DOWNLOAD MP3 TabiBonney-WinnersParadeftNicoleWray.mp3 Summary: This one’s from a couple months ago. I saw Tabi live on tour in Tucson and had one of the funnest night I can remember (though I don’t remember parts of the night) About Artist: Tabi is still an underground rapper. He’s from Togo in west Africa, now is in DC. I saw him perfomr on the Hip Hop and Love Tour along with Murs and Ski Beatz (with whom Tabi has a lot of collabos). I got to talk to Tabi after the show and just had an amazing time. This is just one of the many solid Tabi Bonney Joints. About Song: This song is off of his recent independent album The Summer Years which is produced by Ski Beatz (album is definitely worth checking out). Favorite Part: I like the second verse when he goes “Twitter hashtag ican”
DOWNLOAD MP3 Yelawolf-HardWhiteremixftTISlaughterhouse.mp3 Summary: Here’s a song where some very talented MCs just go hard. About Artist: Gotta keep it short today. Basically Yelawolf is a young Eminem protege from the south. T.I. king of the south. And Slaughterhouse the four man crew of Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, Joe Budden and Royce 5’9. About Song: This song is origianly off of Yelawolf debut 2011 album Radioactive. The original featured Lil Jon so obviously this official remix is a million times better. Favorite Part: Finally a song up here that is good for its straight rapping. Read the full lyrics here
DOWNLOAD MP3 Exile-WaitForMeftBigSeanLupeFiasco.mp3 Summary: This song isn’t a killer but Exile’s mixtape “Intro to the Outro” is just too good not to get some recognition. Get the mixtape for free here. I love the way each song on the tape blends into the next song (very pro) About Artist: Exile is the producer on this song (as he is producer on all the tracks on this tape). Exile has collaborated on critically acclaimed albums with both Blu and Fashawm (both of whom he works with frequently). He is an awesome producer and even better live performer. He’s really brought live beat making back into fashion specifically with his beastly skills on an MPC About Song: This track is off his Exile’s Intro to the Outro Mixtape that was realeased in September of 2011 to promote his debut album 4TRK MIND which has the funniest album cover ever. The song features Big Sean and Lupe Fiasco (you can check out their wikipedia pages below) but I mainly like this song because of Exile’s production. Favorite Part: The rap is pretty solid but I just like the fun beat. Also notice the very end of the song when it starts bleding into the folowing song (which is very killer and very different). You really gotta just listen to the mixtape all the way through.
DOWNLOAD MP3 Knaan-MoreBeautifulThanSilence.mp3 Summary: A softer song that anyone can enjoy. This is some international hip-hop as K’naan is a Somali-Canadian. I really like the musical elements in this song and fits K’naan’s style real well. About Artist: K’naan comes from Somalia and after his song Wavin Flag became the official song of the 2010 World Cup we quickly became the most famous Somali artist. His fusion Hip-Hop is something a little different than what we normally got up here, a little more pop but you can’t deny this is a good song. About Song: This is the title track off of K’naan’s Jan 31st EP More Beautiful Than Silence. The EP only has 5 songs, all pretty different from another, this one being my favorite. Favorite Part: The track on this is just great got an awesome beat and some beautiful piano. Below is just the first part of the 1st verse. “Ok, ain’t it funny how the talkers always talking?
