Ever look for something on YouTube...

...you start going deep, clicking on link after link?



You come across something like this...



...and when you're done watching, you forgot what hell the you were looking for?

September is Funk appreciation month...

A few months, back I posted a video of DJ Funktuall going over the greatest samples of hip hop. As of this post, He's 13 videos deep with that subject, and now he's doing something special for the month of September.

Every day this month, he posts a tribute to a band, spins a few tracks, or just preaches the word of funk to the masses. He's nutty as ever, but I'm still getting a kick out of him. I'm posting day 1 for you guys. Check it out, it's worth it.



Enjoy kids,

-E.J.

So what the hell do I like?

Not to get obscure, but...


I don't have a hatred for all off today's rap music (like I've said in previous posts, I refuse to group all of it under hip hop). There are some artists out there that I'm really feeling. Here's a list in no particular order. I'll either provide a YouTube vid, audio track, MySpace/Homepage link, and perhaps a comment or two...


FOREIGN EXCHANGE

"Let's Move"

Beats by Dutch (!!!) producer Nicolay with rhymes by Phonte Colman of Little Brother. Now get this...they NEVER met face to face nor spoke with each other before and during the recording of their debut album, Connected. They met on a hip hop message board, and they would send each other their beats and rhymes via IM. They liked what they were doing, so they completed the album that way. Another great track from this album is "Nic's Groove."

theforeignexchangemusic.com



MURS

"Murray's Revenge" One of the dopest videos to come out in a long time. Anybody in their late 20's to early 30's can point out the video game, but can you make out the MOVIE reference? Hint: It's in the beginning of the video...


"Better Than The Best" I had to include a second video. His videos are very innovative.

Also check out "Risky Business" featuring Shock-G and Humpty Hump. I can't believe MURS got them to reunite for this track!!! Another video to peep is "Hustle" featuring John Cena. Yes, that John Cena, the most loved/hated current WWE wrestler depending on who you ask. The video for "Hustle" is actually a remix of the track. The remix also features E-40 and Chingo Bling, but they were not included in the video.

MURS proves that not all L.A. based rappers are gangbangers. He's been in the rap scene for a while now, but since he's not raping about Locash or another slum, he's not getting any love.

mursmusic.com



PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS

"Acid Raindrops"

Another L.A. based crew that keeps it laid back with some serious production going on.

An excerpt from their website:
Los Angeles residents Michael Turner (Double K) and Christopher Portugal (Thes One) came together as People Under The Stairs in the mid-1990s , through a common love of record digging, making beats and the classic hip hop sound of The Beatnuts and Freestyle Fellowship.

Thes One and Double K worked together making music and soon had a completed debut in the shape of 'The Next Step'. Released in 1998 the album was an unexpected success, especially in the UK, securing the duo a record deal and several overseas tours.

myspace.com/peopleunderthestairs


JOELL ORTIZ

A freestyle from BET's "Rap City." That show is still on?

My boy, MERCADOK let me know about this dude. Brooklyn based rapper, Joell Ortiz is a diamond in the rough. He reminds me so much of Big Punisher. He's had label issues these past couple of years. He was with Dr. Dre's Aftermath, but they kept on shelving his project, so Ortiz asked for his release. I hope he gets a great distributor, because his shit is tight! Check out the track "Hip Hop." Here's the intro to "Hip Hop."

Yo, do me a favor...accidentally step on your white sunglasses
We don't wear those over here, this is Hip Hop
This is Carhardtt jackets...Timberland boots unlaced...
This is Champion hoodies...chicken wings and french fries
R.I.P. pieces on handball courts...this is us still fightin' police brutality
This is hip hop!!

Enough said, kids...

myspace.com/joellortizofficialfanpage


CALLE 13

"Atrévete Te, Te"

Let me say this first...this is not reggaeton! Reggaeton is Latin based form of reggae, which I'm not a fan of. Residente (the resident), and El Visitante (the visitor) are half brothers from San Juan, Puerto Rico. They bring a sound blending cumbia, samba, salsa, electronica, jazz, and more. They are known for their extremely witty lyrics, and have been known to spit fire at current artists; Puff Daddy (that's what I know him as), 50 Cent, Redman, and others. At times they're considered vulgar, due to their use of double entendre. Calle 13 are not liked by the Reggaeton community, because they have won many accolades in the Latino urban industry, and feel that they are in the shadow of the rappers. Another track to check out is "Chulin Culin Cunflai" featuring Voltio and Academy Award winning, (I believe it's a law you have to introduce them as such) Three Six Mafia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calle_13_(band)


This quick list consists of other artists I'm feeling. Most of them you already know.


