The Group Dynamic

Hello World!!! I'm back with some new material. I took a break from the blog to get my own life together. Also, I got kind of bored with music. So, after my brief hiatus I'm back to deliver some knowledge on ya. Let's call this a new season of Mainly Musique. With that said, let's get it going.

WU-TANG CLAN

Remember back in the 90s when a lot of artists were members of a collective group? Sure some of them had their side projects and some became chart topping solo acts, but they had people beside them and came into the industry as one unit. Of course, it also works the other way around. Here's a couple of examples. The Notorious B.I.G. came in as a solo artist and brought in his group Junior Mafia. Nelly also came in as a solo artist and brought in the St. Lunatics. Eminem brought in D12. The one thing in common is that people came and were signed together and were paid together. So what I want to know is, why is it so hard for a group to make it big?

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

It would be easy to blame the economy, but this has been a trend since Slick Willy was in office. So that won't work. I honestly think it's the labels fearing that the investment might not be worth. I don't blame them. The last group in memory that has had some success was D12. Their two albums, Devil's Night and D12 are two of my personal favorites because they were good. The artists in the group actually had some skill, and they did not go away from the formula that brought success to the person that brought them in, Eminem. I also have to mention G-Unit in this conversation. There's no denying that Beg for Mercy is a classic in a time where the genre was struggling. I think it can stand on it's own even when the genre was thriving. But just like D12, they stuck with what made the solo act successful. Nowadays, it's hard enough to get a solo act to not suck.ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

There is a way to get the group dynamic back, but it definitely will not be easy. First and probably most important, get the scouts out there and look!!! I don't mean in just the hood. Look everywhere!! There are hungry artists out there and after you sift through the bullshit you'll end up with one or two acts worth your time. Do yourself a favor and take the time to look. Second, the labels have to take a chance and invest some money into them. Most of the time acts aren't signed because they do not fit a certain mold. Dare to be different. Who knows, maybe that could the next new trend. Then you could say you started the trend and brag to all of your little label friends. Seriously though, do something. I wanna see another successful group before i die.

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Where have I been?

Answer. I've been getting on with my life. I do go to college and I do other things besides surf the other blogs and analyze music all day. It's finals week right now and with that, work, and all of my other ventures it's been hard to review anything. Also, nothing out right now has interested me in the least. You can expect me to put out something in the new year. You guys can also send me emails and leave me comments on issues as well. I'm still on break. See you next year and stop bothering me!!!

Jay-Z: Blueprint 3

This my friends in another one for every music lovers collection. Notice I said music lover. But Neil, this is a hip-hop blog. What would you include other genres? Is the album that good? Should I recommend it to my goth friends and video game geeks? Should I play it for my god awful Britney Spears followers? In a word....HELL YEA!!



I just put the commercial in because it kicks ass. Also, if you have absolutely no idea who Jay-Z is, now you know. Now to the album. The is the 11th studio album of his historic career. In hip hop time, he's old as hell. Normally after five or six albums, you never hear from that artist again. For someone to last this long and to have a track record that he has, that's just crazy. Each album he's put out from studio has been in the top 3 since his debut, Reasonable Doubt (hot album, cop it). We thought (and he thought) that his 2003 release, The Black Album, would be his last. However, to every one's surprise (except me of course), he came out with another...and another...and The Blueprint 3. Trust me when I say this, we are all grateful that he came out of retirement. Did he ever go in? I'm not sure anymore.

The album has such a wind collection of sounds. It's almost to the point where it does not sound like a typical rap album. This is definitely a good thing. It makes you want to listen to the beat. In turn, you hear the lyrics. It's a perfect plan that is executed without error. I do have my favorites of course. "Real As it Gets" features Young Jeezy and just fits both of them equally. You can't say that about most songs. "On to the Next One" was produced by Swizz Beatz (Swizzy!) and has the chance to be a true club banger. "So Ambitious" feature Pharrell a.k.a. Skateboard P. It's the most relaxing song on the LP. When I listen to it, I just mellow out and don't feel like doing anything. All of the songs are hits in my mind. All I do is listen to that album from beginning to end both in my car and on my iPod.

So would I recommend this LP? Yes, I would. This is what hip hop should be like in my mind. Variety, lyrical content, catchy hooks. This album is the whole package. It's only fitting that hip-hop's gold standard shows the young guns how to do it.

One more thing...

