questions you are dying to ask but are too scared to b/c of music nerd cred?

[hint]

It's pretty obvious when something is a true freestyle - it's usually awful and contains lots of padding.

There's a UK MC who keeps popping up on Channel U, touring the streets of the US and challenging MCs to freestyle battles... the one battle I remember is the one where he gets stuck starting every other line with the phrase "I'm about to tell these guys...", while he struggles to think of punchlines with which to diss the other MC's mum or whatever. That's freestyling.

99% of the time, when the word "freestyle" is used in either Hip Hop or Grime, it refers to pre-written bars being performed over someone else's beat. The only aspect that might be called "free" is the process of MCs choosing which pre-written bars will best suit whatever beat is thrown in front of them. This is by no means straightforward, but it's much more straightforward than making up everything you say on the spot.

 

[Logan Sama]

As is it infinitely easier to make up everything you say on the spot at 110bpm compared to 140bpm.

If I ever met anyone who could coherently concoct lyrics at will at 140bpm I would kneel before them like Zod

 

[Ned]

It's pretty obvious when something is a true freestyle - it's usually awful and contains lots of padding.

The only 'genuine' freestyle I've got on CD is one on the Solesides/Quannum Projects compilation that Ninja Tune put out - that one is so bad (making up the word 'gasly' to rhyme with 'nasty') that you wonder what the ones that didn't make the cut must have been like.

 

[michael]

Good bit from Wu-Tang's GZA about freestyling from this interview:

What I grew up to know as freestyle didn’t mean off the head. So freestyle was never about that for myself, it was just rhyming about no particular subject. I’m not a great off the head rhymer. I really don’t do that. I don’t have skills. I’m spontaneous but I don’t really get down like that. I like to write and craft my work. I think a lot of freestyle stuff or off the head stuff is corny nowadays. It just be killing me sometimes like usually I’m doing a show and someone is screaming out ‘freestyle!’ cuz they want to hear me say something off the head. Not saying I don’t respect that because I heard one or two cats in the whole history of emceeing that was really nice off the head. Everything else was just bullshit to me. I watch BET freestyle Fridays and I’m like this is ridiculous man. They’d rather have two dudes come on and go off the head and not curse. Go off the head and not curse which is hard for a lot of emcees period. I don’t really respect that. I’d rather hear something well written unless you are really spitting something off the head that’s sounding alright. Especially the movie 8 Mile, it was a good flick but it brought more of that freestyle stuff out which really just messed it up. Now the majority of kids who battle are like ‘Look at your shoes kid’ and that shit is annoying. All these corny similes and fake metaphors are kinda weak.

 

[tate]

Question for Logan, Stelfox, anyone who might want to answer . . . how would you characterize what Dizzee was doing in the session with the Grit Boys in Houston on KPFT, April '05 (i.e., freestyling, etc)? Obviously some of it was worked out ahead of time, esp the "on top above all . . ." bars where Dizzee's hype man (Scope, I think) was rhyming with him. But the rest of it?

 

[C/Dizzle]

Great topic!

read the first few pages, plenty of things that had puzzled me...
VIP, just to clarify, is a remix? An exclusive one that sometimes gets released?



Other things, like genres, are SO hard to explain to people who aren't into the music at all.
Try getting through Dancehall, Dub, 2-step, Broken Beat and Dubstep, with someone who
listens to rock and has only heard of Bob Marley.


hahaha

 

[Kate Mossad]

He means Niagara, the krautrock group. But all the references are bull, right?

Hmm... I thought it was the 80s French electro-pop duo, comparisons made with the Eurythmics, but I guess the mention of "German imports" blows that one out the water

 

[Don Rosco]

read the first few pages, plenty of things that had puzzled me...
VIP, just to clarify, is a remix? An exclusive one that sometimes gets released?

Yes indeed. I guess the point of them is that they are never released, but sometimes the need for £££ outweigh the need to sit on them.

 

[zhao]

here's another one in the Reggae arena, not sure exactly HOW embarrassed I should be asking (prolly very):

what exactly does "Culture" refer to? it is a specific group (saw them perform right after Cham's set 2 weeks ago), but I also hear of people using the term for a kind of sound.

is it a sound originating from or is similar to the sound of the group? or is it a wider style of soulful vocal reggae which is more contemporary than roots?

what are some main artists that belong in the "Culture" category?

 

[zhao]

in addition to Culture question - what is a "One Drop" riddim?

 

[Tactics]

sorry to quote myself but

any of the plots/whole ideas around the 3 Daft Punk releases esp. 'Human After All' (which is my favourite)

anyone care to explain (I do feel embaressed to ask this)?

can I get an answer to this....please?

 

[matt b]

what exactly does "Culture" refer to?

culture= the group

roots and culture= 70s roots reggae and direct descendents thereof. eg- stuff played by shaka / channel one sound system etc

one drop is a style of (drum) rhythm originally by style scott (i think)- stripped back with one snare hit per bar (sometimes less)

 

[zhao]

roots and culture= 70s roots reggae and direct descendents thereof. eg- stuff played by shaka / channel one sound system etc

thank you!

but it seems that I've heard culture used to mean a style as separate from roots? as in "we specialize in roots as well as culture"... or am I imagining things?

 

[matt b]

thank you!

but it seems that I've heard culture used to mean a style as separate from roots? as in "we specialize in roots as well as culture"... or am I imagining things?

seem inseperable to me, but 'roots reggae' may mean early 70s stuff to some whilst 'culture' refers to reggae with cultural (eg: rasta) lyrics

 

[Don Rosco]

You know that Tiga song 'You gonna want me'?

I know you
You gonna want me
(something something)
It might be - a different story


I heard that today, but I KNOW i've heard it sung before by someone else. Possibly an old house or funk track? Anyone nail it for me?

 

[DJL]

You know that Tiga song 'You gonna want me'?

I know you
You gonna want me
(something something)
It might be - a different story


I heard that today, but I KNOW i've heard it sung before by someone else. Possibly an old house or funk track? Anyone nail it for me?

Think the original is rave legends Altern8:

 

[Don Rosco]

*slaps forehead* Yeah, that's where I know it from. Cheers.

 

[loof]

what's the correct way to pronounce dmz? dee-emm-zed or dee-em-zee ?

 

[hint]

what's the correct way to pronounce dmz? dee-emm-zed or dee-em-zee ?

Dee Emm Zed

 

[Freakaholic]

Yes indeed. I guess the point of them is that they are never released, but sometimes the need for £££ outweigh the need to sit on them.

not really a music cred question, but something i should know:

is the "pound" symbol shift+4 on UK keyboards, where the "$" is here?