Madlib Medicine Show No. 13: Black Tape

re-mixed by Madlib

A lot of my early enthusiasm for the Madlib Medicine Show waned through the months of 2010, when these Madlib CDs were supposed to be released on a monthly basis, as I found that too many of them sounded the same as one another, and felt a little rushed.

Now, Madlib has dropped one final installment in his series, the Black Tape, which is really Madlib Medicine Show No. 12, part two, as it picks up where the last one left off, making use of the same interludes (I never need to hear about the Beverly Hills Blues Festival again), and generally just remixing any number of hip-hop artists.

The difference with this disc is that it moves a little further back, playing around with music from the early 00's.  I recognized songs from Ghostface, Talib Kweli, Common, Eminem, and more.  A number of these songs are ones I am very fond of, as this represents the era when I returned to hip-hop, and was refamiliarizing myself with the underground and 'backpack' sounds.

What really makes this disc stand out for me are the two different tracks where Madlib borrows some spoken word poetry from the movie Slam, featuring Sonja Sohn (from The Wire) and Saul Williams (who closes the CD).  Every time I listen to this, I'm almost overcome by an urge to dig out my DVD of Slam and watch it again - it's a great movie.

The album contains some very disturbing cover art (kept shielded behind a black folded paper), which shows photos of digitally manipulated naked women.  Creepy.

Anyway, now that the Medicine Show is over, I'm hoping we will start to see more new output from Madlib (Seeds, his new album with Georgia Anne Muldrow is a good start).

Gutter Rainbows

by Talib Kweli

Kweli gets the credit for bringing me back into hiphop at the start of the '00s with his classic Train of Thought album, although I've often been ambivalent about his output ever since.

Gutter Rainbows was a nice surprise after the inconsistency of the Reflection Eternal reunion album last year.  It is a more minimalist album, as the focus seems to be much more on Kweli and his lyrics than anything else.  He still has some guests - notably Jean Grae (nice to hear her back on the mic) and Sean Price, but there isn't the endless line-up of celebrity features we're used to seeing.

Production-wise, we are again lacking in superstars, which creates a much more curated album.  There are a lot of up-and-comers represented here, like Marco Polo, Shuko, Khrysis, and some people I've never heard of.  These are all decent producers, and the fact that they are lacking in a signature sound helps keep the focus on Kwe.  The exception here is Oh No, who shakes the album up quite nicely with the penultimate track 'Uh Oh'.

Lyrically, Kweli is as good as he ever is.  Some of the songs are pretty basic and radio friendly, but he manages to deliver some perceptive tracks.  If I have any complaint, it has to do with the opening track, and one annoying interlude which has some guy babbling away.  It's the 10's now - the interlude is deader than hiphop people...

Timeless: Suite For Ma Dukes

arranged by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

Alright, so I love Dilla, but somehow this project escaped me.  I got the first, four-track EP that Miguel Atwood-Ferguson put together with Carlos Nino, also called Suite For Ma Dukes, and thought it was lovely, and I knew that this concert had been held back in 2009, but the fact that this cd/dvd combo had been released never penetrated my consciousness until just recently. 

What we have here are fifteen tracks of a 60-piece orchestra playing some of Dilla's greatest songs, as arranged by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.  Most of the pieces are composed of just the instrumentals, although later on the orchestra is joined by Dwele on 'Angel', and by Psdnuos and Talib Kweli on 'Stakes is High'.  A whole ton of people participate in 'Fall in Love', including Bilal, Illa J (Dilla's brother), Karriem Riggins, and Ma Dukes herself.

This is an absolutely beautiful cd.  Somehow, the act of having Dilla's wonderful beats played by so many people brings them a new intimacy, as they speak directly to the soul.

Were there just the cd in this package, I would have been happy with the purchase, but included in the pack is a DVD of the concert, shot in black and white.  It helps make it easy to appreciate the music and the power of Dilla's legacy.  This is an incredible project.

Crate Digging: Pick a Bigger Weapon

by The Coup

It's hard for me to believe that it's been four years since this album dropped; I find that it still gets fairly regular play, and many of the tracks on here have places of honour on my ipod.

Pick A Better Weapon is a classic album.  As with their previous offerings, Boots Riley and Pam the Funkstress work to convey complex political and sociological ideas in a manner that is fun and easily accessible, without sacrificing the clarity of their message.  I can think of no one else in hip-hop, and hardly anyone in any other form of media, who are as skilled at taking an idea that could be considered by many to be unpalatable, and turn it into something both thoughtful and entertaining.

Aside from a short intro track, the album begins with 'We Are the Ones', which has Boots rapping in a quicker, slightly hysterical voice, justifying a career in the drug game:  "now philosphically you'd be opposed to one inhaling coke via mouth or the nose, but economically i would propose that you go eat a dick as employment has froze."  From there, we go into 'Laugh/Love/F***', which makes the revolution sound like a lot of fun.

