Rui-Long Monico - Geneva // USA Conexion - music

Album Deathmatch: The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse vs Street's Disciple

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 23:10:00 +0100

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse vs Street's Disciple. First of my series of album deathmatches as inspired by Byron Crawford. I chose these two because double cds are often the reflect of an oversized ego among rappers. Clash of the NY Titans part 1:

Number of Awesome songs:

The Blueprint2 has a lot of awesome songs. Meet the Parents has that Reasonable Doubt style to it, Diamond is Forever has a lot energy and so on and so forth. Nas' few awesome songs weren't of this caliber; he had a lot of good song but nothing unforgettable.

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse > Street's Disciple

Number of Skipable songs:

Both cds have their share of skipable songs, which is about 1/3 of each record. This is a huge number, but double cds are often full of fillers. Nas' only horrible song was Me & You in which he tries, pretty badly, to sing. Except this abortion, the other songs are just mediocre, mainly because of the generic production. Jay-Z however shows exceptional bad taste in the choice of his songs. '03 Bonnie & Clyde the remake of 2Pac's Me & My Girlfriend, is plain pathetic and so are the interventions by P. Diddy, Sean Paul and The Neptunes.

Street's Disciple > The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Lyrics:

Nas always has been a street poet, dropping her mad gems and showing great versatility. Jay-Z is a hustler talking about girlz, dope and himself. Nothing wrong with that but it seems he has been talking about the same shit over and over, just in different ways.

Street's Disciple > The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Flow:

Nas is at the top during the whole album. He shows maturity and exceptional breath control. Jay-z can be extraordinary or extremely annoying and amateurish depending on the track.

Street's Disciple > The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Production:

Jay-Z got money and knows how to use it. Dr. Dre, Kanye West, The Neptunes, Timbaland he bought them all. The result is a very professional and eclectic and sometimes commercial sound. Nas only used underdogs, half of them probably never did anything major, and the production is very underground. Jay-Z is a step further on this one because Nas relies too much on average beats and has no bombs to propose us.

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse > Street's Disciple

Artistic Vibe:

As stated previously, Nas' lyrics are deep and well thought. He puts a lot of meaning in his themes and sometimes comes out with beautiful text. Jay-Z don't care much about the artistic value 'cuz it don't sell.

Street's Disciple > The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Entertainment Vibe:

Jay-Z's album is far superior entertainment wise. He got dancefloor killers, cruising songs, head-nodders... Nas just got food for the brain.

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse > Street's Disciple

Notable Appearances:

MOP, Scarface, Rakim, Lenny Kravitz, Big Boi, Killer Mike, Twista. Pick and choose, Jay-Z went all out on the featurings and have something for every taste. Nas just brought friends & family to his Street's Disciple. I like the passage with his dad a lot but the other cameos don't shine that much.

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse > Street's Disciple

Album Cover:

Jay-Z's close up of his dick sucking lips were not the wisest choice for the cover art. The photographer sure screwed up on this one. Meanwhile Nas tried to bring some class to his cd with his remake of the Last Supper but only achieved to look retarded. Everyone can agree that both of these covers are the worst that they respectively ever came out with.

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse > Street's Disciple

Result:

The final decision is a tough choice. Like choosing between an artificial and sexy stripper against a faithful and good-looking college girl. Must admit that this stripper has bigger tits, I'll side with her on this one even though I'll probably regret it later.

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse > Street's Disciple

What's your opinion?

October 2005 Music Quotable: Sage Francis - Makeshift Patriot

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 22:10:00 +0200

Starting now, I am going to post once a month some great lyrics just like The Source. Benzino if you're reading and bytching about me plagiarizing you, you can kiss my ass. Put your suggestions for next month's Music Quotable in the comment section, it doesn't have to be Hip Hop but it can't be heavy metal or country 'cuz I hate this shyt.

