"No Introductions Needed, Boy Just Call Me the Undefeated"

Straight up, the world is a better place to live in when @BigBoi is putting out new music. Sure we'd all appreciate a new Outkast album, but settling for a solo album from Sir Lucious Left Foot is not a consolation I'm willing to live with. It just so happens, that consolation season begins on November 13th when Big Boi is scheduled to drop his new album Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors.

You may remember Big Boi quietly releasing a new track called She Said OK about a month ago, which was supposed to be on the new album. The track was OK, but didn't sound like lead single material. I can say for a fact now that the track below will instead serve as the lead single for his new album. I'll let @BIGKRIT introduce the track below and explain how he became a part of it...

What do I think about the track you ask? Not even tryin' to gas you all up, Gossip is going to end up being one of my top 10 favorite tracks when 2012 wraps up. Off top, the in your face UGK sample is hype as hell. Simply put K.R.I.T. murdered the beat and his shortened verse was on point like butterfly knife. Taking it a step further, if anyone else but Big K.R.I.T. attempts to recycle a Pimp C verse, I'll probably end up going ape shit. It was cool to hear @BunBTrillOG pitch in a verse at the end, serving as the icing on the proverbial Hip Hop classic cake.

I don't care what type of music you like, if you can't wild out a least a little bit to this thick slice of country Southern pie, then you need to hit that x on the browser in the top right hand corner of this window and promptly never come back...#ThatsMyWord

Big Boi feat Big K.R.I.T & UGK - Gossip (prod by Big K.R.I.T.)

|iTunes

"Gripping That Stick Like an Icicle, Sweet Like a Candy Cane"

I've always been a hesitant to embrace posthumous releases, but the obvious exception would be for anything Chad Butler related. Having ruled the South with their characteristically slow delivery and no holds barred lyrics, Pimp and @BUNBTRILLOG will always be regarded as two of the biggest opinion and style leaders musically in Hip Hop. They blazed a path their own way with audacity and swagger that Hip Hop had never experienced from the Lone Star state.

Sure in a perfect world, @bigkrit woulda found a way to collab with Pimp C prior to his passing, but the world isn't perfect unfortunately, so we as Hip Hop fans will have to find a way to appreciate Pimp's style that lives on through King Remembered In Time. The track below up the ante on Pimp's upcoming album Still Pimping that will drop on July 12th.

Also, if you're a fan of the shirt pictured above, feel free to cop it here for $26 + Shipping. Man if only Hip Hop could keep up this constant flow of great tracks every month I'd have an easy job picking what to post like I have this month. Enjoy it while it lasts folks...

Pimp C Feat. Bun B & Big K.R.I.T. - Grippin' on the Wood
|Cop It

"Yeeaaa...To All My Houston Texas Country Muffins"

Interesting collaboration between three of my favorites all time that will serve as the lead single to Pimp C's upcoming album The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones due out October 5th. It's always touchy when an an iconic artist passes away and albums/songs are released after their death. Case in point here, where Pimp C passed away in his sleep in Dec 2007 due to sleep apnea and now three years later an album of his is coming out.

Regardless of the artist, it's easy to throw out names like Biggie and 'Pac in comparison, to me it always comes off as somewhat forced when the deceased artists' verses are cut and pasted over new beats. If Drake would have made it out before Pimp Chad's passing in 07, I would probably be doing cartwheels over this track and hyping it as the greatest thing since @justinbieber. I found it interesting too when J. Tinsley of TSS polled the opinions of other respected bloggers on the track and found it to be mediocre with hardcore UGK fans on one side and those in favor of Drake on the other. First off, mad respect for being disciplined enough to not listen to it and wait for the album to drop. There are things in life hold myself accountable to that kind of discipline, but listening to music is not one of them. As such, I'm torn because I consider myself both and can see both sides. On one hand, I can't see Pimp C rhyming over such a new age, sorta pop sounding track in comparison to...well...everything he had done in the past. It's like his verse went hard over a radio track and caused a bit of a mismatch as a result.