Lupe Fiasco
Geeky rap at it's finest. Who the hell raps about Zelda and make it sound so fly?


Rhymefest
"Blue Collar" baby! Quite arguably the most slept on Hip Hop album in the last couple of years.

Joe Budden
If his record sales were better, you'd know him. "Pump It Up" is one of the dopest party tracks in recent history.

Atmosphere
A mainstay in the indie hop hop scene. They did have one commercial hit with "Trying to Find a Balance"

Peanut Butter Wolf
Stones Throw Records alum. Why hasn't this producer/dj/lyricist received the shine he deserves?!

Ludacris
You know who he is. Moving on...

T.I.
Another dude you know. Let's continue...

Obie Trice
He deserves alot more props, but unfortunately he's in the shadow of Eminem & 50 Cent. How the hell did D-12 get more exposure than Obie?! "The Setup" is such a great track and video.

Jean Grae
The queen of idie hip hop. Check out "Love Thirst"

The Roots
A hip hop band. Real instruments...no Pro Tools or Fruity Loops here, kids. Black Thought's lyrics are frequently overlooked.

Dialated Peoples
DJ Babu's project. Kanye West brought them to the mainstream with "This Way" and shined on their own with "Back Again."

Camp Lo
A very niche duo from the Bronx. The are heavily influenced by the 70's Blaxploitation era. "Black Nostaljack" is the perfect example.


Brother Ali
Shout out to B.H. Shan for letting me know about this cat. An albino looking Bubba Sparxxx, but with ten times the better lyrics, and no Mr. Collie park to give him wack ass beats. "Take Me Home"

Common & Talib Kweli
Common and Talib Kweli fall in this list, but they really shouldn't. They've been in "the game" for a while, but radio never gave them love because they didn't have that "hit" sound. Common's "Go" and Talib Kweli's "Hot Thing" are what really made them stand out to the common folk. Why? They're sexually based songs and are produced by the "it" producers of the present. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I really like those tracks. I just wish it didn't take those type of songs for them to shine.

So that's who I like out there right now. Hopefully, you'll check them out and you'll get to like them as well. I'm always looking for a new artist to check out, so by all means, drop me a line in the comment section.

Thanks for reading.

What happened to the Diss Record?

R&B singers putting out diss records...
Rappers taking their beef to YouTube...
Eww...



In the earliest days of hip hop, diss records and battles were the foundation of the music I love so much. MC's would verbally assault their opponent and b-boys battled each other way before Wade Robson disciples (blech) were serving people in shitty movies. I'll admit, I'm not really into the commercial rap (I refuse to call it hip hop) that's out there today, but when I read about two beefs that are currently going down I threw up a little in my mouth. Strap in, kids...

1) Ice-T vs Soulja Boy

2) Ne-Yo vs. Chris Brown


I'll let you take a few moments to recover.
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I can't go through the entire history of beefs in hip hop, because you would need to dedicate an entire website to it. I'm going to list some of my favorite hip hop beefs with some heavy paraphrasing. You can find tons more of info on teh internets. Needless to say, the following samples and videos are going to slapped with



KRS-ONE vs. MC Shan
Also known as "The Bridge Wars"

This started around '85 when Marley Marl and MC Shan put out "The Bridge." The track proclaimed without directly saying that hop hop originated from Queens.

Here's a sample of the first verse:

You love to hear the story, again and again,
Of how it all got started way back when,
The monument is right in your face,
Sit and listen for a while to the name of the place,
The Bridge, Queensbridge, the bridge, the bridge...

Boogie Down Productions and KRS-ONE took exception to it and claimed (rightfully so) that Hip Hop started in The Bronx. Here's an excerpt from their response, "South Bronx"

Party people in the place to be, KRS-One attacks,
Ya got dropped off MCA cause the rhymes you wrote was wack,
So you think that hip-hop had its start out in Queensbridge,
If you popped that junk up in the Bronx you might not live...

This escalated to a response by Shan with "Kill That Noise," and then KRS fired back with "The Bridge is Over."

KRS-ONE's career took off from the battle with many successful albums, and MC Shan did a guest verse on Snow's "Informer."


