Recently RA The Rugged Man and RUDE Jude a host on a satellite radio station went totally ape crap on each other over what defines hip-hop based on MC hammers legitimacy.  As usual in these sorts of things both sides have good points, but most cats lose sight of their point based on their own preferences and biases. Sorry folks unlike the highlander there can be more than one correct answer that is in this instance.  See Hammer was both Hip-hop and Pop as is Kanye.  Every genre of music worth two cents will eventually have a marketable cross over element.   Besides there is no rule in hip-hop that says you can’t be corny,campy,outlandish etc….. hell if there was the genre would be a lot more rigid but since it is a do yourself type genre everyone is open to express themselves using the primary elements of hip-hop as a back bone.  Now does this mean hip-hop is a shapeless amoeba defined by the whims of it’s participants?  I would have to say both yes and no.  Yes it is defined by its  artist using the media but every form a music has a basic structure to it and certain elements that make it what it is.  Think about it rock has various elements but a million genres, whereas folks try to limit hip-hop to this rigid idea of what they want.  Why not just support what you like so the artist will keep making that kind of music and avoid what you ain’t feeling.  Here is my dime store  breakdown such that it is;

Ra is correct in stating that MC Hammer and Kanye are pop and that they are similar.  In fact the main difference in the two is the fact that MC Hammer was ultra gimmick based and when the gimmicks that created him got old he basically faded away. Not to mention he spent all his money and was forced to start church pimping, I see you Creflo what’s really good.   But ye has some hints of substance and honesty about his music and though most purist, elitist rap fans aka rap nerds feel since he is a marginal lyricist and his cadence is still very awkward he isn’t hip-hop.  This makes me wonder do these people know what goes into making an mc an emcee.  My formula for greatness is voice+charisma+cadence+lyrical content = a great emcee.  The better emcees are more than just word a complex word spitting machine.  They are total packages you listen to them because they create a certain vibe and an experience that we all can relate to i.e. move the crowd.  Many other rappers loved by the rap nerds can’t do all of this, in-fact they are pretty one dimensional, they got the lyrics but no charisma and no identity. 

Jude was correct in stating hammer was hip-hop or at the very least derived from hip-hop.  Hammer represented for hip-hop what Micheal Jackson was for R&B the cross over artist that took rap to the stratosphere.  Will smith was the first of his kind to take the ghetto culture of hip-hop and wrap it in a package, that was consumable and less feared by middle class America.  So Hammer was and is Hip-hop but he is hip-hop in the more water-down capacity.  Mc Hammer was the next step in the evolution and the demise of a once obscure Genre.  So I understand Ra’s misplaced feelings but Hammer is and was hip-hop even if he don’t know the history or respect the art form as he should.  That is the hazards of commercializing music or art for profit.  Record labels are money driven usually at the expense of the artists involved.  All these “” hip-hop purist should remember that this is bigger than Hip-hop to quote Dead Prez.  This has to do with race, music, capitalism and so many other larger battles we don’t even have time to get into them in depth (and  since I have blogger A.d.d.  I probably should digress)

Wale Wale is ill in my opinion as a lyricist but I have never been a big fan of the whole DC Go Go sound that he has been rhyming over.  I know that is really one of the cool things about him he has a regional flava to himself.  So maybe Wale is really a nice emcee and I am just not a fan of Go Go.  Being old enough to remember kid and plays  crappy usage of this with their garbage lyrics to match was doesn’t help not to mention doing the but.  Looks like Go Go is trying to sneak back in the national spotlight and is it me or did the lil wayne remix of Nike Boots leave you wondering WTF.  Anyway I am going to listen to more of his mixtape.

I am going to place a fan driven radio station on this site for largely independent music.  This is not revenue based site so if you don’t want the promotion of your material for whatever reason on this site.  Please contact me at frd_freeze@yahoo.com

If I can ever get my sound to work correctly in the world of word press.  I will place a musical post on this artist.  Low Budget Soul is another great group from the UK.  They have classic boom bap beats with sultry R&B grooves that help any hard body get they groove on. LOL

Here is their bio found on their website: http://www.futuristicamusic.com/lbs.html

“Think Leon Ware over beautifully laid hip hop beats” said Vibe Magazine of
Low Budget Soul’s first 12” release ‘Fills My Heart/Mystery Rose’ (included on this debut album). Norman Jay played the single six times in a row on his Giant 45’s Radio show and included it on his compilation of the same name.
Now, we at Futuristica Music proudly present Strangers To The Ordinary the full-length album by Low Budget Soul.

