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(04/22/10 5:26am)
A song that is infectious, thoughtful and unpretentious — is it possible to achieve that holy trinity these days? Apparently so for yU, an underground MC, producer and member of the D.C.-based hip hop group Diamond District. “Thought About It” comes off his solo debut, the aptly named Before Taxes, in which he strives to take it back to the days when hip hop was not commercially polluted. And take it back he does, without sounding derivative or stale. The formula here is simple: launch straight into a verse after a quick shout-out, set the refrain over a soul sample, and keep a consistent flow. These elements are enhanced by a few subtle details: toward the end of the track, for example, the instrumentals drop out for a stripped-down version of the chorus and then give way to three intense beats. The result has the organic sound of a group like Gangstarr — and to sweeten the deal, yU produces or has a hand in all his own beats. If “Thought About It” is any indication, this multitalented artist is one to look out for.
(04/08/10 8:13am)
With less than two minutes of a new track, Drake has left us pleasantly surprised. One of the recent leaks off his debut album — Thank Me Later, set for release in May — is an incomplete clip from a love song called “Fall For Your Type.” And even missing three of its verses, it’s rather good. This is surprising mostly because a title like “Fall For Your Type” suggests a cheesy and overdone foray into R&B. But somehow, Drake comes across as legitimately heartbroken, all over a slow, well-chosen beat forgivably reminiscent of 808s and Heartbreak. And somehow, he melts even the biggest popular R&B skeptic’s reserve with these lyrics, which sound improbably sincere: “Tell me why I always fall for your type — I just can’t explain this shit at all, I believe in people like you.” It’s not exactly Jodeci or even Dru Hill, but it’s enough to pique our interest in his album. For now, Drake, we give you your due.
(04/01/10 7:05am)
Following 2008’s New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), Erykah Badu’s latest album takes on a completely different tone. Politics are exchanged for passions, experimental funk and electronica for her familiar jazziness, and overall, it’s for the better. Badu is best when she channels her intense energy into coaxing rather than overtly challenging, and she seems to have remembered this since making Part One.
(03/25/10 6:47am)
According to Naledge, Land of Make Believe has two sides to it. The first is an exploration of the illusions that come with the music industry; the second is celebration. As far as the album goes, it succeeds most when basking in that sense of joy and arrival, making for a timely spring release packed with music that demands to be blasted out of car windows in the sunshine.
(03/25/10 6:44am)
About 10 years ago, Michael Aguilar was a Penn student who managed to drive a rental car across Locust Walk. He was “petrified,” he says, that the bridge was going to break — but he went for it anyway, and made it safely across. At the time, he didn’t realize how much this would foreshadow his career as one half of the hip hop duo Kidz in the Hall, who released their third LP this month.
(02/25/10 6:21am)
A collaboration between DJ Green Lantern, the former DJ for Eminem’s Shady Records, and Styles P of The LOX, The Green Ghost Project sounds exactly like what it is: a bunch of talented guys coming together to make hip-hop they themselves would actually listen to. And we can’t complain about that.
(02/18/10 8:31am)
This is going to sound harsh, but we are exhausted. We are exhausted by the lack of rhythm and blues in today’s supposed R&B, churned out by a revolving door of producers who seem to have forgotten how to make a three-minute song original. Usher’s Raymond vs. Raymond is the perfect example of this problem.
(02/11/10 2:56am)
One promise we can make about Lil Wayne’s latest album: the title is not a lie. On Rebirth, Wayne drops his regular proud-to-be-sleazy MC persona and embraces his inner head banger. And this crossover is going to upset a whole lot of people.
(02/04/10 8:19am)
This campus is full of alarmingly qualified individuals, so it comes as no surprise that a number of accomplished musicians and potential stars walk among us. Check out these four Penntastic musical acts (all of which have released legit albums and EPs) still on the upswing of their auspicious arcs.
(01/28/10 7:06am)
We’ve really tried to understand the acclaim surrounding Motion City Soundtrack’s major-label debut. We’ve listened to the boasts about quality producers and mixers, the latter of whom worked with Nirvana and Sonic Youth, and the claims that this album shows the potential of “pop-punk.” Unfortunately, when it comes to the music, all we’ve heard is a potential soundtrack for the next American Pie movie which, by the way, is not a good thing. Instead of the catchy hooks, simple lyrics, and pockets of surprise that make solid pop music, My Dinosaur Life offers a study in predictability.
