Art I like

I just got the latest issue of "Juxtapoz" and thought i should write a post on the subject of art, even though I've always enjoyed drawing and "doodling" on papers I've never thought that i would seriously get into art, to the point where i have favorite "painters"  and buys art magazines and books. There is simply so much garbage and pretentious nonsense out there and nice museums are like "one in a million" experiences. When i say im into art I do not mean the self important scene where intellectuals admire a few untalented paint splatters on a canvas and tries to come up whit forced interpretations of them to show how smart they are.

There's this "lowbrow", "pop art" movement out there who produces amazing things, everything from more serious works to silly, playful stuff. I'm talking about painters like like Shag, Joe Ledbetter, Mark Ryden, Yoko D'Holbachie etc... There is about a million more artists worth to mention but the ones above are some of my favorites. Some good sources  to get your feets wet and start to discover more would be books like "Weirdo Deluxe" or "Pop surrealism" or magazines like "Juxtapoz" or "Hi Fructose" . Hope this post opened up your eyes and inspired you to develop an interest in art, there's some amazing stuff out there just waiting to be discovered.

Syster Sol - Domd att bli bedomd

Despite (or maybe because of) being a small nation Sweden has always been very keen on picking up international trends and styles and make it their own. One of our biggest international exports is our music, groups like Roxette, Abba, Ace of Base etc have had quite some success, not that i like any of the groups mentioned or that Swedish Reggae have had a huge international impact but still....

When it comes to Swedish Reggae there is like 2 different camps, the one who tries to put a Swedish perspective on the music, inspired by it's Jamaican roots but not interested in trying to sound like it and then the ones who tries to emulate it as much as possible whit patois accents and all. Im not going to take sides, i like both styles and i guess this is leaning more towards the "Swedish perspective camp" whit her highly original and kinda nasal way of singjaying.

Whit that being said, the backing is quite traditional, 70ies sounding but let's move on to the first song, "Nar vi kommer" (translation: "When we come") a happy, summer sounding song whit major crossover potential (although it's not a sellout song in any way). It's about how Syster Sol has other goals than what "Babylon" has and does not wanna achieve the same things or go the same ways. I guess the definition of "Babylon" here is more an secular, political one, this is not an religious, RastafarI reggae album.

Next up is "Reflektioner" is an very, very deep song about your inner life, your soul, emotions and how you can end up cause your own unhappiness due to look at yourself in the wrong way. It's the total oposite of the previous song whit it's slightly melancholic and slow sound, it's not bad but not my favourite on the album either as it's not all that catchy.

A couple songs later on comes "Vad hande sen" (translation "What happened then") a song which at first sounds like a song about failed love but is about false prophets and their hollow promises of a better tomorrow. It's an digital, uptempo song whit a rootsy vibe to it. Perfect for the dance-floor without being too trivial and adjusted to the club. The title track "Doomed to be judged" a deep song about the society we live in and how it tries to suppress us and our true selves, it's another uptempo roots song whit a good message about self realization.

Over all i would say this is a good album, it has dept, good production values and it feels very ready to take on the music industry and an wide audience without ever selling out. There are no major problems whit it but if i have to mention anything it would perhaps be that the lyrical content on here is very similar throughout the album. Whit a few exceptions it's basically 10 songs about inner struggle and (slightly abstract) criticism of our society and it's values and nothing more. But that's only if I'm nitpicking and tries my best to find faults whit it, "Domd att bli bedomd" is a  good album from an original artist i look forward to hear more from.

Blunt Familia - From Burque 2 Diego

Iv'e noticed that often when im lucky enough to get a New Mexico rap cd i tend to somehow not bother to listen to it, even if i like it and recognise the artist in question got skills. This was not the case whit this album though, it's been spinning non-stop ever since i got it. These Albuqurkee (where else would a NM artist come from, lol) cats sounds good for real and this cd is 15 tracks of str8 fire.

