So you’ve made it to 2006. Good for you; Busta Rhymes said there was only one year left back in 2002, so I guess we’ve disproved all of that. The sheer disappointment of it must be what’s driven Bussa Buss to shear off his trademark dreads, which itself is as good a sign of impending apocalypse as we’re likely to get. At least he hasn’t, you know, joined G-Unit or something like that.
The new year is the time for music writers to realize just how much shit they’ve been sleeping on. Case in point: the banging, bangin’ new album from DJ Quik, called Trauma. The realest cat left from Compton’s class of ’90 sounds reinvigorated, comin’ with some heater-ass rhymes and his signature production, which is some straight-up killa Cali crunch from start to finish. My man Petey recommends the song “Black Mercedes,” which has one of the best Nate Dogg looks in a long time. This is hard, like we used to say (pronounced huard). Guests like Luda-cris, Game, T.I., and Jodeci—yes, goddamn Jodeci—sound right at home next to Quik, icing this cake up nicely. Somehow, cameos from Wyclef and DTP‘s own Game, Chingy, didn’t annoy the shit outta me, either. Dub-throwers-up, rejoice!
You’re also gonna wanna cop DJ Scene‘s new mix tape for the Kirkland boardshop/clothing boutique Sureel. It’s a crazy diverse mix, sporting some hot fiyah joints from Mobb Deep, Tha Alkaholiks, Blue Scholars, and Dead Prez; there’s definitely something here for both the backpackers and the pimpcuppers—I think this is probably the only mix tape I’ve ever heard that has both AZ and Aesop Rock on the same track listing.
SCIONtific Records, Obese, KEXP, and The Stranger are presenting Shocked on the Buzz, a showcase of buzzin’ local talent headlined by Common Market come January 11 at Chop Suey; also appearing are these guys Cancer Rising, Specs One, and Macklemore, with DJ Risk One on the ones and twos. Hot damn—I’ll be there fer shere. Oh, and since you and I are discussing local rap right now, you should know that you’re sleepin’, no, comatose, if you ain’t got a copy of Framework‘s Hello World. I hope you caught his “Welcome Home” party at the War Room, and peeped his energetic set—as well as that of the “Stay High Bros.” Vitamin D and Maineack Be, who really need to drop a CD. That “Grown Man” joint is the shit!
Know what I really hate about year-end Top 10 lists, sorta like the Top 11 list I wrote last week? It’s that you invariably forget something—in this case, Quasimoto‘s eccentrically exemplary sophomore effort, The Further Adventures of Lord Quas. I definitely banged the hell outta that one at the workplace this past year, prompting my boss to think I was real big on the Alvin & the Chipmunks records or something. Also, looking at said list, it’s almost distressing to realize that I didn’t really listen to shit else but rap last year, at least in terms of new music. Diversify, my people; it’s good for you.