The TIME Barrier.
- Thread starter luka
- Start date
CORP$EY
no mickey mouse ting
it's an interesting way to think about rap music, actually - someone like freddie gibbs, say, is closed system, while kendrick is open system
there's obviously a much bigger range of flows for modern rappers to use, but isn't there something lost in being so open? some loss of discipline. kendrick lamar can rap in whatever way he likes, he's open system, and maybe a more interesting artist than kool g rap, but a better rapper? i'm one of those who wish he'd stick to just rapping more
OTOH kool g rap obviously has something else going on other than lyrics/flow cos Necro rips him off shamelessly and sounds like sylvester the cat and talks about nerdy splatter movie murders
it's the voice isn't it - kendrick's annoying affected voices are what really grate about him. whereas necro has an annoying voice without even trying. EDIT: although actually thinking about it he's probably doing a bit of a kool g rap impersonation.
there's obviously a much bigger range of flows for modern rappers to use, but isn't there something lost in being so open? some loss of discipline. kendrick lamar can rap in whatever way he likes, he's open system, and maybe a more interesting artist than kool g rap, but a better rapper? i'm one of those who wish he'd stick to just rapping more
OTOH kool g rap obviously has something else going on other than lyrics/flow cos Necro rips him off shamelessly and sounds like sylvester the cat and talks about nerdy splatter movie murders
it's the voice isn't it - kendrick's annoying affected voices are what really grate about him. whereas necro has an annoying voice without even trying. EDIT: although actually thinking about it he's probably doing a bit of a kool g rap impersonation.
luka
Well-known member
this is the other thing. mf doom is partly so awful despite being 'technical' cos he just says any old shit whereas nas can be technical and tell a story t the same time. it's much more advanced
luka
Well-known member
Rappers, I monkey flip 'em, with the funky rhythm I be kickin'
Musician, inflictin' composition of pain
I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine
Holdin' an M16, see with the pen I'm extreme
Now, bullet holes left in my peepholes
I'm suited up in street clothes
Hand me a 9 and I'll defeat foes
Y'all know my steelo with or without the airplay
I keep some E&J, sittin' bent up in the stairway
Or either on the corner bettin' Grants with the cee-lo champs
Laughin' at baseheads tryna sell some broken amps
G-packs get off quick, forever niggas talk shit
Reminiscin' about the last time the task force flipped
Niggas be runnin' through the block shootin'
Time to start the revolution, catch a body, head for Houston
Once they caught us off-guard, the MAC-10 was in the grass and
I ran like a cheetah, with thoughts of an assassin
Picked the MAC up, told brothers, "Back up!" — the MAC spit
Lead was hittin' niggas, one ran, I made him backflip
Heard a few chicks scream, my arm shook, couldn't look
Gave another squeeze, heard it click, "Yo, my shit is stuck!"
Try to cock it, it wouldn't shoot, now I'm in danger
Finally pulled it back and saw
Three bullets caught up in the chamber
So now I'm jettin' to the building lobby
And it was full of children prob'ly, couldn't see as high as I be
(So what you sayin'?) It's like the game ain't the same
Got younger niggas pullin' the triggers, bringin' fame to their name
And claim some corners, crews without guns are goners
In broad daylight, stick-up kids, they run up on us
45's and gauges, MAC's in fact
Same niggas will catch you back-to-back
Snatchin' your cracks in black
There was a snitch on the block gettin' niggas knocked
So hold your stash 'til the coke price drop
I know this crackhead who said she got to smoke nice rock
And if it's good, she'll bring you customers in measuring pots
But yo, you gotta slide on a vacation
Inside information keeps large niggas erasin' and their wives basin'
It drops deep as it does in my breath
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is defined
I think of crime when I'm in a New York state of mind
_____________________________
I'm on the verge of commitin murder
My girl is gettin on my last nerve and I don't wanna hurt her
She wants me to get a job
I get harassed cause I'm laying on my ass like a big slob
But everywhere I go, I get rejected
They won't hire a motherfucker with a jail record
So the least I could do, is look presentable
But I'm labelled by the city as a criminal
They won't give me no slack, Jack
And I got one strike against me already because my skin is black
See I'm irrelevant to Help Wanted signs
And they wonder why niggas commit crimes
My girl pays the rent gas and light
Goes to class at days and works at night
I'm tryin' to get some money I can hand to her
But I ain't with bein a motherfuckin' janitor
Plus I got my little nigga
And I'm tryin' my best to be the right kind of father figure
But my hands is startin' to shake
I'm tryin to hold my head because I'm reachin' for the thirty-eight
I pick it up, man, fuck it
I gotta go out and hit the street and get some ducats
Lookin for somethin' to hit
