by on

Gucci Mane

I keep on hearing voices/Telling me to ball, so I keep on buying Porsches/My watch’s like a portrait, Gorgeous!

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Gucci_Mane-Gorgeous.mp3]
Gucci Mane – Gorgeous

Gucci Mane is one of the most interesting figures in rap music at the moment, and he’s suffering not only from the general psychosis of being dope but also severe auditory hallucinations.  I downloaded “Gorgeous” from cocaine blunts several weeks back, and I just got around to  hearing it. According to Noz ““Gorgeous” finds him walking the line between language and commerce obsession by way of voices in his head. We’ve heard the balling as a compulsion defense but never the full on insanity claims.” The beat is great as well, providing a perfect background for the experience that is Gucci Mane.

F*** The Recession, my bank accounts are pregnant!

& & &

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Hugh_Mundell-Augustus_Pablo_Africa_Dub.mp3]
Augustus Pablo – Africa Dub

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Hugh_Mundell-Africa_Must_Be_Free_By_1983.mp3]
Hugh Mundell – Africa Must Be Free By 1983

To bring us back to reality, away from Gucci Mane and the Hearing Voices movement, here’s Augustus Pablo’s “Africa Dub”, plus the original tune “Africa Must Be Free By 1983” by Hugh Mundell, a teenage prodigy, who died far too early (1962-1983~ shot to death in Kingston while driving a car with Junior Reid.)  Hugh Mundell wrote and recorded several albums, some of which were produced by Augustus Pablo. I have yet to hear them.

Speaking of unheard/undiscovered Jamaican reggae – Props to Professor Wayneandwax for the heads up & review. I ordered Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae from Amazon weeks ago, and still haven’t received it.

by on

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Pulshar-Ashmatic.mp3]

Pulshar – Ashmatic

Pulshar‘s Brotherhood has been in heavy rotation lately.  It has some spectacular tunes I return to time and again, but frankly I listen the album in its entirety perhaps more than I should.  We like to keep things dutty and heavy here, but a little clean, beautiful, soulful tech-dub from Bercelona is appreciated.  We played “Mr Money Man” on Tax Day (4/15) on Mudd Up! with DJ Rupture, a show you can also stream here.  Update: I’ve changed the tune from “Mr Money Man” to “Ashmatic” for a good reason.  “Ashmatic” is also part of the excellent Babylon Fall Collection.

by on

playboytre

Due to the recent election, people feel no need to keep pumping their fists. It’s as if they’ve been tricked to believe that the years of hatred has been erased with one achievement. If you’re one of the ones that fell into this trap, stay tuned… for some post-election rap jams/news from Playboy Tre, who last month dropped a brand new street album/mixtape titled Liquor Store Mascot.

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/PlayboyTre-BreakinNews.mp3]
Playboy Tre – Breakin’ News

My partner Tally put me up on Tre’s excellent 2008 mixtape Goodbye America, which noz called a near classic— I think it’s an absolute classic and one of the most criminally slept on street albums of last year. In a sense Liquor Store Mascot feels as if it should have been the precursor to Goodbye America, rather than the other way around.  LSM continues with the same themes, same relentlessness, but it is more dramatic, more nightmarish, and even funnier (Bobby Ray asking “what about HAM Squad? How am I supposed to smoke all these HAMs by myself?” gets me every time.)  The themes here, on the track above and on the mixtape about crime, poverty, race, alcoholism, police brutality and the recent increase in gun sales and gun club membership in the Obama era.

I still haven’t fully wrap my ears around the tape or even this track, “Breakin’ News,” which is dense, and Tre is reflecting on deep, serious problems (like Oscar Grant‘s shooting in the Bay) but his flow is so deceptively disarming with that Georgian accent and Southern drawl, the grand social comments (and criticisms of Obama) like “ain’t nothing change in the streets we walk” or “the president’s black but the neighborhood sad” just breeze through, as if they are of no significance– just a drunk talking shit over beats.

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/DJDramafeatLudacrisWillieDaKidBustaRhymes-PeopleWillBeHeard.mp3]
DJ Drama – People Will Be Heard feat. Ludacris, Willie Da Kid, Busta Rhymes

I don’t like Luda, but he’s alright– I have been saying that for a decade.  Here, Luda warns the government about trampling voices of dissent and encourages said voices to reassert themselves, after the euphoria and noise.  Busta shouts out Obama, empathizes with struggling people, –the starving, the evicted, the unemployed, etc. In the middle, there’s that Willie kid. Why is Barack O’Drama always shouting? We are already listening to our music at very dangerous dBs. Deafness descends upon all of us.  Sounds bleeding out of our earbuds and headphones, in trains and buses, the constant blasts of noise in New York, sound levels at clubs are usually over 120 dBs.  I was at Que Bajo?! for about three hours last night, and my ears are ringing right now.  I was briefly exposed to that wobbly monster Geko was in search of in Colombia.  To conclude this, a whole generation is at risk of premature deafness and the DJ business is loudness.

