Today marks the birthday of two of the greatest producers in hip-hop who both tragically passed away. J-Dilla and Nujabes have both influenced so many artists over the past decade plus. Make sure you check out their discographies and read up on who they were and how they influenced hip-hop.

Read this article or this article for more information, and check out this small sample from both Nujabes and J-Dilla

I always like it when a producer just decides to make a collection of snippets and current beats public. Each beat is like a minute or two long and then you move on to the next one. Along side this release Luv Jonez puts out the call for any MCs that want to work with him, there’s enough solid beats here, that we should be hearing a few of these again soon.

An interesting phenomena I’ve noticed when Odd Future, their music and its popularity are being discussed is the comparison drawn between them and the Gravediggaz. Comparisons between contemporary and past musicians is neither new or unique. When attempting to digest a newly popular form of music the listener will attempt to liken it to something familiar to help them understand and categorize it. What is notable about the Odd Future-Gravediggaz parallel is that it is typically used pejoratively by fans of the Gravediggaz, waving off the popularity of Odd Future by linking it stylistically to a group they enjoy. Writing off a current trend by tracing back its stylistic origins to a group considered pioneers of said sub-genre is a non-argument at best, at worst it betrays an ignorance of the very group of which they are purported fans.

The Gravediggaz were formed in 1994, a “supergroup” composed of RZA (The Rzarector), Prince Paul (The Undertaker), Frukwan (The Gatekeeper) and Too Poetic (The Grymreeper). At the time, three out of the four members had already established themselves musically: RZA had dropped an EP on Tommy Boy called Ooh I Love You Rakeem and had released Wu Tang Clan’s 36 Chamber the previoius year; Prince Paul and Frukwan were members of Stetsasonic with three albums released, and Paul had countless production credits under his belt including three De La Soul albums and songs by Big Daddy Kane, 3rd Bass and Boogie Down Productions. The group’s first album 6 Feet Deep (its original title was Niggamortis which it was released in the UK and Europe but changed for the American market to avoid controversy) is considered an influential and pioneering release in the subgenre known as horrorcore.

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA, or henceforth referred to as Odd Future) were formed in 2007-2008 and are a hip hop collective which comprise Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, Mike G and Left Brain. Prior to 2008′s The Odd Future Tape, none of the members had established a name for themselves and were relative unknowns. Their fame can in part be attributed to net-savy and free releases. Their music is considered by some to be horrorcore which the group decries through song, interviews and Twitter. I will return to the horrorcore genre, but a more apt comparison could be drawn to Anticon whose fame spread beyond the paltry distribution of their physical releases and reached a larger audience through the digital piracy of file sharing sites and software. Both also have similar DIY album artwork sensibilities, and both are collectives. It is worth noting that co-founder and former Anticon member sole has taken up a similar web presence as Odd Future, his webpage a Tumblr, and he may be on Twitter more often than Tyler.

The Gravediggaz sound has its feet firmly cemented in dark, gritty, sample-based NY boom bap production drowning in low-end. Prince Paul produced the majority of the album with RZA credited on 3 tracks, but his fingerprints are all over 6 Feet Deep. Odd Future’s production is largely handled by Tyler with Hodgy Beats, Left Brain and The Super 3 (or Jet Age of Tomorrow) also contributing.  The Odd Future’s production, at least Tyler’s, is lumbering, grimy midi-synth driven lo-fi electronic based hip hop. The song Yonkers is the strongest production link between the two (see: Defective Trippin), but the rest of his album Goblin might be better compared to production on Season ov da Siccness by Brotha Lynch Hung, another California so-called horrorcore rapper. In fact, the Odd Future sound is very much-so a West Coast sound and a song like Bitch Suck Dick wouldn’t feel out of place on a hyphy compilation. Perhaps a parallel could be considered between Odd Future and RZA and the numerous Wu-Disciple producers like Mathematiks and True Masta, but a heavy Tyler tutelage is not as glaringly obvious on Odd Future’s stable as RZA’s was and continues to be in Wu-Tang’s.

