Compton College Kid Becomes Rap's Most Incendiary Voice 5:00PM ET March 24th, 2011 Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff A Rocky Williform Company
Every week, HHB will spotlight a legendary hip hop artist and examine their legacy and body of work. Hip hop is 30+ years old, and HHB wants to make sure that everyone understands how rich and varied this musical genre is. From Grandmaster Flash to 50 Cent, there are an endless array of MCs, DJs and producers who have made this music what it is today. Let's clap for 'em...
It was a gamble almost no one expected to pay off. The main lyricist from rap's most notorious group, the Los Angeles-based gangsta rap crew N.W.A., was leaving for a solo career. O'Shea Jackson had risen to fame alongside Eazy E., Dr. Dre, MC Ren and DJ Yella as N.W.A., the crew known for profane, confrontational and controversial lyrics reflecting the grit and violence of South Central Los Angeles. Jackson had been writing rhymes since high school, and with his cousin Sir Jinx, formed a group called C.I.A. when he was just a teen. Enrolling at the Phoenix Institute of Technology, Ice Cube, as he was now calling himself, had put his hip hop career on hold and looked to study Architectural Drafting. But his connection with a local producer named Dr. Dre led to Dre introducing the young rhyme-writer to a Compton drug dealer-turned-would-be music mogul named Eazy E. Eazy had launched Ruthless Records, and recruited Cube and Dre as the cornerstones of what would become N.W.A.
But after the group's classic 1988 album Straight Out of Compton made them superstars, Cube began to balk at the royalties and other monies coming his way after writing the majority of the group's, (and solo star Eazy E's) material. Seeking to re-negotiate a better contract, Cube was rebuffed by Eazy and Ruthless Records head Jerry Heller. Instead of resigning with Ruthless under the original terms, Cube decided to go solo.
For his solo debut, the Compton, CA native did what was unprecedented up until that point in hip hop: he recruited a well-known East Coast production team to handle the project. Cube teamed with Public Enemy's Bomb Squad to produce what would become AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. In N.W.A., Cube had relied heavily on shock value to play up to the group's notorious image. Now freed to sharpen his own focus and share his own voice, Cube revealed a clever, menacing and even insightful persona that was just as hard-edged and vulgar as N.W.A. while also displaying the socially-aware commentary Public Enemy was renowned for. The album was a smash and vindicated Cube's decision to leave N.W.A. It was awarded the Source magazine's highest honor--a five-mic rating and made Ice Cube hip hop's biggest new solo star. It also sparked vicious attacks from his former bandmates in N.W.A.
Although Cube never mentioned his former crew anywhere on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, that didn't stop N.W.A. from taking potshots at their former lyricist at seemingly every given opportunity. The group's 100 Miles & Runnin' featured numerous references to infamous American traitor Benedict Arnold, a not-so-subtle jab at Cube's defection. The group's 1991 album Efil4zaggin was even more explicit, calling out Cube's perceived lack of originality and mocking him at several moments on the album. Meanwhile, Cube's star had risen to the point that he was offered a starring role in the John Singleton coming-of-age film Boyz In the Hood. Cube's portrayal of Doughboy in the tale of South Central L.A. teens caught in a cycle of violence won acclaim, further raising his profile and initiating a connection with Hollywood that would only grow stronger for the next two decades. Cube's forays into acting continued with an appearance in the film Trespass, and he also helped produce the debut album of his protege Yo-Yo. Cube had also began studying Islam, and joined the Nation of Islam shortly after filming Trespass. To reflect his conversion, Cube cut his then-trademark Jheri curl.
Cube finally released his sophomore album later in 1991, and Death Certificate was immediately more angry, socially-aware, and controversial than its predecessor. Reflecting Cube's Islamic conversion and bolstering strictly West Coast production from Sir Jinx, Death Certificate found the rapper spouting fiery revolutionary rhetoric and releasing his rage on everything from police brutality to Korean shop owners in black neighborhoods. Songs like "Horny Lil Devil," and "Black Korea" led to Cube being branded a racist malcontent, but the album's sales dwarfed AmeriKKKa's... and continued Cube's success. The album ended with the scathing diss record "No Vaseline," which featured Cube's brutal dismissal of his former N.W.A. bandmates and Ruthless Records' Jerry Heller.
