Let’s be honest, Three 6 Mafia may be one of the dirtiest hip hop groups ever, but they’ve also produce some of the best southern jams in the last decade (look at “International Players Anthem,” (one of the greatest hip hop songs EVER) or the Oscar-winning “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp“). I’ve been on a Three 6 kick lately, and “Stay Fly” showcases both their prowess as rappers, producers, and guys who know how to friggin’ party.
If you bump this one at a party, everyone will be shouting “High-i-i-i-i-i-i”
I had a discussion with my good friend (and fellow hip hop head) a few days ago about Dirty South Hip Hop, and Big Tymer’s “Still Fly” popped up. We came to the realization that this song perfectly describes rap in the South: They don’t give a crap about anything, and they flaunt that fact. Instead of talking about being gangsters, or having millions of dollars and huge mansions, “Still Fly” has Birdman and Mannie Fresh talking about how they have no money, but they act like rock stars. They have no shame in the fact that they roll around in an Impala with porn playing on their car TVs.
Everybody knows how much we love the Scissor Sisters. After 6 years of rocking to their infectious disco grooves, you would think I’d be more skeptical of the new direction they seem to be going in. “Only the Horses” is the lead single off their upcoming album, Magic Hour, and it’s a synth-heavy house jam, the first time I’ve ever imagined Scissor Sisters playing at a rave. It was produced by Calvin Harris and Alex Ridha (of Boys Noize).
As for the video, I’m not sure what the hell is going on. There’s horses (of course), and paint, and a pyramid, and more paint. And the folks on the YouTube comment section let the Sarah Jessica Parker jokes fly. You know, sometimes I can appreciate a good trolling.
In honor of us getting our disgustingly hot Dirty South weather back, I thought I’d showcase some Dirty South hip hop.
I remember “Raise Up” dropping when I was in the 8th grade, and though I considered myself a “rocker” (meaning I listened to horrendous metal like Slipknot and Mudvayne… don’t hate), I still found myself singing along. I helps that Timbaland put his production prowess all over this bad boy, since Timbaland was THE go-to Southern producer in the late 90s-early 2000s.
As for the video, Petey’s spray painted, all-denim ensemble makes me miss early 2000s fashion and all of its glory.
Side note: Imagine being one of the guys behind Petey who’s sole purpose is to wyle out. Hilarious.
Petey Pablo’s North Carolina anthem gives us all an excuse to take our shirts off and spin em like a helicopter.
Presenting your new fav dancey track…drumroll please…you’ve gotta check out”Warrior”! is a culmination of Mark Foster, A-Trak and the adorable Kimbra. You won’t be able to stop 80s dancing to this new one, and you can download it here fo-FREE thanks to Journeys/Converse.
I’m not sure if this is an official track or not (because We Back Soon certainly isn’t an official mixtape), but whatever the case, “Fresh” is killer. The drum’n'bass thumping beat hits hard and Tyga and Chris Brown destroy their verses (though, I must admit, it’s strange hearing Chris Brown trying to HAM on this thing). As you can see, Weezy has virtually nothing to do with this track, he is only used as a sample, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be bumping this in this club.
Our boy Hoodie Allen is gearing up for his debut EP, All American, by dropping the first single, “No Interruption.” It has that typical Hoodie flow, but he’s incorporated an insanely infectious pop-hook. He even does a bit of singing (and it sounds pretty damn good), that reminds me of Childish Gambino.
The video has beautiful girls, a Dodge Charger doing donuts in a parking lot, and Hoodie in a suit, what else could you want? Apparently, everyone else thinks the same because, in 5 days, “No Interruption” has already garnered over 475,000 hits.
You can snag the single off iTunes, and don’t forget to snag Hoodie’s upcoming EP, All American, out April 10th!
In honor of being a bit behind on Mashup Mondays, here is The White Panda’s brand-spankin’ new album, Bambooyah! I think they really outdid themselves with the mashups this time around. You can really tell The White Panda listen to an INSANE amount of music, as they find some of the most random samples and turn them into club jams. I’ve probably listened to this album, in its entirety, no less than 20 times. I’ll go ahead and give you guys some highlights…
First up, “Ignite Cherie” perfectly fits together R. Kelly’s slow-jam, “Ignition (Remix)” with The Beatshakers’ “Ma Cherie.” There’s also a twinge of Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor.” R. Kelly’s party anthem mixes perfectly with the infectious dance beat of “Ma Cherie.”
Next, we have Don Omar’s “Danza Kuduro” mashed with the Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer club-hit, “Give Me Everything.” The Caribbean-flavored track from “Danza Kuduro” makes “Give Me Everything” an epic rave track.
Alright, so I definitely saved the best (and my personal favorite) for last. Mac Miller’s explosive underground hit “Donald Trump” on top of a remixed version of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.” Though short and sweet, the build-up for this track makes you want to lost it when the beat kicks in, and it segues perfectly into the next track, “Nightcity,” a mix of Tyga’s hit “Rack City,” and Kavinsky’s 80s, new-wave infused “Nightcall.” (You may remember it from a little (BIG) Ryan Gosling movie that came out last year called Drive.)
You can snag Bambooyah! in it’s entirety from The White Panda’s website (they have a “Pay what you want” option), and make sure to like them on Facebook because these dudes post tracks all the time.
Long-time M.I.A. protege, Rye Rye, has dropped what seems to be her first try at a “pop” track. Rye Rye typically serves up hip hop with some world music flavor (much like M.I.A., surprise surprise), but on “Boom Boom,” she takes those elements and adds a pop-soaked chorus. While the song may add more cheese than what Rye Rye usually drops, the video is, for lack of a better phrase, friggin’ awesome!
The video is heavily influenced by old-school video games like Street Fighter and Mega Man, but throws in an insane amount of random colors and objects (like breakdance-fighting and rainbow-colored mushrooms). At one point, Rye Rye is riding a purple dolphin that shoots LASERS at Rye Rye doppelgangers.
It’s been just over a year since Nate Dogg passed away, and I thought it appropriate to honor him with what is probably his best, and most well-known, track. Warren G’s “Regulate” introduced the world to Nate Dogg’s laid-back, soulful voice, which masked the fact that Nate has no problems with gunning a mofo down.
After “Regulate,” Nate went on to be featured in a slew of other hits, such as Mark Ronson’s “Ooh Wee” and, of course, Dr. Dre and Snoop’s “The Next Episode,” where Nate drops words to live by: “Smoke weed everyday.”
