“Girls Like Me”
Intuition
Hellfyre Club Records (2010)

This album arrived in the mail last week, but I’ve had to take my time digesting it all since then. Something that i find a bit rare these days with the frantic torrent of music that hits me in the face every time I open my favorite internet browser.

Actually, I meant to take it easy this evening, but I stepped out into the rain to get a coffee and found myself taking the wrong turn to taking a half hour drive to listen to the album. Arrived back at my doorstep and went back to listening to the remainder over the course of the night.
Read More

Don’t believe the hype.

Recently, I have been inundated with chat about ‘Wu Massacre; a collaborative album release courtesy of the 3 most prominent voices in the legendary Wu Tang Clan. A strong online buzz was created with the help of major label backing, however with all of that said and done, is this album actually worth all of the preemptive praise? I dare to say no. It doesnt help that Raekwon tweets more then i say the word ‘fuck’ in a day, but he made the omission (via twitter -@raekwonicewater) that Def Jam/Universal had gotten the whip cracking on an early release date in order to corral the strong sales figures garnered by his 09’s breakout, “Only Built for Cuban Linx 2″. This cries foul, and I guess one should be used to it nowadays… Major labels have been losing money for about a decade now, and when they find a bright spot in their roster, they will go all out to whore the shit out of them. Sucks hey? Well, thats business.

Bear in mind, I am overly critical of new hip hop releases. What many claim to be a classic, i usually go the opposite route. Its all a matter of opinion, and thats why music is such an incredibly interesting thing to write about. Wu Massacre was made to remind listeners of the reasons why the Wu Tang legacy is still so strong in hip hop. After countless commercial flops (8 Diagrams, Iron Flag, The W), we have all been patiently awaiting the next album that would allow people worldwide to claim that the Wu is back. Excellence has been few and far between, and with the exception of a couple Ghostface solo projects, most albums with the Wu imprint have simply disappointed.

’Our Dreams’ video

Wu Massacre is quick. It runs with 10 songs and 2 skits in under 30 minutes and also doesnt boast a load of featured guest appearances. These are some of the things that have plagued older releases, rendering a lack of continuity and flow in the overall scheme of things. Thumbs up. The main production comes from regular Wu contributor Allah Mathematics, Grammy nominated Scram Jones, and Wu Tang’s Archetype, Rza. The aforementioned Rza provides the albums highlight on ‘Our Dreams’, a beat sampling Michael Jackson’s ‘We’re Almost There’. On my first listen, this song stood out to me so much that i essentially listened to it on repeat for 2 days. There are a few throwbacks to the mid 90’s in ‘Criminology 2.5′, ‘Meth vs Chef 2′, and some classic storytelling spots like ‘Miranda’ (…shout out to the villa in Vancouver!), all tied in with a little knowledge drop by the venerable Tracy Morgan. All in all, Wu Massacre continues the trend that ‘Only Built For Cuban Linx 2′ set and one can only hope that they continue dropping solid work like this in the future.

3 out of 5 Ghostface Killah fish scales.

-Decline

calgary zoo – two blue apes wreak havoc

File under rap / boom bap / soul / funk / indie

Calgary, Alberta to Vancouver, BC transplant producer / rapper Planit aka The Dirty Sample is on a serious roll. Canada’s hottest up and coming producer, for obvious reasons, and for even more you’re baby ears may not realize. The Dirty Sample is a dope emcee who’s turntablism based production style is a mix of old soul and crunchy boom bap. A gritty flow rooted in witty, confessional storytelling and a preference for rich, sample based, slightly dark, but neck snapping production. Equally impressive is the tense and urgent mood that ‘Two Blue Apes’ manifests and maintains from start to finish. Incorporating random vinyl and movie clips to root the projects flow and momentum. The attention and development of detail in ‘Two Blue Apes’ is a refreshing change from the latter of the homogenized norm.

Imaginations Treetrunk’s Chadio flows like your mom watching a Tom cruise movie on the banger ‘Wake up’. ‘Hunting cats’ is shit your pants dope with a Madlib kind of bump producers cream all over themselves to get. The albums best song and beat are a dirty sample solo ‘Time To Get Ill’. A wicked homage to wildin’ out a little too much on the liquid courage. Planit raps ‘I don’t drink often, but when I do, I unleash.’ A close second would be ‘Visions part 2′ featuring Cam the Wizzard. Both emcee’s kill a simple, but effective beat with dope verses. If you’re not a Cam the Wizzard fan I will not hesitate to punch you in the face.
Read More

Alberta producer Metawon comes out swinging on progressive BC based hip-hop/electronic label Neferiu, with his new compilation album ‘Choplifter’.

Cam the Wizzard in his seemingly effortless flow and trademark baritone rap’s ‘people eating people, and then those dead people get back up’ on the albums best track, ‘Zombie Apocalypse’. A wickedly nerdy concept, brilliantly executed. Royal – T delivers with a sweet K-Os diss and solidify’s his status as the lost Fu-Schnick. The father of Edmonton rap, Touch is on a ‘Real Sirius’ mission destroying a dark, floating, wireless apocalypse. The clinically insane Lexington and Whatevski (Calgary, AB) rape the tense, operatic audioscape and crispy drums of ‘Best Western Medicine’ and ‘Real Ill’ ft. Planit is exactly what the title promises. Ghettosocks’s smooth-daddy-delivery on ‘Right on Time’ proves too much for Jeff Spec, and Treetrunk Imaginations Chadio and Azrael trade dope verses over an airy, synthy boom-bap beat on ‘Discriminating Tastes’. Just B really gives ‘er, but winds up getting pinned to the mat by the dopest beat on the album ‘Joy and Pain’ Read More