Matt: December 2006 Archives

My grandmother, family Christmas gathering:

"Back in my day, we didn't use any sunscreen. We would put on baby oil with a drop of iodine and fry ourselves. That's why I've had 8 skin cancer surgeries. My father once told me that if I got any blacker he'd make me come in the back door."

Merry Christmas, every one.

My hip hop fandom is a fickle thing. One month I'll want to listen to nothing but new hip hop, then I'll go on a fast for about 4 months or so, then I'm ready to go again. Seems like December will be a hip hop month for me again.

The new Clipse album, Hell Hath No Fury is outstanding. Innovative, organic and hard-hitting beats propel the near-flawless lyricism. Personal favorite tracks are "Momma I'm So Sorry" and the Slim Thug guest track "Wamp Wamp." Unfortunately there's one huge misstep with the Pharrell guest track "Mr. Me Too" which sounds like "Drop It Like It's Hot" part 2. He even name drops Ice Cream sneakers AGAIN. How much are they paying you anyway, Pharrell? He and the Neptunes need to go away for a long, long time.

Subtle's For Hero: For Fool is a departure for those used to most of Doseone's other, more abstract output. But it's a welcome departure. It's interesting to hear what he does with more straightforward beats, and it turns out he, and the rest of Subtle, deals with them quite well. Good album, but nothing groundbreaking.

Also recently acquired Mos Def's Tru3 Magic but I haven't given it enough listening time to give a verdict.