I hate trying to build from scratch on the internet (that’s why you hire your friends to work for you and build websites from scratch…coming soon new code2ave… shameless plug).
Anywho since code2ave dot com is down, I’m hoping that fools are being forwarded BACK to our wordpress dot com page where the dream continues on. I wanted to take a mintue to give some nods/love/appreciate/respeK to a couple homies around them internets who’ve either messed with Code2ave in the past, one of the nonsensical blogs we wrote before creating code2ave, or folks that don’t even know we are in exsistence. With that said, I titled this post “Taste.01″ simply in an effort to show appreciatation to those on the interwebs doing their thing and in an effort to help promote those I admire who are tasteful.
Ahhh, another weekend of slowly killing my liver. Hope the boogie went down for everyone last night…. Drama’s hip-hop review LETS GO!!
So I’m kinda mad I slept on this. This dude K’Naan is actually pretty talented. Think the reason I never checked his shit out is because I’d always see one of his bullshit ass facebook ads and just got mad bout them cause I hate every ad on facebook that isn’t for hot singles or dating or some other bullshit I signed up for then got mad because it wasn’t free and there were not hot beeches on it… but I digress. Check this out, he got the help out from non other than Chubb Rock (Treat em Riiiiight).
Also check out Chubb Rock and Wordsmith’s Old 2 the New. Pretty ill Matrix concept even though it looks like I filmed and edited it (lol @ Chubb Rock slappin Agent Smith lookin boy). Kinda interested in this Bridging the Gap album they got set to drop in June.
Onyx is back? Well to tell you the truth, they never left. Since 92 they’ve been doing their thang without so much as a break. They kicked mainstream in the dick when they dropped Slam in 93 (I’m sure you all remember that shit) but that was the peak of their mainstream success. Mainstream has never been their thing though; they started out and will always be an underground group, pretty much the definition of underground. They dropped records in 93, 95, 98, 03 and what I assume to be Black Rock coming out this year. Staying busy with that, doin shows and callin 50 Cent a bitch ass trick. Check out the 1st single from the new album, its no Last Dayz but Sticky does come with that raw on it.
Check out what will soon be my theme music. The Motions by Nickelus F, yeah that dude who sounds a lot like Saigon on all those Drake tracks. Truth is, dude’s the truth, been around forever. Check out Go Time comin out next week. Wake up, eat, make money, eat, go to bed…. repeat.
The latest Mike Posner citing was at the University of Fuck Dayton. Wish I could get famous and have people sing my songs then show up at their parties and get all the white womens. Other then that I’m excited for Relapse and Detox, need to hurry up and come out. Since I finally got those fucking red rings of death, I’ll be spending all my time listening to music this week. Bout to cue up a bunch of shit; everything from Drake, Nas, Common, M.O.P, Damian Marley, Dave Coresh, Asher Roth, Rick Ross and Jadakiss to Tupac, Tribe Called Quest, Dead Prez, Cypress Hill, Gravediggaz, Biggie, Nickelus F, Rhymefest, Joell Ortiz, De La Soul, Rock City and TiRon. Follow what I’m listening to at Last.fm. Would love to hear from you and see what you’re listening to also.
So being as it was a slow week in hip-hop and I rather not update the whole Rihanna situation for 3 weeks straight, let’s take this time to discuss the current state of underground hip-hop.
Now growing up in the 90s; arguably the most solid decade for hip-hop, I grew up with the understanding that early underground hip-hop was that gully hood shit that didn’t really make its way too far from New York; which is partly true. Early 90s were a transitional period. On one side you have the fundamentals of hip hop, on the other you have the raw realness of hip hop. This is where you begin to see a divide, the tribe called quests against NWAs. Seeing as underground has always been non mainstream by the definition of the word, this period of time is when many of greats we know now began to master their crafts. At one spectrum you have groups link Onyx, MOP and Wu-Tang and on the other you have the brother Common Sense, De La Soul, Talib and Mos. When these acts moved into the mainstream, we witness the next era of the hip hop underground. The abstract hip-hop or back pack rap and that crack music. We are currently on the back end of this era; the likes of Atmosphere, Kidz in the Hall and Doom reppin one side and the late Stack Bundles, S.A.S. and Cory Gunz on the other.
This brings me to the main topic of discussion, we are currently in a time where internet and hipster hop are coming up from the underground. In a media crazed society it is really difficult to be underground. Charles Hamilton has already put out like 20 mixtapes this year. Cool Kids, Kid Cudi, Asher Roth, WALE!! they are experiencing great fame on the blogosphere, but do you think they will come up from this and make it in the mainstream as those who have risen from the underground have before them? I personally feel like they have and they will. Record sales will be down of course, it’s the easiest to download of the internet. My theory is they will be getting paid of the endorsements and not the record deals. I don’t see albums doing well; they have already put out great shit and even more great shit. Not sure what they would offer on an album that they haven’t already gave you. I’m not gonna go in on the this that much cause I’d like to know your thoughts on the topic (plus I’m still re-upin from Royal’s b-day); I know there’s a few heads out there who read this. Royal, Cap, Sticksworth, get at me.
