Method Man: The Tical Archives

At the time of Wu-Tang's ascension, Method Man was arguably the best and most visible member of the pioneer rap group. He was only one of two Wu artists - the other being GZA/Genius - to have a solo track on the group's debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). And like AZ's feature on Nas' opus Illmatic, Method Man was similarly the only guest emcee on The Notorious B.I.G.'s landmark debut Ready to Die. Go figure, Method Man was the first amongst the Clan to release a solo LP, the platinum-selling Tical, with Def Jam Recordings in '94. The Tical Archives serve as a companion to Mr. Mef's debut album, including his pre-Tical work, album singles (and b-sides, remixes, etc.), and post-Tical contributions and collaborations. I've also added a selection of rare freestyles ranging from '93 to '96 as a bookend of sorts. As always, enjoy... and turn it up!! Now can I get a suuuuuuuuu?!?!?

Rap Round Table, Week Ending 4/29/2011

Another 4/20's come and gone... Where's Detox?

Music Analysis & Reporting:

100 Hip Hop Jawns That Changed My Life, Part Three (41-60) by Dart Adams

100 Hip Hop Jawns That Changed My Life, Part Four (61-80) by Dart Adams

The Making of Mobb Deep's "The Infamous" by Insanul Ahmed, Noah Callahan-Bever & Toshitaka Kondo

Rude Boys: The birth of the Beastie Boys—an oral history on the 25th anniversary of Licensed to Ill by Amos Barshad

I Read an Entire Book About Southern Rap So You Don't Have To (Unless You Just Wanted To) by Byron Crawford

How Does Gangsta Gibbs Feel About Lil B’s “Gay” Title? by John Gotty

Putting Clothes Back on the Based God by Doc Zeus

Can Hip-Hop Handle 'I'm Gay?' by Ann Powers & Tavia Nyong'o

Five Great Records On Fondle 'Em That Aren't By MF Doom by Noz

Review: Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest by Jimmy Valentime

Reaction: Da Mystery of Coattailin' by Phillip Annand

5 Slept on Hip Hop Albums You Must Have by MikeClassic21

Throwback Post: Hood Classics, Vol. 83… by Mobb Deen

The 10 Best Remixes by Ad-Rock by Phillip Mlynar

Damu and Buff1 by Werner von Wallenrod

Roc Marciano Can’t Collab With Crabs by Abortatron & HL

Beards, Blunts & Brooklyn: Freddie Gibbs & Big K.R.I.T. @ Southpaw by Abe Beame

6 Shades of Black and White: The Last Year of Rick Ross by Dalatu

Long Live The Funk? Big Boi Drops By Modest Mouse's Studio by Luis Paez-Pumar

10 Best Hip-Hop Friendships by Aaron M.

Building the New CTE by Amp Geez

On Potential and When Byrdgang Flew High by J. Tinsley

New Music I Like by WULU

The Now of Rap Music and What it Means for the Rest of Us by Josh Liburdi

Live Review: Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj at the Staples Center by Jeff Weiss

Madlib Medicine Show #9 – Welcome to Nittyville by Evan Nabavian

Beef Squashing, Optimism, and Getting Lindsay Lohan’s Phone Number: Life Lessons From Mobb Deep’s Prodigy by Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Eminem and Royce Da 5'9'' reunite for new 'Bad Meets Evil' EP by Jeff Weiss

A Few Thoughts On The Weeknd by S. Cadet

James Brown's Future Shock can't be stopped by The Great Gats, B

Way Back Wednesdays: Massive Attack Essential Mix by Jeff Weiss

Album Reviews:

DJ Quik - The Book of David by Jayson Greene

DJ Quik - The Book of David by Andres Vasquez

MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday (Lunchbox Edition) by Ian Cohen

MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday (Lunchbox Edition) by Jake Paine

Prodigy - The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP by Barbie Bardot

