Year: 2011

Treasure Chest

Uncategorized

I listened to Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black today on my ride over the Tappan Zee Bridge up to Woodbury Commons with my family. It sounded fresh as ever. I also threw on the two leaks from Lioness: Hidden Treasures, her posthumous collection of unreleased gems that’s set to drop December 5th, “Like Smoke” featuring Nas (his first verse is super sick), and Amy’s brilliant reggae cover version of “Our Day Will Come.” They’re both incredible records. I’m so psyched for this release. Too bad she had to pass for us to finally get some new music from her. I’m definitely still grieving as a fan and music lover over this loss. Lucky for us, her music will live on forever. Here’s the official video for “Our Day Will Come”….

Rest In Peace…

The Tanning Interview with Action Bronson

Interviews, Published Material

I had the recent privilege of interviewing my favorite new rapper, Action Bronson. I posted some of his stuff a couple months back, and since then he has only gotten more popular. Here’s the intro to my interview with him for The Tanning Of America site, and the link to our full discussion is below…

Even with the slew of new white rappers on the scene in 2011, Action Bronson has no problem standing out. The 300-pound bald-headed and bearded professional chef turned MC from Flushing, Queens, who is still an unsigned artist, is having a very successful rookie year to say the least. The Albanian-American’s debut album,Dr. Lecter, which is filled with fiery raps and sample-heavy authentic New York production, was received by hip-hop tastemakers with rave reviews. In addition, his live show, where he showcases his stamina and flair for witty humor, caught the attention of The New York Times, and GQ Magazine was intrigued enough by his culinary roots to feature him in a Guide to New York City Dining, highlighting his favorite grub spots in the five boroughs.

After returning home from a recent trip in Los Angeles to work with seasoned rap producer, The Alchemist (they are collaborating on series of upcoming releases), Action Bronson took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about his early exposure to hip-hop growing up in Queens, how he forged friendships in high school through writing graffiti, and why he stopped using the N-word when he first started rapping. Plus, he breaks down his culinary background, the diversity at his shows, why he thinks white producers and industry legends gravitate towards him, and the state of the white rapper in 2011.

The Tanning Interview with Action Bronson

I must say, it was a pleasure to speak with Action Bronson. He was mad cool, funny, and kept it real for the interview without holding back. Talking to him made me more of a fan. Check for his new album Well Done with Statik Selektah dropping next week. One.

Take Care

Interviews

Well, Drake did it. He made a dope second album, and dodged the curse of the sophomore slump. Personally, I’ve been anticipating this album for months. Yes, I’m a fan. He can sing, he spits, and he makes great songs. Since “Marvin’s Room” dropped earlier this summer, I knew something special was brewing. If you like the way Drake sings, there’s plenty of gems on here (“Shot For Me,” “Doing It Wrong,” “Take Care,” “The Real Her”). If you like the way he raps, he’s got that covered too (“The Ride,” “Crew Love,” and especially “Look What You’ve Done”). And all the guests, from Rihanna to Stevie Wonder to The Weeknd, shine properly (except Andre 3000 but that may be me just being too critical of his weird flow haha). Def go cop this album. It’s the freshest thing in hip hop and R&B on the market by far…

My dudes at Complex got Drake for the cover of the upcoming issue, and they published not only the full cover story online, but also a nine page uncut interview with Drake. Read both below…

DRAKE COVER STORY (COMPLEX)

DRAKE UNCUT INTERVIEW (COMPLEX)

Also worth reading is GQ’s interview with Drake’s producer Noah “40” Shebib, who really is responsible for making this album super dope. Read HERE. Congrats to Drizzy on the drop! Take care…

Lonely Boy

Uncategorized

Leave it to The Black Keys to do some next shit with their music videos. For their new single “Lonely Boy” off their upcoming album El Camino, The Black Keys scrapped their whole video shoot after spotting an extra doing some crazy dance moves, and let him be the lone star of the clip. And he’s off the hook. Check his sick moves up top (he one-taked it!), and read the back story on how it happened HERE. Hollerrrrr.

