So this year, I decided to create a top ten list of original hip hop releases. I had a hard time deciding if Wugazi or any other mash up should be considered an original release. It’s definitely a new sound that has been creatively formed by artists. But it’s also the product of two separate artist’s previously released material. In the end, I decided that it is new and original music. Just listen to it and you’ll agree. So, there it is right? I just spoiled my number 1. That’s what I thought too… But then I checked Emery’s Official Rulebook Pertaining To Eligibility of Media Relating to Top 10 Movie and Music Lists Vol 7. And much to my surprise, I stumbled upon this passage: (that I just made up)
Amendment 26A: Regarding Mash Ups ”……any mash up consisting of either Wu-Tang Clan music or Fugazi music is eligible. However, music consisting of any combination of both previously discussed artists within the same track is considered a prohibited performance enhancing mixture and will result in immediate disqualification from list participation…
Wow… well that pretty much seals it. Sorry guys but my hands are tied. I guess you just hit a little too close to the heart. You see, like a lot of people my age, I started listening to Wu-Tang in the early 90’s. I had a very close friend that turned me on to a lot of great punk rock shortly after. Bands like Operation Ivy, NOFX, Face to Face and of course Fugazi were only a few of the groups I grew to love during my high school years. I still maintained a deep love for the Wu, Tribe, De La and The Pharcyde but most new hip hop that came out in the late 90’s and early 00’s really didn’t interest me. I was much more interested in the under-produced DIY feel of the loud, fast and deliberately offensive sounds of the punk bands I loved. So when I hear Wugazi, I think of it as a custom soundtrack of my life about 15 years ago. It’s as if Cecil and Andy hooked me up to one of those thought sucking machines one night while I was asleep, stole my dreams and ran it through Pro-Tools… Or, more likely, they may have just had similar childhoods as me and my friends…. But I guess I’ll never really know the whole truth. As a consolation, I’ve decided to name this year’s list after Wugazi. I am also using this post to officially announce my campaign to use the word “Wugazi” to replace “cool”, “rad” (and all variations) “hello”, “goodbye”, “I love you” and “please pass the machete.”
Well in the past decade or so, hip hop and punk rock have switched places again. The under-produced DIY sound that used to come from tattooed and pierced punk bands has changed to a commercialized, trendy fad that is more closely associated with a fashion style than a type of music. Meanwhile, with artists like Atmosphere, Living Legends, Doomtree and Sage Francis emerging onto the independent music scene from all different backgrounds; hip hop has evolved into an art form that once again, actually attracts artistic people. The political and social sentiments that were once part of the common repertoire of groups like Fugazi, Operation Ivy and Crass are now more likely to be heard coming out of the mouths of songwriters like The Blue Scholars, Brother Ali and Sage Francis. The youthful angst I used to love from AFI, The Vandals and Face to Face is echoed in the sounds of Grieves, Prof and Pigeon John. Maybe you were into the love songs from The Descendents (I was), do yourself a favor and check out music from Atmosphere and The Grouch. Or maybe you were more of a Dwarves or Guttermouth fan, well Mac Lethal’s here and nobody’s having more fun than him right now. The point is that necessity is the mother of invention. And when punk rock became more invested in looking cool in a music video, a need arose for an independent scene that kept its focus on the music. So I say, thank God for people like Cecil Otter for proving once again that great music has nothing to do with how cool you look in the video.
And now, without further adieu (800+ words is enough) - The Top 10 Hip Hop Albums of 2011:
10. Apathy - Honkey Kong
Well holy sample clearing Batman!!! This album’s got a little bit for everyone. He samples everything and everyone from Snoop Dog, Notorious B.I.G. and Digital Underground to Denzel Washington in Training Day and the entire final scene of The Breakfast Club complete with the Simple Minds song. DJ Premier shows up on “Stop What Ya Doin’” and even Xzibit does a verse on “The Recipe”. Apathy has a great rough-neck, East coast voice and his flow is completely legit. He raps about where he’s from, the way things used to be and how he’s going to quit the business if he can’t get rich. I dig this album a lot. The tracks that work are great. It would have probably been higher on the list if he would have trimmed some of the fat off of the stuff that doesn’t work.
Most Wugazi Lyric: “I ain’t grow up like ‘Leave it to Beaver’ or Mike Seaver / I’m from where the white trash invented the wife beater…. Hallelujah!” From “East Coast Rapist”
Most Wugazi Song: “Honkey Kong” featuring Vinnie Paz & Jedi Mind Tricks
9. Doomtree - No Kings
I’m not sure if this is the album I was waiting for from the Midwest collective. But the fact of the matter is: it doesn’t matter what you expect from them, they don’t release bad music. Dessa and Cecil Otter are probably the best lyricists of the group P.O.S. and Mictlan might have the best flow of the five MC’s. And Sims is very quickly becoming my favorite member as a great wordsmith with the quick delivery. Paper Tiger, Cecil Otter and Lazerbeak provide the beats. There are no bad Doomtree beats but Lazerbeak is by far my favorite producer (not just of the group). I put this on the list because I liked it right off the bat. At the time I’m writing this, it’s only been out for a few weeks and I haven’t really been able to spend much time with it yet. It very well may deserve a spot higher on this list as I listen to it more.
