Best Rapper Alive

Given all the terrible tragedies in the news in 2010, I was surprised how touched I was on a human level by this little tidbit about Lil Wayne's time in Riker's Island. No music allowed? Where's the Eighth Amendment when you need it? The thought of poor Wayne having his iPod torn away from him by some Percy Wetmore wannabe tugged at my heartstrings as I counted down the days until Weezy's enigmatic middle initial "F" would finally stand for freedom. Wrongly incarcerated for merely exercising his Constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms, the Best Rapper Alive walking out of prison like a modern Mandela was cause for celebration for music fans and Second Amendment enthusiasts alike.

The title "Best Rapper Alive" shouldn't be handed out lightly, and it is with some trepidation that I rank Lil Wayne above Nas, a true icon and the man responsible for arguably the greatest rap album ever (Illmatic). For the record, my top five rappers of all time is as follows:

1. Big L 

2. Notorious B.I.G.

3. Lil Wayne

4. Nas

5. Jay-Z 

Nas gets bumped below Lil Wayne for, in my mind, releasing a slew of sub-par albums after Illmatic (see: Nastradamus, I Am..., Street's Disciple), notwithstanding a recent flurry of strong singles. 

In any case, the man of the hour is Lil Wayne. Not since Big L has a rapper kept you hanging on his every word and wondering where he'll go next, whether through the deftest of wordplay or outlandish statements like his repeated proclamations that he is in fact an alien. In a genre like hip-hop, where a lot of stuff can sound the same, Weezy scores major points for his unbelievable creativity and the sheer range of sounds that he's tried out. Not everything works - his rock album, Rebirth, was a disaster - but he gets points for effort, and even that flameout featured must-listen single "Drop the World." 

Now with Wayne a free man and Tha Carter IV tentatively scheduled for an April release, Weezy has unleashed a new single to show the world he's still the boss. I doubt I'm the first person to observe that "Six Foot Seven Foot," with its sample of "Day-Oh" and lack of a hook, bears a striking resemblance to "A Milli." But then again, "A Milli" was awesome, and "Six Foot Seven Foot" shows that Wayne didn't lose a step in prison, and maybe even regained some of the passion for rhyming that made 2008's Tha Carter III such fire.

Lil Wayne - Six Foot Seven Foot

The track from start to finish is quintessential Lil Wayne - braggadocio, turns of phrase, and puns that take a second or two to compute before you crack up laughing. The line "real g's move in silence like lasagna" alone puts the lie to anybody who would dare suggest that Wayne had fallen off. The track's only real weakness is the inclusion of Corey Gunz, son of one-hit '90s rapper Peter Gunz. Corey Gunz riding his father's dubious coattails to a record deal is a bit like Ben Quayle leveraging his father's Vice Presidential legacy to get into Congress.

Lil Wayne has more or less singlehandedly saved hip-hop from a pretty weak time, and laid the groundwork for other ultra-weird rhymers like Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler the Creator of the Odd Future family to get some of their stuff out there. Rap would be in a sorry place right now if it wasn't for Lil Wayne; instead, if "Six Foot Seven Foot" is anything to judge by, we could be in line for another classic when Tha Carter IV leaks in its entirety (why even bother talking about its actual release date?) and gives us another piece of Wayne's extraterrestrial mind.  

London Underground

While it may not be Beatlemania, an unbelievable amount of hype has surrounded British electronic composer James Blake over the last year or so. A lot of that is a credit to his impressive work ethic: Blake put out three EPs on vinyl in 2010 alone. He's finally ready to put out a full-length album - scheduled for release on February 7th - and the world wide internet tubes have been jammed with Blake's new material and a couple of awesome videos for lead single "Wilhelm Scream."

I've gone ahead and posted both studio and live videos for the track because I think they both bring something different to our understanding of the song. The studio version, with its minimalist beat and Blake looking right into the camera, reminds me of D'Angelo with a little less melanin and a lot more clothing. The hazy cinematography, which becomes fuzzier as the song progresses, mirrors the singer's own confusion as reflected in the lyrics and the increasingly complex musical effects he uses.



