League Of Starz Interview - Tavon "Pun" Alexander

By me and originally written for Passionweiss

From LA to the Bay, multi-platinum production team League Of Starz are helping to define the new sound of West Coast rap. Since being assembled just four years ago, the collective has been fundamental in the new generation’s popularity, releasing hundreds of records along the way. Their discography includes E-40′s “Function,” Problem and Bad Lucc’s “Like Whaaat,” as well as a growing list of work for 2 Chainz, 100s, Ty Dolla Sign, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, T.I, and Game.

Passionate and determined, Tavon “Pun” Alexander founded the group after noticing the overlooked potential in local producers and scored major placements within just weeks of bringing them on-board. It’s no overstatement that Pun has the potential to become a mogul in the making. League Of Starz began as a modest conversation between friends and despite becoming a million dollar business, they remain independent and focused on the success of the team as a whole.

Between handling the affairs of seven different beat makers, Pun also manages Problem, King Chip and Bad Lucc. He rarely gives interviews, but blessed me with a lengthy conversation where he energetically discussed his introduction to music, E-40 giving him life changing opportunities, receiving a surprise call from Snoop Dogg, and his plans for global success.

What neighbourhood in LA are you from?

Compton. I went to high school in Long Beach. I didn’t take up college. I pretty much took the street route after high school and did that for a while. Eventually I got into music through a friend, Glasses Malone, who was signed with Ca$h Money at the time. He kind of took me off the streets and put me into the music game underneath him.

Do you still keep in touch now?

Yeah, that’s my brother. That’s my boy, so we still talk and we still hang out from time to time. I did his new record that’s coming out actually called “Step” produced by League Of Starz. So we still working, we still cool. Everything’s still good.

How did you get the nickname “Pun”?

[laughs] Oh that’s just from the streets man. My mom named me Punch as a kid. I used to be a little local kid that was in the neighbourhood and any of the older or younger cats that had a problem, you know they would come get me for the younger cat. They used to call me Punch because I would fight a lot. As I grew up man, the homies started calling me “Big Pun” or “Punisher” so Pun is more friendly and the ladies like it too. They could call me “Punny” or “Pun.” The ladies like it so I just roll with it. [laughs] Yeah, I just rolled with it. I don’t wanna scare nobody.

Tell us about the discussion that first inspired the creation of League Of Starz. It was in your house?

Yeah, it was in my living room with two of my buddies, we were just chilling one day. When I was working with G Malone, I would talk to a lot of producers because he used to have them send beats to my email. I was listening to hundreds of beats everyday and building relationships with these unknown producers. Then eventually, I was telling my boys one day like “yo, I want to start me a production company man. Just get a gang of dope producers and just shop the beats to the relations I’ve built like with E-40 and different cats I’ve met along the way with G Malone.” I targeted the Jerk movement, all the producers who had that going, and that’s where all my producers come from. There were more at first, but it didn’t work out so it ended up only being seven as it is right now but at first it was like 12 -13 producers total.

That’s like the Wu Tang of producers.

Haha yeah! That’s what it is man. You know what I’m sayin? I’m going to keep it going, my plan is to get 6-7 at a time and get them all to the point where they’re popping then go grab more and I’m just going to keep doing it. I’m going to have a whole roster of them motherfuckers man, dope producers. I still got a way to go with these so I’m not moving right now on that.

Did you have any contacts in the industry at the time or were you doing it on your own?

I pretty much did it all on my own. I didn’t have no major Rolodex. I had a couple here and there. I really built it up as I went along. The biggest contact I had at the time through G Malone was E-40. I used to just send him beats. He picked two of the first beats I sent him “My Shit Bang” and another on his album called “Gunz.” From there, “My Shit Bang” opened up doors with other artists reaching out. It was a domino effect from there. Even when I got with Problem we were building him from the ground up, with that more connections started coming when I went along. We built it from scratch.

How did Glasses Malone introduce you to E-40?

I was with him and he was on a Tech N9ne tour, which had him, E-40 and Jay Rock. That’s when Kendrick Lamar was Jay Rock’s hypeman. From that tour I met E-40 and did like six or seven shows with G Malone. Jay Rock has always been a homie of mine too. He [E-40] was asking me to send him beats and beats.

E-40 must be a cool guy to ask you to send him beats, as you weren’t well known at the time. That’s pretty humble of him.

Yeah, that’s E-40 though. That’s my big bro. He’s cool like that, he’s not cocky. All he wants is you to have the beats. If the beat slaps, he’s going to fuck with it. He doesn’t care if you’re a new producer, A-list or unheard of. That’s one thing – he gives all unknown producers opportunities, still to this day. His last single that’s out right now “Episode” is with a producer from Inglewood called Disko. He’ll give anyone a shot.

How did it feel when he chose “That Shit Bang” and it was successful? That must have been an amazing moment.

Still to this day, I look at it like there’s work to be done. Over here, you can’t get comfortable. We still have to out work the competition because we’re still independent, we don’t have a publishing situation where these motherfuckers are putting us in the studio with these artists. It’s like 10 times harder because with a lot of these situations they just put you in the studio with these artists and they get you placements, but nah we’re going against them. I have yet to get a placement with my producers. All my placements I’ve never went through an A&R. We had to go through the manager, or the artist directly.

Do you still have to force your way into the industry a little bit?

Yeah, yeah, still. You can’t let up, cause there’s always a producer out here trying to replace you. If you get too comfortable you’re going to have a situation where one of these new motherfuckers come in kicking the doors down. I tell my producers every day man, keep them beats coming. Don’t get lazy. We got to keep this shit going.

So you have to be determined to put yourself out there?

Yeah, you got to be man. The thing about this business is nobody believes in the beginner. They all hop on your dick once you take off like “I knew you were gunna do this!” and it’s like – no you didn’t motherfucker. Nobody believes man, so I’m out here pushing a lot. Like I tell my team, you gotta be humble but you gotta be cocky at the same time. It’s just crazy, nobody believes bro. Like with Problem, everybody just wanted him to do hooks. I was like “yo, his verses are sick. let him put a verse on there” and they’d be like “nah we just want him for a hook.” Then as soon as they start putting Problem on their shit, now you see Problem is snapping. So everybody is like “give me a Problem verse, give me a Problem verse.” But now I’m like “I don’t know, I’ll let you know.” So you gotta kinda stretch your shit and let a motherfucker know that what you got is quality A1 product. So I hit these A&Rs up like “who you working with?” Then I’ll pop my shit like “Ok, I’ll just go to him directly.” Yeah, I be fucking with the A&Rs man and let them know because some A&Rs act like their shit don’t stink. But much respect to all the great A&Rs out there man, shout to Jeff Vaughn at Atlantic. That’s my boy man, Jeff holds us down. But I don’t know, it’s cool man. It is what it is.

At the moment, you guys are focusing on West Coast artists. Do you plan to expand eventually?

