Bilingual Rap Quietly Makes Its Return

It's been a long while since Hiphop has been treated to a quality song that featured an artist rhyming in something other than their native language.

Two songs immediately come to mind when weighing the contenders for best bilingual rap songs of all time performed by non-bilingual rappers.

The summer of 1991 was responsible for tons of hits that are now classics, but the Hiphop nation stood at attention when Nice & Smooth flipped their already hot single Hip-Hop Junkies for its Spanish Fly remix, paying tribute to their Spanish-speaking fans as well as their Bronx brethren:



Nine long years later to a much less publicized degree, Mos Def and De La Soul were featured on the bilingual jewel What's That (?Que Eso?) from Tony Touch's The Piece Maker album.

De La was great, and of course Tony Toca excelled, but Mos Def stole the show by closing his impressive and memorable verse with the following line (ironically delivered in English): "Understand that when I shine all your light is through, y'all n*ggas wack in one language, son, I'm nice in two."

But now these two songs get some quality [and surprising] company from Compton rapper Game, who is featured on French rapper La Fouine's song Caillra For Life.

Game has generally improved as a rapper since his debut, but his verse on this song shatters all preconceptions we may have had of his rhyming prowess by flowing effortlessly in both French and English. (Editor's note: criteria for this list does not include subject matter...)

Not only does it show that Game is willing to step outside of his comfort zone (for which he should be commended), it also displays a growth that was never expected from a rapper of his ilk (when is the last time a gangsta rapper emceed in another language?).

This brief but substantial list leaves out Cypress Hill, The Beatnuts and other pioneering Latino rappers and rap groups who have always infused their native language into their mostly English rhymes, and their contributions shouldn't be ignored. But rare is it when a rapper goes out of his element to showcase his rhyming ability in another language.

Honorable Mention: GURU featured French rapper MC Solaar on Jazzmatazz, but GURU himself never rapped in another language, making him ineligible to appear this list.

I'm sure there are other notable bilingual songs from non-bilingual rappers. Who am I missing?

Posthumous Albums Thrive on Controversy

As soon as The Notorious B.I.G. was murdered in Las Vegas, bereavement quickly gave way to the anticipation of the release of his second and what seemed sure to be his final studio album.

But two years later when the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy unveiled Born Again -- the album that followed Life After Death and was filled with recycled lyrics used completely out of context in “new” songs that featured artists BIG never even knew -- fans were both immediately interested and skeptical.

But because the insatiable hunger from fans for more Biggie regardless of the circumstances propelled the album to debut at number one on the Billboard charts, Puff was able to use the album’s success to fend off any criticism surrounding the details of the album’s production.

Diddy has since released an even more implausible album credited to BIG which again features [many of the same] dated Biggie rhymes with random rappers and singers who never had the chance to make BIG's acquaintance.

Fast forward 11 years and it’s déjà vu all over again.

Only this time it’s Teddy Riley and not Puff Daddy trying to justify using a dead man’s vocals as a means for financial gain.

In particular, it has been alleged that the album employs the services of Michael Jackson vocal impostors to fill in the glaring vocal void left from Jackson's untimely death.

Despite protests from former MJ collaborators, the new album was released today, receiving generally positive reviews from major media outlets, but also calling into question the ethics of the record business when it comes to releasing controversial [read: profitable] material.

Two main producers on the new "Michael" album have already gone on record to say that they are thinking about releasing more songs in this fashion, making it a very safe bet that this isn't the last "new music" we've heard from MJ.

Not ironically, Akon, one of the artists featured on the new Michael Jackson album, was also featured on BIG's Duets album.

All In Together Now: Collabo Albums Thriving

2010 will be remembered for many things. But a lack of collaborative albums between solo rappers and a single producer is definitely not one of them.

Who knew that the phenomenon that was arguably perfected in 2003 and 2004 would continued to thrive six years later with an unusually high number of rappers and producers putting their egos aside to partner for the greater good of Hiphop music?

Aside from resulting in quality music from rappers and producers responsible for molding Hiphop into the pure artform that it is today, these collaborations also give the artists in question a chance to showcase their talents alongside their equally talented peers (something that does not happen as often as it could and should).

For this critic, when it comes to this type of Hiphop album in 2010, it just didn’t get any better than Skyzoo teaming up with !llmind for Live From the Tapedeck, which was released on Duck Down – the pioneering independent label responsible for a plethora of collaboration albums released over the past few years.

Boston area trailblazers Statik Selektah and Termanology took a break from being solo artists to come together to release their 1982 album -- one of the most slept-on underground rap albums of the year -- proving that Statik is one of today's best and most consistent producers in the business.

But late last month west coast mainstays The Alchemist and his rapping counterpart Oh No (and the brother of the legendary Madlib) quietly released Gutter Water, a monster of an album recorded under the name Gangrene that features beats and rhymes credited to both artists, similar in nature to the above referenced Jaylib project.