His string of successes continued with 1992s The Predator. Following the L.A. riots, Cube's angry critique of ghetto life seemed especially timely and his third album was steeped in the rage felt at the time, with the lead single "Wicked" directly addressing the incident in controversial fashion; the video featured skinheads (played by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Keidis and Flea) being chased down by Cube's crew, Da Lynch Mob. The album's other two singles were the biggest crossover hits of Cube's career; the feel-good hood anthem "It Was A Good Day" and the Das EFX-assisted "Check Yo' Self," which featured an instantly-recognizable interpolation of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message."
By this point, through hit albums, movie appearances and ongoing controversy, Ice Cube had become the most recognized solo star in hip hop. 1993s Lethal Injection was another hit album for Cube, with the lead single "You Know How We Do It" reflecting Cube's transition into G-Funk, a slow, rolling style of melodic West Coast production pioneered by Cube's former N.W.A. cohort Dr. Dre. Cube was also featured in films like The Glass Shield and Higher Learning. After producing and starring in the classic stoner comedy Friday, Cube put his musical career on hiatus as he strengthened his Hollywood resume with a string of starring roles and production credits. In 1997, Cube made his directorial debut with The Player's Club.
In 1998, Cube finally made his return to music with War & Peace, Vol. 1: The War Disc, the first entry in what would become an ambitious double-disc. Vol. 2: The Peace Disc was released two years later and included the hit single "Hello," which reunited Cube, Dr. Dre and MC Ren for the first time since Straight Outta Compton twelve years prior. Heading into the new millenium, Cube's musical career had clearly become his second priority. His film career had expanded to included everything from hood movies to family comedies to action flicks. Ice Cube had evolved from angry, gangsta poet to filmmaker and power player.
Ice Cube has remained an uncompromising voice in hip hop music and set the standard for angry, righteous raps about the streets; an approach that influenced so many legendary followers, like 2Pac and dead prez. And he's not done yet. In recent years, he's become an advocate for independent artistry, releasing Laugh Now, Cry Later and I Am the West on his own Lynch Mob Records. And more than two decades into his career, Cube can still make music that's unflinchingly honest and unrelenting in its perspective. Which proves that, despite all of his success, Ice Cube remains 'the n*gga ya love to hate.'
REQUIRED LISTENING:
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)
"The N*gga Ya Love To Hate," "Who's the Mack?," "Once Upon A Time In the Projects"
Death Certificate (1991)
"Steady Mobbin'," "Be True To the Game," "No Vaseline"
The Predator (1992)
"Wicked," "It Was A Good Day," "Check Yo' Self"
Lasers
04:00PM ET March 14th, 2011
Contributor: DeAndre Rozan
A Rocky Williform Company
Rating:
It's impossible to ignore the controversial history behind Lupe Fiasco's long-awaited third album, Lasers. Battles--or perhaps wars--with his Atlantic Records label led to the project being shelved for literally years, forcing desperate fans to threaten to protest the label offices. Lupe and Atlantic finally met somewhere in the middle, but the compromised seemed uneasy--even before Lupe went on what seemed like a smear campaign against his own album.
The result of all of that drama is an album that falls short of the artist's previous, critically-acclaimed standards and an album that never seems quite comfortable posing as the pop-rap blockbuster Atlantic no doubt hoped it would be.
The album's hit single "The Show Goes On," has been the source of much consternation from Lupe; who dismisses the track as a commercial concession. The Kane Beatz-produced track samples Modest Mouse 2004 smash "Float On," and Lupe himself 'samples' a famous quote from Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten: "You ever get the feeling you were being cheated?" in a not-so-subtle dig at the track's insincere and label-mandated origins. "Words I Never Said" finds the rapper in typically pensive mode, rapping about the current state of the nation and the world. He also remains vocal in his criticisms of the current administration; "“Gaza Strip was gettin’ bombed/Obama didn’t say sh*t.”
The album suffers the most from ill-advised dashes of Dirty Money-esque Europop. "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now," sounds particularly uninspired and phoned-in, as well as the lumbering “Break the Chain.”
The brightest spot on the album is the Utopian and witty "All Black Everything," where the Chicago-born emcee raps about an idealized planet where "Somalia's a great place to relax in..." "The Rat Pack are a group of cool Black men..." and "We ain’t get exploited...White man ain’t fear it, so he did not destroy it.”
Lasers is not the creative failure Lupe Fiasco seems to think it is, but it stands as an album that epitomizes the creative struggle for control that an ambitious, idiosyncratic artist must endure when he tethers his career to the modern major music label. It isn't a bad album, and for several others, could be considered a respectably better-than-average release, but for Fiasco, it can best be described as the first bump in what is still a very young career.
