The Hed Rush: in mp3 form

One of the great sources of joy I’ve had in my life is having the opportunity to host my own radio show. Multiple times. Without getting into an in-depth history I’ll say that I’ve done radio (either live or Internet) on and off since 1994.

So now, after an over four year hiatus I’ve got my own show again, thanks to my long-time homie/high school potna, JB d’Mulatto. Only this time the show is in podcast/mp3 form. Recorded in JB’s studio, aka Ma’s House, I present to you, Hed Rush, the radio show.

Here’s the 411: The Hed Rush Radio Show features myself and JB playing and conversating on hip-hop from the late '80s through the '90s. We also discuss in-depth some of the trends and context that surrounded the music when it was released, and how it reflects hip-hop today.

It’s lots of hip-hop that I grew up on, and lots of JB and I talking. And cracking corny jokes. So if you like hip-hop from that era, and want to hear a couple of cats shoot the shit about it, you just might enjoy these podcasts.

Here’s the link Pt. 1 (about an hour):

http://rapidshare.com/files/200855493/1-01__1__Pt._1.mp3

And here’s the link to Pt. 2 (about 70 minutes):

http://rapidshare.com/files/200869147/01__1__Pt._2.mp3


The only problem now is that it’s going to be at least another month until me and JB can record another one of these podcasts. JB is currently on the road, helping manage the cross-country tour of The Whitest Kids You Know. As soon as he’s back, there’ll be more music. I’m hoping this is the first podcast of many. I certainly have a lot more music I want to play. Eventually I’ll figure out how to hook this up on iTunes or something. And I also promise that I’ll also start updating this blog with more music.

Until then, listen and enjoy. And let me know what you think.

More Steroid Stupidity

I really don’t care about this budding Alex Rodriguez scandal. Not even a little bit.

I seriously couldn’t care less. I’m not going to feign outrage and yell about he betrayed my trust and set a bad example for the children (“WON’T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!”) I’m not going to call him A-Fraud or A-Roid or any other lame-brained nickname. I’m not going to lecture how he’s ruined his legacy and doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. None of this matters to me. These allegations (coming from multiple unnamed sources) don’t change the way I feel about Rodriguez.

Since, you asked, here is what I feel about A-Rod: He’s essentially a vastly talented base-player that also happens to be more than a little weird and completely obsessed with his own self-image and how the public perceives him. In those respects he’s exactly like any other athlete-celebrity. The fact that he’s also fixated on people far less talented than himself (Derek Jeter and Madonna) is a fairly odd, but it’s not like he’s eating babies. A-Rod is one of the most-gifted baseball players to ever to ever put on a uniform, and he also happens to be yutz. Anyone disputed the former is either a deluded Derek Jeter fan club or a member of the Red Sox Nation.

What more concerns me is how this information on his positive test ended up getting to the press. These urine tests, conducted back in 2003, were supposed to be confidential. They ended up the government’s hands after they raided the lab where they were processed and stored as part of the BALCO investigation. The players thought they’d never see the light of day. Neither did the union. And Major League Baseball certainly didn’t want the results to become public either. It’s one thing to talk about reforming the game, and even take steps to actually reform it, but that the names getting out there is bad for business.

As soon as the government seized the samples a few years ago, I knew it would only be a matter of time before the list of the players that tested positive would become public. It might be in MLB’s best interest to keep things under wraps, but the Federal Government leaks like a fucking sieve. This whole fiasco feels even sleazier than it had before, which is an impressive feat. There could be dozens of reasons why four sources working closely with the federal investigation leaked A-Rod’s name, including the fact that they’re case against Barry Bonds is looking shakier by the day, and they want to put a new “enemy” in the spotlight. But no matter who’s names are named, it certainly won’t hurt the federal government in any way.

And honestly, it doesn’t really help anyone else either. We in the general public (especially sport-writers) may yammer on about how we’re entitled to “the truth,” but in this case, we’re really not. Each and every other person would want there own privacy respect and promises made to them honored. Baseball players shouldn’t be accord any less respect. But I doubt that’s going to stop any more serious clamoring for the list naming the other 103 players that tested positive six years ago.

I HATE every single part of the steroids scandal. I hate the posturing everywhere I turn on this issue, from the players, to the union, to the ownership, to the sports writers, to the Federal Government. I HATE that it keeps Jose Canseco in the public eye. I HATE that it’s never going to stop. Just shut up already and let me try to enjoy my days and nights at the ballpark.

Do Go Away Mad...