Never firing, but always say they cocking
And they’re cocky until they end in parking lots
Suddenly they got Parkinson’s, they can hardly talk
No karate buddy, no pilates buddy
It’s a new game, no Atari buddy
Body chalk, well I’m used to bodies chopped
I’ve seen shit to give new meaning to the body shop”
DOWNLOAD MP3 JCole-CantGetEnoughftTreySongz.mp3 Summary: Gregs Hip Hop is back. I didn’t know what the best song to get this started again with would be, but I thought why not this one. About Artist: J. Cole has been on a steady rise over the last couple years. J Cole grew is underground following with some great mixtapes (like The Warm Up) in the mid-late 00s until he became the first signee to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2009. Basically this dude’s got style, he can rap, and the ladies love him. For rapper in his generation he definetly comes off more old school with just raw talent and swag no gimmicks or shit. Trey Songz is the R&B (someitmes rapper) phenom whos also appeared on GregsHipHop a number of times. About Song: This one is the 2nd single off of J. Cole’s debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story which came out in the Fall of 2011. The song really gets an awesome vibe from it’s sample Paulette by Balla et ses Balladins Favorite Part: Of course the I frickin love the way the sample grooves (yes I have the instrumental version too). As far as J. Cole I think the first verse is the best with the following lines. “Now I ain’t got no kids yet, but this right here’s for practice I hate to get the seats in the Benz wet, but that’s how good your ass is Make an old man get his glasses, make Wesley pay his taxes Then follow your moves all week on Twitter, probably make a gay nigga reconsider”
and then “She calling, she texting, she’s falling, but let me explain Gotta tell your old boyfriend skate girl cause a nigga don’t play them ex games”
I also really like the end of the 2nd verse that goes “I love it when you give me head, I hate it when you give me headaches”
DOWNLOAD MP3 JayZKanyeWest-MurderToExcellence.mp3 Summary: Real fans say this is the best song off Watch the Throne. About Artist: Jay-Z and Kanye West. If you don’t know who they are I don’t know what to tell you. One thing you may not know if you’re not into Hip Hop though is that Kanye West got one of his first big breaks producing for Jay-Z’s classic Blueprint album. Jay-Z pretty much was the one that gave Kanye a chance and made him famous. About Song: This song is a song (not yet a single) from Jay-Z and Kanye’s collaboration album Watch the Throne. While the album has recieve positive (but not stellar) reviews I think it really work as an album as a whole and is a rare true collaboration between two Hip Hop greats. Murder to Excellence has two distinct parts, the first produced by Swizz Beatz and the second by S1. The song talks about black on black crime and social mobility in the African American community. This song has more a message and conscious than other tracks on the album which is why is may have received such a positive response from fans (the song is also just a great song). I LOVE the beats to both parts of the song, especially the guitar, chorus and hook of the first part, and the lyrical compliment it very very well. Favorite Part:
“No shop class but half the school got a tool” (1:02)
“Plus his little brother got shot reppin his avenue, it’s time for us to stop and redefine black power 41 souls murdered in 50 hours” (1:07)
“Is it genocide?
Cause I can still hear his mama cries
Know the family traumatized
Shots left holes in his face about piranha-sized
The old pastor closed the cold casket
And said the church ain’t got enough room for all the tombs
It’s a war going on outside we ain’t safe from
I feel the pain in my city wherever I go
314 soldiers died in Iraq, 509 died in Chicago” (1:34-1:58)
The ooohs at 1:58 as Kanye ends and Jay-Z come in is so so good.
“I arrived on the day Fred Hampton died
Uh, real niggas just multiply
And they say by 21 I was supposed to die
So I’m out here celebrating my post-demise” (1:58-208)
Transition at 2:42 is great.
“Black excellence, opulence, decadence
Tuxes next to the president, I’m present
I dress in Dries and other boutique stores in Paris
In sheepskin coats, I silence the lambs
Do you know who I am, Clarice?
No cheap cologne whenever I “shh-shh”
Success never smelled so sweet
I stink of success, the new black elite
They say my Black Card bears the mark of the beast
I repeat: my religion is the beat
My verse is like church, my Jesus piece
Now please, domino, domino
Only spot a few blacks the higher I go
What’s up to Will? Shout out to O
That ain’t enough.. we gonna need a million more
“Kick in the door” Biggie flow
I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go” (2:52-3:42)
“In the past if you picture events like a black tie
What the last thing you expect to see, black guys?
What’s the life expectancy for black guys?
The system’s working effectively, that’s why!
