Album Review: Eyedea & Abilities - By The Throat (2009)

The story of Eyedea & Abilities coming together is always been viewed as one of the more unique things I've heard in hip-hop. Both artists were relative experts in their respect crafts. Eyedea was originally garnering attention as a battle emcee where he won Scribble Jam and also won the HBO Blaze Battle. Abilities released several mixtapes that allowed him to win three Disco Mix Club awards for his work on the turntables. The two eventually joined forces to release two albums (First Born in 2001 & E&A in 2004) through Rhymesayers Entertainment. After a four-year hiatus that included the artists searching other sounds in music and have returned.

Today, they release "By The Throat," their newest concoction of 11 songs once again on Rhymesayers Entertainment. The album, as always, is entirely produced by Abilities and the sounds you will hear on this album are a very different sound you won't expect from the typical Eyedea & Abilities that they have become known for. Instead, you will find very aggressive in-your-face guitar samples and loud live drums producing a sound that almost sounds like a live Rock band more than hip-hop.

By The Throat is overall a very pleasing album. I think one pleasantly surprising factor was that the vocals on the entire album are all of Eyedea. That's right, not a single guest feature. For some artists this can cause them to have a tendency to make their album sound very monotonous because of the same voice on every song, however it doesn't hurt this album one bit. Eyedea's approach to each song is very different keeping things fresh from song to song. One song he will be singing, the next song he will be using his quick spitting rhymes and the next time he is reminiscent of a lead for an indie-rock band. Plus, Eyedea does a very good job of painting the stories in his songs. The biggest criticism I have of this album is that it sounds more like an indie-rock album than a hip-hop album and there aren't any songs that have that fun loving sound that originally allowed me to fall in love with E&A. There isn't a "Big Shot" or a "Now" anywhere to be found on this album which was certainly disappointing, no doubt, and "Junk" and "Factory" border on being flat out annoying to listen to.

In the end, however, this album has a very indie-rock sound yet it has good replay value. It is not 20 songs with 8 songs of filler, it is 11 songs that, for the most part, play well from one to the next. The highlights of the album include "Burn Fetish," "Smile," "This Story" and "Time Flies When You Have A Gun" - a song about how giving up the ownership of a gun gives a man both sanity and safety. It sounds more like something you would expect from P.O.S. than Eyedea & Abilities, but overall it's still a good listen.

Best Song: Burn Fetish
Rating: 6.2/10

Crooked I is a gambler

So this guy (I think he's a mixtape dj?? Not real sure) is going around through the Slaughterhouse group and interviewing them about their best and worst gambling experiences. I watched all three of them and the Crooked I one is by far the best... especially when he talks about his WORST gambling experience. This is definitely worth watching.

Nas & Damian Marley - Only The Strong (Live)

About a month ago I had the privilege to see Nas & Damian Marley perform live in Minneapolis while they were taking a one day hiatus from the Rock The Bells tour. Their set was terrific and I walked away very pleased. Her is a video of one of their songs that is supposed to be on the album, I actually remember hearing this song live. It's a great song and I can't wait for their album to drop.

Beastie Boys announcement

MCA of the Beastie Boys makes an announcement regarding the fact he was diagnosed with Cancer about a couple weeks ago. Truly hope he can have a speedy recovery.

The Roots - How I Got Over

The Roots have a new track!!

The Roots - How I Got Over

A Sign Of The Apocalypse

Here is your newest sign of the apocalypse. Unbelievable.

Joell Ortiz - Food For Thought

So a lot of rappers talk about the HER thing and we all know what it refers to - and if you don't go listen to "I Used To Love HER" by Common - the originator. Most of the time I hear people try to do songs that reflect on the same HER that Common was talking about but they don't do it justice like Common did. Well the homie Derrick showed me that Joell Ortiz (of Slaughterhouse!) has a single that leaked called Food For Thought that actually does do the same concept justice. Cookin' Soul produced the beat, and if you didn't know, they make some terrific beats - this one is no exception

Joell Ortiz - Food For Thought


If for whatever reason you've been sleeping under a rock and don't know who Slaughterhouse is... check this:

Eyedea & Abilities giving me new hope

Prior to this video, I had seen Eyedea perform at Soundset and I think it was by far the worst set I had seen that day. He played some songs off of his upcoming and I was not impressed with the live show. This is supposed to be one of his new songs coming out and I think it sounds pretty good so I have new hope that I will like it.

