Top 5 Producers: Part 2

Swaz, the man behind Spitballin Radio, and I have had many a hip hop related debate over the years. It is because we are at nearly opposite ends of the taste spectrum that I asked him to create a list for this Top 5 Producers discussion. If we were talking about this in a room together, trust that the transcription would be close to book length. 

Top 5: Producers - Part 1

Tyron Perryman of Tea & Converse kicks off the Watch This House Top 5 Producers Discussion with a sneakily thought provoking list of beats and beat makers. Tyron is literally my oldest friend in the world so I have to admit that I saw some of this coming (like what his favorite RZA beat would be) but the fact that it took him longer to come up with his list because he was "trying to justify including DJ U-Neek" was left field for me.

The Shoutout

 The reason Hip Hop ever even happened is because the young people in the late 70s were looking for ways to stand out and distance themselves from their parents’ idea of “cool” with something new and fresh. Hip Hop music was how they presented themselves to the world and gave their culture a voice. And if you were one of the people who faithfully showed up to the parties in the park after dark that could not spin records or rap, and you were tight with those who did, you were represented via The Shoutout.

There Once Was A Wave: A Shift In Independent Cinema

I spent today re-watching my three favorite movies from 2011 on DVD. I wrote about them when I saw them in theaters but I didn't have a blog then. So since I do now...

UA Court Street Stadium: Brooklyn, NY

After watching the trailer for The Man With The Iron Fists, the Kung Fu flick that I’ve been hoping The RZA would make for nearly 20 years, I immediately had a vision of where I would see such a movie and was reminded of a story:

Time Jumpers

Several of hip hop’s currently most talked about (relatively) underground rappers are being questioned, whether maliciously or genuinely, by fans and critics alike on their authenticity.¹

Finals Talk

My friend Anthony and I have a tradition of texting each other all throughout football and basketball games that we're watching at the same time. The games are inevitably 10% less enjoyable when this doesn't happen.
That is, unless Hubie Brown is commentating. This is the conversation we had that started in the closing minutes of game 4 of the NBA finals. As you might imagine, some of the stats quoted may be slightly off.