I’ll be a real man and take care of your son
Every problem you had before this day is now done” (3:52-4:09) Other: Watch the Thone Wikipedia
DOWNLOAD MP3 KendrickLamar-FuckYourEthnicity.mp3 THIS SONG HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO A COMPLAINT BY THE RIAA. Summary: Kendrick Lamar is the best up and coming rapper. Bring the West Coast back with a vengance. About Artist: Kendrick Lamar is a young Compton rapper who has been hailed as the next king of the west. He has amazing lyrical ability and speaks truth with an unmatched authenticity. Kendrick Lamar is currently my favorite rapper. I got to see him recently in his hometown of LA and was blown away. His live performance had so much energy and he was even better live than he sounds on his records. The show started a little late only because Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg showed up to watch. Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Kurupt, Game, Big Sean and Snoop all graced the stage to come out and support Kendrick who has very quicky gained the respect of the entire hip hop community. About Song: This song is the intro to Kendrick Lamar’s recent and highly regarded project Section.80. Favorite Part:
“Fire burning inside my eyes
This the music that saved my life
Y’all be calling it hip-hop
I be calling it hypnotize
Yeah, hypnotize
Trapped my body but freed my mind
What the fuck is you fighting for?
Ain’t nobody gonna win that war
My details be retail
Man, I got so much in store
Racism is still alive
Yellow tape and colored lines” (1:03-1:22)
“I mosh pit
Had a microphone and I tossed it
Had a brain, then I lost it
I’m out of my mind, so don’t
You mind how much the cost is
Penny for my thoughts
Everybody, please hold up your wallets” (1:45-1:53) Other: Kendrick Lamar Wikipedia Fuck Your Ethnicity Lyrics
DOWNLOAD MP3 Wale-OceanDrive.mp3 Summary: Wale on some Magazeen island beat. About Artist: Wale is a DC rapper who gearing up for the release of his sophmore album after his first album flopped due to drama with his old label. While many people are up in arms about Wale selling out to Maybach Music Group (Rick Ross’s posse), Wale’s next album Ambition has been billed as a return to Wale’s original style. The album is due out 11/1/11 and a mixtape prior to the album has been promised. Don’t know much about Magazeen (he sings the hook) except that he is an up and commer trying to break through. Tre is the lead singer of UCB (Wale’s original go-go backup band). I am a big fan of UCB’s sound and hoped for a while that the Go-Go sound would catch on nationally. Finally Black Cobain is another DC rapper (whom I really like) with much of the same rhyme style as Wale. About Song: This song is just a random track that may appear on Wale’s ElevenOneEleven mixtape which will promote the realease date of Wale’s next album Ambition. Favorite Part:
None really, I just like the track. Other: Wale Wikipedia The Board Administration Blog
DOWNLOAD MP3 JayZKanyeWest-Otis.mp3 Summary:Watch the Throne (out August 1st) About Artist: Jay-Z and Kanye West, what else is there to say. These are two of the current if not all time greats. They are coming out with a collaboration album Watch the Throne on August for and of course it will be much anticipated. About Song: This song will appear on Watch the Throne and I believe is the albums first single (not sure if H.A.M counted as single or not). The song, produced by Kanye West, sample Otis Redding’s Try a little Tenderness. Favorite Part:
The sample is sooo soulful and awesome but as far a lines I like…
“Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses
Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive
I get it custom, you a customer
You ain’t ‘customed to going through Customs” (1:47)
I also love Jay-Z verse right after that and best part it there is NO HOOK.
DOWNLOAD MP3 CyHiThePrynce-Dance.mp3 Summary: Fun song with a track by JUSTICE League About Artist: CyHi the Pryne is one of the newer singees to Kanye’s GOOD Music label. He’s from Atlanta and while this song doesn’t show it, he’s has some really clever rhymes. About Song: This song is of CyHi’s most recent mixtape Royal Flush 2. I really like this mixtape (you can download it free here) so if you’re looking for some new music definitely check it out. This song was produced by JUSTICE League which is an awesome group of producers. Favorite Part:
I really like CyHi but the JUSTICE Leagaue track is the best part of the song Other: CyHi the Prynce Wikipedia J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League Wikipedia Download Royal Flush 2
DOWNLOAD MP3 XV-UFC.mp3 Summary: Gregshiphop.com is comin back with at least 2 new songs a week. About Artist: XV is a young rapper from Wichita. I’ve been listening to him for about 2 years now but his most recent mixtape Zero Heroes really blew me away. I really love listening to this tape all the way through and you can download your free copy HERE. About Song: With this song you gotta get some good speakers and just bang it on high volume. I love the track which was produced by Seven, and while the rap is good, the track is just awesome Favorite Part: “…hands go up and down like the Dow Jones” (0:44) Other: XV Wikipedia Download Zero Hereos
Kanye West, always a magnet for controversy, has recently come under fire for his latest music video for the song Monster. Kanye has been the recipient of intense criticism for how his most recent video is misogynist. Critics generally argue that the video promotes violence against women, reduces them to sexual play things, and is just flat out mysoginist. This campaign against the video has led to Kanye to show a disclaimer before the video (a dumb and meaningless act in my opinion). It led it being banned on MTV and it being held up as one of the worst offenders of its kind.