By looking at the cover one would asume that this is some hardcore gangstarap and except for the ocational "club banger" ones asumptions are correct. These are some badass chicanos whit their feets firmly rooted in the Burque streets and a heavy San Diego influence in their music (someone in "Blunt Familia" just have to have heavy ties whit San Diego, coming from there or something) that features guys like "Mitchy Slick" and "Smigg Dirtee" but also local acts like Juan Gambino and New Mexico R&B sensation David Wade among many others.

First up is "We run the streets" (ft. 'Boss Man Hogg") and yeah, that is the first track, there's no intro taking place in at a faux radioshow whit lame listeners called in or anything else. They start whit a song (amazingly there are no intros, skits or anything like that on here) and a good one at that, some sorta anthem for the southwest and NM. Been huming "....it's all the same, nothing change in New Mexico" ever since iv'e got this album. It's a fairly simple beat, not too melodic and works well whit the agressive flow and lyrics on here about what goes on in the NM and how "Blunt Familia" runs shit. A very good start to the album.

Next up is "Tha Mob" wich is not quite as good (although it's nowhere near bad), it feels like a song in it's own right but kinda has the lenght of a skit and a monotonous violin based beat. Okay but im not sad over the fact that it's as short as it is. Next up is one of my favourites on the album, "In tha southwest" wich deals whit the day to day struggle of living and trying to get somewhere in life, both as an rapper and individual. I realy like the chorus of this one, whoever does it sounds slightly like "Young Jeezy" although the beat is more of an eastcoast sounding, sample based one (okay, it's not suuuper eastcoast sounding but still....). Song 5, "Mob deep" has nothing to do whit the classic group of the same name but gives us mafia stories over a dark orchestral beat (whit a strong precensee of flute). It's one of only 2 songs whit no features on and "Blunt Familia" shows that they can hold it down on their own.

What follows is "Good 2 floss", a smooth, westcoast sounding track whit San Diego underground legend "Mitchy Slick", pefect to cruise to. A coupla songs further on, track 11; "Southwest hustlers" features classic latino rapper "Mr.Shadow" and "Obnoxious", it's very catchy whit it's repetitive loop and lyrics uniting San Diego hustlers whit Burque ones. I guess the 13th track on here, "V.I.P" whit NM R&B top dawg "David Wade" is the albums designated club banger whit it's chill lyrics and melodic backing. While it's competently made it feels a bit unimaginative but that is probably just as much due to me not feeling these type of tracks as it can be contributed to any faults by the producer or "Blunt Familia". The album ends at 15 tracks deep whit "Shine on" featuring one of the more prolific Burque rappers out there, "Juan Gambino". I only got 1 of his albums but my experience is that he often blends a heavy R&B vibe while still managing to keep it thugged out. This last cut fits him perfect as it's smooth and jazzy while at the same time being firmly rooted in the streets.

When talking about "NM" rap i often use phrases like "....unusualy good for being from NM" but saying anything like that when talking about these guys would be unfair, they are just plain good. Unless your'e in Albuqurkee this album will probably be kinda hard to come by as distribution for NM rap sucks to a point where it's tough getting any even if youre in NM but if you happen to come across "From Burque 2 Diego", don't hessitate to buy it. It's a good album whit a varied content, plenty of songs for the streets and a few for women and the clubs. These guys rep New Mexico and does it real good.

Ras Shiloh - Coming home

One of the biggest losses in contemporary Reggae has to be the very untimely death of "Garnett Silk" in the mid 90ies, he could have become one of the brightest shining stars of the genre. Luckily we still got "Ras Shiloh" who has a voice that is very similar to the dead "superstar-to-be". It's hard to tell from listening to him but he's American, born and raised in NY. This album from 07' is one of his most recent and best.

It starts geniously whit "We need more love" who calls out for "more love" and is very critical to how we treat each other nowadays and how he's "tired of walking the streets being afraid of my own shadow", the music is very smooth and relaxed without straying too much from a distinct backbeat. This is the kinda riddim that works just as well on an British "lovers rock" song as an more conscious one, an excellent start to this album and one of my favourite "Ras Shiloh" songs of all-time.

