| The Dream Shatterer: In Memory of Big Pun | February 8, 2011 |
Dead rapper week lingers on with the one and only son of Tony Montana. 11 years ago yesterday, Chris Rio went ham for his last time, proving the deleterious effects of cash, swine, and 700 lbs. worth of cholesterol. By dint of his untimely death, Pun gets the red carpet rolled out each year, despite […]
| J Dilla – Still Shining | February 7, 2011 |
“J.Dilla: Still Shining” from B.Kyle on Vimeo. Every day is Dilla day on the rap Internet, but in the interest of commemorating the born day of one of the G.O.A.T.’s, Brian “B. Kyle” Atkins unleashes this must-see doc on the life of James Yancey– complete with cameos from Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Badu, Common (complete with […]
| Douglas Martin’s Dirty Shoes: I’m Bound to Pack It Up | February 3, 2011 |
Douglas Martin is not interested in gold mines, oil wells, shipping, or real estate. October 2, 2003. Ten people deep, seated among my closest friends at a Red Robin, smiles circling as the staff performed their obligatory birthday announcement. Handclaps striking through the air like tiny shots from miniature cap guns. This detail’s entirely unimportant […]
| The Union Forever: R.I.P White Stripes (1997-2011) | February 2, 2011 |
Fast and dirty. Like no other band of their generation, The White Stripes understood that’s the point of rock and roll. No need to belabor a eulogy on Jack and Meg’s medicine show. Raw they gave it to you. Guitars that twitched like the electrocuted and damned. Drums that kept a steady pulse and knew […]
| A Celebration of Michael Larson | November 16, 2010 |
Spotted on Aesop Rock’s Twitter with the note: everyone watch this. No explanation needed.
| Sach O: R.I.P Gregory Isaacs | October 25, 2010 |
For most, few words are better apt to describe Gregory Isaacs’ on-record personality than “The lonely Lover”. Despite a career spanning 30 years and containing classic Roots material on par with the masters, Isaacs will first and foremost be remembered as a loverman and a singer of unparalleled romance. Whether backed by the dusty dubs […]
| R.I.P Eyedea (1981-2010) | October 17, 2010 |
Immediate reaction regarding the untimely and tragic demise of Eyedea, nee Michael Larson, a.k.a. Oliver Hart, has been to eulogize him as one of the greatest freestyle battlers of his era — likely the last one where large swaths of hip-hop fans genuinely prized the importance of being “nice off the dome.” A Scribble […]
| R.I.P. Rodger “Uncle Jamm” Clayton | October 13, 2010 |
An abbreviated and mildly belated obit on Rodger “Uncle Jam” Clayton is live at Pop & Hiss. Eulogies have been sadly scarce on the co-founder of one of LA’s original and greatest mobile disco crews. Predictably, Davey D has one of the best around. Everyone from Egyptian Lover, to Rodney O & Joe Cooley, to […]
| R.I.P. Melvin Bliss | July 27, 2010 |
Unless you’ve spent quality time digging in crates or at least Breaks.com, you’ve probably never heard of Melvin Bliss. But you’ve heard his drums. Specifically, those iconic kicks and snares that have been lifted for everything from “Ego Trippin’ and “Mighty Healthy,” to “Don’t Believe the Hype” and “Ya Mama.” Earlier this year, the great […]
| R.I.P. Rammellzee (1960 – 2010) | June 29, 2010 |
Official confirmation still awaits, but judging from reliable Twitter accounts, the legendary hip-hop and graf pioneer has passed. Weirdly enough, I was listening to this song last night while writing a feature on art rap and Open Mike Eagle — and there is no art rap without Rammellzee. The concept of a hip-hop avant-garde dates […]