On the other hand the tag team of @drakkardnoir and @boi1da manage to make an upbeat, head nod worthy track with a catchy hook that will probably manage to find it's way on the radio. I could have definitely gone for more of a full verse from Aubrey, but I'm betting the last thing he would ever want to do is outshine a deceased legend on his own wax. If that was the case, golf clap for classiness.

Dissenting opinions aside, I think it's safe to say that Bernard went to town on his verse and stole the show. I think that's what made UGK so dynamic because you had @BUNBTRILLOG who can sound great on both pop/radio tracks and also the grimy, Texas joints that Pimp was known for and they did together as UGK. Take it for what it's worth, it's an admirable effort on a track that is fighting an uphill battle with polar opposite fan bases and when you take into account the fact they were never able to all get in the studio together.

Pimp C feat Bun-B & Drake - What Up (prod by Boi-1da)
| Download

Throwback Thurs: Three Six Mafia - Da Summa (remix)

For me Three Six Mafia will always be considered classic because of the way they poured gasoline the torch of Southern Hip Hop in the late 90s and early 2000. They put M town on the map and meshed so well with Texas Hip Hop acts like UGK that they helped contribute to a unified, slowed down, heavy sound based off the rampant use of that Barre, Lean, Texas Tea...whatever you want to call it, just ask JaMarcus Russell if you want some.

Their music was a big reason why I grew into a big fan of Southern Hip Hop and hate if you want, but they did win an Oscar back in '06. Little known snack of wisdom here, did you know their original group name was the Backyard Posse? Glad they changed their name and despite different group members like Crunchy Black and Gangsta Boo leaving the group to pursue solo efforts, the dynamic duo of @therealjuicyj and @DJPAULKOM have remained a nucleus that has held together their sound throughout the years.

By far my favorite album of theirs is When the Smoke Clears: Sixty Six, Sixty One, which was released back in 2000. In know that album front to back and for good reason, so many of the tracks on there were so unapologetically hard with undeniably in your face Southern swagger. Since then I can't say I've listened to any of their albums front to back and it's a little more evident they've lost the griminess of their music and sound. But that's neither here nor there, it's Throwback Thurs, so we're here to celebrate what was dummies!

As an aside, I chose this track because I heard that well known whiny, back and forth synthesizer on @yelawolf's track Love in Not Enough that made Triple Six's Da Summa (remix) track below so notable. Girl had Yeller broken hearted in the chevy...

And to take it a step further, the original sample was from Rick James's track from 1992 titled Hollywood. Peep the slow jam below with that crazy synth backdrop...
...Shoot even @BOWWOW on Outta My System and Devin tha Dude sampled it on Anythang, but I'm throwing that in as more of a footnote. Respect to Devin for what he did with the beat though, he's one of the unheralded artists out there that deserves more dap. Matter of fact let me throw in a clip of his version because it's right up there as far as doin' the sample justice like Three Six did...


I dunno about y'all but this summa has been hotter than a muffffuggin rainforest jungle in the desert...wrap you minds around that pita bread sammich...and give it a listen, classic Three Six from '07...

Three Six Mafia - Da Summa (remix)
| Download

Throwback Thurs: Bun-B feat Juvenile Lil Webbie - Pop it For Pimp

With all this new @bunbtrillog circulating around Twitter of late with his upcoming album Trill OG's release coming in a matter of days (Aug 3rd), I've been giving his past material a couple spins of late. I must say, good idea to join Twitter a few weeks before your album drops. To be Frank, Earnest...or Bernard in this case, I can't see any combinations of tracks that will live up to his last album II Trill album he dropped in 2008. I had always been a UGK fan in general, but hadn't fully bought in on a whole album's worth of material from either Pimp C or Bun-B prior to II Trill.

