RIP Lou Reed

RIP to Lou Reed the man that influenced almost 50 years of Rock Music.  "One chord is fine," he once said, alluding to his bare-bones guitar style. "Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz."

DJ Harry Love's Homework volume 1: Birthday Beats

My man DJ Harry Love has been producing classic Hip-Hop joints for a number of years now featuring some of the UK's finest lyricists; Verb T, Ransom Badbonez and Jehst to name a few.  He has just released a new compilation via Bandcamp called Homeworkwork Volume 1:Birthday Beats.  It os ten tracks long and can be bought from Bandcamp for as little as £3 although listening to it will surely prompt you to make a more generous donation.  Its a dope little project with some interesting beats and rhymes.  Hopefully the first in a series of compilations from one of London's finest.  Pick that shit up y'all.

R.A. The Rugged Man ft. Brother Ali & Masta Ace - The Dangerous 3

This is latest video from R.A. the Rugged Man's dope album Legends never Die.  This is a nice joint with a piano loop and guest verses from Brother Ali and Masta Ace.

Madlib is the Rock Konducta

The first joint from Madlib's Rock Konducta LP due to drop in December.  The track is called Black Widows and the album will be released on Stones Throw as per usual.

Madlib will also be appearing across Europe in October and November

• Oct 19: Madlib on Boilerroom.tv
• Oct 29: Madlib in Budapest @ Trafó House of Contemporary Arts
• Oct 31: Madlib in Brussels @ Europalia Festival
• Nov 2: Madlib in Manchester @ Warehouse Project
• Nov 11: Madlib in Glasgow @ SWG3 Warehouse

Always worth seeing Madlib live if you can so I would recommend catching a show.  Unfortunately no London show.

Kool G Rap & Necro AKA The Godfathers - "Heart Attack" Official Video

After a long delay the Kool G Rap and Necro album, Once upon a Crime is almost ready to drop. This is the first video from what promises to be one of the best underground albums of the year.

Royce, Premier and Marc Hannibal Forever

Back in the 1997 when Eminem was first introduced to Royce da 5'9 Slim Shady decided this was a lyricist with who he could make some serious Hip-Hop and he was right.  He went onto work with Eminem on The Slim Shady LP but what most hardcore hip hop fans were waiting for was Royce to step to the mic on his own.  We heard him on the Grand Theft Auto III soundtrack on the track "I'm the King" which was produced by The Alchemist and it was a dope track.  A nice beat which allowed Royce to show off his skills.  However its impact was small when you compare it to his next single "Boom".  This 12" was released in 2000 and was destined to be a big club banger.  DJ Premier produced it and he did a superb job.  The track starts off with a clock ticking and then jumps into a fantastic strings sample before being joined by some signature Premier drums.  Royce kills it lyrically just check out this first verse

I'm the verbal-spit Smith Wesson

I unload with sick spit the quick wick could split a split-second

Bomb with a lit wick expression

You here a tick tick then you testin..

My saliva and spit can split thread into fiber and bits

So trust me, I'm as live as it gets

Everybody claimin they the best and head the throne

Since B.I.G is gone, if you ask me, they +Dead Wrong+

My flow is hotter than the flash from the click

When the hammer slaps the bullet on the ass from the clip

You wind up in a room full of my dawgs

I'll have you feeling like a fire hydrant in a room full of dogs

So come, come now, get pissed on, shitted on

Tough talk turns to, "Can't we all just get along"

You get blazed when the mic's off, shot when it's on

You probably ducked when they laid the gun shot in your song

My gun strrr-utters when it speaks to you

Utter shit to repeat to you

Nothing the clip, then give a speech to you

Me and Premier, we kind of the same in ways

We both speak with our hands in dangerous ways

Rap now is a circus of clowns

A whole lot of lip from cliques I'd probably rap circles around

I'm the next best to reach a peak formerly known

as the best keep secret, I guess that I just leaked it

Royce was hungry on this track eager to earn the hype he was receiving at the time and Premier provided him with the perfect beat to do so.  The beat itself is made up of four main samples (not including the drums); The Kay Gees "Anthology", Marc Hannibal's "Forever is a long time", The Lady ofRage' "Afro Puffs" and Gangstarr's own "You know my steez".  The last two were used for the vocal samples that Premier chops up throughout the track.  

The clock ticking sample at the beginning comes from a track by the Kay Gee's called "Anthology".  If you don't know the Kay Gees were the protege's of Kool and the Gang and featured Kevin Bell, younger brother to Kool & the Gang's Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell.  The track "Anthology" was from their 1974 album "Keep On Bumpin' & Masterplan" which was released on Gang Records.  

However the main sample on "Boom" comes from a track by Marc Hannibal called "Forever".  Marc Hannibal, was an actor, singer and sportsman who sadly passed away in 2011.  Marc had a varied career which included playing and touring with theHarlem Globetrotters, he had appearances in a number of television series including Dragnet 1967, Marcus Welby, M.D., Columbo, a number of Adam 12 episodes and in Mission Impossible, McCloud, Kojak.  He produced and starred in the Las Vegas variety show On the Strip. He also appeared in long feature films most notably in Airport and starred as a gladiator superhero in 1975 in the Italian cult film Superuomini, superdonne, superbotte (English title Three Fantastic Supermen).  

He sang throughout the 1960s and early 1970s in various venues. He recorded two albums: the first, self-titled Marc Hannibal for Philips label, the second entitled Night Times for First American independent label.  The sample Premier used was taken from his self titled debut album (with a lovely cover) and was called "Forever is a long time".  The tracks starts off with the lovely strings sample Premier used for Boom before going into a somewhat strange tale of his love of someone substantially younger than him.  Marc's voice is decent enough and the track would sit comfortably in the Easy Listening genre.  It is thoroughly cheesy but there is something I find quite endearing about the song and can't help but like it.  Check out the link below for "Boom" and the Samples behind it.  I have also included the original version which is slightly different, and RJD2 blend version and the 9th Wonder remix of it too.

Forever is a Long time.