Memory Lane - Onyx

On any given day, while listening to music—whether sitting at my desk at work or driving to wherever in my car—chances are I'm listening to underground/independent Hip-Hop. It's not to say it's the best music in the world, but it's what suits me. However, don't get it twisted, underground/Indie is not synonymous with "substance" or "good". Like any genre of music, there is a fair share of greatness, mixed with complete and utter useless garbage.

In any regard, my recent focus has been on AOL Radio's '90s Hip-Hop channel. What Hip-Hop fan knows anything about anything can deny that the late '80s through late '90s were the shining moment of Hip-Hop? If they're intelligent, no one will deny that. In fact, they would probably get filled with nostalgia at the brink of discussion and start name-dropping their favorite artists and songs from the golden era of music (actually late '80s - mid '90s).

With that being said, I have reacquainted myself with one of my favorite groups of all time, Onyx. In the same respect as the Wu-Tang Clan, Onyx helped to pioneer East Coast Hardcore Hip-Hop with their debut album, Bacdafucup. The entire narrative of the album focuses on stick-ups, robberies, flexing your artillery muscles, and of course, the occasional sex talk.

Now, with the exception of Onyx and a very limited few, I've never been a huge fan of gang vocals in rap music, because most people have no real clue how to execute it properly, but Onyx get it done like a hardcore punk band, which is why they were able to team up with a band like Biohazard on more than one occasion (Judgment Night, Slam). When the chants come in at the end of a line delivery, it's not just to sound loud, or because members think they don't get enough mic time. No. The gang vocals not only add to the passion and energy of the crew, but they reinforce the brutal messages in the lyrics, adding extra emphasis to their dark, grimy street tales.

17 years later, Bacdafucup is still a gem, albeit others who followed over the years have attempted to one-up their predecessors. Few are memorable, but those mad face bald heads will forever be legends.

Do yourself a favor and listen to Bacdafucup, whether it's your first time or you're revisiting the album. Give yourself an opportunity to relive 1993. But as a fair warning, it is an extremely unrelenting, aggressive album.

Onyx - Throw Ya Gunz



Onyx and Biohazard - Judgment Night

Soundset 2011

Last Thursday I took a trip out to Minneapolis, MN to spend time with some friends and check out Soundset 2010, the annual independent Hip-Hop music festival put on by Rhymesayers Entertainment. Curious about who performed? Check out the archives at SoundsetFestival.com. The site contains the show lineup, videos, and pictures.

With this year's show already come and gone, and being as amazing as it was, and last year's show being great too (I didn't see 2008), I developed a list of independent and legendary acts I feel deserve a shot at rocking the Soundset stages and tents.

Unfortunately, it looks like the majority of the acts I listed, I personally feel earned time on the main stage, so my other stage list will be a little light.

Main Stage

The Cool Kids
Blu & Exile
Slaughterhouse
A Tribe Called Quest
De La Soul
Outkast
Goodie Mob
Dungeon Family
Gnarls Barkley
The Roots
Common
Public Enemy
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Bone Thugs N Harmony
Ice Cube
Jurassic 5
The Beatnuts
Kool Keith
Madlib/Quasimoto
Little Brother
Camp Lo
Sean Price/Boot Camp Click
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Blackstar
Pharoahe Monch
Jean Grey
Mr. Lif/Perceptionists
Soul Position

Fifth Element Stage

Apathy/Demigodz
F. Stokes
Soulcrate Music
Joe Good
Oh No
Jay Electronica
Reef the Lost Cauze
J. Cole

B-Boy/B-Girl Tent

DJ Danger Mouse
DJ Shadow
DJ Qbert
DJ Premiere
DJ Honda
Mr. Len
RJD2
Flying Lotus
Gaslamp Killer
Exile
Pete Rock
King Britt
Dan the Automater
Kid Koala

Hosted by

Sway and King Tech
Fab 5ive Freddy

I'm not saying this should be the lineup for the next festival, but I am suggesting that any of these people would be great for the festival. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them here. Please keep in mind that this is an event put on by RSE, so certain performers won't fit the scheme of things. Trust me, I want M.O.P. too, but it's not going to happen. I'm also aware that it would be highly unlikely for Joe Good to accept an invitation, because he doesn't rap anymore, but a guy can dream, right?

25 Hip-Hop Albums to Hear Before You Die

Sorry, folks, but this is just the list. I've been working on/revising this list (on and off) since August or September, but battled with myself on how to execute it, or just flat-out got distracted and set it aside.

What I plan on doing sooner or later (hopefully sooner) is to do an extended version of the list, by writing small blurbs about each album, including why I think it's special.

