Howdy—now you know it wouldn’t be 2008 without some RIPs to
start it off, so here goes. Firstly, RIP to Johnny “J” Jackson, the multiplatinum (if somehow slept-on) producer of many West Coast
classics. While he first got his name out with “Knockin’ Boots” by
Candyman, Johnny is chiefly remembered for the large body of
work he recorded with the late, great Tupac Shakur. Jackson died
of an apparent suicide, in circumstances that make me scratch my head:
While serving a sentence for a DUI charge in Los Angeles, Johnny
allegedly leaped to his death from an upper tier of the Twin Towers
Correctional Facility. Suspect it may be, but sad regardless; I’ma pop
in “Stay True” off of Thug Life: Volume 1 in his honor.
The world has also lost Levi Stubbs, whose unmistakable
muscular vocals led the Four Tops, one of the finest groups in
Motown history (thus very high in the running for one of the
best groups period). Stubbs was responsible for enduring hits like “I
Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” and “Reach Out (I’ll Be
There).” He died in his sleep, at home in Detroit, where Hitsville
U.S.A. once changed the world. RIP. Right now, I’m tearing my spot
apart looking for my Four Tops anthology so I can hear “Still Waters
Run Deep”… damn.
I got to send a shout to my dude
Candidt, who among
other things
(such as wrapping up his long-awaited album
Sweatsuit & Churchshoes) has been doing his monthly, the
Corner, at the
Rendezvous for the past six months with great
success, not only featuring some of the best sets I’ve seen from a lot
of your favorite locals, but with a consistently great house-party
vibe. The next edition, going down October 24 at the Rendezvous, should
be no different; it’ll feature Akrish, Wizdom, and (super
conflict of interest alert) Bruce Illest and Gatsby (herewith to be known collectively as
They Live!)
performing their free-
download-only EP, The Dro Bots
Saga—
and it’s all headlined by The Only Forgotten
Son, Sportn’ Life’s own Fatal Lucciauno. I just hope the
sprinklers are up to spec.
I see that Bermuda’s illest white boy, Collie Buddz, is doing
his thing at Nectar on October 28 and 29—I haven’t really fucked
with too much new reggae or dancehall since those “Wicked & Wild”
nights at the Baltic Room from years
past (it’s at the War Room
now, FYI), but damn I loved last year’s Buddz single “Come Around” like
cornbread. Both
dates also feature DJ Collage aka Mr.
Chatman, whose upcoming Marathon Man is a (blood and) fire
slab of pounding dancehall with trace elements of bhangra, dub, and
electronica that’ll all collude
to sound divine with a couple Red
Stripes in ya, seen? And those bitches better
be ice-cold,
I hate warm Stripes,
damn! 