who: Why?

"Faking suicide for applause / in the food courts of malls"

Genres can be a nasty thing. They can also be essential. I first tried writing this post without using genre words. The result was three nonsensical paragraphs that resembled something Pete Dougherty might have written at 4am in a hotel bathroom. That being said, as critics often ponder the future of popular music on the basis that most musical sounds have already been fully exploited, groups like Oakland hip-hop/rockers Why? prove that regardless of the truth of said critics' remarks, music will always have one thing: itself.

Why?’s newest release, the stellar and invigorating Alopecia, is a lesson to listeners who try to define their own tastes. When looking for Alopecia over a month ago, I looked first in the Hip-Hop/Rap section but to no avail. I scratched my head and tried the Rock section where I soon found the album, clad with a bright green sticker affixed “FILE UNDER: ROCK.”

Alopecia is perhaps as much rock as it is hip-hop, and as much Lyricists' Lounge as it is Cake, or Butthole Surfers. It certainly isn’t the rap you’d find coming from the tinted Nissan pulled up beside you at a red light. But within its genre coding lies complex foundations of fresh sincerity, purpose, and the kind of subtle hooks made famous by people like the RZA and The Hold Steady. Now that I think about it, I might start describing Why? as just that.

Why? - Good Friday
Why? - Fatalist Palmistry

electro-hop: Eliot Lipp

"Jermaine Dupri meets Aphex Twin"

Where would Eliot Lipp be today without his trusted Korg MS-20? This vintage snyth (pictured above), along with his Sequential Circuits gear, has helped to define his signature sound, a heady mix of underground rap, classic electro, 70's fusion, drrty funk, and 90's techno, just to name a few.

Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington (and since a resident of Chicago, San Francisco, LA, and now Brooklyn), Lipp got his break in 2004 when Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73) happened across his demo. Soon after, Lipp's self-titled debut hit the streets on Herren's own Eastern Developments label, earning much deserved critical acclaim. Since then, Lipp has released LPs on Hefty Records and Metatronix, while in the meantime creating a slew of EPs and mixtapes and touring relentlessly.

To get an idea of his original sound, check out the tracks posted below and then head over to his MySpace. Purchase Eliot Lipp albums here.

Eliot Lipp- Live from the Trilogy Lounge (recorded March 17, 2007)
Eliot Lipp- Flashlight (from the Steele Street Scraps EP)

Bobkast #3

For our third installment, enjoy some funky beats and swift lyrics courtesy of the last millenium. Be sure to check out Children of the Corn (Big L's group featuring neighborhood friends Ma$e and Cam'ron), Boogie Down Productions (KRS-One's first group), and Diggin' in the Crates (Lord Finesse, Fat Joe, Big L, Diamond D). Oh, and Cube's "No Vaseline" is also considered the greatest diss track of all time.

Brick - Dazz
Ice Cube - No Vaseline
Kris Kross - Warm it Up (Dupri's Mix)
Biggie & Sinatra - Everyday Struggle (A Day in the life of a Fool)
NWA - Express Yourself
Brand Nubian - Don't Let it Go to Your Head
Slick Rick - Street Talkin' (feat Outkast)
Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth - Back To Back Rhyming (feat Andre the Giant)
Children of the Corn - Doin' It
DITC - Dignified Soldiers (Street Remix)
Big L - I Don't Understand It
Boogie Down Productions - Poetry

Download Here

Hip-Hop Review

"Baby girl, you and me / need to go to your teepee"

Timbaland - Hello (feat Keri Hilson & Attitude)
As Graduation and Curtis go head to head next Tuesday, Timbaland, for once, is flying under the radar. Timbo wil release a 2-CD Deluxe Edition of Shock Value. The second disc featrures three "Way I Are" remixes, a remix of "Give it To Me" (feat Jay-Z), and the addictive Mia track "Come Around". Disc one features the Bonus track "Hello" feat Keri Hilson & Attitude. Why this track was left off Shock Value, I do not know.

Talib Kweli - Country Cousins (feat UGK & Raheem DeVaughn)
If you enjoy listening to hip-hop while sipping lemonade outside, download this track.

Aesop Rock - The Harbor is Yours
For any fan of Definitive Jux, or eccentric lyricism, Aesop's newest release None Shall Pass is pure Aesop start to finish. On "The Harbor is Yours" Aesop drops his usual philosophical lyrics above a tight sounding space-jazz afro-beat.