Sacred Principles - Chris Kaplan

I asked my boy Chris Kaplan to do an interpretation of the album. Just like the first one he did, this one kicks ass. Best part about this one, it looks good this way and upside-down!! If you wanna see more check out his site: ArtofChrisKaplan.com. You can also read his article on RealitySandwich.com.

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Raekwon the Chef - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II

There are very few norms in hip hop. But one is that the nation of Wu-Tang will live never die. This time around, Raekwon a.k.a. Lou Diamonds takes his turn and puts out Cuban Linx 2. The sequel to the album that was put out way back in 1995. Let's get down to it.

If you are a Wu-Tang fan. You will feel right at home with this album. Why? It's because basically every member is on this CD. Its seems as if no matter how much these dudes fight, they will always come back together for the sake of the friendship that they all have. Money doesn't hurt either. The only ones missing are U-God, Cappadonna, Masta Killa and O.D.B. This is a Raekwon album though, so it most definitely has his flavor. If you ever listened to Chef, you know he's all about hood life, with real emphasis on the drug game. At first, I wasn't feeling it, but then you appreciate what this man has done with this LP. The only way to listen to this is to know what you are getting yourself into beforehand. If you know that, this album will become an instant classic. Would I put this on my iPod? Hell yea i would!!

In terms of favorite tracks, I really can't choose. Every track in my mind is unique enough and well produced that I have to say I love every track equally. I seriously listen to this from start to finish every single time I decide to play it in my car. For those who want specifics on tracks, I'll tell you that he dedicated a track to ODB, and he goes through the entire fish scale process from start to finish, leaving almost nothing out of his descriptions.

The real reason I reviewed this is because of the label this was released under. Ever heard of Ice Water Records? I didn't think so. What I'm getting at is that you do not have to be part of the big three labels to put out something worth listening to. Don't get me wrong. If you happen to get a release through the big three, by all means take full advantage. What I'm saying is that if you want to start your own venture and have everything go through you, by all means take that initiative and go for it. Remember, Enter the Wu was made in a basement in Shaolin. It doesn't matter how much money you have. What matters is the music. If you have that, then people will listen.

Overall, this album is an instant classic and should belong in any hip-hop fan's library. So, what are you waiting for? Go cop it!!

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Note: Blueprint 3 review coming soon.

My Thoughts on Kanye's Actions

Look, I didn't watch the VMAs, nor will I ever watch that show again until MTV decides to play more videos. But, like everybody else, I know exactly what the moment of the night was. If you've been living under a rock for a while, I'll refresh you.

About two weeks ago or so, MTV did it's annual award show celebrating all things music with the MTV Video Music awards at Radio City Music Hall. It was a normal, bland, rather uninspiring show hosted by the same no name comedian that they had last year. I can't tell you his name, but I don't really care to begin with so let's move on. Somewhere in the middle, Taylor Swift is giving her acceptance speech for winning best Female video. Then, out of nowhere, Mr. West gets on stage, grabs the mic out of Swift's hand, and then tells her and basically the entire world that she shouldn't have won!!! Needless to say that Swift, Beyonce, and the rest of the world were like, WTF JUST HAPPENED!! When I heard the news I looked it up and there it was. What people did not tell me was that when Beyonce won Video of the Year, she brought up Taylor to finish the speech that Mr. West so rudely interrupted.

First off, this act did two things. First and most obvious, it secured Kanye West as the winner of D-Bag of the Year. I know this guy is outspoken and always has to say what's on his mind at any given moment, but you do not do anything like that. Most people blame it on the alcohol, but I blame it on something on his human nature. In my eyes, Kanye did that because he needed to. Here's something that I've noticed about him. Every time he does and album and goes through the normal motions videos and touring, he goes on a short break. This is the same for most artists. During that time, most people are not talking about you, and Kanye cannot stand that. He has to be in the spotlight at all times even if he isn't doing anything relevant. With all the fame and fortune and attention he was getting, he started to define himself as a person based on that attention. I know that his industry being seen is half the job, but to West, it's more than a job. It has become his life and possibly his only reason for continuing to do what he does. He did apologize for his actions, but how much does that do? It's like someone spitting on your face and then says sorry right after. The person may be sorry but in the end your the one with spit on your cheek. A deed like that cannot be forgotten with just an apology and that's it. I don't think it can ever be resolved, at least not anytime soon.

