HipHopReview.net

Nottz

You Need This Music

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Final Grade: 97%

A prominent hip hop magazine recently released a series of features which ranked the top 10 producers turned rappers.  The list looks like this: 10. Timbaland 9. Swizz Beatz 8. Mannie Fresh 7.Pharrell 6. Diamond D 5. Jermaine Dupri 4.RZA 3. Diddy 2. Dr. Dre 1. Kanye West.  All are among the best on the boards, a few even untouchable as emcees,  but frankly it looks better as a producer turned businessman than a producer turned rapper list.  If this were based off actual rapping ability then I’d imagine a few people might get knocked off this list and a few others would enter the top 10.  Right at the top of the list of those not listed but deserve to should be Nottz Raw.

It’s pretty common to see a producer have a slew of guests on their debut rap album (not necessarily speaking to the aforementioned list); Nottz’s You Need This Music is no exception.  Nottz gets assistance from some of the most respected in the game, some even using their guest spot to show love and respect for Nottz (most notably “I Do It For Yawl” f. Kardinal Official and Little Brother).  Guest also include Snoop Dogg, Royce Da 5’9”,  and Asher Roth, to name a few.  The most impressive part about all these guest spots is that at no point does Nottz get “outshined” on his own track.  They serve more as a supplement to Nottz, a producing emcee than as a filler for a producer trying to rap.

You Need This Music is a great showcase for Nottz Raw’s versatility as an emcee. He shows an ability to switch up styles, spitting with speed at times and sometimes not.  Most probably didn’t know that about Nottz, only hearing him hear and there.

Nottz pays respect to the champion rapping producer J-Dilla at many points on You Need This Music, perhaps most extensively on “Shine So Brite.” “my boy Dilla say N-O, make these motherfuckas go nuts/like he did/you see how people went crazy when he dropped donuts?/And if a sucka didn’t like it he’s gotta be nuckinfus/translation for the stupid, you got to be fuckin’ us not to mess with this Dilla dog/comin’ through the catalogue, the boy got a hell of a..track record.”  With lines like that embedded in the album it becomes pretty obvious that J-Dilla has a strong influence on Nottz, similar to many producers in the game- as he should, J-Dilla obviously considered by most to be the best ever behind the boards.  I’m going to give the magazine that published the Top 10 rappers turned producers list and assume they excluded J-Dilla since he was established as an emcee and a producer at the same time.  Either way, Nottz Raw should be included in the top 10 producers/rappers list, despite the fact that he’s only released one album.  It’s that good.

Lyricism: 95%

Originality/Creativity: 97%

Production: 100%. There is no way to ask for more from a production standpoint.  Nottz had to have been saving some of his best beats for himself; they are all on point.  Impressed with his producing catalogue to date, I’d argue that some of his best production work today was done on You Need This Music.

Final Grade:  97%

Listen: You Need This Music (feat. Dwele)

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Von Pea

Pea’s Gotta Have It

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Final Grade: 95%

Earlier this month Von Pea of Tanya Morgan released his solo debut entitled Pea’s Gotta Have It. On this project Von Pea takes you to a time when report cards, parent teacher conferences, and detention were a concern in life and when hollering at a girl via AOL Instant Messenger may have seemed like a good idea.  The album is written from Von Pea’s vantage point as a high schooler growing up in Brooklyn.  Von allegedly came up with this idea while stumbling upon an old journal from high school.

For some reason “Freestyle at Low Key’s” is the opening track to this album.  It’s a solid freestyle by Von Pea, the placement is just off.  It makes little sense to have something that could probably be found on youtube as the opening track (not to mention it doesn’t fit the theme).  The skit: “Breakfast at the Bodega” does however, set up the theme for PGHI.  It’s Von a) picking up an Arizona Iced Tea before school and b) going through the school’s metal detector and dealing the security guard.  That then turns into the first actual track “The Yorker.”

“Ahead of the Class” is a stand out track and best illustrates the high school theme of Pea’s Gotta Have It. Conceptually Von is writing/recording this track during detention.  Von makes the best out of his detention experience by talking trash in a playful way with lines about being the man around his school and smashing his math teacher. “I walk around school like I wrote the textbooks/walk past the girls gym, givin’ em sex looks/bitin’ my style, ya’ll niggas the best crooks/ya’ll eat the lunch food, I have chefs cook in a private room, fed by two chicks, Ms. Hyde and Bloom.  Yup, two teachers.” and there’s my favorite: “No teacher’s pet, I Might pet a teacher/the new one that teach math, she like 23…+ gorgeous/As soon as I’m 18, I’m on it/Come back post-grad, I’m killin’ it, toe-tag.”  It’s refreshing to hear Von having legitimate fun on this track.