I throw on my hood, cause I'm about to do some stupid shit
I step in the Seven-Eleven
"Come fast with the cash or get your ass sent to heaven"
He musta' hit the alarm, cause I'm perspirin'
Cause now I'm hearin' motherfuckin' sirens
I tried to run out, three thousand decent
Next thing I know, I'm sittin' in a fuckin' precinct
For tryin to feed a family
I need rubber walls, cause I'm fallin off the edge of sanity
Musician, inflictin' composition of pain
I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine
Holdin' an M16, see with the pen I'm extreme
Now, bullet holes left in my peepholes
I'm suited up in street clothes
Hand me a 9 and I'll defeat foes
Y'all know my steelo with or without the airplay
I keep some E&J, sittin' bent up in the stairway
Or either on the corner bettin' Grants with the cee-lo champs
Laughin' at baseheads tryna sell some broken amps
G-packs get off quick, forever niggas talk shit
Reminiscin' about the last time the task force flipped
Niggas be runnin' through the block shootin'
Time to start the revolution, catch a body, head for Houston
Once they caught us off-guard, the MAC-10 was in the grass and
I ran like a cheetah, with thoughts of an assassin
Picked the MAC up, told brothers, "Back up!" — the MAC spit
Lead was hittin' niggas, one ran, I made him backflip
Heard a few chicks scream, my arm shook, couldn't look
Gave another squeeze, heard it click, "Yo, my shit is stuck!"
Try to cock it, it wouldn't shoot, now I'm in danger
Finally pulled it back and saw
Three bullets caught up in the chamber
So now I'm jettin' to the building lobby
And it was full of children prob'ly, couldn't see as high as I be
(So what you sayin'?) It's like the game ain't the same
Got younger niggas pullin' the triggers, bringin' fame to their name
And claim some corners, crews without guns are goners
In broad daylight, stick-up kids, they run up on us
45's and gauges, MAC's in fact
Same niggas will catch you back-to-back
Snatchin' your cracks in black
There was a snitch on the block gettin' niggas knocked
So hold your stash 'til the coke price drop
I know this crackhead who said she got to smoke nice rock
And if it's good, she'll bring you customers in measuring pots
But yo, you gotta slide on a vacation
Inside information keeps large niggas erasin' and their wives basin'
It drops deep as it does in my breath
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is defined
I think of crime when I'm in a New York state of mind
_____________________________
I'm on the verge of commitin murder
My girl is gettin on my last nerve and I don't wanna hurt her
She wants me to get a job
I get harassed cause I'm laying on my ass like a big slob
But everywhere I go, I get rejected
They won't hire a motherfucker with a jail record
So the least I could do, is look presentable
But I'm labelled by the city as a criminal
They won't give me no slack, Jack
And I got one strike against me already because my skin is black
See I'm irrelevant to Help Wanted signs
And they wonder why niggas commit crimes
My girl pays the rent gas and light
Goes to class at days and works at night
I'm tryin' to get some money I can hand to her
But I ain't with bein a motherfuckin' janitor
Plus I got my little nigga
And I'm tryin' my best to be the right kind of father figure
But my hands is startin' to shake
I'm tryin to hold my head because I'm reachin' for the thirty-eight
I pick it up, man, fuck it
I gotta go out and hit the street and get some ducats
Lookin for somethin' to hit
I throw on my hood, cause I'm about to do some stupid shit
I step in the Seven-Eleven
"Come fast with the cash or get your ass sent to heaven"
He musta' hit the alarm, cause I'm perspirin'
Cause now I'm hearin' motherfuckin' sirens
I tried to run out, three thousand decent
Next thing I know, I'm sittin' in a fuckin' precinct
For tryin to feed a family
I need rubber walls, cause I'm fallin off the edge of sanity
CORP$EY
no mickey mouse ting
also, i know you probably have always hated eminem but he definitely made a transition from a closed system (AZ aping) rapper on 'infinite' to a more open system rapper on 'SSLP'/'MMLP' to a closed system rapper who became only notable for his technical prowess at stringing words together ('the way i am' being the first demonstration of the new raging robot style)
i reckon the most impressive rappers are those who adhere to a closed system but are able to easily, fluidly and consistently slip out of it. that's why eminem's viruosity on his first two (mainstream) albums was so much more impressive than his virtuosity on 'rap god', say (leaving aside the annoying voice)
i reckon the most impressive rappers are those who adhere to a closed system but are able to easily, fluidly and consistently slip out of it. that's why eminem's viruosity on his first two (mainstream) albums was so much more impressive than his virtuosity on 'rap god', say (leaving aside the annoying voice)
luka
Well-known member
just something i thought of while in the shower, not ignoring you corpse
with g rap (and nas) the pyrotechnics are in the service of the theme or narrative but when eminem and big pun take that style and exaggerate it to a cartoon the pyrotechnics become the whole point.
Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know
That we riddled two middlemen who didn't do diddly
is a great lyric and it sort of means something but the meaning is secondary to the sound effects. with those two everything is about the hiss and pop and squelch of words and the relationships between words. it's like (and i feel like barty doing a 'like modal jazz' here) hopkins. where the verse is all about the sound fx
I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
with g rap (and nas) the pyrotechnics are in the service of the theme or narrative but when eminem and big pun take that style and exaggerate it to a cartoon the pyrotechnics become the whole point.
Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know
That we riddled two middlemen who didn't do diddly
is a great lyric and it sort of means something but the meaning is secondary to the sound effects. with those two everything is about the hiss and pop and squelch of words and the relationships between words. it's like (and i feel like barty doing a 'like modal jazz' here) hopkins. where the verse is all about the sound fx
I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
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CORP$EY
no mickey mouse ting
Even on the same album you can see the difference
'Dear Slim, I wrote you, but you still ain't callin'
I left my cell, my pager and my home phone at the bottom
I sent two letters back in autumn
You must not've got 'em
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin'
Like 'there probably was a problem at the post office or somethin' is a technically impressive line but it also sounds like something somebody ('STAN' in this case) could say 'accidentally'.
I sit back, with this pack, of zigzags
And this bag, of this weed
It gives me, the shit needed to be, the most meanest MC on this
On this earth 'cause since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
And it sells and it helps in its self to relieve
All this tension dispensing me, sentence is getting it [THIS IS WRONG]
The stress has been eating me, recently
Off of this chest and I rest to get peacefully
Whereas this is deliberately artifical and super structured (although arguably it works because its almost about pounding the message into the heads of the people who misunderstand him)
'Dear Slim, I wrote you, but you still ain't callin'
I left my cell, my pager and my home phone at the bottom
I sent two letters back in autumn
You must not've got 'em
There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin'
Like 'there probably was a problem at the post office or somethin' is a technically impressive line but it also sounds like something somebody ('STAN' in this case) could say 'accidentally'.
I sit back, with this pack, of zigzags
And this bag, of this weed
It gives me, the shit needed to be, the most meanest MC on this
On this earth 'cause since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works
And it sells and it helps in its self to relieve
All this tension dispensing me, sentence is getting it [THIS IS WRONG]
The stress has been eating me, recently
Off of this chest and I rest to get peacefully
Whereas this is deliberately artifical and super structured (although arguably it works because its almost about pounding the message into the heads of the people who misunderstand him)
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padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
put me in mind of this
almost the polar opposite of the Scuba thing, in part b/c it's not just a collection of rave golden age signifers but also an evocation of the more universal experience of being on the cusp of adulthood, fucking around with your friends, creating the kind of memories you'll look wistfully back on 10, 20 years later. which after all is what people are really reflecting on. I also like how it manages to condense 20 years of nuum history into something that sounds contemporary (well 2010 contemporary) and not just like a pastiche. tbh I've always kinda thought that Zomby record sucked. plus how can you go wrong with Shola Ama.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
the Scuba thing reminds me of a shitty Hollywood movie trying to evoke the 60s with bellbottoms, flowers, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Doors, etc
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
any excuse to post my favorite rave era music video
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
talk about bring a tear to your eye
it's like the rave version of The Clash coming to New York + doing The Magnificent Seven
it's like the rave version of The Clash coming to New York + doing The Magnificent Seven
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
at the risk of ridicule by true London OGs like luka, I think a couple of tracks off the 1st Streets LP also do a nice job of evoking rave nostalgia in a good way
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
before I forget if you/anyone wants to see Madchester nostalgia well done, can't recommend This is England 90 highly enough
the scene where they dance to Fools Gold at the provincial club night isn't on YT but this is
actually the whole This Is England saga is pretty much a masterclass in British pop culture nostalgia of the highest order
blissblogger
Well-known member
yes because "Weak Become Heroes" is also saying something about the present - life after the dream
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
it took you guys long enough to get there but this is the essence of the greatness of Rakim I think
you could argue his influence was more delayed than Kool G Rap. lyrically lyrical stuff was done to death by the late 90s but lotta more recent things fuck with that kinda illusion