Let me just say before giving you the goods, that this list in no way reflects my opinion of the 25 greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time, although some of these titles belong there. You can feel free to agree or disagree with this all you want, as we all have our ideal group of greats. By all means, please reply and even give me your idea of what you think belongs on a list of this nature, whether it's on here or on Twitter. I will say that I am unapologetic for the list being heavily East Coast in nature, as I'm from the East. And yes, I count 2Pac as part of the East, as he is from Brooklyn, NY, was raised in Baltimore, and even talks about NY in his earlier work. All the West Coast noise he was yelling didn't really come until Death Row signed his death certificate by getting him out of jail.

Similar to my music video list, this is not the first, and it will not be the last.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Now with no further ado, I present the list in no particular order (because I'm lazy):

1. 2Pac - Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
2. Notorious B.I.G. - Ready 2 Die
3. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
4. Tha Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride 2 Tha Pharcyde
5. Ice Cube - The Predator
6. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
7. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
8. Nas - Illmatic
9. KRS-ONE - Return of the Boom Bap
10. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
11. Fugees - The Score
12. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
13. Common - Resurrection
14. Run DMC - Raising Hell
15. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
16. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
17. Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
18. Pete Rock and CL Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother
19. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
20. Kanye West - Late Registration
21. El-P - Fantastic Damage
22. Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night
23. Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
24. Outkast - ATLiens
25. Eric B. and Rakim - Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em

Sneaker Pimps - Philadelphia

August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA saw the arrival of the Sneaker Pimps, the touring sneaker and Hip-Hop show. I checked it out upon Jon Jon's suggestion. Sneakers are cool, Hip-Hop is great, and I love Philly! Can't lose, right?

It was a recipe for a great evening, as I ran into a handful of people I knew, but didn't know were going. The music was good, but with as many acts as there were performing, each person/group took the stage for about three songs, then made way for the next performer. I didn't have too much of an issue with this, as it allowed for club goers to be exposed to numerous artists without having to sit through 20-30 minute sets if they didn't like the music.

Here's my gripe though: rappers and DJs talk too much. It's one thing to have prepared statements as part of your set, but it's completely different to just sit up on stage rambling on and on about things nobody cares about. The main problem was performers yelling at the crowd for not being into it enough. Biggest offender of that? Elixer and Dice Raw's DJ. Yes, we're in Philly and Dice Raw is from Philly. Yes, Dice Raw has performed with The Roots. No, Dice Raw is not in The Roots. No, The Roots were not in the building. I have a little bit of an issue with people who name-drop in order to hype themselves. But let me state that Dice Raw said he's not a fan of talking, he just wanted to do the show. His DJ was making all the noise.

Here's a kernel of knowledge for all performing artists: if the crowd has no idea who you are, or they didn't show up to see you specifically, don't be surprised if they just watch you and don't "party". If anything, you should be grateful people are watching you.

Despite that, once The Clipse came on, the venue errupted! The brothers interacted with the crowd, shook some hands, threw items out, and had everyone eating out the palms of their hands. The duo played cuts from their previous offerings, including "What Happened to that Boy", a song they were featured on. During the set, they were joined on stage by Philly's own, Ab Liva, and finished out the evening by performing, "Kinda Like a Big Deal". Philly showed The Clipse some love, and The Clipse showed it right back.

A couple of my friends got to meet The Clipse after winning a Verizon Wireless texting battle, but after the show we all met Ab Liva. He's about 5,000 feet tall, but he's a really nice guy. Big ups to him for shaking hands and taking pictures.

Next stop, Minneapolis, MN!

Other standout performers of the evening:

Joya Bravo - Brooklynite who sings, raps, and plays the violin!
Phil Ade - A member of the 368 Music Group. Definitely got the crowd going.
J. Cole - Newest artist on Jay-Z's Roc Nation. People seemed surprised, but his live show is nice, and a lot of people knew his lyrics.

You Like?

Do you like free stuff? Yeah, me too. So does a good number of people in the Indie Hip-Hop scene.

Previously mentioned, FranzDiego.com of Illuminous 3 and Listen to MPLS has blessed the world with another FREE release before his full-length album drops this summer. The Quick and Dirty Mixtape. You like? You will.

On another front, those kids you wish you could be, wish you could have been, or even wish were your friends have dropped another freebie. That seems to be their M.O. The Cool Kids have a new FREE summer release with Gone Fishing. If you're familiar with Totally Flossed Out EP, That's Stupid Mixtape, and The Bake Sale, then this is for you. However, this offering serves up less party joints and is a little more on chill mode.

Finally, New York's favorite dysfunctional Jukie, Cage has a new EP out for -- you guessed it -- FREE! It's titled, I Never Knew You, and it's preceding the upcoming full-length album, Depart From Me, due out July 7, 2009. The only downside is that it's on MTV's Subterranean site (I hate MTV with a burning passion).

Enjoy.

FREE MUSIC!

Support my homie from Minneapolis, FranzDiego.com, by copping his new EP! FranzDiego.com is a member of the Mpls, MN Hip-Hop group, Illuminous 3.

You can't go wrong with free music, right? It can't hurt. Who knows, you might become a fan.

Trust, he's dope.