For this firt Music Quotable, let me introduce y'all to Sage Francis' vision of the media and the post-9/11 trauma. Poet/Rapper/Political activist show us with great cynism how the Rethuglicans are manipulating us. Looking through the eyez of a pig:

Sage Francis - Makeshift Patriot - 3rd Verse:

We're selling addictive, twenty-four hour candlelight vigils on TV.
Freedom will be defended at the cost of civil liberties.
The viewers are glued to television screens, stuck,
'cause lots of things seem too sick.
I use opportunities to pluck heartstrings for theme music.
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at,
which foot is right to kiss.
We don't really know who the culprit is yet,
but he looks like this.
We know who the heroes are,
they're not the xenophobes who act hard.
We taught the dog to squat,
how dare he do that shit in our own back yard.
They happen to scar our financial state,
and char our landscape.
Can you count how many times so far I ran back the same damn tape?
While the cameraman creates news and shoves it down our throats,
on the west bank, with the ten second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst.
So get your tanks and load your guns and hold your suns in a family huddle,
'cause even if we win this tug of war and even the score,
humanity struggles.
There's a need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble;
some of them dug for answers in the mess,
but the rest were looking for trouble.

NBA bans Hip Hop fashion among players

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 21:30:00 +0200

Starting with the 2005/2006 season, the NBA will enforce a new business casual dress code among players during team functions. NBA players will now have to wear a suit, a sport coat or their uniform while sitting on the bench. The new requirements also forbid sleeveless shirts, shorts, t-shirts, chains, sunglasses while indoor and other bling bling assortments or excessive jewelry to be worn while the players participate in activities such as arriving and leaving games, conducting interviews, making appearances or any promotional attendance. However, the NBA committee didn't show concerns for tattoos, piercings or haircuts.

One of the partisan of this policy is Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson. Jackson, in an interview with the San Grabriel Valley Tribune, argued that the Hip Hop attire is "like gangster, thuggery stuff" and therefore should be banned. The opposition disputed the rule as being "implemented out of racial bias".

Now, I don't know wassup with them fools, I mean it's like the NBA gone conservative and wants to divorce from the Hip Hop culture or sumting. It's stupid 'cuz Basketball is almost part of the hip hop culture. 50% (if not more) of all NBA playas come from the hood, listen to hip hop and dress accordingly, so what you Rethuglican fuck, we don't ask golf players to stop dressing like grandpas. A huge part of the Basketball paraphernalia is composed of gold chains, throwback jerseys or Hip Hop attitude. Anyway, ever since those tall-Israeli took over the NBA it's not interesting anymore. I'd rather stick to watching NCAA or the And-1 Mixtapes.

Cam'Ron got shot

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:55:00 +0200

Cam'Ron was shot and wounded yesterday (Sunday, October 23rd) when he was leaving a club in Washington, D.C. in his show off Lamborghini. Apparently some gully ass thugs stopped him at a traffic light and pointed a gun at him. Refusing to give up his Italian baby, Killa Cam took the fuck off when one of the thug shot him, wounding both of his arm. Cam'Ron was in DC to perform for a college homecoming dance.

Anyway, I was kinda surprised that Killa Cam didn't pussied out on this one. I didn't expect a guy that dresses in pink all the time to say no to some real thug. I'm guessing that proves us all that he ain't a fag like let's say Ja Rule or P. Diddy. Give you props on this one bro!

CD Review: K-OS - Exit

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:45:00 +0200

K-OS: Exit (2003)
Label: Astralwerks/Emd
Genre: Hip Hop/Soul

Music Vibe: 8.5/10

Lyrics Vibe: 8.5/10

Global Vibe: 8.5/10

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Tracklist :
1. Intro
2. Fantastique
3. Call Me
4. Heaven Only Knows
5. Superstarr pt. 1
6. Freeze
7. The Anthem
8. Patience
9. Higher
10. Masquerade
11. Follow Me
12. Superstarr pt. 2
13. Neutroniks
14. Superstarr pt. Zero

2003 wasn't a good year for Hip Hop. With Gayzino, Fiddy Cent or Lil "I have an oral problem" Jon on top of the charts, little was left for the Hip Hop purist. Common, Talib Kweli or Mos Def disappointed and weren't as good as before while the Bling Bling philosophy reached its apex.

