Freddie Gibbs has always marched to the beat of his own drum. He makes the music he wants to make, says whatever he wants to say with no filter and, for what it’s worth, smokes the weed he wants to smoke. During the past three years, Freddie has built his resume through he and his team’s own hustle with no handouts. It’s part of the reason you cheer for Gibbs’ music and marvel at the success he has already achieved. Read the rest of this entry »

Graphic: Talia

It’s always easy to write up a song when it comes along by itself or you haven’t heard anything from the artist in awhile. But choosing a song to highlight from a mixtape can be quite the conundrum, especially when there are several standout tracks. That’s where I found myself when time came to highlight The Paxtons’ Manhattan Project. One particular car trip found I was settled on “What We Doin’ (Ballin),” but then on the ride back home, “Livin A Movie” stayed on repeat. The next day, I found myself relating heavily to “Money Right.” Read the rest of this entry »

Spoiler alert: Consequence’s Movies On Demand will go down as one of the best mixtapes of 2010. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for the novice rapper to go over-the-top in the mixtapes for that undeniable buzz but the more established rhymeslayers generally resort to just rapping over popular beats and calling it a day. Well, apparently someone failed to tell Consequence that the vets weren’t supposed to care as much because his recent project G.O.O.D. Music, Nah Right & Universal Motown Present Consequence Movies On Demand sports material that most record labels couldn’t laud on their artist’s retail albums. Read the rest of this entry »

As any mother can testify, having a father or father figure around is irreplaceable. Certain life lessons can only be taught by a man, which is why Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty is so unique. Used as a form of therapy, Big began recording the album shortly after his father’s passing. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a rare occurrence these days when a new artist or project comes out of nowhere to shake up the game. Big K.R.I.T. and his K.R.I.T. Wuz Here project have done just that. It’s honest, unapologetically authentic music that’s so Southern fried, it’ll leave you with high cholesterol after every listen. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to the man himself. K.R.I.T. sat down with the Crew’s David D. for a track-by-track breakdown of his debut opus.

1. “Return of 4eva” (Feat. Big Sant) – The concept of this song is bringing back the golden era sound: really sample-driven, 808’s and strong kickback that’s in southern Hip-Hop. I was talking with my patna about a time in music where people still remember Outkast, UGK and 8-Ball & MJG. I’m just reintroducing that sound back into the game and that’s really the idea behind the title, “Return of 4eva.” I wanted it to be a group song with my patna Big Sant, who’s one half of the Alumni Group we started so the connection was perfect for us to do a record like that.

2. “Country Shit” – It’s just being country! It’s expressing how country I am. It’s incorporating again the sample-driven aspect and just drive and a lot of energy in a record. Really, this is my “have fun” record. I’m just gonna say whatever the fuck and be extra country. Whether you’re going to catch the accent or not isn’t important. It’s about beating the trunk heavy and really going in the clubs. It’s something you can ride to.

3. “Just Touched Down” – This is the first record I came out with that everyone paid attention to. I dropped that in 2005. It’s like a statement, like I’ve already been here before. I’ve been doing this for a long time but there are just people that are not hearing me. It’s just saying “I’m here.” It’s got the soulful qualities I really wanted to play off of. I just wanted to introduce myself to the world.

4. “Hometown Hero” – Aw Man! I want to be an inspiration in my state and in my city. I’m saying Mississippi a lot and still the whole world just took to me. It’s how I feel about the state of Hip-Hop and how I feel as an up-and-coming artist. You feel like you’re getting successful and where you want to be but the game is still in high school. I just want to touch on what we all go through in this industry. I just wanted to inspire people with songs that are truthful and heartfelt.

5. “Viktorious” – Getting a lot off of my chest! (Laughs). Mississippi never really got a run like other states. We never got a run like Texas, Florida, Atlanta, Tennessee or Alabama. They had artists come out and really become staples in the game. We never really had that opportunity. It’s important for me to express that. We do have something to say. It’s about being from the state that people generally turn a deaf ear to. It’s one of the angriest records on the album. I’m just trying to prove that we got lyrical content in Mississippi and we’re here now.

