Battle rap has not gotten the recognition it deserves. I myself would know because well, I haven't known about any of these battle rap contestants in all my years of listening. That is at least until now. If Slaughterhouse has done anything in their years of being on the music scene, its making syllabic, thought provoking rhymes relevant again, and they're about to take things to the next level. Welcome to Total Slaughter: a competitive battle rap league set to name the best emcee out there. Not only do we get the privilege of watching these wonderful wordsmiths work, but we also get to see Slaughterhouse member Joe Budden show why he deserves his spot in the most lyrical group in rap music altogether. With Budden set to battle Hollow Da Don and the headlining match up of Loaded Lux vs. Murda Mook, this is surely set to be one for the ages. But lets shift our focus to the contestants who need to earn their spot in the main event. These guys will be the focus on the Road to Total Slaughter.
First up, Daylyt. Now this guy is an interesting one. Originating in Watts, California, there is never a dull moment in the ring with him. He tells interviewers he wants to be a "gimmick rapper," and he certainly lives up to his claim. His energetic delivery, great punch lines and never taking anything seriously type attitude will definitely bring a different perspective to the league. Any battle of his will definitely put on a show, as he likes to put on a black ski mask, sometimes even making his opponents do the same, and just rap! His skill level is what should be focused on though, and if he's not taking it seriously as he says he's not, it'd certainly be a scary result for the opponent if he finally does decide to take it seriously.
Next up is the ever confident Math Hoffa. His smooth, cool, calm and collected style is something to marvel at, and he's been called an underdog, and one who could win it all. The thing about Hoffa's style in particular is his lack of lyrical, power-packed punch lines, but he makes up for it in severity of how personal his lines hit against his opponents. Claiming he "doesn't lie in his raps," he has been said to be one to perform well with the odds against him.
Now we come to Arsenal. From Newark, NJ, he is probably one of my choices to win it all, just from seeing the emphasis of his punch lines in his battle against Shotty Horroh, as it is evident they both get more personal and more fed up with each other after every round, definitely worth a watch in my book. Arsenal is known for his in your face, kill you, murderous type battle raps as it is clear to see in the Shotty Horroh battle. He is very lyrical, and is definitely one to make you think with his lines, look out for this guy!
Next up we have the one and only Aye Verb from St. Louis, MO. His style can be classified as "ignorant, braggadocios rap, as he is very cocky and confident in his abilities. He holds a lot of extra in the tank and can turn it on when he needs to. But like any good reality tv character, I expect more attention to be drawn to his personality in Total Slaughter.
This next guy is a big one, literally he is Big T from Chicago, Il. Looks are definitely deceiving, but lend him your ears and you shall not be sorry. His power packed flow is topped only by his haymaker like punch lines, seemingly every line is one to end you, and as he draws in the crowd he only gets better. His flow is endless, his wordplay is flawless and his simile and metaphor game is on point. If there's one contestant that will make you think about what he's saying in this competition, my pick is Big T. A quiet favorite of mine to win it all.
Cortez is up next, reigning from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, NY. Another deceiving contestant just from looks, but his great punch lines and energy build up by round and definitely makes him a sleeper. His energy is a big part of his rap, as his main favorite topics are street tough, killing, gansta-like raps. Another underdog who can turn it on when he needs to, in my opinion.
Next we have Dizaster, the one and only. Reigning from Los Angeles, CA, this guy's track record shows with his defeats and his experience, and his performance itself shows no limits. A very descriptive rhymer who can get to his opponent with personal content, he is very lyrical and can adapt to any sort of flow, and once he gets going its very hard to stop his energetic, in your face sort of rhymes. A decent pick to win it all if he can get the crowd on his side like he's used to.
Last but certainly not least, is Marv Won from the dirty D, Detroit, MI. Interesting candidate due to his friendship with Royce Da 5'9, and hailing from one of the most decorated rap originating cities in Detroit. His style definitely differentiates from the rest, as he doesn't seem to use energy to get the crowd on his side. His smooth, laid back flow is a very nice change of pace. But it's best to pay attention to what he says, as his smooth, clever punch lines and underrated flowing ability are only topped by his evident confidence shown in his rhymes.
Well this here is just the intro to a battle rap fan's wet dream. Despite not being maybe the biggest fan, or having any real knowledge of the style myself, I must admit I'm very excited to see how all of this plays out, especially since the man Marshall Mathers is at the helm. Who knows what could happen? All this ego, all this skill and intensity colliding, anything can happen. Stay tuned for more posts as the show goes on.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
A B.I.G Birthday: My Top 5 Notorious B.I.G Tracks
Arguably one of the best, unarguably one of the biggest to ever do it, today we celebrate the birthday of the one and only Notorious B.I.G. The ups and downs of such a life and career cannot begin to be documented in just one post. His momentous influence on hip hop still stands today and his lyricism and flow almost stand unmatched by anyone. Born and bred in the mecca of a very large portion of hip hop roots, Brooklyn, New York, from which has produced other gigantic names in hip hop such as Jay-Z, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and many more. But enough of all this hoopla, here are in no specific order my top 5 favorite tracks Big Poppa has blessed us with.