The fourth track, 'My Favorite Mutiny' is one of my all-time favourite songs.  It has appearances by Black Thought and Talib Kweli, although Boots outshines them both.  'Ijuswannalayaroundalldayinbedwithyou' is a lovely song about love, and the ways in which crappy jobs can ruin it.  'Head (of State)' is classic Coup - a bouncy song about the political (and perhaps sexual) relationship between G.W. Bush and Saddam Hussein.  Songs like 'ShoYoAss', 'Get That Monkey Off Your Back', and 'MindF*** (A New Equation)' continue the call for revolution.


A couple of skits and the irritating 'Ass-Breath Killers' weaken things in the middle of the album, but it picks up again with 'I Love Boosters!', Boots's tribute to the urban phenomenon of professional shoplifters.  Leave it to him to see them as soldiers of a Marxist revolution...

'Tiffany Hall' is an important song that examines the consequences of men discussing womens' bodies, told through the story of Tiffany, an activist and intelligent girl who died from complications with liposuction.  'BabyLet'sHaveABabyBeforeBushDoSomethin'Crazy' is a pretty little song sung by Silk E which helps remind us of the uncertainty of the Bush era.

The album finishes with my other favourite Coup song, 'The Stand'.  This is the only track not produced by Boots (instead the beat is done by Organized Elements), but in many ways, I think it offers the best example of his quiet rage and the indignity of being one of the working poor.

Pick A Bigger Weapon is a great album, and I hope that The Coup releases something new soon.  The age of corporate buy-outs and foreclosure needs someone like Boots to help interpret it.

Revolutions Per Minute

by Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek)

The first Reflection Eternal album, Train of Thought, is what brought me back into hip-hop.  I had abandoned it for electronic music, which was staring to bore me.  When I picked that album up, it brought with it a new understanding of the genre, and I became a dedicated fan.  Over the years, I've followed both Kweli and Hi-Tek's careers, maintaining a strong interest in the work of the former, and gradually losing interest in the latter, as he became ever more commercial and tied to artists I couldn't stand.

When I heard the two were getting back together for a new project, my expectations were kind of low.  Lightning rarely strikes twice, and I felt that the two artists had grown apart musically.  I was glad to be proven wrong.  This album is worthy of repeated listens, and hile some parts are a little too commercial or mainstream radio-friendly for me, there are sections of the album that recapture some of the feeling of optimism and joy I got off the original.

From a typically unnecessary opening (why do we still need to do non-musical intros in 2010?), Kweli moves into some very lyrically strong numbers, with minimalist beats.  This vibe doesn't last though, as with the fourth track, things get very bouncy (with loud horns), and Bun B joins him for a song that feels a little too dated to me.  In places, Kweli and Hi-Tek stray from their usual sound, such as on 'Midnight Hour', which would have fit quite nicely on the Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones project.

The high point of the album is the eleventh track, 'Ballad of the Black Gold', wherein Kweli rails against the oil companies, both at home and abroad.  It's nice to see him invoking the name of Ken Saro-Wiwa, as he educates people the way hip-hop should.  I find it ironic that this was released before the recent BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and now the song needs another verse.  From there, we move into 'Just Begun', which features Jay Electronica, Mos Def, and J. Cole.  This is easily the second best track on the album, as these artists work so well together.

On 'In The Red', Kwe talks about the financial difficulties of former pop stars, and the capriciousness of the industry.  'Lifting Off' has him talking about his experiences with drugs, which I actually found to be more honest and perhaps inappropriate than I'm used to from this artist.

The rest of the album is decent enough, but given too easily into looking for club or radio play.  I have no problem with artists seeking that type of exposure, it just doesn't do much for me.  In all though, this is a very decent album.

In Search of Stoney Jackson

by Strong Arm Steady

I've never had much interest in Strong Arm Steady, thinking of them as the type of group that show up on mixtapes with artists I like and I can't tell why, and generally as trying to ride Talib Kweli's coattails since he signed them to Blacksmith a few years ago. Sure, they can sound good when featured on a song or two, but they weren't the type of artists I thought could pull off a whole album. Then I saw that their album was going to exclusively feature Madlib production, so of course I bought it...

And I was more or less right - the actual group (Krondon, Phil da Agony, and according to Wikipedia someone named Mitchy Slick) are not particularly interesting when they are rapping on their own. Their subject matter never strays far from weed it seems, although they do manage to sound consistent and let provide a decent enough use of Madlib's very cool beats.

What saves this album (beyond some great Madlib production of course) are guest appearances by Phonte (it's not a good sign when you have a guest on your first track), Talib Kweli, Evidence, Oh No, Fashawn, Guilty Simpson, and enough appearance by Planet Asia he must wonder if he really did leave the group. There are other guests too; in fact, it looks like there are only four tracks where SAS is on their own, which doesn't seem like a sign of confidence in an artist.