6. “See Me On Top” – Another venting record more or less. I’m gonna be successful in my eyes. Being able to put out material and music is successful in itself. I’m comfortable being a musician and a rapper and whether I am successful in the eyes of everyone else is not important to me. I’m satisfied. I’m just expressing the bad times before: going through bad deals and shit and being able to overcome the bullshit in the game. Period.

7. “Glass House (Feat. Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa) – Big pimpin’ and playin’! This is definitely a riding song. I just wanted to capture that with the bassline and grit you find in southern Hip-Hop. Those two artists took it over the top as well. It’s a riding record that reminds you of that old school shit. The flavor on it was just amazing. I think it really showcased the production I do, too.

8. “Children Of The World” – I’m just explaining my views on life. People may see me and say “he’s talking about pimping” or “he’s talking about money,” but we all grew up in the struggle. We’re all children of the world and the influences are there. Some good, some bad. It’s also explaining why school may not have been good for me and why I chose to go with music despite me getting overlooked because I didn’t do what the radio wanted me to do. I did music how I wanted to. That was the acapella part: I been doing this but people sometimes don’t believe I’m from Mississippi because I have lyrical content. But really, I’m going to stand on my own legs and do what I want to do.

9. “They Got US” – I felt like I needed to write a story that’s not just focused on myself. I wanted to talk about other people in my life to show that we all have struggles. The first verse is about a patna I knew that had a lot of struggles – legal and financial – and what he had to do to escape poverty. The second verse focuses on strippers and prostitutes. The third verse is obviously about unprotected sex and adultery. I felt like it was important to express those aspects of life. I wanted to make it more than a rap song, but a song that touched everybody. It’s just another one of those real life songs.

10. “Good Enough” – It’s a very personal record of mine. You just realize, as you get older that there are some things you can’t change. You lose people. They come in your life and they go. You just have to accept it. This song is me speaking to God: worst case scenario if I don’t make it, please let my family make it. That’s good enough for me. I’m not as religious or saved as I might want to be and I’m still dealing with worldly things.

11. “No Wheaties” (Feat. Smoke Dza & Curren$y) – It’s just a great group record of us flexing. We’re artists and we’re accomplished with our content but, unlike athletes, we don’t get Wheaties® boxes. We don’t get that type of pub. But we’re still here. We’re still admired for our talent, though.

12. “Something” – Man. (Laughs). It’s a record about what’s coming. I just can’t let anything get me down in life. I couldn’t let my music get away from me and keep pushing forward. It’s about me trying to succeed even though the government sometimes is trying to stick it to my dreams. It doesn’t have a hook because I wanted to let it breathe and let the sample say everything. Being able to build a character in the lyrics from that sample was amazing. I’ll tell you what: the sample is an Al Green song. It’s an Al Green record and I’ll leave it up to you to find it.

13. “Moon And The Stars” (Feat. Devin The Dude) – It’s the riding-est of ride records. It was amazing to be on a song with Devin The Dude. He turned the record up a notch. It’s just good for riding down 85. You’re just smoked out and chillin’. I wanted it to be mood music. No 808s and just a real easy bassline. It’s hard to explain this kind of record, because I was in a vibe with it. I wanted this to be a record you never take out of the deck. It’s timeless like the moon and stars.

I didn’t meet Devin until SXSW. He was moving so much, but he was able to jump on the record. Though I wasn’t in the studio when he did it, it was crazy seeing him perform at SXSW. If you’ve never seen him perform, it’s some amazing shit.

14. “Never Go Back” – We all have those times where we forget what it’s like to be younger. We get older and miss the fun because it’s all about money and grind. I wanted to reflect on when I was younger, you know, riding on the school bus and riding on the back of the seats. It’s just wanting to be child again when everything was so innocent and smiling wasn’t so hard.

15. “Gumpshun” – You know a lot of people don’t know what that word means. It’s guts, heart, determination and courage. My grandma used to use the word a lot in the house. It’s Mississippi lingo; a brand of word that people aren’t used to. Where I’m from, it’s used a lot. I just wanted to use our slang terminology. I just wanted to bring you all some Mississippi shit. So when you hear “gumpshun,” I hope it puts some Mississippi on your mind, which is always a good thing.