Murs interview

In the first video he talks about the classic Snoop & Pac song, second video he talks Callin Out Names

Raekwon talks about his new album

I'm excited for Raekwon's new Dr. Dre produced album to drop. The expectations for that album are seemingly through the roof. Hopefully it lives up to the hype.

Sioux Falls Jazzfest 2009 - Another Successful Friday

To say that the Friday night of Sioux Falls Jazzfest was a success would be an understatement! Liquid Thin along with V the Noble One and terrific back-up singer Tyshawn absolutely ripped it tonight! They were nothing less than amazing tonight!

What I Hate More Than Lame Rappers

Some things really annoy the heck out of me. I'm not a real big fan of Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne is alright as far as rapping goes, and he is good at thinking outside the box with words. That's as far as my compliments go with him. He has a problem staying on subject most of the time, one line he'll talk about killing people and the next line is a venereal disease. His voice is all cracked out from so much marijuana and I think he's very underwhelming when it comes to full-fledged songwriting.

Which brings me to SeDrew Price. With the popularity of Lil' Wayne we've seen a gluttony of Lil' Wayne impersonators trying to rap and sound like him. Rappers that impersonate other rappers are possibly the worst rappers one could ever concieve. But then again, I am just a HATER apparently. Below is a video of SeDrew Price showing his Lil' Wayne skills and proving to me just how creative Lil' Wayne's style truly is - it's so creative that he has lame dudes trying to eat off his popularity, which is flat out humorous to me. Moreover, the way this dude talks just rubs me the wrong way. I can't put my finger on what it is though.

Immortal Technique on Mr. Peter Parker

So Mr. Peter Parker did a nice long interview with Immortal Technique and it was apart of a 3 part series. I really enjoy when an emcee drops some serious knowledge and Tech definitely does that here. Here are the 3 videos in order:

Part One


Part Two


Part Three

Evidence of Dilated Peoples signs to Rhymesayers Entertainment

It looks like Rhymesayers is really trying to branch out of the midwest with new signings of Freeway & Jake-One to do an album, Abstract Rude and now Evidence. I'm not a huge Evidence fan because he is 'Mr. Slow Flow,' but his beats are definitely something special. This makes me wonder when Atmosphere might try branching to the dirty south for an artist... I'm not real sure what their record label situation looks like, but I'd love to see the Cunninlynguists apart of Rhymesayers.

You can find the full press release here: http://www.rhymesayers.com/news.php#newsId_1797

9th Wonder Presents: Rapsody, Thee Tom Hardy, & D-Mal - As We Shine

So 9th Wonder did a song with some rappers that I've never heard of. I think this might be one of the few rap videos ever done in a real club, not some fake makeshift club for a video. And hey, you gotta rock the Monopoly right?

Rapsody is pretty good, I wouldn't mind hearing her again, her voice is real sexy. Tom Hardy has a line about hipsters, yet he raps like a hipster would rap, and D-Mal is alright-nothing great - after the song is over I'm pretty sure Rapsody is the only memorable one of the 3 - she's beautiful with a sexy voice and a pretty decent flow. 9th with another fresh beat though.

Album Review: Trey Lane - More Than Music EP (2009)

In the last few years Trey Lane has become somewhat of a staple in the Sioux Falls hip hop community. It's likely that he has had more hip-hop concerts locally than any other act. He has had good local success with the release of his past two albums, 'Built 4 This EP' in 2007 and 'The Standard' in 2008. Trey Lane has seen a majority of his local success boom in early to mid-2008 with several shows at Nutty's North getting attendance in the 300+, which is no easy feat in Sioux Falls. Lately, that success has paid off for him as he and FOE labelmate V the Noble One have been able to branch out and begin going to other locations outside of Sioux Falls to do shows. Locations such as Rapid City, Fargo, Omaha, Sioux City and Minneapolis. He has also seen a rise in sharing the stage with a number of big time hip hop artists including West Coast rapper "The Game." Say what you want about The Game, but The Documentary was a great album front to back.

