In this episode the team re-opens the 1991 death of a talented 14-year-old rapper girl Donalyn Sullivan who was placed into foster care with her sister. Donalyn Sullivan who takes on the alias Suga Don, becomes new to the neighborhood and discovers this new clashing vibrant sound much like something out of the intro from the movie “Brown Sugar.” It was like a flashback to the early days of rhyming as teenagers gathered in intimate circles to spit the hottest 16. Head nods to all of the actual song placements by real emcees throughout the segment.

The central character falls emotionally in love with the music because it’s a true outlet for her to express what others would normally ignore. She is searching to find herself as the music is also struggling to grasp it’s own definition. The episode almost hints at the origins of conscious rap while Suga Don decides to stop with the cheaper form of music that sells quick and embrace the message of her soul which is yearning to rap something with a point rather than cars and clothes for a subject matter. She resides to compose a song based on meaning, which turns out to literally be an out cry for help. 

The “Cold Case” script was well written and richly executed as one of the main detectives, a middle aged white woman asked a suspect in her coolest down voice whether the possible drama occurred because they were still “beefin!” The episode reminded viewers of the male dominated imbalance that still exist for women trying to take their due from the industry. The show touched on multiple characteristics of hip hop from freestyles, battle raps, image, recording, and mostly the heart and courage that one must consider when pursuing a record deal. This was an honest attempt to display hip hop to a wider audience. Hip hop hasn’t been ignored for a long time, but with support like this from those who once upon a time just didn’t get it hip hop will never be silenced.

[Props to: Thisis50]

Props to YN

Tracklist
01. Eminem – Till I Collapse
02. Puff Daddy – Victory
03. Nas – Black Republican
04. S.A.S – In The Army
05. Sheek Louch – Mighty D-Block
06. Wu-Tang Clan – Triumph
07. Jedi Mind Tricks – Battle Cry
08. Royce Da 5′9″ – Gun Harmonizing
09. Fort Minor – Remember The Name
10. Eminem – Like Toy Soldiers
11. G-Unit – Casualties Of War
12. Canibus – Draft Me
13. Lloyd Banks – Warrior
14. Sheek Louch – We At War
15. 50 Cent – Crime Wave
16. Lupe Fiasco – Little Weapon
17. G-Unit – Salute U
18. Chamillionaire – The Evening News
19. Ghostface Killah – Dogs Of War
20. Eminem – Mosh

The aptly titled “Triumph” sees the quick witted emcee flexing his lyrical prowess over Dave Sitek’s probing, horn-infused beatbreak. Southern veteran Bun B joins Wale on “Mirrors” as the twosome wax poetics on those individuals who choose to “fake it ’till they make it”. The emo record that appears to be prerequisite for hip hop albums nowadays comes in the form of “90210″ as Wale touches on females with cocaine addictions and those that suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia. Great idea, but flawed execution bring down the record, however.

“Diary” comes as a refreshing opposing viewpoint of women from “90210″ as Wale pens a heartfelt letter to his lady, a woman having a hard time opening up her heart after many failed relationships while the refreshing Marsha Ambrosius glides over The Sleepwalkers’ dreamy backdrop. “TV in The Radio” sees Wale teaming up with K’naan for a quick lyrical blitzkrieg with the latter effortlessly delivering arguably “the” verse of the entire album as well as providing hook duties. The haunting “Contemplate” sees Wale at his darkest aided by Rihanna’s echoing coos contemplating what exactly is his “place” in hip hop before uniting with Roc Nation signees Melanie Fiona & J.Cole on the soulful “Beautiful Bliss”, the smooth, feel good jam of the album.

Producer Best Kept Secret contributes two gems to the project in the form of “Shades” and “Prescription”. The former sees Wale aided by arguably the premier go-to songstress for hook duties as Chrisette Michele provides her nostalgic croons while Wale sincerely recounts issues with colorism he suffered during his childhood, jealous of those with skin lighter than his. The mellow “Prescription” brings Wale’s hyperactive debut to a firm conclusion as the DMV’s frontman searches for just the right “medicine” that hip hop has desperately been in search of.

