Ya'll know I'm a musical nerd and consummate hip-hop head. One of these days, someone will pay me to break down the relative artistic merits of DJ Premier vis-a-vis Pete Rock, but until that day comes you'll have to endure posts like this. For those of you who ain't into "underground rap", this might be a "skip me" post cause it's prolly a little too "inside baseball" for everyone. But if the shoe fits, here's a trio of new jawns in steady rotation on my iPod. But are they good (Jam) or janky (Slam)? That is the question.
Cop them headphones and go in. Here's my verdict, show me yours.
David Banner & 9th Wonder- "Slow Down"
Producer 9th Wonder has a strange knack for rejuvenating the careers of underground artists. From the entire Bootcamp Click, to MURS, to Ras Kass, he's brought more Negroes back from the dead than I can count, but I was skeptical when I heard about him teaming up with David Banner for the upcoming Death Of A PopStar. Strangely, these seemingly very different artists work well together. 9th's rolling bass line/soul sample/snare formula probably should have reached its expiration date back in 06', but Banner's preachy lyrics and vocal tics ("yehhhh") fit like a glove. - Jam It.
Little Brother - "Curtain Call"
The first single/leak (I can't tell the difference nowadays) from NC duo Little Brother's final album LeftBack is sorta underwhelming. I don't know what I expected, since the LB's have a habit of releasing weak lead singles, but this is really just so-so. I like Tay and Pooh's victory lap subject matter, but the Khrysis beat sounds warmed over. Call me crazy, but isn't the basically the same beat as "That Ain't Love" from GetBack? "A stale piece of gum woulda' had more pop." - Slam It.
Reflection Eternal feat. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, & Mos Def - "Just Begun"
Jesus, what a freakin' lineup!!! The Mighty Mos, Kweli, Jay Elec, and NC newcomer J. Cole all rip this Hi-Tek track to shreds. Obviously there's no way the upcoming Reflection Eternal album can live up to the quality of Train Of Thought but this is a nice try either way. And yeah, for the record, in my book at least, while J. Cole and Drake do sound alike (and both are biracial), I really wish folks would quit comparing them. It's apples and oranges. But this track? Bananas. - Jam It.
Question: Jam or Slam? Which of these tracks do you like, and which ones are wack?