Yeah, that’s the plan. I have more West Coast connections because that’s where I’m at, but we work with South artists. We’re working closely with T.I, we have a new song on his album coming out. We are working with Trae The Truth. Ludacris just reached out for some shit, Jeezy just reached out for some shit. As far as the East Coast – Jim Jones, Fred The Godson. I would like to work with the A$AP Mob, I like the work they are doing especially A$AP Ferg. French Montana, I send him beats all the time. I have his direct email so we’re going back and forth. It’s building man. We’re actually going to take the producers down to Atlanta for a week. DJ Drama wants us to come down there, he has his studio down there – Mean Street Studios. He’s going to bring artists in to work with us so that’s the next play we’re going to do.

Why did you name your production group League Of Starz?

I wanted to take people with talent that nobody believed in, who everybody was overlooking. Like the whole Jerk movement, as much of an impact as those dudes made for the West Coast, they still never got the credit they deserved. They literally brought back the West Coast. You can say whatever you want but that’s where YG sprung from, that’s where a lot of the club music is from. You would never have heard any of that shit on the radio at the time. You would never have an artist outside of Power 106 going crazy, because they weren’t playing any of our music. The Jerk movement came along and they brought back the West Coast fun side, in the clubs. Everybody was against it because these dudes were wearing skinny jeans and all that shit, but fast forward now and everyone is wearing skinny jeans. You know what I’m saying? They really brought this shit back. But they never get the credit. So I’mma take these dudes who nobody believed in and I’m going to turn them into stars, then I’m going to put them together so there’s a league of these motherfuckers.

I want to find talent that no one else believes in, that’s with everything I do. Even when I got with Problem that was someone who everybody counted out, but he was one of the dopest rappers on the West Coast. I knew that. Nobody believed it because he had a song in 2006 called “I’m Fucced Up” and after that you really didn’t hear much from him, but that was my boy so I was like “what I’m going to do is put you with my producers and ya’ll going to build each other up.” Therefore you got Mollywood 1, Mollywood 2. The Separation. Million Dollar Afro with Iamsu! If you look them up, they’re produced mainly by League Of Starz and some production by Problem. We just wanted to keep it in house and fast forward to now and you see where Problem is at. He’s being labelled as one of the dopest on the West Coast right now. That’s what I’m saying. I see a star in these motherfuckers and I’m going to bring it out and put it in front of the world.

You told them to give you one year to prove it could be a success?

Yeah, it was like I know my hustle so that’s what I was telling them. “Just give me a year and see what I can do. Give me a year and watch me work, just give me what I need and in a year ya’ll can have it cracking.” So I got with Tone Bone and he got a placement in his first two weeks with E-40’s “My Shit Bang.” That was his single and my first placement ever. From there I found Dnyc3, and the whole “Faded” situation came along and that went platinum within his first four months with me. Then so on and so forth. Trend had “Function” with E-40, then Dupri started coming along with Tyga records like “Hijack” ft 2 Chainz. Different shit started coming along and now it is where we do a lot of stuff for these artists. We got one on T.I’s new album coming out. Dupri has “Walk Thru” with Rich Homie Quan and Problem, Dnyc3 has “Good Day” with Tyga, Meek Mill and Lil Wayne. We got records in rotation, and we still working.

Is there a lot of competition between the producers?

Nah, they work good together. That was another thing that I had to make sure of – that they all got along. They all knew each other from the Jerk movement. I had to make sure they were all cool with each other. I didn’t want to have two enemies. We have sessions where I’ll bring all seven of them at the same time and work on beats. Right now we’re working on a new project called Respect The League and it’s production where they are all collaborating. It’s not a single producer, it’s all of them on one beat or like three or four of them on one song.

Do you also send multiple producers when working with artists?

Sometimes in sessions I send like two or three producers. I don’t want to send seven because it’s kind of hard for an artist to work with seven producers. The only one is Game. I sent like four producers with him at one time. With Game we ended up doing like 22 songs. He’s put out about four of them so far. We got some crazy shit with him, but he’s one of the few that can adapt with so many producers in the studio at the same time. He’s like a machine, you load up a beat and he’ll go straight in the booth. Then you have artists who will take all day with one producer so I don’t want to send all seven there.

Did you ever produce or have you always stuck to managing?

I actually produced on Problem’s first project Mollywood. I did the “Foolies” record on there with him, Skeme and Bad Lucc. But nah, when I was younger I wanted to produce when I was 14-15. My older cousin used to make beats and I used to go over to his house and he had the MPC. You know I really didn’t take it serious, I was just doing it because I saw him doing it. I always loved production though. From day one, I was a Dr Dre fan. When I was a kid, my momma will tell you, she would say “who do you want be a – firefighter, police?” “Nah, I wanna be be Dr Dre.” I always looked up to him when I was a kid. That’s a true story. But I never had the time to go through beats, that was frustrating for me so I was like fuck it, I’m going to get in one way or another.

People describe your music style as Function. Can you describe the sound?

The content of it is Ratchet, what people talk about, I get it. But our shit from day one, we just started to call it Function music because that’s the music that you can play at any party, you can play at any function, you can have fun with it. Now what the artists choose to rap about when they get on there, that’s on them, but we’re going to make sure even if it’s an R&B beat you can play it at the club. That’s just our thing. We don’t really sway away from it. We still do that, but it’s something they can do with their eyes shut. Right now, we’re just showing ya’ll a different level. Like the Rich Homie Quan “Walk Through,” – we’re going to show some other sounds. It’s not trap, it’s not West Coast club, it’s still Function, but everyone was trying to say we were one-dimensional and all we did was stuff that snaps and claps on the one BPM. We’re independent so it’s going to take a longer time but they’ll see real soon. We’re working with a lot of artists this year.

Is there one of your records that you’re particularly proud of?

All the records are cool to me man, but I have still yet to find that one that amazes me like I’m happy with all of the records that come out, but we still aren’t at the point we need to be at. All of that is cool, but I need that motherfucking top 10. My goal is to see three top 10s on the Billboard 100 at the same time. That’s my goal.

Internationally successful?

Yeah, yeah man. I need that, you feel me? It’s going to be ten times harder but that’s the job we signed up for, we ready man.

How did you start working with Snoop Dogg? That must have been a big moment.

Yeah, you know, that came from the “Function” record. E-40 called me one day like “hold on, I got someone on three way” and then he clicked over and it was Snoop Dogg.

Wow.

Yeah [laughs]. I was like “Oh shit!” He was like “What’s up nephew! I need some of that heat.” So I was like “Oh shit yeah man, whatever you need. You’re Snoop Dogg…” Know what I’m saying? Ha ha. He was like “matter of fact, what ya’ll doing on 420? I was like “nothing man we chilling.” He was like “I want ya’ll to get your producers and spend 420 with me.” We ended up spending the whole 420, all day, with Snoop. He had a BBQ, we smoked, we made beats. We recorded records. It was fun man and that came through E-40 man. Shout out to E-40 again. He’s a humble dude, E-40 always looked out for us from day one. I always say that all the time, I always thank him all the time, like E-40 never changed man and he looked out for us. That’s one dude who wants to see the West Coast win. All the West Coast acts wherever you are, Snoop the same way.

You’re also a manager, how do you find the time? Your schedule must be crazy.