S. Bronx Crew Births Beef, Introduces 'The Teacha' 3:00PM ET March 10th, 2011 Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff A Rocky Williform Company
Every week, HHB will spotlight a legendary hip hop artist and examine their legacy and body of work. Hip hop is 30+ years old, and HHB wants to make sure that everyone understands how rich and varied this musical genre is. From Grandmaster Flash to 50 Cent, there are an endless array of MCs, DJs and producers who have made this music what it is today. Let's clap for 'em...
One of the most intelligent, influential and important hip hop acts to emerge during the genre's Golden Age, the Bronx-based crew of Boogie Down Productions was both a seminal act in the development of hardcore, gritty street rap and also played a huge role in the emergence of conscious rap. That seemingly conflicted legacy gives the group an entirely unique place in the pantheon of hip hop greats. At its core, B.D.P. was a hip hop act committed to the righteous indignation of hip hop's second generation; a group of kids creating art in the era of Reaganomics and New York City's booming crack epidemic. Emcee KRS-One was confrontational and incendiary, and was also one of the first rappers to showcase the cultural and musical connections between hip hop and reggae; often incorporating raga, patois and toasting into his rhymes.
A young, homeless Kris Parker met Scott Sterling when Sterling was working at the Franklin Men's Shelter in 1986. The two struck up a friendship and Parker, a former graffiti artist and avid b-boy who called himself KRS-One, began writing rhymes. Sterling worked as a social worker but was already a local DJ. The two decided to form a group; Boogie Down Productions, which also, somewhat unofficially, included associates DJ McBoo and a young DJ D-Nice. The crew released the independent single "Crack Attack" to little fanfare, but around the same time, up-and-coming DJ/producer Marley Marl produced a single for his cousin, Queens emcee MC Shan. The single, "The Bridge," was misinterpreted by KRS-One and subsequently launched hip hop's first major feud. KRS believed Shan and Marley Marl were alleging that hip hop, which was born in the South Bronx, started in Queens. This incensed KRS-One and, adding to the animosity, DJ Mr. Magic, a popular radio DJ who was a mentor to Marley, dissed Boogie Down Productions' first single live on the air during his radio show.
Boogie Down Productions then released the Shan diss "The Bridge Is Over." The song launched KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions into the upper echelon of New York hip hop and ignited 'The Bridge Wars,' with B.D.P. and Marley Marl's Juice Crew trading insults on wax for the next couple of years. After the success of that single and it's followup, the anthemic "South Bronx," B.D.P. dropped their full-length debut album, Criminal Minded.
Criminal Minded, with its hardcore, minimalist production built on the edgy, aggressive sound that Run-D.M.C. had spearheaded, but KRS-One's raps focused on the gritty realities of street life in the South Bronx. Songs like "9mm Goes Bang," which recounted the murder of a drug dealing thug, and the crack-and-prostitution tale "P Is Still Free," were among the first hip hop songs to deal explicitly with crime, guns and drugs, and KRS and Scott's image on the album cover--holding automatic weapons and surrounded by ammunition--is now recognized as a watershed moment in the development of what would later be called gangsta rap.
Sadly, while trying to diffuse an ongoing disagreement between the teenage D-Nice and a local tough, DJ Scott La Rock was gunned down shortly after the group's star began to rise. Devastated by the loss of his partner, KRS-One's approach to music dramatically changed. He decided to carry on the BDP name and on the sophomore album By All Means Necessary, the rapper dubbed himself 'The Teacha' and adopted a more socially-aware persona. The raps still dealt with street life, but from a more topical perspective. Instead of just providing documentation of what was happening in America's inner cities, KRS-One began to offer commentary and insight on the ills devouring the Black community.
KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions' third album, Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop continued their string of critically-acclaimed LPs, though they were unable to attain the level of commercial success enjoyed by contemporaries like Public Enemy. Nonetheless, KRS had become one of hip hop's most respected voices, rivaled only by P.E.'s Chuck D, and he used his clout within the culture to organized the "Stop the Violence" movement; a campaign designed to curb Black-on-Black crime. He spearheaded the recording and release of the classic "Self-Destruction" single, enlisting some of the most revered names in East Coast hip hop to contribute verses to the track, which addressed crime and drug abuse. The song raised almost a million dollars for the National Urban League. KRS also became a contributor to the New York Times.
