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Hip-hop

A guide to turntable.fm etiquette

Turntable.fm logo

Outside of Spotify, Turntable.fm has been one of the hottest startups to have been launched in the last several months. It now has more than 300K users and is seeking more funding.

More than Spotify, Pandora, last.fm or Rdio, turntable.fm is a social experience, and as such, it’s interesting to watch how users interact in the rooms.

With that, I’ve put together this quick guide to proper etiquette on turntable.fm, in the form of do’s and don’ts:

Do:

When you enter a room to DJ, get a lay of the land. Are DJs skipping outros? Is there a theme to the music? I DJ in a lot of hip-hop related rooms, but often I find the DJs are picking songs based on a theme (e.g. battle raps, emcees from Queens, etc.). If there’s no theme per se, just play songs that are consistent with the room title.
Be social, but be respectful. The biggest difference between Pandora and turntable.fm is that turntable is inherently social. Talk to the other DJs. (You can even “fan” them, which alerts you when they’re DJing.) A lot of the folks using the service are in the internet or music business; if you are too, it could be a good opportunity to network with them, so don’t disrespect them or the music they like.
Welcome new DJs to the service. When someone comes into the room, click on their avatar. If they have zero DJ points, they’re new to turntable.fm. Make them feel welcome; one easy way to do this is to “awesome” their first song, no matter what it is!
Skip your outros, if they’re long. A lot of hip-hop songs have extended outros and skits that can last up to two minutes after the song is over. Be cognizant of the fact that not everyone wants to hear the outro – in fact, there’s a good chance nobody wants to – and skip it.

Don’t:

Don’t click “Lame” unless you absolutely HAVE to. There are two reasons, really, for “Lame-ing” a song: if the song is inconsistent with the room’s theme, or if the DJ playing it is away from the computer. Otherwise, just hit “mute” and play something else. Either way, especially don’t lame at the very beginning of the song, as DJ Woooo said in this CNN article.
Don’t cut the line. In the more popular rooms on turntable.fm, there’s usually a DJ list. To find it, click the “Room Info” button towards the top of the page. (The list is usually a Google doc.) If you want to DJ, get your name on there, and stick around.
Don’t repeat songs. A big [analog] DJ faux-pas is to play songs twice, and there’s an easy way to avoid it on turntable.fm. Just click “Room info” and you’ll see a list of recently played songs you’ll want to steer clear of.
– If you’re DJing, don’t keep DJing if you have to step away from your computer for an extended period of time. Give someone else a chance to spin!
– A lot of aspiring musicians and DJs may use turntable to showcase new material. If you’re in this group, don’t play self-recorded songs if it’s of poor quality. (Thanks to TT user RyanTheMagnificent for this suggestion.)
– (Added 7/20) Don’t play songs that are too long, unless everyone in the room (or a majority of it) is OK with it. The other DJs want a chance to spin their tunes, which gets more difficult if everyone plays eight-minute songs!

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Have I missed anything? Do you disagree with something I’ve said? Please feel free to post any additional thoughts you have as comments below!

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Hip-hop Sports Video of the Day

Tidbit of the Day: No Seinfeld? No problem! Eli Manning leads New York Giants to NFC Championship!

‘Nuff said. See you two weeks from now!

Until then, enjoy this highlight reel from the ’07-’08 season. (I didn’t know Jim Jones recorded a song about the New York Giants…)

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Hip-hop

Bar graphs that explain the reality of hip-hop

If you like hip-hop, then check this out. (Thanks, Mollie!)

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Hip-hop Video of the Day

Video of the Day: ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin’

Just had to post this classic joint by Big Daddy Kane. Enjoy:

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Hip-hop My articles

Review: Talib Kweli – ‘Eardrum’

By Daniel B. Honigman

The Jewish golem parable is probably one of the last things you’d expect to read on DanielHonigman.com, but here goes: In late-16th century Prague, an edict commanded that all Jews in the city were to be killed. A rabbi, desperate to protect and save his people, created a golem made of clay that became so powerful it couldn’t be controlled. The golem eventually had to be destroyed.