Yeah… [laughs]. It’s crazy man, but shit you know I can handle it and that’s what keeps me moving. I wake up every day for this shit. That’s what I do. I wake up at seven o’clock every morning and get straight to work. I’m making these calls, seeing what Problem’s up to, see what these producers got going on, what they wanna do. Shit, we got to keep this going man. It’s a hustle and I love it. I had a job before where I used to wake up and dread every morning going to that motherfucker to check in.

What job?

I used to do security man, for like a year. It was the worst shit. I’d wake up like “awww fuck.” I didn’t want to go bruh, ugh. So now with this, I wake up and it gets my blood rushing. It’s good when you sit down with your team, you plan something out and you see that shit come to life with the world respecting and talking about it. That’s what keeps me pushing. Right now with Problem working on his album, we know what’s going to happen. These records he’s working on here are crazy, the world has yet to hear it but I know when the world hears them it’s going to be fucking crazy. Problem is going on some next level shit with his new album and it’s definitely going to shock the world with what he got. Even the producers with this Respect The League project, it’s on some whole other shit.

Did you research moguls like Diddy, Clive Davis, Russell Simmons etc and take inspiration from them?

I didn’t want to copy anyone’s blueprint. I know their stories, I’ve seen and read about it but I wanted to be original and do it my way. I wanted to come with a whole new approach to the game. So this is really me with my story. If you look at Russell Simmons, how he built Def Jam, and then look at Pun, how he built League Of Stars – I didn’t really copy nobody else’s shit. I was inspired by it, I loved seeing them like yo that’s what it takes, the hustle and the ambition. That’s what I took from that, that’s what I need. The hustle and ambition that they had. That push they have for their shit, that branding for their shit. Know what I mean? Like Diddy still to this day, he makes what ever he will touch feel like it was elite.

Do you hope your story will be one like Diddy’s or another mogul who people will look back on one day?

Hellllll yeah bruh, I aint gon’ lie. I want to be legendary you know? I’m trying to show that I made the impossible possible because I didn’t come in this shit like everybody with a musical background or with connections or my mom or dad is this or that. This is straight organic shit from the streets, you feel me? That’s why I’m hustling and building up as I go along. I just want to show motherfuckers it’s possible, because a lot of people don’t believe this shit is possible. They feel like “I can’t make nothing happen in the music business.” But you can get in this motherfucker and change the game. Anything is possible, you just gotta believe in yourself and your team. We push independent. We ain’t got no major support, we ain’t got no one helping us, but we’re making some major moves. Like Problem is on records with some of the biggest artists and he’s independent as a motherfucker. We ain’t got no one helping us and at the same time we ain’t looking for nobody to help us. These labels come at us all the time. Everybody has come at League Of Starz trying to sign us, but we cool, this is what we do and we’re going to keep on pushing. This is what is going to make our story better than motherfuckers that are popping right now – we’re independent as fuck.

Kevin Gates - By Any Means review

By me and originally written for Passionweiss

Heavily inked, emotionally scarred and fresh out of the slammer, Kevin Gates returns with 16 bi-polar bangers. By Any Means is less personal than last year’s Stranger Than Fiction and The Luca Brasi Story, but the Louisiana’s rappers remains one of the best young gangsta rappers this side of the Mississippi. Gates has the hooks, the singing, the story and the passion. Of course, it helps that he’s been blessed with the rare combination of versatile vocal chords and awareness of how to use them. From his threatening croak on standout “Homicide” to the palpable sincerity on “Movie,” KG is as far removed from one-dimensional MCs as it gets.

The 28 year old also defies the tradition that rappers need to be invincible. His willingness to showcase flaws is a large part of what makes his music compelling. Gates covers depression, anxiety, self-doubt and a slew of other pitfalls rarely touched on in rap. Add in his penchant for including vivid real life details from his turbulent past and you’ve got a killer combo. Whether it’s because he’s attempting to make a mainstream friendly project or because he’s saving material so that the relentless mixtape circuit doesn’t end in creative burn out, these details aren’t quite as apparent on this record as they were on his 2013 output. There are no epic tales of attempted murder by best friends like “4.30am” or cinematic true-life tales of crime ala “iHop” on here. You’ve got to listen a little closer, but it’s worth the effort.

 Gates adds humanity to what could have been a generic hustling theme on “Wish I Had.” Instead of lazily attributing his motivation to the American Dream aka wanting to get rich, he phrases the chorus in a more relatable way and it takes on a redemptive quality. “Out my window, I see everything I dream about and wish I had.” During the song, he also acknowledges his self-consciousness at being a two-time felon, desperately wanting to write a hit and being a good person that can transform in the wrong circumstances.

Later on “Sposed to Love” there’s more mention of this duality of character and the imperfection he’s willing to display on record. Gates is passionately in love and deeply offended when his partner doesn’t answer the phone, but he’s also bordering on the obsessive and admits to hitting her in the heat of the moment. The realistic portrayal of domestic violence undoubtedly makes it the most divisive track on the album. Some listeners may feel he’s condoning this behavior as he comes across as cocky rather than apologetic, but references to Chris Brown, stalking and jail make it clear he’s aware of his moral wrongdoing.

Musical psychoanalysis aside, this tape is also trunk rattling. Get Em Gates understands the quandaries presented by turning down for no good reason. As one of the chosen few who isn’t overshadowed by Juicy J and 2 Chainz on his own jams, he can rap with the best from planet Versace. Despite his currently unproven mainstream appeal, “Don’t Know” and “Arm And Hammer” have the type of hypotonic hooks you’ll find yourself accidently reciting during work meetings or on the subway. Along with his chameleon vocals and a healthy dose of neuroticism, part of what makes Gates listenable is his varied delivery style. He’ll switch flow several times, moving within seconds from Migos inspired double-time to shouting threats down your ear canal.

With a hulking audio presence, Gates doesn’t need to rely on features and thankfully he hasn’t succumbed to this cheap tactic. For the most part, the guests are used sparingly and fit in nicely. The late Doe B in particular shines with his effortless flow during “Paranoid,” making it all the more obvious the world was robbed of the 22 year old’s potential. Then of course, there’s Plies. He doesn’t quite ruin “Keep Fucking With Me” by spitting a marble mouthed verse, but he definitely comes close.

 Being locked up on a three-year gun charge partially derailed Gates’ career during the mid-2000s. But he also claims long periods in jail gave him the opportunity to form his unique rhyming style. In an interview with HipHop Dx, he said prison changed his attitude toward music too “I want the Rap game when I come home. You never know how much something means to you until you can’t do it. “Personal issues have made him both great and imperfect. Few have a darker past than Kevin Gates, but few have a brighter future.

Winter Playlist Series

Written for Passionweiss. I organized this feature and there's plenty of other great sounds ranging from Blaxploitation soundtracks to electronic so check them out. 

This mix defines my winter tastes pretty well – grumpy old and new raps combined with soul and funk. While I’ve been listening to beats and rhymes since before the Willennium, booty-shaking riffs and smooth grooves are something I’ve only properly investigated in the past few years. However one has inevitably led to the other – Kanye is a big Curtis fan, Three-6 Mafia put me on to Willie Hutch, and RZA blessed his crew with several Stevie Wonder samples.

