Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival Begins Tonight!

If you're in Medina tonight you need to stop by powerHouse Arena in DUMBO for a free party to mark the opening events of the 2008 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Fesltival.

Specifically, there will be a party on the premises complete with free beers courtesy of hometown favorite Brooklyn Brewery.

There are also scheduled performances from local rappers Fresh Daily, Sputnik Brown, and others.

While the thought of gritting and bearing through those performances is not a pleasant one, the Brooklyn Lagers should help numb the pain. Not to mention powerHouse Arena is a very nice space. And, oh yeah, did I mention it is free?

The festival continues Saturday at Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park with performances from Hiphop legends, including KRS-One and DJ Premier, the single greatest Hiphop producer of all time.

Saturday's event requires a ticket, and if you don't have one by the time you're reading this, I advise you to come back to this blog on Sunday for a recap.

Who Used the Sample Best?

It happens all the time in Hiphop, but lately there has been a noticeable spate of rap songs using the same sample with barely a distinction between the beats created.

The sampled song in question is Derrick Harriott's "Message From a Black Man," and in the past four years, it has been flipped by King Geedorah aka MF Doom, Mos Def, RZA, NaS, and now, surprisingly, Young Buck.

But the question is who used it best?

I'm not necessarily talking about lyrics or the song as a whole package, but the beat -- whose beat knocks the hardest?

The versions by Mos, RZA and Buck are all very similar. Perhaps even the same.

But the version done by NaS has a cool little bridge in the middle, giving the track a little more flavor then the others.

But it's Doom's beat, produced by his beat-making alter ego, Metal Fingers, that prevails sonically. The drums are a little harder than the others', and Doom chops up the beat, and sounds like he's having fun playing around with the beat machine, complete with cutting and scratching throughout.

And although I said it's not about the lyrics, Doom's version features two hot verses by Mr. Fantastik, which only enhances the song as a whole.

Here are the songs in the order in which they were released:

King Geedorah: Anti-Matter Feat. Mr. Fantastik, from 2004's Take Me To Your Leader

Mos Def: Undeniable -- From 2006's Tru3 Magic

RZA as Bobby Digital: You Can't Stop Me Now Feat. Inspectah Deck, from 2008's Digi Snacks

NaS: You Can't Stop Us Now Feat. Eban Thomas, from 2008's Untitled

Young Buck: Soundscan, random song released this week

Which is the best?

U-God Is A Paranoid Snitchophrenic!

Yes, I just coined the term "snitchophrenic"!

And it is 100% appropriate for U-God, the last and least member of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan.

It has been reported that U-God, who filed a $180,000 lawsuit against Wu-Tang management claiming he wasn't paid all his royalties (strike one), is now looking over his shoulder 24-7 because he suspects the Wu has ordered some goons to follow him.

He instantly loses all respect I may have had for him.

But now he's one-upped that move, paying a visit to his local police station saying he fears for his livelihood and thinks people are after him.

The Jersey Journal must have had a ball writing this story:

He said that for the past two months cars with Pennsylvania, New Jersey or New York plates have followed him numerous times, but he didn't contact authorities sooner because he distrusts police.

On one occasion he parked in the garage of his River Court building and when he walked out he saw two men get out of a car across the street, police said. One of them gestured toward his waistband as though threatening that he had a weapon, U-God told the cops.

One time a driver tried to follow U-God's vehicle into the garage, but was unsuccessful, he told police, adding that sometimes the drivers roll down a window and nod at him.

The man who wrote "Kick Azz," "I'm Talkin' to You," "Dance With a Gangsta," "Ghetto Gutter," "Rumble," and "Heart of Stone" said he felt threatened and couldn't take it any more so he went to police for help. He filed a suspicious persons report. No one has been charged, police said.

I truly feel bad for this guy. It sounds like he's finally lost his marbles after years of riding the bench while seeing his teammates get more and more playing time.

But why did Mr. Black Shampoo have to go to the police?

What did he think that would accomplish? Aside from solidifying his place in Hiphop as a weak-rapping, scaredy-cat, paranoid snitch?

