The second installment of Raiders of the Lost Art is now available. This time the focus is on DJ Premier, with footage of the master at work in the studio. We don’t get to see too much though, as Preem makes it clear he doesnt like to let people know a whole lot about how he works that magic behind the boards.
Adrian Younge also makes an appearance, explaining his involvement with the PRhyme project, and how working with the duo has helped him see his own previous work in a whole new light. See below for the full clip (pun intended).
PRhyme is out next month, and available for pre-order from iTunes in some regions now.
Mac Miller recently featured in an interview with Fader, talking about his signing to a major label for a rumored eye-watering $10M. It’s a decision likely to split opinion, but at the end of the day, you can’t really fault him for making the choice. And just because he’ll now have a shit load of money, it doesn’t mean his music will all of a sudden turn pop.
Miller is one of the most interesting artists to emerge in the last few years. Crazy, fucked-up, addicted to lean. He’s been all of those things, but he’s also a talented kid both on the mic and behind the boards.
Underneath the persona there’s also an ultra-smart brain with a clear idea of how the modern music industry works. Like others making a comfortable living at a time when most musicians aren’t making any money, Miller has put in work and built up a solid empire. He also has the respect of his peers, which is harder than it should be when you happen to be a young middle class white boy from Pittsburgh.
When you’ve got talent, savvy business skills and a solid idea of what your fans want, then a big contract can mean better music rather than a watered-down, overly-commercial offering.
The candor of the interview alone is telling. Whereas a chat about a contract as big as that with a mainstream artist would usually consist of them bragging about what they’ll do with the money, Miller talks of how it will allow him to have enough budget to do things musically he couldn’t before, all the while keeping laid back about it.
Time of course will tell, but can you really see the man they also call Larry Fisherman in a flashy video dancing with Chris Brown? Us neither. Here’s to hoping we are right.
The name Sly Jones probably doesn’t mean that much to you, but he’s the part genius, part madman who worked hard as hell to make Meow the Jewels a reality. He recently got to hook up with El-P and Killer Mike before their show in his hometown of Phoenix, and broke down how the project came about.
Bored one night on Twitter, he read El-P’s tweet about remaking Run the Jewels 2 with cat sounds, and took it upon himself to take it seriously. It’s shit like this that the internet was invented for, and we can’t wait to hear how it turns out.
Considering how money from the project is going to the families of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and the fight against Police brutality, Run the Jewels take time in the interview to remind us that this whole crazy project also has a serious side, and will hopefully help to raise the profile of the issues at stake.
Watch the clip below, including shots of Sly Jones joining the group on stage – surely the ultimate experience for any music fan.
RTJ2 is out now on Mass Appeal. Read our review here.
Raiders of the Lost Art is a documentary about Royce Da 5’9″ and DJ Premier’s new group PRhyme, and its pretty damn good. Short but sweet, Part 1 gives us an interview with Primo, talking about how he first got noticed in NYC all those years ago with Guru, and about how he’ll never stop making that boom bap sound, no matter what the younger generation is doing.
Hearing that alone is worth it for us Preem fiends. But even more special are the parts with Royce. He opens up about his alcohol abuse and the effects it had on his kids, including a scene where his shows how his car won’t even start until he’s taken a breath test.
Its a rare insight into the real life of a rapper, far from the fake lifestyle we’ve come to know from so many flashy videos. We see Royce spending precious time with his wife and kids, making sure he doesnt pull into his driveway too fast, and telling his young daughter to go back inside to get a jacket. There’s no posturing and no ego, just a man who works hard to give his children a life that he never had.
Of course, the flick is also part of the promotion trail for the upcoming PRhyme album, which hits stores next month. It’s safe to say we are excited as fuck, and you should be too. Watch Part 1 of Raiders of the Lost Art below, and keep them eyes peeled for the next installment coming soon.
Its been a good few weeks for us DJ Premier heads. A crazy interview with Snoop Dogg, where he dropped teasers about that future Nas album, new music from M.O.P. coming soon, and of course, PRhyme, his latest collaboration with Royce Da 5’9″.
We’ve had some clips of the music already, but now we’ve been blessed with the title track too. Primo is assisted on the beat with samples by Adrian Young, who adds some extra little flourishes to the mix.
It’s another impressive sign of the quality that is no doubt set to come when the album is fully released next month. Listen to the new track here, courtesy of our friends at the always-entertaining EgoTripland.
PRhyme is already available for pre-order in some areas. Look out for our review when it drops.
Hip-hop production has changed and evolved many times since the late 80s, swaying back and forth between old styles and futuristic ones.
The basics don’t change much though, with most tracks roughly sticking to the classic structure of the first two golden eras: Short into with ad-libs, or cuts and scratches. Verse 1, hook. Verse 2, hook. Verse 3, hook. More hook, shout outs, extended cuts and scratches. Fade out.
We are know it well, not just from hip-hop but also most other popular music genres. Classic rap tracks sometimes had an extra special treat though, between the second hook and the start of verse 3. It was known as a breakdown, and we miss them like crazy.
A breakdown tended to include extra cutting and scratches, variations on the beat, extended use of the main samples, and various other types of niceness.
They provided a chance for the listener to pause for reflection, to take in the meaning of the first two verses, and get ready for the third, which was often the most powerful. They also gave the producer time to showcase their abilities, and flex their cutting skills if they also happened to be a deejay.
We’re not necessarily saying we need them back, and in fact producers like DJ Premier and Pete Rock still tend to produce beats in this way. Other modern hip-hop tracks still have them too.
Lest we forget how fucking dope they were though, so here’s a few of our personal favorites. The breakdowns all appear after the first couple of verses.
Nas, The World Is Yours. Produced by Pete Rock.
Lords of the Underground, What I’m After. Produced by K-Def.
LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out. Produced by Marley Marl.
The second installment of Raiders of the Lost Art is now available. This time the focus is on DJ Premier, with footage of the master at work in the studio. We don’t get to see too much though, as Preem makes it clear he doesnt like to let people know a whole lot about how he works that magic behind the boards.
