annual #3

Whoa… it’s that time already!?!?! It’s been a great year this year. But then again I say that every year. Some seriously top notch stuff but the one thing I noticed is the marked increase in collaborative projects. Be it MC.Producer, MC/MC or even Producer/Producer lot of  our best and brightest got together for full length collabos. And yes, a few of those made my favourites list. Lets get down to business! And remember, this is not one of those ‘semi-official’ best of lists (i’ll leave those to the more established heads. These are MY FAVOURITE albums from the past 12 months. Like / don’t like, lemme know.

 

 Celph Titled & Buckwild: Nineteen Ninety Now

My favourite album of 2010! superb from start to finish, Celph is made for these beats. I can only assume that sample issues prevented these beats from being used by other MC’s a lot earlier as I can’t believe they were passed over by anyone. I just hope that there is more in the pipeline from these 2.

 

Tiron: MSTRD

The first of my ‘Free’ favourites. Tiron went the Illmatic route and kept things short and sweet. Not a skippable track to be found. and that DJ Dahi should be an awful lot busier.

 

Lewis Parker & John Robinson: International Summers 

Lewis Parker, arguably the UK’s finest recent Hip Hop export. Man with the golden touch is right. Partnered this go round by the often overlooked John Robinson over probably his finest collection of neck snappers to date.

Kev Turner: Soul City Music (beats by Detayl) 

I’ve always been an East Coast head. NAs, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang etc. I have always leaned to the right when it came to Hip Hop politics anyway. Kev Turner & Detayl’s collabo invokes thosefeelings in me whenever i listen to it… and I listen to it a lot.

Ty: Special Kind Of Fool

My 2nd favourite release this year. Everytimehe puts something out it makes my list (Closer did it 2 years ago). There is an understated quirkiness about Ty’s sound. Always bearing a message, Ty hasmastered the art of edutainment. Positive messages wrapped up in awesome beat choices and superb wordplay.

 

Von Pea: So Motivational & Peas Gotta Have It

To be honest I love all things Tanya Morgan/Von Pea certified. Both Of these are on regular rotation on my Blackberry/Ipod and will be for some time to come.

 

J. Cole: Friday Night Lights

I’m not afraid to say that I was very late on this guy. The first time I really caught him was when I had Reflection Eternals Just Begun on constant repeat. And being honest, I only decided to grab this when I read that Hov had signed him (how shallow am I). No more will I ignore the talents on display on Friday Night Lights.

 

Ramson Badbonez:  The Official Volume 2

& Give Badbonez A Break 

I just can’t get over how good Ramson’s flow is. It could easily have faded after he initially blew up but he has proved that he is here for the long haul. So while we wait for his 1st official album this is more than enough to tide me over for now. Having more original beats on here than on volume 1 is an added extra. With Give Ramson A Break IQ & Gone have provided the original ‘Breaks’ to some of Hip Hops finest music for a backdrop. The first & last tracks are two of my favs of the lat few months (yes I am a man of simple pleasures).

 Kashmere: Galaktus – Power Cosmic

I have always considered Kashmere’s interstellar flows to be the stuff of UK Hip Hop legend. I have also considered the beat making talents of Zygote (another album please) and Jazz T to be in that same bracket. And then they got together for Power Cosmic. Otherworldly organized chaos never sounded so good.

 

 Clear Soul Forces: Departure EP

Another of my favourite freeness. I’d never heard anyhting of these guys at all before I grabbed this EP. If you are in that category now I strongly suggest you do as I did, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Hocus Pocus: 16 Pieces

I think i understand about 3 percent of what these guys are actually saying on their songs (unless an english speaking collaborator is present on the track). But we all know a nice flow when we hear it and besides, everything Hocus Pocus put out is among the finest examples of Jazz Hop of this Hip Hop generation.

 

 Prose: Force OF Habit

Put simply, Prose do Boom Bap, and they do it very well indeed. Nuff said i’d say

 

 JazzyFact: Lifes Like

 Wow! what an album! Like Hocus Pocus I don’t understand a lot of what these guys are saying but like the aforementioned 16 Pieces, Lifes Like is also a superb example of Jazz Hop.

David Banner & 9th Wonder: Death Of A Pop Star

Just when it seemed that 9ths best work was going to be exclusively heard on mixtapes. Along comes the much promo’d Death Of A Pop Star. A few heads compared Banners flow to his Crooked Letterz days. So I revisited old pastures & I can see what they mean. 9th Wonder saved his best for last in my opinion.

 

Life: Life Beyond Rap

Whether going solo or as part of the Phi-Life collective, Life MC hasn’t missed a socio-political beat. That plus his undeniable chemistry with one of the UK’s finest, DJ Nappa, makes Life Beyond Rap arguably UK Hip Hops finest release this year.

 The Roots: How I Got Over

And so I saved my (3rd) favourite release of 2010 til last. In my view, How I Got Over sees the roots return to the heady heights of Things Fall Apart. Yes I know Rising down is also an awesome album but this just trumps it for me. It would’ve been my obvious choice for favourite if Celph & Buck hadn’t created awesomeness personified!

My Honourable mentions:

Majestik Legend – The Great Escape

Ghostface Killah – Apollo Kids

Black Milk – Album  Of The Year

Kanye West – My Dark Twisted Fantasy

Skyzoo & Illmind – Live From The Tape Deck

and thats a wrap

see you next year…. p e a c e

lets have a beer

Finally Sean Boogs newness has arrived. Light Beers Ahead Of You is real nice. Laced by 9th Wonder, Boogs P’n’C Khrysis, E. Jones and Amp. Plus it’s free so grab this people! Enjoy!

Sean Boog – Light Beers Ahead Of You

i’m baaaaaaack!!!

