13 posts tagged “hip-hop”
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08/14/09 Red Rocks Amph Morrison, CO
Discography
08/15/09 Paoli Soleri Outdoor Amph SantaF,NM 08/16/09 Club 101 El Paso, TX 08/18/09 House of Blues Las Vegas, NV 08/19/09 Hollywood Palladium, CA 08/21/09 House Of Blues San Diego, CA 08/23/09 Fairplex Pomona, CA 08/30/09 Outside Music Fest SF, CA 09/08/09 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN 09/09/09 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
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Des Moines had the pleasure of listening to one of the freshest sounds tonight; Atmosphere made their first appearance in Des Moines and they left impressed, to say the least. Atmosphere’s front man, Slug, coined us “his family reunion” and that he’s very proud to call Des Moines his friend.
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Atmosphere at Simon Estes Amphitheater, Des Moines (8/11/09) ♥ photo by Elizabeth Soda
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Whether the crowd was spitting along with Atmosphere’s beats or waving their hands side-to-side, Simon Estes Amphitheater was flooded with love and appreciation for this rapper’s talent. The group showcased many of their popular favorites like, “Sunshine,” “Always Coming Back Home to You,” & “Trying to Find a Balance.” It was truly amazing how Des Moines came together to celebrate with Atmosphere and their whole entourage. I was under the impression that Atmosphere was not that popular within the suburbs of Des Moines, but the more people filed towards the front of the amphitheater, it just went to prove that music is alive and well, no matter what kind it is.
Slug provided the audience with a free-style rap at the very end of the show. He included tidbits about down home cooking and the Embassy suites. It was a nice touch to wrap up the night and also provided me with a sense of how he really felt about Iowa. “Atmosphere flips lyrics like a spatula.” So he said himself while spitting to his own rhyme about his vocal talents. He seemed to really enjoy the crowd’s energy and played off it for most of the evening. Slug told jokes and even made friendly contact with the crowd every now and then. In regards to his friendliness to the crowd, while the opening bands made their transition, Slug appeared out of nowhere and started to meet with the crowd. He began shaking hands with everyone and thanking them for coming. I had the opportunity to shake his hand. It proved to me that Atmosphere isn’t like any other band, they truly care about their audience and about the ears that Slug’s lyrics fall upon.
The opening acts were Attracted to Gods and Eyedea & Abilities. The crowd seemed most familiar with the lyrical rhymes of Eyedea & Abilities. Attracted to Gods was a great duo that reminded me of George Thorogood. They had really great jam sessions that twanged with a bit of blues rock.
08/12/2009 19:11:52 ♥ ashley (
)
♥ rhymesayers.com/atmosphere
♥ myspace.com/atmosphere
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10/22/08 The Basement - ALL AGES FREE - CD Release Chicago, Illinois
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10/23/08 SubT w/ Star People, Lowdown Brass Band CD Release Chicago, Illinois 10/25/08 Industry Iowa City, Iowa 10/29/08 DarkRoom/Analog Playground CD /VideoRelease Chicago, Illinois 10/31/08 The Loading Dock Traverse City, Michigan 11/01/08 The Loading Dock Traverse City, Michigan 11/15/08 Reggies w/ Starpeople Chicago, Illinois |
Treologic originally started as a jazz organ trio (organ, guitar, drums) out of the DePaul University School of Music, according to the band's press kit. The group experimented with various instruments, sounds, and musicians before finally settling with 5 members. Treologic, as listed on their site, is comprised of:
Billa Camp (MC)
Lance Loiselle (organ, keyboards, vocals)
Justin Boyd (drums, beats)
DJ Savage (turntables, samples, beat drops)
Eric Koppa (tenor saxophone)
Jordan Lopez (lead voice, flugelhorn, percussion, trumpet, keyboards, flute)
Anthony Massaro (guitar, vocals)
(Hang on-- 5 members? Well, contact information omits DJ Savage and Anthony Massaro as band members. A bit confusing.) As a side note, Eric Koppa has his own website, and works in a variety of projects in addition to Treologic.
