Interviews–Nice & Smooth

What’s good Bodega fam! Your boy has been MIA recently, but I got a few exclusive gems to drop on yall today. Our girl Raven the Blazin Eurasian been on her grizzly this past week and NYC has definitely been popping off like crazy! Nice & Smooth at Southpaw, and this weekend’s extravaganza at Sputnik have definitely kept us busy. Here are a few joints for you to enjoy….props to the homegirl Natty S for the cover shot.

The legends Nice & Smooth chop it up with Raven about the state of hip-hop and their plans for a resurgence.

Nice and Smooth Interview with Raven the Blazin Eurasian from Uptown on Vimeo.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…2

Fourteen years ago, Shallah Raekwon released the original Purple Tape. This potent blend of lucid storytelling and austere production instantly turned every hip-hop fan into a sniveling, neck-scratching fiend. Rae had us running feverishly to the record store in torn sweatpants for a fix. Like any powerful product, his brand of vivid criminology was imitated, watered down, co-opted, and blueprinted thousands of times by thousands of lesser (and sometimes equal) pushers. But also like any powerful product, Rae knew he had us hooked. That’s why he took his time crafting the second one—so that it could truly meet all of our irrational expectations. He had to wallow in the mire of mid-career mediocrity in order to emerge re-inspired. Just like Frank Lucas’s Blue Magic, Rae could not affix the Cuban Linx label to a lesser product.

Fourteen years later (and it’s hard for me to believe it’s really been that long), we arrive at Cuban Linx 2, probably the most anticipated sequel of the decade. This anticipation, although completely warranted, puts the album in a very demanding spot. Us fiends, ahem, I mean fans, will expect nothing less than perfection. If a flawless album is not produced, we will consider it a failure. However, amongst today’s profound dearth of quality music, we will be quick to hail even a mediocre effort as an instant classic. Juxtaposed against those two opposite backdrops, we will tend to view this album in extremities. That being said, I will try as much as possible to divorce myself from these preconditions and simply see it as a rap album in 2009.

The album itself plays like a Wu album should. Replete with dramatic crime stories, shocking imagery, kung-fu samples, and wallabee references, this is the album Wu fans have been dying to hear for years. The first track, the thumping Dilla produced “Flying Daggers,” features the clan in full form. The chorus, a self-conscious homage flipped from “Clan in Da Front,” reminds us all that despite the missteps and mistakes, the internal divides, they are still very much here. The inexorable energy of this track sets the tone for the album. In all honesty, every track bangs and every verse goes hard. A dream team of producers lend beats in the iconic RZA style so that the album preserves a cohesive mood but avoids becoming stale or repetitive.

Street bangers like Alchemist-laced “Surgical Gloves,” or the LOX-assisted “Broken Safety” are simply gems. With RZA’s dusty drums updated for 2008, the muted snares and pounding bass of these tracks are astounding. Guest verses from P and Jada are the best I’ve heard from them in a while, but Rae’s inscrutable idiosyncrasy outshines everything. The impenetrable RZA grime of “Black Mozart,” which reminds me of an updated “Criminology,” shows that Rae has not lost a step lyrically. He is still adept as ever at weaving fragmented street yarns among shit-talk, fashion, and esoteric intellectualism. His penchant for penetrating detail shines as he raps, “champion hood, the goodies in the brown bag, by the radiator, near the cookies and the bundles of dope.” The full length narratives like “Sonny’s Missing,” “Fat Lady Sings,” and “We Will Rob You,” evince Rae’s quintessential ability to seamlessly merge disjointed images into a unnervingly clear depiction of street life. On “Fat Lady Sings,” Rae employs jarring similes to describe a harrowing street brawl, rhyming “gillette soldier, shorty hit the neck, blood squirted/ looked like laundry detergent.”

Rae’s lyrical prowess continues throughout the album, which has an incredible amount of consistency for 21 tracks. On “About Me,” Busta drops in to trade bars with Rae over Dre’s banging minor piano chords. In one of the Chef’s best lyrical performances, he showcases internal rhymes and visual flourishes in lines like “pushin sixes/ rockin wild animals on jackets its sickenin/ hear me, from here to rockaway to cali we flip this/ broad day/ chef sautee/ his lyrics is crispy.” Busta’s guttural flow and Rae’s leathery smooth cadence fit perfectly, making this a standout track.

