mixtape maestro (2.0)

Minus a praise-worthy hip hop spin on 9-to-5 recession-depression, the timely “(I Hate) My Job”, and, to a lesser extent, his middle verse cameo appearance on Clipse’ “Popular Demand (Popeye’s)”, the anticipated return of one-time East Coast rap kingpin Cam’ron from a mysterious self-imposed hiatus really didn’t become the game-changing/ career-revitalizing 2009 event most assumed it would.

Yeah, Crime Pays, Cam’s latest studio release, may have shown that the rapper was in no danger of losing his stranglehold position as one of the most absurd spitters in the game, but marred by too many goofy couplets that lacked much of his previous spark, on-the-cheap beats, and the very noticeable absence of his former Dipset peeps, the album was just such a far-cry from the critical and commercial heights of 2002’s Come Home With Me or 2004’s Purple Haze, that it mostly left one wondering why Cam didn’t simply just drop it as the stop-gap, mixtape-only set it most felt like, a “inching my way back into the game” collection preceding the release of a real, big-budget and A-list-aligned comeback affair.

Recently leaked “Ooh Baby” only strengthens our frustration with Cam’s current incarnation. From a distant perspective it’s gets everything right, working like a brand new take on his 2002 crossover smash “Oh Boy” by nicely pairing Cam with a younger, hungrier protogee/ soundalike (Harlem emcee Vado) and boasting a fetchingly looped chipmunk-ed soul sample (The Temprees’ 1972 doo-wop-ish ballad “Dedicated To The One I Love”) for the boys to playfully interact with.

But a closer listen reveals how much of a poor imitation it really is: Producer Araab Musik fumbles in smoothly transitioning the sample in between verses; Vado is good, but lacks the eased, humorous swagger of Cam’s old sidekick, Juelz Santana; and Cam sleepwalks his way through two largely lackluster verses.

In terms of repeated listenability, “Ooh Baby” easily ranks as one of the better offerings Cam’ron has given us in a year of mostly meandering, C-rated duds, but it’s hard-to-ignore shortcomings prove that the man still has a ways to go if he’s hoping to make a triumphant return bid to his previous beloved status.

DL: “Ooh Baby” (alt)

Uncategorized araab musik, cam'ron, east coast rap, soul sample, vado

Unfortunately for Young Money soldier/ New Orleans rapper Gudda Gudda, his hood-reppin’ Guddaville cut “Always Love You” won’t win the blue ribbon prize for Best Mixtape Use of a Chopped-Up Sample of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” in 2009 (that honor remains with Theophilus London’s still-impressive track of the same name from a couple seasons back), but that doesn’t mean it’s not noteworthy.

Coolly weaving Houston’s over-long belt into a chill, Southern rap groove (with a brief shout out to the Dolly Parton original nicely tossed in in the opening seconds), Gudda’s “ALY” succeeds as a fine laidback jam that’s just begging for a summer season to attach itself to.

Plus, it gives us another reason to excitedly anticipate the forthcoming solo debut from Nicki Minaj, his increasingly likable rappress labelmate who steals the show here with a trip through memory lane, where she recalls her days as a young “Harajuku Barbie” sipping Italian Icees while running amuck through the concrete jungle of the “Capital Apple”.

Snatch up the cut below, as well as another Nicki-blessed treat: a No Ceilings-birthed remix to Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams” (also featuring a somewhat needless Lil’ Wayne) in which she rocks the mic right with rewind-worthy references to Balloon Boy, Plaxico Burress and Slick Rick (and his eye-patch) all tucked into a single killer verse.

DL: “Always Love You” (alt)

DL: “Sweet Dreams (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, female rap, gudda gudda, lil' wayne, mixtape, new orleans, new york, nicki minaj, no ceilings, short dawg, soul sample, southern rap, whitney houston, young money

Back in 2000, Mya kicked off the release of her second album Fear of Flying with the single “Best of Me”, a Jadakiss-featured/ Swizz Beatz-produced midtempo about resisting a thug that managed a peaking of #14 on the R&B/ Hip Hop Singles Chart. Barely remember it? That’s okay, since most will only recall the remix version that would go on to dominate that year’s summer-time airwaves.