The Monster video is a lot of things but one of the most mysognist troublesome items in pop culture it is not. I believe that because Monster is sensational in other ways (mainly in its gore and shock value), it initially drew the attention of many viewers who conflated gore with other issues and then unfairly singled it out and critqued as blatntly misogynist while so many other similar, or much much worse, items in pop culture went uncommented on.
First I would like to point out other pieces in pop culture that are at least as bad as Kanye’s video before going on to offer some actual defenses of Kanye’s work, that these other examples don’t have.
I think the main issue at hand here is the sexualization of images of dead women. So lets look at some different examples of this that are produced without notice or protest.
The Following are some images from Vogue Italia in a 2010 issue. (click on the thumbnails to view a larger version)
Continuing with this theme the following are an ad for Lavin Paris and Blender (an upscale fashion boutique). The blender image is definitly more graphic but I don’t believe the level of gore makes it any more (or less) mysoginist.
Moving from Europe over to the United States the following are from the fashion/art magazine W.
And here is some from fashion magazine Lula
Here are some surprising shots from Lindsay Lohan
While the images above have appeared mainly in niche magazines (which may have a more mature audience), lets take a look at some examples from mainstream pop culture. The following pictures are from the extremely popular America’s Next Top Model. Keep in mind that this show airs on the CW which targets a younger teenage demographic, and runs it’s reruns on Oxygen which is a cable network dedicated specifically toward women.
Finally I’d like to show an example of sexualized dead women from a contemporary pop music video, not Monster, but Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi. When this video was released I never heard the word mysoginist once. Keep in mind that like the photos above, these are targeted toward young women.
From the above I think it is clear that Kanye is not the originator of this type of esthitic and, knowing that Kanye has always considered himself a part of the fashion world, Kanye was probably heavily influenced by the images above (many of which I’m sure he’s seen)
So moving on to exploring the Monster video itself…
While I’ve just showed numerous exmaples the sexualization of dead women images, not all images that involved dead women, art, and even sexuality are mysognist. For example the image below involves the themes of women and death and clearly falls into a different camp.
These next two images, done my Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer, are closer to many examples shown previously but I believe have some key differences. Mainly, when I view these images I see more the tragic and disgusting nature of the situation rather than the glamorized or sexualized aspect.
Kanye’s video I believe is a mix between the sexualized images from the magazines and the tragic images of amanda palmer. Below of some images from Kanye’s video of that are not primarily sexy but instead more scary/sad/tragic.
While these images aren’t as “anti-sexy” as the Amanda Palmer ones, they aren’t exactly the glorified images from the magazines either.
Now let me take on some specific critques/issues about the video one at a time…
The most controversial Scene
One of the most controversial segments of the video occurs between 1:00-1:18 when Kanye West lays on a bed with two dead girls and moves their limp arms and heads. These two dead girls are posed on the bed more in the vain of sexy-fashion than disgusting/sad corpses. Lots of critics see this scene as a rape analogy as Kanye moves their bodies at his own will and they talk about how it promotes rape. However whenever I see the clip I think of the rape of a drunk girl and how disgusting the act is. Something about the extreme of these girls being corpses and the extremely creepy/noninterested way Kanye moves their limbs makes me recoil and have the opposite reaction that the videos critics claim.
Taking some interpretive liberties I see this scene as Kanye talking about how women become submissive to him, his fame and his wealth, and how it bores him to control them like puppets (all very mysoginist I know), but then the lyrics at that same time are “everybody knows I’m a motherfuckin Monster”. Maybe Kanye is reflecting on the way his fame coupled with his male impulses make him a monster, maybe.
