Serge Gainsbourg: "La Horse"

"La Horse", by the extraordinary French producer/composer Serge Gainsbourg is a mind-boggling, proto hip hop force of nature. Written for the 1970 French film of the same name, "La Horse" is quirky up-and-down. From the odd instrumentation (harpsichord, banjo, strings, drum kit, electric bass) to the funky drum break (at 1:27) that proceeds a banjo break (truly a wtf moment when I first heard the track), La Horse shows off the perverse brilliance that makes Gainsbourg's music sound fresh 40 years later.

Video: Sam Scarfo: "Two Much for TV" (feat. Prodigy from Mobb Deep)

And the award for the funniest intro in a hip-hop video for the month of July goes to...

"Two Much for TV", by Sam Scarfo and featuring Prodigy from the Infamous is an alright track, but the video is hilarity (in a good way). From dude in the beginning trying to slang his sign-language CD, to the interspliced footage of what would be the most low-budget made-for-tv gangsta movie ever made, "Too Much for TV" is pure comedy. Enjoy:

MSTRKRFT: Heartbreak (feat. John Legend)

This track, "Heartbreaker" off of MSTRKRFT's newest album, Fist of God features the best John Legend vocal to date. His icy delivery and somewhat detached performance really complements MSTRKRFT's slick electro production. Peep game:

Activision DJ Hero: Might Have to Join the Masses on This One

Maybe it's just the music snob/college-trained musician in me, but I've never been able to get behind the Guitar Hero/Rock Band series of enormously popular video games. The idea of simulating hair metal shredding and classic rock riffing on plastic buttons just doesn't get me going. And its not like I'm not into gaming either. I'll be one of the millions of almost 30-something grown-ass men snatching up Madden 2010, and subsequently, playing a whole season in two days after it drops in less than a month.

All music snobberation aside, I think I'm gonna have to cop Activision's highly anticipated DJ Hero when it's released this fall. The 1's and 2's simulating cousin of Guitar Hero will feature a turntable controller whose game integration encourages learning DJ techniques. Of course scratching, blending, sampling, and cross-fading on a hard plastic controller, versus rocking a set on a pair of 1200s is a whole different ballgame from a feel standpoint. But these techniques are equally related to the abstract idea of time as they are to the physical medium that they're executed on. If Activision's controllers are intuitively crafted, a good DJ Hero player whose never touched real decks would be encouraged to try their hand at the real thing. I'll have to get my hands on DJ Hero to be sure though.

Other features to get geeked for are: 100 individual songs, highlighted in over 80 new genre-blending mixes and the ability to man the decks as the likeness of turntable legends DJ Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip, and DJ AM.

Read more about DJ Hero at djhero.com.

Dr. Dre Promotes Detox, Doing Things Slowly in Dr. Pepper Ad

"Slower is better", or so says Dr. Dre in a new Dr. Pepper spot which sort of, kinda reinforces the idea that Detox will be coming out in our lifetimes. This commercial has a tight new school, old school clash thing happening. Check it out:

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Keak da Sneak and San Quinn/Welcome to Scokland: Hustler Music

Welcome to Scokland, Keak da Sneak’s fourth release of 2008, finds the forever-grinding Oakland MC in collaboration mode with San Francisco-based rapper San Quinn. Over 19 skit-free, subwoofer-certified tracks, the Bay Area veterans rep the hyphy movement to the fullest.

While the vocal element isn’t anything outstanding—Keak sounds like McGruff the Crime Dog’s coked-out nephew and San Quinn possesses a versatile flow but has no business “singing” the hook on “Da Hood in Me”—Scokland works because the MCs don’t try to square off with the album’s ferocious beats. Instead they leave room for the 808s to resonate.

Rapid-fire hi-hats and machine-gun snares abound on “C.A.S.H.”, an ode to hustlin’ the Bay way. “Wanna See,” with its menacing synth strings and dark-side-of-dancehall vocal hook is the album’s most sinister and evocative track. Another standout, the bouncy “Blue Dolphin,” has summer jam written all over it, thanks to its Caribbean-influenced percussion, handclaps, and collar-poppin’ verses.

Lyrically, the spirit of Scokland can be found on a San Quinn verse from “Hollarin”:

“Ain’t pickin’ no cotton, pickin’ no roses

Pimp picture poses, the Bay need exposing

Hyphy is the movement, more than a slogan

Bitches ain’t shit, get head wear a Trojan”



Hyphy is to the Bay as crunk is to the South, both meaning to get wild, and more or less, act a damn fool.

