From the Douglas Branch of the Seattle Public Library System, I got some new (to me) discs to flap gum 'bout.
Wiz Khalifa-
Rolling Papers So lately as time goes on I'm more and more obsessed with rap music, particularly of the "trashy" variety. When I say trashy I guess I mean flamboyant and glitzy rap rather than gritty and raw hiphop. I just like the ridiculous opulence of the trashy rap. And I'm really into 808 drops. So imagine my disappointment when I gave this Wiz Khalifa disc a spin. These beats is candy yo. Trashy yes, but
Rolling Papers (that is the beats, Wiz's voice and personality in general) lacks a certain bombastic flair to make me take its ridiculousness seriously. I guess the guy grew up in North Dakota and the music reflects that. It's got a countrified wannabe urban vibe to it. I picture a bunch of dudes in the sticks trying to tune in the hip hop show from the college radio station in Bismarck, desperately trying to connect with the culture of rap music and reject the cowboy society that surrounds them, a la
White Boyz. I don't care how many tattoos this guy's got or how many joints he smoked, he ain't no thug, but I do like that one song with
Too Short.
Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace This is a great record. I've actually been listening to it for a while now (I didn't recognize the cover art at Douglas and thought it might have been another edition). Smart's Palace was a dive bar in Witchita Kansas during the late sixties that featured live music, particularly apparantly some very heavy hitting soul music. Totally underground. Off the radar. Big fish in a small pond. If these dudes had been located in Detroit and not Witchita during that time, names like Chocolate Snow and Tim Jacob might be of the house hold variety along with Otis Redding or the Temptations. But the music on this disc ain't glossy. It's raw and often live recordings of no name soulsters at their best infamous glory. You can feel the sweat, beer and polyester when you listen to this shit. Very highly recommended for fans of classic soul and/or the
BK neo soul revival.
Bedouin Soundclash-
Street Gospels Meh. I want to like this, I just don't I'm really not feeling Jamaican roots as marketing tactics to sell suburban punk kids mediocre records. The dude's voice is too pretty. I'm not saying I'm some bad shotta, but I get the feeling if these dudes went to JA they wouldn't get past the gates of Club Med, yet there are photos soundsystems and Orange Street dancehalls throughout. And the music itself is very light. For a band with the word "soundclash" in their name they sure could use a little boom in their sound. I'm not trying to hate but if I'm gonna listen to hipsters undertake Jamaican riddims I'll take the
Aggrolites,
Slackers,
Westbound Train, or any number of dope acts. Bedouin Soundclash just don't seem to Catch a Fire. Rat in mi Kitchen...
Wiz Khalifa-Rolling Papers So lately as time goes on I'm more and more obsessed with rap music, particularly of the "trashy" variety. When I say trashy I guess I mean flamboyant and glitzy rap rather than gritty and raw hiphop. I just like the ridiculous opulence of the trashy rap. And I'm really into 808 drops. So imagine my disappointment when I gave this Wiz Khalifa disc a spin. These beats is candy yo. Trashy yes, but Rolling Papers (that is the beats, Wiz's voice and personality in general) lacks a certain bombastic flair to make me take its ridiculousness seriously. I guess the guy grew up in North Dakota and the music reflects that. It's got a countrified wannabe urban vibe to it. I picture a bunch of dudes in the sticks trying to tune in the hip hop show from the college radio station in Bismarck, desperately trying to connect with the culture of rap music and reject the cowboy society that surrounds them, a la White Boyz. I don't care how many tattoos this guy's got or how many joints he smoked, he ain't no thug, but I do like that one song with Too Short.
Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace This is a great record. I've actually been listening to it for a while now (I didn't recognize the cover art at Douglas and thought it might have been another edition). Smart's Palace was a dive bar in Witchita Kansas during the late sixties that featured live music, particularly apparantly some very heavy hitting soul music. Totally underground. Off the radar. Big fish in a small pond. If these dudes had been located in Detroit and not Witchita during that time, names like Chocolate Snow and Tim Jacob might be of the house hold variety along with Otis Redding or the Temptations. But the music on this disc ain't glossy. It's raw and often live recordings of no name soulsters at their best infamous glory. You can feel the sweat, beer and polyester when you listen to this shit. Very highly recommended for fans of classic soul and/or the BK neo soul revival.
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