Freddie C

Live Blogging the MTV Video Music Awards 2009!

by Freddie C September 13, 2009 The Show

If you’re at home watching MTV’s 2009 Video Music Awards and you’re looking for some commentary, you’ve come to the right spot. Kev gave me the go ahead to LIVE BLOG the entire show with my roommates from our pad here in San Diego. Hit the jump at 9pm Pacific Time for the party and [...]

Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…PT. II

by Freddie C September 11, 2009 Music Reviews

There’s an old adage that states that the sequel is seldom better than the original. Godfather II, Shrek 2, and The Dark Knight are some obvious examples that contradict that way of thinking. But for every X-Men 2, two Spiderman 3’s get made. So far, rap sequels haven’t measured up that well, either. For example, [...]

Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…

by Freddie C September 10, 2009 Music Reviews

The Wu-Tang Clan enjoyed unprecedented success as a group and as individual members during the early-mid-90s, finding massive success and critical acclaim with their debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and successive solo albums from Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah. Arguably, the album that stands out the most from that group [...]

Top 25 Jay-Z Songs

by Freddie C September 7, 2009 Eleven Days of Jay

Jay-Z is one of the rare MC’s to drop multiple classic albums. It’s even rarer that he drops them during different eras in hip-hop. His 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt came during the end of hip-hop’s Golden Era from the mid-80s until the mid-90s. Backed by Kanye West and Just Blaze, his soul-influenced 2001 album [...]

Jay-Z: Song Cry (The Lyrics)

by Freddie C September 6, 2009 Eleven Days of Jay

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“Song Cry” is Jay-Z at his realest. It’s hard to find a rapper who would willingly cast aside their baller/gangster/mafioso persona and put their real-life problems on wax. Sure, he distances himself by saying he has to make the song cry because he can’t, but the last verse is pure sorrow, saying he’ll mourn and [...]

Cam’ron: Crime Pays

by Freddie C July 25, 2009 Music Reviews

Back in the summer of 2007, Cam’ron was busy ducking 50 Cent’s verbal barrage. These attacks usually coincide with the release of a 50 Cent album (in this case, the half-hearted effort known as Curtis). He responded to 50’s smack talk by appearing in a video in his boxers and chilling near a pool, [...]

DJ Quik and Kurupt: BlaQKout

by Freddie C July 1, 2009 Music Reviews

It’s been a good 13 years since the West Coast dominated hip-hop, and almost that long since it was even deemed relevant. As the Pacific eagerly awaits the rise of its young stars such as Blu and Nipsey Hussle to return it to the glory days, it also relies on its veterans to contribute to [...]

Eminem: Relapse

by Freddie C May 18, 2009 Music Reviews

Five years ago was when we last heard an Eminem album (if you don’t count The Re-Up). Starting with his critically-panned Encore, Eminem went into a downward spiral that included the cancellation of the European leg of his Anger Management tour, his second divorce from the infamous Kim, and the tragic death of best friend [...]

Rick Ross: Deeper than Rap

by Freddie C May 14, 2009 Music Reviews

Rick Ross has certainly had a whirlwind of controversy surrounding him, perhaps since he blew up with Port of Miami. He had legions of fans believing he was this huge cocaine kingpin, playing to his “boss” persona. This bubble famously burst when he was exposed for being (gasp!) a corrections officer with no ties to [...]

J Wells: Digital Master Vol 2.1

by Freddie C April 3, 2009 Music Reviews

Producer J Wells has been active in hip-hop since he was 16, starting with his own group, Rocswell. Since then, he’s had success with working with some of the West Coast’s most illustrious MC’s, including Snoop Doggy Dogg and Kurupt, and was inducted into the legendary collective known as the Likwit Crew. His productions have [...]