Fittingly, the music associated with both verbs has many similarities despite the vast differences in the regions of origin. The thunderous kicks, grimy synth parts, and thick-as-molasses bass lines found on Scokland could easily have come from a Dirty South release by Slim Thug, Bun B or Paul Wall. That being said, like crunk music, hyphy isn’t as much about a particular message as it is about the sound. Welcome to Scokland, whose title comes from the idea of a unified San Francisco and Oakland, is perfect speakerbox candy, best suited for riding tough in the whip or accompanying Mercedes as she makes her way to the stage.

New Jay-Z/Kanye/Rhianna Track: "Run This Town"

"Run This Town", off Jay-Z's upcoming album Blueprint 3 leaked this morning to seemingly wide spread praise. The track is leaner and more purposeful than BP3's first leaked track, the forgettable "D.O.A.(Death of Auto-Tune)".

I don't necessarily agree with the prevailing blog talk that Kanye stole the show here. As 'Ye recently proved on Clipse "Kinda Like a Big Deal", his flow is peppered with more punchlines than most MC's, so his verses seem to stick in your head longer. Jay-Z definitely holds it down here.

Prepare to hear "Run This Town" everywhere for the next couple of weeks.

Jay-Z, featuring Kanye West, Rhianna: "Run This Town"

Exile Chops, Screws and Shreds "Watermelon Man" on MPC (Video)

LA-based producer Exile absolutely beasts the MPC in this live concert footage from Knox College. The main sample source is "Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock off the Headhunter album.

Look Daggers/Suffer in Style: Daggers in the Heart

Suffer in Style, the debut album from duo Look Daggers, is a Los Angeles-centric take on the live hip-hop blueprint crafted by the Roots. Instead of the smoothed out jazziness that was a trademark of the Roots’ early style, Look Daggers lean heavily on L.A. musical multiculturalism. Think genre blending Southern California acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ozomatli and Sublime as a signpost for the Look Daggers sound. 2Mex, a longtime member of the Visionaries crew, handles MC duties. The tracks he flows to, arranged by Mars Volta keyboardist Ikey Owens, vary in tempo and temperament. Lean rock grooves, jittery, often dissonant guitar work and even psychedelia are featured on Suffer in Style. The backing band comprises musicians from Sublime, The Mars Volta, Breakestra and members of Free Moral Agents, among other L.A.-based groups. Owens and his all-star band fuse hip-hop, various strands of rock, funk, soul, Latin and electronic genres over the course of the album’s 12 tracks.

Songs are constructed in a similar way throughout the album. Between standard 32-bar verses are extended instrumental sections. Owens’ focus on groove keeps the instrumental sections from sounding jammy and helps build anticipation for the next verse.

Lyrically, 2Mex carries an angst and sense of alienation that is more akin to alt rockers than anything put down by his mostly gangsta rapping South Central brethren. There’s a spastic urgency to his delivery that lends itself well to Owens’ propulsive backdrops. Songs like “Shades of Orange”, “Know Turning Back,” and “Youth is Getting Restless” seethe with conscientious rage. When he’s not egging on the revolution, 2Mex is reaching out to his lady. “Beautiful Freak,” “Before You Say No” and “Call U Later” show a more sensitive side to his flow without losing the fellas. The standout track here is “That Look,” which juxtaposes a tense, angular guitar line with a soaring chorus.

Thanks to the high level of musicianship and 2Mex’s topical dexterity, Suffer in Style is an engaging listen. Existing on the fringes of both hip-hop and alternative rock, Suffer in Style never feels like a shotgun marriage of the two genres. This is a release for those that geek out on the rare, organic mix of the two.

Kanye West/808s and Heartbreak: Kanye's Electric Circus

Three albums in, Kanye West has built his empire on alternatively criticizing and celebrating his contradictions. This duality, which often manifests itself annoyingly in public, but brilliantly in his music, has made ‘Ye the self-proclaimed “voice of this generation.” If his first three records were a celebration of his rise to the top of the pop heap, then the fourth, 808s & Heartbreak, is the come down.
Between last year’s Graduation and 808s, Kanye’s mother died due to complications from plastic surgery. He also went through a highly publicized breakup with his fiancée earlier this year. Here’s the jump off point for 808s.