LL Cool J vs. Canibus
The Microphone Tattoo Incident

This one started when they recorded "4,3,2,1" along with Method Man, Redman, Master P, and DMX. Canibus, had a verse that included the lines:

Ripping an arm out a socket,
Taking a mic off it, and
Letting a real MC rock it...

This was a reference to LL's tattoo of a microphone, in which LL took umbrage (SAT word) to. LL had the lines taken off the track and rewrote his verse to rip apart Canibus...

When young sons fantasize of borrowing flows
Tell little shorty with the big mouth the bank is closed
The symbol on my arm is off limits to challengers
You hold the rusty swords, I swing the Excalibur...

In the video, you only see LL with Meth, Red, and DMX in cypher. Canibus and Master P were missing in that scene. This led to Canibus' song, "2nd Round K.O."



LL has tons of experience in making battle records. He's conquered Kool Moe Dee, Ice T, MC Hammer, and others. If you need a rapist and an overrated Haitian producer to help you out, you know you're in trouble...

LL came back with one of my favorite diss albums of all time, "The Ripper Strikes Back"



The beat was epic with the opera singing in the background, and the lyrics tore Canibus, Wyclef, and Mike Tyson apart. The thing is Canibus does have tight lyrics, but he never recovered from this. To this day he still takes shots at LL whenever he tries to release something new.


Notorious B.I.G. vs 2Pac
The East Coast/West Coast rivalry is born...

You don't need to know a thing about hip hop to know about this one. This is what hip hop should not be about. The mass media got involved, blew it out of proportion, and eventually led to the deaths of two of hip hops best ever. Crews got involved. Other artists got involved, hell even baby's momma's put their two cents in. I'm not going to write too much about this one, because you can find it anywhere. I'm just going to include a couple of videos.

It went from this...



to unfortunately this...






Other highly publicized beefs:

Jay-Z vs Nas
For the title of "King of New York" after Biggie died.

Jay-Z drops "The Takeover." Nas drops "Ether."

I love Jay-Z, but Nas smoked Jigga on his track. Nas proves that he's the better lyricist. This one ends up with a "let's agree to disagree" truce and are now rumored to be working together on a album. (I want this shit to happen so badly.)


Lil' Kim vs. Foxy Brown
Battle for Hip Hop's Biggest Ho. I'm gonna say it's a tie.


G-Unit vs. The Game
The battle of who gives a shit.



Which leads me to this post's topic, kids. I came across the Soulja Boy & Ice T beef about two weeks ago. This is how it started...



"Nighttrain" comes out swinging after Soulja Boy. I agree with him, but he hasn't put anything out in years. I was never a fan of Ice-T...the only track I ever like was "Hustler."

Soulja Boy responds with this...



Do you need your lil' crew to comeback with a response?! I hate to admit it, but SB actually made a few good points. Help bring back hip hop to what it is!!

Ice-T comes back with this one...



Soulja Boy apparently is now winning the battle with this...


A cartoon?! What happened to BATTLE RECORDS? Posting a video on the internet seems so catty. Grab your notebook and a pen and throw out some fire. That's how it should be done. Soulja Boy could put this to rest by doing it this way, and possibly gain some credibility in the hip hop community. Unless, he's scared...or very smart. I'm sure he has people that told him about past beefs like LL vs. Canibus. His career could be short lived if he tried to put something out, and Ice-T responds lyrically. So what he does is make a video, and it goes viral. He didn't have to go to the studio, and his name is still out there. It's so smart that it sickens me. Ice-T might have just extended SB's fifteen minutes of fame. Think about it...where's "Chicken Noodle Soup" girl?



As I'm in awe of this situation, I read about this gem two days ago...

Ne-Yo vs. Chris Brown
Wait, aren't you dudes R&B singers?

Chris Brown and Ne-Yo are two young singers in the R&B game as we speak with really good success. I actually don't mind them at all. I like a few of their songs (so shoot me), and it gets the girls on the dance floor. Brown has been selling more records, but Ne-Yo is making up for it in writing songs for other artists, and singing hooks in many rap songs (watch your back, T-Pain). Chris Brown as of late has been really shitting on Ne-Yo, comparing total record sales. So what does Ne-Yo do? He records a diss record with a video to go with it?!

WARNING: If you have an acute case of OCD like myself, the beat of this track will stay in your head for hours. It's taken from Lil' Wayne's "A Milli," produced my Mr. Bangladesh *blech*



What really bugs me about this, is that Ne-Yo doesn't have the balls to admit that he is going after Chris Brown. If you're gonna put out a diss record, take responsibility for it cotdammit.