Hip-hop is this golem. It’s 2007, and hip-hop finds itself struggling to remain relevant as a result of its overexpansion. Over the last three decades, it has become so powerful that it’s turned on itself. It’s no longer an art form. It’s no longer empowering. It isn’t even exciting.

Hard to believe, isn’t it? We may be witnessing death of a musical genre in less than half a century after its inception. Hip-hop culture may be irreparably damaged and lost forever. It, as Nasir Jones would say, is beyond saving – it’s dead.

Perhaps not. Maybe hip-hop has one more chance to survive. Maybe hip-hop has an Arnold Schwarzenegger-type Terminator as its savior that’s all that stands between the genre and complete annihilation. Or homogenization.

This bothered at least one of hip-hop’s pioneers more than a decade ago. “People have to understand what you mean when you talk about hip-hop, hip-hop means the whole culture of the movement,” <strong>Africa Bambaataa mused in a 1996 interview with celebrated hip-hop historian and commentator Davey D. Getting hip-hop back to its roots would be no easy task, he continued, but it would be a simple one to start, at least. “We need to do what brother Malcolm X, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan and many others had suggested – read books.”

If the burden of representing hip-hop culture were placed on one with the highest hip-hop I.Q., few would be more qualified for the role than Talib Kweli. If it were based on hip-hop skill, the answer, more than likely, would still be Mr. Kweli. The son of two college professors, the Brooklyn, New York native Kweli is known for his smart, earnest rhymes – after all, it is his namesake. (“Talib,” an Arabic name, means “seeker” or “student,” and “Kweli” is a Ghanaian name meaning “of truth” or “of knowledge.”)

From his Rawkus Records days with DJ Hi-Tek and Mos Def, through collaborations with, Kanye West, The Roots, Madlib, Just Blaze and others, Kweli has earned the moniker of the highly skilled, conscious rapper. He tasted some mainstream success with the West-produced “Get By,” a single off his 2002 album “Quality” (Rawkus Records) and with several appearances on the now-defunct “Dave Chappelle’s Show.” His last album on Rawkus, “The Beautiful Struggle,” however, signaled the beginning of a short slump.

Kweli then signed with Koch Records, of which rapper 50 Cent (who lists Kweli as his favorite hip-hop artist and one of his primary influences) referred to as “an artist’s graveyard” earlier this year on New York’s HOT 97 radio station. While on Koch, Kweli released “Right About Now,” a mixtape album that dangerously tiptoed the thin line separating himself from irrelevancy. The album’s one redeeming quality may be that it left many fans eagerly awaiting the next new Kweli release, still hungry from the paltry offerings on “Right About Now.”

“Eardrum,” his highly anticipated new album, if anything, has successfully pushed him back into modern hip-hop’s upper crust. (If he had ever fallen from it, really.) Originally slated for release last November off his own label Blacksmith Records (Atlantic), Eardrum was pushed back several times as he continued to record new songs and tweak the tracklist. As a result, its release date was TBD for a while, much to his fans’ chagrin, then listed as July 24 and pushed back once more after the album was leaked on the Web. Along the way, he and acclaimed producer Madlib released the well-received “Liberation” mixtape.

With “Eardrum,” Kweli’s intentions are clear from the start – he’s not looking to create club hits anymore. He’s about soulful beats and adroit, meaningful rhymes. Right off the bat, he lets us know that his latest offering was worth the wait. Instead of opening the album off with a home run, he starts with a smooth single, the Madlib-produced “Everything Man,” a tune reminiscent of “Reflection Eternal”-era Kweli.

