Review: Premier’s Beats That Collected Dust
August 29, 2008
It’s not rally fair to “review” these beats because even Premier has admitted this is “not his best work.” However, it’s still great to get a glimpse into his mind and to know that even the great ones make “rough drafts” from time to time. These are just my first impressions after hearing the instrumentals and who I think could have used them, if anybody.
JLB
1.Spin Live. The GZA would BODY this. The moans give it a very RZA feel and it’s slower than your typical Premier beat. Definitely too moody for Guru, maybe Jeru? Nah.
2.Sing Like Bilal. Sounds like something meant for a Gang Starr album.
Simple drums with a played bassline. The coolest part is the vocal sample of Lil Fame’s “Sing like b-low.”
3.Blow Horn Joint is just what it sounds like, chopped trumpet over drums. It sounds more like a hook than a beat to rhyme over though. Maybe a ghetto love song but who? MF Doom is just crazy enough to make this work.
4.Pee-An-Oh. So I’m not the only one who gives goofie titles to beats? This one ain’t bad. Another one for Guru with proper mixing and mastering. It sounds a bit hollow but the chops are on.
5.Mysterious. The way it starts I’m just waiting for MOP to come in and light the fuse when the drums come in…but they never do. This is definitely unfinished but the bass line and strings set me up for something potentially bananas. I may play the “Substitution” drums over this just to hear what it sounds like.
6. Dadaa, this is the first one I hear that should just be an instrumental. Nice interlude maybe, but it doesn’t cry out for a voice. The chops are doing all the talking.
7. Dink. Royce. First voice I heard when this came on. Dark piano chop, but not as pervasive as “Pee-An-Oh.” Change up is nice.
8. B-Line. This is a little softer than the others. I could actually hear Eric Roberson singing over this. That would be an ill collab. If not a singer then maybe Mos Def. Wait, he sangs, too. Shweet.
9.Trackhorn. The most “complete” of the tracks thus far. Drums hit hard and horn chop has a nice melody. I’d speed it up just a little bit and give it to SkyZoo.
10.Waaaa. I love the way this starts. The melody is a beautiful, echoing mess that can only be tamed by some wicked drums. “Long Red” was a great choice but my lazy ass would have just looped it instead of trying to chop it in.
11. Droop. Niiiice. I can hear him scratching in some loud MOP vocals for a hook. Of course it needs a change up, etc. but I’d throw a Kool G. Rap or Nas acapella over this in a heartbeat to see how it sounded.
12.The Original Represent. “WOOOOW,” Is all I have to say. This sounds so bare compared to the original, just drums and a bassline. I appreciate it as a piece of history and just knowing where it ended up raises all of these questions. I really want to ask Premier how he got from this to the finished product with the Thief of Baghdad sample.
A Million DJs To March on D.C. This Weekend
August 27, 2008
Washington, D.C. - This Friday, August 29th will see the beginning of the two days of activities that make up the inaugural Million DJ March event. Consisting of a day of panel discussions and an evening celebrity basketball game on Friday at the D.C. Boys and Girls Club, and ending with the March itself on the lawn at National Mall on Saturday, August 30th, the 2 day event is expected to attract DJ’s from all over the nation.
The event will not only be an opportunity to protest unfair compensation practices but will help DJs organize their businesses, sign up for health insurance, and learn about the legal issues mixtape DJs face.
Saturday’s schedule, which begins at 11AM will consist of a day of speeches by the likes of The Wondertwinz, Jazzy Jay, Jeannie Jones (WKYS), Superstar Jay, Chuck T, CL of Digiwaxx, B Mack of Foundation Magazine, DJ Nabs, DJ Reg West, Roger Toussaint, the owners of RapMullet.com, members of the D.C. City Council and KRS One, tailored to issues pertaining to the DJ community with intermissions of live performance by artists and DJ’s such as KRS One, Dirty Harry, Joell Ortiz, Saigon, Keith Murray, Cory Gunz, Bang Bang Boogie, DJ Famous, Kia Shine, Gillie Da Kid and Nina B.
The entire event will be broadcast live on XM Satellite’s 66 Raw station (Million DJ March Mixmaster Weekend) and webcast live on http://www.thatshiphop.com
MILLION DJ MARCH TIME TABLE
Friday, August 29th - The Boys and Girls Club (2500 14th Street NW, Washington DC 20019)
4PM Panel Discussion with DJ Leggs
6PM Insurance Dinner with DJ Roz
7PM Celebrity Basketball Game
8PM - 3AM Official Million DJ March Red Carpet Media Kick Off @ The Felix (2406 18th Street NW, Washington D.C. 20009)
Saturday, August 30th - National Mall (on the lawn), Washington D.C.
11AM - 8PM Main event with special performances by: KRS One, Kia Shine, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, Cory Gunz, Saigon, Gillie Da Kid, Nina B, DJ Geometrix, Chuck T, DJ Self, Jazzy Jay, DJ Nabs, DJ Aaries, Joell Ortiz, The Dey with special unannounced performances planned.
Dr. Dre’s Son Found Dead
August 26, 2008
According to Allhiphop.com and the L.A. Times Andre Young, Jr. was found dead in his Woodland Hills Home on Saturday August 23rd. He was only 20 years old.