Some of the band members biographies are serious (mostly the instrumentalists), and some are amusing. Lance Loiselle lists his hopes and dreams as “to be happy with good people and good karma.” DJ Savage is described as finding his “calling” after starving days of saved lunch money in 1983 at the age of 7 to buy Run DMC's self-titled album, and there is mention of being voted “most likely to wind up in jail” in high school. It's probably a good sign that some the band doesn't take itself too terribly seriously; as they've also been described as avoiding the negative messages and materialism of hip-hop, then they might be said to be lacking pretentiousness as well.
As a result of such an
eclectic mix of instruments and styles by musicians with varying
backgrounds, the sound is a stark contrast from mainstream hip-hop.
The CD Baby site sums this up well as follows: “Using hip hop
as the main vehicle, Treologic uses more than one genre or style to
flavor the musical palate. The logic is to embrace the rich roots of
Chicago hip-hop, gospel, and jazz and bridge the old school with the
new.” At least one person
commenting compared their sound to The Roots (not surprising, since
Roots member Black Thought is listed as an influence, specifically by
Billa Camp). A Tribe Called Quest is also mentioned as an influence
on their sound, and certainly the smoother backings of jazz in some
of their recordings would draw such a comparison Their
latest album, Colabo, is set for release October 21st.
At first listening,
Colabo had a decidedly edgier
feel to me than their last album, Thank You Lenny,
and has a more contemporary (e.g., gangsta) rap tone to many of the
lyrics. I found it less to my liking overall, especially with the
f-bombs and use of the “N” word that seems to be part of
the “keepin' it real” image that pervades popular
mainstream hip-hop today. Fortunately, when I got the CD, a press
release flyer was included that made this review a little easier--
not only were the explicit tracks marked, but some recommended tracks
were highlighted as well.
Of the “recommended” tracks, “Notes to My Child” seemed to stand out the most. The beats sound like a swinging '70s style funk, with Massaro playing guitar licks reminiscent of Carlos Santana's “crying guitar” style. The other track I really liked was “Relax Your Mind”, which had a breezy piano backing with a classical-tinged jazz style.
It would seem the band is eager to break out into bigger and more lucrative venues. By simply sending your contact information to their “Street Team” project, and they'll send you promotional materials, including a free “Treologic” T-shirt. Reminds me a bit of Marvin “Young MC” Young's old “Delicious Vinyl” record label. Even though the label went bust, the logo was slick and I'm still kicking myself for not getting a T-shirt back in high school. Unfortunately, I'm a much larger guy these days, and the Street Team's sizes on tees capping out at XL just isn't big enough. Maybe I'll ask them if they quietly made some in larger sizes, or are willing to.
The band has been with Cigol Records (apparently an independent label) since their start. They are currently touring (see dates above) and proudly declare that they have averaged 70-80 shows in the last 5 years.
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10/11/08 Kosha Dillz @ Red’s Bar Sioux City, Iowa 10/13/08 Kosha Dillz @ Riot Room Kansas City, Missouri 10/14/08 Kosha Dillz @ Nutty’s North with Murs + Kidz in the Hall Sioux Falls, South Dakota 10/18/08 kosha dillz + flex mathews w/ SLICK RICK @ Ned Divines washington DC, Washington DC 10/19/08 kosha dillz + flex mathews w/ Cunninlynguists @ 13th Floor Herndon, Virginia |
Modular Moods Records is going to drop a serious chunk of hip-hop funk with a distinctly Hebrew flavor in the form of the LP Freestyle Vs. Written by C-Rayz Walz and Kosha Dillz. C-Rayz, one of the original members of the legendary Stronghold, has been a giant in New York City's underground hip-hop scene for years, hosting all manner of shows and events and beatin' down some of the top battle emcees in the world (even freestyle legend Supernatural). Kosha Dillz, on the other hand, is a fresh face on the scene: an upcoming Israeli-American hip-hop artist who has performed live with big-name rap stars like Pharcyde and Jurassic 5 to Grammy Nominee and reggae ninja Matisyahu. So what happens when you put together the freestyle might of C-Rayz Wallz together with the swaggering beats and multilingual vocal styles of Mr. Dillz?
