Cali Cam is like the flipside to Brother Nature in that he’s got flow for days but he still hasn’t figured out how to apply that to a good idea. The other caveat to remember is that they’re all pretty young. With time, B. Nature might yet flow like Cam and Cam might yet develop the writing chops of B. Nature.

Not to pick on Sauvi by using his song to talk about Cali Cam but I liked this beat better than some of the other songs Cam’s got videos for.

Reading be fun though:

1. Dre Trav, Sauvi, Ez Pennybags – Pyramid Scheme
2. Jimmy Powers – Cali-foreigner
3. Video: XL Middleton & Young Sau – Only In Cali
4. Video: None Illa – Road 2 Success

This one white dude who is not Ed from Crateworthy (clearly, Quan is the reason America is not yet post-racial) told me that, if there was any Brother Nature release that I had to check, it would be this. While I’m not completely sold–I’d still take RJW’s JahFather over this–it’s pretty good, particularly “Mist of the Madness”. Brother Nature’s strength is just having like actual ideas in their writing (have I said this already?). As opposed to some of their peers who are too busy mastering the flow or acting extra hard (don’t they remember that Posdnous is complicated?) to say anything interesting.

Anyway, I guess I’m writing about The Nature Boys again (WOOOOO!!!!) though we’ll keep it probationary for now. Because it felt extra retarded calling out Facebook beef while still harboring blog beef.

Also, this time, I actually have an excuse for not posting as I’m in the process of moving out of my apartment. Got more stuff in the pipeline though–an interview with Mr. Ridley about Clockwork Slang and a review of Autopsy’s 21 Bodies–as soon as SoundDiego stops lagging. Stay posted.

Reading be fun though:

1. Brother Nature – Grama’s Cooking
2. Video: Real J. Wallace ft. Bam Circa 86 – Juan Luhh
3. Brother Nature – A Very Brother Nature Christmas EP
4. Brother Nature, Wrongkind, Kaboose on Third Degree Burns Mixshow

Bob once whispered a review into a deaf critic’s ear and videotaped his fingers typing it on a blog.

Disclaimer: This is not a review. I’m no music journalist. For further explanation, click here.

In this day and age of lyrical prowess and bright spotlights, it has become a rare occurrence in hip-hop to find a rap duo equally matched as emcees. In the sea of A Tribe Called Quest’s and Organized Konfusion’s that are the standards of two-man teams in hip-hop, the ever-so-rare Outkast comes as a pleasant surprise to any cynical consumer. Parker & The Numberman’s Clockwork Slang is the latest release from the pair featuring production by local underground powerhouse, Mr. Ridley, showcasing a consistent and innovative sound, with each aspect of the project complementing the other. From the chemistry between the two emcees, to the quality of the production and mix, Clockwork Slang takes us into the stylish and sometimes weird world of Parker & The Numberman.

The EP sets off with Parker Edison opening up over a fade-in drum break with a bongo on the side. One thing that separates both Parker and 1019 from other rhymers is the vocal creativity they employ in their song writing. Parker sets pace on “Octagon Chakra” by giving us a display of just how capable he is with utilizing vocal pitch, cadence, and drawl.

That’s in contrast with the EP’s title track, “Clockwork Slang”, which takes the pitch down a notch and is ultimately minimalist in nature. Even the hook of the song is ad-libbed and nearly wordless. 1019 displays his own rhyme sleight by carrying bars with beefy rhyme schemes, at times juxtaposing Parker’s imagery with straightforward vocab dexterity. While the track does follow a verse/chorus/verse format, both the emcees and producer do enough with their change ups to keep us on our toes.

1019: Going global oval office mogul
California old soul rollin’ solo
roaming soldier omen oh no
soldier on I respond

An interesting aspect that displays the musicality of this project is the appropriate use of DJ Collagey. Too often DJs are either displayed in some sort of virtuosic fashion or as a stand-in for the hook. Ridley, with a great ear for arrangement, uses DJ Collagey in opportune places, incorporating P&T’s official DJ into the permanent record, taking choppy cuts and using them as percussion that fades out, or vocal stabs to raise eyebrows.

