mixtape maestro (2.0)

“Show Me What You Workin’ Wit”, the latest re-teaming of Bay Area rap kingpins E-40 and Too Short, may come up a bit short in it’s obvious attempt to match the breath-stopping, otherworldly allure of 40’s 2006 career peak “Tell Me When To Go” (and, we shamefully admit, it could probably use a lot more than just two occurrences of Short’s excellently voiced “Bitch” catchphrase), but the wonderous wonkiness of it’s minimalist beat (little more than thudding, Godzilla-like bass stomps for the verses and teasingly brief decorations of ominous synth drones, Saturday morning TV string whirls and horn blurts adding a dash of color ‘neath the chorus), as well as the sheer entertainment value of hearing these two veterans’ distinctive mic personas side-by-side again, go a long way in making up for such petty critical nitpicking.

Props to 40, especially, for nicely filling in the skeletal beat’s spaces with his swaggeriffic misogynist rhetoric, an entertaining verse and a half of him pasting together his version of the ideal lapdance babe (highlighting physical faves like her “California face”, Texan ass and “Brazilian wax beaver”).

Is it a contender for future Grammy gold? Far from it (and you probably might not want to spin this anywhere near your grandparents), but there is a certain comfort in knowing that the strip clubs will, at least, have somethin’ new to rock to for the forthcoming Spring season.

From E-40’s new double release, Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift/ Night Shift, due March 30th.

DL: “Show Me What You Workin’ Wit” (alt)

Bonus DL: E-40 featuring Kanye West & The Game “Tell Me When To Go (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized bay area, e-40, make it rain, too short, west coast rap

Snoop and Cudi go a bit “green” on this Diplo-produced collaboration for the former’s deluxe edition re-release of his Malice N Wonderland album (entitled More Malice, of course).

Beyond a slightly engaging, descending bubble-pop beat supporting the verses and one semi-humorous line from the Doggfather (“Groupies on my head like a kufi”), though, the track never quite lands as the essential release it should be, especially considering the star power it boasts. Shall we say its lacking a certain…ahem, spark? Or maybe we’re just a little too distracted by the creepy, mutated hand Snoop’s sporting in the pic seen left to even give the song a good listen. (Look at it though, aren’t his fingers weird-looking?)

More Malice, which includes five new cuts, a couple remixes and a mini-movie (!!!), drops March 23rd.

DL: “That Tree” (alt)

Speaking of Cudi, as a bonus, peep an Iron & Wine-sampling, electro-folk (?) cover of the rapper’s woozy single “Pursuit of Happiness” by L.A. newcomers Barbara that works far better than it really should.

Bonus DL: Barbara “Pursuit of Happiness (Kid Cudi Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized barbara, cover song, diplo, electro-folk, kid cudi, malice n wonderland, snoop dogg, west coast rap

While nothing could match the heights that Snoop Dogg scaled when his lackadaisical delivery was paired with Dr. Dre’s G-funk beat terrains, in his late-career excursions, it’s been The Neptunes who have consistently provided the Doggfather with the material needed to remain just as commercially relevant as he nears closer and closer to age 40 and his twentieth year in the game, whether it’s through digitized updatings of the rapper’s old hood-boy bop (“From The Chuuuch To Da Palace”, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”) or radio-friendly ditties that paid tribute to his undying adoration for summertime soul (“Beautiful”) and sleek, ’80’s-era disco-funk (“Let’s Get Blown”, “Signs”).

For “Special”, the Neptunes’ lone offering to Snoop’s tenth album Malice N Wonderland, that hit-making chemistry is kept afire with the Virginian production duo lacing Snoop’s eased flow and Valentine’s Day promises with another one of their purrty, keyboard-dominant arrangements while Pharrell and (a suddenly everywhere) Brandy blissfully croon sweet nothings back and forth on the hook.

It’s a blatant “Beautiful” re-write and far away from the aggressive, undercover cop-spooking lyricism that Snoop became a household figure with so long ago, but of all the various ‘90 hip hop sub-genre detours Snoop (sometimes awkwardly) skips through throughout Malice, “Special” is the one where he fits in the most comfortably, not only because you could totally envision Snoop giddily vibing with the instrumental on loop as he rides through the streets of Cali, but the “grown man” way he praises Wifey (“I’m puttin out the blunt cause I see/ That I need you more in my life than I need a bag of weed”) carries this endearing grasp of authenticity and intimacy, sounding like something that could have actually been in his vows during his 1997 wedding (or 2008 vow renewal) to high school sweetheart Shante.

“Special”:

BONUS DL: Snoop Dogg featuring Justin Timberlake & Charlie Wilson “Signs (Siik Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized brandy, charlie wilson, justin timberlake, malice n wonderland, neptunes, pharrell, siik, snoop dogg, west coast rap

If any other rapper touched the mic with some nonsense like “I beat it up like Harpo”, it would likely register as an instant FAIL. Have those same six words delivered via the slippery flow of Snoop though, and the cornball line magically ranks as yet another one of Mr. Dogg’s genius, casually tossed-off poetics.

Beyond that lyrical niblet and a brief shout-out to True Blood (making the HBO vamp soap that much cooler), not much else in Snoop’s verbal contribution to “Gangsta Luv” (the first single off his December-due tenth LP, Malice N Wonderland) really merits a double take, but don’t let that dissuade you: just hearing the man’s familiar drawl supported here by the summer-toned breeziness of Tricky Stewart’s synth-stabbed and bongo-accented production and a decent, if a bit paint-by-numbers, hook from The-Dream is all that’s needed to make this sorta-“Beautiful”-rewrite a welcome addition to the MP3 player library and easy fall-season radio success.

Uncategorized snoop dogg, the-dream, tricky stewart, west coast rap