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Capone-N-Noreaga-DeadBroke.mp3]
Capone-N-Noreaga – Dead Broke

Empty fridgerator and pissy elevators… welcome to Queens? And it’s 1997 all over again! The image of the pissy elevator as a prominent identifying feature in mid to late nineties New York rap is as significant as say the scuffed timbs. I liked Wallabees and Mountain Gear better then.

Recession Rap Jams, mixed with the struggle, alcohol, and the kick!

by on

umalali

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Umali-TuguchiliElia.mp3]

Umalali – Tuguchili Elia (Elia’s Father)

After putting together Recession Proof Wallets, I was in desperate need for some cleansing, something calm and uplifting to refresh my poor, tortured ears.  A friend at my day job recommended Umalali‘s Garifuna Women’s Project.  When I heard this album, I was on a bus riding home very late, and it was absolutely right for the moment— very beautiful and crucial Afro-Caribbean rhythm and voice, tunes are short and direct.

The Garinagu ethnic group, made up of people of mixed ancestry (Carib, Arawak, and African people, otherwise known as Black Caribs) from shipwrecked vessels along the coasts of Central America with deep history of resistance to colonization from the French and British empires. We played this song on Mudd Up! with DJ /rupture, you can listen to the show here.  The West African influence here is so heavy, you’ll swear you’re listening to something directly from Guinea or Mali.

by on

A few weeks ago, I saw a financial analyst on MSNBC who said that instead of worrying and despairing because the US economy is spiraling downward, Americans should be excited and imaginative, because it is easier to be the winner in an environment where so many people are loosing.  In most of the rap world, it’s forever boom-time and the global economic crisis is nonexistent.  Openly masking human suffering and frailty with good old fashion American hypermasculinity and boasts about one’s net worth has been the approach for radio-friendly rap artists for years, regardless of the current economic malaise.  Even when the world around is crumbling, these artists look beyond, ignoring immediate circumstances and continue to paint pictures of excess. There is no such thing as absurd, excessive balling.

To roughly quote something Hugh Masekela said – if you don’t talk about your people, their plight, injustice, struggle and you’re using their music to get rich and famous, you need your head examine, you will end up in a bad, bad place… well, a lot of people are living in that place already.

After posting that Young Capone track, and listening to the Rick Ross album (which has some surprisingly good and memorable moments) I was compelled to look at the other side of the trap/the majority/what is considered the norm to most rap listeners, or what has larger representation, Hot97 radio-playability (not to say Young Jeezy’s “Circulate” and Cam’rom’s “I Hate My Job” didn’t get played, because they did, but you are more likely to hear flamboyant and splurgy raps and attitude towards the recession.)  But this batch of tracks also features some relatively unknown/regional/up and coming rappers.

So here it is — Recession Proof Wallets for your listening pleasure. It is pretty nauseating.  It slows down in the second half, but really there’s no relief, except for the last track by UGK, adding a degree of levelheadedness and unquestionable swag, everything else here is bloated and unreal, insane and American–  so there, consider yourself warned.

[display_podcast]

TRACKLIST:

Zshatwa – Fresh (Intro)
Rich Boy – It’s Over
Rick Ross – Magnificent feat. John Legend
Droop-E & B-Slimm – Think Fast
Young Capone – Dopeboyz (Show Out)
Gucci Mane – I’m The Shit
(((Talking That Money Shit Interlude)))
Fat Joe – Cupecakes feat. Benisour
Ju of D4L – Do It, Do It feat. Shawty Lo
KD – I Know U C Me
The Kid Datona – Lately feat. Amanda diva
Busta Rhymes – Hustlers Anthem ’09 feat. T-Pain
Wale – Penthouse Anthem
Pluck – Sick feat. ST 2 Lettaz (of G-Side) & Jackie Chain
UGK – Purse Come First feat. Big Gipp
(((McLuhan takes us out with An Inventory Of Effects)))

by on

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/NickiMinaj-IGetCrazy.mp3]

Nicki Minaj f/ Lil Wayne – I Get Crazy

Nicki is back! I heard her new mixtape (zshare) over the weekend, and it’s dope, even with all the tags and the DJ yelling all over it like he actually created/owns the music* (where is the producer in that equation?) Props to Nah Right (look there for more joints w/out annoying tags/DJ shouts.) Nicki is delirious over this beat, and we are also blessed with a frantic last verse by Lil Wayne, but it’s after his quick guitar solo.

* most of the time, mixtape DJs are like pests buzzing in the listener’s ears.  Showcase the track, keep drops to a minimum, and if anything else, please speak with your hands.

by on


[Dirty Projectors in the park – by thepiratehat]

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/DirtyProjectors-StillnessIsTheMove.mp3]

Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move

I’m finally getting used to the weather here- the unusual is the routine.  Today, it’s cold, cold rain- everything is slow- trains, buses, lines, money, etc.  Two days ago, it was warm and sunny in Brooklyn, and I was running errands, in t-shirt, borough to borough (park to park, Central Park north in Harlem and Prospect Park in Park Slope) enjoying the sweetness and soulfulness of Bitter Orca (not every song stood out/there were two or three tracks I skipped over, but nonetheless the album has some very good moments)

The groove on “Stillness” is easy (because the musicians  involved are comfortable and talented) and the voices are almost restless, transient and sugary, echoing the best of Mariah, Christina, Ashanti,  etc– while maintaining Dave Longstreth’s signature and timing. Longstreth has a distinctive style and voice, which I’m not going to attempt to describe here.