Next up, on "Voice of the people"  he criticize the governments of the world and how they oppresses "the voice of the people"  and how that will cause 'nuff negativity such as riots and social unrest. It features Rasta/12 Tribes super group "Morgan Heritage" and is a lil bit more uptempo than the first song, it's a good song whit an important message but fails to reach the heights of the first song. A couple songs later we get "The new rising day" whit Ragga artist "Bascom X", it's similar to the first song in content but ads a bit of dancehall vibes to the preachings of love and understanding, a great uptempo roots song whit a contemporary feel.

For those who want's lovers songs he continues whit "Need your love" and "Are you lonely" who are just as smooth and relaxed as these sorta songs should be, i think it's a nice touch when more conscious, rootsy artists ad a few love songs to their albums, it softens them up a bit, ads variety and iv'e personaly always enjoyed sappy love songs done to a backbeat.

 Don't think that "Ras Shiloh" strays from the more straight religious subjects on here, "Volume of the books" deals whit the words of the bible and on "Come down Jah Jah" he pleads for god to return to earth, all over some catchy uptempo riddims. Over all i would say that this is a very good and well rounded album where Ras infuses some of his own personality into his music and shows that he's more than just a "Garnett Silk" copycat artist. I may not have mentioned every song on here but this album certainly is one without any fillers, if you're into smooth, contemporary roots reggae whit a touch of "lovers rock" you would do very good in buying this.

 Coming Home   Only King Selassie   Babylon You Doom   From Rasta to You   Melchizedek Vibes Vol. One

I'm back

I have not really cared about this blog for a long time but i got a burst of motivation and will start writing again. I might restructure it a little bit and start covering subjects i did not cover before but im still the same old guy so the focus on music will most likely still be there.

Louisiana showcase to look out for

Found a flyer for this future project, a cd/dvd will be dropping sometime soon featuring all kinda rappers from Louisiana, sounds very interesting and promissing if u ask me. Im not associated whit the project but "be on the look out" for it, shure seems promising.

C.M.N. - Bulletproof vest

Being one of the Southern cities where Crips established themselves in, the Shreveport Rap scene has always had a strong West coast influence. This can be hear in artists like "Jako James" and most certainly on this Ep from "C.M.N." which features 5 tracks of skillfully made G-funk. My first impression after looking at the cover was that this was going to be one heck of a hardcore album, it has that primitive but sinister look to it, kinda like a Louisiana version of the early Memphis "horrorcore" tapes.

I could not be more wrong, it's on the softer side of the "Reality-rap" spectrum, these cats ain't portraying themselves to be the hardest or toughest guys out there and the music is as smooth as it can be. First track is the title track "Bullet proof vest" where they advice fools to wear their bulletproof vest on if they are to survive on the streets of port city. It's a lot less "hardcore" cut than you may think but among the better on here, fans of "Warren G" and likewise LA artists will really dig this album. Their flow is perfect, lyrics on point and the beat ain't any worse.

Next up is "Last but not least", i dunno why but I'm not feeling this song quite as much, something whit the chorus that annoys me. It's not really a bad song, it's about how they have to work twice as hard for recognition in the rap game since they ain't from the "East" or "West" where all the focus is. Everything is on point in this one and I have no clue why i don't like it, chances are that you will.

If we jump one track we come to "You don't know me" who is about all these fake friends who tries to pose as if they know you since you made it big, besides having a violin loop that really don't fit this is a very good song, once again whit a perfect flow and all that. Last song is "Lyrical homicide", not bad but i have some minor issues whit the chorus again, using phrases like "lyrical homicide" and "verbal drive-by" is very corny to me. Other than that i dig it.

To sum things up, putting the minor flaws aside, this is a very good album, tite production and flow, I would label this "perfect cruising music". The back of the cover says the 5 songs have been taken from a future full-lenght Cd, "10 years in the making" but i don't think it was ever released. A great Los Angeles album, from Shreveport/Louisiana.

