Andre 3000 and Big Boi, better known as Outkast, reunited this past Friday, April 12, at the Coachella music festival. It was the first time they’ve performed live together in a decade.
Needless to say, it was a pretty big deal. There was a lot of hype riding into this performance.
Outkast’s full set.
In my eyes, their show was everything an Outkast/hip-hop head could have wanted. They played a great mix of tracks – from their opener B.O.B., to Rosa Parks, to some solo material like Big Boi’s Shutterbugg. They made sure to pay proper homage to their entire catalog of material rather than relying solely on their big singles. At this point, I’ve watched the entire set, and personally, I really enjoyed it and I think they did a great job.
The crowd, on the other hand…
I couldn’t help but be disappointed in their lack of energy.
The people in the crowd of 70,000+ were, essentially, witnessing hip-hop history. Outkast is arguably one of the greatest duos the genre has seen. Sure, the show had some issues (Sound problems, a really odd guest in the form of Future, their setlist being cut a little short), but there was no reason to not give Andre and Big Boi their due respect.
I’m hoping that this first show was just a fluke, crowd-wise. Outkast is set to perform at a slew of other festivals throughout the summer (including one or two I may be attending), so here’s to hoping their tour hits their stride and the rest of their shows can go off with a bang.
If you’re going to be seeing them at any point this summer, do me a favor: get familar with their catalog. Learn Outkast, live Outkast, love Outkast. Then, when you see them, make sure you go absolutely nuts. Tell everyone around you to do the same, too. These guys deserve it.
Welcome back, Outkast. You were missed – even if the crowd at Coachella didn’t make it seem like you were.
I have a tough time pulling the trigger when it comes to certain things.
No, not an actual gun.
I’m talking about when it comes to ideas, commitments, purchases, so on and so forth. I can be pretty indecisive. Unfortunately, this issue has kept me from pursuing something that I’ve wanted to learn about for some time now – and as you may or may not have been able to guess based on the title of this post, that certain something is learning to produce beats and instrumentals.
Learning to produce is somewhat of a risk for me – and anyone, really – because of the cost. I have a tough time justifying buying everyday items like clothes (I’ve been wearing the same socks for the past 3 weeks), so how can I possibly manage spending a huge chunk of money on something I’ve never even done?
Now, just to clarify: when I say produce, I don’t mean GarageBand-ing it up with my laptop’s keyboard (no disrespect to GarageBand). I mean using an actual keyboard. And actual programs. And all the other equipment that comes with it.
Even if I did get my hands on all of those things, there would still be a ton for me to learn. It’s intimidating diving headfirst into something new.
In an ideal world, I would have a teacher to show me the ropes when it comes to producing; I sometimes have difficulty starting things without any personal guidance, and this is a prime example of one of those times. I’m not very trustworthy. I can’t even trust myself to buy new socks. How can I possibly trust myself to learn how to produce on my own?
But, you know, life’s really too short to not try something you’re interested in. Writing this post has helped to remind me of that.
Even though Pharoahe Monch’s newest LP PSTD is due out in less than a week, we’ve been treated to a new track that has leaked in advance of the April 15th release date.
“Rapid Eye Movement” features Black Thought, the MC and frontman (Alongside ?uestlove) of The Roots.
It’s a great song, and it has definitely got me excited for PTSD. Listen below.
Some time ago (6 weeks or something like that), I wrote a review for Schoolboy Q’s recent major label debut, Oxymoron. I gave it a 7/10.
The album isn’t the greatest thing in the world, but hey, I enjoy it.
That being said, that post was somewhat of a big step for me because it was the first review I’d ever written. I had never put my thoughts into text like that before. Instead of just speaking about an album to anyone who’ll listen (my girlfriend, my friends, random people on the street), I took the plunge and put my opinion and views out there for everyone to see.
And you know that? I’m really glad I did.
This guy’s glad I did too, apparently.
As you can probably guess, Half-Day Hip-Hop doesn’t exactly have the largest viewer base in the world. Second largest, maybe. But not number one.
Even though my numbers are really small compared to bigger, better, and more well-known review blogs, seeing that review marked as my most popular post is somewhat empowering. It shows me that maybe, somehow, I’m doing something kind of right.
I enjoyed writing that review, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Even though it’s been several weeks, I just want to thank each of you for reading. Taking time to reflect on the small course my blog has taken thus far has shown me just how much I appreciate those of you that spend some time here.
