Real Legends Never Die

There’s a discussion currently going on in the c-box over at Strictly Beats regarding the late J. Dilla. All that got me thinking about how death affects an artist. Let’s just take a look at some artists who’ve received their share of the spotlight after their death.

1. J Dilla

The late producer and musical genius died from lupus (I think?) or a form of cancer of some sort. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, I’m just not positive what it was off-hand, and I’m in the typing zone so I don’t feel like looking it up. Anyway, the man was responsible for classics, and forming a cohesive sound with an artist and forcing him to elevate to be the best he can be. Prime example – Common’s Like Water for Chocolate. Before that, Common had made a few albums that had some good cuts on it, but overall, nothing spectacular (save Resurrection). However, Dilla hit him with 16 dope, head-nodding beats, forcing Common to go out and make the best album of his career. I’m positive that Kanye will never have as much an impact with Common as Dilla has.

With all those positives, there are negatives. Let’s look at Dilla’s recent (posthumous) work. The Shining? Garbage, except for “Won’t Do” and a few other songs. Ruff Draft – throw it out. Jay Loves Japan? – Disc coaster. Maybe it has something to do with the company that is handling his estate, or maybe it’s the fact that some people were so infatuated with making sure this man got remembered that they don’t think about anything else. Is he a good producer? Absolutely. Top ten? In just about everyone’s list. Best producer ever as most recently are claiming? Absolutely not.

2. Big L

I love Big L. He had punchlines for days, and his violent delivery hasn’t really been matched since his passing. He was killed, stemming from a beef some guy had with L’s brother. However, I’ve heard numerous accounts of him being the greatest rapper to ever live, and I’d like to dispel that thought as well. The man had one album, and a posthumous “album” of sorts, which IMO was better than the album he actually made. I love his individual songs, but there are plenty which prove L had the “Nas syndrome”…a tin ear for beats. That’s all I’m gonna say on that. The kid was dope, but he needed to do more to solidify his spot.

3. Tupac & Biggie

I’m lumping these two together because of the obvious intersection between them and the fact that they have both been treating in more or less the same way since their passing. People seem to forget that the Notorious one had only one album while he was alive, although a second was recorded before his death. Pac had numerous albums, but both clearly had issues that they needed to deal with. I’m not going to get into their murders, y’all know how that works. However, the fact that these two rappers are seen as martyrs and represent the pinnacle of what hip hop is supposed to be…isn’t right. We need new representatives. Sure, it’s cool to like either one. I happen to be a mild fan of both. I own Pac’s Greatest Hits, and zero Biggie albums, but I can listen to him without any issues.

The Overall Message:
Death does not make you great. If you were mediocre alive, then why is your musical output any different when you’re dead. No one wants to hear sound bits pieced together to make new albums (Pac / Big)…we want the stuff no one’s heard before. People’ve got shoe boxes full of tape recordings…where are they? We’re fans. We want to hear. Besides, real legends never die.

Download:
Mick Boogie & Terry Urban Present: Unbelievable – A Tribute To The Notorious B.I.G.

(Plus it’s a perfect segue to my next post…coming sooner than you think!)

Interview Session: Kenn Starr

This is the first interview I’ve ever done, and I’d just like to thank Kenn Starr for doing this, being great about it, and providing insightful answers. He’s a real good dude. The questions are in bold.

Could you just introduce yourself a little bit, tell people where you’re from, how long you’ve been rapping, stuff like that?
I go by the name of Kenn Starr, coming from Fort Washington, MD by way of Suffolk, VA. Been rhyming since ‘93 and “professionally” I guess you could say, since 2003.

Who inspired you coming up?
Too many to name…just whoever was making dope music. I was fortunate enough to com up in an era where the line between mainstream and underground wasn’t a clearly defined as it is now. So it wasn’t uncommon to hear a 2pac record on the radio, immediately followed by a Tribe Called Quest record. As far as my formative years as an emcee, I’d have to say cats like Mos Def, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Canibus (in his prime), Talib Kweli, just to name a few.

You’re on the Halftooth label with Oddissee and Wordsworth, and how is that working out for you? Do you see yourself ever changing labels to something like Rawkus or even a big label like Def Jam or Interscope?
So far so good. Realistically, I don’t think you’ll ever find an artist that’s 100% satisfied with their label, but in my situation the good outweighs the bad, so I’m good. As far as changing labels, I can see myself going with whoever is gonna provide the best platform for me to get my music to the masses. Although I will say I would be reluctant to sign with a major until I felt I was able to deliver music that is both true to me AND commercially viable, and I don’t think I’ve developed to that stage quite yet.

Your first album, “Starr Status”, seemed like a very personal album.
What’s your inspiration for writing rhymes? Are they real-life stories
or experiences?
Absolutely. Whether they be my personal experiences or experiences of those close to me. There’s so many different things that we experience in life, that I’m looking forward to continually developing my craft to include more varied subject matter that people can connect with. That desire to connect with the listener is what inspires me.

It’s been said that the downfall of most successful lyricist’s albums are the lack of good beats. On “Starr Status”, you enlisted a group of producers ranging from Kev Brown to Illmind to Khrysis. What’s the process you go through when selecting beats, and do you have a favorite producer?
My beat selection process is simple. I go for the tracks that, when I first hear them, make me completely flip out, like “that’s crazy right there!”. I just pick whatever’s the dopest to me, personally. I’ve been very fortunate to work with a host of talented producers who are overwhelmingly consistent with the quality of their beats. So that put me in a position where I couldn’t just pick beats that I liked anymore, because I’d be picking damn near every beat I heard. So now I just pick joints that I LOVE when I first hear it. And as far as a favorite producer to work with, I think I’d have to go with Oddisee. He always challenge me to push the envelope creatively and is one of the most versatile producers I’ve worked with.