Moody and sparse, with heavy percussion and glacial synths serving as the backdrop for Kanye’s auto-tuned vocals, 808s amounts to two parts breakup record and one part early midlife crisis. Sonically, the record revolves around two pieces of gear: the classic Roland TR-808 drum machine referenced in the album title and hip-hop’s effect du jour, Antares Auto-Tune. Using two staples of hip-hop production, Kanye instead chose to make a pop record that lays out the vacant, dark side of his superstardom.

The opening coupling of “Say You Will” and “Welcome to Heartbreak” evoke the minimal melancholy of Phil Collins’ clinical, but soulful take on R&B in the ’80s. “Heartless,” the second single off the album, bumps the hardest out of the set. The drum track and precisely behind the beat flow is classic Kanye, thus making it a logical radio single. “Paranoid” has floor filler written all over it. A breezy hook, crisp drums, and lush chords make it the most fun track on 808s.

Two late album standouts, “Street Lights” and “Coldest Winter,” are more emotionally direct versions of the album’s first two songs. Seemingly, the focus on Kanye’s pained emotional state becomes sharper as the album progresses. Since 808s is fueled by its melodies, it is fitting that “Amazing” featuring Young Jeezy and “See You in My Nightmares” with Lil Wayne are the only tracks featuring rapping.

‘Ye gets props for having the creativity and balls to make a challenging pop album that’s likely going to alienate most hip-hop conservatives. If anything works against the record it’s the mood, which is so monochromatic that one has to be in a certain space to enjoy it in its entirety. The track-to-track diversity is much more subtle and slowly revealing here than on Kanye’s three previous studio efforts.

While 808s can be looked at as a deviation, a slate-cleaning release by an artist that takes the album format serious, it is also his first full musical acknowledgment of his own global pop stardom. Detroit techno, house, world music, sensitive guy rock (see Coldplay), and ’80s pop are among the genres stylized by West, who on 808s & Heartbreak proves to be quite the musical auteur.

The Cool Kids/The Bake Sale: The '80s Ain't Going Nowhere

On The Bake Sale, MySpace and music blog sensations The Cool Kids live up to the critical geekage by resurrecting the sound and spirit of hip-hop’s golden era. The Cool Kids, consisting of Chicago duo Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, work primarily within the minimalist boom bap template of late ’80s hip-hop. Every woodblock, 808 kick drum, and punchy snare on the album is meticulously placed with old school vibe in mind. Opener “What Up Man” sets the aesthetic tone for the entire album. Here, like on most of The Bake Sale, the beat is the focal point of attention. Comprised of samples of the duo mouthing “tick,” “clap,” and “bass,” these vocalizations are played back on a drum machine. This is exactly what made old school hip-hop so fun, the most basic parts used to create a stylish, swaggering whole.

The standout track “88,” also the year Mikey Rocks was born, sounds like Paul’s Boutique-era Beastie Boys. Over nasty drums, the duo laundry lists dances and fads that were in long before they were able to take part. Even one-hit wonders Men Without Hats get a shout-out in the middle breakdown section with a direct quote from “Safety Dance.”

On the closing track “Jingling,” listeners get a flow and swag that recalls Clipse (think “Mr. Me Too”) minus the coke talk. The LL Cool J-referencing “you’re jingling baby” chorus is the final in a long list of direct verbal and sonic attributions.

Long before everybody got a little paid and way too serious, this is what hip-hop was: freshness. While Mikey and Chuck aren’t God’s gift to MCing, their calm lyric delivery works well with their tracks. Throughout The Bake Sale, The Cool Kids knowingly wink, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, at the old school. What makes The Bake Sale work is the watchmaker-like precision of the beats and the easy swagger the duo displays on the mic.

Murs/Murs for President: Underground For the People

Following back-to-back underground classics, Murs for President finds Murs with a larger platform to deliver his message. The album marks Murs’ major label debut, and while there are plenty of good tracks here, Murs for President is too calculated and far-reaching to compete with the lo-fi excitement of his indie work. Murs for President is worth buying if only to support a rarity for major label hip-hop--a down-to-earth dude that has big time talent, minus any pretentiousness tied to ultra consumerism, slangin’ copious amounts of coke or, conversely, being more conscientious than thou. In other words, Murs is an everyday man whose lyrics are based on reality. But compared to Murs 3:16 and Murray’s Revenge, focused albums that are shorter and sonically more cohesive, this record falls just short of the mark.