The Tanning Interview with Bun B

Interviews, Published Material

Check out this in-depth interview I did with legendary southern rapper Bun B of UGK for Steve Stoute’s The Tanning Of America website. Here’s the intro, link below:

Since Bun B came in the game two decades ago with the late Pimp C as part of the duo UGK (Underground Kingz), he has consistently become more popular and well-known nationally and internationally by fans of all races, no doubt aided by an appearance on Jay-Z’s smash, “Big Pimpin’,” and collaborating with fellow southern hip-hoppers, Three 6 Mafia, on “Sippin’ On Some Sizzurp.” But his insane ability to stay relevant has had just as much, if not more to do with his impervious artistic integrity and openness to collaborating with new school artists. At an age where many rappers are clinging on to careers, the 38-year-old Bun has settled in comfortably in his role as a rap OG, even taking on the responsibility of teaching a hip-hop and religion course at Rice University. In this no-holds-barred interview, Bun B takes us back to his Texas roots to recall how he used to get pulled over on his way to do shows, why UGK wouldn’t talk about Sizzurp in interviews, what racial slur Jive wouldn’t allow him to use as a nickname on wax, and tackles an ugly issue that still lurks in the wake of hip-hop’s globalization—the usage of the “N” word.

The Tanning Interview with Bun B

*BONUS*

I also had an interview feature published on Complex Magazine’s site last week with producer Emile, who has worked with legendary artists like Eminem, Ghostface Killah, and Kanye West (he co-produced “Runaway”). He had some very interesting stories to share about the making of the songs in his catalog. Definitely an interesting read, and a dude to watch out for in the years to come. Check the feature out below….

Emile Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records

One of the artists Emile is currently working with is Lana Del Rey, a new singer on the scene from Lake Placid, New York. She’s really dope, and is getting a lot of attention on the blogs and in the press. Check out her videos for “Video Games” and the Emile produced “Blue Jeans” below and see what the buzz is all about…

“Video Games”

“Blue Jeans”

She’s dope, right? Catch ya later…

UpNorthTrips Presents The 10s | 914’s Where I’m Listed: 10 Westchester County Classic Songs

Published Material

We’ve been curating a new series on UpNorthTrips called The 10s, where we put together lists of ten songs or pieces of hip hop artifacts in categories to release regularly on the site, complete with a full write-up (which I’ve been doing in addition to coming up with themes and hand picking tracks) and an official DJ mix that can be streamed and downloaded for free. To set it off, we started on 10/10 by dropping a new episode of The 10s every weekday for 10 straight work days. One of the episodes featured 10 Westchester County Classic Songs, which I figured would be perfect to showcase here at Westcheddar. Check it out…

UpNorthTrips Presents The 10s | 914’s Where I’m Listed: 10 Westchester County Classic Songs

Taking any UpNorthTrips this fall? Maybe to visit your boy locked up, hit the mall, or take your boo to go apple picking? Whatever the reason, you will most certainly be breezin’ through or stopping in Westchester County. And don’t sleep, the 914 ain’t all sweet. You think it’s upstate because you see the trees and shit from the Saw Mill and the Hutch, but get off the wrong exit and you will be back in the projects in no time. And there’s plenty of talent lurking in those hoods. In fact, some of the hottest songs in hip hop history were created by residents in the cities of Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and even White Plains. So for today’s episode of The 10s, we bring you 10 Westchester County Classic Songs. And don’t worry, we’ll supply the trees for this one. We’ve got plenty of them. 

1. Grand Puba “What Goes Around (360)”
Album: Reel to Reel
Year: 1992
Hometown: New Rochelle
Breakdown: Puba went solo after Brand Nubian’s first album, and proved he was a star with his first single. It wasn’t long after this dropped that everyone in the 914 and beyond was wearing Tommy Hilfiger shirts and Girbaud jeans.
UNT Quotable: “First batter up well here’s the pitch it’s a curve, second batter up because the first got served.” -Grand Puba

2. Pete Rock & CL Smooth “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”
Album: Mecca and the Soul Brother
Year: 1992
Hometown: Mount Vernon
Breakdown: With Pete Rock behind the boards (and providing ad-libs on the chorus), CL Smooth thinks back to his family life growing up, and immortalizes their fallen friend Troy Dixon on what is highly regarded as one of the greatest rap songs of all time.
UNT Quotable: “Took me from a boy to a man so I always had a father when my biological didn’t bother.” -CL Smooth

3. InI f/ Pete Rock “Fakin’ Jax”
Album: Center Of Attention
Year: 1996
Hometown: Mount Vernon
Breakdown: InI member Grap Luva grabs his brother to lace the beat and add some vocals too for this public service announcement to all those out there perpetrating the fraud. Stop it.
UNT Quotable: “Recline like a passenger seat son, relax.” -Pete Rock

4. Mary J. Blige f/ Grand Puba “What’s the 411?”
Album: What’s the 411?
Year: 1992
Hometown: Yonkers
Breakdown: On the title track of Mary’s debut album, Puba sees some skinz he likes and tries to step up and get the digits. But Mary ain’t havin’ all that, “Wham, bam, thank you ma’am,” and let’s him know what time it is with some slick lines of her own. She actually spits bars on this, and her flow is on point. Check the resume.
UNT Quotable: “I need a man who’s lookin’ out with some security, so come correct with some respect and then we will see.” -Mary J. Blige