Hard to imagine that the star of the videos below is the same man singing like a canary to the police.

U-God lost. Again.

NY Magazine NaS Interview

New York magazine has a decent interview with the little homey NaS promoting his new untitled album, due out in a couple of weeks.

Even New York magazine knows about NaS's predilection for choosing beats:

He has made his reputation not on hook-laden pop-rap and club bangers, but
on hip-hop that sounds best in headphones, in which it’s possible to keep up
with the flow of his detailed, controlled verses. He consciously chooses beats
that are light on hooks, he says, so as not to distract from the lyrics. It’s a
move that has brought him criticism -- the weak-beats gripe -- but while his beat
selection has kept him from the top of the pop charts, it has also protected him
from its whims. The rapper has enjoyed an unusually long career.

Check out the interview here.

Song vs. Singer; Which Is More Important?

I just came across a really interesting article that goes deeper into points I made last month when I compared certain album songs with their original demos that were sung by other artists.

Which is greater? The song or the singer?

The article leads with the controversial Madonna song "Heartbeat," for which a demo performed by Pharrell and Nicole Scherzinger recently surfaced on the Web.

It also talks about how an unknown singer recorded and released a song called "Don't Cha," which The Pussycat Dolls ultimately propelled to become a top 40 staple a couple of years ago.

Apparently Kelly Clarkson wasn't the original choice to sing the song "Since You Been Gone," which helped earn her a Grammy.

It's an interesting read.

Pharrell Talks Madonna, Common, Solo Album

A recent interview with Pharrell uncovered a few gems I had no idea about.

After intially dismissing the influence of drum n' bass on the new N*E*R*D album, Pharrell finally admits it in reference to Common's new album, of which the majority will be produced by the Neptunes:

"We kept talking about going in the studio for two years straight. We had done "Come Close" a couple of years ago, but he said he wanted to go back in and work together. We finally we scheduled it and it was just magical. He was into where I was going...

I was annoyed by D&B when I was young. You have to think about it, what could we do more energetic than Lapdance. So we had to speed up the BPMs so we took it to 140!"

About working with Madonna and him making her cry in the studio:

"We really collaborated and she pushed me harder and harder and harder. At first it frustrated me cos I'd never been demanded around like that, but after a while, I got used to it and it made me be even more efficient than I would normally be. I learned a lot. I thought I was a workaholic before -- now I'm a workaholic."

On his situation with The Clipse, which is rumored to be on the rocks:

"All is good, we're family."

One thing that surprised me was his answer when asked if he was disappointed with the reception of his solo album:

"In hindsight, I realised that it should have been a compilation with a bunch of artists, rather than just me. Once I did a couple of shows I was like 'Uh-uh, this ain't working.' So I let it go. The energy just wasn't right."

He also touches on CRS. Check it out here.

Pharrell to Get Rid of His Tattoos

“I got tattoos, do forgive me.”

Pharrell sang those very same words on "Our Father," the last song on his 2006 very underrated solo album, "In My Mind".

In another example of art imitating life, it is being reported that Pharrell has decided to use dermatologist-developed fake skin to cover his tattoos, which he now refers to as "childish".

His tattoos include a naked woman on his forearm and an insect-like design on his neck.

According to Pharrell, "There's a place called the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Skin Treatment in North Carolina.

It's basically like getting a skin graft, but you're not taking skin from your ass or legs -- these guys actually grow the skin for you.

First you have to give them a sample of your skin, which they then replicate. Once that's been done, they sew it on -- and it's seamless."

This episode reminds me of a few years ago when Pharrell's face went through some type of transformation and he was rumored to have had plastic surgery on his face and cheeks, similar to that of LL Cool J about a year earlier. I love Pharrell as a musician but this is taking metrosexuality to a brand new level.

The chicks already love him, and he's going to be rich forever so they will stay loving him, so what is the big deal?

Pharrell hasn't condemned tattoos in general, just the ones he has already gotten.

"When it's healed you can go get whatever tattoo you want," he said.

N*E*R*D talk Tattoos

EDIT: Video footage of Pharrell discussing his tattoos below.