Newcastle is full of bogans.

I never thought there was much of a difference between people from Sydney and Newcastle but there you go. That said, it was great to meet such honest people, regardless of how hard they are to understand.

I also may have a crush on two very, very poppy songs. Leave It Alone by Operator Please and Kiss, Kiss by Chris Brown (and T-PAIN!) pretty much dominate my playlist right after the new Cut Copy album. Review soon.

Timbaland is a thief?

More accusations of Timbaland using samples without providing due credit.

I'm lazy so I'll just rehash the points I made in the thread.

[on Courtship Dating/Ayo Technology]
"It seems like Timbaland sampled the 8-bit sounding melody line, changed the pitch slightly and chopped it up a bit for Ayo Technology. While it isn't strictly biting/theft, because the songs are still different, shouldn't he have to give credit to Crystal Castles? After all, Ayo Technology was a successful song built off the back of another song by a relatively young group. They could use the credit."

[On Timbaland's looped beats]
"Timbaland essentially did with these indian/middle eastern samples what heaps of 90's producers did with soul music. The problem I have with it is that he's not giving credit. At least when producers give credits for their lazy ass loop jobs we know who's actually creatively responsible for that catchy melody. By not crediting, Timbaland is making himself out to be this incredibly creative musician when he's really got nothing but an ear for obvious samples.

What I want to know is how his productions actually take a team to put together. If so many of them are just loops over his own beats, what's the other producer doing? For that matter, if the other producer is making the beats, what's Timbaland doing?"

[On improper credit/royalties]
"By not crediting and by not acknowledging the original samples, Timbaland is a thief. What's worse is he samples internet musicians, modern musicians who are much more inventive than he is and foreign musicians who could use the credit and the subsequent co-writing checks. Not only is Timbaland a thief, he's greedy too."

"One of the points I was kind of trying to make with the topic is that Timbaland is the same as other Hip-Hop producers. He isn't nearly as special or groundbreaking as he makes himself out to be. But then, just because Timbaland has an incredibly high opinion of himself doesn't excuse him from giving credit. And I think the original writers of these songs deserve credit, and royalties, for Timbaland so blatantly sampling their music. He hasn't gone to the effort of hiding the sample so he should be paying for that. Instead he's managed to rack up a lot of hits with 'stolen' music and he's kept most of the money.

Basically, he's living off other people's work and that's pathetic."

Read the whole thread. It's quite interesting seeing what people think of Timbaland and whether or not he's actually 'stealing beats'.

On a sidenote, the Last Shadow Puppets single - The Age of The Understatement - is awesome. The spaghetti western flavour of the tune is fantastically catchy.

More new RZA

The man known as Bobby Digital is back with another offering from the upcoming Digi Snax. This time Monk, a member of Wu-Tang sub-group Black Knights, and Thea, one of RZA's European acts, guest on a cover of the classic GZA/Genius song. Much more interesting than You Can't Stop Me Now, Drama is simple yet intricately pieced together - a simple piano melody backed by nice, clear drums and (another) funky guitar outro. Thea steals the show with a great voice. I can't quite pick it, but it sounds something like Chrisette Michelle mixed with Beth Gibbons. Still, one to look out for. Digi Snax should be out around August on Koch Records.

mpFUN- RZA w/ Monk & Thea - Drama

sidenote - It seems like Robert Diggs is taking control of his (probable) post-Wu career - of all the Clan members to branch out since 2001, RZA has put out the most interesting projects next to Ghostface. For those who missed them, be sure to check out the Afro Samurai soundtrack & 2003's The World According to RZA.

super duper - If you can find a copy of Fannypack's sophomore album get it. It's great. I'll upload a couple of choice songs soon.

3: Thoughts

Sitting in my lecture hall waiting for some b-movie to start, what better time to start formulating thoughts on Portishead's long (long) overdue Third/3?



It's been a while since we've heard Beth Gibbon's cheery vocals and upbeat lyrics. Portishead's wildly underrated self-titled sophomore record, despite being a better album than Dummy, got a relatively lukewarm reception that appeared to have effectively ended Portishead's career. 11 years later, we get Third.

Where once they delved into obscure soul and string samples over low key rhythm tracks wherein Beth Gibbons was the star of the show with her beautiful but tortured voice and lyrics, the new album sees her play down her vocals to a near-whisper. Instead, the listener gets Portishead's signature sound distorted and twisted by drum machines and synthesizers. Synths have always been a part of the band's sound, albeit much more prominent this time, but the new drums introduced in a few of the tracks serve to throw off expectations. The bass heavy We Carry On sounds like a logical continuation of Portishead's change in direction from the debut, reminiscent of Elysium. Machine Gun however is closer in form to Nine Inch Nails than Portishead. That's not the only surprise. Deep Water is one of the most outwardly bittersweet songs the trio has ever crafted, exhibiting a sole guitar and Gibbons' singing (and some distorted - and disturbing - backup singing to boot).

Much like they did in 1997, Portishead's new album disregards expectations . It's both a departure from and a continuation of the sound that made Portishead one of the best bands of the early British Hip-Hop movement. It doesn't adhere to any set formula, mixing a variety of styles yet remaining grounded in what can be considered Portishead's sound. While it could have, and probably should have, been released in 2000, Third has the makings of a timeless record and is a fine addition to Portishead's catalogue. Here's hoping they don't take 11 years for the next one.

