Two quick thoughts about this record:
1) AZ’s one of those MC’s that proves a dope flow should never leave you. It’s like a good jumper or riding your bike. Once you got it, you should be able to keep it forever.
2) Statik Selektah continues to murder beat after beat and while he’s getting a decent amount of props, I feel he’s heavily underrated in terms of his quality, quantity, and consistency.
J. Moore and I recently had a chance to chop it up with Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era crew at the Sound Session studio. We touched on a bunch of topics, including how they originally came together,; how they were put on to golden hip-hop by their families, their ambitions outside of hip-hop, and what life is like on tour with the whole crew. We also discussed their upcoming projects, including solos from Joey and CJ Fly, and they spoke on how artists like Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and the TDE camp are inspiring them as artists and businessmen.
I’m hoping more younger cats in the game follow the same general path as Pro Era. There’s just something naturally ill about that classic boom-bap sound, and as long as artists are being genuine and providing their own twist on it, I’ll never get tired of hearing it.
Shout to Statik Selektah and Jake One for coming through as well, plus the Detooz Films homies for filming!
Statik & Term take us out to Tokyo with the video for my favorite record off their second collaborative album, 2012. Anytime you start a video with a shot of that intersection used in one of my favorite movies of all time, Lost In Translation, I’m probably going to love the cinematography. My only wish would have been to get Big K.R.I.T. in the video and use his verse from the remix. Still dope though.
Statik might be the hardest working cat in the biz right now and even more amazing, he’s ridiculously consistent with pumping out good music. This time around, he’s back with his 1982 co-star, Termanology, for the newest single from their second album, due out May 22nd.
In case you need a little motivation to download Maffew’s album in my last post, here are the new visuals for “Black Sheep.” While the video takes about 2 minutes to get in to the song, this track is worth it. NYC summer banger and I must admit, I have an instant crush on one of these video girls…
I’m still in the process of moving and I’m currently without internet access at the crib until Tuesday, but you know I had to get back to the blogging grind to support the homey Statik Selektah. Here’s the new video for “Get Out The Way” featuring Bun B and Cory Mo off Statik’s Stick 2 The Script. Cop that!
Fresh off the release of his official debut album, Termanology called into Sound Session this week to talk all about Politics As Usual. If you missed my first interview with Term from a few years ago, hopefully you’ve waken up since then and have been following his career. He’s killed it for years through his mixtapes and guest appearances (particularly on Statik Selektah’s projects) and now he’s dropped a great joint of his own. Politics As Usual features guest spots from Prodigy, Bun B, Freeway, Sheek, and Lil’ Fame (of M.O.P.) and production from…get ready…DJ Premier, Hi-Tek, Alchemist, Pete Rock, Havoc, Buckwild, Nottz, Easy Mo Bee, and Large Professor. Wow.
In this interview, we talked about what it’s like working with those legendary figures, the influence Big Pun had on his style, his upcoming projects, his tour plans with Method Man & Redman, and, as usual, politics. Check it out:
Termanology on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?5zfrqdfyntz
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/1998459928ef455f/ )
Be sure to cop Politics As Usual in stores now and catch Term, Red, & Meth on the “Stay High” tour coming to a town near you this winter. Seattle people: the tour swings through Bellingham at Western Washington University on Nov. 2nd and then in the city at Showbox Sodo on Nov. 5th. See you there.