I love this live video from Blake's set at BBC Radio 1. The first thing that I find so appealing is that we don't usually experience music like this in a live setting. Blake is really an electronic artist, and while electronic artists obviously have live shows, it's unusual for a live electronic performance to hew as closely to the studio version as this one does. The video also gives a great look at the syncopated drumming, especially on the snare, which is what gives this track its uniquely unsettled rhythm.



This is good stuff. Now normally I don't purchase British goods, because I still believe Pakenham cheated us out of what was rightfully ours in 1846 (fifty-four forty or fight!). But I think I'll make an exception in this case - Blake's self-titled LP promises to be one of the most creative and listenable albums of early 2011. Jolly good indeed.

Get an Education

The arts are alive and well in America's public schools. How do I know? Witness this priceless video from PS22 in Staten Island, birthplace of my wife and three out of seven original cast members of the Jersey Shore. These cute little guys do quite a cover of Ariel Pink's "Round and Round," my #3 song of 2010. This is America, people, and the President says these kids are going to win us the future one day. If the PS22 chorus is any indication, the future looks mighty bright indeed.



While I'm on this positive educational note, check out this documentary from 2006 that I happened to catch on Cambridge Community Television (CCTV9) last night. It's a very thought-provoking and challenging look at misogyny, homophobia, masculinity, and race in hip-hop. Oh, the things you watch when you don't have cable. See rappers like Mos Def and Busta Rhymes squirm as filmmaker Byron Hurt tries to get them to discuss the unfortunate and oft-overlooked prevalence of these destructive themes in hip-hop culture. The film was an eye-opening and sobering reminder for me as a fan of some of the social consequences of music that I love to listen to, and it's definitely given me something to thing about until they air a documentary next week on consumerism and the environment or the dangers of genetically modified food. Fight the power!

From Russia With Love

From the untamed, murky depths of the internet, I bring you a wondrous and unique pearl. Meet Alexander Goryachev, nom de guerre "813", a Russian superagent armed to the teeth with grimy beats and scouring the planet in pursuit of the secrets of rhythm. First exposed by an Estonian operative, 813 came to my attention with "Asia," a beat so dirty it could be condemned. This track should be considered armed and dangerous, and has undoubtedly had listeners begging for mercy from Moscow to Tallinn.

813 - Asia by Eight One Three

Next is the much more upbeat (and ambiguously named) "purpur way." Reminiscent perhaps of Passion Pit at their best, "purpur way" sounds like what might happen if Mega Man quit battling Robot Lords and tried his hand at DJing. 813 revealed through his SoundCloud that the track in fact contains a sample from another timeless classic, Street Fighter.

813 - purpur way by Eight One Three

I'll be keeping 813 under close surveillance from now on. He is clearly in possession of highly explosive material and has demonstrated that his operation is transnational in nature. I'd advise all readers to remain on high alert - there's no telling where 813 will pop up next.

Keep Shelly in Athens

Check out this new track from Greek duo Keep Shelly in Athens, courtesy of Gorilla vs. Bear. The first single I heard from this group was last year's "Fokionos Negri Street," a straight instrumental jam that's heavy on the keyboard grooves. The new single "Hauntin' Me," due out next month, is very different but similarly entrancing. The vocals are striking enough to compete with the powerful, multilayered musical backing; the track has a minor identity crisis, but that tension fosters a sense of unpredictability in the song that really makes it worth a listen. Around the 2:30 mark I hear echoes of Ray Manzarek, and that psychedelic influence takes this track to the next level.

Keep Shelly in Athens - Hauntin' Me


And previously: Keep Shelly in Athens - Fokionos Negri Street (2010)


CONCERT NOTE!!! The Radio Dept., proud owners of the prestigious Pursuit of Catchiness #1 Song of 2010, are performing at the Middle East in Cambridge on February 4th. Oh yes.

The Doctor Is In

I was too busy with the Countdown to comment on the new Girl Talk album when it came out back in November. The consensus seems to be overwhelmingly positive, and I think All Day is his best work yet. The mash-up genre is a tricky one. When it goes well, it can throw a whole new light on some already beloved songs. It’s like hearing them for the first time all over again. But when it doesn’t come off right, it just sounds like I have one song playing in my bedroom and another in the kitchen while I’m standing in the hallway. 