Many of these classic tracks contain some form of social commentary relevant to whatever era they were recorded in. This makes them both uplifting and gritty, which is a lot like the season where you are just as likely to spend all night in a toasty bar as you are to get hail flying diagonally into your face on the way home. Push play and pray for summer.

Also as per last season’s mixes, thanks to BJ Beatson and Aaron Frank for helping me put these together. Link after the jump. 

Download here. 

Tracklist:

1. Big L – Danger Zone

2. Vince Staples ft Schoolboy Q – Back Sellin’ Crack

3. Joey Fatts – Picture Me Rolling

4. Jay Z – Can’t Knock The Hustle

5. Boldy James – Optional

6. The Beanuts ft Big Pun and Cuban Link – Off The Books

7. Elzhi – Memory Lane

8. Big Pun – Punish Me

9. Droop E ft Nite Jewel and J Stalin – ‘N The Traffic

10. Willie Hutch – In and Out

11. Curtis Mayfield – Wild and free

12. Stevie Wonder- Living For The City

13. The Manhattans- New York City

14. Marvin Gaye – What’s Happening Brother

15. Curtis Mayfield – We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue

16. Kool and The Gang – This Is You, This is Me

M Will Interview (Marley Marl's son)

By Jimmy Ness and originally published for Potholes In My Blog

M.Will is the son of legendary producer Marley Marl, one of rap’s greatest beat-makers, and he’s been entrenched in hip-hop since birth. When Marlon Williams Jr visited his dad’s house on weekends, it was a hive of musical energy, with rappers showing up constantly. Whether to record in the House of Hits home studio or to do a show on Future Flavas, which was broadcast on Hot 97 and one of the first internet radio shows.

If you’re picturing legendary artists snatching pieces of toast out of M.Will’s hand or drinking milk straight from the bottle, you’re probably not far from the truth. Craig G, Common, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, Evil Dee, J Dilla, Jay-Z, Black Thought, Raekwon, A Tribe Called Quest and many more recorded in the house. Despite being surrounded by famed artists and a multitude of talent, M.Will says his upbringing was balanced and it didn’t scare him away from making his own music. The 20 year old has recorded at least half a dozen beat tapes including 2012’s As Above So Below and definitely has his own sound with influences from Alan Parsons, Dexter Wansel, Kanye West, the esoteric and golden age hip-hop.

We talked for almost an hour and M.Will gave thoughtful answers about growing up around music, living with his dad’s legacy, cultivating his own sound, his first production credit with LL Cool J, turning down working with Joey Bada$$, and too much more to list. 

You started playing piano at five years old?

Yeah, that’s about correct. My school was an elementary school as well as a graded music school. It was really cool, I liked it a lot.

You use a lot of piano loops in your music?

Oh yeah, I think piano and keyboards in general are one of the greatest inventions or instruments that humans have ever done.

You’re also classically trained, but didn’t enjoy the music at first?

Initially when I was really young, you always rebel like “oh this stuff sucks,” but it gave me the integrity that I needed to understand the full spectrum of music and it’s just really something I enjoy to this day and I have a great appreciation for it. I didn’t know as much about hip-hop or popular music or anything else besides what was immediately in front of me.

Who enrolled you in the music classes?

I think essentially it was my mum’s idea, but my dad saw that I was pretty interested in music at a really young age and just being around the House of Hits and around keyboards, I was always really fascinated by them.

How was it being in a family where hip-hop was such a large part of your life? What was your childhood like?

It was really balanced. There was a time for everything. There was a time for hip-hop, but there was a time for practicing and just doing different activities, so it was pretty structured. There would be a time to enjoy good music or when music was going on, and that was something I really appreciated and admired about my upbringing that I guess it was very balanced and structured. The premise of course was hip-hop that was something that would never go away so it was just like what else do we have to take care of?

What are your earliest memories of growing up with rap music?

I grew up in Flushing, Queens and that’s when I was old enough to understand everything. Around elementary school I remember just cool cars and loud music – BMWs and just hearing some good music like Biggie Smalls or something. Like okay, there’s something going on, there’s a powerful force here, just something way beyond my comprehension. I never really even quite understood what my dad did until I was like seven or eight years old, it was just something we were so submerged in. It was like, this is life and we are just living before it gained some sort of definition.

You were growing up while Future Flavas, the first ever online rap radio show was being recorded in your house. There must have been a lot of energy in the air, at the time.  

Oh my gosh, I was so fascinated but I never knew how powerful what was going on was, it’s the ripple effect of the things that would go on from there. The topics that were being discussed, it was always up to date, always on the money, on everything that was going on. It was fascinating just to know so many people were connected at the point. I could never fathom the concept during that time period, it was way before everything is now like how the internet, you can’t live without your computer. This was during that transition and it helped propel the understanding that we have now with music and the internet. It was totally ahead of its freaking time. It was so sick.

I’m sure you saw all these famous artists that were always at your dad’s house, but they seemed more like extended family or uncles rather than big celebrity musicians.

Exactly, we were all living simultaneously - I was just the young one growing up. We would share the same food, hang out and pass around homemade cooking. It was just the real deal, the human side of everything behind the mystique and behind everything else. It was just a real normal human experience – emotions, frustrations and happiness. It was really cool.

Were there any artists that your dad was particularly close to or who were always around the house just hanging out?

Yeah definitely, Pete Rock lived just a couple of miles out and he would be over all the time, like forever. That was always really really great, that was someone who I saw literally as an uncle. It was always them two just hanging out all the time that was a really great friendship and companionship to witness at a young age. Aside from that, Craig G was around a lot, a bunch of different artists. You know just constantly, so many I can’t even name, people would be around the time. Callie Ban he’s the man, Aisle 12, these were just some of the familiar faces I remember seeing all the time.

Do you still see these people around or not so much anymore?

My dad has such a wide social circle you know. Occasionally yeah, you’ll see them all the time at certain areas and at events. Just recently they did a really cool reunion with Pete Rock and I up was there and got to hang out. That was really cool, see how it was when they were doing their thing together. My dad’s always doing something, he’s a freakin superstar, it’s ridiculous this guy just runs around and does shows forever and he’s damn near pushing half a century. He’s always just out there [laughs] it’s awesome. It’s really cool.

J Dilla came through to the station once didn’t he?

From my understanding, yeah. Him and Pete Rock were really tight. That was the first time ever Pete Rock was breaking Slum Village records and Busta Rhymes records and Tribe records, and the station was just a real taste of where you could find the goods.

Big L’s number was also written on the wall at the studio?

It’s so crazy, the House of Hits itself is so remarkable with all the relics and just everything that’s ever come through there. It was right above the vocal booth, I think they were scheduling Big L to come through a couple weeks before he actually got killed. It was in the works, about to happen because I think Lord Finesse had made the call because he was on Future Flavas for a short time before it occurred and it was in the motion. At that time period, man there was so much hip-hop coming in and out of the crib.

Did Wu Tang ever come through? Because I know GZA was affiliated with the Juice Crew for a while.