Now it's 2009 and Trey Lane recently released his newest collection of songs called the "More Than Music EP." It has features from a variety of artists including Disturbing The Peace member Willy Northpole out of Arizona, and from Charlotte it has F.Dux, Overflow & Mar'iso. It also includes songs with FOE members V the Noble One, Kash, Bru'tal and Blitzkrieg. Finally, you will also hear features from A-Def of Soulcrate Music, Maniac of Nightshield Entertainment, LMo, and Danny Boy.

Upon listening, you will find Trey Lane more polished than his previous projects and you will find beats with the large instrumentation and synths that he is known for. There are a number of quality tracks on the album that are worth mentioning, one of my personal favorites is "Over & Over." This song seems like it should be a solo track by Trey Lane with just the singer Mar'iso because the feel that Trey Lane gives is that of one where he is going through some serious relationship problems with his significant other. He paints a very vivid portrait in his music and the hook is INSANELY CATCHY. You will find yourself singing it after you get out of the car.

Another great track is "Let'Em Know" that has a very in-your-face beat with a terrific chorus laced by V the Noble One. The FOE posse-cut "Hustle Or Starve" really rocks from start to end. I really think that all of the artist have their big time moments on this track including Trey Lane, Blitzkrieg's masterful off-beat flow and Ka$h where he says: "No rumor it's a fact I put the Ruger to ya hat/ Young mula on the track like a tumor on ya back/ An animal dog I'm eatin n***as hannibal raw/ built ford tough like a cannibal's jaw/"

Other bright moments include the fresh "Walk Ugly" track with an insanely grimey beat (catch that oxymoron?). The track features Attention Deficit - 1/3rd of Soulcrate spitting a razorsharp flow with terrific back to back multiples. The song "Fabricated" has a a very smooth verse by LMo: "Obnoxious concoctions coming straight from the cockpit/ Abolishin' novices into my hostages/" and Trey Lane's cleverly disgusting "I get down and dirty like a woman's hysterectomy."

However, the album does contain its flaws. The track "Shine" has a very boring and repetitive hook and beat, the track "On Deck" has an extremely lame beat and I would expect better with a feature like Willy Northpole, "When The Chips Are Down" just sounds hard to listen to when you have Trey's smooth flow and Maniac's in your face and abrasive flow, "Over & Over" could do without F.Dux's overpowering voice and effortless verse with empty vocals at the end. Lastly, the biggest criticism is that the album has 17 features on only 12 songs! Sure, it is just an EP, but even with an EP I expect less features. Mixtapes typically have this many features... either that or rap groups. V the Noble One is featured on half of the album which makes me wonder if this would not have been better served as an album by Trey Lane & V or far less features.
At the end of the day this is still a good listen and a solid contribution to Sioux Falls' local hip hop scene.

Best Line: "Life can be a b***h with no menstrual medication/ so I pass her a midol tell her take a vacation/" - Trey Lane Hustle Or Starve
Best Song: Walk Ugly (feat. A-Def of Soulcrate Music)
Rating: 7.2/10

What Is A Hater?

This column is sure to get people thinking. Just what is a hater? I've heard several definitions, in fact, I have myself been called a hater before. Recently I was called a hater because I said I didn't like Eminem's Relapse album. My reasoning for this was because I think that I may have grown out of Eminem's preposterous antics that have made him famous. No doubt, I used to love his music, but I just can't get into it anymore. I think part of it is my age and the fact that my tastes in hip-hop have evolved so greatly over the last 4-5 years.

However, I'm getting off-topic. The point is, that I was called a hater by someone for expressing my opinion on something. The funny thing about the label "hater" is that people have this strange connotation for the word, "hater." It's as if it's like the verbal version of AIDS or Bubonic Plague. Once you say it and label someone, well... their a gone-er!

But seriously, I 'hate' on 99.9% of albums that come out. Granted, I also give credit where it's due. However, few things we ever find in life are perfect. Think about football coaches after a game where they win 77-0 and they still say they never "played a perfect game." Now in some aspects they may full of it, but the truth is that coaches find small areas and flaws that they need to fix in their game. No one ever seems to have a problem with that, but once a person finds a flaw in a rappers music, OH MAN HE'S A HATER! LOCK HIM AWAY! OFF WITH HIS HEAD!

"OH YOU DON'T LIKE THE RELAPSE??!!! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!!"

