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May 23, 2006
Yo, I'll Solve It
I guess all those childhood years I spent reading Games Magazine must've served me well somehow. Today I found out that I won Turntable Lab's first-ever "Rap Pictogram Contest". There was no prize or anything, save the simple satisfaction of being the one to complete the cipher. But it was definitely a fun diversion...and it was way more challenging than the super-simple Sudoku that was printed in The News and Observer yesterday.
Below, for the possible enjoyment of others, is the actual rap pictogram. To solve the puzzle, you just have to figure out which rap lyrics are being pictogrammed.
A hint for those of you who come out to Disco Inferno on at least a semi-regular basis: the solution to the puzzle has been played at several of our parties over the last couple of years, including the recent April bash.
Stumped? The answer can be found in this post on Estoy Con Estupido (the Turntable Lab blog).
I wish I could draw worth a damn, it would be pretty fun to come up with a few rap pictograms of my own. Or maybe Papa D needs to do a special pictogram edition of "Lyrically Speaking" during a future night of Hell trivia...
Posted by Tim at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2006
Count Bass D, Sunday 5/21
Real nice hip-hop show at the Cradle this Sunday night, headlined by Count Bass D. MF Doom aficionados probably know the Nashville, TN rapper/producer from "Potholderz" (off the MM..Food record), but it's the Count's more recent Begborrowsteel that is really worth checking. The completely self-produced (and very well-produced) EP packs 16 creative cuts/sketches into a strangely entertaining 30 minute ride. Definitely one of the more satisfyingly bizarre hip-hop records I've heard in the last couple of years....it should be pretty interesting to see what kind of live show the Count puts together.
Social Memory Complex are one of the openers I want to make sure and catch. Over the last year these dudes have become one of my favorite local acts/bands of any genre. Staj Prezence raps, Modest makes the beats, and DJ Trizzak scratches it up. Check out the fantastic banger "Fantastic Machine" on one of their MySpace pages.
L in Japanese is also on the bill...hopefully he'll bring Crash and Staj on stage for "Yeah" (now playing in L's player), this new-ish jam based around a pretty awesome chopped-up Joan Jett sample. I love rock and roll, yessir!
Posted by Tim at 06:16 PM | Comments (3)
May 09, 2006
Highly Flammable - Hot Picks for May '06
1. Field Mob featuring Ciara - "So What"
Maybe the most wistful electro/bass track since "My Boo" by Ghost Town DJ's? "So What" is so my jam right now! I'm normally not a fan of Jazze Pha's production but he found his perfect beat with this one. Field Mob fast-raps in their friendly Georgia drawl and the quavering high-pitched synth line sounds alot like the one in "Ain't No Fun". This song trumps Ciara's "1,2 Step" in my book, and it's vastly superior to LL and J-Lo's embarrassing attempt at making a "Lose Control" for 2006.
2. Elephant Man - "Shake That Ass"
As I indicated last month, Papa D loves that Applause riddim...so why not give him another round of it? Especially since this particular booty-worshipping track has a bunch of fire engine sirens and Elephant Man repeatedly sounding his "that ass is on fire!" alarm. Clearly a song that should be played at Disco Inferno.
3. Lupe Fiasco - "Kick Push"
Lupe Fiasco is the third-verse dude from Kanye's "Touch the Sky", and "Kick Push" is real nice horn-fueled hip-hop that sounds like it could've been recorded in the early-to-mid 90s. This tune's been big on both Chicago radio and the Internet for many moons now, but Atlantic just recently dropped the official 12-inch in advance of the late June release of Food & Liquor. Not exactly the most club-ready dance track, but it would be awesome to hear this breezy boom-bap blasting out of car windows this summer. Especially since it's about skateboarding!
4. Spank Rock - "Bump"
Neither of the recent singles from Spank Rock can hold a candle to last year's Money Studies 12-inch, and overall I'd have to say that the new full-length is not quite what I'd hoped it would be. But right smack in the middle of the album is the pretty awesome "Bump". This speedy song has a strikingly sparse beat and some crucial cowbell accompaniment...and things really take off when the warm synths and double-time rapping kick in.
5. Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
OK, so I kinda hated on this song for awhile. When I first heard it, it just struck me as some sort of soul-soaked big beat jam that had all the right ingredients to make our friends across the pond go nuts. After a few more listens that spooked-out beat propelled its way into my head, and I finally just had to give in. I think this song will probably drive me insane in another month or two, but in the meantime I'm going to try and enjoy the ride for a little while. Partly because the song is pretty damn catchy and distinctive, and partly because I found the instrumental and started working out some "Crazy" (re)mix madness...
That's it for May. I'm going to save The Coup for next month since that's when the political rap veterans will be taking the stage at Local 506. But in the meantime, pick up the group's brand new Pick a Bigger Weapon if you need some serious funk in your life. It's way better than the Gnarls Barkley album that came out today, trust me...
Posted by Tim at 11:33 PM | Comments (4)
May 07, 2006
Return of the Mixtape
Thanks to the good fellas at The Merch I've got a whole new batch of freshly screenprinted mixtape covers. So I'm going to take this opportunity to make a few final plugs for the damn thing while posting a few extra MP3s/excerpts.
Today I finally recorded a longer version of my Mobb Deep/Mark Morrison mix. It's up in my MySpace player or you can download it here:
"Return of the Mobb" (5.74 MB)
A few weeks back Phonte from Little Brother laid down some thoughts on how the Mobb Deep of old has now completely given way to "Club Mobb". I guess this mix is my way of re-imagining what a younger and more nihilistic "Club Mobb" would've sounded like in the mid-90s. One can argue about whether or not Blood Money is a cash-in/sell-out, or one can simply revisit sound financial advice like "there's numerous ways you can choose to earn funds". I'm going with the latter.
In addition to this Mobb/Mack mix and the several other mixtape excerpts that have been posted here in the past, I finally went ahead and uploaded the last "Disco Inferno" track in its entirety. 12 songs in 21+ minutes, starting and ending with the quiet and loud voices of our main man Malcolm. The mp3 link is off of the mixtape tracklisting page.
If you want an actual physical copy of the mixtape and not just a bunch of MP3s, you can do one of three things:
1. Mail-order a copy from me using the Paypal "Buy Now" button on this page.
2. Pick one up from CD Alley or Schoolkids Records on Franklin.
3. Show up at Hell this Saturday night and get one for free!
Or hell, just ask me nicely and I might hook you up. I want these things to make their way out into the world, it's not about the dollars.
Posted by Tim at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)