You get an explosion of classic hip-hop that rests firmly on a bed of oldskool beats but extends high above the heads of many so-called contemporary "rap superstars" with lyrics that jump from the socially conscious to the outright hysterical and back again.
The album's beats recall the glory days of hip-hop's youth, mixing heavy, funkalicious beats with powerful samples taken from old soul, blues, jazz, and funk records. Many of the samples on this album sound like they came from blaxploitation movie soundtracks, which gives Freestyle Vs. Written a true urban edge that complements the sharp-witted, and often sharp-tongued, lyrics perfectly. Horns and phased guitars predominate over the rumbling beats, but the emcees' voices and styles are, naturally, foremost on every track. And these guys have got skills, y'all: their rhymes are tight, their deliveries fresh and rhythmic, and their lyrics often profound. The two emcees play off of one another so skillfully it's impossible to determine what rhymes were written ahead of time and what rhymes are freestyle examples of champion extemporization. Produced by 19-year-old prodigy Kentron Da Mastadon, Freestyle Vs. Written is a superb melange of its creators' "Jerusalem Zionist-meets-Black Bronx ghetto aesthetic" which will appeal to all fans of oldskool rap, freestyle, and socially-conscious hip-hop.
One of the most impressive elements of this record is the lack of swearing. Now, I'm not one of those stuffy prudes who frowns on cussin'--but one of the things that has made me dislike so much contemporary hip-hop is the genre's overemphasis of the words "fuck," "motherfucker," and "nigger," mainly because these words provide all-too-easy staples for rhymes and rhythmic filler. True emcees come to battle and/or record with a truckload of vocabulary and wit, not just foul language and lame insults. Both C-Rayz Wallz and Kosha Dillz are literally overflowing with deft rhymes and sharp observations. "Calouses of a Hustler" and "The Foolish Path" are aimed at uplifting their listeners and educating them, and C-rayz's flow on these tracks is very similar to that of Atmosphere's Slug. Tracks like the lighthearted "I Love Jews" (built around a sample of the Del-Phonics "La-La (Means I Love You)" and "Ariel Sharon" (which rides atop a rolling beat and jangly banjo) clearly display Kosha Dillz Jewish background in his rhymes as he mixes English, Yiddish, and Hebrew.
In short, Freestyle Vs. Written is a solid mixture of oldskool flavor and modern hip-hop styles that will have your head bobbin' as it has your mind thinkin'. This is hip-hop that aims for the brain as well as the booty and demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that even in a music world dominated by such untalented babblers like Souljah Boy and Nelly, real hip-hop is still being produced, and it's coming at you from every corner and every culture of the Earth.
The album is available for digital download, with the CD version coming on October 14th.
Modular Moods Records wanted to us know about their Remix Contest. All info and sound files are at freestylevswritten.com/remix. They have also expressed that they'd like you to see their ridiculous music video for "Sof".
Links:
crayzwalz.com
koshadillzmusic.com
myspace.com/crayzwalz
myspace.com/koshadillz4life
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09/17/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
09/18/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/19/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/20/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/21/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 10/04/08 Chattanooga Convention Center Chattanooga, TN |
Animate Objects are a hip-hop crew from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2005, they've won numerous regional awards for "Best Hip Hop" band, and having listened to their debut album, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma (released March 31th, 2007), I can see why.
At first, I thought this was a typical MCs/DJs crew, but Animate Objects consists of a true live band of keys, bass, drums, and guitars. And not to put a too fine a point on it, the band members looks like of Asian/Indian descent, much like the hip-hop Asian Dub Foundation (which incidentally have a new album out).
As the album name, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma, suggests these are songs that you can play to your parents and not feel absolutely embarrass about its subjects. Now, this is not to say that it's watered down rap/hip-hop, but more so that its subject matter is not about banging hundreds of chicks or bragging about killing somebody or glamorizing about gang lifestyle. All this is explained in the first song, "The Weight", a jazzy background music with a spoken dialogue.