Lead vocals are supplied by the incredible Randolph Matthews who has lent his talents to a host of projects over the past few years including NSM, TY &
Gum Drop. His butter smooth delivery perfectly compliments the rough edged, sample led beats of producer supreme Tris ‘Ol’ English’ Browne whose off the wall and yet undoubtedly soulful creations draw comparison to the music of Madlib, the late J-Dilla and Pete Rock. Joining Randolph on vocal duties is the breathtaking Marcia Escoffery who adds new dimensions to the Low Budget sound with her passionate & heartfelt delivery. Also on guest vocals is the ethereal Nanar, from down-tempo/nujazz connoisseurs Break Reform, (who also co-produced the album), on the duet ‘Fills My Heart’.

Already receiving huge support worldwide from Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge, Mad Mats, Dirk Rumpff, Giant Step, Kev Beadle and many more, Low Budget Soul are staking their claim for notoriety as a future soul classic.

1. Devin da dude “Waiting to Inhale” : If you are unfamiliar with the work of the hiphop Richard Pryor meet Rakim.  Then you are in for a treat.  The cool thing about Devin is that he tales stories that are emotionally vulnerable and comical that we can relate to and laugh at.  He also does something unique to the world of Hip-hop by selecting a rand of instrumental tracks that have real instrumentation rather than the sample heavy or other synth dominated sounds we are used to.  All in All I keep coming back to this album when I need to relax or just laugh at life.

2. EL-PEE:  I will sleep when your Dead:  I am a fan of the abstract when it is done well and El-PEE outdone himself here.  With his punk meets hiphop vibe he creates a great follow up to Fantastic Damage which I found to be hard to listen to.  This new album is a great return to the wall of sound sample style of the bomb squad refreshing in the creativity drought that hiphop has faced as of late.

3. Black Milk Popular Demand; though I haven’t listened to it much since it first came out I did dig this joint.  I just find that though I love those soul chopped beats a whole album of them can some times be boring or at least make me tired. 

 4. Sean P Jesus Price Superstar; was a return to force of good solid boom bap rap but I haven’t went back to it because of like of time.  But I would recommend it for the timb boot hiphop fan.

5. Blu and Exhale beneath the heavens;   This is a beautiful Album from a guy I heard very little from but all I can say is steady continual rotation this is my ish.  I expect big things from him in the future.  If you have been chronically known to sleep on good music do yourself a favor and pick this up.

6. Kanye West Graduation; This has  been a bitter sweet year for mister west.  Just as he furthers his musical legacy buy smoking 50 cents in sells (Whatever that means to you) and creating yet another strong sound scape to ad to his formidable catalog.  He unfortunatly lost his his mother this year which we all dread the day we have to face this.  But Ye has made a LP you cannot go wrong with.

7.Lupe Fiasco The cool; This album is the kind of joint that makes you come back to it for it’s little intricate pieces.  The sound scape is dark and I tend to love it when artist go into themselves and create from the heart.  The whole concept of the cool was good but I would have loved to seen it further developed but if the artist feels like it was developed hey who am I to say.

Jay-Z American Gangster; Though I am a bit tired of the whole Dboy thing with Jigga since he is uber rich and knowing what I know about the game most of the ish he saying can’t be legit.  The sounds are dope and Jay-Z does get his edge back on this album a bit my favorite joints are fallen, blue magic,ignorant shit,say hello.  The most hated joint is hello brooklyn what in the name of Scot la Rock is weezy on a track about brooklyn ,talk about a worthless cameo.  Anyhoo I liked it ok gave it a 8.5 0ut of 10.

Word on the Internets is JAy Electronica is droping a joint on Christmas.  Peep him out this cat is on E Badu’s Control Freaq label.  The cat is mad ill, I can’t wait to hear something new from him.  He has the kind of flow that just captivates you.  Jay drop a full Length soon.

I would like to give my respects to the family of Chad Butler.   It goes without saying him and his homie Bun B helped set the foundation for what would later turn out to be southern hip-hop.  We are talking real southern Hiphop not just southern club music but the true sounds of their corner of the south. 

Now that that is said, I can’t help but wonder if this is another lean caused untimely death or just a random existing condition.  According to the media it was natural causes that was still a tuff turn for Pimp C since he just got out of the clink and released his first charting album with partner in rhyme Bun B.  Either way it goes it is truely an untimely demise. It is always sad to see someone turn a corner only to be cut down in stride.

RIP Pimp