Are there producers you’d like to work with that you haven’t yet?
Yeah definitely. Nottz, Young RJ, DJ Khalil, Jake One, Vitamin D…the list goes on.

How about any rappers? What do you think about a collabo group with oddisee, blu, or some similar “underground” style like your own?
I’d definitely be down for something like that. The only issue is actually making it happen. I’ve been in talks to do similar collaboration projects, but nothing has panned out thus far. Just tough gettin’ everyone on the same page, dealing with scheduling conflicts and things of that nature. But I’d love to be a part of a “underground supergroup” if the opportunity presented itself.

What are the plans for 2008? There have been small rumors going around
about a Low Budget crew collaboration album…anything you’d like to
speak on there? Is a new solo album on the horizon?
Yeah the rumors are true. There is a Low Budget crew album in the works. We’re still in the planning stages right now, getting the beats together, so there’s no tenative release date yet. And I’m working on a new project as well. Black Milk’s gonna be handling the majority of the production on that. Hopefully that’ll see the light of day before the end of the year.

How about a tour? Where are your favorite places to stop at? Are we gonna see you in the Northeast (Rhode Island mainly) sometime soon? (hint!)
Haha. I actually haven’t done a whole lot of touring, but as far as favorites, I’d have to go with Toronto. The energy up there is crazy! And I’d love to get out to Rhode Island. Promoters holla at me!

Do you have a favorite song of yours?
It’s a tie between “The Same Pt. 2″ and “Know Too Much (To Go Back)”. With “The Same”, its just something about that song that moves me. Probably one of the only songs from my own catalogue that I’ve yet to get tired of. And “Know Too Much” means a lot to me because it took a lot for me to really open up about that subject matter, dealing with my personal struggle with faith & religion. I really took a look in the mirror and did some self examination on that one. Its a record that shows a lot of honesty and vunerability, and knowing how much that song means to some of my listeners and the effect its had, really makes me proud of that record.

How do you feel about downloaders?
I’m not mad at the downloaders. Shit, I download myself. Granted, I’ll go out and cop something if I download and think its dope, but its just the nature of the beast. With technology being what it is these days, there’s no getting around it. That’s why you see so many artists now giving away music. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. We’re forced to adapt to these changes, which means creating alternative means of generating revenue because record sales just aren’t as viable anymore. Its unfortunate, but its the way it is.

Lastly, what are your career goals? When people pick up a Kenn Starr
album, what do you want them to get from it?
I want them to walk away from that album feeling like they just heard some good hip-hop music, plain and simple. I want for people to really understand what I’m about as an artist and genuinely connect with the music. At the end of the day, I feel like I’ve accomplished something knowing that there are listeners out there who can appreciate what I do and what I bring to the table.

Thanks so much for taking time to do this, it’s greatly appreciated.
Thanks for having me, much appreciated.

Check out Kenn Starr’s myspace and support the man – he works hard. He deserves it.

Buy “Starr Status” off amazon.

“Know Too Much” is on youtube.

I’ve set up an interview with Blu…so if you’ve got questions for him, ask! Once again, thanks to Kenn Starr!

Got Questions?

For Kenn Starr?

I’ve set up an interview with the man himself, and if you, the reader, has anything you’d like to be asked, let me know. Interview should be done within the week, so hurry up and let me know.

More updates soon, sorry for being so boring lately.

Legend of the Fall Offs: 9th Wonder

The story begins with a producer from North Carolina by the name of Pat Douthit. After teaming up with two rappers, one pretty good and the other exceptional, they form the group better known as Little Brother. Their debut album “The Listening” received critical acclaim for the solid rhymes, laid-back vibe, and soulful beats courtesy of 9th himself. The group releases their second album, “The Minstrel Show”, and although it’s clear both the emcees have improved in different aspects, the beats have not. In fact, 9th Wonder has utilized his patented formula of simple drums combined with soulful samples to create beats for Jay Z, Memphis Bleek, and whole albums for underground rappers such as (two for) Murs, Kaze, and Skyzoo. He’s also produced individual songs for individual members of the Justus League and their affiliates. Needless to say, the dude doesn’t have a problem picking up a paycheck. By the time Little Brother releases their third album, “GetBack”, they’ve announced that they have brought in outside producers, and 9th is no longer a member of the collective, citing creative and business differences. 9th does have one beat on the newest album, but in my opinion, it’s one of the worst on there.

 

What am I trying to say here? Is 9th Wonder a bad producer? Not in the least. His mastery of Fruity Loops and computer software sparked a mini-revolution and brought up many conflicts and discussions about the method of using computer software to make beats. His problem, therefore, lies in not being able to branch out at all. He’s very creative and using his samples in a creative manner, but all of his beats sound very, very similar. A 9th Wonder beat used to get me to listen, no matter who was rapping. It could have been like my grandma teaming up with my dog, but if it was over a 9th beat, I was gonna listen. Nowadays, a 9th beat makes me not listen, and more often than not, to (almost) immediately press the skip button. Until he learns to come outside his comfort zone, CHANGE UP THE DRUMS, and maybe even experiment a little bit (I don’t care how bad it sounds), his following will continue to diminish, and he’s going to leave fans like me and people like me shaking their heads at the amount of unrealized potential that has been wasted.

Download: All I Listen To Is Beats, Thank God For Ninth

(ironic title, but it’s not a bad compilation)

 

Also, since I got a grand total of ZERO birthday comments last week, y’all better step your commenting game up, since I hit the big time and moved to wordpress and stuff. Plenty of stuff planned, should be exciting. Stay tuned!

The Blog Formerly Known As…

The new home for the blog formerly known as www.lets-start-over.blogspot.com

Stay with me as the transition isn’t as smooth as I expected.