5. Jadakiss f Styles P “We Gonna Make It”
Album: Kiss tha Game Goodbye
Year: 2001
Hometown: Yonkers
Breakdown: Kiss and Styles show leadership and uplift the hood while doing the in and out thing on this Alchemist banger. They certainly learned the game quickly. Salute.
UNT Quotable: “I’m the reason niggas got deals the past few years, sound anything like ‘Kiss then sign right here.” -Jadakiss

6. Genovese f/ Styles P “Genovese Thesis”
Album: N/A
Year: 1996
Hometown: Yonkers
Breakdown: This song first appeared on a DJ Clue?’s Show Me The Money tape and got real hot in the streets. Genovese’s mixtape buzz and LOX affiliation eventually led to a major label deal with Universal, but his album was shelved right before it was about to drop. Too bad, because this paisan had some serious skills.
UNT Quotable: “Seems like the day turn to night so quick, life passin’, the hole we in massive, Narcs knock one of us the next day come through laughin’, so we just mathin’, out the possibilities.” -Genovese

7. Brand Nubian “Slow Down”
Album: One For All
Year: 1990
Hometown: New Rochelle
Breakdown: These guys flipped bohemian babe Edie Brickell’s hit pop song “What I Am” into a rap song about girls who are straight living foul. Slow down, ma.
UNT Quotable: “A forty and a blunt, that’s all she really wants.” -Grand Puba

8. Heavy D f/ Kool G. Rap, Q-Tip, Big Daddy Kane, Grand Puba, Pete Rock, and CL Smooth “Don’t Curse”
Album: Peaceful Journey
Year: 1991
Hometown: Mount Vernon
Breakdown: Mr. Big Stuff gets props for letting his younger cousin the Chocolate Boy Wonder bless the beat and kick a verse. And how crazy is the rest of the lineup? I mean, it was enough to have the two hottest up and coming rappers in the 914 on here, Grand Puba and CL Smooth, but then to go out and get G. Rap, Q-Tip, AND Big Daddy Kane to kick verses with no curses? This is definitely one of the craziest posse cuts of all time. And they all come clean. Pause?
UNT Quotable: “I don’t have to swear, curse, or juggle, lyrics in a verse to make a party bubble. -Heavy D

9. Top Quality “Magnum Opus”
Album: Magnum Opus
Year: 1993
Hometown: White Plains
Breakdown: PMD affiliate Top Quality put WP on the rap map with this underground single. Unfortunately, we never heard much from him after this.
UNT Quotable: “It ain’t about the quantity.” -Top Quality

10. DMX “Ruff Ryders Anthem”
Album: It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot 
Year: 1998
Hometown: Yonkers
Breakdown: X tells us how his team gets down on this high powered hit. Stop, drop, and pop a wheelie to this shit.
UNT Quotable: “Oh you think it’s funny? Then you don’t know me money.” -DMX

words by @stanipcus / mix by @UNITEDCRATES / graphics by @CNTRBND

Shout out to my boy Ev Boogie, and UpNorthTrips resident DJ, The Vinylcologist, it’s been a pleasure working with you guys. Check the link at the bottom for to catch up on all episodes of The 10s in chronological order (there’s a couple pages of them), which includes today’s Nas x Salaam Remi mix that was done by my dude DJ ROZ. There’s some great lists and mixes we put together, featuring all sorts of classic hip hop songs from the 90’s and early 2000s. My favorite of them all might be the DJ Clue? freestyles episode, check it out HERE. All the rest are in the link below…

UpNorthTrips Presents The 10s (All Episodes Link)

Holler at your boy!

Hip Hop Is Alive

Uncategorized

Some of my friends recently engaged me in a discussion about hip hop. They thought it was dead, and I told them that wasn’t the case. Yes, like them, I yearn to hear songs that sound like the classic material we grew up on by artists like Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep, and Wu-Tang Clan. And to some extent, they’re right about the death of hip hop, especially when talking about classic albums (I can probably count on one hand the number of high quality rap LPs that have been released in the last few years). However, there are still really great hip hop songs being made in 2011, which only means there is hope that another Illmatic is around the corner. But my friends are a bit out of the loop, so they assume that the only things popping are what comes across their limited radar via TV and radio. Most of them aren’t exactly combing the blogs or listening to underground satellite shows and podcasts in search of the new hotness.