The album continues with several strong tracks (“N.Y. Weather Report,” “Say Something”), and like hip-hop in general, Kweli seems to find himself at a crossroads. On the Just Blaze-produced “Hostile Gospel Pt. 1,” arguably the album’s best track, he laments hip-hop’s commercialization, and it’s on this track that Kweli really shines. (“I start a conversation based on general observation/Hip-hop is not a nation, take it to population/n****s got a lot to say when locked inside the belly of Satan/awaitin’ trial, debatin’ how the hell I got placed in this system/Am I a victim or just a product of indoctrination?/They exploit it and use me like a movie with product placement/You hear the congregation – this is the hostile gospel/The truth is hard to swallow, it’ll leave you scarred tomorrow.”)

“In The Mood,” produced by Chicago native Kanye West, features renowned jazz vibraphonist and acid jazz innovator Roy Ayers, successfully blends the genres, (In one of the album’s last-minute changes, West himself also adds a solid verse.)

But it isn’t until “More Or Less” that Kweli battles his hip-hop demons and offers a solution. (“More originality/less biting off ‘Pac and Big/more community activism/less pigs/more Blacksmith and Def Jux/ less Geffen and the rest ‘cause the rest suck, they got the shit all messed up”) “Electrify,” a Pete Rock-produced track on the leaked Eardrum album, unfortunately didn’t make its way to the final product. However, this is one of the album’s only missteps.

There have been several critically acclaimed rappers whose music has fallen on deaf ears. Kool G Rap, Big L, AZ, Jeru the Damaja – these are all artists for whom good reviews and a couple of bucks would get a ride on the El. Fortunately for Kweli, this album won’t fall on deaf ears, and hopefully for Kweli, critical acclaim will translate into record sales.

Kweli will be able to get on that El. The rest of us can only pray that the rest of hip-hop follows him on board.

Categories
Hip-hop My articles

HipHopDX Review: Big City – ‘The City Never Sleeps’

By Daniel B. Honigman
Rating 2 (out of 5)

Beatnuts founding members Psycho Les and Al Tariq, along with Missin’ Linx member Problemz must enjoy each other’s company. It’s been almost 15 years since “Intoxicated Demons” was released and almost a decade since the three have worked under the same banner. Still, they comprise Big City and they’re embarking on something of a reunion tour.

Thing is – is anyone listening?

“The City Never Sleeps” (Nature Sounds), is Big City’s first album together. If you already like the ‘Nuts, you may be happy with this latest offering. Then again, it may just make you sad. If you’re not a fan, maybe you should check out Intoxicated Demons or “Street Level” first. Don’t get me wrong; the Beatnuts’ old swagger is still there. Les’ production skills are there, in theory. But it’s clear there’s some old dust they need to shake off, cause it is basically a shell of their former sound.

The album has a couple of redeeming joints, though. Stickem Up is an energetic track featuring an equally strong hook from the always reliable Greg Nice. In D.J. Famalam, Problemz’ lyrics catch fire in what is one of the nicest verses I’ve heard in a minute; “Act like you know the name/Caught a flat on the road to fame/Now back hitting switches/Made a detour to get some digits/On the road to the riches.” One of the album’s high points, this track is in stark contrast to the next song, Milf, which is about…well, you know. “You know I can’t wife ya/but I really like ya/and I want to pipe ya”. (‘Nuff said.)

Big horns and cowbells give Chedda a bouncy feel, making it a fairly decent club track. But there are a few missteps on this album. On Boy and Running Around, Les uses two flute loops that, instead of giving the songs momentum, make them sound stagnant. Lick Balls features a Houston-influenced, screwed-up beat. (Why they bothered with this, I have no idea.)

Junkyard JuJu was an integral part of the group’s original sound. Sorry, folks, but to leave him off “The City Never Sleeps” should make you wonder what Big City wants to accomplish – other than releasing mediocre hip-hop albums.

Personally, I would have released “The City Never Sleeps EP”, cutting the tracklist in half, saving everyone half of their money – or half of their download time. Part of me likes this album, don’t get me wrong. Maybe I like the fact that the original ‘Nuts are still at it, nice to have Les and Fashion rocking together again.