Young went out on Friday night and came in about 5:30 A.M., but his mother found him unresponsive when she checked on him at 10 in the morning. The cause of death will be revealed after a toxicology report.
For more on this developing story check allhiphop.com.
Q&A: Daz Dillinger Goes Left on Suge, JD and Deathrow
August 25, 2008
Maybe he wasn’t in the mood. Maybe he was high. But Daz Dillinger wasn’t much in a mood to talk beats. He was in the mood to talk money, hustling beats and anything that comes from making the beats. At the end of the day isn’t that information just as valuable? With his new CD , On The Left Side, in stores now, Daz spoke candidly about leaving So So Def, working with the new owners of Death Row, getting his Detox on and what Suge Knight is doing in Boston.
88 Keys and Q-Tip Buggin Out, Taking “Viagra”
August 25, 2008
In preparation for his debut CD, The Death of Adam, producer 88 Keys has released this commercial/news report on the demise of his lead character:
Now only if he can get Q-tip to put out that CD…Consequence seems to know something we don’t..
Also, peep the new joint from 88 Keys featuring Kanye West “Stay Up” (Viagra)
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CD REVIEW: GZA/GENIUS “PROTOOLS”
August 22, 2008
“All I need is a beat with a continuous loop and the live vibe that’ll hypnotize like the flute…” –GZA “Alphabets”
Hooray, GZA has a new CD out. We all know he can spit, but how do the beats sound on a CD he had the balls to call Protools? [Read more]
DJ KHALED GOES GLOBAL WITH THIRD ALBUM
August 21, 2008
(New York, NY) — Miami radio personality, label head, and Terror Squad/KOCH Records recording artist DJ Khaled is set to release his third album, We Global on Tuesday, September 16, 2008.
DJ Khaled recently leaked “Go Hard,” the 2nd single from the forthcoming new album.
“Go Hard” featuring Kanye West and T-Pain can be heard here:
“This is the biggest record in music right now! ‘Go Hard’ is what we doing to survive in this world,” DJ Khaled says of the song. “This anthem is timeless!!!! There are so many hip hop quotables on this record!!!!!”
The first single, “Out Here Grindin’,” is currently Top 20 at urban radio and features Akon, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Lil Boosie, Plies, Ace Hood, and Trick Daddy with production from The Runners.
We Global, features Kanye West, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Nas, Ace Hood, Sean Paul, Busta Rhymes, Flo Rida, Akon, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Plies, Lil Boosie, Trey Songz, Lil Scrappy , Birdman, Bun B, Pitbull and many more.
Producers The Runners, Danja, DJ Nasty, The Inkredibles, Cool and Dre, Goldrush, Isaac Opus, Lu Diaz and of course Beat Novacaine, are handling production on what are sure to be the hottest tracks of 2008 on We Global.
DJ Khaled was recently nominated for a 2008 BET Award for Best Collabo for his song “I’m So Hood (Remix)” feat. Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Big Boi, T-Pain, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne and Birdman.
For more info on DJ Khaled, please visit www.MySpace.com/DjKhaled
Source Mag Picks Twenty Greatest Producers
August 19, 2008
For their 20th Anniversary Issue The Source magazine has picked the top 20 producers of the last 20 years. In the articled titled ,”Sound Control,” they list in alphabetical order their favorite geniuses behind the boards:
- Bomb Squad
- DJ Paul and Juicy J
- DJ Premier
- DJ Quik
- Dr. Dre
- Erick Sermon
- Jermaine Dupri
- J Dilla
- Kanye West
- Lil Jon
- Marley Marl
- Mannie Fresh
- Pete Rock
- Puff Daddy & The Hitmen
- RZA
- Scott Storch
- Swizz Beatz
- The Neptunes
- Timbaland
- Wyclef Jean & Jerry Wonder
The issue, which features four covers of Nas, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah and Ice Cube, also has DJ Beverly Bond leaving little to the imagination in “dime piece” and has a pic of Q-Tip sitting on a keyboard wearing a three-piece suit holding an MPC in “Back to The Lab.”
Joe Budden Talks About Producers for Padded Room
August 18, 2008
Jersey MC Joe Budden is getting ready to drop his CD, Padded Room and has relied heavily on up-and-coming producers like Klasix and Blastah Beatz for his instrumentals.
“You can hit me on Myspace and if I’m in a good mood I’ll hit you back,” he told Nodfactor.com. His “Who” trilogy was produced by Blastah Beatz, a producer from Portugal who has been profiled on Nodfactor.com. “I don’t believe you need a humongous budget to get these big name producers to produce good music.”
You can listen to the rest of the interview below:
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To get more Joe Budden and his thoughts on Jay-Z, Prodigy and Gloria Velez hit up www.theurbandaily.com.
Pharcyde Producer J-Swift Releases Video About Crack Addiction
August 17, 2008
For the past few years J-Swift, producer behind The Pharcyde’s classic “Passin’ Me By,” has been planning a documentary called “1 More Hit” on his battles with crack addiction. Once meant to be a reality show on MTV he is now releasing it independently. As a prelude to the full length doc, the 36 year old from Los Angles has created a video/psa on his crack addiction called “Stack My Chips.” Watch below…
Stack My Chips…
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