What's New(s)?

Honest Cowboy

MMG member and resident introspective rapper Stalley is prepping for the August 8 release of his Honest Cowboy mixtape and until that day hits, he's supplied the appropriately-named Menace II Society ode "A-Wax" (in honor of the MC Eiht portrayed character). The blustery soulful beat supplied by the Block Beattaz (sampling Wiz Khalifa) allows the Ohio-MC to indulge his inner champagne sipper, while dismissing any complacency; promising passion "bout my game like Joakim Noah." Listen to the song below and check out the promo video for the mixtape here.

"A-Wax"

Timbaland talks Nas, Drake, & Aaliyah

In an all-too-brief interview with Revolt, mega-producer Timbaland can be found giving us the inside-scoop on a whole slew of rap stories. Fresh off the success of Magna Carta...Holy Grail, Timbaland reveals he sat behind the boards for "Sinatra in the Sands", a follow-up to MCHG's "BBC". This time Nas takes top bill, backed by Justin Timberlake & Jay Z (still can't get used to not typing that hyphen). Timbaland calls Timberlake's performance on the song "completely stupid,"and says the song will appear on Nas' next album.

Timbaland also takes time-out to talk about recent reworkings of Aaliyah tunes from Drake & Chris Brown (why they can't work) and his new found appreciation for Drizzy.  Of the Toronto emcee, Timbaland guarantees "he's gonna be around for a long time."

Atoms for Peace perform "The Clock"

 

 

 

Tonight Atoms for Peace's residency at the London Roadhouse comes to an end and to make that departure a bit more bearable, concert-recording platform (and current "business" partner) Soundhalo has made available a clip from Wednesday night's show. "The Clock", a clattering tune from Yorke's solo The Eraser project is given more heft and immediacy here by the band's on-point percussion section and Flea's steadily moving basslines. Check out the video below and dates for AFP's fall U.S. tour after the clip. 

Sept. 24- Liacouras Center (Philadelphia, PA)

Sept. 27- Barclay's Center (New York City, NY)

Sept. 30- Patriot Center (Fairfax, VA)

Oct. 2- UIC Pavilion (Chicago, IL)

Oct. 3- The War Memorial Auditorium (Nashville, TN)

Oct. 6- Austin City Limits (Austin, TX)

Oct. 13- Austin City Limits (Austin, TX)

Oct. 16- Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, CA)

Oct. 17- Santa Barbara Bowl (Santa Barbara, CA)

Oct. 19/20- Treasure Island Music Festival (San Francisco, CA) 



Check back in Monday for even more in the newest in new(s).

In Revue- "Magna Carta...Holy Grail"

For anyone that's cared to listen, my only problem with the otherwise excellent Netflix exclusive House of Cards series is that the Kevin Spacey portrayed Francis J. Underwood’s quest for, and consolidation of power is far too easy. Dominoes tend to topple over, but Underwood's opponents step-aside like well-trained matadors. It's easy to root for the underdog and even the boss (if they’re amiable enough). But the one who breezes through everything (without ever hinting at all the work put in) could never be confused for the "everyman." We cheer for Michael Jordan, but sympathize for the player riding the bench. I feel the same way when I listen to Magna Carta...Holy Grail.

Not to say that Jay-Z should go back to rapping from the perspective of the scrappy hustler, "back to the wall ashy knuckles," that spun golden yards of the crack game on Reasonable Doubt. It's a ridiculous request and were Jay to readopt that persona it would be as roundly dismissed as Rick Ross following the outing of his false "gangsterism." That's not where Jay-Z is in his career; he's signing Kevin Durant to his new sports agency, going all in on what Bomani Jones pointedly called "the greatest cell phone promotion ever," and vacationing in Cuba. He's got infinite album budgets and a Rolodex of five-star producers that would make entire labels blush. Wealth talk in hip-hop has never been what's driven people away, Big Bank Hank on "Rapper's Delight" bragged of having a "Lincoln Continental and a sunroof Cadillac" (oh how the times have changed). Jay-Z's longing for a "Picasso in his casa," on the booming "Picasso Baby" is an extension of a material longing that only years of struggle could create. But the hunger was satiated somewhere between the turkey bacon for breakfast and the bottles of champagne for a nightcap. 

