Peter Holslin stole the stolen chain from 50 Cent at Summer Jam 2014 Folerio is a man, and a mystery. He is a singer and versifier, but also an emblem for the beautifully weird. He’s on Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr. But who is he, really? Evidence says he is the alter-ego of Peanut Butter Wolf, […]
| The Most Villainous: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Break the Piñata | March 18, 2014 |
Max Bell is not against rap or those thugs. Freddie Gibbs rose from scary Gary to Interscope refugee to widespread critical adoration. Some argue that the dexterous Gibbs can rap well over anything. Yet his last album, E.S.G.N. received mixed reviews. The album was solid, but it was also what you’d expect too. It didn’t help […]
| Instead of Playing Sports, I’d Rather Dig: A Quick Look Back at Lootpack | February 27, 2014 |
Harry Samphir kicks up dust when he writes. Madlib’s artistic canon is so extensive it’s sometimes easy to forget about 1999‘s Soundpieces: Da Antidote!, his debut release with fellow Oxnard, CA natives Wildchild and DJ Romes. More than a decade later, the record still holds up as a West Coast underground gem: 24 tracks of […]
| Snoop Dogg X Dam-Funk — “Do My Thang” Video | February 26, 2014 |
The video treatment is as straightforward as the message. Do your thing, which in the case of Snoop means smoking bleezies while Dam-Funk is posted up by the bar drinking Godfathers, keytar strapped, and distilling the same no-nonsense approach as your favorite Don. As you might expect, there is a gyrating girl who has been […]
| Homeboy Sandman & Paul White Wade in the Water | January 16, 2014 |
Max Bell infrequently boogie boards. Homeboy Sandman is back. Homeboy Sandman never really went anywhere. In 2013, he offered devotees two EPs: Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent (with producer El Rntc) and All That I Hold Dear (with M Slago). For the final installment in this trio of EPs pairing Boy Sand with a single producer, he’s brought Paul White into the […]
| Video: Jonwayne — The Come Up | January 7, 2014 |
Jonwayne with the Jesus hair and the debo bike, still coming up with the scorched path of destruction like Bowser. That was the name of his first beat record, but doubled as an alliance with the enemy. If I were a rapper, I would want neither this dude or a fire breathing lizard on my […]
| The Wayniac Moves in Silence | November 21, 2013 |
Max Bell put beer in the school water fountains. Jonwayne has one of the best live sets around right now, rap or otherwise. I’ve seen him at least four times this year, and he’s managed to leave me captivated, spellbound, etc. each time — I cannot say the same of other rappers I’ve seen multiple times […]
| Poison Crackers: Jonwayne’s Rap Album One | October 30, 2013 |
The bad egg straight from a bad duck, Jonwayne, dropped his debut rap album yesterday. Bluntly titled, Rap Album One, the contents are as no-frills and sharp-edged as the cover. If you want to find the emotions, send the scalpel underneath the jittery tense synthesizers. Falling Deeper is the refrain repeated at the end of […]
| Samiyam Wishes You Were Here | October 28, 2013 |
Kyle Ellison rejected your invitation to play candy crush. “I’m just trying to show you where I’m coming from,” says Sam Baker of his new album, “I’m not about futuristic spaceship beats, just straight forward hip-hop.” It seems like Samiyam has been fighting this battle for years, watching as his head-nodding rap joints are filed […]
| Madlib, The Rock Konducta’s “Black Widow” | October 22, 2013 |
Max Bell is somewhere hidden in this pile of records. Madlib has never left his devotees hanging. There was a good Quasimoto record this June and I’m sure many still haven’t listened to all of the Beat Konducta and Medicine Show releases (19 releases combined). For now, it seems as if Madlib won’t stop melting […]