8.8/10

B-O-B-B-Y-D-I-G-I-T-A-L... Digitaaaal

RZA, who might be the only member of the Wu-Tang Clan that I bother to check up on these days (okay, Method Man too.) just dropped a couple of new pieces of what I imagine are concept art and a new track on his myspace page. The track, Can't Stop Me Now, appears to be a song that was cut from 8 Diagrams. It's one of the funkier guitar tracks RZA's recorded. The song features a verse by Inspectah Deck and what sounds like a little homage to ODB's signature warble.

A new Bobby Digital album presumably called Digi Snacks is dropping sometime this year on Koch records after the Achozen project. It features a lot of RZA's little corner of the Wu-fam world, including the Black Knights, Kinetic 9, Rev. William Burke and more.

Post-it Bonus Method Man & Redman - Broken Language 2008

Great track. It's more a buzz thing or a freestyle but if these two can keep themselves sober enough to actually put out an album I'll be happy. I might just do a Wu-Tang day or something next week where I put up a bunch of rare shit.

Drip.

Review/Thoughts once I've absorbed it all.

Bonus times
M.I.A. - Unreleased, Remixes & B-sides (self explanatory, really - it's all tagged from which period it came from)

Eat One Tossers

Chicago rapper Serengeti is releasing an expanded and re-mastered version of 2006's Dennehy in a couple of weeks. This guy has twice the talent Lupe Fiasco thinks he has. Check him out.

To my knowledge, he's got another 2 coming out this year besides Dennehy. One is the sequel to Noodle Arm Whimsy, the whackiest shit ever. March 19th, Dennehy re-release. Get it from Audio8. Or if you actually live in Chicago, I dunno. Go and ask him or something.

Super fun
mp3 Derek In Paris (from Dennehy)
mp3 Lately I Haven't Been Feeling Well (from Don't Give Up)

Super sidenote
I actually liked Gasoline Rainbows, despite the horrific mixing/mastering job. I actually have to turn down the bass on Maria.

Practicing my writing.

Snoop Dogg - Ego Trippin'

Hip-Hop's notoriously short attention span doesn't spare many. To avoid the fates of such Hip-Hop icons as Guru & Jeru The Damaja - and most of the other rappers who were around in the early to mid-90's - many of these now old-school rappers (you all know who they are) rely on producers, controversy and current trends in order to stay relevant. These attempts to stay ahead of the curve often fail but there are three artists who have managed to sidestep the inevitable long enough to stay popular: Jay-Z, Nas and Snoop Dogg. Despite the middling quality of most of their albums these three remain on our lists and we maintain hope that maybe, next time, they'll make something worth our while. While Jay-Z makes Reasonable Doubt again (& again) and the verdict is still out on Nigger until April, Snoop makes what might be considered a risky career move by discarding his gangsta persona in favor of the Bishop Magic Don Juan-lite with Sexual Eruption, his latest top 10 single.

Calvin Broadus' last effort, 2006's Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, was another chapter in his self-comandeered late career resurgence that began with Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha Bo$$. That record brought back old fans who were disappointed with his recent work by bringing in Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. along with pretty much the rest of the early-mid 90's West Coast mainstays. On Ego Trippin' Snoop swings to another extreme of his work. All the regulars are here - Kurupt provides adlibs for the Quik-produced Press Play, Charlie Wilson pops up here and there, Raphaael Saadiq, Pharrell & Terrace Martin are back and Teddy Riley's along to provide even more funk, as if Snoop needs it. Playing it safe, as it were, is how Snoop Dogg has maintained his popularity and he stays clearly within his comfort zone on Ego Trippin'. Far from being a fault, for the most part Snoop plays to his strengths and only takes baby steps into unfamiliar territory (see: My Medicine). The Prince/Troutman influence covers Ego Trippin', from the synthesizers and autotune on most tracks to the (fantastically done) Time cover, Cool. The continuous refinement of style and sound every record might create redundant themes but Snoop is a master of keeping listeners interested. Once my interest started waning slightly at Life Of Da Party, Waste of Time kept my ears perked. It's rare to hear Snoop open up even a little bit so this touch of honesty is greatly appreciated. At 21 tracks however, the album starts to lose steam about halfway through and most of the final quarter could have been cut. A common criticism of Snoop's work, really, and one I'm sure he doesn't care about. After all, the skip button is there for a reason.

What score, then, should I give this record? It's another success and a nod to Snoop's ear for good music. It sounds however like I've heard it all before, and in fact I have - on the very unappreciated Paid Tha Cost. And on Top Dogg, and R&G and every other album since 1999. Snoop (and Jay and Nas) aren't young anymore. While they may remain successful through controversy and extracurricular ventures the music has somehow remained stagnant. Tha Blue Carpet Treatment was the near perfect portrayal of Snoop's sound and Ego Trippin' is a good record but it's beginning to sound overdone.

6.9/10

Bonus mp3: Snoop Dogg ft. Robyn - Sexual Eruption (Remix)