Send It In…
AUDIO By TSSCrew on January 31, 2008 at 7:59 pmWords By David D.
Pic courtesy of OKP
The “Digital Age” can be blamed for a lot of things.
Bad record sales. No more blockbuster releases. Bad singles. The fall of Western Civilization. Etc.
But, the saddest casualty of these last point and click few years has been the apparent death of the collaboration.
Now, I know that there are tons of songs featuring multiple artists, but they aren’t true collabos. Instead, these songs are simply verses cut and pasted together with disjointed and unrelated verses. Think about the mass-production of collaborations coming out of the Miami contingent of Khaled, Baby, Wayne, Jeezy, Rick Ross, Plies, etc. These guys just pass the beat around like it’s an over-zealous jump-off for the rappers to put their mark on.
Artists now simply get emailed a beat, write the hook or a verse and then we’ve got ourselves a “collaboration.” Hell, even Outkast hasn’t recorded an album in the same studio since Aquemini. Granted, this phenomenon has led to (for better or worse) the ascension of Lil Wayne and T-Pain over the last year or so. However, can you really say that of all the songs Weezy has been featured on, he’s collaborated with the artists whose songs he’s appeared on? For instance, though Ludacris and Big Boi were on the “I’m So Hood” remix with Lil’ Wayne, can one say that they worked on the song together? I think it’s safe to assume that there was no interaction or even mention of the other artists.
In fact when I sent this post in to Gottyâ„¢, he directed me to an earlier posted convo he had with Phonte in which Tigalo said “Yeah, that’s technology for you I guess. On one end it made it easier for ‘collabs’ to take place, but in some instances it kinda took the heart out.”
Ironically, Little Brother took part in one of the most heartless Lil’ Wayne-featured songs in which Weezy literally mailed his verse in. (”Play fair like roller coasters and clowns”…?).
When I think of artists really making a song together, I picture them in the studio trading ideas off of each other, actually, y’know…ciphering.
I’d give anything to be a fly on the wall watching Jay and Biggie trading bars and ideas, nodding along to each other’s lyrics while they cook up “Brooklyn’s Finest.” When I hear two rappers really go in on a track together, I can tell. The chemistry is there. The magic of two rappers really feeding off of each other is what really gives that authentic feel to collaborations. Over the last few years, that feeling has all but disappeared.
Enter EMC: Masta Ace, Punchline, Wordsworth, and Stricklin.
Their first group album “The Show” is not only a return to the concept album (they are going through a day of getting ready for a performance); it also marks the return of the collaboration. These brothas create a chemistry we haven’t seen from a group of rappers in a long time. The dynamic between Punch and Words has always been there with these two finishing each other’s sentences as if they have a singular brain. Ace and Stricklin join in creating almost chaotic songs resembling a cipher.
Case in point is their non-stop title track from the album. The four guys are at the eleventh hour trying to get to their show with each member stressing over their own pre-show anxiety. The structure of the song mimics this chaos as the crew’s lines overlap and run over each other with nearly no set amount of bars before this happens. What results is a song that can’t be created via email just for the simple fact it would be too damn hard to make a song like that. Furthermore, the track is just plain fun to listen to as EMC creates an atmosphere that appears as though we are looking in on a freestyle between close friends.
Hopefully other rappers will see the magic these four MCs create on their album and use it as a catalyst for the return of the collabo.
YZ - The Ghetto’s Been Good To Me EP - 1993
Trackstar The DJ Presents Boogie Bang 11 (Hosted by DJ Drama, Willie the Kid and La the Darkman)
The Doors - The Very Best Of (40th Anniversary Edition)
Stevie Wonder - Best Ballads
Annie Lennox - MTV Unplugged
Richie Rich - Seasoned Veteran (1996)
Prince - Dreams (Unreleased Songs: 1982-1997)
DJ Skee Big Mike And Omar Cruz 2007 B.C. (Before Cruz)
Are You Crew?
Posted in AUDIO, GENERAL, MUSIC, STRAY SHOTS
Tweet This
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
RSS Feed
37 Comments
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6224141
Im on the first verse… ass fucking editing, didnt know my verse was going to be part of such trash, but enjoy it TSS faithful, and laugh at my atempt to rap
Whaddup world
1st up mang!
As always…RMF!!!
Reem.
http://www.triggerhappyny.com
Can someone re-up “The Show” by EMC. I’ve been resistant but I’ve yet to hear a negative comment about it so I give in.
Actually, when Biggie & Jay did their verses for Brooklyn’s finest, all they did was stand there and mumble to theirselves.
I’m fucking with you David, you brought up a real good point.
speaking the truth.
@ M.Z. I’d rather watch Big and Jay mumble than hear a Khaled clusterf*@k track and the ridiculous videos that ensue (”So Hood” remix…smh) ANY day. lol
@ Amp.
