Still Fresh- "Regulate"

A couple days ago Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie made the erroneous claim on Stereogum that "Regulate" by Warren G and Nate Dogg had not aged well. "Regulate" is now, and forever shall be, one of the greatest songs ever. As a commenter politely explained:

Sir, I must say that you are way out of line, claiming this song has aged poorly. As I get older, and experience more of what life has to offer, more and more do I realize how Warren and Nate's "Regulate" speaks to the realities of modern life. And bitches. Like Shakespeare, Marcel Proust, and the people who write Grey's Anatomy, Nate and Warren understand some deep truths about the human condition -- and present these truths with considerable aplomb!

A deft split narrative, two protagonists relate a typical evening in the LBC from two unique perspectives. Warren searches for the simple pleasures of a dice game whilst Nate longs for tender companionship. But as Warren's quest becomes a desperate struggle of life and death, Nate discovers that friendship -- or brotherhood -- must take priority over pursuits of the flesh. That is to say, blood is thicker than Krystal... or, if you prefer: Bros before Hoes. BUT, after the climatic scene in which Nate dispatches Warren's assailants, the two "switch their mind back into freak mode"... and discover you truly CAN have your bitch and freak her too.

Of course, I neglect to mention the rich philosophical content of song: "Where rhythm is life and life is rhythm" and "rhythm is the bass and bass is the treble". Using the transitive property of logic, we see that life is both bass AND treble. This is Nate/Warren's unique twist on the ancient Chinese concept of Yin and Yang as well as their read on the Aristotelian notion of the eudaimonistic life...

There's too much to address here in the comments... but I think I've shown that "Regulate" is a timeless classic, certain to be cherished and enjoyed for centuries to come.

For your viewing pleasure: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zhWGDGHupYA

Musings on Hip-Hop

I'm pretty annoyed by the recent mix-tape trend in hip-hop. I mean its nice to have new stuff, sure. But most of the time the shit that comes out on mix-tapes is simply not very good. Recent mix-tapes from Wale are an example of this. Sure there are some pretty good tracks, but its full of holes. It seems like their time would be better spent focusing on actually releasing a solid album. But what do I know? I am only a white kid from the suburbs.

I finally checked out a Lil Boosie mix I had downloaded a while back yesterday, and its absolutely terrible. I'm not the least bit surprised, as the only reason I had downloaded it in the first place was because Boosie is from Baton Rouge. Being from Baton Rouge does not excuse him for the shit that is most of his music. I guess with these guys from Shreveport and Baton Rouge getting so much success with songs like "A Bay Bay" and "Wipe Me Down" it is a little too much to ask them to actually get a decent beat and throw down a decent rhyme. Oh well.

Far more worrying than a few mediocre mix-tapes is my brother's sound buds. I spent 3 hours with him playing NBA Live yesterday, and I played DJ the whole time. We listened to the entirety of "Illmatic," most of "Ready to Die," half of "36 Chambers," random Outkast, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Lupe Fiasco, and Wale. Finally after about 3 hours I threw on "Lollipop" just for a change of pace and his ears perked up. "Turn it up, this song is fucking awesome!" Oh well.

Wu-Tang Clan- C.R.E.A.M.
Notorious B.I.G.- Juicy

Study Jams- Part 1 of 6

It is finals week here in Baton Rouge, and I have been swamped with work the last couple of weeks. To make up for the lost time I will be posting some of my favorite study jams. First up we have Nas and AZ bringing some classic NYC hip-hop. Both "Life's a Bitch" and "Rather Unique" are classic joints. The laid-back beats and killer rhymes will get you into the zone when your head is in the book. And if you want, they can also get you elevated. Probably two of my favorite hip-hop tracks of all time.

Nas (featuring AZ)- Life's A Bitch
AZ- Rather Unique

Funky Rebels

Few bands come to get down like the Soul Rebels Brass Band. The New Orleans jazz/funk/hip hop group has been entertaining the city for over a decade now at clubs, house parties, and festivals. Soul Rebels are self-releasing their latest album, No Place Like Home. Their 1995 album Let Your Mind Be Free has been a staple of the weekend cd rotation at my house for 12 years now, and more recently, has become a regular on my mixes. Ultimately what is music for? To entertain and to enjoy. Few bands are as entertaining or as enjoyable as Soul Rebels.

Soul Rebels Brass Band- Santa Cruzin'
Soul Rebels Brass Band- Culture In the Ghetto
Soul Rebels Brass Band- Flowing and Flying

50 vs. Kanye vs. The Go! Team

September 11th is shaping up to be a big day for the music industry. 50 Cent and Kanye West are both set to release their latest efforts. The two have been chest thumping in the press lately, each vowing to hold steady on their release dates, and both vowing they will top the charts. Also releasing a new album on the 11th is Brighton, England's The Go! Team.

50, while mostly being completely shitty, isn't completely devoid of talent. One day last spring when I was bored out of my mind I actually watched Get Rich Or Die Trying, and... it wasn't terrible. The soundtrack isn't terrible either actually. I mean, there are times when "Window Shopper" is an enjoyable song. I don't have very high hopes for 50's Curtis.

Kanye West is in the unfortunate position of being the least likeable person in the music industry currently. However, as much as I hate to say it, the man can drop some beats. College Dropout was mostly overbearing and annoying, just like Kanye, but did contain the outstanding "Slow Jamz." The song itself isn't that great, but the line "I'm gonna play this Vandross, you gon take your pants off" alone makes College Dropout a decent album. Due to the fact that Kanye is pretty good at beats, Graduation won't be terrible.

The Go! Team's Proof of Youth will be one of the best albums of 2007. I haven't heard any of it except for "Grip Like A Vice," but knowing Ian Parton and co., this one will at least be exciting. Fuck 50 and Kanye, if you want to have fun, throw on some Go! Team.

50 Cent- Window Shopper
Kanye West- Slow Jamz
The Go! Team- Ladyflash
**

Bonus 1: Lily Allen- Nan, You're A Window Shopper
Bonus 2: The Go! Team short documentary:

Camp Lo- In Black Hollywood

Yesterday evening in the midst of spinning the new Camp Lo, "In Black Hollywood," my 13 year old brother hit pause and put on his iPod. I reluctantly allowed him one song before putting the Lo back on. He went ahead and threw on "Sky is the Limit" by Lil Wayne. About halfway through the song I asked, "How the fuck do you actually like this?"

He said, "I dunno, I just do."

With that I went on trashing the beat, the verses, Lil Wayne's vocal style, and Lil Wayne in general. When the song ended I said, "Check it out, best hip hop track of the year so far, '82 Afros' by Camp Lo."

I may have been exaggerating, but "82 Afros" is pretty damn good, and besides it was released last year on Fort Apache. Anyway, Camp Lo's new release sees the duo at the top of their game once again. There has been some pretty good hip-hop released in 07, but nothing that has really grabbed me the way "Posse From the Bronx," "82 Afros," "In Black Hollywood," and "Sweet Claudine" grabbed me immediately.

Camp Lo- In Black Hollywood
Camp Lo- Sweet Claudine

I Got Scottish In My Family

Until I heard Camp Lo in Black Hollywood, Andre 3000's freestyle at the beginning of UGK's "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" was my favorite slice of hip hop in 2007. I'm not as hot on the rest of the track, but the Willie Hutch sample is absolutely perfect. 3000's guest appearence and the Hutch sample both made "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) my favorite hip hop song of the first half of the new year.

That new Camp Lo is good shit though, and I'll get into that later.



Willie Hutch- I Choose You