It should be noted that “New Pair” with Josie Stingray and Rapsody samples “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.  You get to hear Will Smith say “Yeah I got on sneaks, but I need a new pair” 500 something times in between the three MCs rap about sneakers.  Like on “New Pair,” Von Pea is simply having fun rapping about what was on his mind as a high schooler on the rest of Pea’s Gotta Have It; a lot of which people at that time in their life could relate to: fly kicks, cuttin’ class, tampering report cards, and day dreaming about hooking up with the one good looking teacher in the school.

Lyricism (“When Von’s on the mic lyricism ain’t the issue”): 94%

Production: 90%

Originality/Creativity: 100%

Final Grade: 95%

Listen to “Open School” (feat. Danny!)

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Hezekiah

Conscious Porn

Release Date: October 12, 2010

Final Grade: 94%

Conscious Porn is all about living freely and giving the listener what Hezekiah refers to as a “lyrical mind-fuck.”  A “lyrical mind-fuck” is Hezekiah’s method of getting the listener to shed their pre-conceived notions about life and the world around them.  There is a series of skits in which a female meets with a “doctor” during the “mind-fucking” process which leaves her a more self aware and open minded person.  On the songs themselves, Hezekiah speaks to life’s struggles and controversial issues (such as abortion) in between proving he’s an emcee with complex lines.  As on Hezekiah’s previous LPs (Hurry Up and Wait and I Predict a Riot), on Conscious Porn Hezekiah continues to push Neo-Soul, a genre of hip hop somewhat (and unfortunately) ignored these days.

Most would classify Hez as a conscious rapper, and rightfully so.  He has many tracks where he is trying to send a message and speaks seriously about the world around him.   But he doesn’t let the conscious tag stop him from having fun on the mic.  Hezekiah proves you can be a conscious rapper and have fun too, just listen to “Here’s to the world.”   “Well I don’t have casual sex, that’s when I threw some guy on/ This won’t be casual, I keep my tie on/She on mute like the Blue Man Group/wanted me to fuck her so I put on a clown suit!/you heard what I said life is full of entrees, don’t fill up on bread.”   I think sometimes we forget that conscious rappers are people that like fun like the rest of us.

The most serious track in my opinion is “What Kind of Cool.”   Hezekiah and Cody ChestnuTT ask the question “What kind of cool will we think of next?” to address the fact that a lot of black people are always trying to act too cool, often resulting in our demise.  “How you flyin’ first class when you know you broke?/Quit sayin’ I’m too cool for coach/He said it and I quote, be cool, don’t rock the boat.”  The topic is addressed in a serious and honest manner that urges fellow black people to change the habit of doing things to be cool. Everybody knows a lot of us spend money on unnecessary things to stay fly.  If you get his viewpoint or not, Hezekiah will certainly have you thinking after this track.

Go get yourself mind-fucked through Conscious Porn, it’s liberating.

Production: 93% (That Neo-Soul vibe is underrated)

Lyricism: 88%

Originality/Creativity: 100%

Final Grade: 94%

Listen to Hezekiah- Raining (feat. Tanikka Charrae)

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Big Remo

Entrapment

Release Date: September 28, 2010

Final Grade: 85%

So 9th Wonder doesn’t produce the entire album.  But the fact that his production team, “The Soul Council” and associated producers (Eric G, M-Phazzes) are responsible for all of the beats on Entrapment should tell you something about Big Remo and his debut album entitled Entrapment. One thing this should tell you is that the production is going to be above average.  The Soul Council all learned from the best, with Ka$h Don’t Make Beats producing on the computer that 9th originally used (thanks youtube).  As you’d expect, they are soul sample heavy.

I’m not going to get sucked into making some Little Brother comparison even though since The Minstrel Show all people have wanted has been to hear Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh on some 9th Wonder beats again.  But take a look at who 9th has attached his name to in recent history: Murs, Buckshot, and Skyzoo for instance.  If Entrapment is half as good as Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition, Chemistry or Cloud 9: The Three Day High then Entrapment certainly deserves a deep listen.  Other than having a good amount of talent,  Big Remo doesn’t draw many similarities with the three artists mentioned above.  Big Remo’s only problem is that he doesn’t have a distinct voice.  I could probably think of 15 different rappers who his voice could get confused with.  Other than that, he is impressive.  Big Remo can be summed up fairly simply: He’s a lyrical, ex-trapping, hungry rapper from the south on a mission to establish himself in the rap game.  Sure you’ve heard his story many times, but that’s not a reason to knock Big Remo.  Last I checked, that is actually the recipe for a lot of success.  You’ll hear from Big Remo even if you choose to sleep on Entrapment, although I urge you not to.

