HIPPITY-HIPPITY-HOP

Ello, ello my fellow bloggers! How's all today, on this blessed Monday morning? Monday mornings are always a hit or miss for me. Have a great attitude, however I just don't like being welcomed by PCN's - Penalty Notice Charge. I did expect it because I accidently drove on the Congestion zone but c'mon not on a Monday morning, at least Wednesday! EVIL I say, EVIL! Anyway, thats my little rant for the morning but I'm blessed.

My sentiment for today is my favourite subject music but genre Hip-Hop. My journey with Hip-Hop has been quite here and until say November 2008. When I heard Q-Tip's 'The Renaissance' was to be released, I was absolutely suprised but I was quite confident that he was going to deliver a fantastic record. The man is a legend, so there was no way that this album was a flop. From that point, the research started kicking in, looked into his previous album 'Amplified' and the renowned 'A Tribe Called Quest' catalogue thats when I remembered the old school tunes like 'Stressed Out', 'Can I Kick It', well the hit singles.

Thats all I knew, I didn't buy albums then - I was too young and listening to Capital Radio too often! This has lead me to work my way backwards of particular Hip-Hop artists in all of forms not just conscious, but includes mainstream (good mainstream) or gangsta rap, and of course alternatives.

I went to an event @ Cargo (Shoreditch) held by Doctor's Orders who usually hold DJ nights playing a whole catalogue of one of my favourite producers - J Dilla. It may sound cliche but he really did make me fall in love with Hip-Hop! Honestly, when I was t that event... I was in some subliminal state, despite the rammedness it was absolutely... there's no word to describe it. Despite J Dilla's death, it was about celebrating his life and the musical genius in him. After that event I went on another research rampage, discovering his sick beats as well as the featured artists I really love the instrumentals the most. My ear really takes to J Dilla's instumentals, particularly the bassline, chord structures and classic samples he experiments with are QUALITY. I'm just glad I have a collection of his catalogue, his work inspires me - I call them Hip-Hop's jewels forget flipping Flo Rida. The irony is his album is called 'R.O.O.T.S' what a joke,what the hell is organic about his album!?

Dilla's younger brother Illa J and alternative producer on Warp Records Flying Lotus share similar composition styles as him but his brother is much closer to keep his trilogy. Whereas Flying Lotus has an eccentric and innovative twist to his music, I literally can't put it in any category. Let's just say the main charactersitics with all of them are jazz and syncapated rhythms.

Hip Hop is not always agressive, not always too masculine, not always degrading. Many are true talk, intellectual, articulate and chilled out. Have a listen to my Spotify playlist, you'll love it, for those who are open-minded - http://open.spotify.com/user/aries84/playlist/7qHYKNQ5kkc5rDQ3Dl52SH

So many artists like Jean Grae, UNDERRATED... Talib Kweli, UNDERRATED... HI-TEK, UNDERRATED... Stacey Epps... UNDERRATED I could go on but this is what I call GOOD MUSIC, trust me. Which is why I want to start DJ-ing, most bate places don't play the tunes I want to hear and it gets boring. So watch out folks before you know it, I may have a debut event... FIRST I need to buy me some decks and practise!

In the meantime enjoy this by Illa J -'Timeless'.

My chale bloggers, LATER!