Most Wugazi Lyric: “If you welcome every trespass and every tramp’s a guest, / give what they will take from you and every theft’s a gift. / Hold too tight to what’s in your hands and in your chest, / and the future it won’t open, palm readers can’t work fists.” From “Little Mercy”
Most Wugazi Song: “Bolt Cutter”
8. Prof - King Gampo
I just had to put this record on this list. I saw Prof for the first time at the Atmosphere show this year and was very pleasantly surprised. This guy’s a little weird but in such a great way. With lyrics like, “Holy mosh pit, osh-gosh-bigosh, it’s completely retarded the size my crotch gets...” and “You can find me stiff, like a samurai, on a llama ride, down a waterslide, getting’ sodomized…” you just had to know he was a lock for any list I’m writing. But don’t get it wrong. He isn’t silly on every track. He just has a great knack for it. “The Season” is about how he grew up and his frustration with trying to break into the business. In “Myself” he tells stories about his childhood and his broken relationship with his father. And “Daughter” features fellow Minneapolis star, Brother Ali in a metaphorical statement about their music. He’s also a pretty amazing blues singer. “Lucky” and “Whiskey” give him a chance to show off his pipes. I should also mention that he releases all of his music completely free.
Most Wugazi Lyric: “Swallow MC’s, twenty-four seven / Like a hungry clock, I go back fo(u)r seconds….” From “Anomaly”
Most Wugazi Song: “The Season”
Atmosphere is still my favorite recording artist and Slug is still my favorite songwriter. I doubt they will ever release anything that wouldn’t be in my top ten in any year. This release is the group’s most mature so far and lyrically it shows. There are several tracks that showcase Slug’s ability to paint a picture that rivals Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Warren Zevon. There must be something in that Minnesota water that spawns creativity. You’ll find several artists on this list from the same state including the previously mentioned Dylan and Zevon. It seems as though recently, Slug has been a lot more about telling stories that all can relate to than telling personal tales of his own struggles. Remember, years ago this was foreshadowed “… I need to start writing pieces about other people’s problems, ‘cause the strangers are startin’ to get worried...” (from the Lucy Ford EP’s). Songs like “Became”, “If You Could Save Me Now” and “The Last To Say” are very well written stories from an amazing wordsmith that seems to be playing things a little closer to the chest these days. I have to say, I like the personal stuff better. The simple fact is that knowing that you are hearing a made up story about someone else actually makes it less relatable. I would also nitpick that I am disappointed it the use of guitar and keys in the songwriting stage. I love seeing Atmosphere on stage with a full live band but that’s partially because it gives such a different sound to the songs that were produced and recorded on Ant’s drum machine. I’d much rather hear hip hop that is improvised for a full band than written and recorded with the band…. But maybe that’s just me…. Hey, it still makes the list.
Most Wugazi Lyric: “All around the world, it’s the same bar / wishin’ that the jukebox had some Gang Starr.” From “Millennium Dodo”
Most Wugazi Song: “Became”
This one took me a while to really get into. It’s very different than anything else Print has come out with previously. Although it is similar to his other work in that, he picked a concept and built a great album around it. This record has a lot to do with the state of the industry today and how he seems to find himself in the world but not of it. The track “Wanna Be Like You” is a statement on celebrity and the public’s fixation on it. As he puts it, “We wanna be like you, with all your fame and wealth / ‘Cause if we can’t be you, we’ll have to be ourselves.” The next track, “My Culture” makes a laundry list of problems with hip-hop culture and almost asks: ‘why not sell out?’ He doesn’t rap on every track, some songs like the single “So Alive” and “The Other Side” he shows off his funk/soul singing voice. I think that’s part of why it took me so long to really fall for this album but I’m pretty sold on it now.