The track below is one of the better efforts from that album and never got a chance to shine within the mainstream despite the fact could be called Back That Ass Up Part II. Same ingredients, upbeat booty shakin' 808 bass, swag infused southern lyrics and a chorus devoted to poppin' it on the dance floor. Just listen to it, at the end of the hook at the "Pop it for pimp" part, the strings are the exact same at Back That Ass Up...must be why it was listed as a sample, freakin' pecans I know. While I'm at it, might as well give a shout it to the creator of this freaknasty beat, Mouseonthatrack. He's got that dope, Mou-mouse-drop-the-track-that'll-make-you-bust-it-back intro to most of his tracks like Lil Boosie feat Yung Joc- Zoom, Lil Boosie feat Young Jeezy - Better Believe It, and my personal favorite Lil Boosie feat Lil Webbie & Foxx - Wipe Me Down. 

This track, Keep it 100, Swang on Em with @LUPEFIASCO and If I Die Tonight with Lyfe and Young Buck all contributed to an album that far exceeded all expectations and was a big reason why I raved about this album back in '08 on my song list, listing it as a top 5 album of that year. I was bummed out to not see any @mouseonthatrack on his new album, but a @IMADEITINC track to go with a couple @boi1da and @DRAKKARDNOIR collaborations make up for it well.

Great song to add to the weekend playlist for a college party...#justsayin...it fits in well with that crowd...Trill OG comin' next Tues...

Bun-B feat Juvenile Lil Webbie - Pop it For Pimp (prod by Mouseonthatrack)
| Download

"You Know I'm Ridin' Lac, You Know I'm Poppin' Trunk With Neon Lights Up in the Back..."

I've always been a fan of Texas Rap and the whole chopped and screwed music scene, make no mistake. From the days of the S.U.C. (Screwed Up Click) with the forever under-appreciated DJ Screw, to UGK (Bun-B and the late Pimp C) who held the torch until the more well known Mike Jones, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall arrived. Matter of fact, let's take a mid-post DJ Screw appreciation break..



That whole slowed down sound wasn't cool in anywhere until DJ Screw influenced what's now recognized as Southern Rap. The T.I.'s and Three Six Mafia's all integrated what DJ Screw started back in the early 90s. Sadly, it wasn't until shortly after Robert Davis passed away at the age of 29 that the whole US was starting to recognize the whole screwed/chopped movement.

Fast forward to today...where you have producers like Mr. Lee who have evolved the original screwed sound, while still maintaining the slowed, heavy pass of the beats. See example 1, and most notably example 2. Despite the sound moving forward the beats are still simple, heavy and slow, remaining true to the sound that preceded it.

Always been a fan of Slim Thug who brings it on the track, but as usual Luda steals the show...give it a listen...


Slim Thug ft. Ludacris, Dre Day, Kez - Rep The Dirty (prod. Mr. Lee) Hotttt!!

808 Check: Paul Wall - I'm on Patron

I've always considered myself a child of bass, a more than casual fan of the way the rear view vibrates eliciting what I consider to be a brain massage of sorts when enjoyed in moderation. The way I see it, my adoration for Southern Hip Hop at an early age (14-15 years old) could be considered the bass...(did I spell that wrong?), I mean foundation for my for love for Hip Hop.

Back in the day travellin' the country countless summers playing baseball I can remember my boy Rashard (I see you!) who shared with me what I've come to respect as Southern Hip Hop before it hit the radio and became famous a la pre-T.I., where the likes of UGK (RIP Sweet Jones), Three Six Mafia and Scarface reigned supreme without commercial recognition. At the time it was more of a cult following, but now largely due to T.I.'s commercial success, some light has been shed on this under-appreciated facet of the Hip Hop game.

From getting taught first hand the subtleties of throwin' bows from Three Six (2:15 in the video) and eventually a on lil' grimier tip with Pastor Troy's version of throwin' bows, dancin' all slow like they do in the South thanks to one of the most influential DJ's of all time DJ Screw (pictured in the banner at the top of this site to the right of the J). Man I even found myself buying this album, for like $18 or whatever crazy prices they were charging at Sam Goody at the time (yea you remember havin' to cop those $3 singles cause you had to save up for the full albums), all because I couldn't stop listenin' to track 5, Ink.(listen here and note the beat switch at the 56 sec mark as if a gallon of sizzurp was poured on the track..."I'm so Crunk, I'm I'm so Crunk, I'm I'm so I'm I'm so CRUNK!")