Everytime we see Wu Tang they show mad love. I’ve seen Raekwon, I’ve met him a couple of times. He just shows mad love, he’s so embracive. I know that Raekwon, RZA and the GZA have been on Future Flavas before. They’ve definitely passed through a couple of times. I know that ODB has definitely been in the House of Hits. I recently met his son and we kicked it for a bit and that was mad chill. I love the new generation because they’re carrying on the legacy. I’m really good friends with TJ Mizell as well. (Jam Master Jay’s Son)

Rock music respects its legends and a big part of the culture is playing homage to them, but rap tends to pay less respect because it’s a young people’s game. How do you feel about that, being a young dude but growing up around all these veterans?

I just think that it’s just a natural thing that comes with time, we’ll hold onto certain records and things because they become the soundtracks to our lives. I just think that’s how rock has been able to maintain because it has such a resonance to its fans, I think hip-hop will get there, for the past 20 years it’s definitely gaining in prestige. I really see hip-hop getting the prestige that jazz music did, when it gets older I will become something really monumental a lot more than we can even fathom because it has touched so many lives.  

You starting producing when you were around 12 or 11 years old?

Well, yeah I guess. For fun I made loads of little tapes and stuff, here and there when I was really young. Sometimes my dad would just record me fucking around on a keyboard or something. I’d go up on weekends and that’s what we would do, that would be our bonding time because I was always really into music. By the time I started really cultivating sounds and doing things like that, it would probably be around 11 or 12, I think I was like 13 or 12, I had an iBook or something and I was just fucking around with GarageBand.

I heard that your dad told you early on not too mess with hip-hop too much. Why was he less encouraging early on?

You know, just as a parent it’s always one of those things like “I did all of this so you don’t have to replicate it.” Just as a parent it’s their perspective that they’re busting their ass to make you not do what they had to do, because they want you to have it whatever way. It’s just like a parent’s concern. I hear about my friends telling me things like that all the time in different situations and that’s just how it was with me. My dad was like “I want you to be a doctor, or lawyer or a surgeon” when I was really young and I was like “screw that, I want to be the man!” But I’ve grown up and matured, and definitely seen all the different revenue streams that come from hip-hop. My dad was just very much like “nah you don’t want to be in the spotlight, you want to do it up right and have it wholesome.”

Listening to your music, you’re definitely trying to do something different than what your father did. You can hear the odd sample or influence, but you’re definitely trying to carve your own path.

Oh yeah, for sure. There’s definitely I feel, a certain perspective or edge that comes from my understanding of music because in any way possible I like to do a little tweak or whatever it ends up being, just a creative tangent from a song I already love. I love sampling so much, I appreciate the art. It’s essentially a musical collage, and if you’re able to really execute it well, it’s totally just reinforcing the original song. What more as a music lover can you do?

Your first production credit was “You Better Watch Me” on LL Cool J’s album Exit 13 that you made with your dad. You guys were actually just having fun and its placement was a surprise?

Initially that’s how it came about. I wasn’t actually in the studio with LL while it was happening. But the beat itself me and Dad made together, really one of my first new trials when I think Reason 4 came out. I was using Reason 3. We were just fucking around like “this is so cool, look at all these new things.” We were like little kids in a candy shop just going crazy over this new stuff and we just ended up making one of those beats and next thing I knew, dad was like “yo, check it out.”

You also have a production credit on the joint album between your dad and KRS-ONE. For those who don’t know, tell us why their collaboration was such a special moment and what it was like being around in that process.

It was a big deal, even just for my dad’s life story and everything that it incorporates. It was a really really monumental period, I remember that really vividly. I was turning 14 at the time, becoming of age and really grasping bigger concepts. It was a really important monumental thing just because you know, my dad jokes around about it all the time but that whole “Bridge War.” I still get pissed off when I hear “The Bridge Is Over” just because he’s talking about my dad. It’s huge. It’s a big thing and something we’ve always appreciated and celebrated. It’s so funny, one of the first things that from ear I taught myself to play was the “Bridge it Over” before I knew what it was and my dad was laughing like it was real real funny and I was like five and he’d be like “Don’t ever play that in Queensbridge.” It’s engrained in our collective story so to see that come together was like really awesome. They were always friends outside of the whole shit, but it’s a big deal because there’s always resentment that can exist after you put some shit on wax like that. So there’s always something but it was awesome. I know they did a couple of sessions upstate and a couple of sessions in LA but they really did it up nice.

You’re also quite a big fan of progressive rock? How did you get into it?

That’s for sure. I’m a big fan of music in general so I like classic or prog rock a lot because of its depth in music and inclusion of themes that are so much better, I don’t know. I’ve always really appreciated progressive rock or progressive anything for that matter. I’ve always grown up around the classics in elementary school, there were a lot of The Beatles and The Beach Boys going around. There was a really eclectic bunch of adults that were teaching my school so I’ve known about The Rolling Stones. I’d say I got into it myself after I went to high school.

Do you feel these different influences make your music more interesting?

Definitely, it’s like a microcosm to life. You have so many different flavours going around, taking little gems here and there and making something new is really fun.

What made you focus on the esoteric for As Above So Below?

Oh man, I’ve always been into that kind of stuff just given my life and things that I have experienced. It’s just really really fucking cool, it fascinates the shit out of me. I love history and I’d love to be a professor of hip-hop or some shit one day and I just think the stronger you understand the power of certain knowledge you can time travel kind of. You’re reaching the same thoughts and the same frequencies that were thought of not too long ago, you go back into time and look into how amazing certain buildings or structures were and it really wasn’t that different. I think that’s why I’m interested in older music too, these guys were geniuses and we just need to remind ourselves of that all the time, of Frank Zappa or my man Alan Parsons. I think it all correlates in that regard.

You also dedicate an album to Dexter Wansel?

That’s one of the funkiest keyboarders, dude is just the man.  I just really really took to his music when I came across certain songs. Hip-hop is a lense for me, I see a lot of my favourite songs and I see what they sample and look into the original songs. I think how I got into the Dexter Wansel stuff was The Cool by Lupe Fiasco, which was a song that I really like and it was produced by Kanye West and I just found the original sample from that. I started listening to a lot of untouched gems and stuff that was on the internet or YouTube like “oh my god, this is some of the most potent shit I’ve ever heard.” I just love it, the whole Philidelphia sound and everything that came out of that era was just so righteous, they were playing their asses off and I love it.

Tell us about your Supreme Team DJ mixes on Soundcloud.

It’s homage to the 1980s radio of Mr Magic, the world famous Supreme Team of Newark, WHBI as well as Kiss Fm and the whole radio rivalries. How blogs essentially became what radio was in terms of breaking records was really what I wanted to allude to and just never forget how powerful someone like a Frankie Crocker or some of these really awesome DJs were.

Because your dad is so renowned and he’s a pioneering musician, is he also one of your harshest critics at times?

I’d definitely say he’s one of my toughest critics by far, by absolute far. Especially more recently, in the past couple of years. It’s good though, I know he’s involved and I know he gives a shit and I know he’s really really listening which is great. Like hyper listening and I know he likes it which is cool. We go back and forth making beats sometimes, but I know there’s things I’m able to do that are an extension of what he wants to do.

Does he still listen to a lot of new music? You know there’s a stereotype about hip-hop legends as grumpy old heads who hate everything new.