While I do appreciate Crunk music in the clubs, I'd rather listen to a more intellectually challenging form of rap when I'm just chilling or cruising. When that Exit cd landed on my desk, I wasn't expecting anything. To be honest, I didn't even know who that guy was. A brief search on the almighty Google sends me on the Astralwerks (the best indie label for Hip Hop, House or Electronica) website. There I don't learn much except that K-OS is from Toronto, Canada.

Anyway, Exit is exactly what I was waiting for. With deeply conscious lyrics enveloped into a complex and sublime audio architecture, Exit is crafted with enough maturity that it is a real pleasure to listen to every tracks. K-OS also makes sure that he changes his style from one song to another to prevent boredom.

As soon as the quick intro fades away, the unpolished and weird beat of Fantastique kicks in while K-OS drops a really cool anti-mainstream text. The scratches in the end of the song are also more than welcomed. Call Me, flirts with the Soul that Lauryn Hill affectionate. K-OS, showing his versatile skills, sings beautifully during the entire song about his personal enlightenment over a quiet guitar riff. On the beatless acoustic Heaven Only Knows, he flows naturally and tells us about those secrets that can only be seen by a superior force. Another personal favorite is Patience, the soothing tranquility that emanes from this song brings you to another world.

There is no filler in Exit and even though it's not a classic or revolutionary album, I highly recommend it to every fan of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest or Common.

CD Review: Sven Väth: Touch Themes Of Harlequin - Robot - Ballet-Dancer

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:30:00 +0200

Sven Väth: Touch Themes Of Harlequin - Robot - Ballet-Dancer (1995)
Label: Eye Q Music Inc.
Genre: Classical/Techno

Music Vibe: 1.5/10

Lyrics Vibe: N/A

Global Vibe: 1.5/10

.
Tracklist :
1. Harlequin's Meditation B Zet remix
2. Harlequin Plays Bell Alter Ego remix
3. Harlequin: The Beauty & The Beast Underworld remix
4. Robot Hardfloor remix
5. The Birth of Robby Aural Float remix
6. Ballet-Fusion Speedy J remix
7. Ballet Dancer B Zet remix

People are going to call me a hater, but I must admit that nothing got me prepared to the boredom of listening to this Touch Themes Of Harlequin - Robot - Ballet-Dancer bullshit album. I mean, no disrespect to Sven Väth, but after all the hype surrounding the guy, I was expecting something of higher quality.

Ok, this record is the product of a bunch of wannabe DJs reworking some of Sven Väth's best tracks. So it's not entirely his fault if it sucks. But still, where the hell has he found the retarded chumps that remixed this album?

Some will call it experimental or conceptual but I only see a lack of artistic skills here. It's as simple as this, seven overly long songs digging into repetitiveness and lethargy, leaving the listener into a deep sleep.

I don't what else to say except that I don't recommend any of you to buy this crap, it's probably Techno at its worst. In the mean time, the record is getting old too, electronic music has come a long way since 1995...

CD Review: Röyksopp - Understanding

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 01:15:00 +0200

Röyksopp - Understanding (2005)
Label: Astralwerks
Genre: House/Trip Hop

Music Vibe: 9/10

Lyrics Vibe: N/A

Global Vibe: 9/10

.
Tracklist :
1. Triumphant
2. Only this Moment
3. 49 Percent
4. Sombre Detune
5. Follow my Ruin
6. Beautiful Day without you
7. What Else is there?
8. Circuit Breaker
9. Alpha Male
10. Someone like Me
11. Dead to the World
12. Tristesse Globale

Fabulous. This album is fabulous. I picked it up while I was digging for some fresh House songs and I don't regret my choice. Understanding is the sophomore project initiated by Svein Berge and Torbjorn Brundtland under the alias of Röyksopp. While their Norwegian names might be unpronounceable, their taste for purified and minimalistic music is exquisite.