The jewel of the album, however, is the lead single “New Wu.” Over a stunning track that proves the interminability of RZA’s talent, the Wu elite (Ghost, Rae, and Meth) trade vintage bars that truly bring it back to ’95. The infectious beat consists of only an ethereal two bar vocal loop and some dusty ass drums. Its simplicity compliments the verbosity of Ghost and Rae, who create indescribable tension cramming their bars into the time signature. Here Ghost is at his apex with ingenious rhymes like “forensic file, ultraviolet hype/ sky blue bowls/ layin niggas like ceramic tile.”

After bumping this album on continuous repeat for nearly four days, I can honestly say I have a hard time finding any flaws in it. I guess theoretically length could be cited as the album’s one weakness. For some, 21 straight tracks cryptic gangsterism and sneering basslines may be overwhelming. But the reality is that the variety of production maintains interest, and any track can be bumped in full without the desire to skip. All I can say is that the Chef is really back in the kitchen, and real hip-hop should be on its knees thanking him. For all the complaining that the old guard of the east coast has done in the past few years, no one has really done anything about it, until now.

Nice & Smooth, For Those That Don’t Know

In honor of their upcoming show at Southpaw this Saturday, I took time to recognize and reexamine Nice & Smooth and their position in hip-hop.

Discussing golden age hip-hop canons is a tricky thing. In those long-winded, heated debates among hip-hop nerds and crate diggers the world over, certain names must always be mentioned. We ask whether Big Daddy Kane’s legacy is diminished by his lack of longevity, why Masta Ace is so underrated, or whether Tribe or De La should be more exalted. We debate whether Audio Two deserves such recognition, or we pour over lines from Rakim, deciphering meaning among intricately constructed internal rhymes and extended metaphors. We debate a thousand other things and mention a thousand other names, from the obscure albums of Philly’s Hilltop Hustlers Crew to the well-known impact of Public Enemy’s searing commentary and barrage of rapid-fire sound.

But Greg Nice and Smooth B are almost always glaringly overlooked in these forums. The Bronx duo, first featured on BDK’s classic “Pimpin Ain’t Easy” in ’89, is often dismissed as a lesser EPMD, a short-lived, minor pop sensation. Their blithe, skirt-chasing humor and electronic keyboard beats woefully out of place in an era of raw lyricism, scorching vinyl beat breaks, and James Brown samples. Their contribution to hip-hop in a time laden with groundbreaking artists is often reduced to a few choice tracks. Beyond “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow,” and the classic refrain of “Hip-Hop Junky,” not much is mentioned. I have to admit I’m equally guilty of this oversight. Aside from a brief phase where “Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed” was my favorite album on constant repeat, I never gave them the respect they deserved. So I took their upcoming show at Southpaw on August 29th as an opportunity to reacquaint myself with their catalog.

What I rediscovered in this process was the incredible versatility of Nice & Smooth. With subject matter ranging from Saturday morning cartoons to somber social commentary, they possessed an inimitably eclectic style. Although they were packaged and marketed as a latter-day Audio Two, in reality they were more multifaceted. Songs like “Down the Line” and “DWYCK” with Gang Starr showed that they could hang lyrically with the underground kings of nascent New York boom-bap. Far from being one-dimensional funnymen, they were complex and skilled MCs. They created a lyrically meaningful form of hip-hop that declined to take itself too seriously. Instead of searching the crates for soul and funk, they would sample Sanford and Son or the Partridge Family. And in many ways, this endlessly random knowledge of pop culture paved the way for groups like Das Efx.

However, the question still remains why they have been so historically marginalized beyond a few major songs. For me, the answer is pretty simple. First of all, versatility has never been a particularly admired quality in hip-hop. Unfortunately, they suffered from a jack-of-all-trades syndrome. Unable to do laid-back humor like EPMD, unable to do raw lyricism like Juice Crew or Rakim, unable to do social commentary like PE or KRS. Smooth B’s player persona silky flow were definitely hot, but couldn’t compare to Kane. It was a regrettably limiting situation for two talented, creative, quirky dudes trying to resist industry pigeonholing.