That’s so funny. I think somewhat because my dad, he’s in his own kind of world in that regard only in terms of the music that he plays and the stuff he’s around. He knows what works, he knows what the classic “make you want to get up and dance records” are and he holds tight to that. He’s definitely really open to new things, but he’s always recultivating things and remixing songs that have been out for eons. Doing his own thing. I guess I can see that, but I always put him onto new things and he doesn’t quite get it until it gets a big nod from a record company or aside from that, but he’s pretty open with new stuff.

I’m sure he can appreciate the more lyrical guys like Kendrick Lamar or even Nas is still making great records.

Yeah, of course he’s up on that, but even Kendrick now has a huge nod from Interscope. I was talking about Kendrick when he was K.dot when we both had our music put up on Kevin Nottingham at the same time. It was just one of those things where I would have loved to have been like “yo, dad let’s bring this new guy from Compton, I hear he’s really dope, bring him to the studio.”

I read a Tweet where you said “I think it’s corny when some people’s parents have vendettas against my dad and they use their kids to try set up traps in the music business.” Is this something that you encounter, people are that petty?

Yes, all the time. There will be something that pre-dates me but I’m the one that has to deal with it or some sort of “oh well your dad was a jerk to me.” Something stupid and it’s like whatever, holding onto a grudge of one little small nothing that really wasn’t that big of a deal. They look for any kind of reason to see you in a negative light. I encounter that sometimes. There are people who still work in the industry to this day that hold their grudges, they could still be at Def Jam or anywhere.

You’re trying to stand on your own as an artist, but your dad is a legend in the game. Do you ever get tired of talking about him, where you want to be known as yourself rather than as Marley Marl’s son?

Yeah for the most part, that’s every angle or selling point that’s ever used. Everybody who I’ve ever worked with like that, it’s always the huge huge sell point. Initially, no one is supposed to know, my early releases I’d just drop them on my own and not even really care. But it’s not something I can escape like alright I’ll take it for what it is and still try to do my own thing, it’s always going to be there because it’s in my name, I can’t do anything about it.

What’s next for you?

Well, I always have my hand in a lot of projects. I’ve been really tied up with a lot of different things. We put together shows in the city, I’ve been doing that a lot, just throwing parties or shows at Webster Hall or somewhere downtown with some of friends just really doing some cool stuff. I’m trying to get into the technology world with music and help cultivate some cool things with enhancing the music experience.

I’ll always have three, four, five projects lined up, I’m definitely dropping something really soon, a beat tape that is just a by-product of all of these other great activities. That’s really how my music comes to be, As Above So Below is a perfect example as all of that stuff is a by-product of my life experiences at that time so I’ve got to make it tangible in some way.

Who would you love to work with?

It would be really cool to work with Q-Tip, if I had to pick a favourite producer without a bias I’d say in terms of the hiphop aesthetic that I really appreciate the most it would definitely be Q-Tip. God bless the dead, if I could bring Dilla back I’d love to work with him. Pete Rock I still haven’t worked with and would love to. Another rapper that has unfortunately passed on, Charizma from Peanut Butter Wolf and Charizma. That’s like the dopest swag right there. And of course Nas. Large Pro. My friends Ratking. I’d love to work with Stevie Wonder or some shit. I’m a big fan of Robert Glasper, Thundercat, Flying Lotus I love that shit. I really really really like Thundercat and Robert Glasper.

Joey Bada$$ is pretty cool, but I turned down being a member of Pro Era because they didn’t want to set me up right. They wanted me to do like five gigs for free on some real sucker shit and I wasn’t really bout it. But you know, that’s still a homie. We still hang out aside from music and shit. We got a close circle.

Is there something you’re trying to achieve with your music in particular?

I’m not sure, I guess it’s a little ambiguous but I think as long as you’re able to get something from it. I mean, I’m putting so much stuff into it. Everything from knowledge to just some cool sounds but as long as you like something that’s what I’m cool with. I think I just want to preserve and teach what I know as the truth or what I know as reality from my perspective and hopefully I can help create and cultivate an enlightened culture through hip-hop or music in general. Sun Ra is my dude and I really love what he stands for and I feel like him and I are on the exact same frequency in that regard. I know we have the same birthday but just in terms of the power of music and what it can do for humanity. It’s a great, great tool and I want to help cultivate, refine and make it as best as possible.

Discovering Mobb Deep's The Infamous

Here’s the first part of this feature I organized for Passionweiss. 

No matter how much of a music nerd you are, there are albums that you’ve inadvertently skipped. Whether it’s due to age, oversight, or just plain ignorance, even classics sometimes slip through the cracks. “The Corrections” is a recurring feature intended to remedy this oversight. The idea is simple: the Passion of the Weiss staff writers listen to an album they should have heard but somehow haven’t, and write about the experience of encountering it for the first time in 2013. 

  

“An eye for an eye, we in this together son, your beef is mine.” Modern day Mobb Deep view their friendship much differently than their younger counterparts did on their 1995 classic The Infamous. Havoc and Prodigy have been fighting since last year, but recently “buried their differences” to capitalize on the duo’s 20th anniversary with a new tour and album. Havoc was the most public with his anger and recorded a diss track as well as claiming that Prodigy had sex with other inmates while in prison. As Bun B said on Twitter, some things you can’t take back once you’ve put them out there.

Not everyone will admit it, but many music fanatics have a gap in their knowledge – that one album they never got around to hearing and find a way to avoid when it comes up in conversation. For some unknown reason I’d never listened to Mobb Deep’s early work. Illmatic, Enter the 36 Chambers and Ready to Die were close friends of mine, but me and the Queensbridge duo had never been formally introduced. This is strange considering how intertwined these four groups are. Nas and Havoc went to school together, Mobb Deep toured with Biggie and they frequently collaborated with Wu Tang.

My twisted perception of Mobb Deep was as squabbling brothers rather than legendary East Coast pioneers. I incorrectly considered Prodigy, now 38, to be a has-been who was eternally bitter over former rival Jay-Z’s success. He couldn’t seem to recover from Jigga putting pictures up at Summer Jam 2001 of him dressed as Michael Jackson. Instead it appeared that he pacified himself by pretending Hova was a member of the illuminati, rather than just a smart businessman.

P’s output with producer Alchemist is solid, but so is almost everything the former Whooligan is involved with. Mobb Deep’s work with G-Unit was uninspired and nothing I heard stood out as particularly special. But in 1995, Prodigy and his partner Havoc made one of the best albums I’d never heard.

Kejuan Muchita (Havoc) met Albert Johnson (Prodigy) at 14 when they attended the High School of Art and Design together. The duo formed a crew called the “Poetical Profits” and after changing their name, released a debut album at the age of 19. Juvenile Hell flopped commercially, partly due to their label not putting any marketing behind it. When Mobb Deep tried to make a second album, Havoc claimed in a 1995 Ego Trip interview that producers had started sending them throwaway beats. “They probably felt like, Yo, Mobb Deep – they kinda weak. We was like, fuck it man. I ain’t gonna stop… Ain’t nobody stopping my show.” Havoc, who had minimal beat making experience, was forced to produce the majority of their entire sophomore record. The duo even considered forming their own label if their second project flopped. Mobb Deep were backed against the wall, but determined to succeed and The Infamous was their stunning counter-attack.