Titled “Best of Me (Part 2)” (aww, remember when urban acts had briefly stepped away from the whole ‘remix’ thing as an attempt to make their records sound like blockbuster big screen events?), the “sequel” completely wiped the memory clean of the original, thanks to one of Jay-Z’s hottest cameo appearances (“What’s a little me on top gon’ hurt?/ Maybe a little…”), it’s use of the shuffling beat behind Biz Markie’s classic debut single “Make The Music With Your Mouth Biz” and the accompanying video’s oh-so-sexy image of Mya in that North Carolina jersey dress (aww, remember THOSE!?!). With all these elements at it’s disposal, and Mya’s featherweight coo as the center, the track quickly garnered kudos as one of the better marriages of hip hop and R&B to ever arise.

Crate-digging remixer Siik (the man behind buttery smoove, soul-bathed re-hauls of “Single Ladies” and “1 Thing”) has taken it in as it latest project, and he succeeds at making it a must-have gem all over again, comfortably underlining the a capella vocals with the instrumental of Slum Village’s biggest hit, 2004’s Kanye West and John Legend-blessed “Selfish” (itself based off a sample of Aretha Franklin’s 1970 #1 “Call Me”).

Lay back and chill with the Mya/ Siik, Slum Village and Aretha Franklin cuts offered below.

DL: “Best of Me (Siik Remix)” (alt)

DL: “Selfish” (alt)

DL: “Call Me” (alt)

Uncategorized 70's, aretha franklin, jay-z, john legend, kanye west, mya, remix, siik, slum village, soul sample

Whether or not the fact that Duck Sauce is a team-up between A-Trak and Armand Van Helden means anything to you (and really, it should!!), all that one really needs to absorb is how ace the side-project’s first single “aNYway” is.

Essentially nothing more than a sampled chunk of the 1979 Final Edition gem “I Can Do It (Anyway You Want)” that’s been beefed up into an irresistible disco house stomper, the makings of “aNYway” may not be all that complex, but damn if it’s simple looping of a gleeful Studio 54 swing and handful of exclamatory soul lines doesn’t make any dark cloud currently hovering over your life instantly dissipate once you’re completely swarmed by it’s euphoric, Studio 54-centered hold.

Alongside it’s entertaining clip of an Afro-ed, Jackson 5-like entity lighting up a ’70’s variety show stage with their infectious boogie, “aNYway” re-strengthens one longing for not only “Soul Train”’s return to the airwaves, but a brand new edition completely soundtracked with stuff like this rather than the comparably weak definition of what’s considered “rhythmic music” these days.

Check out the video, followed by an MP3 of the sample source, below.

Look for Duck Sauce’s debut EP, Greatest Hits, via Fool’s Gold sometime later this year.

DL: “I Can Do It (Anyway You Want)” (alt)

Uncategorized 70's, a-trak, armand van helden, disco, duck sauce, final edition, house, side project, soul sample

Ghostface Killah’s eighth studio album, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, will be a R&B-inspired affair? Okay, we all nodded, completely confident that if anyone could pull this concept off with exciting results, it would be the man who padded his incredible catalogue with acclaimed “softer” joints like “All That I Got Is You” (with Mary J Blige), “Never Be The Same Again” (featuring Carl Thomas) and his 2006 commercial peak “Back Like That” (guesting Ne-Yo).

But with the arrival of early leaks “Baby” and “She’s A Killer”, two ill-fitting tracks that traded in the classic 70’s soul-washed soundscapes ‘Face has always sounded so good over for Auto-Tuned-enhanced stabs at radio-friendly thug-love rap and “Pop Champagne”-influenced club-hop, Ghostdini was beginning to sound like a bad idea that needed to be scrapped, pronto.

This week though, we were finally able to let out a sigh of relief thanks to the “web premiere” of “Let’s Stop Playin’”, a mid-tempo crush ballad that finds Ghost right where we’d rather have him when he’s getting his mack-flow on: bathed in soothing soul samples (in this case, Marvin Gaye provides the sophisticated beat source) and supported by a classy crooner like John Legend.

The song’s premise: Despite both being committed to other people, Ghost is really feeling a female neighbor in his building of residence, going so far as too memorize her daily schedule and make sure he’s around when she gets off from work at six to help her upstairs with the groceries because the elevator’s broken. Even when she’s had it out with her man and is giving him the cold shoulder, he still can’t help but find her attractive (“But still, you was lookin’ mad cute to me/ With your lips poked out being rude to me”).