As of now, it’s past midnight on the East Coast, which means that it’s the first day of Barack Obama’s presidency, while the final day of George W. Bush’s reign has ended. Believe or not, I tend to be an optimistic guy, and most of the time I would opt to celebrate beginning of the good rather than the end of the bad. But given the shitty mood that I’ve been in for the past half-week or so, celebrating the good just doesn’t fee natural. So with this entry I bid adieu to one of my least favorite people that I’ve never met.

I’ve said before on this blog that I don’t do eloquence. So I’ll keep it to the point as possible and leave in all the curse words. I’m aware that I’m saying anything that hasn’t been said or typed before, but my feelings are as visceral as anyone else’s.

Fuck you George W. Bush. Fuck you very much. I have hated every nano-second of your presidency. Everything you’ve done for the last eight years has made life worse for 98% of citizens of the United States, and a large percentage of the world’s population. I can’t think of a single good thing that you’ve done while in office except treat your family dogs well. Barney is the most likable member of your household. I found your two-week “victory lap” around the country and trip down memory lane bullshit asinine and insulting. Fuck you and your non-existent legacy. If you finally want to do something right, you’ll just go away. Forever. The only time I ever want to hear about you again is if: 1) you or members of your administration are prosecuted for war crimes and various other crimes against humanity, 2) you’ve just died. Otherwise, I ain’t trying to hear any of that shit.

2008 Year-End Music Wrap Up

Note: Many moons ago, when I was the editor for a couple of small community newspapers, my managing editor once told me the year end recap issue couldn’t drop after January 1st, as there’s nothing worse recapping old news after the new year has started. So, please forgive me as I recap this old news, but this entry turned out to take a lot longer than I originally imagined.


It’s a fairly common perception in hip-hop that things nearly aren’t as dope as they use to be. A decade ago, I was a devoted subscriber to this way of thinking. In 1997, you couldn’t tell me nothing except that hip-hop was getting worse each year, and that the art form would soon to be completely rent to pieces by corporate vultures by the year 2000 at the latest. Well, by 1998, I learned to calm my ass down and realized that hip-hop is now big enough that whatever drives the mainstream doesn’t drive the music as a whole. I’ve learned to ignore the music that I know doesn’t appeal to me, and focus on everything else. I’m much happier these days.

So while many hip-hop heads lament how the last few years have been lousy, I’ve been pretty damn happy with the state of hip-hop music over the past ten years. I guess you could maybe make the argument that hip-hop wasn’t as strong in 2008 as it was in 2007, but I still had more than enough albums to consider when putting together a list of the 10 best albums of the year. Truthfully, I could have even put together a perfectly acceptable top 10 list from the albums that didn’t quite make the list and call it a day.

As it stands, I’ve put together a list of 60 hip-hop releases that dropped in 2008 I enjoyed quite a bit. Plus five more that disappointed me. So, starting with the good, here are the 10 best hip-hop albums of 2008:

Top Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2008



10. Azeem – Air Cartoons
As the chorus of the title track says, Air Cartoons indeed sounds like it was written while Azeem’s hand were tripping on ’shrooms. The Jersey born MC, now residing in Oakland, has already had a unique way of thinking and rapping, and with this, his fifth album, the beats reflect his mind state. Convincing psychedelic hip-hop albums are hard to pull off without seeming forced and self-indulgent, but Air Cartoons succeeds because of Azeem’s ability. The despite its lysergic sonic feel, the album isn’t an ode to mind-altering substances; Azeem takes Oakland residents and artists to task for “going dumb” and searches for universal truth. It’s good to see that there are MCs that aren’t scared of being intelligent.


9. Invincible – ShapeShifters
Detroit is really on a come up these days. The scene is spawning some of the best rapper and producers doing it these days. Invincible is one of them, and is a somewhat unconventional rhyming hero: a Jewish female MC. You don’t see many of those everyday. But Invincible is skilled enough to be thought of as a dope MC, period. Though she made her name in the underground as a battle MC, she’s most adept on ShapeShifters creating thematic rhymes, such as commentary on the Israeli/Palestinians state of affairs (“People Not Places”), the beneath-the-surface racism that exists In liberal Ann Arbor (“Deuce/Ypsi”), and the slow and sad gentrification of urban Detroit (“The Locusts”). She even puts a little spin on the Patty Hearst kidnapping on “Ransom Note.” I hope to hear a lot more of Invincible in the future.


