Greetings,
This blog has been created solely for the purpose of highlighting an art form that I find fascinating, which is hip-hop, specifically boom bap. I don't need to bore you with why I specifically chose boom bap, as I enjoy quite the array of different music, but there's something about it that connected to me in a major way opposed to other kinds of rap, beginning with 'The Monstars Anthem' off the Space Jam soundtrack.
Of course I did not plunge into boom bap straight away, but, save for quite a few Eminem songs, a series of very crucial video games in my adolescent life sparked an interest that seemed to grow every time I was exposed to this music, starting with Twisted Metal 4 & GTA III going through the first two Def Jam wrestling games, various games from the GTA series: especially Liberty City Stories & the '05 title True Crime: New York City. So, basically I was a gamer first. Then following an amazing experience with Danish rap group Outlandish and an unhealthy obsession with the first two Linkin Park albums (including that Reanimation remix album) and Fort Minor, Wikipedia & YouTube came to prominence in my life, so I gradually developed into quite the junkie, etching massive playlists into my memory via the coveted 'Repeat' option on my iPod, during the course of which I found a great deal of overlooked art and discovered the wonders of certain hip-hop classics for the first time, like many before me.
The format of choosing reviews shall be as follows: I'll choose a rap act or movement (which will mostly be from the 90s but nothing is set in stone), e.g. The original Hit Squad, Boot Camp Clik, DITC, etc, then I'll review a select portion of their discography that I've heard, usually the portion I've connected with the most. I'm the only one who will choose said portion, so requesting a certain album will only be met if I connected with said album enough to review it. How long I've listened to the album is not an issue: I might hear an album and review it next week. I might've heard an album for years yet choose to never review it. I will NOT review albums I have not heard, no matter their "classic" status. I will NOT move to another rap act or movement until I finish the one I've started, which might take a while, in some cases. (I'm fully aware that I might be shooting myself in the foot here.) The review format is one I borrowed from another quite famous blog called Hip Hop Isn't Dead, so kudos to blogger Max for the inspiration. It will be in a track-by-track format that I'll conclude with my final thoughts and a decision if the album is worth it, by it I mean your time. I might add some tracks to track down, depending on the album.
Important note: I reject any description of misogyny in hip hop. So much so that I almost want to brand any misogynistic song I come across in any of my future reviews as 'misogynistic crap', in small letters. 'Cause I'm an asshole. Nevertheless, that would be lazy on my part, and that's unfair to anyone who might read the review.
This blog is my attempt at sharing with you my experience
All the best,
This blog has been created solely for the purpose of highlighting an art form that I find fascinating, which is hip-hop, specifically boom bap. I don't need to bore you with why I specifically chose boom bap, as I enjoy quite the array of different music, but there's something about it that connected to me in a major way opposed to other kinds of rap, beginning with 'The Monstars Anthem' off the Space Jam soundtrack.
Of course I did not plunge into boom bap straight away, but, save for quite a few Eminem songs, a series of very crucial video games in my adolescent life sparked an interest that seemed to grow every time I was exposed to this music, starting with Twisted Metal 4 & GTA III going through the first two Def Jam wrestling games, various games from the GTA series: especially Liberty City Stories & the '05 title True Crime: New York City. So, basically I was a gamer first. Then following an amazing experience with Danish rap group Outlandish and an unhealthy obsession with the first two Linkin Park albums (including that Reanimation remix album) and Fort Minor, Wikipedia & YouTube came to prominence in my life, so I gradually developed into quite the junkie, etching massive playlists into my memory via the coveted 'Repeat' option on my iPod, during the course of which I found a great deal of overlooked art and discovered the wonders of certain hip-hop classics for the first time, like many before me.
The format of choosing reviews shall be as follows: I'll choose a rap act or movement (which will mostly be from the 90s but nothing is set in stone), e.g. The original Hit Squad, Boot Camp Clik, DITC, etc, then I'll review a select portion of their discography that I've heard, usually the portion I've connected with the most. I'm the only one who will choose said portion, so requesting a certain album will only be met if I connected with said album enough to review it. How long I've listened to the album is not an issue: I might hear an album and review it next week. I might've heard an album for years yet choose to never review it. I will NOT review albums I have not heard, no matter their "classic" status. I will NOT move to another rap act or movement until I finish the one I've started, which might take a while, in some cases. (I'm fully aware that I might be shooting myself in the foot here.) The review format is one I borrowed from another quite famous blog called Hip Hop Isn't Dead, so kudos to blogger Max for the inspiration. It will be in a track-by-track format that I'll conclude with my final thoughts and a decision if the album is worth it, by it I mean your time. I might add some tracks to track down, depending on the album.
Important note: I reject any description of misogyny in hip hop. So much so that I almost want to brand any misogynistic song I come across in any of my future reviews as 'misogynistic crap', in small letters. 'Cause I'm an asshole. Nevertheless, that would be lazy on my part, and that's unfair to anyone who might read the review.
This blog is my attempt at sharing with you my experience
All the best,
Believe me, committing to such a specific project will be shooting yourself in the foot. That's why I'm where I'm at with the blog today. But I wish you the best of luck. This format is quite helpful with discovering new favorites or finding out new things about old standbys.
ReplyDeleteI see your point, but I'm not bullshitting when I say: that's the only way I can write. I've tried other ways but they simply didn't work. Regarding your second point, I completely agree.
DeleteHi, I recently discovered your blog (and I'm trying to read through it all, a long task!)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I want to tell you that I appreciate it very much, I found the reviews very deep and competent and also funny!
I also have a hip hop blog, you can find it at hiphopdailyhits.blogspot.com
I think we have similar target because we like the same kind of music.
If you appreciate my blog too, I want to ask you if we can collaborate in some ways, maybe just linked each other site with a banner of similar, or maybe we can find other ideas.
If you want you can reach me at dailyhiphopblog@gmail.com
Bye
Stefano