There are a lot of inspired moments of mash-up synergy on All Day. The combination of Nicki Minaj and the music from “Don’t Fear The Reaper” on “Steady Shock” is almost awesome enough to make Nicki Minaj tolerable. Notorious B.I.G. and Cream mashed up on “On and On” is pretty priceless too, and Big Boi’s verse from “Shutterbug," featured on "Jump On Stage," would sound good over just about anything.

My favorite moment on the album comes courtesy of Lukasz Gottwald, better known as Dr. Luke. Whether you realize it or not, you are very familiar with Dr. Luke’s body of work. He is the evil genius responsible for some of the biggest stuck-in-your-head-and-can’t-get-them-out hits of the last five years. Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite,” Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone,” and Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” are all his handiwork, among many other huge hits.

In a less civilized time, a seducer like Dr. Luke might have been burned at the stake as a warlock. But there’s more to the good doctor than the ability to surgically implant pop hooks into the deepest reaches of your amygdalae. Before selling his soul to the devil in exchange for the power to make teenage girls dance, Dr. Luke was involved in the production some of the best underground hip-hop of the last 15 years. He was connected with Rawkus Records during that label’s golden age, and had a hand in some pretty groundbreaking work by Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and KRS-One. 

Black Star - Respiration (Dr Luke Remix - 1999)

KRS One, Zack De La Rocha, and the Last Emperor - C. Ia. (2000)


Dr. Luke’s hip-hop sensibility is in full effect on "That's Right." On the track, Girl Talk takes the two elements of Luke’s professional persona - the pop and the rap - and unites them in a moment of sublime syzygy. At the 4:00 mark, the unmistakably infectious opening to “Party in the U.S.A.” rings out – accompanied by the full-speed-ahead stylings of Brooklyn rappers M.O.P. The high energy and all-around sweetness of the mash-up makes you wish Dr. Luke would go back into private practice with a more discriminating set of clients, and let Britney and Kelly Clarkson seek treatment elsewhere. 

Girl Talk - That's Right

It says a lot about the trajectory of pop music over the last decade or so that the undisputed god of pop music is, fundamentally, a hip-hop producer. And while Kelly Clarkson isn't really my cup of tea, I certainly think there is a healthy space in the world of music for a song like Taio Cruz's "Dynamite," scientifically proven to get the party jumping. Like it or not, Dr. Luke’s two spoonfuls of sugar help his medicine go down smooth every time.

Yea Yeah

For a solid six-month period when I lived in Jerusalem, I made sure to have "Daylight" by Matt & Kim playing on my iPod whenever I stepped out into the sun on the way to work. Even that relatively simple joyfest of a track was somewhat more complex than my original Matt & Kim favorite, "Yea Yeah" from their 2006 self-titled debut. Nothing but synth, drums, and yelling, "Yea Yeah" and songs of its ilk were straight party jams. When their unpolished sound rocked the walls of the Terrace F. Club back in March 2007, I knew it wouldn't be long before they hit it big.

Fast-forward to 2009's Grand, and my beloved "Daylight" was showing up in commercials before reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond. The indie rock halls of Brooklyn, it seemed, weren't so far from Madison Avenue after all. But I don't blame Matt & Kim (or Grizzly Bear, or Arcade Fire) for "selling out" - we consumers don't leave them much choice when the average single is illegally downloaded 8 times for every legitimate sale.

Besides, even a super-slick Bacardi commercial couldn't take the edge off of Matt & Kim. "Red Paint," the second single from their November 2010 album Sidewalks, shows that the band haven't let success get to their head. Their music is still all about celebrating the good life, and Matt's childlike inflection evokes the simple pleasures of youth in every earnestly belted note. They throw caution to the wind, and like a boomerang it comes back loaded up with bouncy synth lines and choruses that you don't sing along with - you yell.

Matt and Kim - Red Paint


Matt and Kim are living the dream - a boyfriend-girlfriend couple who achieved legitimate musical success basically by building up a following on MySpace and sticking with their independent label. As the good times keep rolling, they've blessed us with another jam for the soundtrack to the lives we wish we had. Turn it up and yell along.