Released in that same vein, Philadelphia drug rapper Freeway and Jake One -- a prolific producer from Seattle who is responsible for tons of recent underground and mainstream hits – showcased their unlikely partnership in the form of Stimulus Package, 16 banging tracks that featured Free along with Raekwon, Bun B alongside his State Property bretheren.

9^th Wonder and Murs concluded their celebrated series of collaborative albums with ForNever, their fourth album together that didn’t quite measure up to their first three offerings in this format but was still much appreciated from fans of both.

The improbable alliance of KRS-One and Wu-Tang Clan producer True Master provided fans with a bird’s eye view of The T'Cha rhyming over that Shaolin sound, but unfortunately when the two immovable forces collided the result was not as breathtaking as fans might have hoped.

Looking forward to 2011, the popular trend of Hiphop collaboration albums promises to continue in a major way beginning with a joint album from Pete Rock and DJ Premier, who have gone on the record to discuss their upcoming project that will feature 10 tracks – five for each producer with the rapper(s) of the producers’ choice on each song.

Not to be outdone, Def Jam label mates Sheek Louch and Ghostface Killah (who both have albums scheduled to be released later this month) announced a few weeks ago the Wu/Block album, a collaboration of Wu-Tang Clan members and D-Block members uniting to create one album. With the considerable talents of the core members of each collective, the Wu/Block album has the potential to be a masterpiece, but many fear the album will only feature each group’s affiliates instead of highlighting the lyrical talents of Jadakiss alongside the GZA, or any other conceivable combination between the two groups.

Also scheduled to be released in the next year is Monumental, the collaboration between Smif N' Wessun and Pete Rock that has already spawned the underground hit Prevail, featuring Tek and Steele in rare form trading rhymes with Raekwon over a classic horn-driven beat.

And after more than a decade, talks still have not died down of a possible album with NaS on the mic and Premier on the boards, which is arguably more anticipated than Detox.

But until either or both of those albums come out, it is obvious there will not be a shortage of good music to come in the next 12 months. I'm looking forward to it.

Guru: Gone But Not Forgotten

Although it's been nearly eight months since his passing, rapping legend GURU still lives on in the collective heart of Hiphop.

Many of his rapping peers released songs in tribute in the weeks following his death, and former collaborators and fellow Gang Starr Foundation members Group Home even named their most recent album after GURU.

BET even did a moving salute to GURU at its annual Hip-Hop Awards show, but after that people seemed to move on and forget about GURU and the events and controversy that led up to his ultimate demise.

But on the heels of The Kid Daytona's new album with music made from classic interludes from rap albums over the past decade plus, Jay Electronica has released his own tribute track over a loop of the interlude/beat the starts off Group Home's first album, a now classic offering that featured GURU.

Here are some other noteworthy songs deserving of attention that emerged in the wake of GURU's passing. Enjoy.

Jay Electronica -- Jazzmatazz (GURU Tribute)


Diaz Brothers -- Gone Too Soon


Capone -- Moment of Truth (GURU Tribute)


Fat Joe -- I'm Gone


DJ Doo Wop -- We Got Gunz (GURU Tribute/Solar Diss)


And finally, the BET Awards tribute:

BET Videos

araabMUZIK: The Future of Hiphop Production

Stetsasonic put Hiphop bands on the map, followed by, of course, the legendary Roots crew, who long ago set a new standards when it comes to music performed live accompanied by rappers.

But there's a new beatsmith on the scene who is currently redefining Hiphop production and live musicianship, courtesy of the MPC and a pair of lightning-fast hands.

And he's only 20 years old.

Enter araabMUZIK, who is no longer a secret thanks to Cam'ron, who brought the producer to the forefront beginning with Cam's Crime Pays album and followed by mixtapes filled with araabMUZIK'S signature sound, which is highlighted by an eerie, horror movie inspired scream -- his personal musical trademark.

The Rhode Island native has worked primarily with Dipset artists because of his affiliation with Cam, but it's to the point now that rappers who have a history of beef with Cam can't deny araabMUZIK's talent and have gone ahead and worked with him despite the lingering animosity.

It's only a matter of time before a beat maker or producer bites araabMUZIK's style -- which has been done before but never like this as an all-out style of live production. He's already won over the respect of some of his more established peers and I'm sure he will get more work in 2011 and beyond.

Cam's got a future as an A&R with the way he discovers talent.

If you're lucky you can catch araabMUZIK doing his thing at a club near you.

Once Followed, Rakim Now Follows the Leader(s)

I hate to question the greats -- especially considering they’re responsible for the past and current soundtracks to my life -- but what has happened to Rakim?

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love Rakim. He is single-handedly responsible for incorporating an intricate rhyme style and technique that is still heavily employed today by tons of rappers, both aspiring and accomplished.

