Bitches Stew

Over the past few weeks I’ve considered giving up on music altogether and doing something crazy like becoming a Buddhist monk or going to dental school but then there was this…  Royce is one of my absolute favorites and is one of the few MC’s that seems to actually be getting better over the years rather than dulling out like virtually everyone else.  And although Eminem now makes “self-reflection Jesus rap”, (Jerz, 2011) it’s obviously dope to hear them rapping together. 

Jesus’s infamous Easter resurrection has only been trumped by that of John Travolta in 1994 and Johnny Cash circa da Y2K with his spine-tingling, joyously-depressing NIN cover.   

Rest in Peace to the King of Monotone. 

Two of my favorites, past and present, mixed with class.  This absolutely bleeds sunshine and will do your Spring-time walk to work serious justice. 

As much as I hate on all the dick-riding, drug-abusing, front-running, house-fanatical posers out there, there is one producer that is quickly becoming a legend in the clubs, the charts, and deep within my loins.  If Avicii/Tim Berg keeps this up I’ll be dropping out of school, getting a belly button ring, moving to Belgium and huffing glue every chance I get.  I’m not sure what one has to do with the other but this motherfucker is 21 and every single remix and release I’ve ever heard attached to his name has been absolutely pristine. 

Get into sweatpants, order Chinese food, and listen up…  #sunday

The best part about growing up with two sisters is the exposure you get to shit like The Legend of Billie Jean.  You might not be able to name 5 NFL players or make a “free throw” but you could quote Mannequin Two: On the Move and Adventures in Babysitting like it was your job.  These are important life skills that can’t be taught in any PE class.  This is the theme to Billie Jean, a song that has started so many teenage revolutions, it is illegal in 6 states… “FAIR IS FAIR!”

Hopefully it’ll start getting really nice out soon so I can bump this on repeat and celebrate my youth in the fresh Spring air which is the implied, mandatory activity to engage in when listening to this pure pop perfection. 

Listening to Ready to Die is like hopping in the Delorean straight back to New York in 1994.  The whole texture of the album can make a 97-year old, Swedish, lesbian nun that lives in Zimbabwe feel like she’s slinging crack in Bed-Stuy alongside the best of em’.  But nay.  In 1994 I was in Mrs. Shulman’s 4th grade class learning cursive and playing Reading Rabbit.  GANGSTER.

So were down one Phil Collins but were up one fresh out of the slammer Prodigy - phew.  I’d love to hear some new Mobb Deep tracks but to be brutally honest, few rappers fell off harder than Prodigy.  His pre-jail verses were flat out lazy as nothing irritates me more than MC’s rhyming a word with itself.  But l’chaim nonetheless - welcome home P. 

Phil,

We’ve shared a lot of great memories over the years, seen each other through ups and downs, good times and bad.  Just know that I’ll always be here, waiting for the day that I can once again feel you in my warm embrace.

Creepily yours,

Me

This is what I’m talking about.  Classixx make consistently delicious remixes and you absolutely cannot go wrong with my favorite Madonna song.  All smiles.   

J Dilla is your favorite producer’s favorite producer.  Go ahead and ask them and they’ll tell you.  Aside from Pete Rock, he’s the only other person who’s instrumentals can consistently stand alone as tracks sans an emcee.  You can’t do that with Kanye beats and you definitely can’t do that with Swizz Beats beats.  Anywho, enjoy.