Anyway, hopefully I can put another review out for you guys soon. Getting that first one out has warmed me up a bit – even if it was 6 weeks ago (or something like that).
I love The Roots, so naturally, I’ve been pretty anxious to get my hands on some new material from their upcoming LP, & Then You Shoot Your Cousin.
So with that in mind, I’m really stoked to share this with you guys.
Today, radio station Hot 97 debuted a new song called “When the People Cheer.” Hopefully this track is a sign of things to come with their forthcoming album.
Thanks to this post from Throwing Frisbees, I’ll now spend the rest of my night re-visiting one of my favorite albums.
I really like the quick explanation of the album’s brilliance; Madlib’s “hypnotic charm” and Doom’s “gritty tone” really combine to create something incredible with this record.
I also learned that Stones Throw is re-releasing Madvillainy on vinyl for $14.99 with said post. That’s also great to know, considering that I’ve needed to pick up another copy of it at some point.
Much appreciated, Throwing Frisbees. Everybody be sure to say your thank you’s on your way out.
We’re about a week into April now, so I figure it’s a good idea to touch base on some of the projects that’ll be seeing (or have seen) the light of day this month.
First and foremost, on April 1st, Mobb Deep released The Infamous Mobb Deep –A Double LP that contains a new album on one disc, as well as an album’s worth of unreleased tracks from their debut The Infamous on the other.
April 8th sees a couple of noteworthy debuts. SZA, one of Top Dawg’s newest signees, releases her label-first EP Z alongside Chuck Inglish and his debut album Convertibles.
For the 20th anniversary of his classic Illmatic, Nas will be releasing Illmatic XX on April 15th. Illmatic XX will include a remastered version of Nas’ debut, as well as a bonus disc of demos, remixes, and unreleased material.
Lastly, another item on my radar is Big Pooh and Roc C’s Trouble in the Neighborhood. Big Pooh comes from the acclaimed group Little Brother, so keeping an eye on this one is a no brainer. Trouble in the Neighborhood drops April 29th.
East coast. West coast. A rivalry as old as time itself.
Alright, not exactly. Regardless, the clash of the two seaboards has played a pretty significant role in the evolution of our beloved genre.
Let me explain: In the beginning, there was light. Then, there was hip-hop. Or something like that.
Hip-hop originally came to prominence in the streets of New York; in the late 70s, pioneering DJs Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa helped spread the infant sounds of the genre throughout city streets. Big name golden-age artists like Run-DMC, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim would soon come to call the city their home.
East coast, beast coast.
Eventually, the West coast caught wind of how popular the music was becoming. It wasn’t until 1986 when the first West coast-defining track came to light, changing the name of the hip-hop game forever.
Ice-T’s “6 in the Mornin'” is considered by many to be the world’s first gangsta rap song. West coast artists quickly followed Ice-T’s footsteps, and the distinctive gangsta style of the West coast was born. Soon, legendary artists and groups likeN.W.A., Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Nate Dogg would piece together their legacies.
West coast, best coast.
From this point in time, the popularity of gangsta rap spread like wildfire. G-Funk, a subgenre of the West coast, also became quite popular with releases such as The Chronic. For a number of years in the very late 80s and early 90s, West coast reigned supreme.
Checkmate.
Despite monumental albums like The Low End Theory, 3 Feet High and Rising, Step in the Arena, and Mecca and the Soul Brother, the East coast had a difficult time regaining its hold on the hip-hop world like it once did. Record companies had made up their minds and began to favorite West coast artists over those in the East, aiding in the West’s musical domination.
In 1991, Bronx based MC Tim Dog (‘lotta dogs in this post) decided to take a stab at the West by releasing the prominent diss track Fuck Compton. The track made mentions to the entirety of the Los Angeles rap scene – which was, essentially, the hub of the West. Despite numerous response tracks from artists like Dr. Dre and Compton’s Most Wanted, none seemed to reach the level of popularity that Fuck Compton had achieved.
Perhaps the most famous of all east and west related rivalries came to fruition in 1993 with the inception of Bad Boy Records. The following year, The Notorious B.I.G’s debut Ready to Die cemented his place as a tour-de-force in the East. West coast rapper Tupac Shakur quickly came to blows with B.I.G. (also known as Biggie), and thus began a feud that would last until both of their untimely deaths in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
Aside from Ready to Die, 1993-94 proved to be a big year for the East. Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage, Nas’ Illmatic, Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and Mobb Deep’s The Infamous all helped bring the East back to its former level of prominence.
