Blog

SCREW STACHE – CANCUN

I actually don’t know much about Screw Stache, except I keep hearing this song on Instagram videos and the beat goes stupid hard. It’s produced by Pierre Bourne, who is one of my favorite newer producers. If you like this beat, go check out Playboi Carti’s 2017 self-titled album. 

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST – OH MY GOD

I haven’t listened to A Tribe Called Quest since high school, and I realized I never appreciated them as much as I should have. The beats still hold up after 3 decades, and the flow’s are so clean. Hip-hop isn’t like this anymore. ATCQ’s story telling is on another level. After hearing Questlove’s tribute to Q-tip I may have to put him in my top 2 rappers of all time. My other favorite rapper spits the chorus on this track (Busta Rhymes). 

Q-TIP – BREATHE AND STOP

This is one of my favorite hip-hop tracks of all time. I remember bumpin’ this track on repeat on my 50 disk CD player in my parents basement while playing Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest on N64. Little did I know at the time that this beat was made by my all time favorite producer J Dilla. Questlove told a story about how this track came to be. Dilla was notorious for being able to make a beat out of any record that was given to him. Well he got stumped by an obscure record by Emmet Chapman. He gave the record to Questlove to see if he could find the sample. No luck. A couple weeks later “Breathe and Stop” was created. If you listen to the original sample, it’s wild that J Dilla found the sample he did and turned it into an all time classic hip-hop track. Dilla is the best. 

ROBIN THICKE – WANNA LOVE YOU

Questlove plays a ton of Neptunes produced tracks in his playlist, and when this one came on it brought back memories. A buddy of mine was an intern for Interscope records when I was at Ohio State. He needed a street team to go around and put up flyers and hand out the single on CD. It was fun and I even got paid. 

DEFINITION – BLACK STAR

Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Two legends of hip-hop in one supergroup. They only released one full-length album, but it was a banger. I bumped this album hard in the early 2000’s. 

TALIB KWELI – HOT THING

Another early 2000’s throwback. This track is so dope. Kweli’s smooth flow over a bangin’ Will.I.Am beat? Oooooh. Fire. 

THE PHARCYDE – RUNNIN’

The Pharcyde is another legendary hip-hop hop group that I used to listen to in high school, but never appreciated the intricacies in their flow, and music. This track was also produced by none other than J Dilla. 

THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. – EVERYDAY STRUGGLE

This is one of my favorite Biggie tracks. I love the sound of the snare drum. It snaps so hard and really guides the entire track. I also love the sample. It’s out of tune and still works perfectly. The lyrics on this song are powerful and dark, and Biggie foretells his future throughout the song, as he ultimately was killed due to his lifestyle in the rap game. 

JAY-Z – PRESIDENTS 

I love Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt. The sound of the album is so raw. “Presidents” is one of my favorite tracks from it. The beat is dark and mysterious, and chronicles Jay-Z’s life in the streets getting money by selling drugs, and how it’s affecting everyone close to him. 

TIMBALAND AND MAGOO – I AM MUSIC

I think this is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. The song is sung from the perspective of music itself. This beat was so different from all the previous Timbaland tracks at the time. It features the late Aliyah and closes out Timbaland and Magoos’ album Indecent Proposal. It’s the perfect ending to the album. I recently went back and listened to the album again. It still holds up today. Timbaland is the man.