Lyrically, at least delivery-wise, the comparison is night and day. The Gravediggaz rapped in a manic, throaty-growl in the fine tradition of early-to-mid 90′s East Coast hardcore hip-hop which Wu-Tang, among others, helped usher in. Odd Future’s emcees rap with the barely-caring cool which is prevalent in contemporary swag rap with a touch of contents-under-pressure repressed aggression. While Tyler’s gravel-pit tambre could be compared to RZA’s, in sound and delivery I would offer that Camu Tao and Too Poetic would make for a stronger case. It is the subject matter which could be considered the strongest-yet-weakest thread tying the two together, the one which labels both horrorcore. Horrorcore, for the uninitiated, is rap which focuses on “horror-influenced topics that can include cannibalism, suicide, murder, and Satanism” and its sound is appropriately dark. Both group’s lyrics contain mentions of death, murder, torture and suicide, but it is the frequency of occurrence which makes this comparison more a matter of contrast.

The Gravediggaz are considered influential and pioneers in the genre of horrorcore, but I think that is arguable. The socially-unpalatable subject matter is there, but horror serves rather as a loose theme for what could be considered archetypal of the mid 90′s dystopian depictions of New York City life. Songs like 1-800-Suicide and 2 Cups of Blood stand out in the case for parentage but examined alongside Ganksta N-I-P’s South Park Psycho, two years 6 Feet Deep’s senior, the cracks begin to show. References to the teachings of The Nation of Gods and Earths, a splinter group of the Nation of Islam, and RZA repeating the phrase “Positive Energy Activates Constant Elevation” would not be considered characteristically horrorcore subject matter. I would consider Onyx’s All We Got Iz Us a better example of the New York horrorcore sound. In fact, both All We Got Iz Us and Goblin contain skits depicting a young male begging for his life before being shot.

Odd Future use the subjects more liberally. It should not go without mention that Odd Future’s frequent references to rape and homophobia can not be traced back to 6 Feet Deep which broached neither subject. Their world view is less peppered with that of a Nation of Islam offshoot than smothered in teenage nihilism. On Goblin, Tyler’s mentions of suicide are self-referential; on 1-800-Suicide, the Gravediggaz are speaking to an unnamed protagonist. The sociopathic depictions of relationships, violence against women and sexual assault might better be linked to Eminem. Other parallels between the two could be their split-personality alter egos (Wolf Haley and Slim Shady/Marshall Mathers), their celebrity name-calling and lashing out against critics contrasted with their critical acclaim and popularity. One could point out that neither Odd Future nor the Gravediggaz are being serious, but that is a moot point. It is so general that it could link them nearly every rapper or group in the genre, not to mention a significant portion of all rap music.

So what we are left with is a false premise of a non-argument. The link between Odd Future and Gravediggaz is tenuous and sets a precedent for lazy, non-factual talking points taking the place of well reasoned arguments. I am not a fan of Odd Future’s music and I don’t care much for the obsession with Tyler’s Twitter feed, however, I am less a fan of poor arguments. Odd Future’s music can and should be critically reviewed on its own merits without dismissing it entirely by linking it to its stylistic forebear as if that is a point against it. I listed several parallels to other artists and groups and they are but a few of the countless which could be drawn. What is the common thread among them? Putting that they’re all stronger than the Odd Future/Gravediggaz parallel aside, it is the understanding that none of them can be chalked up as a point against Odd Future or given as a reason to dislike them. You can dislike both Odd Future and Eminem because of their frequent rape fantasizing and it would be a reasonable point of contention. To dislike Odd Future because they rap about assault on women which is nothing new because Eminem did it, however, is not, but that is a distinction which seems to be lost on many.

This post was written by Canadian rap-artist Kwes, who every week shares his spleen with Lesson Six. Why not learn more about Rifle Eyes & Kwes while you’re at it?

The first track off The Good Sin’s new album “The Story of Love X Hate”, picks up exactly where the Late EP left off. Switch does a great job on the production here, again along similar lines Late, which is perfectly fine, it was one of our favourite releases of last year and we’ve been craving more ever since. The album is due out on the 14th of February.