Only, this time, the West stuck around, too; Despite the still-obvious tensions between the two coasts, the popularity of each was so great that co-existence was the only viable option.
It wasn’t really a “peace and love” sort of deal with the two, but they were both in it for the haul. Hip-hop was alive on both ends of the spectrum.
Since the peak of the rivalry in the 80s and 90s, the world hasn’t seen anything truly similar between the East and the West since. There has always been, and will continue to be dominating entities on each end (see: Black Hippy) – but nothing that will squander what the other side may have on the horizon (see: Pro Era).
In other words – it’s a prime time to be a fan. We have a lot of good music to listen to and to look back on, as well as a lot of stuff now that is sure to turn some heads.
2014 has been a solid year for hip-hop heads thus far. There has been a fair share of well-received releases up to this point, and believe it or not, things are looking really well for the rest of ’14. For example, here’s a link to my prior post about why 2014 is the year of Top Dawg Entertainment (Which I’m sure you’ve already read, because you’ve been feverishly hitting “refresh” non-stop since this blog started.).
(Yes, I’m talking to you. Just play along with me, here.).
In any case, I felt that it might be a good idea to highlight, chronologically, five of my favorite projects so far. Sound good? Let’s get started. Gather round, kids.
The first few weeks of 2014 brought little to the table in terms of worthwhile listening material (I apologize if you were a big My Own Lane fan. Personal opinion.). However, this dry spell changed with the coming of Lord Steppington on January 21st – the debut album from Step Brothers.Lord Steppington features a great mix of well-done sampling, satisfying lyricism, and some banging production. For me, one of the highlights is the track Step Masters. I mean, just listen to it. That beat is filthy. I need a shower after listening to this thing.
Exactly a week later, on January 28th, Isaiah Rashad made a worthwhile debut with his album-length “EP” Cilvia Demo. Similarly to Lord Steppington,Cilvia Demo features solid production throughout, fronted by a very potent Isaiah Rashad as MC. There’s a lot to like here, with a good mix of introspective and vocally-flexing tracks. Soliloquy is one of my favorites off this release. If you’re interested, feel free to check out this review from Potholes in my Blog.
Moving along, Dead by Young Fathers came out of the woodwork and caught my attention. Released exactly a week after Cilvia Demo on Feb. 4th (anyone else noticing a patten, here?), Dead takes a step towards the alternative side of the genre. Young Fathers have a sound that, in my eyes, is comparable to what I would consider to be tribal music. It’s really interesting, and I like it a lot. Dead didn’t resonate with me as much as, say, Tape One did, but it’s still a great body of work regardless. The track Low is definitely worth some time. Also, for you review nuts, Dead has spent its time in existence sitting at a very respectable 83/100 on Metacritic.
All of a sudden, Black Milk comes around and puts out Glitches in the Break on March 4th, ruining the weekly tradition that Lord Steppington, Cilvia Demo, and Dead worked so hard to keep alive. Nice going.
I was really looking forward to this EP, as 2013’s No Poison No Paradise really helped to put Black Milk on my “must-listen” radar. It didn’t disappoint; the Detroit-based producer/MC does a great job of combining his trademark production with some very respectable lyricism to put together a well-rounded project. 1 For Dam is a standout song for me on Glitches. It’s just so damn funky.
Winding down, March 18th’s Piñata from Freddie Gibbs and Madlib concludes this tale of five projects. Released a little over a week ago, Piñata hits all the right notes – Freddie Gibbs does a better job lyrically on this release than he has done anywhere else (again, my opinion), and Madlib just goes on showing why he’s one of the most well-respected producers in the business. For you Needle Drop fans, blog/vlogger/reviewer/busy music nerd Anthony Fantano recently went out on a limb and gave this record a 9/10 – which is pretty damn good for his standards. I’m going to go as far as to say that Piñata will be a contender for hip-hop album of the year when all is said and done. Mark my words.
No, seriously. Mark them. Screenshot this post or something.
Uno is one of my favorites off this LP.
Well, there you have it, kids. My top 5 from the year in chronological order. Take from it what you will.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments or via Twitter or via carrier pigeon.
Enjoy the rest of your day. Just in case you guys don’t hear from me beforehand – I hope you all have a great weekend.
Half-Day Hip-Hop 