Hidden Gems #1

I love finding hidden gems of undiscovered dopeness.  If you're the type of person who only get's into music after it gets a buzz...  well I would talk shit, but honestly I understand the practicality of that approach.  Most people don't have time to scour the internet for new music.  So I'm going to share a few gems I discovered today.  Namely SwayKhan and Coupe Cujo.

Sway Khan "Art Of War" @wakeupswaykhan

Conscious, political and introspective are all words that have attained a cliche place in our lexicon.  This song has all of those elements, with an Oakland street aesthetic.  I think the beat would be something like James Bond would hear if he was tripping on mushrooms.  Jazzy and psychedelic.  This is his first solo track "under the name SwayKhan".  Not sure if he has anything else out, but he has the confidence of someone who's been rapping for awhile.  Fresh but focused.

https://twitter.com/WakeupSwayKhan

https://www.facebook.com/WakeUpSK

"Coupe Cujo" "The Smoking Section" @CoupeCujo

This one just sounds fresh.  Real dope talkbox.  I don't remember any talkbox this dope since... well, old school mobb music.  Probably a sample but who gives a fuck.  The video doesn't tell stories, but has an aliveness that fits the music perfectly.

Coupe Cujo "What Is Wrong Promo" @CoupeCujo

Coupe reminds me of Pepperboy because of the sincerity in his voice, albeit much wittier lyrics.  Coupe Cujo drops a lot of jewels on this track.  The beat sounds like it was sampled from something produced by Bill Laswell.  Obscure reference, but here's an example.

I haven't had a chance to

CLICK HERE to download 5 of Coupe Cujo's mixtapes from Datpiff

                                             https://twitter.com/CoupeCujo

https://www.facebook.com/young.coupe?fref=ts

Got any new, undiscovered, hidden gems?  Send them to me at mobbreportradio@gmail.com.  Don't send your bullshit swag radio singles... just different, undiscovered dope shit.  [In best HD voice]  Thank you!

Conscious rappers winning in 2012-2013

If you look at my rap collection it's mostly street shit.  That's what I relate to the most, and that's what I listen to the most... but I'm a fan of all types of non-commercial rap music, and I must note that several artists who are more in the "conscious" or "backpack" vein of things have dropped some dope shit within the last 6 months.  It's my baycentric duty to give them their proper shine.

First Light (Opio and Pep Love) "Hold On"

This track to me represents the best of that jazzy, laid back hip hop shit that's more often associated with the east coast.  If you listen for it you can hear the town business.  They also shot the video below the BART tracks, which places this song as authentically bay.  I could imagine NY artists doing the same thing with the subway.  Produced by Unjust from Chosen Few... who I knew as Justin Herman, the graphic designer for ABB Records when I did an internship with them back in the day.



Zion-I "Reload"

This song has a progressive, electronic, laid back sound.  I posted the version without the video, because the video kinda sucks IMHO.  It's too blown out with all the light, but if you want to watch Zumbi ride around on motor scooters you can look it up for yourself.  The sound itself is easy on the ears, and produced by
Dexbeats of Rockin Up Work fame.



2 of A Kind "Our Gift"
This is the most underground offering of this post.  I think these guys sent their music to my radio station or something.  Nice jazzy backpack hip hop, good lyrics and flow.  These guys are from San Ramone, and so far are my favorite artists I've heard from there.  As a matter of fact they are the ONLY artists I've heard from San Ramone, so as far as I'm concerned, these guys are putting San Ramone on the map.  Other favorite songs of mine are "Wake Up" and "Dream.

Check out their free mixtape here or follow them on Twitter @AyeJayMusic @MarcusAntMusic

The Coup "Guillotine"

I saved the best for last.

This song is amazing in that the beat is so goddamn funky it just makes you want to move your body, but the song is about a device used to chop peoples heads off.  Nice juxtoposition.  Well fucking played.  Apparently it's also a reference to The Wiz.

Now I'm a community college dropout, but to my knowledge the guillotine is a reference to the French Revolution, in which the people took over and started chopping the heads off of the ruling class.  So in this case, The Coup is threatening the powers that be of the potential repercussions of continued oppression.  But the beat is so god damn funky!  It has such a triumphant feel to it.  I think that if you took the condition of "being alive" and were able to translate it into music, you would get something like this.

Plus the girl playing Dorothy and singing in the video is hot as fucking fuck.  Everything about her from the way she looks to the way she moves.  Just my opinion.  I stalked her online, and discovered her identity... rapper ternt sanga Silk-E.


What do y'all think of these songs?
Does anyone else who listens to primarily street rap also like backpack hip hop?

My favorite Spice 1 song... and more

Spice 1 "187 He Wrote"

"Welcome To The Ghetto" and "187 Proof" are often cited as classic Spice 1 songs.  And they are.  I like the first one anyway.

My favorite song by far though is the less hailed "187 He Wrote", an epic ballad of despair, where the artist born Robert L. Greene, Jr. describes the feelings of hopelessness and deprivation that come with being a young man growing up in the hood.  The line "Waking up inside of my hoopty, holdin my glock, full of fright" assumes greater relevance when you take into account the 2007 incident where he was shot inside his car.