Most Wugazi Lyric: “You wanna deeper meaning inside of these sentences / Then play this song backwards for subliminal messages.” From “Automatic”
Most Wugazi Song: “Radio-Inactive”
5. Raekwon - Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang
Have I mentioned that I’m a fan of Wu-Tang music?... This year saw two releases from the group and for some reason, Raekwon’s solo effort feels much more like a Wu release than Wu-Tang’s newest EP, “Legendary Weapons” released later in the year. Maybe it’s because “LW" has guest vocals on almost every track. Wu-Tang has eight living members. How is it that they can release a 14 track record with only two tracks that don’t contain non-Wu vocals? Also, there is no GZA and Method Man only shows up for one verse. Well, enough about that one. Let’s take a look at the album that actually made the list. As usual, Ghostface is the most common guest but we also hear verses by Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Lloyd Banks, Rick Ross and a few more. It’s hard to pick out individual tracks on a good Wu album. I just really like the composition of the entirety of the release. “Chop Chop Ninja”, “Butter Knives” and “Ferryboat Killaz” are a few that probably like more than the others but I don’t tend to skip around this CD very much at all. It has great production and the whole thing flows together very well without sounding repetitive or mundane. Most Wugazi Lyric: “...then I chanced it. Blood can always beat mud. Mud is part of bein’ thug. I guess it’s advance. We from the streets.” From “The Scroll”
Most Wugazi Song: “Chop Chop Ninja” featuring Inspectah Deck and Estelle
4. Eligh & Amp Live - Therapy At 3
Eligh’s 2010 release, “Grey Crow” was my favorite album last year so I was super excited for this one to come out. I was especially excited to find out that it was a collaboration with Zion I producer, Amp Live. I think Amp is one of the most underrated producers in all of hip-hop. His versatility is flat out amazing. His styles range from a more traditional west coast sound to a southern rap swing style to a 90’s industrial Nine Inch Nailsish sound and everything in between. Most importantly, he’s good at everything. Eligh still has one of the best flows in the business. A fast rap over slow beats is one of my favorite things ever and this record is full of them. Lyrically, this album is very similar to “Grey Crow”. This is not a bad thing, he wears his heart on his sleeve and a lot of his songs are about personal conflicts and transitions in his life. In “Devil’s Medicine”, he tells about his struggles with a cigarette dependency. “Barely breathin’, can’t believe I’m able to incorporate the fast rap style, gotta be God/ But God, why can’t I let go….” And in “Ego Killer” he confesses “..constantly thinking about my poor body imagery then overcompensate by telling myself I’m finer than everyone else in the room / WOW….” This is a great album and more evidence of how great of a year for hip-hop this has been. It probably would have been number one on any other year’s list.
Most Wugazi Lyric: “Edging God Out is an acronym for the evil I face all day… “ From Ego Killer
Most Wugazi Song: “Ms. Meteor” featuring Steve Knight.
3. Pharoahe Monch - W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)
I think this is Paroahe’s best work to date. W.A.R. feels as much a call to arms as a hip hop album. He recruits the likes of Phonte, Immortal Technique, Jean Grae, Royce Da 5’9”, and even Vernon Reid and Citizen Cope to his cause. The title track features Immortal Technique chanting the chorus “….Overthrow regimes in the name of the cause. Renegades, never slaves, this means war…” over a continuous guitar break by Living Colour’s Vernon Reid. In “Assassins”, he tells an Orwellian vigilante story of 3 superhuman assassins portrayed by himself, Jean Grae and Royce Da 5’9” on a mission to protect the public’s most basic freedoms. Pharoahe’s amazingly smooth delivery shines through on every single track and his word play has always made me smile. It’s worth noting that in a year that saw new releases from both Wu-Tang and Raekwon, I still think the best thing to come from the East Coast is this album….
Most Wugazi Lyric: “But these eleven and half shoes, you can’t fill those/ I make headlines like corduroy pillows.” From “The Hitman”
Most Wugazi Song: “Clap (One Day)”
2. Evidence - Cats and Dogs
Mr. Slow Flow is back this year with a follow up to his acclaimed “The Weatherman LP”. This album took me by surprise. I’ll be honest; I was never a huge Dilated Peoples fan. I knew who they were and liked some of the songs but for whatever reason, they just never caught on with me. I also always seem to gravitate more towards artist’s solo efforts than collaborative group’s records. This is his first release on the Rhymesayers label and as long as I’m being honest, I’m not sure when I would have gotten around to picking this up if it had been on a different label. I’m a big fan of the world that this label has been building and how they have been expanding from the Midwest outward to both coasts in the past few years. This release is a half retrospective and half progressive look at one of the most respected hip hop artists recording today. The track “It Wasn’t Me” works as a great introduction to his style and general attitude. And “To Be Continued” and “Late for the Sky” remind us that there is definitely more to come. The guest list is quite impressive as well. Raekwon, Slug, Aesop Rock, and DJ Premier all contribute. Hearing a Wu member do a verse on a Rhymesayers album brings a big wide smile to my face (Raekwon also recorded a verse on Freeway & Jake One’s record a couple of years ago).
Most Wugazi Lyric: “The flow’s connected like I knew people / Director of photography…… I shoot people.” From “It Wasn’t Me”
Most Wugazi Song: “It Wasn’t Me”
As far as I’m concerned, this album doesn’t contain a single misstep. It’s a concept album calling for social change and revolution. That’s nothing new to hip hop but Sims manages to deliver his message in the least condescending and self-righteous manner ever. He calls out his own “10 cent Zenisms” in one track. In another he explains “I don’t go a day without a button pressed….” It doesn’t seem to be a call to any specific action. It’s more like a call of awareness. The record is also full of great literary references from Herman Melville, Phillip K. Dick, George Orwell and Ray Bradbury. In fact the whole album uses one of Bradbury’s short stories “The Veldt” as a symbol of the cutthroat dog eat dog world we find ourselves in. Lazerbeak provides the beats…. Lazerbeak is a genius. Honestly, I’m pretty familiar with pretty much everything that the Doomtree collective has released and I would have to say that this is probably his best work to date. Most Wugazi Lyric: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s palace...” From “One Dimensional Man
Most Wugazi Song: “Sink or Syncopate”
Well, there y'all have it. It's a little long winded I know. Please comment with feedback telling me how awesome I am... Your prize for making it to the end is this handy-dandy link to free Wugazi music... Download the whole thing for keepsies..
Enjoy!