In all actuality, isn't what people call a hater, just an honest person? Even my favorite albums of the year still have a song or two that I don't like. Let's say "Johnny" doesn't really like the fresh new John Tesh cd that just got released on Tuesday and tells his friends his feelings on it. Well, Johnny's friend "Eric" says to him, "You don't like the new John Tesh cd, Johnny? Wow You're a hater!" To me, that's Eric simply doesn't like that Johnny doesn't agree with his opinion... so what does he do? He labels him a hater.

So now to look at the situation even FURTHER outside of the box. Eric looks at Johnny and expresses his honest feeling of distaste for him. Well then couldn't we call Eric a hater too?

Think about it: if you steal from a theif, are you really any better than the theif you stole from?

Look, what I am saying is this, by calling someone a hater, you - yourself are being a hater as well. Plus, it's a lame way of disagreeing with someone. One could get much farther simply trying to explain why that cd IS good rather than labeling them a hater. Otherwise, you can always use my approach and just tell them that you discredit their opinion of hip-hop music altogether with and walk away, it's a fool-proof method, hahaha.

Album Review: P.O.S.-Never Better (2009)

There can be no denying that the popularity of P.O.S. has grown probably faster than any artist ever on Rhymesayers Entertainment. One could make an argument for Brother Ali, no doubt, and the two are very comparable when it comes to popularity from the underground scene and how quickly their popularity has taken off. P.O.S., whose name is very hard and annoying to try type quickly on a computer, spent time touring with the Gym Class Heroes when they were at the height of their popularity back in 2007.

An appreciation can be made for P.O.S. in not only his unique style of hip-hop/punk-rock, but also his genius to even take it that route. When one considers the two underground followings that are the most powerful and by far the strongest, it is easy to see that Punk-Rock and Hip-Hop have the two of strongest underground followings. Instead of P.O.S. choosing to appease to one crowd, he appeases to both. Most importantly, he does it well.

With the release of his newest album, Never Better, the expectations were high for a quality follow-up. When listening to Never Better you will find features by his Doomtree mates such as the beautiful vocals of Dessa on 'Low Light, Low Life.' One word can be used to describe the release this new project: "Unique." Now I for one loved Audition enough to say it was one of my favorite releases of 2006, and in a lot of ways I think Never Better is a better album, but also a worse album in some ways. There is no doubt that he is so unique with his sound with the intense live drums prevalent through the majority of the album. Sometimes, however, I think the album strays away from the Hip-Hop genre and tends to go more in a metal or heavy underground punk-rock direction. Now, if you like that music, then this album would do wonders for you. However, I tend to stick to hip-hop, which is why I find appreciation for songs like 'Savion Glover,' and 'Goodbye.' I truly think they are songs that any hip hop fan will appreciate.

Having said that, there are times when I find the album less appealing like on tracks such as "Drumroll." These are the songs where a mosh pit will start in a hip-hop crowd which is unique, beautiful, and weird all at the same time... like a 75 year old lady driving a brand new Ford F-150. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that he is pushing people to expand their limits of what hip hop is and can be, but some of the songs simply don't appeal to me. Songs like "Out Of Category" show his great songwriting ability, but also show that not every song he makes is in-your-face, which is nice because it adds a nice change-up to the feel of the album.

Further discussing the uniqueness is the song "Optimist (We Are Not For Them)." A friend of his a few years ago showed him a trick with some dixie cups (which he speaks about in the song) where he learns the ability to make a solid beat out of turning the cups and tapping them. Throw on a nice smooth sound over the drums of the cup, and you have an incredibly unique album. And oh yes, how could I forget how cool the stickers are with the packaging and book of the inside cover to the album. A truly unique album that pushes the boundaries of hip-hop. Even if you don't like much of P.O.S.'s music, you still have to appreciate what he is doing for the culture.

Best Song: Goodbye
Rating: 8.2/10

Finale - It's Mine

So unless you've been under a rock, you are probably aware about the idiotic move that Charles Hamilton pulled by writing that the late, and legendary, J.Dilla executively produced his album - which was completely untrue. Under some awesome Havoc production, Finale kills this track and addresses his thoughts on the situation.

Finale - It's Mine (Produced by Havoc)

Trey Lane promo single

Sioux Falls rapper Trey Lane has just released a promotional track. His latest EP "More Than Music" just dropped recently, you can cop it on his myspace below.

Promo Track: Trey Lane - Bars
Trey Lane Myspace