Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The...Kid...Daytona...Gotta Love How I Say That

               My New favorite emcee is The Kid Daytona. I first heard about him a couple of years ago when he did some A Tribe Called Quest inspired songs with Cypha Sounds. I thought they sounded good but wasn't necessarily big on them. However, I saw his video for "On The Hill" earlier this year and was very impressed with his style and delivery. He almost seems like a Wu-Tang disciple with the way he rhymes. He's like a combinatin of Ghostface, Raekwon, and Method Man. I immediately looked him up and saw that he was releasing a free LP titled, "The Interlude". I downloaded the mp3s and I haven't stopped listening to the album ever since. Every song on the album is so amazing. I've played the whole thing through at least ten times through in the past couple months. I recommend that you download this album immediately and look out for future releases from this Bronx MC. He recently released a new single entitled "Air Born" ft. Bun B. (see video below)

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Glass Half Empty


               Back in the eighties and nineties, hip-hop was an equal opportunity genre. By which I mean that on the radio you could hear deep, lyrical emcees and mainstream rappers with mass appeal. Emcees like KRS-One were able to flourish, as were mainstream rappers like Kwame. However, in recent years the trend of only playing mainstream artists on the radio has become a problem for hip-hop as a whole. I'm not the type to say that we need to go back to the way things were, because we shouldn't. In order to evolve, we need to move beyond the past and learn from those mistakes. But with the way that this generation's music is being handled, the next generations will have a lot to learn from.
                Today's generation mostly listens to the radio because it is free and it is easily accessible. Most younger people aren't willing to search deeper for music that would appeal to them. Instead, they listen to the same five party-club songs that are played every hour, every day by only artists that are signed to a major label. This is a shame considering how many good artists are constantly releasing tracks, but usually if they aren't on a major label, then they don't get the promotion for their music, and their album sales suffer because of it. What kind of ass-backwards system is this?! The kids need to hear a Mos Def track in between a Lil' Wayne song. This would give the kids a balance of club music with some introspective music so that they don't become ignorant. But let's face it, this will never happen. As long as there is a dollar to be made, record companies will exploit the radio for every cent that it is worth.

Songs To Sway You: Label Free Edition
Ski Beatz ft. Stalley- S.TA.L.L.E.Y.
The Kid Daytona ft. Bun B- Air Born
Killer Mike- God In The Building