This is not intended to be comprehensive or touch all rap music bases or to precisely represent the year in rap. I wanted to make something that was fun & musical, that you might actually want to listen to more than once, instead of checking off a list of the artists that best represent your Personal Brand. Lots of artists, including many that blogs are talking covering heavily, are not. This isnt a diss to those artists, except when it is. Boosie not making an '09 rap list is crazy, but the songs of his I was looking at just didnt fit. Same with Z-Ro. Oh well.
That said, this is also kind of a statement from me about the State of Rap (although hopefully a more entertaining one than "hey here's another tl;dr essay about The State of Rap"). Simon's "running up frantically brandishing some half-decent recent rap CDs and spluttering indignantly "look, LOOK how can it be dead?!"" was actually a pretty cutting point about 99% of people's responses to his essay -- "rap's not dead, you just need to hear this new blu & exile / the new raekwon / freddie gibbs / huntsville" -- these are all wrong answers. None of those artists are going to save rap (& its ridiculous to suggest that they could) and certainly for a writer like him, looking at the genre & saying a dude who is working very much w/in tradition like Gibbs is gonna change the game is the same as giving up.
None of these tracks are going to save rap either. Thats not the point. But I hope some people realize that there is worthwhile rap music coming from a lot more places than you might realize. That I could make this mix w/out including gibbs/huntsville/pill/z-ro/boosie etc. & it still bumps (in my opinion) is a great thing about the 'state of rap.' there are all kinds of scenes & musical developments happening underneath our noses & while they dont have the same media profile, while there's no big central Rap Mainstream to orient ourselves around, that doesnt mean they dont exist. Try engaging with music outside of the critical bubble is surprisingly easy. You just have to talk to people outside the rap blog bubble.
Of course, being cynical about rap music critics are embracing is healthy, but you still have to make some aesthetic choices of your own as a listener in order for your opinion to be worthwhile. The assumption that criticism is all 'hating' is wrong. Criticism is about discernment, the act of honestly assessing the musical terrain all around you. No critic who can't put forward some aesthetic values of his or her own, but spends all day trashing others, is going to be a very convincing one.
So here's my attempt to put some of my favorite rap from 2009 into a single product that represents the sound & style of '09 street rap to me. I'm trying to keep things interesting. Excuse the DJ drops over a couple songs near the beginning, NODJ CDQ's aren't as common as they should be.
1 Gucci Mane, The Burrprint: 3D DJ Drama Points: 30
2 Maxwell, BLACKsummers'night Columbia Points: 10
3 DJ Quik and Kurupt, Blaqkout Mad Science Points: 10
4 Marcus Nasty, Rinse 10 Rinse FM Points: 10
5 Mungolian Jet Set, We Gave It All Away...Now We Are Taking It Back Smalltown Supersound Points: 10
6 Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II Ice H2O/EMI Points: 10
7 Dâm-Funk, Toeachizown Stone's Throw Points: 5
8 Big K.R.I.T., The Last King (Self Release) Points: 5
9 Ryan Leslie, Transition Universal Points: 5
10 J. Stalin and Mayback, The Real World 2 East-West Oakland Edition Livewire Points: 5
Singles
1 DJ Kaos, "Love the Nite Away (Tiedye Mix)" DFA
2 Gucci Mane, "Lemonade" Warner
3 Azari & III, "Reckless (With Your Love)" Permanent Vacation
4 Fast Life Youngstaz, "Swag Surfin'" Island
5 Crazy Cousinz, "Inflation" (Self Release)
6 Sneaky Sound System, "It's Not My Problem (Seamus Haji Remix)" Edel
7 DJ Spinna (ft. Elzhi), "More Colors" Traffic Ent.
8 Cole Boyz (ft. Devin the Dude), "Pleazure" Cole Blooded Entertainment
9 Sade, "Soldier of Love" Epic
10 Addeboy vs. Cliff, "Beep My Beep" Headlock
A couple days ago, I reviewed G-Side's Huntsville International for Pitchfork. A lot of the praise for their stuff has been, I think, a little overheated; they are steadily improving, though, and I think they released a solid record.