Chris Brown fires back with this...


Picking the lesser of two evils, I have to go with Ne-Yo on this one. Both of these dudes need to stick with just singing. You're gonna get the ladies, or men for you, Ne-Yo (allegedly) with the singing. If this becomes a trend and I hear Keisha Cole and Rihanna put out diss records, I will hang myself.

So is that what we have to look forward to now in the art of battling? Video blogs, and singing? I hate the "hip hop is dead" argument, but damn it's in a chokehold. Am I too "old school" for thinking this way? I'm only 32...come to think of it, that might be too old in hip hop. Dog years and Hip Hop years run in the same time frame.


Thanks for reading...

Greatest samples and breakbeats in Hip Hop

He admits that he's corny, but he'll smoke you with his knowledge.



A few weeks ago, I came across this video on YouTube doing research on hip hop samples for a project. DJ Funktuall from Brooklyn has put together an amazing series of videos going over the origins of famous hip hop breakbeats and samples. I've posted the first video, and I will tell you now you'll breeze through the nine videos he has so far in one sitting (I'm guilty of it).

Enjoy...

Moving on...

There are times when you know that you've overstayed your welcome and realize that it's time to look toward the future. Risks have to be taken in order to improve and grow as a person. I know that the time for me has come.

From this this day on, I'm no longer affiliated with Darkside Entertainment. I've been involved with it for almost ten years, and learned alot. I started selling tickets to help my boy out, which led to starting the website, creating fliers, handling promotions, and other tasks. It gave me a greater passion for music and led me to become a DJ.

When different philosophies are involved, it can lead to counter-production, and even worse, animosity. I'm leaving before the latter sets in. I have no ill-wills, nor am I upset with anybody, because in the end it's all about partying and having a good time, no? I would hope that the same could be said about me in the minds of the Darkside crew.

Please continue to support Darkside by going to their events, because they are ONE OF THE TOP promotions around. The events they throw are amazing.

Leaving Darkside doesn't mean that I'm going to stop promoting. Actually, I'm going to give this a shot on my own along with a couple of my peoples. Truthfully, I've got nothing planned, nor have an idea of what I'm going to do...yet. You'll be the first to know when I have something going down.

I want thank everybody that I've met and showed love at the boat rides, and other Darkside affiliated events. Hopefully you'll stay along for the ride, and see what I'll be doing in the future. If not, it's all good, and I understand.

Big ups to Canela, Big Bear, DJ Classic, and the rest of the crew that's rolled with Darkside through the years.

I'm kinda feeling T-Pain, and I should be beaten for it

Yes. It's true. I hate to admit it, but when I hear it on my XM or play it at a gig, I find myself nodding my head to the beat and on some occasions *gasp* singing along. This is wrong at so many levels, I really don't know where the hell to begin.

I first heard about this "Rappa Ternt Sanga" (you see what he did there...he changed the spelling because it was the dope, fresh, chill thing to do) in February of 2006 when I was driving down the Las Vegas Strip to my hotel on the way back from a clothing buyers convention.

"I'm In Love With a Stripper" was the song that was playing. If you have never heard the song, I'm pretty sure you can find the video on YouTube or something like that. I heard the hook and thought, "Alright, it's something different, and Lord knows my affection for Bambi at Lace Gentlemen's Club in Nanuet."

Sorry...that's a different blog for a different day.

When the next verse came up, I realize that he's the only one on the song. His "voice" has a very robotic, twangy sound. It's a cheap knockoff of Roger Troutman, the guy that sings the hook to 2Pac & Dr. Dre's "California Love." You can tell that the voice has been over processed in the studio like Paris Hilton's atrocious attempt at recording an album (I promise that, this will be the only time I will EVER refer to that hose-bag in any of my blogs). If he started to sing because he stopped rapping, I'd hate to hear this guy spit lyrics. Actually, I would just for the cringe factor. Who knows? Maybe he has the skills of a Rakim or Big Daddy Kane. Then again, he may have the flow of Deion Sanders.

After a little research, I found out that he was signed by Akon (birds of a feather...you know the rest) after hearing a remix of "Locked Up" with "I'm Fucked Up" (creative, ain't it?) He indeed does write his lyrics. Here's an excerpt from a gem that's out right now, "Bartender"


[An excerpt of Verse 1]
Broke up with my girl last night so I went to the club (so I went to the club)
Put on a fresh white suit in a Mini coupe sitting on dubs (sitting on dubs)
I'm just looking for somebody to talk to and show me some love (show me some love)
If you know what I mean... Uh-Huh...