Blu - Her Favorite Colo(u)r by Jake Paine

Del the Funky Homosapien - Golden Era by Jess Harvell

Coalmine Records - Can You Dig It? (2006-2011) by Michael Sheehan

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 by J to the Aap

Max B - Vigilante Season by David Drake

Daz Dillinger - D.A.Z. by The Company Man

Ill Bill & Vinnie Paz - Heavy Metal Kings by Sean Ryon

Bootsy Collins - Tha Funk Capital of the World by Mikael Wood

Jonwayne - Bowser by Erik Stabile

Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting by Mallory Pickard

Julian Lynch - Terra by Mike Powell

Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care by Chris Bosman

Dag for Dag - Boo by Chris Bosman

Profiles & Interviews:

Q&A: Lord Finesse on the Greatest Rhyme Battle of His Life by Ego Trip

Blueprint, Working Man by Matt Slaybaugh

Big Boi (of OutKast) (Interview) by Matt Goodman

Donnis: Southern Hospitality by Amanda Bassa

Question in the form of an Answer: Elijah (Butterz) by Sach O

Metallungies Hollers @ G-Side, Interview by KnobbzXL

Politics:

Rap music inspires Libyan rebels to defeat Gadhafi by Sebastian Abbot

The meaning of Bryant's words by Keegan O'Brien

Sports:

D’Antoni, Shut What We Call ‘The Fuck Up’ by Freddie Gibbs

WTF/LOL/SMH:

Ayo can we get Lil B the fuck outta here now son? by Big Ghostface

Five Reasons Why Rebecca Black is Probably the Antichrist by Elaine Chaney

Warren G, The New Face Of Penis Pills? by John Gotty

HipHopDX Visits Ghostface Killah's New Restaurant by DX Staff

Ghostface Killah: Famous rapper -- also a limited-release beer by Todd Martens

First-Person:

Two Dollars of Luck by Amanda Bassa

No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn © Beastie Boys by Dart Adams

Money-B's Goin Way Back Show #107: Krush Groove 2011

"This week's episode features all the artists performing at Krush Groove 2011 in LA, April 29th."

1. Intro (Money B)
2. Step Daddy (Too $hort)
3. Who Ride Wit Us (Kurupt feat. Daz)
4. What Would You Do (Tha Dogg Pound)
5. Play at Your Own Risk (Marley Marl Remix) (King Tee)
6. The Humpty Dance (Digital Underground)
7. Rap Life (Tash feat. Raekwon)
8. Get Your Walk On (Xzibit)
9. Break 2 (Money B)
10. Freaks of the Industry (Too $hort and Shifty)
11. Freaks of the Industry (Original Mix) (Digital Underground)
12. Growing Up in the Hood (Remix) (Compton's Most Wanted)
13. Whatcha Gonna Do (Jayo Felony feat. Method Man & DMX)
14. Sherm Stick (Jayo Felony)
15. Daamn! (Tha Alkaholiks)
16. Played Like a Piano (King Tee feat. Ice Cube & MC Breeze)
17. Driveby Miss Daisy (Compton's Most Wanted)
18. Alkaholik (Xzibit feat. Erick Sermon & Tha Alkaholiks)
19. Blow the Whistle (Too $hort)
20. Outro (Money B)

Rap Round Table, Week Ending 4/22/2011

Music Analysis & Reporting:

Hip Hop 2011: Nobody is Going to Put You On by Justin Boland

Three Hip-Hop Scholars Talk About Combatting Homophobia by Akiba Solomon

The King of Monotone Forever by Jaap van der Doelen

Why We Shouldn't Treat Rap As Poetry by Willy Staley

Response by G

Luke for Mayor by Ben Westhoff

Lil B Goes Gay by John Gotty

Hip Hop 2011: What Do I Do Next? by Justin Boland

Do We Really Need Another Illmatic? by Beware

Obie Trice Meeting With Detroit Senator to Evolve Local Music Biz by Roman Wolfe

Led Zeppelin's Approach to the Blues; A Lesson for Beatmakers by Amir Said a.k.a. Sa'id

Odd Future Bridge the 'Divide' In Hip-Hop for the New West by Steven Roberts

Because I Got High Rapper Afroman Sued on 4/20 by Gerrick D. Kennedy

The Outsidaz Go to Germany by Werner von Wallenrod

Listen to DJ Premier's 'R.I.P. Keith 'Guru' Elam 1-Year Anniversary Tribute' Mix by Jeff Weiss