I felt the the album seems to have a theme of a location and places. As if each songs were stops along a journey through urban America. For instance, "El Dorado" sounds a city you'd like to visit, but not stay ("let's leave it all behind"). This song was recently awarded Best Rap/Hip-Hop song on the 7th Annual Independent Music Award Winner. You can hear the song proudly displayed on their myspace.
The other song that stood out for me was their not-so-hidden bonus track, "The Battle Of Now". This is a powerful song about rape (at least that's what I'm interpreting it). The woman vocals are provided by Margaret Vagle, who I only wish sang on more Animate Objects songs.
My song of choice is "Beautiful", a song featuring guest falsetto of Charles Hammond Jr. This is unlike most hip-hop songs, as the usage of the violins would reveal.
What I really like about this album is that the music is all originally composed for each song. I couldn't detect any sampling (and if some were used, it's not so obvious).
According to their official website, you can own the 12 track album for a mere $5. This is a really cheap price for a full length, so I suggest you take advantage of it before someone change their mind. Look for them at the five-day Pygmalion Music Festival.
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I was pretty thrilled when I received Connected: 90's 12" Mix to review, as I was already well familiar with all the songs and artists on the two promo discs. In fact, I had the review written weeks ago, but waited until it got closer to the release date of July 7th to post the review. I'm glad I waited because by the last hour, they decided to upped the anti and added a third disc and changing the cover artwork (and not to mention that they reshuffled the track listing). As you can see with the links to artists we've previously covered on W♥M, that we really like the first disc.
One of the major differences I've noticed right away was that they had replaced Electronic's "Getting Away With It" with New Order's "World in Motion", which is fine as they are more or less Bernard Sumner. If there were other artists and songs that were dropped, it's probably due to licensing issues.
I have to say that I did agree that "World in Motion" is better fitted for this compilation, because this song is so closely associated with the 1990 World Cup. It just feels good to hear the competitive "it's one on one", a song that's sure to be played at every World Cup.... although whenever I hear that rap from Jamaican-born football player John Barnes, it just drowns the songs in late 80s/early 90s.
In 80s and going to the 90s, the three major releases for singles were: 7", 12" and cassingle. The 90s introduced us to the CD single (and eventually the double CD singles, parts one and two), but this compilation collects all the 12" mixes. Usually the 12" mix were special because they're often exclusive to the 12" and were catered to underground DJs who needed them in this format to scratch and live mix.
Even if you know all these songs from hearing them on the radio, these dance remixes always adds something new to something already familiar.
These tracks demonstrate England's evolution of dance music. You see, in the early 90s, there was a breaking point in the music timeline. One group became what you might know as Britpop, while the other group focused more on dance (raves and techno). You hear the second group's diverse music on these tracks.
From early Madchester (Stone Roses, Happy Mondays) to funk (Deee Lite) to house (M People, Nuyorican Soul) to big stadium dance rock (U2, Primal Scream) to even trip hop (Tricky, Massive Attack, Portishead), it's all here: all the big hits!
There are a few outstanding tracks from the two discs: the remix of Deee Lite's funky "Groove Is In The Heart", the Bottom Won Mix of Stone Roses's amazing baseline of a dance classic "Fool's Gold", Stereo MCs' "Connected" (of course!), Snap's extended mix of "Rhythm is a Dance", and Soup Dragons' trippy "I'm Free" the 12" mix.
The new tracks that were added to the album, included two that I already know and love: Moloko's "Fun for Me" and Beats International's "Dub Be Good to Me". Since I've already mentioned Moloko's song in a previous article, I should tell you about Beats International.
The guy behind Beats International is really Norman Cook - aka Fatboy Slim. As you can hear from his remix of "Be Good to Me", he really knows how to manipulate the song. Check out that bass and the mixing of a DJ introducing the song "Tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty, you're listening to the boy from the big bad city. This is jam hot" and also the outro.
