by storm, but it’s exactly what their loyal fan base has been anticipating.  Covering all the bases, the 12-track project is diverse enough to fulfill multiple moods, but stays within the walls of Aer’s self constructed genre.  Attributing their success to their organic word-of-mouth FAMily, David and Carter did spend a fair amount of time writing and recording in LA, but finished the album up in their hometown studio…David’s bedroom.

“In the hills or the valley, and were far from the finale, I want this so badly, no I won’t let go.”

Aside from their previously released singles (“Won’t Laugh”, “Spades, Clubs, & Diamonds”, and “Says She Loves Me”), my immediate favorites are “Pretty Lady”, “Stars” and “Movin’ It”.  Recline, kick up your feet and enjoy this project while you support the dudes on iTunes.

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Purchase on iTunes: Aer – Aer [Album]

Hip-Hop, Playlists | Jeff’s 15 Best Hip-Hop Tracks of 2013

Posted by on December 23, 2013

Best-Of---hip-hop---big With the mainstream sound shifting further towards hip-hop (or is it the other way around?) the way it has in 2013, it’s become quite a good climate for rappers. While this year has had its share of successes and rises to fame (see Chance The Rapper, Logic), though, it’s certainly had its share of disappointments. Read on to see my selections as the year’s best work in hip-hop.

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Hip-Hop, Videos | Dylan Owen — My Name Is Dylan [Freestyle]

Posted by on November 13, 2013


Over the past few years of closely following the trajectories of upstart artists (rappers in particular), one of the most important characteristics of the more enduring artists I’ve found is their versatility. Dylan Owen has rightfully received a tremendous amount of praise since 2011’s Keep Your Friends Close, all synonymous with his innate ability to gratify a variety of listeners with equal ease: honesty-craving singer-songwriter fans, lyrically-focused hip-hop heads, punchline-loving partygoers. While his most recent release, “The Window Seat”, is what he’s best known for—the maturity of perspective, the resonance of his songwriting, the lasting substance—here he concocts a quick reminder that he, too, can playfully rap with the best of them. Reminiscent of the verse he premiered prior to our interview together a year ago, this track is punchline-heavy, and shows off his wittiness and love to play with language. A must listen, regardless of your preconceived genre-affiliations.

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Hip-Hop, Review | Grubeats’ Top 12 of ’12

Posted by on January 14, 2013

Grubeats; fashionably tardy as always.  I can’t promise I’ve saved the best for last, but hopefully this eclectic mix of tracks tickle’s at least party of your fancy.  I’d enjoy hearing from you in the comments section if you have opinions on any of these songs!

12.) Skizzy Mars – Sirens

This young star didn’t sound my radar until late spring of ’12.  I had heard the name and few scattered verses, but overlooked the true talent Skizzy Mars was bringing to the table until I first heard “Sirens”.  With sounds similar to a young Cudi, Skizzy himself only recently graduated high school and has only begun to lie the brick and mortar for long, prosperous career.

11.) Skrillex & Damian Marley – Make It Bun Dem

As you probably know, I’m not a die heard EDM head like many writers and followers of this site.  No kandi for this kid.  I do however, enjoy just about anything Skrillex lays his hands on.  Couple the addictive production with Damian Marley’s rasta raps and you have pure gold.  If and when hip-hop and EDM cross paths, this is the type of execution I expect. [Watch video HERE]

Continue reading for Top 10!

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Hip-Hop | In the Rubble of Hip-Hop…

Posted by on September 23, 2012

In 2006 when Nas claimed, quite controversially, that “hip-hop is dead,” he was on to something. One of hip-hop’s purest lyricists, Nas grew to fame in the early ‘90s through his poetic rapping and political subject matter—qualities that had become largely extinct from popularized hip-hop in the early 2000s. Hip-hop grew to prominence as the voice of disadvantaged America, but had become dominated by label executives; tastemakers prioritizing simplistic lyricism and rhyme schemes (along with incorporating the catchy choruses of pop music), and simultaneously degrading the quality of an art form.

Over the past decade, I have watched hip-hop become increasingly saturated, as pop culture continues to endorse formulaic hip-hop, typically including repetitious and easily accessible hooks, and raps using simple A-B rhyme schemes that delve lightly into a number of prescribed topics, such as the desire for fame, women, braggadocio, and partying. This sub-genre of “party rap” became widely popular in college environments, and seemed to promise any student with an aptitude for parties and a junior-high vocabulary the opportunity to earn a remunerative career as a rapper.