While Understanding might be considered as being House music (it was even nominated by the House Music Awards in the top album of the year category), it has no clubbing or dancing potential. Röyksopp invites us to a world of relaxation in between trip hop and down tempo pop where the soft melodies hits you painlessly.

The first track of this CD sets the tone. A sample of classical piano opens the show with grace then a sublime set of drums kicks in. That's it I'm in love. Another highlight is the soulful cameo of Chelonis Jones on 49 Percent, in between R&B and Pop, taking the best of both world, This shyt is incredibly cool to listen to! I'm also loving the vocals that Karin Dreijer drops on What Else is there?, I don't understand what she is saying, maybe it's not even English but I don't care because it sounds great. The rest is equally good without any noticeable fillers.

My only regret in this album is the relative monotony that can be felt after listening to the whole album. Now I'm not saying it's boring, just that it lacks a little bit of audacity and experimentation to transform this essay into a masterpiece of the electronica scene.

Since music is a question of mood, Understanding remains my favorite album to listen when I had an exhausting day at work or at school. It doesn't try to send me any philosophical messages through complex rhymes or musical layers, it just relaxes me enough to forget what a tiring day I had. That's all I'm asking.

Beef G-Unit vs The Game + 300 Shots MP3 Download

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 07:10:00 +0200

This is the The G-Unit's response to The Game's 300 Bars, it got some featuring by Ma$e trying to be all mean and all but the song is stupid and even stupider with Mr. ex-pastor.

Anyway, listening to 300 Shots is as interesting as watching smurfs gang-banging the smurfette (considering that they don't have sexual organs) sure it's cute and all but it has no content. The song sucked so much that I couldn't even find the lyrics on the web!

I don't want to write too much about it, just wanna let you keep track with 50 Cent's over-sized ego...

You can download 300 Shots in MP3 format here.

Check out my article about 300 Bars here.

Oh and when you are done listening to this crap, take this poll:

Hip Hop News: Poll Beef Nas vs. 50 Cent

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:45:00 +0200

Take this lil poll about the beef between Nas & 50 Cent:

If you don't know anything about the beef check out my article and other people's comments by clicking here.

Charts: September 2005 Playlist

noreply@blogspirit.com (rmonico) — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 23:35:00 +0200

OK. I kinda forgot to post my August playlist but I'll make it up by putting this extraordinary playlist. This month I brought up some undaground shyt that will be kinda hard to find. Reptile from Sombionx is a song I heard on the Hpnotic website and nowhere else, it's a bomb and nobody has heard of it... I got some french rock (Raphaël) and rap (Factor X) for those who like the language of love, lots of Rock with the Pixies (Music from the Fight Club Soundtrack), Radiohead or Good Charlotte, another song from Orishas a new hit from Akwid and plenty of house music. Enjoy and leave your own playlist as a comment!

01. Sombionx - Reptile (House Music)
02. DJ Cappel & Smitty - Everyday Struggle/A Day in the Life of a Fool
(Biggie vs. Sinatra)
03. Orishas - El Kilo (Salsero/Cuban Rap)
04. The Pixies - Where is my mind (Rock)
05. Akwid - Como, Cuando y Donde (Latin Rap)
06. Nelly - N Dey Say (Midwest Rap)
07. Raphaël - Caravane (French Emo-Rock)
08. Yves LaRock - Zookey (Tribal-Zook-Ragga)
09. Factor X - Boom Boom (French Rap)
10. Mirways - Naive Song (House Music)
11. Radiohead - Karma Police (Emo Rock)
12. The Chemical Brothers ft Q-Tip - Galvanize (Rap/Trip Hop)
13. Yoshimoto - Do What You Do (Electro House)
14. Saffron Hill ft Ben Onono - My Love Is Always There (House Music)
15. Good Charlotte - I Just Wanna Live (Rock)