Critiquing this album can easily find reviewers between a rock and a hard place. It is commonly looked down upon to feature so many artists on an album (especially a debut) as it takes the attention off of the artist whose project it is in the first place. While many features work (Jazmine Sullivan, Bun B), some are out of place (Gucci Mane) and some even overshadow that of Wale’s, specifically J.Cole’s toe-tagging of “Beautiful Bliss” and the desolate wasteland K’naan leaves “TV in The Radio” in. Another issue that proves problematic is the inaccurate sequencing that Attention: Deficit suffers from. On the bright side, there is a little something sprinkled here for everyone: feel good joints, social commentary, potential singles and self-reflection for the man himself. There are alot of great records presented, but Attention Deficit (as a whole) appears to be a water-down carbon copy of the Wale that fans fell in love with, the MC talent who was once inspired by Seinfield to craft a mixtape about “nothing”.

Shout outs to This is 50.

Here it is. I posted a few of the in game mixes a while ago. Here’s the full set. From what i could gather, i got 88 of the 90 something tracks (I believe I’m missing 7). Regardless, here’s the drop. I labled it “Mixtape” but i think this would be a little more than just one mixtape, this shits over 4 hours long!- Swift

DOWNLOAD: DJ Hero OST /Part 1/
DOWNLOAD: DJ Hero OST /Part 2/

1. Motörhead vs. NOISIA – Ace Of Spades vs. Groundhog (2:55)
2. Bobby “Blue” Bland vs. Connie Price & The Keystones – Ain’t No Love In The City vs. Fuzz And Them (2:32)
3. Bobby “Blue” Bland vs. 2Pac – Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. How Do U Want It (3:27)
4. 2Pac vs. The Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra – All Eyez On Me vs. Bittersweet Symphony (3:59)
5. Queen vs. Beastie Boys – Another One Bites The Dust vs. Brass Monkey (3:48)
6. Queen vs. Daft Punk – Another One Bites The Dust vs. Da Funk (2:59)
7. Daft Punk vs. Young MC – Around The World vs. Bust A Move (3:11)
8. The Scratch Perverts – Beats And Pieces (4:29)
9. Shlomo vs. Billy Squier – Beats vs. The Big Beat (2:43)
10. Weezer vs. Evidence featuring The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa and 88 Keys – Beverly Hills vs. Fresh Rhymes And Videotape (3:02)
11. The Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra vs. LL Cool J – Bittersweet Symphony vs. Rock The Bells (4:48)
12. Black Eyed Peas vs. Benny Benassi – Boom Boom Pow vs. Satisfaction (3:28)
13. Grandmaster Flash – Boom vs. Tap (1:11)
14. Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde vs. Justice – Bring The Noise 20XX vs. Genesis (3:24)
15. Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde – Bring The Noise 20XX (2:48)
16. Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers vs. Young MC – Bustin’ Loose vs. Bust A Move (2:48)
17. Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers vs. The Zombies – Bustin’ Loose vs. Time Of The Season (3:13)
18. Jay-Z featuring Pharrell Williams vs. 2Pac – Change Clothes vs. All Eyez On Me (3:42)
19. Daft Punk vs. N.A.S.A. featuring Karen O, ODB and Fatlip – Da Funk vs. Starnge Enough (3:11)
20. Kid Cudi vs. Black Eyed Peas – Day ‘N’ Nite vs. Boom Boom Pow (3:19)
21. 50 Cent vs. Indeep – Disco Inferno vs. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (2:46)
22. 50 Cent vs. David Bowie – Disco Inferno vs. Let’s Dance (3:05)
23. Rihanna vs. Kid Sister – Disturbia vs. Control (3:16)
24. Rihanna vs. The Trammps – Disturbia vs. Disco Inferno (2:56)
25. Rihanna vs. The Killers – Disturbia vs. Soembody Told Me (3:21)
26. Gorillaz vs. Blondie – Feel Good Inc. vs. Atomic (2:38)
27. Street Sweeper Social Club vs. Beastie Boys – Fight! Smash! Win! vs. Intergalactic (2:21)
28. Dizzee Rascal vs. Justice – Fix Up, Look Sharp vs. Genesis (3:25)
29. Dizzee Rascal vs. DJ Shadow – Fix Up, Look Sharp vs. Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul) (2:56)
30. Q-Tip vs. Billy Squier – Good Thang vs. The Big Beat (3:48)
31. NOISIA – Groundhog (Beat Juggle) (4:17)
32. Grandmaster Flash featuring DJ Kool and DJ Demo vs. Gary Numan – Here Comes My DJ vs. Cars (3:06)
33. Beastie Boys vs. DJ Shadow – Here’s a Little Somethin’ for Ya vs. The Number Song (4:00)
34. Gwen Steffani vs. Gorillaz – Hollaback Girl vs. Feel Good Inc. (3:01)
35. Gwen Steffani vs. Rick James – Hollaback Girl vs. Give It To Me Baby (3:15)
36. Gwen Steffani vs. Indeep – Hollaback Girl vs. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (3:16)
37. Kool Moe Dee vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman – How Ya Like Me Now vs. I Like To Move It (3:14)
38. Marvin Gaye vs. Gorillaz – I Heard It Through The Grapevine vs. Feel Good Inc. (3:41)
39. Jackson 5 vs. Gang Starr – I Want You Back vs. Just To Get A Rep (3:37)
40. Jackson 5 vs. Third Eye Blind – I Want You Back vs. Semi-Charmed Life (3:24)
41. Vanilla Ice vs. Paula Abdul – Ice Ice Baby vs. Straight Up (2:49)
42. Vanilla Ice vs. MC Hammer – Ice Ice Baby vs. U Can’t Touch This (2:28)
43. Cypress Hill vs. Classics IV – Insane In The Brain vs. Spooky (3:00)
44. Cypress Hill vs. David Axelrod – Insane In The Brain vs. The Edge (3:03)
45. Beastie Boys vs. Blondie – Intergalactic vs. Rapture (2:48)
46. Jay-Z vs. The Jackson 5 – Izzo (H.O.V.A.) vs. I Want You Back (3:19)
47. Jay-Z vs. Eminem – Izzo (H.O.V.A.) vs. My Name Is (3:32)
48. Boogie Down Productions vs. David Bowie – Jack Of Spades vs. Let’s Dance (3:53)
49. Jurassic 5 vs. Herbie Hancock – Jayou vs. Rockit (2:44)