Can't say I think too much of this take on the Young Money record -- the beats I heard are reasonably 'fresh' & novel, but all have this sorta textural thinness that doesn't really bear much replay (think the exact opposite of a Dre beat off 2001, where each track's inherent hugeness gives it a sort of infinite timelessness, feeling like Stonehenge or Easter Island, the kind of song that resets the rap timeline where you can't imagine rap without it.)
And the less said about the rapping the better; Minaj somehow acquits herself the best, or sounds more like a star at any rate, and I used to like Mack Maine! But the constant underlining of punchlines is just unbearable. Since when did rap fans want to hear each average punchline accompanied by a jab to the ribs?
Real talk the rap record you should be listening to in the first quarter of 2010 is by J Stalin:
He can write, he has energy and personality and a cocky, youthful approach. Never particularly concerned with wordplay, just directness and a strong appreciation of the art of rapping, the kind of vibrancy missing from most rappers right now. He's been killing it for a few years -- 808 bangs pretty hard & you get a chance to see some big-name cosigns in the video, and Paint the Town was a bona fide post-hyphy anthem. Other than two pretty mediocre ladies tracks ("Get Off Me" and "G In Me" -- although dont get the wrong impression, he has some solid 4theladies tracks as well) Prenuptial Agreement is Stalin's best record yet, topping Gas Nation.
The new bay music has created an interesting way out from the kind of boring local scene b.s. that has made entire metropolises worthless for rap in other parts of the states. It helps that the bay has always been kind of isolated and insular in some ways, and aside from the awkward period of brief media infatuation circa hyphy, artists like the mob figaz and J Stalin's livewire crew, along with production from guys like the mecanix, dj fresh and traxamillion, have added another chapter to the long tradition of yay area mob music dating way back. But what makes this shit feel so vital & worthwhile right now -- and the reason it's become my favorite scene at the moment -- is a little more complicated.
The scene seems to mainly surround a few key figures -- mob figaz Jacka & Husalah and Livewire's J-Stalin and Shady Nate seem to be the most inspired behind the mic. Jacka's persona in particular seems to carry gravitas that could put him on the level with bigger national rappers; his innovation was incorporating east coast mafia rap style (he even bears a sorta-resemblance to jadakiss) with a laconic west coast swagger. There are of course hundreds of other guys out there of varying levels of ability, and aside from the above exceptions, this scene doesn't feel particularly personality driven. If you want to catch up on everything J-Stalin's been on for the past year, you're downloading not just his pre-leak tape and the album, but the Livewire compilations, DJ Fresh's The Real World, and countless other records from other bay area artists where the guy is featured. The bay has always had a rep for churning out product, but in this economic climate, where the entire region seems to constantly be dropping material, most artists rely on everyone else to help pad out their albums, keeping up a consistent stream of new releases.
But what keeps this system interesting is that bay area rap music is most reminiscent to me of that late 1990s/early 2000s period in New York, where hardcore new york street rap was at once uncompromisingly rap, while remaining unapologetically pop. I'm talking about late 90s Jay-Z circa "Can I Get A....", The Lox on "Ryde or Die Bitch," Big Pun's "Still Not a Playa," even Ja Rule jacking Stevie for "Livin It Up." I think the last big anthem I remember like this that still felt like a part of this movement was Ja's "New York New York" with Jada and Fat Joe. Basically, that moment in the wake of Bad Boy's big string of number one hits, where each glossy chorus was OK because the raps were hard & the vibe was hood.