Dirty Projectors managed to deconstruct and reinterpret sugary teen-pop R&B as something inoffensive, harmless and nice,* the same way Vampire Weekend reimagined Kanda Bongo Man/Kwassa Kwassa/Koffi Olomide into “Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa.” It’s a little strange, but you can still listen to it while walking in the park and sipping lemonade.

*Let’s face it, Mariah Carey has some of the most abhorrent pop songs-  aside from the remix joints she did w/ ODB and LOX and, of course, that Bone Thugs collaboration.

by on


An Interview with Ghislain Poirier from Maga Bo on Vimeo.

Another installation in his excellent and informative mini-doc series, musician and documentarian Maga Bo interviews Ghislain Poirier – he talks about his background, making collaborations and building bridges, exoticism and problems with authenticity, and a lot more.

Bo sez –

With this series of mini-docs, I want to demystify the music production process a bit and bring out the humanity of it.  After all, music is a manifestation of history.  of choices and relationships.  This is common to any art, discipline, individual, group or society.  Through communication, real and imaginary differences and similarities become clearer.  Separatist ghetto exoticism cannot exist in this space.  Tamu juntos e misturados.

You can check the rest of the mini-docs (DJ/rupture, Daniel Haaksman, MC Gringo, Diplo, Fletcher from African Dope, Eritbu Agegnehu Askenaw, Xuman and Keyti) here on Vimeo (better quality) and here on Youtube.

by on

here are a few youtube videos I have been meaning to post the last few days –

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDphoZk6RzE[/youtube]

First up, Obama Chia pet commercial – We already know that one of the few growth areas in the American economy at the moment is Obama memorabilia.  So this one comes as no surprise, though it is inappropriate and hilarious – not as much as the kids in Times Square selling Obama Condoms to tourists (“Get your Obama Condoms” and “We got extra-smalls”) or the Obama tees I saw people wearing in DC a few days ago, at the Smithsonian of all places. It seems to be all about hot dogs and ice cream and Obama memorabilia down at the Mall.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io8_J5cBkj0[/youtube]

Second, SkipScreen – A Firefox extension which eleminates the unnecessary wait time when downloading files from zShare, Rapidshare, Megaupload, etc.  You still get pop-ups from zShare and other host sites but they’re still working it, and if you’re not interested in purchasing a premium account with thise hosting sites, you’ll appreciate SkipScreen.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBIvIDnnv8[/youtube]

And last, Mos Def recites DOOM lyrics in a studio.  DOOM’s latest album Born Like This disgustingly good – “Give a MC a rectal hysterectomy/Lecture on removal of the bowel, foul technically,”  “Chrome grown men doin’ business with Anglo Sax’n’em/Lackin’ swing but that banjo’s so relaxin’,” “Villain knot his hair, he’s no Afro-American/If that’s the case, he be a bald-headed African,” and “…don’t know what he sayin’ but the words be funny.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Syq9TUoslg[/youtube]

by on

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/SlowmotionSoundz-FeelTheChrisBrown.mp3]

ST, 6 TRE G, and AC Burna – Feel The (Chris Brown)

eXclusive new music from Slowmotion Soundz,  produced by Block Beataz so you already know it knocks.

R&B superstar Chris Brown grew up in a domestic battlefield, and eventually/allegedly/recently involved in a lovers’ quarrel with his superstar girlfriend Rihanna which turned violent.  It’s heartbreaking and sad, and I can imagine every sane individual who knew this story hope something meaningful and productive came out of the situation–more public discussions (not just in the tabloids and gossip blogs) of a domestic, hidden, and intimate problem.  And we have this track here, which is all about driving a nice car with a sick soundsystem.

For another recent Chris brown/pop violence reference in rap music, check Maino’s “Murdergram.” Not productive, but it also knocks – “down for anything even knocking out Suge.”

by on

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/dead_prez_-_stimulus_plan.mp3]

dead prez – Stimulus Plan

Never mind the global economic crisis, what are your plans to feed your family? Food prices on the streets of Senegal, Malawi, Egypt and other less affluent countries are rising while people are loosing jobs. While all those powerful world leaders are in London trying to settle their differences and tackle the economic crisis in comfortable and safe trappings, away from the protesters and the grime. Here in Brooklyn, USA (while I was getting my shape-up yesterday I saw a man eating a butter-roll/bread and butter and said that was his dinner-~he might have been joking, but in these times, you never know) “our favorite major label, corporate owned black radicals” dead prez is telling you to come up with your own solution, your own fiscal stimuli, and navigate your way out of economic darkness.  From their forthcoming Pulse of the People project, said to be produced entirely by DJ Green Lantern.  Props to Nah Right.

Recession Rap Jams – My grind is my stimulus plan