Dangermouse - Moment of Clarity

Grey Album > Black Album.

Blasphemy? Probably yeah, but that just how I feel. Like don't get me wrong, there are amazing songs on the original Black album. 99 Problems, Lucifer, PSA, My 1st Song. However there are duds. Allure, Threat, Justify My Thug, Moment of Clarity.

Actually to call them duds would be inaccurate. The raps on these songs are fine, but the production is lackluster. Allure is probably one of the worst beats I've ever heard. The lyrical content is heavy, but the beats don't match. Its like Jay had been working on the album in his head for years, but the producers weren't on the same page.

What the Grey Album has (after the novelty of the Beatles samples has worn off) is cohesion. It shapes the feel of the song around the content of the raps that are already there so it starts to take shape. Even the use of the Beatles as a sample source gives the album a sense of weight and gravity to match the importance of the lyrics. This is Jay 'retiring', summing everything up and stepping away. It has a reverence to material that the original album didn't have.

This could also just be a product of context. I heard alot of these songs for the first time in the Grey Album form and got chills. When I heard the originals, I was underwhelmed. But thats just me. I don't expect to change anyones mind on this, just my thoughts...

But srsly, the Neptunes version Allure is garbage, so I'm also posting the awesome Ratatat version below. Enjoy.

Jay Z - Allure (Ratatat Remix)

Chester French - She Loves Everybody

"And I know she loves me,

she loves everybody"

This is a bit old but every time I hear it I can't help but marvel at how clever a pop song it is. It's a throwback while sounding fresh, mixing 808 claps with vintage drums. These Neptunes proteges were unfortunatly slept on with this one.

The video is a great companion to the song too. While the clip itself is the bandmembers getting the shit beaten out of them by a girl that is seriously babe'n, the song itself is a condescending fuck you to the girl, who according to the song is a bit of a sluuuuuu*. Theyre getting the last laugh here. But my god, that girl is seriously cute, holy shit....

*Sluuuuuu is a versatile bit of Canadian slang I picked up while I was away. Esssentially it means slut, but its versatile in that the more "u"s you add, the bigger a sluuuu the person is.

Mystikal - Bouncin' Back

So I was checking out Treme today. I'm a big fan of The Wire and as such its my duty to see the new David Simon show. It did not disappoint either. While so far it doesn't seem to have the big over-arching story like The Wire did where each season had the big case to solve and as such I'm wondering what they're going to do for plot, the characters were compelling. And that's the main thing which kept me coming back to The Wire anyways so i can't be mad.

But the main star of Treme is no doubt the music and amongst all the awesome New Orleans music (how long till we see some Weezy?) was this old Mystikal track which absolutely knocks. How I have I not heard this before? Funky as shit, instantly memorable and stands out. Not to mention Mystikal's usual crazy man at the bus stop style of rapping which will always leave me with a smile on my face. Track this one down for sure, and check out Treme.



BONUS :Mystikal - Shake ya ass (Loose Cannons Remix)