This would prove to be the pinnacle of Boogie Down Productions career as a collective, which by now included a revolving door of contributors; including KRS-One's wife Miss Melodie, her sister Harmony, DJ D-Nice and an assortment of others. Follow-up albums like 1990s Edutainment and 1992s Sex & Violence were less well-received than their earlier work, as hip hop was beginning to be dominated by West Coast gangsta rap by acts like N.W.A. and Ice Cube and, in the East, quirky, alternative rappers like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul were dominating the airwaves and the culture. Many critics began to blast KRS-One's lyrics as preachy, and there was division among KRS and other members of the B.D.P. collective. He also experienced a backlash from many of his fans after an incident in 1992 where KRS attacked Prince Be of the hippie-esque pop-rap group P.M. Dawn. KRS-One would later apologize for the incident.
After Sex & Violence, KRS-One officially 'retired' the Boogie Down Productions moniker and disbanded the collective. He would go on to release music under his own name and continued on as one of the 1990s most respected lyricists and a vocal advocate for hip hop culture and tradition. But his legacy with Boogie Down Productions remains intact, and the crew is forever embedded in hip hop's DNA, sitting on both sides of the hardcore and conscious coin.
REQUIRED LISTENING:
Criminal Minded (1987)
"South Bronx," "9mm Goes Bang," "The Bridge Is Over"
By All Means Necessary (1988)
"I'm Still #1," "My Philosophy," "Stop the Violence"
Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop (1989)
"Why Is That?," "You Must Learn," "World Peace"
Brooklyn Crack Dealer Restores East Coast Dominance 2:00PM ET March 1st, 2011 Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff A Rocky Williform Company
Every week, HHB will spotlight a legendary hip hop artist and examine their legacy and body of work. Hip hop is 30+ years old, and HHB wants to make sure that everyone understands how rich and varied this musical genre is. From Grandmaster Flash to 50 Cent, there are an endless array of MCs, DJs and producers who have made this music what it is today. Let's clap for 'em...
He was a larger-than-life emcee who came from seemingly out of the blue to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. The Notorious B.I.G.'s musical rise and tragic fall has been well-documented in the minds of hip hop fans. But, aside from the mythology--do we really understand what made Biggie Smalls special? How did he become one of hip hop's most influential and important figures? Read on.
Biggie was born Christopher Wallace and, though he often claimed Bedford-Stuyvesant, Wallace actually grew up in the nearby Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn. His early life was characterized by poverty and a stern Jamaican-born mother, Voletta. As a pre-teen, Christopher was encouraged to focus on school and stay out of the streets, but as he grew older, the burgeoning crack trade became too much for him to resist. After learning that his girlfriend was pregnant, Wallace dropped out of high school to sell drugs.
But Biggie was also a clever and dexterous emcee. He began making a name for himself rapping in shows around town with his DJ 50 Grande. Eventually, he came to the attention of Big Daddy Kane's DJ Mister Cee, who introduced him to a young A&R at Uptown Records named Sean "Puffy" Combs.
The rest, as they say, is history.
To understand the significance of the Notorious B.I.G.'s rise, one must first understand the climate of hip hop in 1993-1994. The West Coast hip hop scene had been gaining steam since the late 80s, when artists such as N.W.A. and Ice-T first broke through to national audiences. But when N.W.A. alum Dr. Dre released his solo debut The Chronic in late 1992, it instantly became one of hip hop's biggest smashes and ushered in an unprecedented era of West Coast commercial dominance. Releases by Snoop Doggy Dogg (DoggyStyle), Ice Cube (The Predator), 2Pac (Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.) and Warren G. (Regulate...The G Funk Era) were getting much more attention from commercial audiences than anyone from the East Coast during this period. From 1991-1993, the East had become dominated by alternative rap acts like A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets. The first wave of lyrical virtuosos had all but disappeared--seemingly overnight. Rakim had gone into hiatus, Slick Rick was in prison, Big Daddy Kane's career had soured after ill-advised forays into more R&B-flavored territory and a shocking nude pictorial in Playgirl magazine. Street emcees like Kool G. Rap and KRS-One were never huge commercial sellers.
It was into this climate that a new, East Coast hardcore began to slowly emerge. The first blips on the radar were groups like Onyx and Das EFX, who experienced some commercial success in 1992 and 1993. But it wasn't until the debut of Staten Island's Wu-Tang Clan in late 1993 that New York's hip hop scene really embraced a new hardcore style and aesthetic. Wu's Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers was followed by Nas' landmark 1994 debut Illmatic, and within a span of six months, East Coast hip hop had gone from bohemian jazz rap to grimy street-hop.
