David Banner and 9th Wonder: Death of a Pop Star (Interview/Review)

Posted in funky snob, music on January 25th, 2011 by urbanguy

You likely aren’t ready for David Banner and 9th Wonder’s Death of a Popstar, but listening to Banner’s Mississippi-baked drawl sans his beats isn’t as disorienting as you’d think. Then again, how could it be? With 9th Wonder’s sure hand on production, Banner expounds upon all the socio-political issues that have been on his mind.

Got the chance to chat with David Banner recently. Passionate dude. My interview and review of Death of a Pop Star is live over at Exclaim!

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Ryan Leslie’s self-titled debut is a whole lot of meh.

Posted in funky snob, music on March 30th, 2009 by urbanguy

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The Ryan Leslie album rides the road of okay. The anemic sales of the self-titled offering  (less than 60,000..ouch) appear to back this up.

RLes is a talented dude though (albeit a tad corny) and one senses that the Harvard grad is dumbing down his stuff to fit a myspace demographic. Which is a shame – dudes got potential.

The club grooves are passable and the overriding sense that this chick…

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…was his muse is palpable.

Damn shame. But I understand.

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Not really my type but Cassie has got that “I know I’m hot in that ambiguous and unthreatening multi-ethnic mode that the lipstick contract people rave over.”

Again, not really my kind but whatever.

Digging a few cuts on this (Valentine, Addiction, How It Was Supposed To Be)….but ultimately this is nothing that I’d drop into heavy iPod rotation.

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ONEdependent and Taki76 Present: Radio Recession

Posted in music on February 24th, 2009 by urbanguy

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(Exclaim! Magazine) No doubt, Philly duo ONE-76 revel in dissonantly pleasing sounds. By way of Buffalo and Montreal, ONEdependent and Taki76 stay heavy on the musically eccentric tip, deftly defying you to box them in categorically.

ONE-76′s syrupy grooves (organically, of course) tease the aural palate and flit from one genre to the next with no remorse. With timely cameos by producer and musician Count Bass, Radio Recession finds joy in leaving listeners musically off-kilter, be it from slap bass funk, Philly soul or “experimental” hip-hop.

Joints like “Feel My Pain” (featuring Narykcin), “Case For Modern Man” and “Soul Will Be Free” immediately stand out in what is ultimately a quirky, trippy sound experience.

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