Yo, if you missed the Big Tunes beat battle at the War Room recently, you fucked up. Featuring a gang of producers dropping steady heat, a very appreciative crowd, and the fucking hilarious commentary of liquored-up host Vitamin D, the night added up to one of the most exciting new events I've seen around the scene for a minute. Congrats to the night's winner, Kuddie Mac, who brought some real fire to that particular weenie roast. The next Big Tunes is in September, so get your goddamn tracks up—the place was swarming with cats trying to make connects and meet new producers...
While at the War Room I was able to procure a snippet disc from Rees's upcoming album, tentatively titled Loyalty Is Royalty. His '03 debut Army With No Faces immediately established him in my mind as one of the town's premier lyricists; Rees is all ice-cold charisma on the mic, painting vivid scenes of fast-lane life. "You get the sense that there's a whole other side to this town most don't ever see—which is true," says manager/fellow O.N.E. Corp. artist Native Soun. "Whereas the first album was like a documentary, the second one is more open, more like a music video. You can hear that hunger too, hungry for the lifestyle we always wanted... it's like Jay-Z when he started, it was street dreaming, him describing what he ended up accomplishing."
Y'all know about Black Sheep. Yes, "Engine, engine number nine"—that's them. Well, the Sheep (Dres and Mr. Lawnge) are back, baby, and kicking mucho ass, judging from their sampler CD (available at www.blacksheeponline.com). Look for their first group album in 10 years, 8WM, out soon—and interestingly enough, it features production from Vitamin D and Bean One, not to mention some sultry vocals from Choklate. Dres in particular sounds rejuvenated, spitting that articulate upscale flow with a grown man's perspective, as opposed to the horny young gun of their classic debut A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing—but he's still just as fun as ever. Just you remember who told ya first.
Hey, all you rappy-rappers with chips on your shoulders—don't sleep on the War of the Words MC Battle. Call 988-8856 to register and you might just have a chance at a $2,000 grand prize. The prelims are August 17 at Tommy's and will feature performances from dRED-I, RA Scion, Abyssinian Creole, and Jitu Brown from Chicago. The finals on August 20 feature Cunninlynguists, Vitamin D (have I mentioned him?), and H-Bomb, among others.
A query: Am I a dork because I'm really, really excited by the prospect of a MF Doom/Danger Mouse album—wait, godammit, I'm not done yet—that is entirely inspired by Adult Swim? Okay, got it, just checking. The album in question, DANGERDOOM: The Mouse and the Mask, isn't out till October, but the two joints I've peeped ("Sofa King" and the Ghostface—featuring "The Mask") are just as beautifully bugged as expected. Far as I'm concerned, any album featuring Ghost and Master Shake is golden like George Hamilton. n