Ms.Tee, Queen of New Orleans RAP

When it comes to female New Orleans artists iv'e always considered "Ms.Tee" the queen (not Mia X) of Rap (and "Cheeky Black" perhaps the prinsses). I realy dig her albums but it was quite some time since i heard too much from her. Lately though iv'e noticed that several new songs have popped up on her myspace page (good ones) and there has been talk of a new album being in the makings. So, check out her page and keep your eyes/ears open for a new album (I realy hope there will be one).

http://www.myspace.com/msteegirltalk

NewBounce Documentary; Ya Heard Me

I got both good and bad news for you, the good is that there actually is a documentary about Bounce music out there, "Ya Heard Me". The bad news is that i know nothing about how you can watch this movie, unless you belong to the "movie festival crowd". In it you get to see legends like "Dj Jimi", "TTucker" and "Cheeky Blakk" among a buncha others like "Kilo" and old "No Limit" artist "Mia X".

Kilo really nails it down when he tries to describe Bounce by saying "It's not gangsta music, it's not R&B music, it's project music", a truer comment could not be said about this "sub genre", it's really not gangsta (although some artists do music they describe as "gangsta bounce") but it feels just about as ghetto as it possibly can. Well, in the documentary we get to see plenty of asses shaking and we get some time in the studio where they make bounce beats.

Damn, damn, damn, gosh darn it, I want to see this documentary. I will have to try and convince the maker of this movie that I'm important enough to be sent a screener copy of it. I know I will not be able to attend any screenings at festivals and I do not wanna wait until a DVD release is available.

http://www.yaheardmefilm.com/

Hideo Out Clique - Game on freeze

There is just so much talent in New Orleans that it's almost unreal, before Katarina there was like 500.000 persons living there and it seems as if you triple that number you get the amount of great Rap albums that has been released from there. Today we gon take a closer look at one of these, a rare lil underground gem by a buncha brothas i really dunno too much about other than that it always cost quite a bit when i see it on Ebay and still attracts plenty of bidders.

Shit starts whit an annoying Intro shaped as an Radioshow (ain't those the worst?). It gets better fast though when the first song comes, "In da zone" which is sum str8 killa shit about how they ain't afraid to kill you and leave your family suffering. An aggressive, really tite song and boy can these guys flow or what? They are rappin their asses of on here, very good. They continue whit "Want some, get some" where they rap whit more rough voices and a 100% more aggressive style, it's about how you must get what you want and not sit there waiting for shit to come to you, this song is sooo freakin, good and their flow is among the better I've heard in a long, long time. These cats gotta be the hungriest rappers ever.

Adding some variety to things, the next cut is more mellow and R&B-ish "Ain't worth living" which is a heartfelt and depressing look into these guys life's full of of drugs, death and ghetto drama and how life really is not worth living that way. For y'all youngsters out there (who has watched too many ghetto flicks and is) thinking "thug-life" is cool, let these cats educate y'all. More mellowness is served on "Caught in the game" who is kinda on the same level as the previous tune. On a more upbeat level (a few tunes further in) we get "Southern girls", dedicated to all black women from the south. This is on some really positive vibes, bigging up all women instead of going on degrading them by calling them all sorta expletives and hurling insults at em. A perfect break from all the depressing shit.

Track 09, "Everybody wanna be a...." is a return to the more aggressive feel of the first few songs and is about how hard and mean they are, one of my many favourites on here. Next up is "Face down", about how all their enemies must die, laying face down. It's not smart, subtle or anything like that, this is 100% pure, in your face gangsta music, these guys are mad and won't try to hide it or anything... It might be glorifying and negative but still a catchy as FUCK tune that is bound to stick in your head like glue.

Over all i would say that this is an soooopah tite album, it's well balanced and varied while still always remaining street and gangsta. Their flow is nothing but amazing, like i said: These guys rap their asses of and each rapper bring their own style to the game that all blends into a very appealing album. It's unf. a quite rare album, if you find it on Ebay or anywhere else online, expect to pay like 50-70$ at least. No matter how tite an album might be, a lot of folks would never pay that much for any Cd but if you belong to the few who would, this one is worth it.