8. Dagha – Divorce
I’m tempted to call Divorce the Hear, My Dear of hip-hop albums, but on this album Dagha the details of his acrimonious divorce from his wife in a largely matter-of-fact and straight-forward manner, as opposed to Marvin Gaye’s protracted bitterness. On his second album, Boston’s Dagha explains the all the minutiae that can go along with a failed marriage in vivid detail, from his wife changing the locks on their house without his knowledge, to the process they go through trying unsuccessfully to sell their home, to his separation from his daughter. Divorce then follows Dagha as he describes trying to piece his life back together and maintain his grind as independent artist. It’s a sobering and occasionally depressing album, but its also refreshing in its complete honesty. It also helps that Dagha is a gifted MC and enlists a crew of talented producers.


7. Black Milk – Tronic
Have I mentioned the strength the Detroit scene? Rapper/producer Black Milk is one of the better beat-makers in the game these days. Tronic, his second album, only enhances his reputation. Tracks like “Give the Drummer Sum,” “The Matrix,” and “Hell Yeah” are some of the better produced beats of the year. Black Milk really shines with his drum programming, an increasingly lost art in hip-hop production. However, the beats are the star of the album, as Black Milk rhyming skills need work. But the beats are so well made, that I’m will to give Black Milk more time to grow as an MC and consider this album one of the year’s 10 best.


6. The Mighty Underdogs – Droppin’ Science Fiction
The Mighty Underdogs started the year with a solid EP, and ended it with a spectacular album. The Bay Area trio, comprised of the Quannum Collective’s Gift of Gab and Lateef the Truth Speaker and Crown City Rocker’s Headnotic put together a short and sweet (48 minute) album that still seemed epic in scope. Like almost all of the best albums of the year, it was varied in subject matter and feel, while still feeling cohesive. And like all good album, the Mighty Underdogs prove capable of evoking emotions through their music, from sadness to inspiration; I freely admit to dancing in joy to the album’s closer, “Victorious,” the on Barack Obama’s election night.


5. Guilty Simpson – Ode to the Ghetto
The third and final album by a Detroit artist on this list, Ode to the Ghetto is a throwback “street” album. On it, Guilty Simpson seems less concerned with proving his street credentials than he proving he can actually, you know, rap his ass off. Ode to the Ghetto demonstrates that’s not it’s not what you rap about it, but how you rap about it. Songs cover topics like ghetto life, problems with his girlfriend, and crooked cops, but doesn’t ever sound stale. Guilty Simpson has a very distinctive voice, flow, and demeanor that all command attention. He’s got vocal presence that comes off like an odd combination of Biggie Smalls, Redman, and Sean Price (how makes an appearance on “Run”). It’s also got dope beats provided by Black Milk, Madlib, and the dearly departed J Dilla. Ode to the Ghetto doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but its simple effectiveness carries the weight.


4. Jake One – White Van Music
Part of me objects to the nature of how this album was put together. From Seattle producer Jake One’s own description in the linter notes, much of White Van Music is made up of unused and unfinished tracks featuring a who’s who of mainstream and underground MCs that they originally intended for the own respective albums, but didn’t make the cut for whatever reason. That feels like cheating. But whatever, the results are outstanding so I can’t hate. Some of the tracks on the album are among the best songs released this year, including Blueprint’s “Scared,” Casual’s “Feeling My Shit,” Bishop Lamont and Busta Rhymes’ “Kissin’ the Curb,” MF DOOM’s “Trap Door,” and Freeway and Brother Ali’s “The Truth.” And when it comes down to it, I imagine a lot of my favorite albums were put together in a similar manner.



3. Akrobatik – Absolute Value
This Boston MC is quietly putting together a really solid career. Most of what I needed to say about this album I said already in a record review I did for this neglected blog earlier this year. But suffice to say this is the type of album I wish more artists would make: well-constructed rhymes covering a variety of topics over dope beats, guest appearances that enhance rather than overshadow the artist, and everything coming together to create a distinctive mood.


2. The Roots – Rising Down
Rising Down is a dark and brooding album, which serves as a bookend to The Root’s 2006 album Game Theory (apparently this album is made up songs recorded during those same sessions). It’s also probably the Roots’ best album since 1999’s Things Fall Apart. While these days the group is making a greater pop culture name for themselves on TV as Jimmy Fallon’s in-house band, they certainly weren’t fucking around when they recorded Rising Down. Black Thought’s non-stop lyrical barrage on “75 Bars” has been known to melt speakers. “Criminal” is powerfully grim and haunting. Songs like “Get Busy” and “I Can’t Help” hit harder than left hooks to the jaw. The album also brings out the best in the guest MCs that grace the tracks: Mos Def’s performance on the title track/album opener might be the best verse of the year. And the album’s closer, “Rising Up,” shows that a go-go inspired hip-hop track can actually sound dope. That’s an amazing feat in itself.