The second verse is the one that completely seals “Playin’”’s status as a solid favorite though, with Ghostface masterfully juggling another dazzling lyrical display of his revered humor and storytelling skills as he scripts out a fantasy sex scene set in a laundromat with him and his dream girl getting buckwild amidst spilled Clorox bleach and scattered Bounce sheets.

Now this is the “soft”-mode Iron Man we know and love.

Ghostdini drops September 29th.

DL: “Let’s Stop Playin’” (alt)

Uncategorized east coast rap, ghostface killah, john legend, marvin gaye, sex-rap, soul sample

Wale excitingly recreates the jubilant mood of the African parties he attended in his youth (he’s of Nigerian blood) on the recently released “My Sweetie (Spray It)”, a feel-good party jam built on a sampling of Bunny Mack’s 1979 African disco classic “My Sweety, My Sugar (Let Me Love You)” that’s definitely got us re-inspired to cop his official debut Attention: Deficit after being left slightly underwhelmed by it’s uncomfortably radio-targeting jump-off single, “Chillin’”.

“If your last name’s got thirteen letters in it-this one’s for you”, Wale rhymes over the sample’s contagiously rhythmic merriment, revealing how he keeps parties live and nabs the finest ladies with ease while armed with his trusty Guinness and Dr. Pepper blend, “more green than Whole Foods” and pocket-bulging rolls of cash money he carelessly tosses into the air to rain on the ecstatic dancing masses like confetti.

After listening to this heat (helmed by the ill Apple Juice Kid, one up-and-coming producer it would be best to keep an eye on in the future), you’ll be begging for someone to make you their “plus one” to the next one of these functions.

Attention: Deficit drops October 20th.

DL: “My Sweetie (Spray It)” (alt)

Uncategorized 70's, africa, apple juice kid, disco, nigeria, party rap, soul sample, wale

When 2009 is all said and done, Drake will surely stand out as one of the more captivating music-related success stories of the year. A former tween TV-star (who no one wants to really take seriously) suddenly takes what feels like the entire industry by storm thanks to an excellent, 808s & Heartbreak-inspired mixtape and a couple of the year’s biggest crossover pop hits (“Best I Ever Had”, “Every Girl”)…all without even having an official label backing (well, until recently)? In a sense, it’s perfect “underdog-turned-top dog” Hollywood script fodder.

But what of Drake’s pre-So Far Gone years?

Take the Drizzy you appreciate right now with less focus on all the singing, replace Lil’ Wayne cameos for Little Brother guest spots and trade in the blog pop rehauls for soul-sample-based beats, and you’d pretty much nail what the emcee was bringing to the hip hop table prior to ‘09.

“Think Good Thoughts”, an entry from one of those older mixtape releases (2007’s much-acclaimed Comeback Season, to be more specific) was recently leaked to the masses in full (it’s previous incarnation omitted the final verse from Slum Village’s Elzhi), and while the track proves that Drake has always been a charismatic lyricist, it’s appeal lies more in the Native Tongue-y vibe Drake tended to favor back then.

Produced by 9th Wonder and based around a nicely looped sample of Anita Baker’s 1986 goodie “Sweet Love”, “Thoughts” sees Drake, Elzhi and Phonte (of Little Brother/ Foreign Exchange fame) doing their best to disprove rampant gossip gab that they subscribe to the typical “rap star” ways.

“We know what you thinkin love/ You think we out smokin’ and drinkin love/ Pushing big whips, chains clinkin’ love/ Well you don’t really know me like you think you know me,” Drake rhymes on the hook, later sharing a few words of wisdom concerning the negative rumors-spewing haters (“My groove theory is that when you too cheery/ They try to bring you down to the level they at”).

If we were to be honest though, we’d have to honor his trackmates as the true stars of this cut. Especially Phonte’s contribution, which starts off strong with this neck-chopping four-bar assault: “You probably think I walk around with my gun tucked in/ Swing dick to these hoes like nun chucks well/ You can think what you want but/ I think you been watchin’ too much BET Uncut“.

Drake’s official debut Thank Me Later is expected to drop sometime later this year (you can peep the long-awaited, and slightly disappointing, vid for “Best I Ever Had” here); but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and get familiar with the projects that really started “Drake-mania” off. A simple Google search should do the trick.