Aside from guys like Jacka and J-Stalin, a lot of the albums in this scene are incredibly inconsistent -- in fact, the brand new Jacka tape is mostly dull (although "We Mafia" is a must hear for the kind of sunny-day mafia rap vibe that basically cant exist in gothic new york), and even his solo album was worse than it should have been (the street album he dropped before it is incredible, though). It's a sign that Jacka and DJ Fresh should both realize -- as cool as it is to hear Fresh work with Kool G Rap, or Jacka with Freeway, it really breaks the illusion that these guys are working within their own universe, and the music so far just hasn't been good when they break out. A stiff rapper like Berner records better tracks with Jacka than Freeway does:
In 2009, popular rap is moving in two directions; mainstream gangster throughout is in a lo-fi tinny vein more comparable to early 90s NY than most early 90s NY fans probably even realize, and aside from an occasional crossover soulja boy/KE single, is pulling further than ever from the pop charts. Then the biggest pop hits tend to be more R&B than rap, as if they're apologizing for even letting Gucci or Drake bother anyone for 30 seconds of non-singing. A huge part of the appeal of the bay stuff is how high-production-value it sounds in comparison to a lot of southern shit, just as a refreshing contrast. But more than that, it's about this angling for a kind of unpopular 'pop,' this sort of imaginary audience that craves hooks & style and a certain musicality & suaveness within rap. It's not that they want to be listening to another genre, like Flo Rida fans who secretly just want to be at 80s night, to have a chorus to sing along with. This is rap music for fans of real talk & kush smoking, street music etc., but with an appreciation of songcraft & musical sensibilities, an appreciation of the lush rap production of the music's popular peak.
As a result, beats tend to be rooted in an 80s R&B tradition not unlike the Trackmasters (certainly progenitors of the late 90s pop-rap NY movement), the same smooth synthesizers and electro-R&B instrumentals that gave us "I Love the Dough" & "I'll Be". DJ Fresh, in particular, seems to revel in thissort of thing. Although the Mecanix do too, particularly on the highlights of Prenuptial Agreement; take Money on the Way for a kind of Miami Vice / 80s cop movie vibe. Or the album's closing track, "Show Me":
This isn't to say that this shit is pop in a way that's going to storm the billboard charts; quite the opposite, in fact. A part of the appeal to this is that it's captured an intangible pop vibe that used to exist, but doesn't really any more on a wide scale, perhaps the natural outcome of a rap scene existing in such an insular space for so long. It requires a lot of work to follow, or at least a lot of hard drive space; I basically end up flipping through mixtapes pretty quickly, pulling out great tracks and moving on. It's like looking for variation, for unexpected moves, the ultimate search for novelty -- you know you're getting bored when you start hearing tracks that all sound too similar, but just then you'll find Husalah rapping over a beat like this or J-Stalin doing an inspired hollering-at-the-ladies pop rap single like this. It also requires giving each track a chance to work on its own terms, rather than following a couple key rapping auteurs or figureheads. It's a really healthy scene that relies on constant surprise and has an amazingly high hit rate.
I like throwing this stuff out there after everyone has stopped caring. Here are a bunch of songs I loved in 2009.
1. DJ Kaos - Love the Nite Away (Tiedye Remix)
2. Gucci Mane - 1st Day Out (I'm Back Bitch)
3. Maxwell - Pretty Wings
4. Azari & III - Reckless With Your Love
5. Rick Ross feat. The-Dream - All I Really Want
6. F.L.Y. - Swag Surfin'
7. Mini Viva - Left My Heart in Toyko
8. DJ Spinna - More Colors feat. Elzhi
9. Classixx - I'll Get You feat. Jeppe
10. Crazy Cousinz - Inflation
11. DJ Quik & Kurupt - Do You Know
12. Twista feat. The Game & Spice 1 - No Love
13. Sneaky Sound System - It's Not My Problem (Seamus Haji Remix)
14. Addeboy vs. Cliff - Beep my Beep
15. The Jacka - Paper Non Stop feat. Fedex
16. Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Richard X Remix)
17. Gucci Mane - Wonderful
18. El Perro Del Mar - Change of Heart
19. Beni - My Love Sees You (Classixx Remix)
20. Bat for Lashes - Daniel
21. Mungolian Jetset - Creepy
22. Girls - Lust for Life
23. Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill
24. Gucci Mane - My Shadow
25. Juan Maclean - One Day (Surkin Remix)
26. Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone
27. Royce da 5'9 - Part of Me
28. Trai'D - X-Pill
29. Husalah - Pray For You
30. 321 vs. Tim Healey/Deekline - Bring it Back (Ill Blu Remix)
