Damn, woke up to sad news this morning about Phife, so unexpected.
We’ve lost a true hip-hop legend in Phife today, listening to Tribe will feel a bit different now, but his legacy and rhymes will live forever!
Rest in power Phife, and thank you for your contribution to hip-hop.
Here’s my favourite verse/song from Phife,
A Tribe Called Quest- Butter
Let’s celebrate his legacy
Flatbush Zombies- New Phone, Who Dis?
This song is off the new Flatbush album ‘3000: A Laced Odyssey’.
This song is good for sure, but let’s not beat around the bush, Meechy’s verse makes this song what it is, he absolutely slaughtersssssssssss his verse on this song, his flow and adlibs are perfect. It’s an early contender for verse of the year so far, he goes the fuck off!
The album itself is well worth listening too if you haven’t already. I was definitely impressed with this album and how consistent it was.
Skepta- Tim Westwood Freestyle
This is a big big big song/freestyle of the day!
For those who may be new to Skepta, please please listen to this freestyle, it is legendary. Everyone at my school knew the lyrics to this freestyle back to front. They call him the King of Grime for a reason!
Growing up in East London during the early 2000’s when grime was really starting to pop off was amazing now that I look back on it. I pretty much grew up in the hub/origin of grime.
To cut a long story short, grime dominated my days at secondary school, and Skepta was at the forefront of the hype.
Me and my friends always retained the belief that if Skepta had the exposure and promotion American artists got worldwide, he’d be a rap/grime phenomenon and be up there with the most recognisable and appreciated rappers, and with his recent endorsements by Drake and Kanye, were beggining to see that now.
More power to him.
A Tribe Called Quest- The Love Movement
If my blog name or header didn’t give it away (somehow), I’m a huge Tribe fan, and this week album of the week goes to them.
My favourite Tribe album is ‘The Love Movement‘. This album is generally accepted by most Tribe fans and Tribe themselves as being their least favourite project, with the members of Tribe in their documentary ‘Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest’ going as far to say they didn’t really enjoy the album themselves.
Maybe the problems within the group, most notably between Phife and Q, had an affect on their feelings towards the process and outcome of the album. But I for one love this album.
Never in my time of listening to music have I come across an album where the first 13 tracks are absolute fire and simply unskippable.
I love the feel of this album, the production is A1, the hooks are great and the rhymes are on point as usual.
This album was made over 17 years ago, and even if it was released today it wouldn’t sound out of place at all. A timeless album, a timeless classic.
Stand out tracks: Find a Way, Da Booty, His Name Is Mutty Ranks, Give Me, Busta’s Lament, Against The World, The Love.
Favourite song: Busta’s Lament
Tribe are legendary and as a collective they’re by far and away my favourite hip-hop group of all time. They influenced a new generation of rappers and sounds, most notably Kanye and Pharrell.
This album shouldn’t be dismissed despite what some may say. It’s a classic in my eyes and should celebrated as much as their other albums!
Happy birthday to the young visionaire that is Tyler the, Creator.
Tyler is undoubtedly one of my favourite artists and his music is grossly underrated.
He divides opinion, mainly because of his PAST subject matters and demeanour, but his musical ability and talent is undeniable in my opinion.
Dare I say it, he’s followed in the footsteps of his idol Pharrell. His production is incredible, he was the ring leader of a very talented Odd Future, has his own clothing line and even managed to get a collaboration with some big brands like vans, he’s an accomplished videographer, has his own app and had a very successful and hilarious tv show in Loiter Squad and he’s only 25!
He comes across as a weird but nice guy and if you listened to his latest album ( Cherry Bomb ) he has an underlying positive message through-out the album.
I leave you with my favourite song by T, Find Your Wings .
S U R F I N G- Deep Fantasy
I found out about this album about 2/3 weeks ago after my friend recommended it to me. It was only until recently I had given it a proper listen and it’s fucking amazing, just sensational.
This album is a similar sound of that to Tame Impala’s, who coincidentally made my favourite album of last year Currents (10000% recommend you listen to this album is you haven’t).
This album flows from start to finish and the transitions are seamless.
I’m a huge fan of these 30-40 minute albums, it keeps the album short and sweet. Going for quality rather than quantity, it entices you to listen to the album in its entirety, on loop, which I feel l gives you a better experience, as rather than a collection of songs, it becomes more a focused and cohesive piece of art.
Honestly, I can’t even tell you the name of the songs, or which one is my favourite, but that isn’t too important, just know this album is well worth a listen!
Joey Bada$$- Waves
This video fits the song perfectly. Before I had seen the video, whenever I listened to this song I felt like I was taken on a smooth journey through-out my day, and the video actually captures the feeling the song.
There’s a nostalgic feel to Joey’s sound and delivery, in particular his mixtape ‘1999’, and if you’re a 90’s baby like me (or experienced the 90’s in any capacity) you’d understand and probably appreciate his music more.
ablogcalledquest 