N.W.A-Express Yourself 

If you’re not living under a rock during the 90s or you’re a kid of this generation, then you know how huge N.W.A was for Hip Hop. Aside from the gangster appeal, controversies, and the disbandment of the group; Straight Outta Compton is a Hip Hop staple and constantly recognized for its success in commercial music as well. When not talking about G’d up shit and smacking bitches, N.W.A did spread a socio-political message through lessons of the Black Panther Party and race relations in the U.S. You can beg the question if they were true gangsters or not, their impact lives on and defines the West Coast gangsta rap scene.

“Express Yourself” was the last single from the debut album and shows a different side of their music. The song took on the group’s opponents (such as Dan Quayle and the FBI) and censorship of gangsta rap in the 1990s. Not to make a Hip Hop pun, but during the peak of their careers, N.W.A were Public Enemy #1 in the eyes of conservative America. While the song didn’t necessarily help their case, it did top charts and became an instant anthem.

Lyrics.

Video.

-Michi (Written for YDC)

Kruder & Dorfmeister – 1^st of Tha Month (K&D Sessions) (Originally Performed by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)

Kruder & Dorfmeister is an Australian duo known for their amazing remixes of songs ranging from Hip Hop to Dub, and remixing them with a Downtemp/Trip-Hop sound. This is from the album, The K&D Sessions,  a double disc release containing remixes of everything from Count Basic, Depeche Mode, and of course, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The Jazz and Downtempo styles work perfectly with the Hip Hop classic. Now I can celebrate getting paid in a classier way.

-michi

Happy (Belated) Birthday Your Daily Crack!

Telefon Tel Aviv-When It Happens It Moves All By Itself

Telefon Tel Aviv is a duo from New Orleans, comprised of Josh Eustis and Charlie Cooper. Sadly, Charlie Cooper passed away in January 2009, as the two were working on a new album. The death of Charlie hit hard with fans, especially those in his hometown and the indie scene here. I can say that I was saddened because the two make incredible music.

This track is from their sophomore LP, Map of What is Effortless, a collective of classical influences, soul, and ambient. When taking in with Charlie’s unfortunate passing, this track shows the simplicity and beauty of their music. It’s a chilling track, even incorporating hints of glitch in the production.
If you’ve never heard of Telefon Tel Aviv, I’d strongly recommend them, especially to fans of ambient and noise. Even though 1/2 of this musical talent is gone, his brilliance lives on in their music.

-Michi (YDC)

Passion Pit-The Reeling

Every now and then, I divulge into the electronic/indie scene. So my latest musical crush is Passion Pit. Passion Pit is an electronic band that formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States in 2007. They consist of Michael Angelakos (vocals, keyboards), Ian Hultquist (keyboards, guitar), Ayad Al Adhamy (synth, samples), Jeff Apruzzese (bass, keyboard) and Nate Donmoyer (drums). This year, they released their album, Manners. It has already made its way to my Top 10 Non Hip Hop releases of 2009.

The single, “The Reeling”, is 4 minutes, 48 seconds of pure vibes and infectious vocals. It was made for dance clubs, but the versatility of this track could be played anywhere. I’ve had it in heavy rotation for the past month now and there is never a bad time to listen to it. Amazing lyrics. Incredible composition. Stunning instrumentation. Everything about this song is right. Check out the video here.

Lyrics:
We dug these holes we crawled into now they’re my home
Now here I cannot feel the wind, can’t feel the rain oh no
And I believe in gentle harmony
Well how I loathe all this obscenity
Is this the way my life has got to be?
Have I a single opportunity?

Look at me oh look at me is this the way I’ll always be
Oh no, oh no
Now I pray that somebody will quickly come and kidnap me
Oh no, oh no
Everyday I lie awake and pray to god today’s the day
Oh no, oh no
Here I am oh here I am oh when will someone understand?
Oh no, oh no

And all at once I feel this, oh how it clings to me
It reels and calls me towards it, confounding destiny
And I can feel the madness inch by inch
The more I run the more I am convinced
A color all these like the branches glimpse
Just like the saddle in the foggy mist

Look at me oh look at me is this the way I’ll always be
Oh no, oh no
Now I pray that somebody will quickly come and kidnap me
Oh no, oh no
And everyday I lie awake and pray to god today’s the day
Oh no, oh no
Here I am oh here I am oh when will someone understand?
Oh no, oh no

Look at me oh look at me is this the way I’ll always be
Oh no, oh no
Now I pray that somebody will quickly come and kidnap me
Oh no, oh no
And everyday I lie awake and pray to god today’s the day
Oh no, oh no
Here I am oh here I am oh when will someone understand?
Oh no, oh no

-Michi

TV On The Radio-Modern Romance (Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cover)

So I decided to pop by with a quick post on one of my favorite covers. The beauty of this certain cover is that it’s one of my favorite bands covering my other favorite band. What more could you ask for? Here you have TVOTR effortlessly emulating a classic track from Karen O and her boys. Not much more to say, but if you’re a fan of either band, or both, you should give this a few plays.

-Michi

Kelis-Young, Fresh N’ New

It seems Kelis can’t catch a break. She’s gone through a rough divorce while just having Nas’ child, Nas fans hate her guts for taking him to the cleaners and she was never the star that she should have been. Say what you want about Kelis, but this woman has serious talent. Unlike the other carbon copies in the female R&B/Pop scene, Kelis actually had wit, attitude and personality. Even with incredible singles however, she could not get over the sales hump and she was ultimately dropped from Star Trak Records.