DL: “Think Good Thoughts” (alt)

Uncategorized 9th wonder, alt-hip hop, anita baker, drake, elzhi, mixtape, native tongues, phonte, soul sample

Twista speed-rhyming verses about the nastiest thing he could do to a lady isn’t anyhing new (from a distant perspective, it seems to be the main lyrical focus of about 90% of his output), but like his previous no-brainer smashes “Slow Jamz” and “Overnight Celebrity”, recent leak “I Can Make You Say” is mostly a keeper for the going-ons that surround his still ridiculous, uzi-fire flow.

In this case, a delectably chopped sampling of Prince’s 1981 late-night bedroom jam “Do Me Baby” which reduces His Purple Majesty to a loop of orgasmic falsetto yelps, the empty spaces between the diced-up groove filled in with Cali producer Doc Savage’s somersault-like percussion tricks.

Too bad it won’t become the major hit it feels destined to be with Prince not being in the mood to officially clear the sample. Damn you and your fun-stifling ways, Mr. “Purple Rain”.

Hear the track below, than peep the video for Twista’s latest, official single “Wetter” (from the forthcoming Category F5 album) afterward. It’s nice and all (and, unsurprisingly, another sensual one), but definitely less interesting than the Prince-affiliated number.

DL: “I Can Make You Say” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, doc savage, prince, sex-rap, soul sample, twista

While it was sad to see Lil’ Kim get booted off of “Dancing With The Stars” a couple nights back, bringing an end to a surprisingly successful run, not too many tears are being shed from this corner of the “web-iverse”, since the elimination hopefully means she’ll now have the free time to start focusing on finally giving us the fifth album she’s pushed off for so long.

And by “album” we mean body of work that gives us the fierce-on-the-mic Lil’ Kim of the “Quiet Storm (Remix)”, not the lost-sounding rappress that’s been struggling at the music game comeback since her release from behind bars three years ago.

Though her current single “Download” lands as a capable summertime jam (mostly thanks to it’s lazy sampling of 80’s R&B fave “Computer Love” and another stellar vocal performance from the underappreciated Charlie Wilson), it’s just not the official re-introduction Kim (or the sadly dissipated female rap genre) needs right now. With it’s corny cyber-sex rhymes (“We goin’ back and forth, sendin’ e-mails/ He a thug, so i hit him on his Gmail/ His sense of humor got me writin’ L-O-L…”) and her trendy teeter-tottering from half-sung to provocative whisper raps, “Download” is third or fourth single material at best.

All we ask is that she take that inner-fire that made her a fan-favorite on the “Dancing” stage (or the same dedication she has towards plastic surgery) and somehow transport it to the pad and pen to give us something that will truly blow us away. Come on Kim, we know you got it in you.

Lil Kim Download Featuring Charlie Wilson & T – Pain Music Video

Uncategorized 80's, auto-tune, charlie wilson, female rap, lil' kim, sex-rap, soul sample, summertime, t-pain

Not too many rappers could open up a song by stating “I can’t see ‘em coming down my eyes, so I gotta make this song cry” and then proceed to pull off just that with such flawlessness, but that’s just what Jay Z accomplished with The Blueprint’s introspective rap ballad “Song Cry”, one of the many moments of his career where all the elements seemed to come together perfectly.

Longtime up-and-coming R&B singer/ songwriter/ producer/ rapper Novel (who Mixtape Maestro has been a fan of since his early “I can eat a peach for an hour” days) taps into that Jigga classic on “Song Cry II” and it’s equally as mesmerizing.

Novel gives off a lil’ Al Green/ D’Angelo vibe here as he expresses the stifled woe of a young man hardened by inner city living: “I don’t cry/ Cause there’s something inside sayin’ ‘Don’t cry’”. But like the hip hop song he references, he does a good job illustrating that pain through the cut’s smooth, soul-sampled-enriched production and a vocal performance that finds him impressively weaving in and out of a moving falsetto.

An instance where the overly-repeated “one to watch” cliché holds some true weight.

While you eagerly anticipate the release of Novel’s debut The Audiobiography (set to drop sometime later this year), grab “Song Cry II” below, followed by the “making of” clip and final product of his “Soul Version” cover of Kid Cudi’s “Sky Might Fall”.

DL: “Song Cry II” (alt)

DL: “Sky Might Fall (Kid Cudi Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized cover song, grown folks R&B, jay-z, kid cudi, novel, soul sample