16. “2000 & Beyond” – I wanted to reflect on society and where we are now. We have to deal with violence, the financial world and the government deceiving and discouraging. I wanted to also talk about how people deal with religion. This is all about being a Black man in today’s society. Our leaders fought for so much, but are we living up to their dreams and goals they set out for us?

17. “I Gotta Stay” – That was for my grandmomma. She passed in January. I went through a slump in writing and I was like, “man, what’s wrong?” I didn’t know what it was but wasn’t writing like I wanted to. I just had to sit down and get this off of my chest. This song was dedicated directly towards her. The bridge at the end is something she used to walk around and sing. I didn’t do this for a filler or for the fans. I did it for myself. I wanted a song dedicated to her whether people knew what I was talking about or not. I didn’t want it to be too depressing, but I wanted to say goodbye and be okay with it and move on in life.

18. “Small As A Giant” – In this game, you can be the dopest rapper alive and never get recognized because it’s not your time or you’re in the wrong genre. It’s like the elephant in the room: “how can you not see me?” It’s me venting about being from where I’m from and not getting a good look. It’s hard just watching folks on television that make it seem easy, but you feel like you’re better and you have a type of message that people need to hear but they don’t because you’re swallowed up by industry bullshit or labels. That’s it! It’s just, “pay attention to me! I’m here!”

[Regarding the Soulja Boy/Bow Wow line] At the end of the day, I don’t know anybody for doing what they do. You still gotta have a talent to be good. It’s just my message and lyrical content is so specific, so I have to show how my music is different from other people’s music. It wasn’t a diss but people do get offended. That’s fine because I want people to listen to my music and that’s just what it is.

19. “Voices” – Everybody’s got voices that are good or bad. Whether it’s somebody calling you and telling you either to get this money or they’re hating on you. It’s a record that shows that every day you’re motivated by something. I have a team around me that’s telling me, “don’t stop, don’t quit.” It’s on some motivational shit to tell you to get money and keep going. It’s a vibing thing. I put a lot of 808 in it so you can ride to it in your car. But I also want to make a stadium-sounding record. I want people to rap along with this record not because they see me on stage, but because they feel the words.

K.R.I.T. Wuz Here has been on repeat on a lot of iPod’s around the country. As you can see, the project has been years in the making and a thorough look into the life of one of the dopest new acts in music. Still haven’t heard it? There’s still time. We won’t judge you too much for being late to the party.

Download – Big K.R.I.T. – K.R.I.T. Wuz Here | Alt. Link

Through no fault of his own, Joe Scudda’s Not Your Average Joe EP probably won’t rank as #1 on his 2010 “Best Memories” list when it’s all said and done. However, coming out virtually unscathed from a frightening car crash will be. With that in mind, it was almost a no brainer to approach Joe and revisit the project where he would go on to reveal the step-by-step process behind each entry in his debut confessional. Read the rest of this entry »

April 20th. Numerically known as “4:20.” Just the thought of date and its subliminal meaning alone creates euphoria. The civil union of marijuana and music dates back not only years, but decades and genres. Jimi Hendrix was a known herbal supporter (along with several other substances). Satchmo, otherwise referred to as Louis Armstrong, smoked marijuana on a daily basis. A personal doctor, Dr. Gary Zucker, even admitted there was no evidence it did him any harm. Arguably the plant’s most famous endorser, Bob Marley, still finds himself plastered on the walls of Mary Jane connoisseurs worldwide.

Hip-Hop has long since professed its love for Mary Jane as well. This love is so blatant, it may be easy to believe that April 20th is simply another day and the meaning behind it serves no purpose. Not exactly. La La loyalists, Big Boi, Burn One , Freddie Gibbs and Curren$y, recently took the time to reflect on their favorite marijuana memories. Stories of Animal Planet, dinosaur chases, Family Guy and the ever-so-useful “4:20 Survival Tip” await. Light up.

Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty hits shelves July 6

Favorite Album/Song – I’ll probably listen to any Bob Marley album. Really, I’ll just put my iPod on shuffle get it going, ya know?