(01/21/10 7:11am)
In her 13 years as a solo artist, Missy Elliott has never before made fans wait this long for an album. The release date for Block Party, her follow-up to 2005’s The Cookbook, has been pushed back so many times that any leaked track seems like a tease. This is especially true for “All 4 U,” an unfinished potential single from Block Party featuring Lil Wayne. Over a highly danceable beat, Missy declares, “We gon’ keep it sexy, y’all,” and proceeds to sing enticements to a guy at a party, exchanging her signature sound for more R&B-style vocals. Weezy keeps up the sex theme with a characteristically dirty verse that, despite gliding along with the music, feels too sleazy. Overall the results are just like a tease—intriguing, but not fully satisfying. As of now the last two minutes are instrumental, so we’re going to have to wait to hear the finished product on the album. Hopefully by then, Missy and her guest star will have done something a little more interesting with this hot beat.
(12/03/09 6:36am)
Math/Science: Trip Hop
A number of us at Penn agree: math and science can be scary. Come this finals season many will be joining the legions of students studying for a math or science exam, and it's nice to know that the antidote to their fears exists in trip hop. The music is characterized by a mellow versatility that provides the ideal background to problem sets. If you’re slipping into a chem-induced coma, try “Karmacoma,” a collaboration between pioneers Massive Attack and Tricky. If you’re making a cheat sheet, pop in Portishead’s classic album Dummy. The music is smooth enough not to distract, and it has more in common with those fact-based subjects than you might think: they’re all bizarre, beautiful messes.
— Elena Gooray
(11/19/09 4:44am)
Simple, classic and beautiful, this soul song changed my whole relationship with Philadelphia. I visited the city with my parents while I was in middle school, and I knew little about it beyond the existence of the Liberty Bell. So when we walked into Reading Terminal Market on a drizzly afternoon, I had few expectations, except maybe getting a good cheesesteak.
That all changed the moment I heard someone playing a piano rendition of a familiar tune. The performer looked about my age, but magic was coming from his fingers. And then I remembered the lyrics: “My cherie amour, lovely as a summer day…”
From the moment I connected Stevie Wonder to Reading Terminal Market, a piece of my heart was lost to Philadelphia. It became linked with the melody of Stevie’s perfect little song, his infectious use of sing-along “la’s,” the earnestness of his dream that the girl he loved would notice him. It’s the kind of song that soothes the soul — and Philly, I would eventually learn, is a city that can do the same.
(11/12/09 1:09am)
D.C.-based rapper Wale has high expectations weighing on his 25-year-old shoulders. Since 2005, he has released five well-received mixtapes, and his debut album is supposed to be the litmus test as to whether he can really bring hip-hop cred to the nation’s capital. The answer is, in keeping with D.C.’s recent motto: yes he can.
(11/05/09 3:04am)
In the 12 years since the debut of “I Believe I Can Fly,” there’s been a void in motivational, mainstream R&B. Enter Jason DeRulo, whose pop-rock sample and catchy, easy lyrics are a recipe for success. “Ridin’ Solo” deals with feelings of freedom and high self esteem following a breakup. Instead of bemoaning a broken heart or celebrating the girls with whom he can now score, DeRulo lets out lines like, “So flex how I spread my wings, loving myself makes me wanna sing.” Such decidedly un-hip, simply phrased declarations make the whole song strangely endearing. To top it off, DeRulo sets his message over the unforgettable violin strains of “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve. It might be unsophisticated and a bit ridiculous, but dammit, it works.
(10/29/09 2:45am)
In 2009, what makes good hip hop? It can be a tricky question for young MCs who, like most college students, were barely old enough to speak when the genre had its golden age in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. But just as in those years, quality comes down to creating something new. If Radio in My Head is any indication, Jared Evan, much to his listeners’ benefit, is all about the new.
(10/21/09 11:32pm)
Once upon a time, Jennifer Lopez proved that she could act.
(10/21/09 11:18pm)
“Shoot First”
by Apathy, featuring B-Real and Celph Titled
(10/08/09 3:53am)
Like just about every other member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah has long seemed able to pull off anything. For years he’s dropped effortlessly clever verses, rocked glasses before Lupe Fiasco appeared four-eyed on the rap radar and put out eight solo albums. Yet on his latest release, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, he has adopted one persona that doesn’t quite fit: the smooth-talking lover boy.
(10/01/09 2:36am)
An American Chinese
“Chasing Rabbit”