Jay's hunger has always been at its greatest when he's had something to play off of. Watch the Throne was cut from the same fine cloth he’s now stitched in every time he leaves the crib, but he had Kanye West around to light the proverbial fire under his ass. Excepting the Murder's Row production list, The Black Album succeeded so wildly because Jay was rapping on the door of retirement. Jay only crafted the all-time diss track "Takeover" for The Blueprint because vocal critics like Nas, Prodigy, and Jadakiss were closing in on all sides. The higher the flames under Jay-Z's feet get, the higher he ascends. MCHG then is unmistakably frigid at points. 

By all accounts Mr. & Mrs. Carter have a perfectly happy and healthy marriage, but you'd never know it from the lack of chemistry displayed on the tepid "Part II (On the Run)." The song, which rides a quasi-late-80s/early 90s R&B groove and hasn't been officially confirmed as a sequel to the explosive "03 Bonnie & Clyde," is a further down trending of what began on the cloying "Lift Off," where the two last me. Surrounded by "No Church in the Wild," and "N****s in Paris," that track felt entirely unnecessary and coming in at nearly 6 minutes, so does "Part II (On the Run). 

Even with all the namechecking of Basquiat paintings, Tom Ford clothing tags, and surprise trips to Marrakesh to smoke hashish, the most opulent thing about the album is its length. The run time of 59 minutes is deceptive; with late-album tracks like the Timbaland beach-house groove "La Familia," contributing to the feeling that MCHG is much longer. Despite putting a Gonjasufi sample to provoking use on closer "Nickels & Dimes," Hov flatly ignores the Neil Young advice that "it's better to burn out than fade away." Likewise, the suit and tie s*** of "Holy Grail" could've been hemmed to get it under 5 minutes.

That being said, there are clear highlights to be found on MCHG. Like an eyeball grabbing summer-blockbuster, "Holy Grail" is decadent and overblown in the best way. Justin Timberlake creates a grand scale from the get-go, howling over a piano "I still don't know why I love you so much." Jay continues the "papa paranoia" of Watch the Throne's "New Day," surrounded by "haters in the papers, photo shoots with paparazzi," to the point where a walk with his daughter becomes next to impossible. And despite what's been said of the reworking of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" the moment flies by so fast over the sprightly beat it's hard to take stock of. "Oceans" is another moment of pure brilliance, returning to the imbalances between wealth and race that WTT delivered a treatise on. OF-crooner Frank Ocean conveys the mood, "this water drowned my family, this water mixed my blood, this water tells my story, this water knows it all," making the confined quarters of a yacht sound like paradise when considering the slave ships that came before. 

Elsewhere, the brash Timbaland beat of "Heaven" is one-step from launching into "Dream On," and again employs Timberlake, this time to soulfully question just who makes it into heaven. Jay rips through round 1 on the song, effortlessly rolling off the 12 jewels of Islam (knowledge, wisdom, understanding, freedom, justice, equality, food, shelter, love, peace, and happiness) giving credence to the line "can't believe this much skill in the human body."

For any overabundance that "Nickels & Dimes" has, Jay-Z's lyrical dexterity is on full-display here. He moves from talk of Mac-11's to soft-drinks and Johnny Cash without batting an eye and later evokes Kubrick's nightmarish Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick the dictionary definition of "perfectionist" is an idle auteur for Jay to compare himself to at this point in his career. Jay-Z albums now are meticulously crafted things, not a note out of place, everything from the guest-list to the packaging and promotion obsessively micromanaged. But the curtains are never pulled back for us to see all the sweat and sacrifice that goes into the finished product. The house of cards is set up, but never in danger of falling down.

"Oceans" ft. Frank Ocean