You may like the album after giving it a few listens. But after a good dozen or so spins, don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for the “Eject” button.

(This review originally appeared on HipHopDX.com)

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Hip-hop Video of the Day

Video of the Day: Fabolous Rap City freestyle

Here’s my latest favorite Rap City freestyle. Fabolous, one of the most underappreciated rappers in the game, tore it up a few days ago. His new single, “Diamonds,” featuring Young Jeezy, won’t catch on; It’s a piece of snap-hop crap. Fabolous just can’t do the whole Southern thing. (Listen to his new single on the Def Jam site.)

He’s much more talented than, say, Cam’ron, I believe. He just doesn’t have the click to back him up. It’s a shame he sold out so early in his career.

Categories
Hip-hop

Hip-Hop album review: J Dilla – ‘Ruff Draft’

Album review

by Daniel B. Honigman (from HipHopDX.com)

Sadly, it’s always the dead musicians who develop the biggest following. Underappreciated when alive, J Dilla – arguably one of the best hip-hop minds ever – and his records have amassed scores of new listeners since his death. But many of these new fans maybe haven’t heard of Slum Village, and because of that, weren’t exposed to his full range of talents. Ruff Draft will help change that.

Originally released in February 2003 as a vinyl-only album distributed by German label Groove Attack, Ruff Draft is some of Dilla’s last solo work before his lupus diagnosis in 2005. Now it is indie powerhouse Stones Throw (who also released Dilla’s Champion Sound collab and Donuts), to re-issue the obscure LP.

Ruff Draft begins with a short intro: the artist himself. “It’s Ruff Draft. For my real niggaz only. DJs that play that real live shit…like it’s straight from the motherfucking cassette.” The album then dives into one lush soundscape after another. Let’s Take It Back, the first full track, is highlighted by the strumming of tonal synth-samples, and it relaxes your ears as he rides the beat with some adroit emceeing. Reckless Driving, ups the ante as the synth-heavy light beats have an epic, energizing feel because of the well-placed bass. As always, Dilla pulls this off without a hitch. But he still teases you, as he knows what’s to come.

Nothing Like This and The $ are the album’s two biggest heavy-hitters. The first, a love poem comprised of several simple quatrains, solidifies Dilla’s status as one of hip-hop’s most unique talents. It’s a love song, but it’s far from Thug Love. Simple strings and percussion are distorted to create an emotive accompaniment for his expressive lyrics; “Incomplete when you’re away/You turn my nights into day/You show me the light, uh-huh/Gotta have you right away.” On The $, he uses ascending horn synth samples to give the song an old-school, b-boy feel.

Xylophone and M.O.P. samples form the background for Make ‘em NV, a song about changes in hip-hop culture; “These backpackers want to confuse it/Niggaz is icy ain’t got nothing to do with the music/So, hater, mind ya biz and getcha own/You know what time it is, we get that glow.” The only lackluster track on this album, Crushin’ (Yeeeeaah!), uses a grindable beat to describe his seemingly endless desire for ass. It’s terribly average and notches below what we’re accustomed from Dilla’s dazzling soundscapes.

The original album ends with a track of shout-outs, but is reborn with several unreleased tracks. After an alternate introduction, Wild takes the stage. A sample from British glam-rock band Slade’s Cum on, Feel the Noize is processed to make the song sound child-like. Take Notice, featuring fellow Detroit rapper Guilty Simpson and an alternate outro end the album on a high note.

Overall, the album’s wonderful. He doesn’t overload you with complicated beats and rhymes. Because of this, and because of the album’s length – it runs less than half an hour from start to finish – you’ll be left wanting more. Dilla’s legacy is still growing. His popularity hasn’t yet crested nor has his name been cheapened – a la Tupac – by scores of lechers looking to make a quick buck off of yet another subpar remix album. Along with the all-time great emcees, Dilla is an artist people will listen to many years from now.

Let’s just hope hip-hop’s not dead by then.

(Check out the original review on HipHopDX.com)