1. People Under the Stairs – Fun-DMC
People Under the Stairs make great music about loving music. Their albums reflect deep and abiding love of music by people whose lives are consumed by it. Fun-DMC could be the best album the Los Angeles duo has ever released, which is saying something, since I believe that P.U.T.S. is one of the best groups of the ’00s. Their sixth album, Fun-DMC, is mostly about the joy and fun that goes along with listening to and creating music. This is more difficult than it sounds, since most hip-hop albums are about actions themselves, rather than the happiness that can result from the action. On this album, rappers Thes One and Double K cover the love of rhyming over old school breaks (“The Ultimate 144”), the love of old school hip-hop (“Letter C/O the Bronx”) the love of growing up in a house full of music (“Same Beat (Wesley Rap)”), the love of their home state (“California”) and just plain old loving the act of sitting back and listening to music (“The Mike and Chris Story”). Considering how fun has been sucked out of most hip-hop these days, this album is its own revelation.

Like all People Under the Stairs’ album, Fun-DMC seems like it was made for the spring and summer day and nights, but this album brings a smile to my face, whether it’s 78 degrees and cloudless day when I’m driving up Highway 1 on the way back from Monterey, or I’m shivering in a brick freezing apartment on an overcast and drizzly weekday night.



Bonus: Blueprint – Blueprint vs. Funkadelic EP
I disqualified this EP because it was a free mixtape available online, and its barely 30 minutes long, but if I had to fit this sucker in, it would somewhere in-between #5 and #10. On this EP, Cincinnati’s Blueprint raps over loops (or entire songs) of early Funkadelic. Not the happy, upbeat, poppy stuff the group produced as the 1970s drew to a close, but the dirty, LSD-drenched, rock and blues soaked funk from the early part of that decade. The common theme being that early Funkadelic was a revolutionary and subversive as hip-hop can be at its best. In-between snippets of the Parliament-Funkadelic PBS documentary that aired back in 2005, Blueprint does his best to free the listeners mind, hoping their asses will follow suit.


Best of the Rest:

Here’s another 10 that had a shot of cracking my top 10 list:

Heltah Skeltah – D.I.R.T.
EMC – The Show
Johnson and Jonson – Johnson and Jonson
Count Bass D – L7
Murs – Murs 4 President
J-Live – Then What Happened
GZA – Pro Tools
Brooklyn Academy – Bored of Education
Devin the Dude - Landing Gear
The Knux – Remind Me in 3 Days
Kidz N the Hall – The In-Crowd
Jedi Mind Tricks – History of Violence
Esoteric - Esoteric Vs. Japan
Doom Tree – Doom Tree

And here are another five albums that can be included in the list of 14 above, but just had flaws that I felt the need to comment on:

Ludacris – Theater of the Mind
Ludacris is a consummate shit-talker on record. I’d even say he’s fairly underrated among hip-hop heads at writing braggadocio punchline rhymes. Tracks featuring this particular talent bookend the album, and as a result Theater of the Mind starts and ends strong. “Undisputed,” “Wish You Would,” “MVP,” and “I Do it For Hip-Hop” are all just as good as anything in Luda’s catalogue. However, the middle of the album severely sags when he gets into the syrupy “for the ladies” tracks, which Luda has NEVER been good at making. Tracks featuring Chris Brown and Jamie Foxx are as corny and forgettable as the low-points of Luda’s catalogue (think the 2003 clunker “Splash Waterfalls”). I’m aware I’m being pretty hard on what’s only a three-song stretch, but the sequence kills the album’s momentum, and prevents Theater of the Mind from being great.

Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, Paint That Shit Gold
Not a bad album, but being Atmosphere is one of my favorite groups making music, this album fell short of expectations. I understand what Slug and Ant were trying to go for, by making a “quieter” album, and this album is suitably quiet, and as a result, sometimes painfully lacking in oomph. Slug still has mad skills as storyteller, and successfully walks the line between genuine and emo. But if you put together Atmosphere for “seasonal” Sad Clown EPs that preceded When Life Gives You Lemons… you’d have a better album. The free Strictly Leakage Atmosphere released via free download at the end of 2007 was a better album. I respect the effort, but the next time please don’t forget the bass.