Now, this wouldn’t be a responsible “Not a Review” without addressing the interludes. Only Parker & The Numberman could get away with putting out an EP with two interludes and an extended outro, especially when they come off as kinda bizarre. While “I Met a Girl” is basically a humor/steezish piece over what sounds like a Pharrell-informed beat, the real gem here is “Fish Hooks”. The track follows a kind of conversation between P&T discussing past moments of inspiration and the writing process. The beat plays out with an intro, build and eventual chorus section that culminates with an ironic punchline on repeat: “I needed a hook”, essentially making this seemingly unsuspecting respite into an actual song, sans rhyme or singing.

While it’s easy to focus on the emcee’s contribution to the project, the production and engineering take a sizable portion of the front seat. As noted above, much of Ridley’s effort appears minimalist in nature. However, the overall flavor of the project is full and robust. Mid-tempo beats with lots of low-end and plenty of arrangement give the production end warmth and fuzz. The mix-down, on the other hand, cleans up all the ranges of sound by making the vocals sharp, clear and crisp, bringing out the emcees’ vocal ranges while avoiding muddy-ness and simultaneously differentiating instrumentation in the multi-tracking. If Ridley ever falls off the production tip, he certainly has a future as an engineer.

Probably the high point (pun intended) of the EP is the final piece, “Just Jump”, on which P&T take us through an extended metaphor of device and symbolism. On first listen, I was immediately struck with their choice of content (drug use) as being trite. By the time I got to the hook, I was sold by the usage and content, allowing myself to imagine “dollar bill appointments” and their implication. The song purposefully invokes setting, action and desire to inspire a mood that envelops you the same way that the party can. With a sinister and taunting hook that encourages you to “Jump out the window, see if it fly”, the piece takes on a provocative seriousness while still remaining fun and mischievous.

Parker: Parker Fonzarelli, ready set, we
sniff devil’s dandruff and drink some Pepsi
the deep was heavy, uncut then she
flipped and almost died. It’s (diet) coke

Clockwork Slang showcases the eight-eyed duo as heralds of what they’ve pronounced as The Glass Era, with Mr. Ridley driving the bus and DJ Collagey along for the ride, the whole crew provide an outstanding, albeit short, piece of work which this entire town can be proud of. Professional craft and presentation remind of us of how mature all of the artists involved are, proving just how capable the DIY aesthetic has become in the upper echelon of our scene.

You can purchase Parker & The Numberman’s Clockwork Slang at Access Hip-Hop.

Reading be fun though:

1. Video: Parker & The Numberman – The Babysitter [prod. Room E]
2. CityBeat: Parker & The Numberman explore video
3. SoundDiego: Parker & The Numberman Show Review
4. Video: Parker & The Numberman – Sadie Hawkins

I’m doing research for an article on the beat scene down here. Which will clearly just toss me into a downward spiral of Skrapez-infected media. I stumbled across this random blog that had this to say about Skrapez:

These beats are on some corrupt, adulterated, b-movie horror tip. Experimental noise, distortion, haunted rock and blues loops, death bells, heavy low end…it’s a halloween bag full of razor apples and poisoned taffy. The music is pressed in extreme low fidelity to make sure you’ll get the most abrasive, grungiest sound possible. Your ears will feel pain.

It was really tight this one time I saw them at Kava Lounge’s Critical Beatdown series. There were all these petite, Asian hipster girls in the crowd. Then Skrapez takes the stage and a bunch of hip-hop heads (Circle Empire cats?) push their way through to converge on the stage, screaming “SKRAAAAAPEZ” in this shrill screech. Hipsters were not fucking prepared for that shit. It was great.

Reading be fun though:

1. Video: ‘Slang Yourself’ with Skrapez
2. Show Review: Gaslamp Killer @ Kava Lounge for Critical Beatdown 3-3-2011
3. DJ Pound – PurpleTrader
4. Show Review: Critical Beatdown @ Kava Lounge 1/6/2011

SKRAAAAAPEZ!

Check out Tenshun making his own laser-disc though. One of the Illuminauts likened Skrapez to hardcore punk. I definitely hear that in their sound but they also just have that same DIY mentality taken to extreme levels. More hip-hop artists need that mindset.

Reading be fun though:

1. Video: Kaboose – The Sixth World
2. Stuntdouble – El Guapo x Diss Me
3. Video: Hip Hop Is Dead? Freestyle Battles
4. Stuntdouble & Tenshun – Pay Us A Visit

I wrote about this SoundDiego. I liked it but you don’t have to take my word for it.