50. Jurassic 5 vs. Billy Squier – Jayou vs. The Big Beat (3:05)
51. Foreigner vs. DJ Z-Trip featuring MURS – Juke Box Hero vs. DJ Hero (4:15)
52. Gang Starr vs. Mobb Deep – Just To Get A Rep vs. Shook Ones Part II (4:10)
53. Indeep vs. Cameo – Last Night A DJ Saved My Life vs. Word Up! (3:00)
54. Beastie Boys vs. Daft Punk – Lee Majors Come Again vs. Da Funk (3:29)
55. Wale vs. The Black Eyed Peas featuring Tippa Irie – Lookin’ At Me vs. Hey Mama (2:45)
56. Daft Punk – Megamix 1 (3:25)
57. Daft Punk – Megamix 2 (3:51)
58. Foo Fighters vs. Beastie Boys – Monkey Wrench vs. Sabotage (2:48)
59. Jean Knight vs. Masta Ace – Mr. Big Stuff vs. Born To Roll (2:48)
60. Eminem vs. Beck – My Name Is vs. Loser (3:30)
61. Paul van Dyk vs. Sandy Rivera featuring David Penn – Nothing But You vs. I Can’t Stop (4:05)
62. M.I.A. vs. Eric B. & Rakim – Paper Planes vs. Eric B. Is President (3:04)
63. M.I.A. vs. Wale – Paper Planes vs. Lookin’ At Me (3:09)
64. Wild Cherry vs. Gang Starr – Play That Funky Music vs. Just To Get A Rep (4:02)
65. Bell Biv DeVoe – Poison (Beat Juggle) (1:22)
66. Bell Biv DeVoe vs. Beastie Boys – Poison vs. Intergalactic (3:36)
67. Bell Biv DeVoe vs. Cameo – Poison vs. Word Up! (3:32)
68. Fedde Le Grand vs. Sandy Rivera – Put Your Hands Up For Detroit vs. I Can’t Stop (3:02)
69. Daft Punk vs. Hashim – Robot Rock vs. Al Naafyish (The Soul) (2:56)
70. Daft Punk vs. Queen – Robot Rock vs. We Will Rock You (2:57)
71. Herbie Hancock vs. N.E.R.D. – Rockit vs. Lapdance (2:41)
72. Benny Benassi vs. Tiësto – Satisfaction vs. Elements Of Life (5:04)
73. Daft Punk vs. Boogie Down Productions – Short Circuit vs. Jack Of Spades (3:27)
74. Tears For Fears vs. Eric B. & Rakim – Shout vs. Eric B. Is President (3:52)
75. Tears For Fears vs. Eric Prydz – Shout vs. Pjanoo (3:22)
76. Tears For Fears vs. DJ Shadow featuring Mos Def – Shout vs. Six Days (3:52)
77. Public Enemy vs. Beck – Shut ‘Em Down vs. Where It’s At (3:10)
78. DJ Shadow featuring Mos Def vs. D-Code – Six Days vs. Annie’s Horn (3:40)
79. The Killers vs. Eric Prydz – Somebody Told Me vs. Pjanoo (3:26)
80. N.A.S.A. featuring Karen O, ODB, and Fatlip vs. Isaac Hayes – Strange Enough vs. Theme from Shaft (3:02)
81. Daft Punk vs. Gary Numan – Technologic vs. Cars (2:53)
82. Daft Punk vs. No Doubt – Television Rules The Nation vs. Hella Good (3:00)
83. Billy Squier vs. N.E.R.D. – The Big Beat vs. Lapdance (3:09)
84. David Axelrod vs. Eric B. & Rakim – The Edge vs. Eric B. Is President (1:38)
85. Little Richard vs. Shlomo – Tutti Frutti vs. Beats (2:50)
86. Common vs. Masta Ace – Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.) vs. Jeep Ass Gutter (2:56)
87. Beck vs. DJ Shadow featuring Mos Def – Where It’s At vs. Six Days (3:09)
88. Afrika Bambaataa vs. Freedom Express – Zulu Nation Throwdown vs. Get Down (2:55)

