Thoughts
I saw an Instastories post today that sort of got me down and not in the good way. It was from an account I often really enjoy and this is not a shot at that person or account but more of a comment on the bigger picture and implications of what I saw The poster had a rap cassette slabbed and graded like you would a sports card or comic book, which is also insane to me. The continued commodification of physical music and collecting for monetary value and resale is really getting tiresome and old. I am sure I am expressing sentiments like my predecessors would have in the comic and sports card worlds would have. I really hope this does not take off and really become something in music collecting. Things are already out of control without this added layer. It is definitely not something I would take part in if it does. I guess it is just another sign of the times. Too bad most of the signs these days are not positive.
I am sure you already know what time it is but the Suede Gawd himself dropped a preorder for the record Emperor today! It is a 100 limited press vinyl press which features the best tracks from the Darth Seuder volumes 1-7, capping that series with this release.
It looks like the end is in sight for the longest preorder I have ever been a part of. Ceschi dropped the preorder for the last of the trilogy of the final Ceschi albums. The preorder is up for this masterpiece now!!!
I didn’t go off like I thought I was going to last week on Bandcamp Friday but I did cop this gem from the homie Rob Crooks. I am really excited for these tracks as Rob Crooks always makes my favourite music! The record also features some really fresh artwork from the homie Aidan Searle. If you missed this one in the barrage of Bandcamp Friday emails and releases last week, go back and check it out!
The other release I copped was this one I have been hoping would get a vinyl release for and it finally did. Sleepingdogs is Philly based rapper/producer Andrew and Providence rapper Jesse The Tree. I can’t wait for this one to land. Anything Andrew is involved in quickly becoming an instant cop for me as I catch up with his catalogue. Jesse The Tree is also finding his way into my rap lane which is really dope and I look forward to exploring his catalogue and future releases. If you missed this, grab one quick before they are gone.
Buck 65 dropped a new one on Bandcamp Friday as well. I am waiting for the physical releases of this one that I am sure are coming courtesy of Oakland imprint Handsmade. This trilogy of releases from Buck 65 are incredible! This is my favourite idiation of Buck 65. He is finally making the music he always wanted to and is absolutely killing it!
Dislexsick SeRnA released the first of his 4 volume album Combustion on CD this week! Check it out!
Missed Third Verse last night? Well you are out of luck as it didn’t get recorded last night. C’est la vie. Catch Third Verse on CFCR 90.5 fm in Saskatoon, SK every Wednesday 9-10:30pm CST. Stream online via CFCR.ca or Radio Garden.
As always the last 10 episodes of my other weekly radio show You Know Know the Rules on UMFM in Winnipeg airing every Sunday night 10:00pm -11pm CST. Episodes available NOW!
I finally got the last two issues if the The Underground Vault hip hop monthly book. I am most excited for the Roughneck Jihad article/history/interview as he is one of my all time favourites. Now that this are print on demand through amazon I waited to order them both at the same time to get free shipping. Gotta save where you can these days. You should definitely check these or past issues out NOW!
Record One
Curly Castro - Tosh
I seriously slept on Curly Castro and this album in particular. However, I am now awake and I love this album. It is so unique from track to track and encompasses a diverse sound and blend of many musical genres. It is political, heartfelt and full of emotion. The production is incredible. Curly Castro is quietly making some of the most important and socially relevant rap music out right now. We are living in one of the best eras of rap music ever and in 20 years people will talk about it like they do the the rap music of the 90’s and early 2000’s. the quality of the music probably has to do with the shit state of the world. Walking Razor is such an anthem and my jam on this one! Props for the Standard Chaps Black vinyl pressing!
Record Two
Uber Magnetic - Uber Magnetic
Roughneck Jihad and Junior Disprol are Uber Magnetic. The have an awesome write up on their bandcamp page that I am going to share as it provides some great information and I just don’t feel like retyping or paraphrasing it.