On the Go by The Great Gats, B

These Boosies Done Hypnotized Me by The Great Gats, B

Dr. Dre signs deal with Chrysler to develop automobile sound systems; 'Detox' remains without release date by Jeff Weiss

Jay-Z and DMX’s Marathon Cipher by J. Tinsley

Lil B Isn’t Gay; He’s Just An Ass by WULU

Frank Ocean: Smart And Subtle R&B Songwriting by Noz

Lil B Says I'm Gay LP Title Provoking Death Threats, Slurs by Rob Markman

Will the Ladies Still Love Cool Curtis, Too? by Greg Whitt

G-Unit's Secret Weapon: Producer/Engineer Doe Pesci by GuttaBoyJihad

Leave Earl Sweatshirt Alone! How Creepy Internet "Journalists" Stalked a Troubled Little Kid over the Internet by Rebecca Haithcoat

5 Reasons Why We’ll Never See Another Classic Rap Album by Tony Grands

Three Things That Can Help You Create "Changes" in Your Beats by Amir Said a.k.a. Sa'id

Nine Types of Light and the Devolution of TV on the Radio by Douglas Martin

The Lonely Island taps Michael Bolton, Snoop Dogg, Santigold for 'Turtleneck & Chain' by Nate Jackson

Here's What They Think About Us: On Ashley Judd & Judgment by Andres Vasquez

It's International RecordStoreDay Today! by The Great Gats, B

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi conquer Rome, with Jack White in tow by Jeff Weiss

Coachella 2011: One Day as a Lion conquers the Mojave by Nathan Jackson

Coachella 2011: L.A. versus London -- Nosaj Thing, Magnetic Man, and Skrillex by Jeff Weiss

Coachella 2011: Kanye West, with a dash of creme fraiche by Todd Martens

Coachella 2011: The Stones Throw/Brainfeeder party at the Oasis Beach Club by Jeff Weiss

Coachella 2011: Jeff Goldblum (yes, Jeff Goldblum) and his jazz orchestra shock the campground by Nate Jackson

Coachella 2011: The Black Keys blackout by Jessica Gelt

Coachella 2011: Lil B, Decibels of swag, spatulas and the occasional inflatable dolphin by Jeff Weiss

Coachella 2011: Cee Lo Green got a major "... You" for his lateness by Gerrick D. Kennedy

Coachella 2011: The Return of Zack De La Rocha by Drew Tewksbury

Coachella 2011: Parking lot pimping and American graffiti by Jeff Weiss

Fiction Pulitzer Sneaks Music Writing In Through The Back Door by Ann Powers

Album Reviews:

Prodigy - The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP by Max

Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4Eva by Tom Breihan

E-40 - Revenue Retrievin': Graveyard Shift/Revenue Retrievin': Overtime Shift by David Drake

Del the Funky Homosapien - Golden Era by Emerson Dameron

Del the Funky Homosapien - Golden Era by Slava Kuperstein

Cam'ron & Vado - Gunz N' Butta by Amp Geez

Cam'ron & Vado - Gunz N' Butta by Jayson Greene

Cam'ron & Vado - Gunz N' Butta by Sean Ryon

Curren$y & The Alchemist - Covert Coup by Yayo

Curren$y & The Alchemist - Covert Coup by Theon Weber

Curren$y & The Alchemist - Covert Coup by William E. Ketchum III

Dela - Translation Lost by Nicholas Candiotto

Jim Jones - Capo by Ryan J.

Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers by Fred Castano

Sweatshop Union - The Bill Murray EP by Chairman Mitch

Classified - Hand Shakes & Middle Fingers by Amanda Bassa

Horse Shoe G.A.N.G. - Firing Squad by Patrick M.