And that’s the thing. To know that the real shit is still ringing off, you need to pay attention, and know where to look. And that’s why I’m here, to share it with you. Open your ears ladies and gentleman! Some of our favorite hip hop artists from yesteryear are still making great songs. Check out Showbiz and A.G.’s latest release, “Show and A,” off their upcoming album Mugshot Music (see a classic pic of the duo from an old issude of The Source pictured above). This is the hardest beat I’ve heard in years. And the raps are dope too. This song is proof that real New York City hip hop is alive!

Oh, and I should mention, though it is somewhat of a limited pool, there are new artists that are still making great hip hop music too, like Jay Electronica and Action Bronson. And your favorites from the 90’s like Nas and Mobb Deep are still dropping high quality shit as well. It doesn’t come in abundance, but there are still gems that can be heard amidst the bullshit. Stay tuned to Westcheddar, I’ll keep you in the loop, don’t worry.

P.S. Speaking of loops, I looped up this beat up and wrote three verses and a hook to it today. First song I’ve written in months. Thank you Showbiz and A.G. for the inspiration. Peace.

Memory Lane

My Dudes

My dude DJ ROZ just dropped a new mixtape, featuring a slew of 70’s and 80’s old school R & B classics. This is for the grown and sexy. Tracklist and download link below…

1. Daydreaming- Kurtis Blow
2. Funky Sensation- Gwen McCrae
3. Don’t Look Any Further- Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garrett
4. Curious- Midnight Star
5. I Found Lovin’- Fatback Band
6. Before I Let Go- Frankie Beverly & Maze
7. Never Too Much- Luther Vandross
8. Candy- Cameo
9. Another Man- Barbara Mason
10. I Wonder If I Take You Home- Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam
11. Rock Steady- The Whispers
12. Ghetto Life- Rick James
13. Lets Dance- West Street Mob
14. Watching You- Slave
15. Forget Me Nots- Patrice Rushen
16. Love Come Down- Evelyn Champagne King
17. Give Me- I Level
18. Saturday Love- Cherrelle & Alexander O’Neal
19. Single Life- Cameo
20. That Girl- Stevie Wonder
21. I Love You More- Rene & Angela
22. Outstanding- The Gap Band
23. Happy- Surface
24. If I Was Your Girlfriend- Prince
25. Sugar Free- Juicy
26. Gotta Get You Home Tonight- Eugene Wilde
27. Remind Me- Patrice Rushen
28. Show Me- Glenn Jones
29. Tell Me If You Still Care- SOS Band
30. Funny How Time Flies- Janet Jackson

DOWNLOAD DJ ROZ MEMORY LANE

*Bonus*

This isn’t R & B, but ROZ knows how much I love New Rochelle rapper Grand Puba, and he put me on today to this unreleased demo of his featuring Puba’s Brand Nubian brother Sadat X and produced by Pete Rock. I never heard this before this morning, and it’s dope as hell. Check it out…

If you missed my Complex Magazine interview with Pete Rock from earlier this year, where he tells the stories behind all his classic records, read it HERE. 914 stand up!

Fruit Bats Banger

Uncategorized

I’ve known about the Fruit Bats for a while now, and I always thought they were cool. They’re signed to SubPop, their leader Eric D. Johnson spent the past couple years playing guitar with my favorite band of all time The Shins touring and recording (supposedly him and James Mercer are great friends), and they’ve put out some solid albums over the past decade that have that Shins-y, indie folk feel that I love. But for a band to truly win my heart, I need to hear that one song of theirs, that gem, that track that I hear and right away I know, yo, THAT SHIT IS DOPE. Well, this morning I finally heard it. I was on Twitter, and I saw that the Fruit Bats were the featured band on Paste Magazine’s website, and when I clicked the link to the article, their song “Tangie and Ray” (from their new album Tripper) started streaming. And it hit me in the domepiece! This is the one! Check it out above and hear for yourself. And then, watch them perform it live on KEXP in Seattle HERE.

Want more Fruit Bats? Go to their official website/blog, and also watch their 80’s infused video for the first single from Tripper “You’re Too Weird”. It’s mad weird! Have a great evening…

Feisty Lady

Uncategorized

I fucks with Feist. She’s a cool chick, and definitely a talented songwriter. “Gatekeeper” was the first track I heard from her that I really fell in love with, and I dug “My Moon My Man” too off her last album. But her latest release, “How Come You Never Go There” from her new album Metals (which I hear she recorded in a barn at Big Sur), is probably my favorite song she’s ever recorded. Enjoy.

Check out more of Metals HERE. Hollerrrrr.