Women and men are strictly divided into different groups
This is a critic where the person states that all the women are shown as wild and ravenous while men are not. Or, the women are shown as dead or weak while the men are the predators. Besides the fact that you can’t have it both ways (women being wild/ravenous and dead/weak) both of these arugments are simply false. The following is just one image where a man is seen as part of the wild zombie-like mob.
Then there is this cool headed woman
If you are looking for strong predatory women, or weak helpless males, just looks at the images below
Black women are the crazed ones, white women are the “dead sexy ones”
This critique probably comes mainly from the crazed black female wherewolf type character that appears around the 5 minute mark. However I’ve also hear people say how all the zombie figures are black, not true. Below are all the white zomebies (as well as in the picture above with the zombies behind glass, or the white and black girl both eating the dead waiter).
And then a black “dead sexy one”
Conflating the shock value with misogyny
-Is the Monster video disturbing? Absolutely.
-Is it graphic and gory? Yes (although not if your comparing it to the motion picture industry which makes movies like Saw).
-Does Monster make violence and death look cool? Maybe, though not to the extent that other music videos, tv shows, and movies do.
-Is Monster especially racist or misogynist? I just don’t see it. Obviously it isn’t the pinnacle of the femenist movement, or even pro women, but its no worse on that count than so many other things that are absorded and ignored as about of our engrained culture.
The Monster video is a spooky horror-like music video that borrows both musically and visually the the long tradition of horror movies (something the fashion magazine are NOT about which I think is an important distinction). It incorpates women into the video like all other music videos do (sex sells) but it is not more anti-women than other videos nor is it more violent that other items in pop culture.
Because this type of video is unique among the sea of mass produced booty shaking, money raining, uber swag music videos it got the attention it deserved, unfortunately the shock that it created led people to come up with halfbaked incosistent arguments as to why Monster is so much worse than everything else and should be banned from the airwaves.
I know this video is unusual for a music video, but is it really as bad as everyone’s saying?
DOWNLOAD MP3 KendrickLamar-HiiiPowerprodbyJCole.mp3 THIS SONG HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO A COMPLAINT BY THE RIAA. Summary: Hip Hop. About Artist: Kendrick Lamar is part of the new west coast movement. Decades after Snoop, NWA, Tupac came out of Compton Kendrick Lamar it trying to lead a second wave, a rebirth, of LA rap. J. Cole produced this track, which is a little strange since J. Cole is better known as a rapper. About Song: This song is atypical of Kendrick Lamar who normally goes off with fast high intensity rhymes (check out other Kendrick Lamar songs on gregshiphop here). In this song however Kendrick Lamar takes a more reflective approach. One thing that jumps out at me about this song is how it borrows from Kanye West / My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy this song is. Kendrick borrows from Kanye’s So Appalled line “shit is, fuckin ridiculous” at places like (1:36, 2:48, 4:23), it takes Kanye’s signature “huh” around 2:00, and takes a voice effect that Dark Twisted Fantasy popularized at 2:05. Favorite Part: No part really jumps 0ut at me but I like message Kendrick Lamar puts forward over this protest beat.
DOWNLOAD MP3 PharoaheMonch-WARftImmortalTechniqueVernonReid.mp3 Summary: Rise Up! Pharoahe Monch is Back! About Artist: Pharoahe Monch is a rapper with a concious and is one of my personal favorites. Immortal Technique is even more a political rapper, also love him because he’s in it for the movement and to make a change. No clue who Vernon Reid is, but I just read he’s an all time great guitarist. About Song: This hip hop song is off of Monch’s recently released W.A.R (We Are Renegades) album which is AWESOME! I like this song because it really sums up the military feel of the album. In my mind W.A.R. is what Lupe’s Lasers should have been. All I can see is you like responsible Hip Hop go listen to W.A.R. Favorite Part:
This song just goes hard with two of my favorite political rappers. Really though this song just represents how great We Are Renegades is. Other: Pharoahe Monch Wikipedia Vernon Reid Wikipedia AdeleImmortal Technique Wikipedia