Gorillaz - The Fall by Alex Thornton

Kode9 & the Spaceape - Black Sun by Nate Patrin

Kode9 & the Spaceape - Black Sun by Brandon Bussolini

Foreign Legion - Night Moves by Edwin Ortiz

Clinton Curtis - 2nd Avenue Ball by Marcus Moore

Serge Severe - Back on My Rhymes by Michael Sheehan

Pantha du Prince - XI versions of Black Noise by Andrew Gaerig

Profiles & Interviews:

Interview: Prodigy Talks Reconciling With Nas, Capone Snitching, & Why He Thought Biggie Was Corny by Toshitaka Kondo

DJ Quik: Against All Odds by Paul W. Arnold

Battle Royale: Jay-Z & DMX's 1990s Bronx Battle Revisited by Adam Figman

Smoking Sessions With Zion I & The Grouch by Raj

Del the Funky Homosapien Stays Loyal to His Game: "I Live and Die by the Funk" by Rebecca Haithcoat

Lil B on Confronting Hip-Hop’s Biggest Taboo: ‘In 100 Years People Will Look Back and Appreciate It’ by Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Question in The Form of An Answer: Playboy Tre by Aaron Matthews

Music Nerdery sits down and Interviews the waaay too talented Matt Melvin for Geeky Times and LOLz by Ericka Simone

$WonDough$: Interview + Exclusive Freestyle by HL

Question in the Form of an Answer: Mary Anne Hobbs by Aaron Frank

Sports:

2011 NBA Playoffs: 10 Things To Watch by TSS Crew

Carmelo WTF? by Freddie Gibbs

WTF/LOL/SMH:

Tyler Perry is tired of Spike Lee calling his minstrel shows a minstrel show by Byron Crawford

Decoding Man-Speak for Broads by Blockhead

Rappers Ruin Everything: Meet The Urban Wrestling Federation by David Dennis Jr.

Fact: Vegetarians are twice as likely to give you a blowski by Byron Crawford

Ayo its P-Tones guide to huntin wit dignity by Big Ghostface

"Some guy in a wheelchair..."

Peace to BX's Ronin for putting two and two together:

Before the shooting, I was working as a journalist for Right On! Magazine, and I continued on afterwards. One day, I interviewed Nas. His first album, Illmatic, has just went gold, and Sony threw a party to celebrate. I'd known Nas for many years, and we were very good friends, but like I said, I was a different person by this point.

Everything was going fine at the party at first, everyone was having a great time, but it didn't last. Long story short, there was a misunderstanding over some nonsense between my crew and Nas' crew. Funkmaster Flex was there, and he was calling for me to join Nas up on stage, but by that point, shit was WAY out of hand, and gunshots were going off in the crowd.

People started screaming and running for the doors. We all managed to ruin an event that should've been beautiful. That was a day a black mother should've been proud of her son, but we fucked it up. It wasn't cool, and it's one of the few things in life I truly regret and apologize for.

- MF Grimm; Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm

Nas's debut, Illmatic, had gone gold in October 1994, and he was having a party at the Melting Pot nightclub in Manhattan. The whole QB went. The party was poppin' for a few hours when some guy in a wheelchair started beefing with one of the QB homies. How is somebody in a wheelchair still beefing? I thought to myself. Everybody from the hood was upset because Nas's mom's and baby moms Carmen were there and shouldn't be exposed to needless drama, so one of the QB dudes kicked the wheelchair gangsta in the chest, knocked him out the wheelchair, and started brawling with his crew. People got shot, stabbed, cut, and beat down. It seemed people didn't believe what we said in our song's or they didn't care and had a fetish for pain. It's mind-bogglin. We went home and saw it on the new later.

- Prodigy; My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy

Coalmine Records - Can You Dig It? (Compilation)

Peace to Coalmine Records for five years of great, consistent, and independent hip hop!

In celebration of Coalmine Records' five year anniversary, the Brooklyn-based indie is pleased to present you with their latest offering, Can You Dig It?. This digital-only full length compilation contains 15 tracks of the label's singles catalog, which spans the greater half of the past decade. Featured artists include El Da Sensei, Bekay, Brown Bag All-Stars, Heltah Skeltah, Custom Made, Skyzoo, Big Noyd, Supernatural & more...