But, still--no one in New York's new wave of hardcore had equaled the commercial clout of the West Coast.
Biggie's pairing with Puffy proved to be fortuitous for both parties. Puffy was subsequently fired from Uptown and needed a star to anchor his new label, Bad Boy Entertainment. And with Puffy, Biggie had a mentor with a knack for pop hooks and slick production. Puffy had previously worked with overweight pop-rapper Heavy D, and used that experience to fashion Biggie's new image: ladies' man. Biggie was able to convincingly rap about the rough streets of Brooklyn and the lavish lifestyle of a young rap star. That approach set him apart from his grimier-than-thou East Coast contemporaries in 1994, and when his debut Ready to Die was released in the fall of that year, it was an instant smash. He had finally given New York hip hop a superstar that could reach the masses similarly to what West Coast artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg had accomplished.
Biggie's gift for wordplay and peerless storytelling ability also made him one of hip hop's most talked-about emcees. The self-proclaimed "Rap Alfred Hitchcock" could deliver darkly comical story raps that sounded effortless, but were lyrically intricate and detailed. His talents as a rapper didn't quash rivalries, however. Biggie's rapid ascendancy was met with scorn from several other New York rappers, most notably Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and Ghostface Killah.
The feud that he is most remembered for, of course, is his beef with 2Pac. The former friends became enemies after Pac accused Biggie of having him set up and robbed outside a Manhattan recording studio. From there, the East/West feud escalated with diss records and physical altercations; until 2Pac was shot in Las Vegas in September 1996. Biggie was killed in an eerily similar fashion in Los Angeles in March 1997.
Biggie's legacy remains as one of hip hop's most gifted lyricists and as the most important figure in 1990s New York hip hop. His commercial success brought NYC rap back to prominence--which paved the way for later artists like Jay-Z and DMX to become superstars. Even Nas, who debuted before Biggie, experienced his highest commercial successes after Biggie re-established East Coast commercial visibility.
Instead of focusing on his tragic death, hip hop heads should always remember and continue to celebrate the overall musical legacy of one of the best to ever hold a microphone.
Unbelievable.
REQUIRED LISTENING:
Ready to Die (1994)
"Juicy," "Big Poppa," "Warning"
Life After Death (1997)
"Hypnotize," "Notorious Thugs," "Mo Money, Mo Problems"
"Sky's The Limit"
The Greatest Story Never Told
04:00PM ET February 27th, 2011
Contributor: DeAndre Rozan
A Rocky Williform Company
Rating:
He was this close to becoming a trivia question. Or at the very least, he was about to become the subject of numerous 'whatever happened to...?'-style inquiries. New York's Saigon rose to prominence alongside the 50 Cents and Papoose's of the world, by making a name for himself on the early 2000s mixtape circuit. But despite a deal with Atlantic Records, a solid reputation as a rhymer and numerous appearances on HBO's hit show "Entourage," very little official music came from Sai. In comparison to 50 and 'Poose, Saigon's career was much closer to the latter than the former.
But the wait is over.
The newly-independent Saigon has finally released his long-awaited official debut, The Greatest Story Never Told, and while the web buzz of upstart superstars like Drake led to disappointing results, Saigon's under-the-radar cult following should be ecstatic with what they hear from the Mooseknuckle native.
Sai is thoughtful and has social commentary on his mind for much of the album. The opener, . Q-Tip and Fatman Scoop give an anthemic feel to the soulful "The Invitation," one of Just Blaze's most lush productions since his Blueprint days. "Preacher" takes aim at church pastors manipulating their congregations, and is a funky put-down of those who take advantage of those who would follow them. "Come On, Baby" features Jay-Z, but Sai fans will recognize this track as recycled mixtape fodder. Not bad, but not wholly remarkable either.
Just Blaze offers up some of his best production throughout the album and Saigon's rhymes are as nimble and focused as ever. With a growing number of releases focused squarely on the club or the charts, its a welcome change to hear a record as conceptualized as The Greatest Story... And Sai has an excellent roster of guests backing him up on his musical journey; from Faith Evans to Bun B. to Black Thought.
The Greatest Story Never Told may have had a complex and frustrating history, but it has been well worth the wait. Saigon has released an album that should remind everyone what inspired hip hop sounds like. A rapper with a sense of purpose is still capable of making staggeringly good music.
