Friday, January 23, 2009

The Tape Deck '09 Discussion: Volume #2


The Notorious D.E.C.K.

It's finally time to catch up with The Tape Deck. I wanted to drop this one a week ago, what with all the Biggie hype, but school pressures simply didn’t allow it. It even said “I won’t allow it” in Elizabeth Banks’ voice. I keed, I keed! This volume begins with "The Notorious Theme" by Danny Elfman, perhaps best-known for composing the theme for my all-time favorite animated television show: The Simpsons! I'm not sayin' Elfman didn't do a good job, but I still contest that Easy Mo Bee shoulda been involved in this project somehow, someway. I mean, do we really need an orchestral theme for a Biggie biopic? A gritty soul sample and a drum loop woulda sufficed, if ya ask me.

This volume contains a slew of unreleased Biggie demos like “Microphone Murderer”, in which the Notorious One rhymes over Big Daddy Kane’s “Ain’t No Half Steppin’”. There’s also a track featuring C.J. Wallace, Biggie’s son, on some ol’ Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole steez. Oddly enough, son and pop share bares about stretching Lexuses… and… other things as well. How appropriate! Aside from another “Brooklyn (Go Hard)” remix, courtesy of DJ Green Lantern, this volume doesn’t have anymore Biggie-themed tracks. Just a hodge-podge of new hip hop, mostly from some of the internet’s best indie emcees. Enjoy this volume for now, because #3 is already comin’ out real, real soon.