There is one song that kind of bothered me, not that it isn't good (because I love "Jump Around"), but because it seems to me that House of Pain shouldn't belong here. You see, looking at all these artists, they all seem to be based in the UK and they're mostly dance, and House of Pain is from the US and leans towards rap. If you listen to this album, this song should definitely "jump" out at you.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable collection that made me a feel a little nostalgic of yesteryear.
Below are the final track listing.
Disc 1 |
Disc 2
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Disc 3
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Connected: 90's 12" Mix will be released July 7th in the UK by Universal Records. Fans of 90s dance music will want to check this out.
Links:
www.umtv.co.uk
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I love bacon, and I love sneakers.... so by transference, I would also love Bacon Shoe. These two MCs (Lethal D and Mr. Ruggles) and one DJ (DJ SKU), are a comedy hip-hop crew from rap hotbed of Kansas City.
I couldn't find any information on their debut album, Ass, originally released in 1997, but obviously that's a decade (!!) prior to Back from Stinktion (that's extinction for you non-hipsters).
Although there's no pending pressure that they're on tour or are in need of promotion, I was inspired enough after watching their misadventures in SXSW 2006 (their album came with a bonus DVD) to write about it.
It seems to me that they only had a few booked/confirmed shows in Austin, because the time that they weren't booked, they drove to various bars and started playing music and rapping. What's really interesting is that in one of the videos, you can see the slow buildup of passerby people actually stopping and watching them perform.
They're incredibly mobile and, watching their behind-the-scene stuff, they're quite funny.
The music portion of the album doesn't quite capture their live energy, it makes it up with various comedy bits. Like on "Toine in the Studio" doing some intentionally horrible unrhyming freestyle or on "A New Discovery Shed" where Lethal accidentally dropped "sometime you gotta bend over and take it up the a** a little bit. Erm, no you don't. I'm sorry, That's not true. I never done that before, so don't think I'm like..."
My favorite song is "Cheesedick", mostly because I think of Aqua Teen Hunger Force whenever I hear it.
Bacon Shoe's Back from Stinktion is a great album to have right next to your MC Frontalot collection. The bonus DVD added a nice value to the album, so get the physical copy from CD Baby.
Links:
www.baconshoe.com
myspace.com/baconshoe
last.fm/music/Bacon+Shoe
First up is Ghostface Killah vs. Rhythm Roots All-Stars with "Charlie Brown". The original track, produced by MF Doom, was intended to be on Ghostface Killah's 2006 release Fishscale, but it contained a sample from Caetano Veloso's "Alfomega" and didn't receive clearance. Jump to now and here's the track featuring Ghostface's fast-paced rapping skills and the Rhythms Roots All-Stars' funky beats.
The second release contains "four unique dance remixes of 'Charlie Brown' by world renowned French electro producers Yuksek, Orgasmic and DJ Mehdi, as well as Los Angeles-based DJ and production duo Guns N Bombs."
And the third release features up-and-coming hip-hop artists Wale, Pase Rock and 4th Pyramid rapping over beats by the 45 King and remixes by New York-based producers DJ Ayres, Inflagranti, Eli Escobar, and Sammy Bananas. 45 King is most famous for "The 900 Number" which samples Marva Whitney's "Unwind Yourself" and probably most recognized in DJ Kool's
Starting May 6, Scion will be distributing "Charlie Brown" and the remixes at Scion-sponsored events and will also be available as a free download online. On May 13, the 45 King remixes will be available for purchase from all leading online retailers.
Links: Scion A/V
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04/30/08 CLEVELAND CD Release, OH
Discography
05/15/08 CD Release BERLIN !!! 05/17/08 Berlin Party, Berlin 05/22/08 SEATTLE CD RELEASE, WA 05/24/08 COLORADO CD Denver, CO 05/26/08 BOULDER CD RELEASE, CO 05/29/08 CD RELEASE Manhattan, NY 06/27/08 Jambaloosa Pittsburg, PA 06/29/08 SUMMER STAGE Manhattan, NY 08/21/08 DETROIT Detroit, Michigan 08/25/08 EURO TOUR London 08/27/08 MANCHESTER Manchester 08/28/08 London and South East 08/30/08 ISRAEL TOUR Jerusalem
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Y-Love's sophomore album, This is Babylon comes out on April 29th.