Chamilionaire - Hip-Hop Police (feat Slick Rick)
Fun fact: Like Will Smith, Chamillionaire doesn't cuss on his tracks.
Unlike Will Smith, Chamillionaire raps, and on this track, raps hard. When I saw this track on Sirius a few weeks back, I tuned in for one reason: Slick Rick the Ruler. And the Ruler doesn't disapoint. Perhaps a Nate Dogg / Dr. Dre. rip-off, "Hip-Hop Police" is fresh, catchy, and, of course, features Slick Rick crushing it. If Eminem wants to stage a legitmate come-back, this would be a great remix to drop a sick verse. Perhaps that's just wishful thinking.

UGK - Next Up / Stop-n-Go / Candy / Quit Hatin' The South
Fresh out the slammer, UGK's Pimp C and Bun B have delivered hard. This album is too damn good to pick a favorite. Plus there's like 30 something tracks. If you haven't bought this album yet, stop reading. Go buy it.

Percee P - 2 Brothers From the Gutter (feat Diamond D)
As Stones Throw continues their marathon year, Percee P releases his first album, almost 20 years after his first single. "2 Brothers From the Gutter" features, above all, a Contra sample. Nuff said.

Kanye West - Can't Tell Me Nothing
If you were planning on purchasing Graduation for the sole purpose of ending 50 Cent's solo career, I'm afraid it's not gonna happen. 50 retracted his comments about retiring if he were outsold. That aside, you can purchase Graduation for the sole purpose that it is awesome.

Timbaland - Hello (feat Keri Hilson & Attitude)
Percee P - 2 Brothers From the Gutter (feat Diamond D)PROMO VERSION

Tommy Guerrero

"Golden Gate Indie-Hop"

Tommy Guerrero is no stranger to shredding. When the man is not busting a sicky gnar ollie (or some other absurd skating term) in the park, he can usually be found in the studio ripping it on his guitar. Guerrero has been a professional skateboarder since 1985, but over the years has maintained his passion for music.

Guerrero's music is not afraid to show its San Francisco roots, blending together a variety of sounds that portray a breezy West Coast vibe. It is hard to categorize his music since he is adept at a variety of styles, all of which he layers together with ease. Strains of hip hop, jazz, 'world music', and funk are apparent, but not one single style is overbearing. Categorizations aside, this music begs to be played on a hot, lazy summer day.

Guerrero's latest album, 2006's "From The Soil To The Soul" is available courtesty of Quannum Records.

100 Years (from 2000's "A Little Bit of Somethin'")
Salve (from "...Soil")
1966 (from "...Soil")

WEEZY F. BABY

"Prisoner Behind These Xanax Bars"

We LOVE Lil Wayne. So much so that I wrote an analytical paper on his Bush bashing ode to Nawleans "Georgia Bush" in college and one of our contributors, who shall remain nameless, took his girlfriend to the Weezy, Jeezy, Fat Joe, Jim Jones concert for their One Year Anniversary. Romantic, eh? No doubt Young Weezy keeps it hot, hell he's the fucking Fireman! Besides the guy releases an album like every other day, fo' real. Do yourself a favor and download these new Weezy tracks and turn up the hypothetical subwoofer in your hypothetical '97 Civic. It's Weezy!

Ever feel "lonely once the drugs are gone"? Weezy does. "I Feel like Dying," from the forthcoming, Tha Carter III, is Lil Wayne's ode to, well, wanting to die cause the drugs are gone. The track, surely recorded with a gallon of syzurp/purple drank, features poetic stanzas like "Swimming laps around a bottle of Louis the 13th, Jumping off a mountain into a sea of Codeine" and "Playin’ touch football on Marijuana Street, or in a marijuana field, you are so beneath my cleats." His slo-mo drawl of a delivery sounds like he's swallowed a script of Xanax, puffed an L and sucked down a bottle of Nyquil. The ole Bard would be proud. "La La La" is a bit different, sampling children singing "La La La La La." He even gives a shout to the old skool Starter jacket with the logo. We had that too Weez. "Murder she wrote like Angela Lansbury," straight thugging. Also throwing up one of last years best rap songs, "Georgia Bush", from last year's best mixtape, Dedication II. Gangsta Grizzllzz!

Lil Wayne- I Feel Like Dying

Lil Wayne- La La La