Category: Rap (Page 9 of 19)

Cypress Hill: Playlist – The Very Best of Cypress Hill

September 10, 2008 / R. David Smola

Through a hazy funk of giant blunt smoke emerged the revolutionary sound of Cypress Hill in 1991, rap pioneers who blended trippy funk elements into the hip hop formula to create an unmistakable and infectious sound. Playlist culls tracks from each of their seven studio releases, with heavy reliance on the self-titled debut and the second release, Black Sunday (8 tracks of 14.) They talked tough and fronted the gangster attitude, but the delivery and the music never really felt menacing. You never got the feeling that they could snap themselves out of the ganja-induced haze to blow someone away as described in “How Could I Just Kill A Man.” The material is delivered as if hatched in a post pot party lyrical contest entitled, `Can you top this?’ The exception is “Looking through the Eyes of a Pig,” which could be the theme song for Vic Mackey, the anti-hero of “The Shield.” This song is a searing indictment of law enforcement; there is not a chuckle to be found. “Tequila Sunrise” is a stellar track featuring some eloquent Spanish guitar and horns as guest Barron Ricks trades rhymes about crime and droppin’ your enemies. I dare you to listen to “Insane in the Brain” without having it trapped inside your head for days. If you don’t have any Cypress Hill or own a greatest hits collection, this is must for you to add. (Columbia/Ruffhouse/Legacy)

Cypress Hill My Space page

CD Reviews, External Music, Hip Hop, Rap

Kasper from the K: Whatcha Gondo EP

July 4, 2008 / David Medsker

Yes, his rhythmic style is little more than a combination of Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, but there is something charming about Kentucky white boy Kasper from the K (Timothy Hoggard to his mother). Maybe it’s the fact that he accepts that he’s a white boy, and forgoes the cliché hardcore gangsta scene in favor of sleazy club jams. And man, are these songs sleazy: there isn’t a moment on the Whatcha Gondo EP where Kasper isn’t talking or thinking about getting’ him some freaky. The super freak path is a slippery one, though; go too far, and you come off as a serial rapist, but Kasper is more fast-talking himbo than roofie-slipping perv. And with a calling card like the super-catchy, “Obsession”-cribbing title track, he is going to be up to his eyeballs in women for the foreseeable future. Isn’t that the primary reason why guys get into music in the first place? Sure, “Whatcha Gondo” might wind up as the “Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room)” of the new millennium, but as long as it helps him score women, we doubt Kasper will care much about his long-term legacy. (EO Music)

Kasper from the K MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Hip Hop, Rap

Too $hort – Get Off the Stage

June 13, 2008 / Captain Capm

Holy Christ. Who even knew this dude was still making CDs? Look, plain and simple this is as bad as rap gets nowadays. Too $hort is still stuck in a bubble waxing about how great he is, what he has, and how he likes “big titties.” Yeah…go figure. Of course, what else to expect with tracks such as the stunning “Shittin’ On ‘Em” (“You a soldier, nigga I’m a vet, what?“) or how $hort embraces the English lexicon with the remarkable “F.U.C.K.Y.O.U.” (“Fuck you / Nigga, fuck you, too! / Nigga, F.U.C.K.Y.O.U.!“)? Yes, it’s all in a lazy, easy day’s work shitting out inconsequential track after inconsequential track and reaping the benefits of having absolutely no real talents and letting the record label pump money into your pockets. Must be real nice. But hey, who am I to complain when I can groove effortlessly to the sexy heat of “Pull Them Panties Down”? “Tryin’ to see you get naked,” exclaims Too at the beginning. Then the full-on erotica ensues: “Gotta see the pink now / G’wan pull them panties down” and “You need to let them panties leave ya ankles / Show ’em you a bad bitch, fuck these stank hos.” Ready to pull out your wallet and let your money do the voting yet? No? Really? Why not? Doesn’t hearing $hort repeat “Gotta get a bitch and get my dick sucked” over and over on “Gangstas & Strippers” not get you horny, baby? Dayum! But really, who knew this dude was still making CDs? Yeesh. (Jive 2007)

Too $hort MySpace page.

Artists, CD QuickTakes, Rap

Road Warriors 57

March 20, 2008 / Mike Farley

Pop/rock band Augustana will release their new album, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt, on April 29. And if you missed their performance at SXSW last week, fear not, because you can watch some of the show on www.crackle.com, or get there through the band’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/augustana.

The Samsung Sound Check series of free private concerts will kick off March 27 with Ne-Yo performing at House of Blues in New Orleans. Other acts in the series are Jimmy Eat World in Charlotte on March 30, Gym Class Heroes in Chicago on April 10, Paramore in Houston on April 29, and Sean Kingston in Las Vegas on May 14. A limited number of tickets will be available through radio promotions, street teams and online registration.

In advance of their new album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings, Counting Crows will head out on tour Continue reading »

Alternative, Concerts, Country, Hip Hop, Pop, Rap, Rock

Rock of Pages: 45 Books for the Literate Music Fan

March 3, 2008 / Will Harris

Yes, we know that writing about music is like dancing about architecture (even if we’re not convinced that Elvis Costello said it first), but let’s be realistic: if you’re a music fan who likes to read, you can achieve a very special level of bliss when you get the opportunity to dive into a book about music. The Bullz-Eye staff knocked their heads together and came up with a list of 45 books that span several musical genres and include autobiographies and biographies, histories of record companies and music magazines, essay collections, and straight-up reference tomes. It’s not intended to be all-encompassing, nor would we presume to call it a definitive list of the best music books of all time. It’s simply a selection of some of our personal favorites, none of which would be out of place on a music fan’s bookshelf…and you can find it right here.

We also got some of the authors in on the fun, as well as some of our favorite musicians, which resulted in enough responses from folks from Kyle Vincent to Henry Rollins to warrant Rock of Pages: Celebrity Edition.

But we know: we’ve missed one (or more) of your favorites. We always miss one (or more) of your favorites. So call us out already and leave a comment. We can always use another addition to our Barnes & Noble shopping list…

Alternative, Artists, Country, External Music, Hip Hop, Jazz, Music Labels, News, Pop, Rap, Rock, Songs, Videos