Favorite Movie/TV Show - Family Guy. Oh, and The Cleveland Show. I got a got damn subscription on my iTunes, so I just bought all that sh#t. I like the episode where they were in the witness protection program–that sh#t was funny as hell. My favorite character on Family Guy is probably Quagmire. Oh, the funniest one I seen though was when Quagmire had that baby. Now that was funny as hell. That motherf#cker was about to try to f#ck Peter’s wife all in the grocery store like “giggity, giggity.” (Laughs)

Most Unique Memory – Boy, that’s so many, know what I’m talkin’ bout? It’s so much. It’s always something, man. When we were down there shooting videos in Savannah, these girls were outside beefin’. These girls got to swingin’ like some n#ggas out there, was brawlin’ on the corner. That sh#t was funny. I’m talkin’ about slamming the girl head through a glass. I got some footage of that sh#t somewhere. This was probably like the third week of January.

“4:20 Survival Tip” – I just be in cruise control, man. I don’t be with all that. Just light up some incense and drink some Crunk Juice, give me a pen and a pad and I’m gone. Yeah, I can definitely blow it wide open like that.

The man who helped launch Pill to the masses and Yelawolf’s Trunk Muzik has funny stoner stories – for days

Favorite Album/Song – Ah, man, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon always goes over well. It’s a pretty incredible album to listen to if you’re driving down the freeway at like 3 a.m…stoned. It has so many crazy sounds and you always pick up something different every time you listen to it.

Favorite Movie/TV Show – I watch so much TV, man. Like literally, just anything. But if I had to pick one thing, it’d have to be the Discovery Channel: Animal Planet. I love watching anything about nature when I’m high. It’s like the coolest sh#t ever. Like watching the rams fight, any of that crazy sh#t. When you watch Animal Planet, or anything like Man vs. Wild, it’s just too funny. Those animals be goin’ ham. (Laughs.) But yeah, anything on the Discovery Channel is cool with me.

Most Unique Memory – Basically, it was like a college/spring break type trip [while touring with Bubba Sparxx]. They flew us out to Colorado for five days and we only had three shows, so we had a couple off days. I met some skateboarders up there. They had a vaporizer, and I never smoked out of a vaporizer before. So, we get to the hotel, (they were staying in the same hotel) but just on a different floor. Myself and the hypeman, Dirt Reynolds, go up there and start smoking out of the vaporizer. I hit this thing twice and I’m the highest I have ever been in my life. My heart starts pounding and I’m getting nervous like ‘I don’t know these people.’

I told Dirt I had to go because I was getting super paranoid. So I’m walking down the hallway looking for my room and I get lost in the hotel. I finally find the elevator and go down to the bottom and I feel like I’m in a completely different hotel. I come to find out there are two different elevators and I went down the wrong one. By this time, I’m feeling against the wall, my knees are weak man. It was a terrible situation, but I finally got to my room. I called my homeboy and was like ‘I love you man. My heart is beating too fast.’ And he’s all like ‘What the f#ck is wrong with you?’ I told him I smoked too much weed. He started laughing and told me to go to sleep and I’d be straight. I took like an hour nap and woke up fine. But man, I felt like I smoked crack or something.

The first time I ever smoked was when I was like 20 on the road with Bubba [Sparxx]. After this show, I basically had my hand open and everybody kept putting weed in my hand saying their sh#t was the best. So I had like an eighth in my hand for no reason. But it was the greatest weed you ever saw. We get in the limo to head back to the hotel and and they’re rolling it up and I’m like ‘damn, if there was any time to smoke…when in Rome.’ (Laughs.)

By the time we get to the hotel, man, the whole night I was looking at my doorknob. I swore somebody was messing with it the whole night. So I’m like hiding under the covers, looking at the doorkob. The whole time I’m like ‘why are they f#ckin’ with me?’ I must have checked that door like 10 times – looking through the peephole, opening it up and looking down the hallway. I swore that handle was moving.

“4:20 Survival Tip” – I have to have music. And lots of water. Smoothies are good too. But really, just any type of entertainment around is what I like.

Freddie Gibbs is the same guy who once smoked a two foot long blunt - and lived to rap about it

Favorite Album/Song – Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. It’s probably because of the name, but this is the first CD I smoked to the whole way through. My favorite song? “Living For The Love Of You” by The Isley Brothers.