But more importantly, Nice & Smooth came out in a very critical transitional period in hip-hop. From ‘89-92, hip-hop was undeniably changing. The upbeat, lighthearted stories and cold lyricism of the 80s were being replaced vivid street stories, 90 bpm drumloops, and sparsely adorned soundscapes. The likes of Gang Starr, Organized Konfusion, Redman, Pete Rock, Diamond D, and Kool G Rap were beginning to replace the pop generation of Audio Two, LL, Rob Base, and even the whimsicality of Slick Rick. In such a climate, Nice & Smooth clung to the 80s and soon became an anachronism in the artistic flux. They didn’t really fit into either era particularly well. In 1991, the year of OK, Low End Theory, and Breaking Atoms, their flippant, out-of-tune harmonizing (“How to Flow”) seemed like a relic of the past. EPMD adapted by picking up Redman, Das Efx, and Keith Murray. But unfortunately, Nice & Smooth did not. They became inopportune victims of style, circumstance, and the changing winds of hip-hop. Regardless one thing remains certain: these classic practitioners of the carefree definitely had a funky rhyme, and a funky funky style.

RUSH LIMBAUGH AND BILL O’REILLY GET TIGHT AT JAY’S NEW SONG!

This little scuffle has had me laughing for a few days now. In a new leak from BP3 entitled “Off That” (feat Drake), Jay popped quick subliminals at hip-hop’s favorite pundit-punching-bags Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. Apparently the two have taken offense and responded. I’m sure Jay is very sorry for hurting your feelings, guys.

Here’s the track audio, followed by the responses

Rush Limbaugh seems to be missing the point

While O’Reilly is just a douche

SHOW AND PROVE Tonight!

Yep folks, the illest artist showcase of the summer is BACK IN EFFECT! Show and Prove is Thursday, Aug 27th at Public Assembly in Willyburg, featuring some really dope up and comers and that if you don’t know, you will. The Crowd, Aquil, and Prophit all poised to make serious moves in 2010, and this is where it all starts! Plus our bodega fam DJ Parler on the wheels with special guest Spec Boogie. Dont Sleep! The winner will be opening for the legends Nice and Smooth on August 29th at Southpaw

Q-TIP & MARK RONSON FOR MJ BIRTHDAY BASH

This definitely looks dope

Long Live the King!
Q-Tip
with Mark Ronson and DJ Spinna
Date: Sat, Aug 29, 2009
Showtime: 11:00 PM
Doors open: 10:00 PM
Days until show: 4
Ages: 16 & Over
On sale now
Ticket Prices*: $25.00-
Event Details: A Birthday Celebration for Michael Jackson
Nokia Theater, 515 Broadway at W44th Street

NICE AND SMOOTH @ SOUTHPAW!

Another Bodega Approved event at Southpaw. This time, they got the legendary Nice n Smooth blessing the spot, so you know it can’t fail. Definitely a must-see. The opener will be the winner of our very own “Show and Prove” Showcase on August 27th.

EVENT INFO:
Saturday, August 29th
Cover: 10$ in advance, 15 @ the door
Doors: 9 pm
Southpaw, 125 5th Ave btwn Sterling and St. Johns
Brooklyn, NY 11217
18+

Sheek Louch Interview from Rock the Block!

Whats good family. Apologies for the lateness of this post, but better late than never. Here’s the footage of bodega fam Raven chopping it up with Sheek Luciano after the Rock the Block show a few weeks back. Enjoy.

Raven Interviews Sheek Louch for Brooklyn Bodega from NSR on Vimeo.

Official First Video from Brown Bag Allstars!

We at the Bodega fam have definitely seen BBAS come up, and quickly too. Now it’s good to see them getting love across the internet and in the streets. The video is dope too, for their first single, “Undeniable” off the Brown Tape. Check it out.

HIP HOP LEGENDS CONCERT SERIES @ BB KINGS

Just came across this lineup for next Saturday at BB King’s Blues Club and Grill, and it seems too good to be true. This one is definitely a must-peep:

RAKIM
UTFO
BIZ MARKIE
LOSTBOYZ
JERU DA DAMAJA
DR. JECKYL & MR. HYDE
LOVEBUG STARSKI

Can’t really get more classic than that.

Event Information:
Saturday, August 21, 2009
11:00 PM – 1:30 AM
21+
cover: $30.00 | $30.00 Advance
music: Hip Hop

Venue Information:
BB King’s Blues Club & Grill
237 W. 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
212.997.4144

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