GO TO http://dontrushthestage.com for the new site

Jazzamatazz

So, what would have become of Big L if he wasn’t murdered? Where would he be placed in the history of Hip-hop? These questions have been asked millions of times. Each answer calls for more speculation on what could have been.

Even though Big L’s killers’ identities are still unknown, what is known is that Big L’s lyrical flow and talents still hold weight in 2010. We see this on a new album released by Big L’s label, Flamboyant Entertainment, called Return of the Devil’s Son. This album is a collection of rare and unreleased tracks that have only appeared on bootlegs, but never on one LP.

Unlike many new albums, Return of the Devil’s Son exemplifies Big L’s ability to change his flow on each track while keeping each metaphor strong. Each beat is relatively simple and you get the feeling Big L could have easily spit to anything.  Like Eminem, he has an ability to make his rhymes fit in each verse. He exhibits this talent in “Unexpected.”

I can go without some of Big L’s homophobic lyrics on this album but I do believe if his life wasn’t cut short, Big L would have matured not just as a lyricist but as a person. His future lyricism would have represented his neighborhood in addition to showcasing his growth as an artist and also his entrepreneurial sprit.

Through this album, we realize Big L would not have been a follower of the rap game but more of a leader. His potential future would have been Jay-Z’s present.

Track Listing Below:

1.) “Return Of The Devils Son” (produced by Showbiz)
2.) “Devil’s Son (produced by Showbiz)
3.) “Zone Of Danger” (produced by J-Love)
4.) “Sandman 118”
5.) “School Days”
6.) “Principle Of The New School” (produced by Showbiz)
7.) “Unexpected Flava” (produced by Lord Finesse)
8.) “Tony’s Touch”
9.) “Right To The Top” f/Royal Flush & Kool G Rap (produced by Domingo)
10.) “Once Again” (produced by J-Love)
11.) “Harlem World Universal”
12.) “I Won’t”
13.) “Hard To Kill”
14.) “Power Moves”
15.) “If You Not Aware”
16.) “I Should Have Used A Rubber”
17.) “Doo Wop #5”
18.) “Yes You Can”
19.) “Audition”
20.) “MC’s What’s Going On” (produced by Showbiz)
21.) “Slaying The Mic”

Video below:

Either way, the rap game for females appears to be changing.

Detroit native and Atlanta based rapper, Boog Brown, is one of the females who continues to help lead this change. There are zero signs of “Lil Kim-isms” on her debut album, Brown Study, which is a collaboration with hip-hop producer Apollo Brown. From the first track, “Marinate,” to the last, “Understanding”, rather than use her body to sell her lyrical gift, she uses her flow, word play and self confidence to let us know she is a rap force to be reckoned with.

Her straight flow and ability to battle as shown on tracks “U.P.S.” and “Friction” give her the ability to shoot adrenaline into the listener just as any track off of DMX’s first album does.

The opportunity to see that Boog is not a one style rapper is prevalent on each track. Unfortunately many rappers (even the ones I really like) pick only one style of flow.  On Boog’s album, we see a much softer side of her on “Just Be”, which at first listen appears to be about an ex-lover but on further listen seems to be an ode to her love of hip-hop.

The next track on the album, “My Love”, is yet another love song but in a completely different style.  One can picture this played at a club to get the partiers really hyped up once the party has hit a snag.

The final track, “Understanding” gives us great insight into Brown’s personal struggle as an artist. She tells us of the friends, boyfriends, etc., who didn’t have a clue as to why she wanted to rap.  This song is aimed directly to these individuals; however, she manages to include a personal touch on it.

Brown doesn’t use her physical gift as a woman to sell herself, she uses her raw talent as a rapper and poet. With only three years into the rap game, the countless comparisons to the female MC, Jean Grae, are easily understandable but should not last too long. I imagine the next female artist to debut will then be compared to Boog Brown.

One month after their fourth album, “The Pursuit To Nappyness” hit the stores, the Nappy Roots’s hip-hop philosophy remains unchanged. Their latest LP, such as the ones prior to this one allows us to just listen to an album how it should be listened to. Whether in a car, walking down the street, going to school, work, working out, or just hanging out at home, from the first track to the last track, the album touches on topics from the Nappy Roots’ southern roots, the countryside, friends, family, riches, and of course their constant appreciation of their fans.

The opening track, “Welcome to the Show,” eases the listener into the beginnings of this album’s journey What appears to be simplistic piano notes and the group’s calm vocals permits the listener to be once again apart of the album, thus setting the tone for the rest of the album.

They say success is the best revenge, tell a friend
keep ‘em close like a enemy, invest to win
safeless, the necessary, leave the rest to them
loose lips sink boats, try your best to swim
captain of your ship, do ya best and grin
never let ‘em see you sweat the stress again
and make a new direction, take ya next of kin
out the trap, it’s called life–make the best of it

On the second track, “Do it Big,” the Nappy Roots experiment with the commercial end of hip-hop with horns blasting and boosting about money and fame. This track was one of the many summer party anthems and is a little disturbing but no need to worry, the Nappy Roots stay true to their essence of rap. The group makes sure this commercial track doesn’t isolate their fans and make they feel as if they have to live up to unachievable expectations.