Q-Tip – Renaissance
Speaking of albums that needed a little more oomph, Q-Tip’s grand return after a prolonged hiatus is generally a good album, but it’s, for lack of a better term, too soft. First, the good: he can still rap and can put together a technically proficient beat. I don’t take the former for granted, seeing as many the rhyming skills of many of Q-Tip’s contemporaries have evaporated; lyrical longevity is nothing to be scoffed at. But this album has its fair share of flaws. Too often the drums, basslines, scratches, etc. all sound too weak. And Q-Tip still can’t sing. Now, he this lack of ability had it’s own charm on some old Tribe Called Quest tracks, but it’s done without any irony here. I’m aware I’m giving the impression that I don’t like Renaissance, but that isn’t true. It’s just that this isn’t revelation that many are making it out to be.

Elzhi – The Preface
I wanted to like this album more than I actually did like it. I’ve been a fan of Elzhi (yet another Detroit MC) since the beginning of this century. I’ve enjoyed his guest appearances on other artists’ projects and his work as a member of Slum Village. Heck, I even enjoy the work of the producers involved; the aforementioned Black Milk handles the great majority of the production duties. But The Preface never quite gels together, and it’s frankly kind of boring. There are some interesting concepts on The Preface, such as “Guessing Game,” “Colors,” and “D.E.M.O.N.S.”, but it fails to achieve it’s potential.

88 Keys – The Death of Adam
If producer 88 Keys had just decided to make this a regular old compilation instead of a concept album, everything would have been gravy. His own vocal stylings are entertaining in an off-key sort of way, and tracks featuring artists like Redman, Kanye West (sans auto-tune), J*Davey, Phonte, Kid Cudi, and Bilal are all entertaining. But he had to fuck around and make the whole album a “story,” complete with a corny, pointless, running narration. And the point of story, you ask? Thinking with your dick and not using a condom when having sex can lead to bad things. Thanks dude, but I’m not in 8th grade anymore.




More good albums

And just for good measure, here’s another 20 albums that I rather enjoyed, but I don’t think I could consider among the best of the year.

Large Professor – Main Source
The Grouch - Show You the World
C.R.A.C. Knuckles – The Piece Talks
Murs and 9th Wonder – Sweet Lord
Substantial – Sacrifice
tRebleFree - Return of the Dirty Cymbals
Lyrics Born – Everything at Once
Buff-1 – There’s Only One
Median – Relief
Nappy Roots – The Humdinger
Invizzibil Men – The Unveiling
Sadat X – Generation X
Cool Kids – Bake Sale EP
Tanya Morgan – The Bridge EP
Dumhi - Yoga At Home EP
Kirby Dominant – Prostitute EP
Vordhul Mega – Mega Graphitti
Ill Bill – The Hour of Reprisal
Jean Grae and 9th Wonder – Jeanius
Giant Panda – Electric Laser
Statik Selektah - Stick to the Script
Sadat X - Generation X
DJ Babu - Duck Season 3
Nabo Rawk - Teched Out Neanderthals
14kt - The Golden Hour
Mighty Joseph - Empire State
Ice Cube – Raw Footage
Butta Verses - Reality B.V.
C-Rayz Walz - The Dropping
Paris – Acid Reflex


Oh, and special mention goes to Freeway for his Month of Madness series, where he released a song a day from his vaults for free download throughout the month of December. It wasn’t perfect, but there’s enough quality in there to raise my respect for Freeway as an MC.


Most Disappointing albums:

These aren’t necessarily the worst albums of the year, but they’re albums by artists that I expected a lot better from.

1. EPMD – We Mean Business
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. When I was growing up, EPMD represented everything that was good about hip-hop to me: the lyrics, the beats, the scratching, the pass-the-mic-back-and-forth wordplay, the attitude, etc. We Mean Business is the antithesis of all of that. It’s almost worse that the album is dull and forgettable that outright wack. Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith are lyrically outshined by almost every other rapper that makes an appearance on this album, from Redman to KRS-One to Keith Murray to Raekwon to Method Man. These guest verses create the few moments of interest throughout the entire album. The beats, handled almost completely by Erick and Parrish, are as bland as the duo’s lyrics. It was probably better for E & P to stay out of business.

