Tigallo Sings (again)

Authenticity by The Foreign Exchange. 11-track neo-soul album from rapper Phonte and Dutch hip-hop/soul producer Nicolay. Follow up to 2009s grammy-nominated Leave It All Behind. Should be potent. Due out 10/12/10.

Slum Village.... "I Don't Know..." [my review of Villa Manifesto]

from Phawker.com

Slum Village - Villa Manifesto

BY MATTHEW HENGEVELD Any hip-hop head will tell you: Slum Village ain’t no joke. The group launched the solo career of J Dilla, one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time. It also spurned the growth of Elzhi, one of Detroit’s finest emcees. But if Slum Village isn’t a joke, why are people laughing at Villa Manifesto, the group’s latest effort? Well, let’s just say that Slum Village is cursed. Here’s a recap: When J Dilla left Slum Village after Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 2, the group seemed destined to fail without its producer. However, the addition of Elzhi revamped the group and they stayed afloat with Trinity. But personal problems forced Baatin to leave. The next two albums Detroit Deli and Slum Village underwhelmed, and fans feared that Slum Village lost its identity. To make things worse, J Dilla, still an active voice in the group, passed away in 2006. The group stalled until Baatin announced his return to the group in 2008. His return excited long-time fans— sadly, this excitement was short lived as Baatin passed away suddenly in 2009— midway through the recording of the group’s latest album Villa Manifesto. Standing on a “sinking ship”, Elzhi left the group earlier this year, citing managing issues. This left T3 solely in charge of Villa Manifesto.

T3 recruited B.R. Gunna’s Young RJ to handle the majority of production on Villa Manifesto. I’m certain that both T3 and RJ knew that Villa Manifesto would be a huge hurdle— without beats from J Dilla or rhymes from Elzhi the group really can’t make an impact. T3 knew this shit, so he decided to employ his cut & paste skills to assemble an album that actually featured every Slum Village member. Baatin verses were pasted on old J Dilla beats. Elzhi shows up on like three songs, all of his verses are forgettable. Most lyrics are absolute garbage and the beats are mostly subpar. Perhaps the biggest slap-in-the-face moment on Villa Manifesto is “Faster.” It sounds more akin to Britney Spears than Slum Village. Singer Colin Munroe sings some N*sync-style hook that says some real questionable shit.

Even the Elzhi verse can’t save this song. Throughout the album Young RJ chooses bad beats, or songs that are clearly attempting to emulate J Dilla’s Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 2-style. He constantly falls flat on his face. In “2000 Beyond,” RJ employs drums from ?uestlove, but lacks the vibrancy and originality of J Dilla, despite rehashing Dilla’s old samples and synths. “The Reunion pt. 2” has cheesy build-ups and dynamics uncharacteristic of vintage Slum Village. The song references “The Reunion” from Detroit Deli, which was meant to be a gathering of J Dilla, T3, Baatin and Elzhi. “The Reunion pt. 2” gathers Baatin, T3 and Illa J (J Dilla’s little brother and horrible rapper). This is a head-scratcher… is T3 actually considering recruiting Illa J as a replacement for J Dilla? Sadly, he is. Not long after the release of Villa Manifesto, Illa J announced that he is officially part of Slum Village alongside T3. That’s like Yoko Ono and Ringo Starr performing as The Beatles…. THIS is why people are laughing at Villa Manifesto.

T3 has since acknowledged that Villa Manifesto will likely be the final Slum Village album— marking the second major hip-hop group to disband this year ( the second is Little Brother). However, T3 recognized that he might make another if sales are good enough. I really hate to say it, but it’s time to let go. J Dilla is gone and left behind is the legacy of his music. T3 is bastardizing the Slum Village product with releases likeVilla Manifesto. I said before, Slum Village ain’t no joke, so why allow it to continue this way?

Errbody Say Whale, but the name's Walé

I'll make this super-duper quick and painless. Walé isn't a terrible artist. However— this is not exemplary of what people "see" in him. This mixtape is unfocused and shifts from a soul-inspired sound to all-out mainstream pop music. Wale has always reminded me of an artist who acts more like a fan. He's stated his affinity for Seinfeld and Black Thought several times— two of my favorite things on earth. However, when it comes to his own music, he lacks focus and a broader view. He is still a young guy, so I still have an ounce of hope for his success. If not, it was at least enjoyable to hear a couple good songs from him.

Dethroned!!!

As much as I constantly jibed and slandered fellow Penn State students— I almost shed a tear today when I saw that PSU lost its #1 Party School status. Not only has PSU lost its #1 spot; it has slid to #3. Currently The University of Georgia and Ohio State hold the #1 & 2 spots, respectively. Many of us remember that the Beaver Ave. riot in the wake of a won football game against Ohio State largely led to the school's acquisition of the title. To lose-out to Ohio State, for many, is a slap in the face. Perhaps the onset of the downfall came about due to the grizzly accidental death of Joseph Dado, Freshman. Also, a stunning bare-all report by Ira Glass and This American Life, may have led to the dethroning.

As I said before; I almost shed a tear. Living in Penn State can, at times, feel like a warzone. Witnessing drunken green-hair-dyed scantily clad women being hit by cars on College Ave. midday on the psuedo-holiday, State Patty's Day, felt like descriptions my grandfather gave of France during World War II. Their blonde-green locks slammed heavily on the hood of a blue-green Nissan, that had been driven carelessly by a man foaming at the mouth with white-green bubbling liquid. These are the things I can tell my grandchildren. My grandfather lost his teeth in World War II— but he gained a knowledge-of-self through the rampant debauchery. Likewise, a Penn State student's worth only amounts to his ability to survive and retain the very essence of his character through the mire.

Activity

Count Bass D & DJ Pocket are at it again. 2009 saw their debut mixtape In The Loop which was quickly followed up by Hartsfield JAXson. The two mixtapes arrived in the wake of yet another failure-to-release Act II by Jay Electronica. Count Bass D, who has played in the shadows of hip-hop since the mid-'90s, insists that his new "motto" is Activity. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Activity is the name of the new collaboration between the emcee-producers. At this very moment Pocket and Bass D are streaming the album on Ustream.

Check out this article to learn more.