K-Def In-Store At Fat Beats Records

On Tuesday August 13th, producer K-Def did a 2 hour DJ set at Fat Beats in support of his new release, Beats From The 90s. Beats is a compilation of vintage Def instrumentals, most of which have remained unreleased until now. Fat Beats had vinyl copies of Beats and K-Def’s 2006 beat tape, Willie Boo Boo ‘The Fool’, recently reissued after being out-of-print. K-Def spun a nice mix of his instrumentals, newer cuts (Ghostface’s “It’s Over,” ODB’s “Who Can Make It Happen Like Dirt?”), and classics like “Chief Rocka” and his remix of Nas’ “Street Dreams.”

I snapped some pictures of Def working the decks. Watch some video of K-Def’s set below.

-Aaron Matthews

Is Tonium’s Pacemaker a Heart Stopper?

A few days ago someone handed me a late pass on this nifty little MP3 gizmo that called itself a Pacemaker: A pocket-sized DJ system. I’ve a born skeptic about anything that tries to mimic what a real DJ does so I went scouring the web for other people’s thoughts on the $800 MP3 player/mixer. [Read more]

Producer Isaac Hayes, III Speaks on Father’s Death

Producer Isaac “Ike Dirty” Hayes,III who has produced tracks for Redman, Keith Murray and The Ying Yang Twins, has released a statement on the passing of his iconic father, Isaac Hayes.

“I spoke to my father just recently about working on his album, and he was excited as though this were his first project. I want people to remember my father for the creative, soulful, inspirational force that he was to music and African American people. He was legendary and shared his genius with the world. I also want to thank all of my peers and music industry colleagues who have reached out to express their love and prayers.”

Ike is following in the footsteps of his father as a music producer who has worked with other chart-toppers like Redman, Keith Murray, Chamillionare, KeKe Palmer, Too Short, Blaque, Ruff Ryders, Black Coffey and Raz-B too name a few. Ike reached his first milestone in achieving a top hit single with Lil’ Scrappy “Money in the Bank” and recently produced The Ying Yang Twin’s single, “Drop.”

Ike also posted his feelings regarding his father’s death on his blog - Dirty N The Beest:

“I’m sad, I’m angry, I’m happy all at once right now. I have so many memories of being my father’s son. Little things that make all the difference. Things that help me maintain right now. I can’t be too sad though. My father did great, great things as a Musician , Humanitarian , a Father and a Black man . I’m so happy he touched and inspired so many people in a positive way. I am more proud of my father than anyone could know.”

A memorial service will be held for Isaac Hayes on Monday August 18th at Hope Presbyterian Church, 850 Walnut Grove, Cordova, Tennessee from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to celebrate the life of pioneering soul icon Isaac Hayes, who passed away on Sunday August 10th at the age of 65.

Q&A: Tanya Morgan Take it To The Bridge

Cincinnati and Brooklyn make great hip-hop together, just ask Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek. In 2003 MCs Donwill, Illyas and MC/Producer Von Pea added on to that legacy by forming the group Tanya Morgan.
An online mixtape called Sunlighting lead to their debut CD, Moonlighting in 2006. While they are working on their next full-length follow-up, they’ve released The Bridge EP to keep their fans happy. Nodfactor took a moment to speak with Von Pea and Donwill about that Brooklyn/Nati connection and making beats on a budget.

[Read more]

CD REVIEW: SKILLZ, THE MILLION DOLLAR BACKPACK

Shaquan Lewis aka Skillz ain’t mad no more. In fact, he sounds content with his place in hip hop on his new album, The Million Dollar Backpack. The album marks Skillz’ first release since 2005’s Confessions Of A Ghostwriter. His first CD, From Where??, was an undergound favorite in 1996 with a hit single that (that coincidentally inspired the name of this here website you’re reading) “The Nodfactor.”

There’s no doubt that Skillz is an immensely talented rapper, capable of amusing punchlines and engaging storytelling. But there is a big difference between doing a yearly “Rap-up” over someone else’s beat and putting out a project of your own. So what is Million Dollar Backpack really worth?

Backpack begins with Skillz tracing the journey of the backpack in hip-hop, from Buckshot to Kanye, over a mellow bassline and rimshots courtesy of DJ Jazzy Jeff (and maybe Al Green but we’ll let you all fight over it). But the difference between his 16-bar blitzkriegs on other people’s projects (ie “One MC, One DJ”) is that Skillz is more focused on concepts that punchlines for his own album. And for the most part the producers match his intensity note for note.

On “So Far, So Good” Usef Dinero gives Skillz and Common a lilting piano to reminisce on their place in hip hop and on the hilarious “My Phone” Fusion Unlimited provide the jazzy soundbed for Skillz “dreams of calling an Hollywood chick” style narrative. On “Hold Tight,” Skillz and Black Thought of the Roots rip a horny, pounding beat from ?uestlove and James Poyser and on the inspirational “I’m Gon Make It” Bink! wraps some organ notes around some frantic cymbal crashes matching Skillz Redbull-infused recollections of his childhood. “Preachin To the Choir” may not invoke the “oh shit” factor of stories like “Imagine” but it comes pretty damn close.

But the battle-rapper in Skillz is not dead. The Kwame-produced “Sick” is an epic brag rap where Skillz tells listeners just how long he’s been a one-man quarantine. Over what are probably the hardest kicks on the CD Skillz brags that “he was sick before Ye’ and Swizz Beatz knew how to chop them drums…” and on “Don’t Act Like You Don’t Know” has Skillz and Freeway spitting vicious verses over a “What We Do” sound-a-like produced by Orthodox and Ransum.

Unfortunately, some tracks feel like mixtape material–good without leaving a lasting impression. Filler like “Yeah You Know It” just drag down the proceedings and Skillz falters when he forces the R&B hand. He feels out of place like Buckshot at a P Diddy over the breathy hook and conga drums of “(For Real) He Don’t Own Me” and and the Jake One produced “Where I’ve Been.”

That said, the best tracks on Backpack are some of the best tracks I’ve heard this year, and prove that Skillz still deserves our attention in 2008. No matter what his backpack costs his flow is worth way more than 50 Cents any day.

Aaron Matthews