Pre Order the Album Now From The Koalition|Amazon Store

]]> http://www.thekoalition.com/new-audio-crack-dj-khalil-gta-chinatown-wars-beat-tape/feed/ 3 http://www.thekoalition.com/jay-z-i-was-really-a-gamer/ http://www.thekoalition.com/jay-z-i-was-really-a-gamer/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:49:34 +0000 A.B. Frasier http://www.thekoalition.com/?p=21238 If you are wondering why the Internets number one video game and hiphop site doesn’t have a review up for DJ Hero after giving this game more coverage than any other faction, ask Activision. But if you are wondering what Jay-Z had to say about this game when he sat down with MTV, we got you covered. Shout out to Tanya over @ 8BitFix for dropping me a line on it (Video Below).

One note though. In the video Jay says he was into the Bulls Vs Celtics games. He really meant to say Lakers Vs. Celtics. Just thought I would throw that bit in there.

Props to B.Dot.

“Jay-Z is not selling drugs anymore and has went from a Brooklyn boy who rapper to a business [...] Jay-Z closed the old book and started a new one while Nas has been stuck on the same book, same chapter since Illmatic damn near”.

I agree with the statement that Jay-Z is not selling drugs anymore and transformed himself into a business, but wasn’t Jay, not 2 years ago, rhyming about drug dealing/hustling on American Gangster? After the release of the critically panned Kingdom Come (an album of Jay’s that I enjoy), Jay-Z went right back to rhyming about drugs on the critically acclaimed American Gangster. Jay recently rhymed on BP3:

“I move onward, the only direction

Can’t be scared to fail, in search of perfection”

Why then, instead of rehashing familiar territory with American Gangster, did Jay not ignore critics and fans alike and proceed with an album in the vein of The Blueprint 3 after the “dud” that was Kingdom Come? A familar rhyme from Joe Budden comes to mind in this situation: “Are we hustling or are we grown up? Every time I hear you, you changing your tone up”(Joe Budden: “Talk To Em”).

Like Nas, Jay is an artist that will always be compared to his greatest work, his debut album. When it comes to Nas however, he has continued to grow as an artist since his debut. He went from the young visionary on Illmatic to painting the Mafioso lifestyle in his own image (i.e. the aptly-titled It Was Written) to a prophet on I Am… & Nastradamus. Stillmaticsaw a return to form for Nas while God’s Son saw him at his most naked emotionally. Street’s Disciple saw growth into a conscious emcee and a family man while Hip Hop is Deadsaw an elder statesmen concerned with the dying art-form and finally, Untitled saw him lyrically at his peak since Illmatic, a politically conscious emcee. It was also on Untitledthat Nas showed that he had firmly slammed the door on his magnum opus and the gift/curse of his career, Illmatic.

Jay’s career has seen great heights on a commercial scale, but his catalogue artistically has seen its share of duds. For an emcee to call themselves the greatest, should they not present their best effort on every album? When you look at both emcee’s catalogue, the odds are definitely in Nas’ favor as he has 5 arguable classic LPs (Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic, The Lost Tapes & Untitled) while Jay has around 2-3 in Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint and American Gangster.

“Jay began to think globally while Nas only saw things locally, as his circumstances so did Jay’s lyrical content. [....] Nas may very well be the best NY lyricist while Jay is the better lyricist in general. Both are deserving of the title but only one has stepped up to the challenge and put the crown on his head. This is not just my opinion: look at the numbers, Jay has beaten Elvis! Jay has retired and came back while Nas has almost given up on hip hop”.

I’d say this was the part in her argument, which irked me the most. When it comes to both emcees, I agree that they are both artists in their own right, but to say Jay is a better artist or lyricist than Nas is flat out wrong imo. Jay proved long ago that he cares more about how many zeroes are in his bank account than about the art-form that hip hop is while Nas continues to grow as an artist and push the boundaries into unfamiliar territory. Another example would be the two premier emcees of the new generation: Lil’ Wayne and Lupe Fiasco. Lil’ Wayne continues to attempt to force his way to rockstar status and sell millions of records while Lupe can rap over rock-type instrumentals while still creating great music and selling a fair amount of records himself. Lyrically, when you compare the two however, there is no competition as Lupe is light-years ahead of Wayne and still relatively young into his burgeoning career. Is Lupe less of an artist for remaining true to his true fans yet still trying new things and not selling out to sell records while Wayne continues to attempt and force himself onto everyone in an attempt to sell more records? I think not.

At the end of the day, Jay-Z will have better numbers than Nas and will have enjoyed a better career than Nas due to the amount of records sold and money made, but when it comes to the essence that hip hop is and consistency in their respective catalogues, there is no comparison: Nas stands tall. Fin.

Shout outs to This Is 50

This show I’m joined by Gary Swaby and we pretty much discuss the state of hiphop right now. I give my impressions and what I took from the Allhiphop.com Social Lounge that went down at NJPAC last Saturday. We also talk about what it takes for a indie artist to blow, if they really wanted to take the bull by the horns. Pause. Enjoy some great music as well.