1. Unbelievable
Okay, so this song is simply great. Everything about it from the beat to B.I.G.'s flow, is just remarkable. His stylish, wordy vocabulary makes it almost seem as if he could keep one actual flow going the entire song.
2. Dead Wrong (ft. Eminem)
What isn't there to say about this song that you couldn't say about a serial killer? And who better to join Mr. Smalls than the always descriptive, "don't bring him around you mother" Eminem? A truly fantastic song by all means. The beat, lyrics, and flow all get an A+ in my book.
3. Microphone Murderer (Freestyle)
Okay, so this one might not count as an actual song to most, but as Biggie says, "spit yo game, talk yo shit." That might not have made sense, but nonetheless, I love this mix. What we have here is the actual basement freestyle from the man himself with the rapping over the instrumental from the movie "Notorious." I find in this particular freestyle that B.I.G's powerful voice shows very thoroughly here.
4. Notorious Thugs (ft. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony)
This one has a quite different feel to it, but there is no reason it shouldn't make my list. Starting off with a chilling piano going into those vocals we all got to know and love from Bone Thugs, Big has no problem expanding his range and sound and it shows in this cut. What I love most about this song is its range. You can chill to it, party to it, or even get a nice pump up out of it if you need it.
5.Victory - Puff Daddy (ft. Notorious B.I.G & Busta Rhymes)
Even though this isn't necessarily a Biggie track, he surely claims this song like a proper emcee does. With more of his endless wordplay and rhythm, he destroys this track punch line after punch line. I personally love this beat, and Busta's constant energy throughout the hook just adds that much more. With Biggie delivering what are allegedly his last verses ever recorded, this video also stands as one of the most expensive music videos ever made, or at least at that time, with a production value of over $2.7 million.
Well that about sums it up in this edition of paying homage to "the real life Frank White." No, I don't even know who Frank White is or even if he's a real person or some sort of movie character. But we do know Notorious called himself this at times, at least multiple times in the last song. Anyways, thanks for reading, and feel free to let me know your favorites Biggie verses in the comment section below. We must keep the spirit alive. Brooklyn!
(**Disclaimer-- All the video links above were taken from Youtube. I do not own any of these videos, or the rights to them.**)
1. Unbelievable
Okay, so this song is simply great. Everything about it from the beat to B.I.G.'s flow, is just remarkable. His stylish, wordy vocabulary makes it almost seem as if he could keep one actual flow going the entire song.
2. Dead Wrong (ft. Eminem)
What isn't there to say about this song that you couldn't say about a serial killer? And who better to join Mr. Smalls than the always descriptive, "don't bring him around you mother" Eminem? A truly fantastic song by all means. The beat, lyrics, and flow all get an A+ in my book.
3. Microphone Murderer (Freestyle)
Okay, so this one might not count as an actual song to most, but as Biggie says, "spit yo game, talk yo shit." That might not have made sense, but nonetheless, I love this mix. What we have here is the actual basement freestyle from the man himself with the rapping over the instrumental from the movie "Notorious." I find in this particular freestyle that B.I.G's powerful voice shows very thoroughly here.
4. Notorious Thugs (ft. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony)
This one has a quite different feel to it, but there is no reason it shouldn't make my list. Starting off with a chilling piano going into those vocals we all got to know and love from Bone Thugs, Big has no problem expanding his range and sound and it shows in this cut. What I love most about this song is its range. You can chill to it, party to it, or even get a nice pump up out of it if you need it.
5.Victory - Puff Daddy (ft. Notorious B.I.G & Busta Rhymes)
Even though this isn't necessarily a Biggie track, he surely claims this song like a proper emcee does. With more of his endless wordplay and rhythm, he destroys this track punch line after punch line. I personally love this beat, and Busta's constant energy throughout the hook just adds that much more. With Biggie delivering what are allegedly his last verses ever recorded, this video also stands as one of the most expensive music videos ever made, or at least at that time, with a production value of over $2.7 million.
Well that about sums it up in this edition of paying homage to "the real life Frank White." No, I don't even know who Frank White is or even if he's a real person or some sort of movie character. But we do know Notorious called himself this at times, at least multiple times in the last song. Anyways, thanks for reading, and feel free to let me know your favorites Biggie verses in the comment section below. We must keep the spirit alive. Brooklyn!