N.W.A: Straight Outta Compton

by Freddie C April 3, 2009 Music Reviews

South Central Los Angeles in the 1980s and the early 1990s was a hotbed of hip-hop talent, much as it is now. It was also a hotbed of gang violence, police brutality, economic despair, and the lasting effects of the crack epidemic. From those ashes rose the rap group N.W.A, a super group composed of [...]

B-Real: Smoke N Mirrors

by Freddie C April 2, 2009 Music Reviews

B-Real, the longtime frontman of West Coast legends Cypress Hill, has gone the way of fellow members DJ Muggs, Eric Bob, and Sen Dog by dropping a solo album. B-Real’s debut on Duck Down Records, home to backpack favorites Boot Camp Clik, sticks to the formula of the Hill aesthetic. Smoke N Mirrors looks like [...]

At The Movies: Boyz N The Hood

by Freddie C March 31, 2009 Movie Reviews

Directed by John Singleton Starring Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Nia Long, Morris Chestnut During the early and mid-90s, Hollywood saw a number of movies dedicated to showing the experiences of young black men growing up in the ghetto, most notably New Jack City, Menace II Society, Juice, and, to a lesser extent, [...]

Misinterpretations and Realities of the West Coast: Background of the Attitude

by Freddie C March 30, 2009 Exclusive

Hip-hop dates back to 1979, but for me, it started in 1995, when I officially discovered hip-hop. I had been given a tape of Regulate…G-Funk Era, Warren G’s debut with the old West Coast anthem, “Regulators”. I fell in love with “Regulators”, “Do You See”, and “This DJ”. From there, I started listening to KSFM [...]

DOOM: Born Like This

by Freddie C March 24, 2009 Music Reviews

As a rapper of many names and identities, the man originally known as Daniel Dumile has changed it up, yet again. After finding success as MF Doom, he’s going as just DOOM for his new album, Born Like This. Loosely sticking to a formula that produced numerous critically-acclaimed albums, Born Like This keeps the short [...]

Capone-N-Noreaga: Channel 10

by Freddie C March 17, 2009 Music Reviews

“From Iraq to Kuwait word up, desert station, regulation, CNN Channel 10 once again, what what.” – Capone-N-Noreaga, “T.O.N.Y.” It is, once again, Channel 10. Capone-N-Noreaga, aka CNN, have returned from a seven-year hiatus. Either that, or Capone must have just gotten out of prison. Regardless, the Queensbridge duo who combined the Gulf War with [...]

Braille & Symbolyc One: Cloud Nineteen

by Freddie C March 11, 2009 Music Reviews

Braille, by definition, is a way for the blind to read, to learn, to be educated, and to “see” the message in front of them. Braille, the Portland MC, alongside S1, the Strange Fruit Project beatsmith, serves as a similar function. On their album Cloud Nineteen, the duo is armed with uplifting, God-centered lyrics and [...]

Zion I: The Take Over

by Freddie C March 6, 2009 Music Reviews

Zion I‘s debut, 2000′s critically-acclaimed Mind Over Matter, was hailed as the debut of one the most exciting MC/producer teams in underground hip-hop. With Zumbi‘s conscious raps and Amp Live‘s futuristic production, Zion I immediately cultivated a following, stretching from their home base in Oakland to all around the world. The group found success again [...]

Common Market: Tobacco Road

by Freddie C March 5, 2009 Music Reviews

Seattle’s most famous market is the Pike Place Fish Market, a place where it’s always raining and guys wrap fish in newspapers and throw them at you. As fun as that sounds, I prefer Seattle’s lesser-known market: Common Market, the hip-hop duo made of producer Sabzi (of Blue Scholars fame) and emcee RA Scion (like [...]

Joe Budden – Padded Room

by Freddie C February 26, 2009 Music Reviews

It’s been six years since Joe Budden dropped his eponymous debut LP. During the delay, he’s graced us with his acclaimed Mood Muzik series and diss tracks aimed at Ransom to hold us over until the next album offering. He makes his long-awaited return by strapping himself into a straight jacket and putting on the [...]

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