Uber Magnetic is more than impressionist prog rap sloganeering or dense reference heavy intellectual wild style with a strong conceptual lean, it's a lifestyle choice. Certified Santa Clara indie Hip-Hop legend Roughneck Jihad and South Wales Jurassic Coast MC Junior Disprol first put it down with the boffins choice, Tefal Head in 2007. Further collaboration highlighted their complimentary styles and a healthy appetite to fuck shit up back to back on the mic. Uber Magnetic was inevitable.
The pair trade similarities experienced and differences encountered while continents apart. Outsider weirdos, quality substances, unifying theories, wrong neighborhoods, philosophical exchange, love and hate and everything in between. The listener is guaranteed the razor wit and vigorous delivery expected from these consummate barsmen.
Cool Edit Chud's production was the natural starting point; both a catalyst to set it off and the special ingredient to bring it all together. Joined by the turntablist triumvirate of DJ Jaffa, Krash Slaughta and Sir Beans O.B.E and released on the Plague label, mastered by the Irn Mnky, Uber Magnetic swiftly crafted a transatlantic Hip-Hop masterpiece.
Scientist Pt II is my jam on this one! This one got the dreaded colour vinyl treatment but atleast it got pressed on vinyl though, right?
Classic Material
Factor - Three
I was looking at this CD the other day, I can’t believe it is 20 years old this year. So much has changed since 2003 when this was released and yet so much has stayed the same. It is wild to pick up a CD and instantly get transported back to that time instantly. We; Factor, soso, M.Phasis, Kay The Aquanaut, Knowskills and myself were hot off the DSU tour across Canada with Awol One, Circus, Busdriver and Ayentee. We had learned a lot but were still learning and growing in this hip hop culture. We had seen a lot in a short amount of time, we had a glimpse and we wanted more.
This album was a catalyst and a real turning point for the Sideroad crew. I feel it took things and us a crew to another level. It was a maturing phase for us where we had developed some skills and were now starting to execute a vision. We had some confidence and some wind beneath our sails. We were playing shows across the prairies. We were hanging in the OG Factor G studios, writing and recording raps and sharing in some of the most special moments and times. This one really solidified the crew and cemented Nolto, Def 3, Ira Lee, Cam The Wizzard and Ben.e Elim in the crew. The posse cut Relashe really takes me back and I think captures the essence of this time perfectly. The collage of pictures, which many are ones I contributed to the insert are incredible and such a nice time capsule. Also the Factor burner from Rove and character from Theory marked the the emergence of Rove into the crew.
This album was a turning point I feel for Factor. It was clear to me at the time and even more clear 20 years later that this was the album that changed everything for him and charted the path of music as an occupation for him. Factor was driven differently than all of us and he still is. He would always put the work first, make sure the tracks were recorded before the weed, alcohol and partying took over. He may have been younger than a lot of us but he was mature and wise beyond his years behind the console. I have so much respect for Factor he has always been more than a friend, he has been family and someone I love and care about very much. That being said, there has always ben one trait that he has that I have admired above all the other amazing ones he posses and that is his drive. It is unreal and something I try in my own ways to emulate and apply in my life.
I love reading through shout out lists. The names really take me back to this era and some forgotten names allow me to reminisce. It is a mix of highshchool homies and rap homies. It is the bridge between two worlds. The one we grew up in and the one we desperatley wanted to take by storm. Factor gave a nod to the CF Crew with thanking Patty C and I for setting it off. It is insane to think that the CF Crew set this off and everything that has occurred since then. The classic Noyz 319 cover and design is the icing on the cake! It is also just before Noyz moved to Saskatoon. I never really thought about how important this album was to me in making some of the most important and lasting friendships with some absolutely incredible people.
Re-listening to this one has me thinking that it is criminal that this has not to this point received a 20th anniversary vinyl release. It doesn’t look like it will with 2023 rapidly winding down. Hopefully it one day soon finds it was to vinyl.
Closing Ramblings
As always, thank you for reading and for the feedback!
**legal disclaimer all records and songs were run through the RAP NEST 5000 SUPER ANALYTIC COMPTROLLER MACHINE that is certified by the I.A.A.R.R.A (International Association of Analytical Rap Recordings Analysis) in layman’s terms, it means the machine is never wrong.
Catch you next week with more thoughts from the rap nest.
Peace
-chaps