Y-Love's real is Yitzchak Jordon, and I hate to state the obvious, but he is a Jewish hip-hop artist.
My only experience in what I thought was Jewish rap is through Matisyahu who had a break through hit with his "Youth" song... but I have to admit Y-Love's styling tend to lean towards rap & hip-hop vs Matisyahu's more reggae influenced sound.
The songs on This is Babylon varies from modern political views (especially "6000" and "State Of The Nation") to dance numbers ("Keep The Party Divine", "Bring It On Down" and "Bump").
What I found kind of interesting is that in many of these songs, there is an underlying Hebrew influence, with some with a religious undertone. It's not blatant like "you must convert to Judaism", but it's definitely there in the songs.
Besides the grooving dance rap and Yiddish lyrics in the song "Bump", I had to give him credit for mentioning the year 5759... which is Israel's 51 years of independence.
Y-Love is already huge in the Jewish community, but he's breaking out in the US (see USA Today), and very soon he'll be taking it globally with upcoming tour through the Europe.
Pick up his latest album from his record label, Modular Moods, and keep an eye out for this guy.
04/17/2008 08:39:44
vu
my♥posts
ylovemusic.com
myspace.com/ylove
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04/08/08 In-Store @ Amoeba CA
Sounds Like
04/08/08 Starline Fresno, CA[1] 04/09/08 CD Release Party LA, CA[1] 04/10/08 Jerry’s Bakersfield, CA1] 04/11/08 Colonial Thtr Sacramento, CA[1] 04/12/08 Elbo Room San Francisco, CA 04/12/08 WOW Hall Eugene, Oregon[1] 04/13/08 Nectar’s Seattle, WA[1] 04/14/08 Callaloo Bellingham, WA[1] 04/15/08 Hawthorne Portland, OR[1] 04/17/08 Urban Lounge SLC, UT[1] 04/18/08 Black Sheep Springs, CO[1] 04/19/08 Marquis Denver, Colorado[1] 04/20/08 La Estancia Indio, California 04/21/08 Rialto Tucson, Arizona 04/21/08 Orpheum Flagstaff, AZ[1] 04/22/08 Vaudeville Tucson, AZ[1] 04/22/08 The Roxy Los Angeles, CA 04/23/08 Canes San Diego, CA 04/23/08 Chaser’s Phoenix, AZ[1] 04/24/08 Catalyst Santa Cruz, CA 04/25/08 Coachella! Indio, California 04/25/08 Humboldt Community Ctr,CA 04/27/08 Murs @ Coachella! Indio,CA 04/30/08 Club Underground Reno, NV[1] 05/03/08 Whiskey Dick’s Tahoe, CA[1]
[1] "Child Support Tour"
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The Living Legends are a hip-hop crew consisting of Sunspot Jonz, Luckyiam.PSC (aka Luckyiam), The Grouch (more on him later), MURS, Scarub, Eligh, Aesop Fables, and Bicasso. Each member are already established hip hop rhymesayers, but together, they prove to be something more.
Their new EP, The Gathering, is released today, April 8th, right in the middle of their hilariously-named "Child Support Tour" tour.
These guys are pretty famous, especially if you live in California, or liked the Wu-Tang Clan. What's kind of cool is that, like the Wu-Tang Clan, each artist brings their own influence and style to each song.
Take for instance, the lead song, "The Gathering" is pretty much a display of dialogue between all The Living Legends crew. I'm not too well-versed in each rapper's style, but I can hazard a guess that the funny line of "I work like a Mexican/run like an African" is by Eligh.
Regardless who is rapping as the mic is passed to the next, one message is clear in the song: The Living Legends is back to claim their crown as the king of hip-hop.
Also released today is one of the crew, The Grouch's full length album Show You the World.
I believe The Grouch is one of two white guys in The Living Legends, so you know this guy is drowned in underground hip-hop.... but this album is surprisingly accessible and easy to get into.