2. Kool Keith – Dr. Dooom 2
Oh how the mighty have fallen, pt. 2. This album demonstrates why Kool Keith never should burn his bridges. One of Kool Keith best and most critically acclaimed albums was First Come, First Served, an album he released 1998 under the name Dr. Dooom, featuring production by Kutmasta Kurt. It was the first of three albums that he collaborated with Kurt over a three-year period. Somewhere along the line, the two fell out, with Keith claiming that he did all the real work in the collabos. Keith has released somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 albums since his split with Kurt, and I’ll be generous in saying two were any good at all. So after realizing that they never should split up in the first place, the two reunited to try to recapture the magic with Dr. Doom 2. Yeah, well, in this case, you can’t go home again. Keith was once the shining example of a rapper that could record new music past his “prime” and still be as good as anyone out there. Now he just sounds old, disinterested, and uninspired He’s become a caricature rather than a character. And the beats are boring too.

3. Common – Universal Mind Control
Rappers simplifying their style to become more accessible is so late 1990s. To call Universal Mind Control a genuine disappointment is kind of a stretch, because Common has moving this direction since at least 2007’s Finding Forever. This used to be one the better concept and punchline rappers in the biz. Now he routinely dumb down his style to double his dollars, but mostly just sounds dumb. I enjoy the electro/”Planet Rock”-esque throwback title track and the Kanye West (sans auto-tune) collabo “Punch Drunk Love.” But it’s a sad day when his “lyrical” track on the album is “Gladiator,” where what passes powerful punchlines is something like, “At any moment opponents will drop out like college.” Dude was clearly spending more time prepping for his role in the fourth Terminator movie when recording this album. Ah well, at least he tries harder than Mos Def.

4. Nas – Untitled
I’ve given up on spending too much time being disappointed in Nas’ output. Untitled is the same as just about very post-Illmatic Nas album: poetic lyrics that hampered by half-baked concepts and, moreover, Nas’ tin-ear for beats and desire to make songs that will appeal to as many people as possible. And the results are pretty much the same too: a poetic but unspectacular album. Untitled falls somewhere in the middle of his catalogue: not as good as Stillmatic or It Was Written, not as bad as Nastradamus or I Am…. However, in 2009 I shouldn’t still be making so many excuses for Mr. Nasir Jones, a guy who really should be the greatest.

5. Kanye West – 808s and Heartbreak
Another case where I can’t even be disappointed, because I wasn’t really expecting much. I don’t even think it’s THAT bad, but it’s certainly not nearly as good as the three Kanye albums that preceded it. That being said, I expect new albums by artists I enjoy to be at least comparable in quality to their previous releases, no matter if they’re “going in different direction.” Different is fine, I just want it to be dope, and 808’s and Heartbreak definitely isn’t dope. I’ve listened to it four or five times, and I still can’t remember anything about the majority of it.



Other genres

Finally, I spent a lot of 2008 listening to new music that wasn’t hip-hop. This is the first year in my life that I’ve ever done that. So, I figured I’d put together a top lists for 2008’s R&B/Soul and Rock, electronica albums. I’m not going to include reviews, but I honestly don’t know if I possess the right musical vocabulary to describe why I like them. But I will say that I enjoyed the respective numbers #1’s in soul and rock just as much as Fun-DMC. Never thought I’d ever see the day where I liked the year’s best rock and soul records as much as I liked the year’s best hip-hop album.

R&B/Soul
1. Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It
2. Al Green – Lay it Down
3. Foreign Exchange – Leave it All Behind
4. John Legend – Evolver
5. Gnarls Barkeley – The Odd Couple
6. Zo! and Tigallo - Zo! and Tigallo Love the '80s
7. Solange Knowles – Sol Angel and Hadley Street Dreams
8. Menahan Street Band - Make the Road By Walking
9. Santogold - Santogold
10. Thicke - Something Else

Rock
1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
2. Ry Cooder - I, Flathead
2. Radiohead – In Rainbows
3. TV on the Radio – Dear Science
4. The Black Keys – Attack and Release
5. Mars Volta – Bedlam in Goliath

Electronica
1. Flying Lotus – Los Angeles
2. Lone – Lemuria
3. Heliocentrics – Out There

The misery has ended: 2008 Oakland A’s Post-Mortem

Well, at least they didn’t lose 90 games.

Finally, the A’s 2008 season of misery has come to an end. Even though we ended the season with fewer wins (and just as many losses) as 2007, this felt like most miserable season since 1997, when they came close to dropping 100 games, and I seriously considered giving up baseball. This year wasn’t as bad as that, but this is the first time in many years that I actually avoided opportunities to go to the ballpark and catch a game. And I must say, just about every time it paid off, as I saved myself from witnessing at least four more humiliating losses that I would have had to endure otherwise.