Like any promising presidential candidate, Murs has the ability to be all things to all people. In that spirit, Murs for President is a mosaic of hip-hop subgenres. Conscious rap, rap rock, soul rap, political rap, life-on-the-road rap, I-used-to-get-punked-for-being-different rap, various-stages-of-love rap, and even a dubious “major label made me do it” club rap is featured here. Clearly, Murs aims to prove that no hip-hop fan will be left behind when he takes office. Well meaning as his ambition is, Murs for President would have benefited from a shorter running time and a few more beats by 9th Wonder, the producer behind every track on his two previous albums.

Nevertheless, continuity and excess are the album’s flaws, not the songs themselves, which, outside of the will.i.am-produced, club-intended clunker “Lookin’ Fly,” are compelling.
On “Think You Know Me,” perhaps the album’s best track, Murs shows off his gift for creating characters that are complex, but relatable.

“In the Feds, I prayed and I read
Anything to keep the system, up out my head
I read Zen, Young, Bukowski
You really don’t know a damn thing about me
I probably got a higher IQ than you
These jobs ain’t hiring
What should I do?”

Starting with “Me and This Jawn,” Murs devotes four tracks to the emotions felt while falling in and out of love. The Los Angeles MC avoids veering the record off into a world of mush by dodging cliches and using four contrasting beats to underscore the different emotions. The juxtaposition of rap rock in “A Part of Me” and the soul sample-laced “Break Up (The OJ Song)” provides the best one-two punch on the album.

Other standouts on Murs for President include “Road Is My Religion,” “Everything,” “The Science,” and “Time Is Now.”

Murs for President is a well-executed, albeit, bloated major label debut. This would be an exceptional album for most rappers, but since Murs has indie releases in his back catalogue superior to this one, let’s hope Warner Bros. gives him creative license to add a mainstream classic to his impressive underground resume next time.

Common/Universal Mind Control: Who's Controlling Who?

On Universal Mind Control, Common revisits the electro-based beats featured on 2002’s Electric Circus. Soliciting the Neptunes for the majority of the tracks, Common abandons his trademark ’70s soul-sample backdrops for keyboard-driven future-funk. Unfortunately, the aesthetic clash results in an uninspired and unnecessary album that adds nada to his impressive discography and will likely leave his die hard fans scratching their heads. Universal Mind Control is split down the middle between two different personas. The first five songs are devoted to fun-loving, lady-killing Com, and the latter half to conscientious Common. Kicking off the album with a Planet Rock-inspired bang, “Universal Mind Control” is easily Common’s best dance track to date and and will no doubt inspire “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”-style dance-offs in clubs around the world.
However, the rest of the first half marks a musical and lyrical low point for Common. On “Announcement,” he successfully debases the spiritual devotion to hip-hop he’s created a career out of:

“I still love H.E.R., she be needin’ the dick

When it come to hip-hop, it’s just me and my bitch”

Later in the song, Common continues the forced ladies man act he introduced on “Suga 4 Sex”:

“Broads say, ‘Are you a philosopher?’

Yeah, yeah I’ll philosophy right on top of ya”

Things momentarily improve on side two. “Gladiator,” is a fiery battle track that reintroduces Common as a swaggering, elite MC. The next two songs, “Changes” and “Inhale,” continue the deviation from side one’s vapidity and should momentarily placate his fan base. Unfortunately, the good times come to a crashing halt on “What a World,” where Common phones in an ’80s-influenced flow over a terrible dance-rock track.

The appeal of Common’s previous work is the passion with which he set out to do what he does best: act as an intelligent, spiritual guide in a world full of ignorant, misogynistic rappers. But on Universal Mind Control, Common seems to have lost his moral compass, turning the lyrical dial to dumb in an effort to match the sexy-by-numbers sterility of the album’s beats.

Welcome to Critical Mass Music

Hey Everybody,
Critical Mass Music is a site devoted primarily to album reviews but will also have plenty of concert footage, artist interviews and general music news. Hip-hop is the featured music of choice, but I plan on covering many styles and eras beyond the boom-bap. Keep it locked to Critical Mass Music and stay up-to-date on the newest music.