License to Ill Trill

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Can anyone tell me what's been happening in hip-hop this year? The only things that have crossed my radar: that Lil Wayne (?) essay that everyone linked to a couple of months ago, but I've no idea where to start with his stuff; the Cool Kids' 'Bake Sale' (which I really like but is v. openly retro); an album by TI I never listened to; a ropey Fannypack collection of odds and sods; and Roots Manuva a sole concession to the UK.

So I basically have no idea what is hot and what is not; what the trends are or what the big tunes are. I blame this on being a bit distracted this year, on living in a part of the world where the only place you can hear hip-hop being played is in clothing stores whose playlists are sent up from London. If anyone has recommendations for places on the web to keep up with this sort of thing - other than the New Yorker which seems a slightly perverse direction from which to view the world of rap - that would be helpful too!

Help me o cosmpolitan poptimists!

Comments

Basically what's mine is mine, what's yours is mine

[koganbot]

I'd say so, but note that T.I. is dominating the singles charts right now, "Whatever You Like" on its seventh nonconsecutive week at number one (the significance of its being nonconsecutive is that when something else jumps up for a week and then falls, "Whatever You Like" is still there to take its place; is on its third stint at the top), "Live Your Life" is at number two (having been one of the tracks that bumped "Whatever You Like," but its airplay is still building, so it could always bump back). I'm actually a bit meh on "Whatever You Like," tired of rappers who can't sing glinting themselves up with AutoGizmo and singing (the only rapper who's pulled off the singing for me this year is Kanye).

My rap single of the year, easy, is V.I.C.'s "Wobble." In general, one should always keep an ear open for anything that Mr. Collipark has a hand in producing.

The David Banner and the Trina albs are disappointing, and the V.I.C. album is too long without enough good stuff, which is standard for hip-hop. Tha Wayne is also disappointing but crucial anyway. As for the Lil Mama album, I think the heaviness helps it, while the pop tuneful attempts are where it goes into blah, and the thing is too long, of course. Another too long album with good stuff is Keak Da Sneak's Deified, like Halloween music, minimal eeriness and Keak whispering and croaking around the edges ("Ass Chauffeur").

But I haven't paid nearly enough attention to the genre this year. Good single that I heard about on livejournal is "Get Up Stand Up" by Vein f. Pitbull.

Re: Basically what's mine is mine, what's yours is mine

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

'blimey' to the T.I. reign of terror - I really liked the singles from King so I'll check these out, although I never got T.I. vs T.I.P when I had a go at it. That V.I.C record seems fun from the video - I'd spotted that on your singles of the year so far listing as one I hadn't heard of. The 'too long album with good stuff' syndrome is possibly one of the reasons I haven't been following things much - I hear about albums but when I hear them I don't concentrate hard enough to pick the good stuff out so my impression is always more 'meh that was an hour wasted'.

Re: Basically what's mine is mine, what's yours is mine

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

TI vs TIP is rubbish! Paper Trail may be uneven but it's much much better. Re: the TI singles, I love 'Whatever You Like', which is kind of like 'What You Know' recast for the laydeez; it has a similar effect to Sean Paul's 'Get Busy', in that it seems to be this unending melodic wave as one section flows smoothly into the next. 'Live Your Life' sucks because 'Dragostea Din Tei' sucks and not even TI and Rihanna can make it sound good.