Second, Kanye's actions made Beyonce look like a complete angel. It's almost as if she had a halo around her head at the end of the night. I think she felt sorry for what happened to Taylor. Also, she figured that she's won enough awards and given the same speech numerous times. Why not give the young gun a chance to shine? It might be her first and last. BTW, Beyonce looked good as hell!!!

In the end, MTV was grateful for what West did. It got people to watch the reruns just to see what happened. Since they're probably gonna run it over, and over, and over for the next three months everyone on earth is gonna end up seeing it. Kanye, you lost fans. Taylor, you gained millions. Beyonce, you were just damn sexy!!

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Note: I had a video for this but it was deleted and there aren't any good ones left on the net. Sorry!!

The Sophomore Curse

Many an artist have come bursting onto the music scene and taken the world by storm. They each have catchy singles and quickly gain a following big enough to warrant an album by that artist. The album does better than expected and prompts the artist to be the opening act on a marquee national and possibly a world tour. The tour is a huge success and this new artists went from nothing to something in a a little less than a year. All he/she is think is, "I'm on top of the world!!" The feeling of being somebody is so great that you would do anything to keep. So, you end up creating and promoting a brand new album. This is supposed to be the one that puts you over the top. This is what's gonna keep your name being said by the masses for generations to come!! Too bad the exact opposite happens. Your album drops and so do you. Your sales are worse than Gigli and you have nothing to show for yourself except what you just put out. In most industries, you are only as good as your last installment. Too bad your last installment will actually be your last.

There are plenty of explanations as to why the second album almost never reaches the success of the first, but I'm only going to touch on what I can remember at this point and time. Keep in mind that I am completely exhausted when writing this so it might not make much sense. I'll try to keep it as coherent as possible.

The first is the most obvious in my mind. You have to remember that the average person has a very short attention span. This means that getting people to pay attention to your debut is an achievement in itself. The second album is supposed to re-kindle a spark that just went out after they got bored and it didn't even come close to lighting. Bottom line, the public got sick of you. That's why you album didn't sell

The second is also pretty clear. The debut single for the album absolutely sucked! It's pretty obvious that if you do not have a good start, your finish is gonna be just as bad or worse. If you put out a crappy single, people will assume that the rest of your tracks are terrible. The rest of the LP is probably really good, but you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. My advice, get a few more ears to figure out a first track. Don't just trust your best friend or baby-momma's cousin. More than likely they'll just tell you what you want to hear instead of the truth.

Third is a complete lack of promotion for yourself. I know you have people to do that kind of stuff for you, but sometimes those people suck at what they do. The one thing that every person can do is talk about themselves and what they do. How do you think I get people to read this blog? I promote myself the best I can by using other sites, but it's mostly by word of mouth. (BTW, thank you to everyone who visits. It's all appreciated). You have to remember that you are the artist and you have control over what happens to you. If you want things to be successful, take charge and make it happen for yourself.

That's all I can think of right now. If you have any other reasons that I missed, drop an email my way. I promise I'll respond.

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Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother

Quite possibly one of the best albums I have ever had the pleasure of purchasing and listening to, Mecca and the Soul Brother is one for the archives. This is the true definition of what rap music was and could possibly be again.

Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth didn't really make that crazy burst onto the scene moves that most artists did. They've been around for quite a while as producers. They decided to come together as a group and create they're own music. Pete Rock laced the track and C.L. wrote the rhymes.

Now this album was the first to include ad libs in the middle of the song. You know what those are. MC says a line and then you hear a voice in the background. If you listen to anything Jim Jones, you know what I'm talking about. And now you know where he got the idea. Diddy is now famous for doing this move but you can thank C.L. Smooth for laying down the foundation. Another thing about this album is that it's one of the first "lay back and relax" albums I've ever listened to. It's not something that you are going to get up and instantly start dancing around by any means. This is more of a sit back with a good drink and vibe album. Another note is that the mentioning of black power and appreciation of the African culture is also mentioned. You have to remember the time period in which the more popular groups at the time were groups the developed around black empowerment. Groups like Public Enemy, X-Clan, and NWA among many others. So do not be surprised when all of this is said or implied from beginning to end.

This album is an overall masterpiece from an incredible yet underrated duo in the rap game. Well, I'm done with my part, but there's one more thing i gotta show you...

This is an interpretation of the album put into visual art by my friend Chris Kaplan. Remember that cross blog promotion I was talking about before, well this is it. I do the writing, Chris does his drawing thing. If you want to see more, check out his site at www.artofchriskaplan.com.

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