For one, it might be a stretch to have M.I.A on this site, but she was and still is heavily influenced by hip-hop music. Bad Girls is the first single from her upcoming album and the video is nothing short of spectacular. The video was directed by Romain Gervais, who also directed M.I.A’s Born Free. The video is really daring and the music is eccentric to say the least.

8 piece brass band? Check. Some sweet covers off classic hip hop songs? Check. The live instrumentation is always great in our book, and its no different with these guys. Check out this new track and be sure to listen to their cover of spottieottiedopalicious.

03 Spottie

Audible Mainframe has been one of my favorite groups over the past few years to listen too. They have a perfect combination of the rough and rich(lyrical quality) raps and the live band feel that is so enjoyable to listen too. Their last album Transients was both inspirational and fun to listen too. Over the past year though, AMF has gone through some rough times as their lead MC, Expo was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of folding, AMF continued to make music, and they supported Expo more than ever. The VICtory Sessions are a series of EP’s with tracks that they have been working on over the past couple of years and that they continue to work on.

“Therefore I just take it as it comes one foot in front of the other  walk to the beat of the drum, but if you look close you see your path is already laid out, so follow that until the credits fade out”

The first volume starts off with their track Ready To Fly (click to view the video). Ready to Fly is a very inspirational track with Expo laying down rhymes about his life, the bands lives and how they love making music and this track really highlights his fight over cancer. Yet, in a way AMF rises above the issue of cancer and continues to put out great music that makes you bob your head. Expo is still as strong as ever with his rhymes. The guitar and bass on tracks like Ready to Fly and Blast Off really add another dimension to the production that most artists don’t have. The track 04 I See What You’re Doin (And I Like It) is a fun track with a catchy chorus and showcases the less serious side of Expo and AMF. The combination of having their message being both socially conscious and positive and the live band feel really set AMF apart from other live bands.

If you would like to learn more about AMF visit their site and if you would like to donate money in AMF’s fight against cancer and to raise awareness you can donate over here.

This one is a good’un. Beat maker MOEdavey teams up with Melodious Mike to create this boom bap sounding release, based around beauty. Backed with intelligent lyricism, greatly varied production and samples from TED Lecture talks, “Beauty Joints” pretty much ticks all the boxes. One not to be skipped.

About a week ago we made a rare post that featured a UK artist. It’s something that we need to fix considering most of us are from the UK and that’s why we got in touch with Jae Fresh. Unlike the bulk of UK artists that call themselves rappers, this one isn’t a grime artist, opting for laidback jazz-laden beats rather than overly bassy sounding synths. So we decided he should be allowed to introduce himself by asking him six specific questions.

Who?

I go by the name of Jae Fresh and I am an all round music lover.

Where?

Brighton, born and bred.

When?

I started emceeing at around 13 I’d say, but started to produce around 15. I’ve got a couple of my old tracks from then, but they will never ever see the light of day!

What?

I’m always working on something, I’ve got so many beat tapes, eps and shit that I was once going to put out into the public domain, but like everything I get bored and is now kept in the vault. At the moment I’m working on a ep that kind of sums up ‘I Need a Coffee’ then I’ve a beat tape/ep called ‘Sweat’ that I hope to bring out. Also another album which is moving a bit away from Jazz and having a more contemporary feel to it. I get bored doing the same type of shit over and over, we all need to switch it up.

Why?

Because I love it, the whole process when creating a feeling, a vibe and how certain sounds can take you back to a time or a memory, its one of the greatest experiences.

How?

The Nag Champa has to be lit, MPC1000, Stacks of vinyl, Macbook, a midi keyboard and what ever is laying about. And as of when it comes to recording a cold bottle of beer with some water. Just me and the engineer, oh and of course the Nag Champa will be lit.

If you’re looking to learn more about Jae Fresh, and most importantly listen to his work, you can follow him on Twitter and listen to him and his new release “I Need A Coffee” on Bandcamp.

Genuinely funny hip-hop tracks are always a rare find, so when you find tracks like this, you don’t sleep on them. Here’s all you need to know, full album “It’s Probably Raining” is due on the 3rd of February, in the meantime get this track on Bandcamp. Definitely more coming soon.