Production: 94%

Lyricism: 90%

Originality/Creativity: 70%

Final Grade: 85%

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Skyzoo & !llmind

Live From The Tape Deck

Release Date: October 5, 2010

Final Grade: 98%

One strong point on Skyzoo’s debut album, The Salvation was the production team that he put together.  Skyzoo dropped his verses on Just Blaze, 9th Wonder, Black Milk, Nottz, Eric G, and !llmind beats (among others).  On Live From the Tape Deck Skyzoo works with !llmind to create a sound that is universal throughout the entire album.  There are only two sample based songs on the project, the rest of the songs dish out a heavy dosage of !llmind blended snares, kicks, drums, and synths somewhat remeniecent of the “golden era of hip hop.”  !llmind adds his own style to the beats which at the same time reflect the current era but are nothing like the techno/popish sounds found in a lot of today’s non-sample based tracks  Re-inventing that sound from that time period clearly had to be a part of their objective for Live From the Tape Deck (as the title would suggest). The sound they created is certainly a switch up in style from the “Dear Whoever” track !llmind produced on The Salvation.

Skyzoo is as lyrical as ever on Live From the Tape Deck.  There will be many times where you will find yourself pressing the rewind button to properly catch the “lyrical frisbees” that Skyzoo throws at you.

Skyzoo is from Brooklyn so presumably he was one of the many New York Knicks fan who wanted LeBron James to take his talents to Manhattan rather than South Beach.  If my assumption is correct, that makes the track “The Winner’s Circle” pretty interesting.  Skyzoo takes the controversy involved with LeBron’s decision to sign with the Miami Heat rather than the Cleveland Cavaliers and compares/contrasts it with some issues he’s experienced with the rap game.  After a verse and a hook about people who may have been skeptical about his work or decisions based upon a lack of understanding of what he was trying accomplish Skyzoo drops these lines: “Tell David Stern I’m attracted to the chip, I’m playin‘ for that/and my game will stay the same, I’m workin’ my prime/on the nightly I’ll still give you 30 and 9/so I’m out here in Greenwhich, Button up image/ my decision decided, Bullseye winnin’/Boys and Girls Club, sittin’ with Jim Gray/  The discussion is if or when will things change/ Went above and beyond, you can never doubt me/and this it tough but takin’ my talents to South Beach.  Could have stayed if I wanted to make this about me/it’s more so for all the people around me/winning is the most confusing of any virtue and based of the journey and what it earns you, we could be having a ball up in this winners circle.”  To bring this full circle I would say that the message of “The Winner’s Circle” is people need to make decisions for what they believe puts them and the people around them in the best position in life.   And that no one can see the true dynamics of your life, so why take advice from people who can’t see the picture?

Production: 99%

Lyricism: 96%

Originality: 100%

Final Grade: 98%

It was great to hear a producer and an emcee get on the same page for 13 tracks.  This album shows the greatness that can truly be achieved when emcees and producers work with the same goal in mind.  At the end of the day this was one of the best releases of 2010 (top 3).  I’m off to go search the deep pockets of the internet for Live From the Tape Deck on an actual cassette.  Peace.

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Das Racist

Sit Down, Man

Release Date:  September 14, 2010

Final Grade: 82%

I don’t think I’ve ever heard two emcees have more fun than the brown and yellow combo of Victor Vazquez and Himanshu Suri (2/3 of Das Racist).  The entire time Das Racist just says crazy stupid lines that will have you laughing out loud (with them, not at them).  Making the listener laugh obviously is high on their priority list. Just take these comedic gems for example:

“Your man’s sick/I’m known to eat a sandwich”

“All tan everything, shot out to tan lines”

“I’m on the block like street meat/call me Dwight Schrute the way that I eat beats”

“Got more rhymes than Jay Elect got ram-a-long-a-ding-dong.”

Seriously, who says shit like this?  I think if I had one question to ask Vazquez it would be something like “Did you reference/experience/enjoy Jay Electronica’s johnson?”

They also show their comedic side with, well racism… To set the stage for some racism, the first song has this little intro “As a white man can’t even go outside, he’ll get a disease.  We’ll talk about how white people can’t even go outside without contracting a disease, like skin cancer.  They got that SPF 5-3000’s.  You can’t even go outside, what good is that?”  Das Racist continues to talk about the brown life for 5 minutes.  I don’t think they are ever trying to be racist, I think they are just having fun pointing out differences between races.  I found it pretty funny, but maybe I’m racist for laughing.    Aside from “All Tan Everything,” Das Racist slides in little shots at white people everywhere on Sit Down, Man.  The shots are usually harmless lines like “White people love me, like Subarus.” Their verses aren’t complex or real in-depth so I guess they have the luxury of sliding random lines anywhere.

Truthfully, you may end up skip a lot of the tracks.  Top 7, and then the rest is kind of the same:

1. Rapping 2 U (Feat. Lakutis)
2. Hahahaha Jk
3. All Tan Everything
4. Puerto Rican Cousins
5. Sit Down, Man
6. Irresponsible
7. Roc Marciano Joint

Are they the most talented rappers out there?  Of course not, but they are certainly of the most entertaining.  And if there is a way to start blending rap with stand up comedy, then Das Racist has to be the blueprint.

Also, I cannot blame them for enjoying the Combination of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

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