Top Three Albums of the Quarter

Time flies huh. Yep, 3 months of 2007 have already passed us by. I thought I'd mark the occasion by providing my top 3 releases of this period. Musically, the year has started very well, as far I'm concerned.

3. Devin the Dude - Waitin' to Inhale

"I pick you up I look you up and down...you so fine / In my mind I'm saying now how can i make this ho mine?"

I've still only listened to this a few times, cos its newly released. But it sounds real nice. Real chilled beats once again. These south cats have a nice sound going on when they get a guitar nonchalantly strumming chords and adding a hip-hop beat over that. Then you put one of the coolest voices in hip-hop over it, and you got yourself a real nice sound. Devin is always fun to listen to cos he always will take a song down a path you may not have been expecting (see "Just Because") Also noteworthy on this release is Andre 3000's stellar work on "What a job."

2. Talib Kweli & Madlib - Liberation

"Our music went from tap dance to the lap dance / try to get me to sell out and thats a fat chance"

Peace to the Libs for putting this release out for free. They didn't wanna mess with sample-clearing so just put it out for free. Madlib has some real nice beats here, in the mold of that Movie Scenes Beat-CD he released last year. So yeh, lots of soul singing and melodious flutes but also nice dirty bass lines. All the beats are adventurous and extremely replayable. Kweli also shows he is returning to form on this release. Just always on point. Watch out on "The Function" Kweli does something pretty new for him...he starts rapping in that voice that you only hear at his live shows (IE he shouts and projects from his chest rather than that more nasal voice we love). In fact, he switches up his style much on this joint. This is welcome, as it is a free release so I don't mind if your trying out some new directions. You just gave me the music for free so do whatever you want.

1. Sean Price - Jesus Price Superstar

I posted about Sean P below. Everything said then still stands. This guy is sick.

COULD BE DOPES: I ain't gonna lie, but I haven't listened to that Consequence album yet. I hear its pretty fire. I also hear Black Milk, that crazy producer/rapper from Detroit, has released a dope album entitled "Popular Demand" which I must check. El-P's joint "I'll sleep when your dead" I must also check.

FUTURE CUTS: There are some potentially dope releases I'm really looking forward to coming out soon. From underground type ish like Marco Polo, Pharoahe Monch and Talib Kweli to more mainstream stuff like Raekwon, Dr Dre, Joe Budden, Common, UGK and Young Buck this is set to be a great year for hip-hop. EDIT: The Young Buck was actually finally released this week. Its selling very strongly - and with that mix of producers its no surprise. I am about to listen to it now...

Little known songs...

I'm gonna make my first real post be about those songs that you love, but no one seems to have even heard of them. Everyone has a few of these. I must have a few hundred.

Here: I'll give you three today. The first is by Houston cat Devin the Dude. You know; that guy on Dr Dre's song "Fuck You"? He got that mad chilled higher-pitched type of voice. And this song, "Right Now," has just one of the most chilled beats you'll hear. The two go hand in hand. This song just really makes me feel good and its hedonistic nature helps remind me life is pretty fucking good.

Devin the Dude - Right Now
Fly line: "I'm like 'I know its kinda scary, it's a long way down / You shoulda had your shit together when you was on the ground' "

The second is kinda similar in that it makes me feel good. It's by Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas together with Long Beach Dub All Stars. It's just got mad lyrics, mad melody and mad instrumental. If you don't end up thinking more positive for a few minutes after listening to this song, you probably never will/do think positive. Brighten up!

Long Beach Dub All Stars feat. Will.I.Am - Sunny Hours
Fly line: "Tell me why I'm not dead with them in the valley down below / I give thanks everyday, for these words that save my soul"

Lastly I'll hook you up with a song that is probably the most well known of these three mentioned. But still, many of this guy's fans have never even heard of this song. It is my favourite song by Lupe Fiasco, and it's from his mixtape "Fahrenheit 1/15 Part I" and it's called "Failure." That is some raw lyrical shit right here. This song made me salivate for over 12 months waiting for his debut album "Food & Liquor." The album was dope but nothing matched his consistent brilliance throughout the verses of this cut. The beat is hella nice too. This is just real hip-hop with mad word plays and great rhyming throughout. This reminds you why you ain't a rapper. P.S. Does anyone else think he looks a lot like Steve Francis? (that's Lupe above if you weren't sure).

Lupe Fiasco - Failure
Fly line: "Please don't Interscope...its gon be a whole lotta Iovine and respiratin’ if I lean out this window with Irene."

Ok that's it for now. Like some foreigner in California once said, I'll be back.