Anderson .Paak’s Malibu album is one of the best albums that has come out in the last 5 years. I was familiar with some of Paak’s early work as Breezy Lovejoy through some of the LA hip hop guys I listened to but when I first heard Malibu it was a breath of fresh air. His voice was very unique and the beats he was signing/rapping over were some good ole jazzy hip hop and neo-soul type beats which were right up my alley. The producers he paired with (Madlib, 9th Wonder, Kaytranada, Hi-Tek) and the collaborations on the album (ScHoolboy Q, Rapsody, Kweli, The Game, BJ the Chicago Kid) were on point. Add in .Paak’s vocals shining through the album and you had all of the puzzle pieces for a classic album. And the album cover itself is a thing of beauty. I can stare at that album artwork for hours!
Read moreKENDRICK LAMAR "THE HEART PT. 2"
A lot of people debate on who the best emcee is and what their top 5 lists look like but in my opinion it comes down to Biggie, Jigga, Andre 3000, Q-Tip, and Kendrick Lamar. If you ask me this same question tomorrow it’ll probably change but on April 8th, 2020 this is my top 5 list. But when it’s all said and done, I truly believe that Kendrick will go down as the best ever.
Read moreELZHI "PS"
. Elzhi is a rapper from Detroit who I consider to be one of the best lyricists of all time. Elzhi recorded a few songs over some J Dilla beats back in the day which eventually caught Dilla’s attention. Jay Dee put him on his Welcome to Detroit album which helped give Elzhi some serious buzz as Dilla was one of the best producers in the rap game and respected by everybody.
Read moreTHE PAUL HORN QUINTET "HERE'S THAT RAINY DAY"
You know the saying love at first site? Well, I’m a love at first listen kind of guy and it’s the beat that usually pulls me in on a song. And when I first listened to Gang Starr’s classic Moment of Truth album back in 1998 it was the very last song on that album that really caught me. Before we get any further, there were plenty of bangers on that album. But, the last song on the album, “In Memory Of…” spoke to me in a way that none of the other songs did. DJ Premier was always one of my favorite producers for his early Gang Starr and Jeru work but “In Memory Of…” might be my favorite beat of his and it all starts with the sample he used.
Read moreREFLECTION ETERNAL "FORTIFIED LIVE"
I first heard “Fortified Live” in ‘97 in my bedroom at my parents house on the radio late at night. My ears caught that beat and I fell in love with the track immediately. I literally stopped everything I was doing to give this song my entire focus because it caught me within only a few seconds. Everything about this song is magical to me. The beat from DJ Hi-Tek lays the perfect foundation for a young Talib Kweli, the Mighty Mos Def, and Mr. Man from Da Bush Babees to absolutely rip the beat to shreds. After hearing, I picked up the Reflection Eternal single on cassette and the Rawkus Records’ Soundbombing compilation on CD which both had “Fortified Live” on them. I still love this song just as much now as when I first heard it as a teenager out in Southern Cali.