Rapper Dubble-O-Beez and rapper-turnt-Autotune-crooner Young Sau recently teamed up as duo Monkey Beezness (I get the pun of Beez/Beezness…but does that mean Young Sau is like a monkey or something? That sounds messed up). They released their self-titled debut album for free download on mixtape database DatPiff last month, though I’m just now getting around to jotting down any words on it because I’m such a good journalist like that.

Lil Wayne’s single line “We are not the same, I am a Martian” seems to have been a heavy influence on the two artists–Beez even invokes that line on the aptly titled “We Ain’t The Same” while claiming to have arrived on a spaceship. The two artists who had previously seemed content making prototypical West Coast rap suddenly take a slight left turn.

The thing is, Sau really loves Autotune, the voice manipulation technique popularized by T-Pain. Almost all of his vocals are sent through Autotune (I think he raps one or two verses without Autotune). A video interview also reveals a love for experimental glitch-hop from the likes of Samiyam and The Gaslamp Killer. Monkey Beezness sounds like Sau searching for common ground between Autotune and glitch-hop, then shifting the center of the music into the clouds.

Truthfully, I’m not a huge fan of it myself. BUT if you can look past the Autotune, there’s some good music to be heard here. As I understand it, the album was produced by Dave Moss, who is one of the more respected, veteran producers in San Diego. But the samples were brought to Moss by Sau. As a result, the eclectic instrumentals vary widely in style. “Change”, an indictment of fake friends, is driven by Godfather-esque horns and tinny 808 drums. Meanwhile, “Have You Ever”, sampling the SNES RPG classic, Chrono Trigger, sees Beez and Sau smoking themselves into an ethereal realm. “Cash Flow” straight up sounds like a night at the carnival.

Beez and Sau themselves are better in the context of the music than taken alone. Beez can’t break out of his monotone. Sau can’t put away the Autotune. But Beez knows how to write a rhyme. And Autotune sounds much better when surrounded by the often dreamy beats.

There are a few missteps. “F.L.Y.” has a pretty obnoxious hook that assumes we don’t know how to spell “fly”. “Sleep” sounds a little too pop-friendly, like something a toothless Eminem would rhyme over. “Science of Getting Rich” just sounds uncomfortable like forced experimentation.

Still, this is worth a listen. It definitely surprised me with how long it stayed in my rotation. Check it out for yourself above.

Reading be fun though:

1. Video: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau) – Changes
2. Video Interview: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau) – We Are Not The Same
3. Video: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O & Young Sau) – Sleep
4. Young Sau & Dubble-0-Beez – Summer in Diego

Just another reason to listen to my favorite beat evarrr in the whole wide world.

Reading be fun though:

1. TrackWide – Late Night Creep
2. TrackWide – A Day And Night
3. Video: TrackWide – No Gimmics
4. Access Sez So: Genghis Khan – Night Gallery

I was expecting RJW to spit over some hardcore shit like something from Autopsy’s “21 Bodies,” which was also produced by 21 Gramz. Not quite but it still works. RJW sounds natural on here, less self-conscious about making “Art” and more just making…if that makes sense. Ah, whatever, I liked it. The title phrase went from rarely heard to daily word for me.

Reading be fun though:

1. Video: Vokab Kompany ft. Luckyiam, Apaulo8 – Quit Sleep
2. Video: Real J. Wallace ft. Bam Circa 86 – Juan Luhh
3. SoundDiego: Album Review: Real J. Wallace – The Jah Father of Soul Cal
4. Black-White (Rich Prophet & James Gloss) – The Black-White EP

Sau is into glitch-hop???!?! Kinda blowing my mind a little bit. I mean, he just gets points for not saying something real generic. Like how rappers a few years ago would always name-drop Coldplay to show how diverse their musical taste is. Sau is like, “Nah son…Samiyam. Gaslamp Motherfucking Killer.” I gotta go listen to Monkey Beezness again now.

Reading be fun though:

1. Video: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau) – Changes
2. Album Review: Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau – Monkey Beezness
3. Video: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O & Young Sau) – Sleep
4. Video: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau) – Way of the World

I like this song. This video though plunges me into hopelessness. Anyone ever feel like we, the 99%, are playing checkers while the 1% play chess and have had us in checkmate our whole lives? The more you know…the more you want to escape into the dungeons of rap. Self-hatred on max.

Reading be fun though:

1. Video Interview: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau) – We Are Not The Same
2. Video: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau) – Changes
3. Album Review: Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau – Monkey Beezness
4. Video: Monkey Beezness (Dubble-O & Young Sau) – Sleep