This is a decent album, don't get me wrong. It's just not very memorable...

The Ecstatic

by Mos Def

This is one of those strange classic albums, where during the first play or two, it sounds good; after a few more plays, it starts to sound better, but at the same time, a little innocuous; and then, you leave it in your car for a while, forget it exists, re-discover it, and get blown away by how many songs on it are ipod-worthy.

Having just rediscovered The Ecstatic, I can say it's an incredible album. Playing it again tonight after a few months absence, I am totally surprised by how many tracks I greeted by thinking, 'oh yah, I love this song'.

I had just about given up on Mos after True Magic, but with this disk, he displays his supremacy in the world of popular-yet-still-good hip-hop. The album opens with 'Supermagic', over Oh No's 'Heavy' beat, which is an oldie-but-goodie, and then shifts, after a standard Neptunes-y track (by 1/2 of the Neptunes), to 'Auditorium', one of Madlib's better beats off the Beat Konducta in India album. (I remember wondering if maybe Mos went by a yard sale at Stones Throw). This song, featuring Slick Rick, is an interesting item; Mos goes as hard as he ever has, while Rick raps this odd bit about being a soldier in Iraq. It's pretty dissonant, but cool none the less.

It's nice to see Mos return to a more hip-hop oriented album. He's always been an impressive lyricist, and he fills this album with a nice blend of producers, from underground stars like Madlib and Oh No, an up-and-comer like Georgia Anne Muldrow, and his usual collaborator Preservation. There's the requisite J. Dilla track, 'History', featuring Talib Kweli, that makes me wish there could have been a Black Star/Dilla album. It's probably my favourite track on here.

My complaints: there's a lengthy and annoying skit about airplane hijacking that just irritates me, and the album liner notes don't credit the song's producers. It's not all about you Mos...

Changes of Atmosphere

by Dela

If you close your eyes, and imagine what an album by a producer whose name conjures up both De La Soul and J Dilla, featuring artists like Talib Kweli, J-Live, J. Sands, Elzhi, Large Professor, Blu, Les Nubians, and their like, sounds like, I'm sure you'd come up with the exact sound on display on this disk.

Dela, who hails from France, plays with some very nice jazz loops, and puts out a strong example of underground hiphop that could have been released at any time in the last ten years. It has a timeless quality to it, and wears its Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Dilla influences proudly on its sleeve.

This is a nice chill album to listen to on a rainy Sunday afternoon...

Crate Digging: Absolute Value

by Akrobatik

I know this cd isn't that old, but I hadn't listened to it for a while, and thought I'd give it another play.

Akrobatik really sounds good on this disk. It's a very nicely balanced album, including crowd-pleasers and quieter, more introspective songs. I find that the middle of the album is the best, with songs like 'Rain', 'Be Prepared', and 'Black Hell Breaks Loose'.

'Kindred' is a nice track, comparing the experiences of slaves in the South to those of victims of Hurricane Katrina. I like the hook and the way he worked a parallel structure into the song, but I do find Chuck D.'s part more than a little preachy.

Speaking of preachy, 'Front Steps Pt. II' is Akro "kick[ing] the truth to the young black youth." It works really well to me, and contains messages that are antithetical to most commercial hip-hop today. Finally, 'Back Home to You' rounds out the album, featuring Akro's promise to his wife. This song is a nice contrast to the Atmosphere track of the same name; Akrobatik comes off sounding much less needy than Slug...

The production on this album is top notch. There are individual songs by Dilla, Hezekiah, J-Zone and 9th Wonder, but the bulk of the work is by Illmind and Therapy, who both come very correct. Even with so many producers, this is a very consistent album. Other guest appearances include Talib Kweli, Little Brother, Mr. Lif, and Willie Evans Jr.

WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip

by Madlib the Beat Konducta

I've never really been able to make up my mind about this album. I think that it is somehow much less than the sum of its parts, as it has many fantastic tracks and songs on it, but when played straight through, I found myself either not listening to long stretches, or just getting a little bored.

There are some truly brilliant parts to this album. The Liberation joint with Talib Kweli is incredible - Kweli hasn't sounded this good in a while and the beat is perfect for him. I also like the track with Karriem Riggins (where is that Supreme Team album?), and the tracks credited to Madlib as 'the Beat Konducta' are all amazing.

I think the problem is that this album can't decide if it's an experimental, new sort of thing, or if it's Madlib producing some classic-sounding hip-hop (with people like Defari, Guilty Simpson, Prince Po, and Roc C). There's nothing wrong with either approach - Madlib is brilliant at them both - but I find that it disrupts the cohesiveness of the album as a whole.

It's all good though, as I imagine that most of these tracks will sound fantastic on my ipod when it's in shuffle mode - especially after I edit out the annoying interludes and distractions that litter this album.