I'm curious what it is about someone that makes them prefer this kind of music?  It seems as though most people prefer party music of some sort.

I'm reminded of a Psychology Today article that I can't find because Psychology Today online is a piece of shit.  Anyway.  I had a great point that I couldn't really make without the article.  It is what it is.

Here's two more of my favorite Spice 1 songs:



Spice 1 "Strap On The Side"

It's kind of hard for there to be a better east bay gangster rap song than this.  I don't know if it is possible.  Also, notice the creative cinematography in this video.  Rather than shooting this in the middle of the ghetto they opted for shots with evergreen trees in the background, police chases through what looked like smalls towns in Texas (I should know, I drove through there recently... and Spice 1 was born in Texas.  Connection?), and the boring ass dry grass hills that California is (or should be) famous for.  Think that strip between Castro Valley and Dublin, minus the wind power generators.

It could be that I'm buzzing but I just took particular note of the line "Nick nack patty whack give a G a gat.  And put some bullets in that ass crack".  That's a line that could only be written in the unique transitional time in hip hop that was the mid-90's.  This was an era when you could mix nursery rhymes with extreme violence and make it work.




Spice 1 "Face Of A Desperate Man"

I don't know what to say about this song other than everything about it screams classic.  Notice how they try to jack a white boy, and then he pulls out a strap and starts bustin back at them, ostensibly the reason his homie gets shot.  The part of me that liked epic beard man's AC Transit fight also likes this.  Well shot video in all respects, too.




DJ Screw x ESG "Sailin Da South"

Bonus Trivia: The beat to this song was sampled on DJ Screws remix of "Sailin Da South" by ESG from his classic album 3 N The Mornin Part 2.  That's some non-bay area rap game I just laced y'all with.  Get that or Big Tyme Records Volume 1: All Screwed Up if you want to hear DJ Screw at his finest.

"Mo Scratch" in it's historical context

This song is fucking beautiful and grimy at the same time.  They took a sample of a classic E-40 interlude, which itself was a reincarnation from a classic Spice 1 song intro.  Then they put a synth line on it, and drums  that don't sound like a dirty south anthem.

As E-40 would say "Put it all in one and you got some good shit"...

Dubb 20 and D-Dre (Feat. Husalah)  "Mo Scratch"

                                                 
                                                           E-40 "Chip In Da Phone"
                                Unfortunately you can't find the interlude by itself on Youtube,
                                                 but skip to 1:49 to hear the actual sample.

                                         

                                        And finally, Original Version as intro to 187 Proof by Spice 1

Which leads one to the question... is it better to be coolin on the corner with a cellular phone, or marinating on the corner with a chip in da phone?  What is the 2013 equivalent?

What would be your weapon of choice, a Tech-9 or a Chop Suey (Chinese AK-47)?

Actually, neither of these are relevant questions, but shout out to Thomas from 100 Grand On My Wrist, Yeah Life Sucks for giving me the idea of writing sarcastic questions at the end of blog posts.

The woman I fell in love with

This is the woman I fell in love with.  I know this is the bay where we're supposed to be players, pimps and macks.  I fell off on some simp shit.  Broke up with her a couple years ago.  This song personified what I felt at the time.


Husalah - Pretty Young Thang

We agreed to still be friends, but it became apparent that that wasn't possible.  She always had a reason to not see me.  I think she was protecting herself.  We did admit to eachother over Facebook that we weren't completely over eachother.

At one point she sent me this video.  I don't normally go for Kid Rock's music, but the meaning behind the lyrics had me tearing up.


Kid Rock - All Summer Long

By the time I finally realized that this is the woman I wanted to spend my life with and made my grand profession of love, I believe it was too late.

Now this is the song that resonates with me most heavily.  I would like to extend a warning to those who read this blog.  If you meet a woman that makes you feel at home like no other...  wife that shit up.  Impregnate her.  Hold on to her and never let her go.  Don't let the following video become your story, or let your life become a Shakspearean tragedy.

PSD "Tragedy"

HD "Concurrent" and emotional truth

I'm mostly ruled by the emotion of the instrumental and in this case the voice of the artist.  Whether or not this song represents the exact struggle I'm going through, I can say that this song is an exact reflection of what I feel, dealing with the trials and tribulations of life.

That's why whether or not I like HD as a person, his music will always be powerful for me.  This is the type of music that helps me get through from day to day, and I consider it to be spiritual.

Does anyone else find solace in HD's music?  What songs?

Mobb Report Radio

I should use my first post to direct you all to my internet radio station:  www.mobbreportradio.com 
We play nothing but bay area rap music 24 hours a day, with a focus on turf shit and introspective shit.  We can leave the swag shit and the commercial shit to KMEL.  Any bay artists who believe in authenticity and being true to themselves are welcome to send their music to us at mobbreportradio@gmail.com

I will use this blog for my personal reflections on bay area rap, and to give shine to rare, undiscovered and amazing bay area rap music!