Tag: New York Hip Hop
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FME Attention Undivided
by Dan-O The coolest things are unplanned. This year I’ve been able to link up with super talented artists and just talk for much longer than I ever thought they’d want to. I am now calling it FME Attention Undivided. Subscribe to Freemusicempire on YouTube to get the updates. Here are the last two conversations:…
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My Favorite Album of 2020
by Dan-O Since 2012 I’ve told anyone who asked that the best lyricist in the world is Ka. So the May 1st release of Descendants of Cain was a big deal for me. He was back to full form and the album dominated my listening. Fast forward to August and the buzz around an album…
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2 Albums that Represent Hip Hop Essentialism
2 Albums that Represent Hip Hop Essentialism by Dan-O I remember when everyone started freely using the term “conscious rap” and how bad it made me feel. On one side the conscious artists were going to be expecting to think deep thoughts all the time. Any Common fart joke would elicit a gasp, meanwhile the…
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Song of The Year-Bout Shit by The Lox f. DMX produced by Scram Jones
by Dan-O I think it is perfectly fine to critique songs that emulate this song (and the Lox in general) as nostalgia rap. It is not fair to label this song nostalgia rap since this is their sound. Gritted-teeth-NY-fight-music really caught it’s second wind…when Ruff Ryders took over and The Lox started pounding the stuffing…
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#BandcampGold-ShrapKnel (Curly Castro x PremRock)
by Dan-O Backwoodz Studioz has had a heck of a 2020. Obviously, the flagship act is Armand Hammer-Shrines which captured the national conversation as Clippers-fan-not-Lakers-fan option against Run The Jewels 4. To have another group album of the year, ShrapKnel, to put alongside that release is stupendous(I know it came out first, RELAX). If you came…
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#Bandcampgold-Eastern Medicine, Western Illness by Preservation
by Dan-O The intangible brilliance in a producer is being able to arrive at and capture the very best of an artist. It’s a combination of casting the right voices on your songs and making sure you give the audience the very height of what they bring to the table. That is the true victory…
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Song of The Year-Sins Of The Father by Ka featuring Roc Marciano produced by Roc Marciano
Song of The Year-Sins Of The Father by Ka featuring Roc Marciano produced by Roc Marciano by Dan-O An underrated value in hip hop is friendship. Watching El-P and Killer Mike laugh together like they fit perfectly or Freddie Gibbs give Madlib a deep hug that’s worth a thousand thank you’ s. It’s not just…
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The 2019 album I Missed Out On
The 2019 Album I Missed Out On by Dan-O By the time I named Griselda the 2019 MVP I was dead focused on the four members on the T-Shirt: Benny The Butcher, Westside Gunn, Daringer and Conway The Machine. What I missed: Griselda exists within an ecosystem of ILL New York rappers who grow and…
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FME MVP HONORABLE MENTION
FME MVP HONORABLE MENTION by Dan-O No matter what the run time is, a Billy Woods song is a meal. You can spend some real time lost in his lyrics. Read the only full verse from the last song(Stranger In The Village) on his second album of the year, Terror Management. (Per Genius) Came through…
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FIVE QUESTIONS FOR BILLY WOODS
Intro and questions by Dan-O Answers by Billy Woods It has been very difficult this to year to pick an MVP. So many artists committed to their vision on a very high level. I will reveal the Honorable Mention next week and roll out the OFFICIAL MVP post the week after that. In the meantime,…
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