Favorite Movie/TV Show – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Man, I smoked my very first blunt while that sh#t was in the VCR.

Most Unique Memory - That’s easy. I lost my virginity to the smoke and the p#ssy on the very same day. June 14, 1995.

“4:20 Survival Tip” – Always keep the blunt down while smoking in the car. Take it from a n#gga that has been pulled over smoking many times. And keep some spray or something to take the aroma out the car. Like in G.I., we use Boonies to knock the weed smell out. But really if you smoke in yo’ car as much as I do, you might not be able to get the smell out. Regardless, keep them blunts low when you smoking.

The self-proclaimed “botanist” once thought dinosaurs were chasing him.

Favorite Album/Song – Lately I’ve been on a Snoop Dogg kick, mainly bumpin’ Tha Last Meal. Especially “Stacy Adams” and “Loose’n Control.”

Favorite Movie/TV Show – I don’t think this will ever change: Dazed and Confused foo!

Most Unique Memory – I remember this one time I got so high, I ran in between two cars because I thought Jurassic Park was happening in real life. I was in this parking lot and it was by a baseball field. They had fireworks and all types of loud noises and sh#t going on. And the cars were thumping and I looked on the dashboard and the coffee in this McDonald’s cup was just steady going “boom…boom…boom..” (Laughs.)

“4:20 Survival Tip” – The only way to be sure that you’re safe from the monsters, aliens and police is to be at that “Howlin’ Wolf” show in New Orleans TONIGHT!.

The debate as to whether marijuana will ever be legalized in America likely still has decades and decades worth of battles in its future. If it even develops into a national issue is what truly remains to be seen. However, the adoring and seemingly massive population it represents will never cease campaigning for its liberation.

Too bad those same people who read this won’t be able to comprehend it until tomorrow.

By now, we’re sure you’ve given midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik a serious run through a handful of times now. You also probably realize it is one of the rawest, yet most honest releases in a long while as well. The young man hailing from the same city the Jacksons made famous is poised to potentially become the next big star out of the Midwest. Recently, I had a chance to chop it up with Gibbs about his mindset as he recorded the aforementioned mixtape. He spoke on joy, UGK’s influence, pain, women…and he also spoke on two foot long blunts, all of which resonate brightly in his music. Read below as Gibbs briefly breaks down the mixtape album and the inspiration behind each track.

The break awaits. And yes, I said two foot long blunts. Read the rest of this entry »

The untimely passing of filmmaker John Hughes shed significant light on what actually constituted as a great movie. Just glancing at his filmography, it was clear that he was he was a mastermind in capturing the joy and pains of societal American culture for the silver screen. In the realm of Hip-Hop, few have demonstrated an appreciation for this so quickly than Donny Goines. After all, his latest album, the stellar The Breakfast Club, borrows its title from one of the director’s most revered creations. Intrigued, TSS wanted to know how deep the level of sophistication was in Mr. Goines DVD collection.

Short Circuit [1986]

“An 80′s classic near and dear to my heart. I actually cried when I saw them goons beat on Johnny 5. I was a kid you know (Laughs) But the movie is one that has always been a favorite.” Read the rest of this entry »

Mayer Hawthorne is a man of distinction — he wears argyle sweaters, neckties and sunglasses five days out of seven, and subsists on breakfast foods two of three square meals a day. Banana pancakes, well-done hash browns with the peppers and onions, turkey sausage, Clancy’s Fancy hot sauce, coffee, OJ and so on. He takes pictures of every plate in front of him that inspires a beat, whips up a quick Sidekick™ boom bap and forwards the food/beat pairing to anyone within range of a text message.

