TAG: Music

Jul04

Lil B – I’m Gay (I’m Happy) (Review)

Lil B

I'm Gay (I'm Happy)

Released by Amalgam Digital


Before anything else, let us answer the question that is on everybody's mind: no. No, this is not the worst thing you will ever hear. In fact, it is far from it. Lil B has been one of the most loved and hated figures in hip-hop for a couple of years now (due to such songs as "Pretty Bitch" coupled with a seemingly eternal endorsement of "swag") and it seemed like with every new release, the bar was being set lower and lower. Sorry world, we have been ...

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May26

CunninLynguists @ El Rey Theatre 05/20/11 (Live Review)

Being a long time fan of the CunninLynguists since their debut record Will Rap for Food, and surprisingly having never seen their live show, I had huge expectations coming into this performance.   Rocking with rapper Homeboy Sandman, Blue Sky Black Death, and affiliate and often-collaborator Tonedeff (pictured below), the CunninLynguists had quite a bit of opening performers to ready up the crowd. While some of the sets felt a bit long (such as Homeboy Sandman’s and Blue Sky Black Death’s which I will get to later), ultimately, the CunninLynguists delivered. Given the departure of one of the Lynguists’ members—the always ill Mr. S.O.S. (departed half a decade ago but still on the QN5 label)—left CunninLynguists with Natti, Deacon and Kno with DJ Flip Flop spinning the mentals on his Serato …

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May16

Some Further Thoughts on Goblin

Tyler the Creator, frontman of L.A. hip-hop convoy OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), won’t admit to it but I’m sure he understands his audience to be predominantly white, suburban, indie-teens-in-training. Let’s try to keep that in mind here, now that there seems to be a somewhat recognizable consensus on Tyler the Creator’s second full-length album and first major label release, Goblin on XL Records. From where I’m standing it seems like folks are a bit dissatisfied. Granted there hasn’t been too many local hip-hop acts with this kind of trajectory since the astronomical rise of Lupe Fiasco, the quizzical introduction of Wiz Khalifa and others, this record leaves a lot to be desired. The album is choppy, draining, and quite lengthy. Some of the standout tracks (“Yonkers” and “Sandwitches”) on the record feel somewhat superfluous since they’ve …

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May16

DJ Premier @ Echoplex 5/14/11 (Live Review) (Video)

A celebration dedicated to too many people to mention both living and resting (R.I.P. Guru), DJ Premier and the Beat Junkies (including DJ Rhettmatic and DJ Babu) absolutely obliterated hip-hop at the Echoplex on Saturday only to reconstruct it via expertly crafted golden age-inspired sets.  Babu and Rhettmatic made their way through the likes of James Brown, Dead Prez, …

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May03

Dirty Beaches @ The Echo 04/28/11 (Live Review)

I knew what I was getting myself into. I made the appropriate mental adjustments to enjoy a show with a crowd I readily don’t frolic with, partly by chance, partly by destiny, and wholly by confusion. Still, I made the trek to “cosmopolitan” mecca Echo Park, California. I was there to enjoy the up and coming talent and doo-wop drone sounds of Dirty Beaches. Amongst the painfully nonchalant frequents of the now reputable The Echo, Dirty Beaches did work and interpolated some furious toe-tapping, of which I was no doubt a part of. Out the window went any concerns or reservation I had about thoroughly enjoying myself in an alien environment. Good tunes have a good habit of doing that.

Alex Zhang Huntai, the man behind Dirty …

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