But before she was, she was blessed with some of the best production from Pharrell and Chad. Kelis released “Young, Fresh N’ New” on her release, Wanderland. While the single itself was extremely popular overseas, it didn’t generate enough attention in the states. This led to Wanderland not even being released in the US. This single was a shift from the angry/emo multi-colored fro Kelis to a more refined, beat rocking and improved Kelis. The song itself is bigger than the actual artist but that doesn’t count out her powerful vocals and incredible prescence. This should have been the single to transform Kelis’ untapped star power into being one of the top female vocalists out today. But like I said, she just can’t catch a break.

-Michi (Written for Your Daily Crack)

Lyrics:
Young and different, uh
She looked at a condom, uh
And could still see the sun, uh
Do you remember 21, uh?
Can I stay to wait huh?
Grow up today huh
Can you really blame her?
Shit you couldn’t even stay home

When the world feels like it’s coming and
And you don’t know what you know
And you think about what’s holding you
It’s relatives and close
Just leave it all behind, you gotta get away
You gotta get away
Everybody

See the look in my eye, uh
I’ve gotta get it out, uh
I don’t care if they stare, uh
I know life’s not fair, uh
I’m gonna play while I’m here, huh
I gotta get out, huh
Just watch me run away now
Uh, you know sometimes you just gotta

HEY!
Run away from home
Run away from (young, fresh and new) home
Run away from home
Run away from…

(Got to get away…)
I’ve got to get away
Hey…
(I’ve got to get away…)
I’ve got to get away, yeah

HEY!
Run away from home
Run away from (young, fresh and new) home
Run away from home
Run away from…

When the world feels like it’s coming and
And you don’t know what you know
And you think about what’s holding you
It’s relatives and close
Just leave it all behind, you gotta get away
You gotta get away
Everybody

(Got to get away…)
Gotta get away
Hey, hey…
(I’ve got to get away…)
I’ve got to get away, yeah
Hey…
But I’ve gotta be young, fresh, and new

HEY!
Run away from home
Run away from (Young, fresh and new) home
Run away from home
Run away from…

HEY!
Run away from home
Run away from home
Run away from home
Run away from…

HEY!
Run away from home
Run away from home
Run away from home
Run away from…

When the world feels like it’s coming and
And you don’t know what you know
And you think about what’s holding you
It’s relatives and close
Just leave it all behind, you gotta get away
You gotta get away
Everybody

Blu & Exile-So(ul) Amazing

While the rest of his peers drop mixtapes, Blu has dropped three albums since
‘07, one of those being deemed a classic. The Cali native is still young and has a lot of learning and growing to do but he is on a fast track to wide recognition. Blu has already proven he is a very consistent emcee and at the top of his class. Backed by his super producer, Exile, Blu is the new face of underground hip hop and the return of true lyricism.

The video itself is simplistic, slightly coercing viewers to pay attention to the lyrics rather than the images.With wide camera shots and angles, the director shows us the beauty…and ugliness of Cali scenery. It’s reminiscent of a backpack hip hop video from the 90s but that’s Blu’s style. No flash, no glamour. Just raw images and an emcee.

*Posted for Your Daily Crack

James Pants-We’re Through

So I noticed I haven’t posted on Daily Crack in a while…I believe a month actually. So the best way to jump back into it is to review a music video and get with the times. You may remember my post on Stones Throw’s goofy but lovable producer James Pants a while back. His 2008 debut album, Welcome, has been on constant rotation.

First look at this video makes you think it might be a deleted scene from Tim & Eric’s Awesome show but please believe it is a legit music video. Combined with the dopeness of this track, it provides everything needed for a “trendy” video:

-80’s theme

-Smoke machine

-Bad suits
-Bad dancing and
-American Apparel rejects

Not to mention the fact I can’t tell if it’s serious or a parody gone wrong. Either way, I love it. It’s so bad that it’s damn good.

L.T.D.-Love Ballad

Let me just start off by saying, I loved growing up in a Soul music household. I remember those Saturday mornings doing my chores with the local R&B/Soul station on from morning to evening and not ever getting the slightest urge to change the station. Soul music is a huge part of my culture and is a main reason for my love of Hip Hop as well. One of my favorite soul groups will always be L.T.D. They are a 1970s R&B/Soul band formed by Jimmie Davis and Abraham Miller. Later on they recruited more members, the most known probably being Jefferey Osbourne, who was the vocalist and also a drummer.

“Love Ballad” is one of their more commercial hits (since it broke into the Billboard Pop charts) but it’s because of how influential this track is in hip hop sampling is the reason why I posted it. Many artists have paid homage to the band and “Love Ballad” but what made me appreciate the value and greatness of this song was how late producer, J Dilla, flipped the sample for De La Soul’s “Much More.” It’s actually awe inspiring to just imagine how much Dilla him self must have loved this song to utilitize it flawlessly. I guess what I’m trying to say is that what makes this song so special is that not only did it entertain but it inspired future artists and continues to prove that it is a timeless song.

Lyrics
I Have never been so much
In love Before
What a difference
A true love made in my life
So nice
So right
Loving you gave me something new
That I’ve never felt
Never dreamed of
Something’s changed
No it’s not the feeling I had before
Oh it’s much much more
Love
I never knew that a touch
Could mean
So much
What a difference
And when we walk hand in hand
I feel
So real
Lovers come
And then lovers go
That’s what folks say
Don’t they know
They’re not there when you love me, hold me and say you care
And what we have is much more than they can see

-michi