Through the surplus of undergraduates-turned-rappers, a new sub-genre, often coined “college rap,” began inundating blogs and steadily saturating the industry. These upstarts idolized the popular artists of the time, basing their craft off the lackluster wordplay and superficiality that dominated college radio playlists. When Asher Roth’s single “I Love College” rose to prominence in 2009, this movement hit the limelight, and suddenly students stopped studying law and medicine to follow their newfound dreams of being the next Mac Miller or Sammy Adams.

What is highly underestimated, however, is the amount of skill required to be an emcee of Nas’ caliber. If you take the time to listen to his first album Illmatic, Eminem’s Infinite, The Roots’ Phrenology, or any number of ‘90s or early 2000s records, the sophistication of the lyricism, content, and rhyme schemes is staggering. Becoming a prominent emcee used to require being sufficiently educated on the English language, as rappers constructed multisyllabic rhymes infused with alliteration, internal rhyme, and other complex literary elements. Just listen to Kinetics in his recently featured song, “Chris Nolan,” where he raps, “I spit sinister symbolism that’s killing all these silly simile single syllable singing simpletons.” Eminem has said in interviews that he used to study the dictionary as a child. If you listen to “Lose Yourself” closely, you can note that there is not a single word in the song that doesn’t rhyme with another. The reason it’s problematic to equate him to Asher Roth (besides the fact that it’s just rooted in race), is because Em rose to fame because of his pure lyrical power, and Asher made it off of artificiality.

The “change in leadership” that Nas referred to in interviews surrounding “Hip-Hop is Dead” highlighted that as the preferences of record companies have shifted, the music has changed with it. Political, socially conscious hip-hop is no longer seen as profitable, and thus labels won’t promote it. The biggest controversy surrounding this power battle occurred in 2008, when Atlantic Records shelved Lupe Fiasco’s third album for almost a year because of his defiance when asked to make a “radio-ready” single. Unfortunately, our Lupes are few and far between, and the majority of my favorite emcees are a far cry now from the substance-driven music they initially created. It doesn’t take long in the industry to understand what type of music is advantageous for one’s career, and it seems all but a few choose money over message. In this sense, rapping has become quite like corporate law; individuals work exceptionally hard to excel at a practice they believe in only to abandon their values in pursuit of a more lucrative opportunity.

I have always loved hip-hop, and that passion will always persist. But I want to live in a world where I don’t have to search for underground rappers to convince a friend that all hip-hop isn’t violent, misogynistic, and devoid of content. The reason that it became such a red flag for white, suburban kids to listen to hip-hop is that our mainstream culture assumed we were only listening to the 2 Chainz and Chief Keef’s of the world. No wonder they didn’t understand. Most critics of hip-hop have never heard It Was Written, Midnight Marauders, or Like Water for Chocolate. They haven’t paid attention to Macklemore on the new XXL Freshman List. Instead, they have seen Machine Gun Kelly and Roscoe Dash.

I’m not asking for you to agree, or to all of a sudden change your preference, but I’m asking us to be conscious of what we consume and what type of hip-hop we’re promoting when we share it. Our choices ultimately get reflected in who’s in the magazines, who’s on the radio, and even who’s getting a record deal. I’m always careful to promote new artists who have something special to share (see Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, Blue Scholars, Logic, Kinetics, Dylan Owen, Accent—just to name a few), and I’ll continue to do so. But many of hip-hop’s forefathers are on their way out, and it’s up to us to make sure the right artists of this new generation end up on top.

Hip-Hop | Kendrick Lamar – War Is My Love

Posted by on May 21, 2012

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Outside Mario Kart 64 and the occasional game of Wii ping pong, I’m not much of a gamer.  I do however know that gamers love music.  What better way to get you amped up for the release of  Ghost Recon: Future Soldier video game which hits stores at midnight than a new track from Compton’s finest young gun.  So while you’re waiting in line tonight with your Taco Bell party pack and 6 pack of Monster, let this one run through your headphones.  For those of you non-gamers, still give this a listen cause we all know new K. Dot is nothing less than spectacular.

Hip-Hop, Videos | The Dean’s List – Take Shape [Video]

Posted by on April 19, 2012

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Although Vevo prematurely released this video back on April 3 when Generation X hit digital shelves, the video was quickly pulled and saved for a release earlier this week.  As most of you probably know by now, The Dean’s List recently delivered one of the top hip-hop albums of 2012 in “Generation X”, a comprehensive journey of life. Beginning with birth, Sonny, Mik, & Mendoza share their story thus far with a track for each step of the journey.  “Take Shape” focuses on the point where recognition sets in and their careers begin to come to fruition.  Sonny laces up with his Hendrix looking wig as FTS Creative shoots some trippy visuals for this light party anthem.  My question to you is, who has the best costume?

Purchase on iTunes: The Dean’s List – Take Shape

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