Unlike other rap albums that give the listener a respite from debauchery with a conscious song or r&b track, The Infamous shows no remorse. The angst of two teenagers being almost forced out of the industry and trapped in the cycle of poverty fuels the album’s hardcore subject matter. Havoc compares himself to the grim reaper on “The Start Of Your Ending” and Prodigy has no mercy for anyone who struggles with completing their prison time. From punching your nose bone into your brain to shooting at women, their nihilism is relentless.

On the outstanding “Shook Ones Part 2,” P informs the listener that “I’m only 19, but my mind is old” because of everything he`s lived through in the projects. However, just a few lines later he claims “It aint nothing really, hey, yo Dun spark the philly.” Mobb Deep were youths who had given up hope of change, they understood the hopelessness of their situation and embraced it.

Hav produced the majority of The Infamous and his rugged beats suit the album’s portrayal of their unholy lifestyle. If you’re a rap fan, you already know their stripped down sound is typical of East Coast rap in the 90s, but it works especially well here. The lack of complex production leaves room for the duo to make their threatening presences felt. This album doesn`t have the immediate appeal of catchiness, but as you hear more captivating narratives from the MCs involved it grows on you. Havoc’s beats also sound similar to RZA’s early work, which is high praise considering he’s one of my favourite humans. Q-Tip was reportedly heavily involved in the album behind the scenes and with his guiding hand, it’s probably no coincidence this is their magnum opus.

The Mobb are also joined by a small, but formidable list of guests. Nas retains his stellar 90s form on “Eye For An Eye” and his flow is impeccable. “New York metropolis, the Bridge brings apocalypse, shoot at the clouds feels like, the holy beast is watching us.” He recorded two version of this verse and it would be a safe bet to assume they were both godly. Nasir’s also joined by Raekwon, which makes the track a kind of prelude to the classic “Verbal Intercourse” off OB4CL. Rae returns later in the album with Ghostface Killah for “Right Back At You,” and my 90s rap nerd checklist is complete. Q-Tip also shows up to rhyme about personal vices on “Drink Away The Pain,” but other than the occasional verse from Mobb affiliate Big Noyd, Havoc and Prodigy solely run the show.

The duo kept their rhymes simple in comparison to Big L, but they both focus almost entirely on hardcore crime narratives and had no issue with playing the villain. Mobb Deep is also obsessed with beef. At every chance, they warn other crews not to mess with them and reiterate they are only loyal to the Mobb. Prodigy spends over two minutes threatening rivals on “The Infamous: Prelude.” He also disses Redman and Keith Murray, for their “crazy space shit,” which resulted in Murray later punching him in the face. At the time of recording, Mobb Deep were in a zone where their only concern was their own success. Prodigy thought both B.I.G and Wu Tang were cheesy when he first heard them, and he even believed Biggie had stolen some of his lines.
.

The duo’s hostile style led 2Pac famously raging against them on “Hit Em Up” where he mocks P for having the Sickle Cell Anemia disease. While the two MCs withstood attacks from people outside their circle, their internal beef hurt them more- at least as far as first impressions go.
.
Mobb Deep have been rhyming together since they were 14 and close friends often fight like brothers, but airing out dirty laundry is never a good idea. This is an excellent album which has aged well considering it’s 18 years old, and it’s a shame to avoid such great work because the MCs involved have let personal disagreements taint their image. There’s something to be said for protecting your legacy. Thankfully, the Infamous remains indelible.

No matter how much of a music nerd you are, there are albums that you’ve inadvertently skipped. Whether it’s due to age, oversight, or just plain ignorance, even classics sometimes slip through the cracks. “The Corrections” is a recurring feature intended to remedy this oversight. The idea is simple: the Passion of the Weiss staff writers listen to an album they should have heard but somehow haven’t, and write about the experience of encountering it for the first time in 2013. - See more at: http://passionweiss.com/2013/07/30/the-corrections-mobb-deeps-the-infamous/#sthash.xgu7JAh7.dpuf

No matter how much of a music nerd you are, there are albums that you’ve inadvertently skipped. Whether it’s due to age, oversight, or just plain ignorance, even classics sometimes slip through the cracks. “The Corrections” is a recurring feature intended to remedy this oversight. The idea is simple: the Passion of the Weiss staff writers listen to an album they should have heard but somehow haven’t, and write about the experience of encountering it for the first time in 2013. - See more at: http://passionweiss.com/2013/07/30/the-corrections-mobb-deeps-the-infamous/#sthash.xgu7JAh7.dpuf

Shy Glizzy: Street Poet or Poor Man's Boosie?

By Jimmy Ness and originally written for Passionweiss

It’s cool to be weird in 2013. Danny Brown is Yakuza dope boy chic, Future’s an astronaut, Lil Wayne wears leopard print jeggings and Lil B’s cat has recorded more songs than you. Nostalgic fans see the ‘90s as the zenith of rap and I’m not inclined to argue, but there’s also something to be said for this era in which artists are free to experiment.

Washington D.C.’s Shy Glizzy isn’t the most innovative or strange, but there’s something oddly fascinating about his raggedly long sideburns, high pitch and sometimes boyish persona. The 20 year old, whose name is an acronym of ‘Street’s Hottest Youngin’ and a slang term for a glock, is a relative newcomer with less than five official mixtapes under his name. There’s only a few interviews with him online, and it takes a deep Google search to reveal his supposed government name: Marquis King.

Glizzy claims to have spent much of his youth robbing people and discovered he had a talent for rap after trying to write a book during a stay in a youth detention center. While third rate crack rappers from the front page of Datpiff trade phony coke stories and clamber over each other for the next big trap single, the Southeast DC rookie distinguishes himself with tales of the underclass, a nasally twang and simple, yet effective hooks. But is he just a poor man’s Lil Boosie?

Wale nearly signed the 20 year old to his BOA label, and MMG also courted him briefly. Everyone’s favorite felon Gunplay even appeared in the video for “Busters,” but not everyone is convinced. Chief Keef and Fat Trel had him banned from their DC show last year over some convoluted Twitter beef, which is probably Mr Folarin’s fault. Glizzy, of course, used this as an opportunity to gain some shine and released several tracks including a mediocre Keef diss called “3 Milli.” Shy flashes a piece in the video, says the O Blocker sounds like he’s 40 and spits the terribad line “I’mma catch your grandmother and shoot her in her titties.”

Despite the uninspired granny diss, Glizzy is a pretty unique character and the wiry rapper occasionally avoids the ultra-masculine bravado of the traditional MC. Shy references being raised by his grandmother and mother in various songs, sometimes calling the latter “mommy.” On “I came from nothing” off the mixtape Law, he also mentions his lack of athleticism. “Lord have mercy on me. Uhh, I wasn’t blessed to be LeBron. I wasn’t blessed to have a Michael Vick arm.”

Glizzy’s latest mixtape, Fxck Rap, is also an interesting listen. There’s personal tales about getting kicked out of multiple high schools, trying PCP and the murder of his father. But Shy’s true strength lies in catchy song writing.