Yeeeeah! my internet is sorted and i’m back in the game. So i carry on in the same vein I left off. Duo to watch Actual Proof. have been sprinkling the blososphere with 9th Wonder assisted niceness for a while now, but now we have there first full length release The Free EP.

nice 1 MSJ

Download: Actual Proof – The Free EP

King??? Driis???

KING DRIIS - HOLD ON from Pricefilms on Vimeo.

Well well well…. It seems that Mr. Elba has his fingers in many pies. Only this morning I wes tweeting about how superb he is in his new UK series, Luther. would you Adam & Eve it!!! now he’s spitting over 9th Wonder beats in glossy videos with some fantastic looking ladies. I’m jealous as hell right now. But also proud that one of ours is doing his thing over there. Big up the 2Dopez. When is ‘The Losers’ out again?

adventures in Bandcamp #10: wonderful 9th edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLICK A PIC time peepz, 9trh Wonder style. Every time i see a new 9th related project up somewhere there are always loads of ‘9th is ill/9th is wack’ comments tailing the link. I’m still rather amazed that these debates are still taking place but hey. Anyway 2 of the above projects are single tracks (Merk & Stanza) and the other 2 use nothing but 9th (Airklipz & Shawn Jones). You’ve probably heard one or two of the beats before but they’re still well worth grabbing. Enjoy.

Tuff cookie

I couldn’t find anything else from the MC at the helm of this track. Not a myspace or a picture that I was sure was anything to do with him. But Tuff is nice with his & 9th does what we have come to expect on the beat so…. Enjoy!

Tuff – I’m Not Playing Games (beat by 9th Wonder)

It's A Secret & I'll Never Tell

What is it that some of you peeps don't like about 9th Wonder. Buck's universal appeal & entry into the Hip hop hall of fame was secured a long time ago. 9th was seemingly headed in the same direction but as usual, once he started to get some major shine some of his former trumpeteers turned on him. Apparently he'd fallen off & his beats were too similar. He was a 1 trick pony that wasn't able to adapt. The Minstrel show couldn't hold a candle to his work on The Listening (really?). When it comes to Hip Hop all the greats have a Formula they follow. Dr. Dre, Pete Rock, Primo, Timbaland, Kanye West, The Neptunes etc. The reason these guys are held in such esteem is beacause 90% of the time when 1 of their beats hits our ears we know it's them. Up to now 9th is no different so why the hate. I've made no secret of the fact that i'm a big 9th fan & I personally feel it's just a case of sour grapes from the supposed 'underground' heads that can longer claim to hold Hip Hops latest best kept secret. Thus his latest project, the 2nd joint outing with Buckshot, The Formula, finally graced my ears. Now, I was rather underwhelmed when the 1st single, No Doubt, reached my ears. But upon hearing the track in amongst the rest of the album i'm feeling it a lot more. As good as it was, I always felt that Chemistry had 9th (Subconciously or otherwise) pandering to Bucks aura. Hence the album had a Beatminerz (ish) feel (that dusty vinyl crackle & pop) to it. The Formula is a more polished affair that is much more of a meeting in the middle between the 2 of them. From the opening 2 tracks, Intro & Ready, you can hear the difference straight away with the former using a chopped kiddie choir sample to good effect while the latter borrows gentle trumpet & vocal samples for Buck to do his thing. And their isn't a moody snare used in either one. It's not until Be Cool that you'll here anything gritty & even then it's broken up by a songstress on the hook (which does the track no harm at all). Then No Doubt kicks in & by the time i've spun it for the 3rd time in a row, i'm a bit embarrased for myself that I wasn't feeling it in the 1st place. The album is a more soulful affair & it could be said that the original appeal of Chemistry is lost in translation. Personally I say The Formula has an appeal entirely seperate from the 1st joint. My fav track on the album, Only For You, is a perfect example. A very simple soulful vocal loop plus the faintest rimshot i've heard on any track plus Buck paying his respects to friends passed & my neck was gone. Another is my 2nd fav, Shinin' Y'all which follows the same approach with a meatier rim shot. Plus M1 Platoon do the reputations no harm with their bars on this track either. An honourable mention has to go to the final track on the album, Man Listen, which uses a emphatic string sample Just Blaze would be proud of. A more cohesive effort than it's predecessor, The Formula is a great addition to what i suspect may be a trilogy or even a quartet (I formally put forward The Catalyst as my vote of a title for the next installment) and a space has already been made for when my copy arrives.

p e a c e

9th Wonder & Buckshot - The Formula Selection

(No it's Not 9th's Official Drop) Finally...

It's finally here? 9th's version of American Gangster. I've heard a few of these beats before but it's nice. Small Professor's still my number 1 though.

9th Wonder - American Wonder

Alliance Is Golden (9th & The A.L.L.I.E.S.)

Heads would have heard these cats on 9th's Dream Merchant 2 (Reminisce). Probably my favourite track on there. Part of the reason for that however, is the obvious chemistry beween 9th's beats and the skills shown by the MCs riding it. I base this evidence not just on that track but also on the EP i'm posting for the good people to Grab. 9th Wonder Presents: The A.L.L.I.E.S. EP is 7 tracks (including the intro) of arguably 9th's best work (after The Listening) being used by Big Remo & Novej (pronounced No-vay) to drop various jewels about hip hop, life and family. Change Ya Ways (Be Careful) is officially my all time favourite 9th beat (so far). Immaculate use is made of the sample for the bro's to show people the right way to go. Gotta Get To Work is also a track that immediately jumps out at you. To be honest though, the whole damn EP is fire. Miss it & miss out. GRAB THAT!!!

The A.L.L.I.E.S. EP