That album doesn’t drop til’ March. I’m pretty sure things will change by then. But I’m sure you find a link in comments from this week. Its been posted heavily. If U see bankhead, click his name…..
people whut up… can i get a link to that new G Rap… by the way that EMC is the truth
I’m with you Dave TRUST me.
Kool G Rap-Half A Klip (Grouprip-2008)
http://sharebee.com/e34ba954
EMC-The Show
http://lix.in/a664a8b5
Janelle Monae - The Audition
http://www.zshare.net/download/42443544f1487b
Lenny Kravitz-It Is Time for a Love Revolution-(2008)
http://www.zshare.net/download/70090820926d91/
Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street Screener
Part1 http://u-je7r002rq.urlcash.net/
Part2 http://u-0e7r3mfsr.urlcash.net/
^Good lookin, TC.
What’s the word on that G Rap?
Can someone please post a sendspace /megupload link to the new Snoop Dogg - Neva Hafta Wurry. All the zshare links keep getting redirected to some zwinky bullshit before you can download the track.
Thanks in advance!
1ne.
TC… GOOD LOOKIN ON THAT
This post is PERFECT I have been saying this for a while…what happened to the real life collabs. You can tell when artists just “mail you a verse” most times it dont have shiznit to do with the orginal concept .
I completely agree with you David….although the “I’m so Hood” remix has been one of my JAMS this year, I can only think about how hot it woulda been if all those artists actually got together in a studio and did their thing
Man i’m pissed i missed the Devin post…that’s gotta be the coolest, most likable rap artist ever right there…he was one of my top picks when we had that “rappers u gotta cop all their joints” discussion…good writing tss
anyone got a link for the wire episode 5 really would appreciate it
What’s the chance of getting a link of NORE’s first cd
Anyone? Tks.
As always…RMF!!!
Reem.
I was listenin to that Pharoah Monch and it made me think of these three dope smokin and whippin joints:
Sleepy Brown - Me, My Baby and my Cadillac
http://youtube.com/watch?v=01fz3q7kvBc
Mathematics ft. Ghostface, Deck, Cappa - Strawberries & Cream:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bwAKHnY_1xg
Pharoah Monch - Push
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X8hC3zrs3Jk
sorry they’re not music files
very good point…
i wanna be a fly on the wall when D’Angelo and The Roots are in the studio… word…
This is fucked up:
http://gizmodo.com/350611/riaa-wants-to-increase-filesharing-damages-to-15-million-an-album-just-for-laughs
funny, when i saw the name in my feed, i thought of d’angelos send it on
http://www.sendspace.com/file/q8suu5
Devin the Dude - Waitin to inhale (Screwed and Chopped)
I actually prefer it to the original. The sequencing makes more sense, plus its got added drops and new ad libs. Lightly screwed and the chops are mellow enough that you can enjoy it even if you don’t sip.
@ Jaywest - good fuckin look on that Devin
good read/topic…
that’s why I stay loving groups like M.O.P.
tired of the cut and paste collabos.
that emc joint is refreshing for it’s own reasons.
Emc has the best album of 08 so far…lol
anyone got the scenario 2000 remix unedited?
@ all yall. I dont think its just the internet and email tracks fault that the artist dont mesh on these tracks. I think its got alot 2 do with 3 things
1)lazy artist: who dont actually take time 2 review a a concept of a track b4 they get on it, its like they have a verse sittin around that they came up with and because i song is hot right now they wanna hop on it.
2)Alot of Rappers out right now arent very talented, so they may have wanted to go with the concept of the song but they were 2 fuckin lame and dumb to actually stay on task and make a relevant verse so they coped out and just said sum shit
3)Overly cocky rappers who think that there so much better than everyone else that they dont have 2 really give a fuck about the other artist’s concept or verse at all i.e. lil wayne
I don’t think it matters if you’re in the studio or not, if you’re a real emcee you can put it down proper no matter what the circumstance. Look at the “Jaylib” album by Madlib and JDilla, they never saw each other during the creation of that project and just emailed beats and verses back and forth. The chemistry between them was so great that the album came out perfect.
Off post and old but funny.
http://www.rapbasement.com/media/audio/50-cent-interview-50-cent-speaks-on-cocaine-beyonce-jay-z-nas-and-more.html
You can tell that Jada & styles be ion the studio together. When they go back in forth its crazy and you can tell they have chemistry together. Not to sound like too much of a cliche
I consign with Amp. I am giving in and going to listen to EMC on my flight to LA solely based on the peeps at TSS. Thanks for the link…
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.4158/title.jay-z-aint-i
http://www.zshare.net/audio/7036196f7ec599
gawd, i fckn love chopped & screwed..props JayWest
I do miss those old collabos - now all we get is a generic tracks with T-Pain or Akon…not bad songs, but they just don’t bring the same creative, authentic and innovative aspect…
Great post!
Collabos are dead and/or they’re mostly wack.
That eMC shit is real nice. Too bad it’s a dying breed of what Rap is supposed to embue.
*imbue (can’t spell worth shit!)