Friday, March 03, 2006
Throwback Friday #8.
Wait, you mean to tell me that this isn't Kyle Gass?Alriiight. Lack of posts this week directly correlates to finally starting to work a 9-to-5er. Although it is a temp position, so nothing to get all excited about yet. Point is, I'm at least on track now. Now it's just a matter of keeping the cash flow steady. I'm tired of looking for work, I'm about ready to sit on my hands and wait for someone to get in touch with me. Which of course I won't, but it's so late into this process I just assume I can finally start back up with the catering operation I work for. I'm all ready to dust off the tuxedo, put on my actor face, and create another great performance.
I've already said too much.
Today's Throwback is a forgettable 80's track. Which means that only one outfit in today's rap scene would have the audacity to flip the sample. Get ready for a fun one: Agallah's got the props this week for unearthing...
Christopher Cross - One Chance For Heaven (rapidshare link)
Remember the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles? Okay, well, what about Greg Louganis? I personally don't remember. I was two years old. Anyway, he won his first medals for Diving that year. Incidentally, this song was the official anthem for the Swimming event, which I guess in turn meant Diving counted as well.
This song could have been accidentally the Greg Louganis theme song. Just a thought, okay? I mean, I'm not going to insinuate Mr. Cross himself as being gay (Louganis didn't come out until ten years later), but given the majorty of those album covers with flamingos on them, its a bit suspect. Nothing against flamingos, though their pinkness probably gets the Dipset no homo nod of approval (whatever). All this being said, I'm partial to puffins.
Fun fact from wikipedia: He and Norah Jones are the only two artists in history to receive all of the "Big Four" Grammy Awards (Best Record, Song, Album, and New Artist) in the same year. Whereas Ms. Jones owned 2002, Mr. Cross owned...1980. Needless to say, artists that peak to early? Yeah, I think we have a pattern developing. At least Norah seemingly won't pack on too many pounds years from now...
Time to revert out of gossipy mode. We have work to do here!
Purple City - Winning (rapidshare link)
Rappers on this track are Un Kasa and Bathgate. ...Roight. Sounds to me like a slightly half-assed looping by Agallah aka "The Don Bishop" (he'll always be the Crookie Monster to me though). As an overall package for a song, it's still a goodie in any case; the drums especially are kinda nice, if not so completely generic that you can nod your head without falling asleep.
I was going to cover the topic of my bias against Dipset, but then I remembered I had already planned to cover that at another point in the near future. Therefore I'll save you the details and just be very blunt: the singles are all that I really like from them. The album filler joints are, for the most part, extremely lacking and really disappointing.
Luck would have it that last year's The Best of the Purple City Mixtapes is probably the least talked about Dipset related release. Here's the vibe I've gotten, especially after working the "Purple City Byrdgang" 12" during my senior year of college stint as a music director: To not be a fan of Agallah's (newer) production, or (the lack of) consistently enjoyable lyrics from the mostly anonymous rappers (what Cam can bring to the table will only hurt his buddies without the assistance)--- it's not like you're being looked down upon, within that ever so present circle of the Dipset Fan Club. It's almost like, if you are a fan of the Diplomatic Immunity compilations, to the point where you've become completely dumb in the head, you're ready for the next level. And so then there's this.
Cross's Ode to Winning might be more enjoyable though. What do you think?
Tonight I venture off with the homie G-Proph to the Knitting Factory to see what's up with this Clipse show, sponsored/hosted by Fader Magazine. House DJ will be Clinton Sparks, who I've never been a big fan of, in all honesty (Maybe You Been Brainwashed was dismal, to say the least). Clipse, however, I am willing to check out. Probably because, for one, there's nothing else going on tonight really and, hell, it's a $15 dollar rap show--- good deal. But certainly not because I'm soooo turned on to their music after reading a stupid Fader cover story. Fuck that shit.
If I may explain my stance here...I swear that some of these magazines, like Fader for example, overdramaticize commercial rappers with so much fluffy journalism about their message, their persona, their drug habits, as if reading between the lines we should be able to extract something deep, like YO DEM FRANCHISE BOYZ ARE LIKE THE JIM CARROLL OF THIS RAP SHIT KIIIID.
Perhaps I'm just a struggling writer coming to terms with my own jaded personality, but as a reader, I see this pampering and primping as a real turn off. Perhaps this is meant to be the overall goal; to annoy the audience into appreciating artists for all the unnecessary reasons. Perhaps I'm just not willing to accept the fact that SPIN had been doing the same thing all along during my middle school years, with rock acts I've since shrugged off without looking back. Perhaps this mentality has indeed been embedded in my brain, and only in this time of my life have I become aware of the double entendre.
Make no doubt about it, I don't ever doubt ownership of hypocrisy when it comes along. I just think more writers need to do the same. That's all.
Hope you enjoyed this edition. Something good coming your way for the Headphone Masterpieces tomorrow.
Cheers,
~*E*~