P.N.T. Worldwyde - BeatTape Volume 2

P.N.T. Worldwyde are a hip hop production duo (Pherone and Tim) based in Leeds, UK. We have produced tracks for a wide range of artists from the UK as well as Canada, Uganda, U.S.A. and France. BeatTape Volume 2 aims to showcase the versatility and quality of our production skills and introduce our name to a wider audience from all over the globe.

With BeatTape Volume 2 we wanted to create a collection of tracks that would work alongside each other as 1 whole body of work, as well as separate instrumentals.

Influences: DJ Premier, 9th Wonder, J Dilla, Nujabes, Just Blaze & Flying Lotus.

All beats produced by P.N.T. Worldwyde (2011)

Big Lean - The Outer Zone

Laid back Charlottesville, VA emcee Big Lean spits over smooth production by Ian Underwood. Enjoy:

Lyle Horowitz - Auteur: Director's Cut

A new release from HHIR-approved Lyle Horowitz:

Here's my latest album, Auteur: Director's Cut -- a re-vamped version of 2009's Auteur album, which is now offline. Features five songs from the original version, completely remastered, five remixes/amended versions and a bonus, iPod-ready music video for "By The Block" featuring Elucid:

Auteur, the french word for "author" and a theory in film criticism which holds that a director's films reflect the director's personal creative vision. In spite of - and sometimes even because of - the films in question being made as part of an industrial process, the author's creative voice is distinctive enough to shine through all kinds of studio interference. As a filmmaker, this is my goal. As a musician, I hope to do the same.

Money-B's Goin Way Back Show #106: DJ Soup the Chemist

"Hailing from Southern California's Inland Empire, Soup the Chemist always puts it down! With over 30 years in the game, Soup concocts a classic mix you don't wanna miss. Old to the new segment includes new music from Raekwon, Snoop Dogg, Del the Funky Homosapien and others!"

1. Intro (Money B)
2. Keep Shit on the Real (Champ MC)
3. Cher Che La Ghost (Ghostface Killah feat. U-God)
4. Good Good (Cool Breeze)
5. Big Butt (Bobby Jimmy)
6. Break 2 (Money B)
7. One Time For Your Mind (Nas)
8. Mommy, What's a Gravedigga? (Gravediggaz RZA Instrumental)
9. Mommy, What's a Gravedigga? (Gravediggaz)
10. 9mm Goes Bang (Boogie Down Productions)
11. Luchini a.k.a. This Is It 166 (Camp Lo)
12. Love vs. Hate (Brand Nubian)
13. Just Ridin (Saafir)
14. Elevators (OutKast)
15. Hey Young World (Slick Rick)
16. Break 3 (Money B)
17. Turntablist (Soup the Chemist)
18. High Powered (Disco Dave and the Crash Crew)
19. Calculate (Del the Funky Homosapien)
20. Boogie Till You Conk Out (Dj Quik feat. Ice Cube)
21. Every Soldier in the Hood (Raekwon feat. Method Man)
22. I Don't Need No Bitch (Snoop Dogg feat. Devin The Dude and Kobe Honeycutt)
23. Outro (Money B)

"The rejected stone is now the cornerstone..." | R.I.P. Guru

Keith "Guru" Elam
(July 17, 1961 – April 19, 2010)

"The wilderness is filled with this/
So many people searching for false lift, I'm here with the skills you've missed/
The rejected stone is now the cornerstone/
Sort of like the master builder when I make my way home/"
- Guru; "You Know My Steez"


(recited at the conclusion of the Passover Seder)

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
- Psalm 118:22

Guru - Collaborations and Rarities, Part Two

This is my final Guru release - for now at least. That's over 200 tracks in 48 hours. Cover art is based on Monk's follow-up compilation Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2. Bump this - especially tomorrow. Enjoy... and turn it up!! Guru, rest in peace.

Guru - Collaborations and Rarities, Part One

The Guru compilations keep rolling with Collaborations and Rarities, Part One - clocking in at over six hours in length. You know my steez. The cover art was inspired by Thelonious Monk's Blue Note compilation Genius of Modern Music: Volume 1. Stay tuned for Part Two! 'Til then, enjoy... and turn it up!! Guru, rest in peace.