"The world is like a book, and those who don't travel read only one page."
From time to time I'll discover a great track by hearing the instrumental first. It's not the most conventional way of coming across new music, but sometimes it's extra rewarding. It's a strange experience listening to a beat, reading who spit over it, then looking for the track and realizing the emcee did that beat justice. Of course that's not always the case! Here are a few tracks that fit that bill, along some others I've played more than once (i.e. I like) today, all featured on either #TTD1212 or #TTD1213:
Styles P - "Ryde on Da Regular" Shame on me for sleeping on SP. This AraabMuzik-laced gem off last year's Master of Ceremonies LP features the Ghost at his introspective finest. The spooky ambience and ominous keys are perfection, with just the right touch of synths for the chorus. Very well-produced - what we've come to expect from AraabMuzik by now - and great execution by Styles. #TTD1212
DNA - "Public Eye" I'm not too familiar with DNA, but I got hooked in by the submerged sound textures provided by Straight from the Lab's production chops. DNA serves the beat correct with some underdog lyrics you can't help but root for. #TTD1212
Diamond D - "My People" If you've been keeping track of Diamond D's SoundCloud page, you've noticed the ill snippets he drops at random. On #TTD1206, I featured his collaboration with Sadat X titled "I Shot U Down", which samples Nancy Sinatra's legendary "Bang Bang." Well, "My People" is another one of those snippets that's got me scratching my head - but fiending for more! The track has since been taken down from his page. That's fine, 'cause I saved it in time. What I wanna know is: what's this for? #TTD1212
Ja Rule - "Never Had Time" As if Ja Rule's 2Pac fixation wasn't enough, this track samples Strafe's "Set It Off" - famously adding flavor to 'Pac's "Changes." Let's put that aside. This track, along with Ja's new album as a whole, deserves some mention. Ja's in prison. Yet somehow, he's cranked out a pop album that would rival anything Timbaland could muster up on par with a Shock Value-ish type of a record. Look, PIL2 is not my ideal brand of hip hop. I just find it interesting that given all that's happened to Ja Rule, he could craft an album that could/shoulda/woulda been super-popular under different circumstances. If he still had the clout and popularity he had B.F. (Before Fiddy), this might've been a monstrous record. Just give it a listen and tell me I'm wrong. #TTD1213
Rick Ross - "Stay Schemin' Riddim" Remixed by Mr. Meyz, this Jamaican-inspired reinterpretation of Rawse's street single "Stay Schemin'" seems so unconventional on paper. But it works. Very, very well. #TTD1212
NERVO - "We're All No One" I'm not too fond of this song, but I did get a kick out of the Jay-Z sample that's so subtle you probably wouldn't even notice it if you hadn't heard the instrumental. Here, I'll save you the headache: It starts at 1:04. "Uh, uh, uh, uh..." Hilarious! #TTD1213
Chinx Drugz - "Had It All" This track came out about a year ago. But with Adelemania being revived earlier this month (she sold 730,000 additional copies of 21 in the week following the Grammys!), this one's worth looking at again. Add to the fact that I only just got the instrumental for this. Props to Harry Fraud for flipping Adele's vocal with that ol' Heatmakerz/Dipset style. I miss those days. #TTD1212
P.S. What should this (new-ish) feature be called? Is "Songs of the Day" too boring? Comments section... :)
Styles P - "Ryde on Da Regular" Shame on me for sleeping on SP. This AraabMuzik-laced gem off last year's Master of Ceremonies LP features the Ghost at his introspective finest. The spooky ambience and ominous keys are perfection, with just the right touch of synths for the chorus. Very well-produced - what we've come to expect from AraabMuzik by now - and great execution by Styles. #TTD1212
DNA - "Public Eye" I'm not too familiar with DNA, but I got hooked in by the submerged sound textures provided by Straight from the Lab's production chops. DNA serves the beat correct with some underdog lyrics you can't help but root for. #TTD1212
Diamond D - "My People" If you've been keeping track of Diamond D's SoundCloud page, you've noticed the ill snippets he drops at random. On #TTD1206, I featured his collaboration with Sadat X titled "I Shot U Down", which samples Nancy Sinatra's legendary "Bang Bang." Well, "My People" is another one of those snippets that's got me scratching my head - but fiending for more! The track has since been taken down from his page. That's fine, 'cause I saved it in time. What I wanna know is: what's this for? #TTD1212
Ja Rule - "Never Had Time" As if Ja Rule's 2Pac fixation wasn't enough, this track samples Strafe's "Set It Off" - famously adding flavor to 'Pac's "Changes." Let's put that aside. This track, along with Ja's new album as a whole, deserves some mention. Ja's in prison. Yet somehow, he's cranked out a pop album that would rival anything Timbaland could muster up on par with a Shock Value-ish type of a record. Look, PIL2 is not my ideal brand of hip hop. I just find it interesting that given all that's happened to Ja Rule, he could craft an album that could/shoulda/woulda been super-popular under different circumstances. If he still had the clout and popularity he had B.F. (Before Fiddy), this might've been a monstrous record. Just give it a listen and tell me I'm wrong. #TTD1213
Rick Ross - "Stay Schemin' Riddim" Remixed by Mr. Meyz, this Jamaican-inspired reinterpretation of Rawse's street single "Stay Schemin'" seems so unconventional on paper. But it works. Very, very well. #TTD1212
NERVO - "We're All No One" I'm not too fond of this song, but I did get a kick out of the Jay-Z sample that's so subtle you probably wouldn't even notice it if you hadn't heard the instrumental. Here, I'll save you the headache: It starts at 1:04. "Uh, uh, uh, uh..." Hilarious! #TTD1213
Chinx Drugz - "Had It All" This track came out about a year ago. But with Adelemania being revived earlier this month (she sold 730,000 additional copies of 21 in the week following the Grammys!), this one's worth looking at again. Add to the fact that I only just got the instrumental for this. Props to Harry Fraud for flipping Adele's vocal with that ol' Heatmakerz/Dipset style. I miss those days. #TTD1212
P.S. What should this (new-ish) feature be called? Is "Songs of the Day" too boring? Comments section... :)