Anyways, enough of the history lesson, back to the first song in quite a while from Paul Wall that has grabbed my attention. If you have some sort of speakers with either a woofer or somethin' that's over 10 inches, feel free to bang this out in the deck...

Paul Wall - I'm on Patron (prod by Beanz n Kornbread) BASS!!!


As a side note, don't sleep on the up and coming production duo Beanz n Kornbread aka "The Coolest Producers Named after side dishes".

The Year that was in Hip Hop 2009

The picture above sums up 2009 about as well as an 1000 words I could come up with. For me, I will remember this as the year of Drake...where he went from an aspiring actor to a can't miss Hip Hop rookie. While it's still waaay too early to call him one of the best (seeing as he hasn't even released a full studio album yet), his So Far Gone Mixtape will go down as one of the most memorable Hip Hop compilations that weren't initially meant to be sold.

As far as Cudi, he produced a similarly inspired album with Man on the Moon: The End of Day, which in my eyes was the best studio album of the year. His out-there style and the way he went about creating the album was such a breath of fresh air that he deserves his share of dabs & lbs from the Hip Hop community in my eyes.

Other notable observations from 2009:

• When its all said and done, Timbaland may end up having the most successful album with the goldmine of singles on Shock Value 2 he still has yet to release.
• You could argue Pitbull had so many club tracks with a long shelf life that he's become the most well-known and radio-friendly artist in Hip Hop. Flo-Rida fans would argue against that and probably have a valid point...either way South Florida is officially the home of club friendly pop rap.
  
• 50 cent, although now much more relevant in film and other media like video games, did an adequate job with his Before I Self Destruct album. He still will never be able get back to the level of Get Rick or Die Tryin' without the Dr. Dre crutch though.
  
• It was a sad year with one of the most respected and my personal favorite rap groups, UGK releasing their last true studio album (since Pimp C passed away in early December 2007).
  
• Fabolous came back strong with Loso's Way, again reminding me he's probably still in the top 5 in Hip Hop (with Juelz, Drake, Lil Wayne and Crooked I) with producing catchy, creative one-liners.
  
• A new super-group in Slaughterhouse was formed, bringing together four of the most underrated talents in Hip Hop. I still maintain their role in Hip Hop is and will always be underrated.
  
• Jay-Z dropped another classic, platinum album...ho hum.
  
• Eminem attempted what's amounted to an unsuccessful comeback thus far to rap with Relapse and Relapse Refill . While I say unsuccessful that's completely objective because both albums still sold and are selling pretty well despite even Em admitting to the albums being tainted because he was still working the drugs out of his system and going through withdraw. Em I see your recent work with Weezy on Drop the World and Forever...those were glimpses of you in your prime...keep going toward the light man.
  
• Wale burst onto the scene with an innovative sound on his album Attention Deficit, as well as Asher Roth with Asleep in the Bread Aisle. Both albums were one of the better released this year and show why this 2009 Hip Hop Freshman class may someday go down as one of the more stacked groups of young artists to make it.
  
• Bobby Ray, you survived on strong Mixtapes, looking forward to the upcoming album in April.
  
• Clipse will ALWAYS be the most undersold Hip Hop tandem in the game...their new album Til the Casket Drops is really worth a listen...QUIT SLEEPING ON THEM EVERYONE!!!
• We hoped, like every year for Dr. Dre's Detox, but again...didn't get it. Rumor is it'll be out in 2010...wait...haven't we been saying that since 2004?
• Most notable (in my world at least), we saw a cream of the crop of producers assert themselves as the best this year. R&B producer of the year, hands down, Darkchild with Polow Da Don and JR Rotem right there. Hip Hop was dominated by Jim Jonsin this year, but DJ Khalil emerged as my favorite new producer to join the likes of The Runners, Danjahandz and Timbaland.
  

If 2010 is any near as exciting music wise as 2009, it's gonna be a good year.