[Hook 1]
Oooo she made us drinks, to drink
We drunk 'em, (Got drunk)
And then I think she thinks I'm cool
She gave me a wink, I winked back
And then I think that, we headed out something proper like...

[Chorus]
I like the bartender
(Oooo If you're lookin' for me)
I'm at the bar with her
(Uh-huh, Ok)
I like the bartender
(Yeah if you're lookin' for me)
I'm at the bar with her
(Oooooh Uh-huh, Ok)


Deep, isn't it? I'm calling Deion Sanders on this one. Allow me to break it down...

[Verse 1]
"Broke up with my girl last night so I went to the club (so I went to the club)"

Well, he got over that chick quickly. I take at least two days to get over a girl.


"Put on a fresh white suit in a Mini coupe sitting on dubs (sitting on dubs)"

Who the hell puts big ass rims on a Mini?! Most rims these days are so big, it might be taller than the Mini itself. Maybe this hip hop thing is passing me by, but this sounds a little too hood rich for me

"I'm just looking for somebody to talk to and show me some love (show me some love)

If you know what I mean... Uh-Huh..."

Looks like Mr. Pain wants to get a lil' saucy, but leaves it up to our imagination on what he wants to do. I'm guessing The Samoan Piledriver.


[Hook 1]
"She made us drinks, to drink"

This bartender must be a special gal, since the drinks she made were for him to drink. I usually prefer to snort my Grey Goose.

"We drunk 'em (got drunk)"

Of course he drank them. What hip hop act doesn't drink booze in their songs? The last song I heard any mention of a designated driver was Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It." Let's not forget the usage of past tense and past participles of the word "drink." Mr. Allen, my ninth grade English teacher would be proud.

I'll spare you the rest

If he's going to survive in "the game," he should stick to singing hooks and choruses, written by somebody else of course. I didn't mind him on "U & Dat Booty" from E-40. This would the best way to utilize his "talent." He's a modern day Nate Dogg, if you will. Sure, you'll sing along with him on Warren G's "Regulate," but are you the owner of his CD catalog?

Now, with all of this, I have no damn clue why when his current songs are played in a club, the crowd (myself included) is rockin' to it. If the song were to be playing right now, my dumb ass would be bobbing my head, singing just as off key as T-Pain is. Is it because people are accustomed to the simple lyrics in "hip-pop" today? Since the mid-nineties, the "playa movement" has dumbed down the music I love. It's made me go more towards House music these days for the more soulful lyrics and vibe. Don't get me wrong, there is some really good, intelligent hip hop out there, but I don't think the fellas are going to be grinding to Dilated People's "Spit It Clearly" with some chick on dance floor.

Until then, I'm gonna pull up on a shawty and sing "Buy You a Drank" to her. Maybe I can get in on some of that Samoan Piledriver action.

What makes you think I know better?

That's an easy question...

I don't.

I just wanted to find a way to express my feelings about things that are going on today. It'll mostly be about music, sports, and what ever else is going through my mind. I'm not the political type, but I may drop something once in a while if I think it's important.

Just who the hell am I?

I'm E.J. from Sleepy Hollow, a New York City suburb.

I'm in the family business; I work in the Bronx with my pop and bro. We have two clothing stores. It's geared to older gentlemen (sexy, isn't it? **blech**).

I'm a party/club promoter and part time DJ for the extra cash and for fun.

I love hip hop, house music, neo-soul, and anything with heavy percussion like samba, afro-cuban and all that good stuff.

HUGE Yankee fan, but not one of those douche bags that always say, "Twenty-six championships! How many do you have?" I'm an intelligent baseball fan who knows that they're up shit's creek this season, and the only thing they have got going for them is the Wild Card (maybe.)

I love the Kansas City Chiefs. I've been a fan since the Christian Okoye days and always will be. I do hate Herman Edwards as the coach. I had to deal with his crap when he was with the Jets. Great motivational speaker, crappy game manager.

I listen to the Opie & Anthony Show and Ron & Fez Show on XM. Check them out. Don't bother if you're easily offended.

I also love the WWE and UFC. I like scripted and non-fictional violence.

That's it for now, because Monday Night Raw is about to start. I'll have something up very soon.


Next Blog:
I'm kinda feeling T-Pain and I should be beaten for it...