To ask Mayer Hawthorne to choose between music and food is to ask him to choose a limb to amputate. This is a man who won’t divulge his sources for rare vinyl and who posts blog entries when Wendy’s™ is having a sale on Frosties™. So we combined his loves — I asked him to pick his favorite five Motown® joints that inspired his upcoming Mayer Hawthorne and the County album, A Strange Arrangement, and to put the song with a favorite food dish. Like the freshest wine and cheese pairing of your life…

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Smokey Robinson and The Miracles – “Once I Got To Know You”

“Best enjoyed with a Double Double and Animal Style Fries from In-N-Out. I wasn’t really feeling In-N-Out at first, but once I got to know it, I couldn’t help but love it.” Read the rest of this entry »

Words by Khalid StricklandCamerawork by Clayton Donnelley

I grind hard most of the time, but I’m a lazy b*stard at heart. If I don’t have to sit in front of a computer and transcribe a long-*ss interview, that’s fine with me. Lately, I’ve been having my homie Big Clay videotape my interviews. He’s an ex-bouncer who used to smack people Read the rest of this entry »

When I originally wrote “Drags To Riches”, my piece on EZ-Splitz, I openly asked the creator to step forward and share the history on this ingenious product. These simple-yet-life-changing keychain blunt cutters have made their way into every convience store in my Metro area and coincidentally all of my friends’ pockets. Being the type of person who likes to buy instant lottery tickets and watches infomercials, I was extremely curious to learn who coined the radical idea that was about to save every greenskeeper time, frustration and a stale blunt…or three.

Kindly, the good folk at EZ-Splitz reached out to TSS and granted my wish.

Read as Scooby, the one of the minds behind the EZ-Splitz, tells how he and his small team of ambitious entrepreneurs have taken their product from a leafy revelation to a product that has made it’s way onto shelves in each of the fifty states. For a company that specializes in blunt products, the people at EZ-Splitz are pretty damn sharp.

TSS: What’s going on?

Scooby: How you doin’ B?

TSS: Good. Good. Why don’t you introduce yourself to the people and let them know your position you hold with EZ-Splitz?

Scooby: I go by Scooby. That’s a nickname. I‘m pretty much in sales and help in development. I came up with the idea, as far as developing it from another product that was out.

TSS: I’m gonna’ get more into the background of the product in a minute. But before I do that, why don’t you let everybody that’s reading this know exactly what EZ-Spltz are and what you’re doing for your customers.

Scooby: Okay Well, EZ-Splitz are cigar cutters that are used to make your own blunt wraps out of cigars. It’s basically a key-chain accessory that you slide a blunt, …er cigar through. It cuts it open down the middle, so that you can create your own blunt wrap for the use of better tobacco.

TSS: How long have y’all been making them?

Scooby: EZ-Spltz have been around since May maybe.

TSS: So, it’s relatively new then?

Scooby: Yeah, relatively new. It’s been around since right before the summer.

TSS: I’m from Detroit and I’ve seen EZ-Splitz all over the place. My boys all got ‘em. My friend’s dad actually has one on his keychain. So, obviously it’s something a lot of people want. My main man actually said that he was the one who invented them and he wants the credit. I’m sure you probably get all the time. So why don’t you tell us how the idea actually did come about?

Scooby: The idea actually came about from a rapper who was around a few years ago. But the design was totally different though. First of all, it was a lanyard piece that went around your neck. It was a piece of plastic with a storage space in it for it your tobacco. There was also a place where you put your lighter. On the side, there was a tube that you slide your cigar through that would cut it open. It was a completely other product & that was about three years ago. A friend brought the old one, we saw it and developed the idea and came out with the EZ-Split.

Looking at the idea, we took it and streamlined into something that would be more beneficial in size and carrying it around. A lot of people don’t want to wear something that big around their neck, so we cut it down to make it a keychain accessory. Ours was a keychain, which is very small and very compact. I do believe because the first one was made for the cigarillos and his first one was for the blunt. They didn’t even have cigarillos at the time. Ours was for the cigarillos.

TSS: It doesn’t surprise me at all that a rapper developed this. I wrote about how I was envious of the person who came up the product, so I’m curious, who was the rapper who came up the idea?

Scooby: The cigar cutter itself?

TSS: Well, the original idea. I mean, it’s like the American Dream to be sitting back with some blunts and think, “Man, I got this great idea…” and then turn it into a profit right quick, you know?

Scooby: To be honest with you, what happened was, it was a totally different design and we actually came up with the design for ours before we even knew about the other one. It was kind of odd. We were actually talking about doing the cigar cutters themselves and making it a keychain accessory. Then a friend brought in the other one. I’m not exactly sure the name of the rapper. But his was totally different than the one we had and we went ahead proceeded with ours.