As evidenced by the record, the A’s weren’t very good this year. There are no good 75-86 teams. No team that started Jack Cust in 148 and Jack Hannahan in 143 games can ever be any good. Despite their obvious deficiencies, the A’s messed around and made me optimistic for a respectable finish somewhere around the middle of the season. When they got excruciatingly awful post All-Star Break, they made me feel like a moron. And just when it looked like they were go some life in early September, and looked like they were going to finish the season with a lil’ bit of dignity, they fall flat on their faces again. The A’s completely boned their chances of finishing the season in distant second in the AL West by dropping two out of three to Texas, and then finished the season by getting swept by the worst team in baseball. Not exactly an inspirational showing by a plucky young team.

But it was readily apparent by the weekend before the All-Star Break this season was all about setting up for the next few years. And I’m still not convinced that this is like the 1998 season, the last time it looked like we were awful, but had the potential to do eventually do something. I won’t rehash too much who should stay or go (I’ve done that like four times this season on here), but I think an outfield of Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Sweeney, and Cliff Pennington, is probably, well, something. Kurt Suzuki is just as good as most catchers starting in the AL. On the pitching, Greg Smith and Dana Eveland obviously hit their rookie walls, but the former won’t lose 16 games again, and the later looked pretty good when he got back from the minors. And while Gio Gonzalez didn’t look nearly as good as advertised, the much-maligned Dallas Braden looked markedly improved. With a healthy Duchscherer, the starting staff might be good next year.

As for needs, well, it’s obvious a right-handed power hitter would be really nice, but the don’t exactly grow on trees, and I don’t think we’ve got the pieces or the inclination to trade for one. There’s a lot of talk of bringing the obviously left-handed Jason Giambi back, which is fine I guess. I’ll take anyone who doesn’t strike out close to 200 times a season.

Which bring me to the A’s greatest need: their need not to bring back Jack Cust as an everyday player. Please, for the love of all things holy, just let this putz go away. Even with his 33 HRs this year, he couldn’t carry Rob Deer’s jock-strap in a suitcase. I’d bring back injury-prone Big Frank over Cust. Hell, I’d bring Mike Sweeney out of retirement before giving Cust a chance to make more money off the team via arbitration.

While this was not a fun season by any definition, at least it’s over. Though I wouldn’t ever say I’m optimistic about the future, I can say with some confidence that I don’t think next year we’ll be as bad as we were this year.

Politics from the Inside

There are many, many things I do not like about Republicans running for national office, especially the highest two offices in the land. In general, they’re a smarmy, smug, hypocritical, lying, and outright evil bunch. It should probably say something that as politically, morally, and intellectually deficient as I find John McCain and Sarah Palin to be, they're probably the second least annoying of the Republican Presidential tickets I've seen in my lifetime (Bob Dole and Jack Kemp were slightly less insipid). Yet, like every other Republican jack-ass that’s aspired to be or has been the president or vice-president, McCain and Palin position themselves as the “OUTSIDERS,” untouched and unspoiled by the “Washington Elite.”

It’s complete Bush League bullshit. And it is always untrue. There are NO outsiders that get elected to anything, anywhere in this country, on any level of politics, be it national, statewide, or local. I’ve known and been friends with a few elected officials in my life, even some Republicans, and not one was an “outsider.” They were deeply involved in the town, city, or region where they were running for office, and were well connected to people and organization all over the state. They were ambitious, intelligent folks who were well-aware of how things worked inside and outside their region. And I’m not talking about having their hands in the pockets of every developer that came along: they knew how to work the political system in order to best serve their communities in their way they knew how.

Which is why I feel strangling someone every time I hear some Republican Presidential candidate glibly spew his or her outsider credentials. It’s an outright lie. There is no way to get elected to the U.S. Senate, much less serve for 26 years, and still be a MAVERICK. And there’s certainly no way to run for President, much less earn the votes to be at the top of ticket. What, you think the RNC would get behind someone who’s served almost three decades as a Senator and been an outsider their entire career? That would mean they literally accomplished zilch during their time in office, being a complete and total outsider and all. And MCain assures as all of his long and distinguished record of service as a Senator. Sorry Abe (as in Simpson), you can’t have it both ways.