He raps about things he encounters in life, like meeting artsy fartsy elitist jerks in the hilarious "Artsy".
In "Yardwork", he talks about doing his yard work (in this case his computer with Protools and "the Photoshop") and breaking his back to support his baby girl - only to see his music being illegally downloaded. He ends each chorus with "but this rap costs money".
The album also features collaborations with, of course, members of The Living Legends (Bicasso, MURS, Scarub) as well as other underground singers (Raphael Saadiq, Abstract Rude, Mike Marshall)
If you're a fan of The Living Legends, check out both The Gathering and Show You the World as they are extensions of each other. Both are released today and available through Legendary Music.
04/08/2008 00:25:34
vu
my♥posts
myspace.com/livinglegends
therealgrouch.com
I'm sure you've all played Simon Says when you were a kid, right?
The game's simple enough, one person gives instructions and you must obey it (but only if he says "Simon says"). Failing to follow Simon's instructions, you are eliminated from the game.
So, Simon says enjoy these songs:
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Discography
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I have here The Outfit Movement Vol 1 by Philanastasia (official/myspace), a New York-based underground hip-hop artist that reminds me of House of Pain (in fact, the opening song on this promo album is a reimagined "Who's the Man"). His biography lists him as "a white boy that isn't trying to sound like Eminem", which I think is a good thing.
The Outfit looks like a group of rappers (Lazy K, Neph-E-Neph, The Last American B-Boy, Dyverse The First, King Just, Lounge-Lo, Rahsaan, and Dr. Ama), under Phil Anastasia's umbrella, doing original rap lyrics over existing recorded music.
What impressed me about this album is that it sounds remarkably clear as the whole thing is recorded live, hosted by one of the Outfitters, DJ Lazy K.
When I heard Gorillaz's "Feels Good Inc" as the backing track for PA, King Just & The Last American B-Boy's raps, I had to smile at how different this song suddenly turned out.
Anyway, the Outfit's mix of "Simon Says" is not that different from the original Pharoahe Monch's version and variants - includes all the rude boobies lyrics.
If you like underground hip-hop, you'll definitely want to check out Philanastasia. If you want a copy of The Outfit Movement Vol 1, it is actually free for a limited time if you purchase their main original album, The Outfit (both CDs can be yours for the low price of $7.99). I don't need to tell you that this is a very good price for a full length.
The Shangri-Las named themselves after a New York restaurant and was together for about six short years. You might have heard of "Leader of the Pack", which is their most well-known song.
If you think two of the girls look alike, that's because they are identical twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser, while the other original members were also sisters: Mary and Betty Weiss (Betty rarely made public appearance, however).
Their very first recording was actually "Simon Says" in December 1963. This was very early in their career and it definitely has that Motown and Northern soul dance vibe. I love it! I just want to dance whenever I hear this song.
They also have an alternate version called "Simon Speaks", which I don't think I liked as much as "Simon Says".
When they had recorded this song, they were all under the age of 18, with Betty being the oldest at 17.
At the height of their popularity, in 1964, they opened up for the Beatles, The Drifters and James Brown.
Unfortunately, the band went into early retirement after disputes with their record label. They were only 21 and 22 :)
Speaking of pop songs and cute girls, The Pipettes (thepipettes.co.uk) have a b-side called "Simon Says" off their Judy single.
This is pretty standard-Pipettes sound, and since I've already spent far too much time talking about the band early on their career - I would suggest you check out my various articles on them.
They've been pretty quiet lately, their album was released in the US last October with a new cover and I can only assume they are writing new songs in 2008. If I hear any announcements, I'll be sure to let you know.
Finally, 1910 Fruitgum Company (1910fruitgumcompany.com) are actually still around since the 60s.
Their first major hit was actually "Simon Says" in 1968. If you listen to the song, it's very bubblegum pop - which is kind of funny, seeing as the band's named after a candy wrapper that singer Frank Jackell found.
According to their official website, they are now performing with the original band members and recently released brand new albums with old and new hits.
04/02/2008 01:12:08
vu
my♥posts
www.weheartmusic.com
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