“Swish” and “Pilot” are pretty solid singles and the album’s production is decent. “Swish” thumps like a trap anthem should and Glizzy uses the line “Pop a model, pop a bottle,” which could be a hook in itself. He also mentions groupies who are willing to do anything for a Twitter follow, and my hope for the human race decreases.

Glizzy’s appearance on newcomer AR-ab’s track “Shoot Gunz” further demonstrates his unique presence. Though the track is AR-ab’s, it belongs to Shy. He nasally raps the hook, switches his flow and calls himself “a glock connoisseur” before his co-star intrudes with forgettable thug raps.

However, Shy’s vocabulary is limited and he relies on rapping the same word multiple times. Some of his metaphors break the barrier between funny a la 2 Chainz and straight embarrassing. Lines like “I told her I’m the shit, she say you don’t even stink,” are lazy at best and should be kept for post-jail Lil Wayne. On Fxck Rap, Glizzy admits he’s only been rapping for two years, and it often shows.

If I were a rap soothsayer, I’d say Shy has three career paths. He will improve and put out a solid project that will win him mass appeal. He could fade into obscurity or get big quickly off a gimmicky single. Being a pessimist, I’m going to assume it’s one of the last two and an early collaboration with Trinidad James might mean he’s already looking for a trend or “hot artist” to piggyback him. But Shy Glizzy shows promise, and I’d be happy to be proven wrong.

I'm travelling again!

Greetings. In case you didn't know/care I'm currently in Mexico dodging organ harvesters before heading to America, Iceland and London. I'm falling asleep on the beach and forgetting what day it is, but give me until late March and this website will be updated as per normal. If you want to pay me big dollars to write about music for you, I'll be checking my emails with a naive sense of hope. Peace and congratulations for surviving 2012.

The PotW Staff Remembers Their First Favorite Album

Music listeners are essentially dopamine addicts. The chemicals are secreted every time we hear a song we love.  We all remember the CD that changed us from casual listeners into audio fiends. Maybe we enjoyed the smooth grooves of a boyband or decided Sisqo had some street cred, but there’s nothing quite like discovering that life-changing album. Even if it was Creed’s greatest hits. Allow us to wax nostalgic for a second.

 

My introduction to music had an uncertain beginning. As an eight year old, I went through the painful process of being forced to return several albums by god-fearing parents. Targets included: Coolio for explicit language/bad hair, The Bloodhound Gang for poo jokes and boy band All-4-One, of “I Swear” fame, for sweetly harmonizing sex metaphors.

Months after letting Bryan Adams and a Christian rap tape gather dust, I sat watching Space Jam in a small theater. During the scene when a young Michael Jordan dunks, my eyes watered as I pictured myself also soaring through the air. I was blissfully unaware of a future in which I would a) still be white and b) only grow to the height of Big Sean. However, as soon as I could convince my family I wasn’t about to turn into Satan, the Space Jam soundtrack was in my uncoordinated little hands.

It was a crash course in rap and R&B, featuring everyone from Jay-Z to D’Angelo, to disappearing acts like Changing Faces and my former musical brethren All-4-One. Before his underage rendezvous gained interest, R Kelly sung his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” Coolio gave inspirational life advice which he clearly didn’t follow on “The Winner,” and Biz Markie met the Spin Doctors on “That’s The Way I Like It.” There was also a mysterious artist called “feat”or “ft,” who seemed incredibly prolific and appeared on almost every song. I distinctly remember telling people they were my favorite artist, until I discovered months later that “ft” was actually short for featuring.

“Hit Em High” was the album’s posse cut and undoubtedly my personal favorite. Somehow it managed to sound hardcore despite featuring no swear words, a feat even that the mighty Lil Romeo was unable to achieve. I listened to the soundtrack almost every day and could rap the lyrics word for word. My perception of music was forever altered and although my basketball career tanked, my obsession with everything audio had begun. It wasn’t until years later that my musical taste regressed to Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock. Oh the follies of youth.

Read the full length feature I organized and edited here.

 

I'm going to Hawaii!

Not that anyone cares, but I'll be drinking out of coconuts, getting sun burnt and playing tiny guitars in Hawaii for the next week so if this website isn't updated for a minute, you know why! Also speaking of Hawaii, have you ever seen Jay-Z's early video "Hawaiian Sophie"with his mentor Jaz-O? It's terrrrible. 

Bodega Bamz ft Willie Hex - P.A.P.I

Written by Jimmy Ness and originally published at Passionweiss

Fried chicken, Versace robes and spilled champagne, the Tanboys dabble in decadence. Bodega Bamz and Willie Hex trade verses about the high life over 808s and a haunting melody. The relatively unknown Hex flows particularly well, name dropping Cam’ron, Attila the Hun, Reggie Miller and… Boy George. He also looks like a skinny Big Pun, which is probably important to those who reside in The Bronx.

As you can tell from the “P.A.P.I” video, which features cameos from Yamboghini and A$AP Ferg, the crew are buddies with fellow Harlemites A$AP. They also share stylistic similarities, the most obvious being their quasi-cinematic videos. Both groups favor lavish imagery, in this case A$AP’s trademark gold grills and the Tanboys affinity for holding razor blades in their mouths. They also use creative flair instead of shooting homemade videos next to a borrowed car with borrowed broads.

“P.A.P.I” is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of Jesus and his disciples “The Last Supper.” However, I am still confused about the significance of the guy ripping his singlet at the end of the video like a 90s Usher. Rap game Latino Backstreet Boyz?

I’ve been checking for these guys since Bamz killed this track in May and while I’m not fully sold on Tanboys, along with “My Name Is,” he’s putting out some good stuff. One thing to consider though: would these songs still be getting as much play if not for their unique videos? Will you still be checking for A$AP and Tanboys once the hype dies down and you realize how hard it is to eat or brush your teeth with a grill on? Time and your dental plan will tell.

Future - Welcome 2 Mollyworld

Written by Jimmy Ness and originally published at Passionweiss

Welcome 2 Mollyworld is the astronaut kid’s foray into recording under the influence of serotonin hog Molly, also known to white people as MDMA. It's mostly a collection of popular material and remixes, but DJ X-Rated seizes five new tracks, all of which are more listenable than Diddy’s aimless boasting on “Same Damn Time remix.” The best of the bunch is “Double Cup and Molly” with its solid hook and R&B sensibilities that made Pluto so good. Future inexplicably begins with the phrase “Codeine Miley Cyrus,” which I’m sure the party girl would appreciate. 

“Hard” is also the shit and while the thumping bass sounds similar to his previous work, he’s in a zone where the majority of his verses sound fresh. The three other tracks aren’t particularly special, but it’s enough to subdue auto-tune addicts until Nayvadius Cash (yes, that’s his real name) releases Future Hendrix.

Despite boldly claiming he’s the MDMA rap pioneer, Future walks in the jaw-clenching company of known love-drug enthusiasts Danny Brown and Jackie Chain. The latter dubbed himself “a pill-poppin animal” and claimed he hadn’t slept in weeks on January’s After Hour’s mixtape. As long as we don’t see a trend of thugs hugging it out and succumbing to suicide Tuesday, I don’t mind if my music is on that Ringwald.