(**Disclaimer-- All the video links above were taken from Youtube. I do not own any of these videos, or the rights to them.**)
Monday, May 19, 2014
Unreleased Music: Importance and Intrigue
So imagine this hip hop heads...you get online to do your daily music updates. Songs are in a debatable word "ehh". You got your soulja boy here, your kevin gates there, oh lil b just came out with his 5th mixtape in 4 months? No disrespect to loyal lil b fans of course, but, well, you see a guy like me finds no interest in that. So you scroll and scroll until you believe you've lost all hope in the day until just then; BAM! Herpes (No I'm kidding of course, Family Guy reference, sorry). But anyways, BAM! A new (technically old) Eminem video of him at age 25 surfaces on the web and you get more excited than Royce Da 5'9 when he touches his rifle's butt.
So what brings this excitement you ask? Well that my friends is what we are here to discuss. I can't be the only one when I say I absolutely love unreleased music, and with respect to all genres of different sizes and shapes of artists. It seems hip-hop takes the crown when we discuss unreleased material. A big reason for this possibly being the case could be the passing of arguably the 2 biggest and best to ever do it, Tupac Shakur and the literally big in his own right Notorious B.I.G. While the work ethic of both is seen differently; for example, an interview with Dr. Dre says being in the studio with Tupac is like making a whole album in one night (at least that's how I picture it, see Dre interview below starting at 3:55). Where as something new (old) from Notorious is definitely not as expected at this point, but from other's perspective might be something way more special.
Change happens in music. Sometimes its for the better and sometimes for the worse! But nonetheless it happens. For example, the old, insane Eminem that could give the Joker a run for his money. Many people would find this Eminem more descriptive, more lyrical, and funnier in what he says (depending upon your taste in humor). Now, when we talk about the new post-Recovery Eminem, it almost seems like a different person (not saying I'm a conspiracy theorist who believes the real slim shady died many years ago and they replaced him with a clone. No really...look it up. Isn't it crazy what people can come up with?). Recovery was a good album of course, but not what fans were expecting. The opera heavy lead single "Not Afraid" to me sounds like him walking up to a church pastor on a sunday morning, snatching the mic from him, handing the church choir lyrics sheets, and just letting it all out (cue "AMEN" from the crowd).
A breath of fresh air to an old school Eminem fan could possibly be something like stumbling across a 20 year old freestyle, or an interview, enjoying the old blonde Slim Shady we all grew to know and love. These hip hop artifacts if you will, are very key pieces to seeing the growth of an artist, the struggles they go through, and who they were before they really became "somebody" as they say. The process of becoming a name in the music industry is just that; a process.
So enjoy who your favorites artists may be now, enjoy what they're currently doing, and understand that no matter how big they may get to be, they probably do deserve their come up because they worked for it, and paid their dues. Everybody loves a throwback Thursday though, and who knows what the next big release may be, or even when it drops. So, be on the look out for new Tupac 2015!!
So what brings this excitement you ask? Well that my friends is what we are here to discuss. I can't be the only one when I say I absolutely love unreleased music, and with respect to all genres of different sizes and shapes of artists. It seems hip-hop takes the crown when we discuss unreleased material. A big reason for this possibly being the case could be the passing of arguably the 2 biggest and best to ever do it, Tupac Shakur and the literally big in his own right Notorious B.I.G. While the work ethic of both is seen differently; for example, an interview with Dr. Dre says being in the studio with Tupac is like making a whole album in one night (at least that's how I picture it, see Dre interview below starting at 3:55). Where as something new (old) from Notorious is definitely not as expected at this point, but from other's perspective might be something way more special.
Change happens in music. Sometimes its for the better and sometimes for the worse! But nonetheless it happens. For example, the old, insane Eminem that could give the Joker a run for his money. Many people would find this Eminem more descriptive, more lyrical, and funnier in what he says (depending upon your taste in humor). Now, when we talk about the new post-Recovery Eminem, it almost seems like a different person (not saying I'm a conspiracy theorist who believes the real slim shady died many years ago and they replaced him with a clone. No really...look it up. Isn't it crazy what people can come up with?). Recovery was a good album of course, but not what fans were expecting. The opera heavy lead single "Not Afraid" to me sounds like him walking up to a church pastor on a sunday morning, snatching the mic from him, handing the church choir lyrics sheets, and just letting it all out (cue "AMEN" from the crowd).
A breath of fresh air to an old school Eminem fan could possibly be something like stumbling across a 20 year old freestyle, or an interview, enjoying the old blonde Slim Shady we all grew to know and love. These hip hop artifacts if you will, are very key pieces to seeing the growth of an artist, the struggles they go through, and who they were before they really became "somebody" as they say. The process of becoming a name in the music industry is just that; a process.
So enjoy who your favorites artists may be now, enjoy what they're currently doing, and understand that no matter how big they may get to be, they probably do deserve their come up because they worked for it, and paid their dues. Everybody loves a throwback Thursday though, and who knows what the next big release may be, or even when it drops. So, be on the look out for new Tupac 2015!!
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