Eric B & Rakim’s first three albums were nothing short of brilliance and they stayed blasting in my ears from my Walkman to my CD player and finally, now, my i\Pod. Rakim is truly a living legend, and for that reason alone he will always have my respect.

But it would be completely irresponsible for me to ignore his lackluster contributions to rap music over the past decade, and especially over the last year.

The straw that broke this camel’s back came just about a month ago (in the form of Swizz Beatz’s very unoriginal online weekly series) when I heard King Tut, the new Swizz Beatz song featuring none other than Rakim:

Aside from Swizz bastardizing the instrumental of a brand new (and very dope) N*E*R*D song that hasn’t even had a chance to take on a life of its own, and aside from the fact that Swizz’s rhymes leave much to be desired, we could still rely on Rakim – who was for all intents and purposes in hiding before emerging on this song – to ease the pain brought on by Swizzy’s raps. Right?

Wrong.

Rakim’s signature voice is nearly unrecognizable, making me wonder if someone was pulling a Michael Jackson on the listeners. On top of that, Rakim’s rhyme style hasn’t evolved one bit. It’s still the same monotone, slow and deliberate delivery that paved the way back in the 80s but is now so commonplace that even he sounds weird doing it.

To be considered the greatest at anything requires a deep love and serious commitment to said craft. Michael Jordan is retired from playing basketball but stays involved with the NBA team that he owns. Why can’t Rakim do the Hiphop equivalent? Simple. Because he is not the greatest rapper of all time, for starters.

If he were, he would rap for the love of it and stay in the studio and demand relevance like his one-time counterparts KRS-One (who released two very good albums this year) and Big Daddy Kane, who are both happy and eager to work with up-and-coming as well as established talent.

And now we see that when rappers take a break and try to get back on the mic -- it’s just not that easy. It takes a dedication to the craft to keep rappers effective, and this rhyme in particular but also his album from last year have made it clear that Rakim has lost his love for his one-time masterful craft of emceeing.

For many people Rakim remains the greatest rapper of all time, but if we go by the strict criteria needed to be a candidate for such a lofty title, there is no question Rakim does not deserve that honor, which means, ironically, that out of that very virtue, the sad reality is that Rakim is now following the leaders.

Is Jay Electronica the Carlos Boozer of Rap?

Six years ago Carlos Boozer accepted a $68 million offer from the Utah Jazz, which came as a total and complete surprise to his then-current team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Six years later, LeBron James spurned the same team via a grandiose, drawn out announcement on prime time television that once again broke the collective heart of Cavaliers' fans.

In both instances, the Cavaliers were seemingly caught off guard and not expecting to lose their star players under any circumstances.

And now, just a few weeks ago to every one's surprise, Jay Electronica did the equivalent in Hiphop by signing a record contract with Jay-Z's record company, Roc Nation.

Now, it is no surprise that Electronica would enter into a record deal. In fact, it is what his fans were hoping for so that his music would be distributed in a wider and more professional manner than random Internet "leaks" every now and then.

But now details are emerging that suggest Jay Electronica pulled a Carlos Boozer and surprised everyone including his closest adviser, Just Blaze, who most likely had hopes of signing him to his own Fort Knocks Entertainment imprint.

Just Blaze didn't go as far as Diddy did by expressing his outrage via Twitter for the world to see (although Diddy recently rebuffed that notion), but a new video has recently surfaced in which Just says that while he and Jay Electronica are "still cool, there's things that we gotta talk about."



Just doesn't go into great detail, but he does say he understands how Diddy feels, which lets on that Just himself probably does feel some sense of betrayal from Jay Electronica.

It almost seems as though Jay Electronica and Just Blaze had an unwritten, binding understanding or agreement that Jay would be signed through Just's company and then sign with a major label. But it looks as though Jay has eliminated the middle man and gone straight to the cash cow, Shawn Carter.

Electronica can't be blamed for his decision, considering most of what Jay-Z touches turns to platinum or better. But lately Jay's track record hasn't been so stellar, what with J Cole floundering in the underground and Willow Smith making the most noise of all the artists on the Roc Nation roster.

On the flip side, Just Blaze is notorious for his problems with securing record deals for his artists, and Jay Electronica probably wants to get his career moving and not be relegated to being an Internet artist.

And aside from Biggie, Diddy's track record with signing rappers to Bad Boy have been nothing short of disappointing, disastrous, and in some cases demented.

At least with Jay-Z, Electronica will ideally have ready access to the best of everything, including an upper tier production team that is not solely made up of Just Blaze, as well as a guarantee of worldwide distribution.

As with Boozer and LeBron, it seems that Jay Electronica went not only to the highest bidder, but also to the team that gave him the best chance of winning immediately, and he can't be faulted for that.