Hip Hop News
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The good people at MADE were given the opportunity to pick the brain of the BK MC Talib Kweli. He discusses the pursuit of passion, creativity, and the importance of doing what you love.
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Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 Album Review
You know what you’re going to get with the Beastie Boys: simple similes and metaphors that are as playful as they are daring. Part punk-rock, part hip-hop, part electronic experimentation, the Beastie Boys have accomplished something new with each of their eight solo releases. From their fight-for-your-right, self actualizing debut, Licensed to Ill, to their funky, shrewd accomplishment of Hello Nasty, the Beastie’s have maintained a musical career not many other hip-hop groups can claim. They broke through in the middle 80’s, dominated the 90’s, and, well, now’s the time to be realistic, they fizzled and withered in the 2000’s.
To The Five Burroughs (2004) and The Mix-Up (2007), the Beastie’s 6th and 7th studio albums, seemed to elegize a career for the Boys and retire them into manhood. They’ve never sounded older and more disinterested than on To the Five Burroughs, and they didn’t even bother rapping on The Mix-Up, instead opting to pump out thirteen pop instrumentals that reminded me of my days experimenting with royalty-free music in High School. For all the true Beastie Boys fans, this was the end, and when Adam Yauch (Ad-Rock) was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, the next step for the crew appeared to be putting out greatest hits CD’s and re-mastered versions of their classic albums.
Then, today, they dropped Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. Queue the trite clichés: Lazarus is back from the dead; Ponce De Leon has discovered the fountain of youth. Ladies and gentlemen, the Beastie Boys are back on the scene with their best album in nearly thirteen years, and they’re here to kick your ass all over the playground. MCA, 46, Mike D, 45, and Ad-Rock, 44, have turned back the dial on their boom box and rediscovered everything they’ve lost over the past few years. Back is that youthful sound that promotes rebellion and fearlessness. Gone is the cliché laden, senescent sentiments that can be seen in We Got The, and most of the other tracks on To The Five Boroughs. Hot Sauce Committee sounds like a culmination of the Beastie’s first five albums, which frankly, for a Beastie Boys fan, is great news.
This album revisits everything we loved about the Beastie’s; without sounding like old-timers trying to rediscover their past musicianship, this is an authentic, rejuvenated group. They mix the synthesizing, vocal disruption of Ill Communication, the playful banter of Paul’s Boutique, the punk rocking attitude of Check your Head, with the musical acumen of Hello Nasty, and the result is a 45 minute ear-to-ear smile on the face of a Beastie’s fan. Back are the beats: live instrumentals, electronic wonder-sounds, and DJ scratching. Back are the lyrics: “The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding is in my pants,” – Mike D. The album starts off fierce and encouraging with the groovy track, “Make some Noise,” where the crew asks “to make some noise if you’re with me,” over a beat that features a bouncy organ and a funky bass line; we’re with you, and we couldn’t be happier.
The crew brings back the braggadocio rap on “Too many Rappers,” which features Nas and sounds like a mix of Ill Communication’s “Get it together,” and Hello Nasty’s “Body Movin.” The biggest surprise on the album arrives in the reggae inspired “Don’t play no game that I can’t win,” which features the smooth vocals of Santigold and has you bobbing your head. Listen to the crew have a blast on “The Larry Routine,” and hear them slow down their flow and alter their cadence for “Funky Donkey.” The album’s only miss is “Say it,” which is a clamoring, overly fuzzy, synth-heavy mishap.
OUR WORD: The boys are rejuvenated, they’re having fun, and they’ve put together a solid album that stands tall with their first five releases. This album was worth the wait, and did I mention they are streaming the entire album for free on their website? Curious hip-hop fans go to HotSauce Committee to take a listen. True Beastie Boys fans go buy the album and bump it with your windows down as you cruise through spring and into summer.
4/5 Stars.
Check out the star-studded video for “Make Some Noise,” below, which features Elijah Wood as Ad-Rock, Danny McBride as MCA, Seth Rogen as Mike D, and, yes, Will Ferrell playing the cowbell.
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Raekwon releases the newest video for the single Butter Knives off of Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang not a moment too soon. As you would expect from Raekwon, you get a video that encapsulates that hard core NYC street mentality that he is best known for in his rhymes. This track out of all the tracks on Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang reminds me of Rae's featured verse in Mobb Deep's single Eye for and Eye where you can just picture Rae in the kitchen doing his dirt. Check it out as Rae and his people take care of one of his own as he struggles his way through the NYC streets and projects.
Raekwon ~ Butter Knives Video
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Jay Elect has always taken the liberty of time with his creative direction. Reluctant to sign to a label, or produce anything official, the world waits to see if the king of the new school will ever take to his throne. While new artists keep at a mixtape a month pace in order to keep their ravenous fans satisfied, Jay Electronica has not leaked a scrap of new material for so long it's starting to bother people. The bold strategy may be establishing unattainable standards for the MC, or quite possibly giving him the freedom to develop the indisputable evidence of the new schools misdirection. While on a cultural quest while in Kathmandu Nepal during the fall of 2009, Decon produced and Jason Goldwatch shot videos for Jay, videos he never approved. Above you can see Goldwatch's vision while below is Jay Elects self-made version of Dimethyltryptamine. As interesting as the Nepal footage is, something about Jay's ambient-trip and prophetic message of a music video appeals to me, check em both and decide for yourself.
Jay Electronica - Dimethyltryptamine Video
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It has been a long while since we have heard anything from Jeezy, since TM103 is looking like it will be the next Detox. Anyway Jeezy comes through here with some quality stuff which is a nice change from the recent Jeezy that has been put out. Hopefully this holds all my Jizzle fans over until that Thug Motivation drops.
Tity Boi & Young Jeezy ~ Count It Up
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Royce Da 5'9" & Eminem ~ Fast Lane
Bad Meets Evil Project?! Its been a long time since I first heard Em and Royce on the classic Bad Meets Evil and I never thought they could put together another track even close to it...i'm wrong. Royce and Eminem Slim Shady fire back and forth at each other like it's the wild west in this fast paced lyrical duel. If you don't know the original Bad Meets Evil off the Slim Shady LP educate yourself down below.
BAD MEETS EVIL ORIGINAL