31. Yung Joc - Posted at the Store feat. Gucci Mane
32. The Jacka - Glamorous Lifestyle
33. Yo Gotti - Phone Ringin feat. Zed Zilla
34. House of House - Rushing to Paradise (Walking These Streets)
35. Sade - Soldier of Love
36. Gucci Mane - Wasted
37. Shakira - She Wolf
38. Young Ready - 1 Rubber feat. Max Minelli and C-Loc
39. Permanent Vacation - Tic Toc feat. Kathy Diamond
40. Jeremih - Imma Star
41. Rich Kids - Patna Dem feat. Young Dro
42. Bassment Jaxx - Raindrops
43. Playa Shaw - Mr. Miyagi
44. Dirty Red - M.O.N.E.Y.
45. Fuzzy Logik - In The Morning feat. Egypt
46. Tensnake - Can You Feel It
47. 50 Cent - Crime Wave (Remix feat. Gucci Mane)
48. Jadakiss - Cartel Gathering feat. Raekwon and Ghostface
49. Yung Joc - Meet Me at the Bar
50. Jay Electronica - Exhibit C
51. Project Pat feat. Gucci Mane - Time to Eat
52. The Jacka & Berner - Traffickin' feat. Fed-X and Lee Majors
53. Fr3e - I Got My Beads On
54. Holy Ghost - I Will Come Back (Classixx Acapulco Nights Remix)
55. Raekwon - Sonny's Missing
56. Kurupt - Bacon & Eggs
57. Still Going - Spaghetti Circus
58. DJ Crazy Toones & Kurupt - 2 Turntables and a Microphone
59. Lil B - I'm God
60. Cizzea - Come On Girl
61. Jbar & Gangsta Boo - Call Me
62. Papa Duck - Be Easy
63. G-Side - My Aura
64. Big Bank Black - Stop Playin
65. Cole Boyz - Pleazure feat. Devin the Dude
66. Lil Boosie - Top Notch
67. Rich Kids feat. Lil Scrappy & Ludacris - Patna Dem Remix
68. Skillz - Up All Nite
69. Trey Songz - Successful feat. Drake
70. J. Stalin - Rock Day
71. Cormega - Journey
72. Lil Cali & Mouse - Ric Flair feat. Young Dro
73. Ladyhawke - Magic (Classixx Version)
74. Gucci Mane - Heavy
75. Hot Toddy feat. Ron Basejam - I Need Love
76. Gucci Mane - Overboard
77. Cole Boyz - Da Woodz (BAMA Remix) feat. ST from G-Side, Dirty, Lil Chappy & Fat Rat
78. Juicy J feat. Project Pat & Gucci Mane - 30 Inches Remix
79. DJ Paul - Pop a Pill
80. Mayer Hawthorne - My Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix)
81. Pleasure P - Under
82. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
83. Fontan - Neanderthaler
84. Zombi - Sapphire (Escort Remix)
85. Cam'ron - I Used To Get It In Ohio
86. 6 Tre G - Fresh
87. K.I.G. - Head Shoulders Knees and Toes Remix feat. Kardinal Offishal and Wale
88. Max B - All My Life feat. Mack Mustard
89. Terrence Martin feat. Pete Rock - Ridin Out
90. Tiga - Shoes (Green Velvet Remix)
91. Project Mayhem - Weed & Champagne
92. Walter Jones - Living Without Your Love
93. Leighton Meester feat. Robin Thicke - Somebody to Love
94. Red Cafe - Heart & Soul
95. Kurt Vile - Beach on the Moon
96. Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)
97. Shady Nate - Planes Trains & Automobiles feat. E Da Sanga
98. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
99. Big Boi - Fo Yo Sorrows feat. George Clinton & Too $hort
100. Young Dro - Clean With It