And Governor Sarah Palin can go shit in a hat with her continued her nonsense. George W. Bush spent his 2000 campaign railing that while Al Gore was “for and of Washington,” while he, as a Governor, had no meaningful political connection to the city. This is from a guy whose father was also President of the United States. Let me reiterate you do not get elected to be Governor of any state without being well-connected to Washington D.C. And that includes Alaska. I guarantee you that even when Palin was elected to be the mayor of Moose Fuck, Alaska, population 9,000, she was well-connected to everyone who was anyone in that state. So miss me with all this outsider bullshit.

I’ve also known a few, real, genuine outsiders that have run for elected office, and all, save one, were completely worthless as candidates. Just about all were clueless as to how things really worked in their cities or communities, and lacked basic understanding of what it meant to be a council-person, mayor, representative or whatever. I have serious suspicions that one of these "outsiders" was actually mentally challenged. Not one was fit to hold an elected office. And the voters recognized this in every instance. Why people continue to fall for the okey-doke on the national level is beyond my understanding. But what I do understand is a “political outsider” is a synonym for “amateur.”

Album Review: Ice Cube - Raw Footage

Grade: B

The last time I drove home from the record store, I did something I hadn’t done in a very long time: I opened up a CD I just bought and immediately put it in my deck to listen to on the way home. There’s very little material that comes out these days that can excite me like that. What was even more surprising to me is that the album that inspired me was Raw Footage by Ice Cube. At one time my favorite rapper, Cube is someone who I hadn't cared about musically since I was in college. The best thing he's has his name on the past 15 years with Three Kings. And while the album isn’t a throwback to Cube’s golden age, it’s better than I ever realistically could have hoped it would be, and probably as good as he could be expected to have released.

It’s no secret that hip-hop artists do not age well. Ice Cube is no exception. Twenty years ago (damn, did I just type that?), Ice Cube was undoubtedly one of the baddest motherfuckas on the planet. Now, as The Boondocks cartoon noted, he’s mostly known as the guy who does family films. Bad ones at that. Not so coincidentally, his latest one bombed over the weekend. The last time I bought a full-length album of original material by my once favorite rapper was 15 years ago (damn, did I just type that?). Sadly, Cube hadn’t much in the way of good music between then and now: a pair of concept albums (War and Peace), two ill-conceived albums with the “super-group” Westside Connection, one aborted N.W.A. reunion, and one uneven independent album, Laugh Now, Cry Later.

But Cube has bucked the odds, and creates a solid album with Raw Footage. Is it outstanding? No. Does it make you forget about the bullshit that he pumped out for the last decade or so? No. But it does show that Cube still has the ability to craft dope songs, a cohesive album, and be a different sort of bad motherfucka, all while staying “raw as a dirty needle.”

One reason Raw Footage is successful is because Cube lyrically doesn’t try too hard to remake himself to be “relevant” to 16-yea-olds. There’s little more painful to watch these days than rappers in their late thirties or early forties trying to be young and hip. As one of the few rappers that has actually achieved lasting success inside and outside hip-hop, Cube doesn’t spend Raw Footage bragging about his riches. He spends much of the album saying how unimpressed he is with the crop of “bling” rappers flossing on Cribs and making jackasses of themselves.

There are moments of Raw Footage where Cube’s progression over the last 20 year is crystal clear. Cube spits fire on “It Takes a Nation,” “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” and “Here He Come,” where Cube damn near recaptures his golden age magic. “Get Used To It,” featuring WC and The Game, is another winner; the track is remarkable in the sense that The Game doesn’t came off like a whiny bitch. Cube also spends time rapping about hope, closing the album with the fairly inspiring “Stand Tall” and “Take Me Away,” and are only minimal in their heavy-handedness (a Hilary Clinton dis is unnecessary at this point).

The album isn’t perfect. The album actually begins on a sour note with “I Got My Locs On,” a dull track featuring Young Jeezy. Another is “Why Me?” featuring the vocal stylings of Musiq Soulchild. I’m sorry, but songs with R&B crooners, much less neo-soul singers, have NO place on an Ice Cube album. The production is also a weak spot, as too many tracks lay on thick layers of heavy keyboards and synths. It’s not offensively bad, but it’s pretty generic fare, best suited for rappers with “Lil’” or “Yung” in front of their names. There’s also an inordinate amount of Don Imus references, which seem really dated after only a year or so.

In a perfect world, Raw Footage would been a complete return to form for a revitalized Ice Cube, once again ready to put his foot squarely in the collective asses of the American power structure. And while I’m aware this isn’t a perfect world, it puts a smile on my face that Cube still has the ability to make good music and kick a little ass when he wants too. And in this world of lowered expectations, I’m happy enough with my once favorite rapper releasing something respectable 15 years past his prime.