TSS: Did you have a business background or were you like “Hey, this is it right here.”? Read the rest of this entry »

It’s quite obvious that this is the LC show today as we presume the boys are off beating their collective meats in one hell of a competitive circle jerk pause. Since I have the time & space, I wanted to go back & shine light on the producers showcased in the consecutive/series of Fave Five’s we posted this week.

This isn’t in lieu of a regular The Week That Was. This is just an insightful series of pieces that needed additional light shined on them…

Shawn Jackson’s Fave Five

Read: Why Shawn cries a lot on the inside; What Hip-Hop legend used to be known as Baby John; How Yellowman usurps Redman. Read the rest of this entry »

Shawn Jackson is the best of both worlds — he’s laid back like the flow of his West Coast home, and raps with the flare of his East Coast roots; he’s unendingly cordial and friendly, and gully to the tune of a menacing gaze and air of someone who’d fuck you up; he bends beats to the will of his rhymes, and has the golden ear of classically trained musician.

With more glowing cosigns than you could shake a major label at, Shawn Jackson might just be Hip-Hop’s best kept secret. Blu named him as “The Future of Hip-Hop” in XXL, House Shoes will vouch for him as fast as for Guilty Simpson or any other family, and when Shawn first met Like from Pac Div, Like said in true fan fashion “You don’t understand, I have all of your music on my iPod.”

Without question, Shawn Jackson is one of the only rappers left standing who keeps me interested in Hip-Hop. There’s no pretense about him — he’s willing to smile and laugh when most industry folks stand on the sidelines baring near comical mean mugs. With Shawn’s deep understanding of how to make any beat his own, consider this look at his Fave Five a spin-off of the Beat Maker Series.

Bill Withers – +’justments

“It was an emotional album — the first album I respected top to bottom just based on pure emotion. It’s like a beautiful sounding album, too. I didn’t know Bill could sing. I think that was the first time I really respected a guy’s voice. Like he was definitely a manly dude, I’m not saying he was soft or nothing like that, but his voice just sounded crazy angelic. [Laughs] It’s just a dope record even to this day. I went out and bought a turntable just so I could play that record. I didn’t even have one when I had my records out. I had to go to a yard sale — I bought me an $8 table just Read the rest of this entry »

“Baby, I’m releasing an album on Christmas day,” House Shoes laughed and gently rubbed his fiancee’s pregnant belly. “No stores are open on Christmas, baby. How genius is that?”

This will be the first Christmas Shoes celebrates with his new family. A certain tranquility has set in on Detroit’s favorite DJ since the day he heard he’d be a father. His son will be named James DeShaun when he arrives in March — James, as in James “J Dilla” Yancey, and DeShaun, as in DeShaun “Proof” Holton. There was never a name seriously considered were Shoes to have a girl other than to take from his fiancee’s name (Leo) or, perhaps, just Buttercup… because “why not,” he joked. Buttercup Buchanan.

Shoes’ downy calm when around his fiancee or when discussing his son is most feverishly juxtaposed with the Newport-smoking, hail-storm-cussing, grizzly exterior of a man brow-beaten by time and circumstance. Once inside Shoes’ ring of trust he’s a gentle giant, but it takes years of loyalty to be viewed in his eyes as a genuine article worth a damn. Before you enter that circle, it’s in his music — not the music he spins, but rather the music he creates — you can hear House Shoes for who he really is. Sometimes thoughtful, sometimes cold and calloused, always with a profound understanding for the pull of humor and struggle on life.

Here are a few choice picks from House Shoes — a man who can spend endless hours digging for the records that move him in the dance between joy and pain.

Kaos and Mystro — Outcast Vol. 1

“Some Detroit shit — like ’89, ’90 — that was the first Detroit shit I heard that was on something serious. I was a freshman [in high school,] and I remember we had gym first hour and we would go in the locker room at like 7:30, and I’d have my radio. I’d have my radio on the bus — I got kicked off the bus in sixth grade for playing 2 Live Crew Read the rest of this entry »