On track seven, “The People,” Nappy Roots’ member Ron Clutch spits quickly dismisses the importance of money when he spits:

“Money means nothing/my people mean everything/Promise when I got all the money that I would never change/ Clutch is still the same/I kept my fee on earth/And I kept my promise/I kept my people first/My friends and my family, ya’ll help made a man of me/ When I was down and out ya’ll lent a helping hand to me/So I’m returning the favor and I’m passing it forward/Adversity, don’t run away for it, run towards it/face it, embrace it, I promise you can make it/The time spent with your family, you should keep that sacred/ It’s worth more than any amount of money, so I would never let the money, snatch that from me.”

It’s great to see the Nappy Roots live up to their name in this album. The continue to show their humility to their fans, friends and community. The beats are simple which allows the listener without distraction to hear each lyric—something which is lacking in much of today’s mainstream rap music. The Nappy Roots do not use any hidden verses to express their admiration for their fans. The final track, “All For You” sums up the album. First words spoken on the track? “We love our fan…” Nappy, we love ya’ll too.

Click to play final track “All For You.”

Given the prominent political role that some hip hop artists seized upon while promoting the candidacy of Barack Obama, one might expect to hear some of those same voices still raised during this current political moment. But, alas, no.

This brings me to my review of Das Racist’s latest mixtape, “Sit Down, Man.”….Each track is provided with a catchy beat, displaying the production team’s knowledge of a variety of music. The flow of these young MCs cannot be slept on as displayed in the track “Amazing.”

That said, spitting the types of lyrics, as they do, on the track “People are Strange,” which employs a verbal combination of popular sayings, themes for popular television shows and subjects from a high school humanities class, does not make a complete album. Hip-hop lyrics should at least tell a story and unfortunately these talented Emcees fail to do so on any of the tracks in this mixtape. They string together random, unrelated words without any logical point except to arouse the senses of hipsters.

This should not be construed as just an attack on hipsters. My frustration with Das Racist is that they are obviously well educated people, so the responsibility to discuss issues of the world lies heavily on them. To have this medium available to you but not use it to discuss really anything is a wasted opportunity.

In an ironic way hip hop has returned to its roots, where the music maker, the producer/DJ, is once again the important person and the MC is just a side show filling in information for the party. Today, the MC is not just considered an important element by listeners, but sadly they think of themselves as important even though they aren’t doing any of the things which made the old school MC great. They are not interesting. They do not tell stories. They stay away from actually taking a stance or voicing an opinion when they rap. Das Racist is just like everyone else, unfortunately. They have great beats but do not add anything to those beats.

I don’t completely dislike this album. I have found myself listening to it many times. But I do so only because the beats are pretty incredible. The use of different music genres mixed in with beat making machines and random sound effects, such as on “Return To Innocence,” brings me comfort that the producers appreciate the essence of hip-hop music by reveling in the many genres hip-hop is allowed to sample from.

Appreciating the beat and the MC are completely two different positions. Regrettably, many MCees today rely completely on catchy beats, knowing full well listeners we’ll buy their CDs or go to their concerts because we’ve been tricked to think that we actually like the artist, when in reality we just like the production.

Embracing the serious introspection that offered us some of the best songs of his earlier work, Eminem’s battle with drugs and depression is on full display in this album. Even though the leaked single, “Not Afraid,” is a surefire hit, one could be forgiven for thinking the Slim Shady jokester would show up on the rest of the album. However, despite not being the first song on the album, it sets up the album’s serious tone. Harking back to Eminem’s beginnings, “Recovery” brings listeners back to when he was embraced not just because of his superb lyrical talent, but because he offered a voice for disillusioned, young white people – those finding solace in hip-hop’s rejection of a society in which they also felt isolated, in which over-the-counter drugs often offer another recognizable comfort. “Recovery” takes us back to these humble beginnings, which Eminem had appeared to have lost for many reasons. He takes us on a lyrical journey to examine those reasons; allowing us a chance to learn and understand about his inner demons and depression, how he used drugs and alcohol to battle them, and how he has ultimately conquered them.Em spits in “Not Afraid,”

“So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof like my daughters and raise it /You couldn’t lift a single shingle lonely /Cause the way I feel, I’m strong enough to go to the club/Or the corner pub and lift the whole liquor counter up /Cause I’m raising the bar, I shoot for the moon /But I’m too busy gazing at stars, I feel amazing and…/[Hook] I’m not afraid.”

By facing the downsides of drug use head-on, Em opens up about a difficult problem nearly all of us can relate to – either because we are going through similar struggles, or because we’re close to someone who is. It is unfortunate when reviewers are quick to dismiss Eminem as simply a “pill popper,” treating the descriptions of his bouts with drugs as an aside, or as comic relief; they dismiss the gift of this work, as it can be – and should be – used to help those struggling with similar problems of self-destruction. In the song “Talkin’ 2 Myself,” Eminem lets listeners know that drug addiction is not limited to working stiffs, but includes celebrities such as himself. He allows us to know that he can be used as an outlet for those who need it:

“Don’t let up, keep slayin em /Rest in Peace to DJ AM/ Cause I know what it’s like/ I struggle with this sh-t every single day.”

In offering such honesty, Eminem seeks to expand his fan base not just to hip-hop heads, but anyone seeking to provide a voice toward recovery.  And in doing that, he lets the artist within him truly shine.