Brad Terrence Jordan is the Houston-born rapper better known to you and I as Scarface. His rap career and catalogue began during hip hop’s infancy back when his rapper name was Akshen and he was recording for Short Stop Records with Lil’ Troy. He would later sign with Rap-A-Lot Records and joined the group Ghetto Boys after another member left. After a slight name change,(Geto Boys) the group would release their first LP Grip It! On That Other Level in 1989 which would begin their local legend. Since the Scarface achieved tremendous heights with his groupmates, began production for several artists such as Beanie Siegel and UGK, became president of Def Jam South and helped mentor Ludacris, and won a Lyricist of the Year at the Source Awards along the way. Long considered a legend among hip hop archivists and fans alike, Scarface and the Geto Boys represented the Dirty South and Houston rap LONG before it was cool to do so. Depending on you ask, Scarface’s album The Diary and The Untouchable are among the greatest full-length albums in hip hop’s history. M.A.D.E. is Scarface’s 11th solo release.

With Scarface’s album M.A.D.E. coming out I really didn’t know what to expect. When you consider how many collabos and albums(solo and group) Scarace has appeared on you can’t exactly expect him to be the New England Patriots of hip hop on every verse. He has been close but with him being so late in his long career what can one really expect. Well, on the first track he brings about what you would expect; a very solid track. “Never” has a great sample and a good beat. One interesting line Scarface spits is “I’ll never turn my back on Jesus” which is interesting since he is now Muslim by faith. Not to turn this into a theological debate but assuming he was raised with Protestant roots you would figure his prospective towards Christ would change.

“Big Dog Status” is much more classic Houston. A hook with tons of swagger, strong bassline, and an organ synth ala UGK. As you would imagine, it’s an ode to Scarface’s legacy and his amount of stroke in the game. He chronicles how early he achieved his success and how young he was when he was able to live a lifestyle so many dream of.
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Little Brother is a rap duo consisting of Phonte Coleman and Thomas “Big Pooh” Jones. They are part of the larger rap collective called the Justus League. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Little Brother rose to fame in 2003 due to their debut album, The Listening. Considered by some to be an underground classic, The Listening was noted for the smooth, nostalgic samples via producer/group member 9th Wonder and the equally smooth delivery of rappers Big Pooh and Phonte. The group drew numerous comparisons to their recognized forerunners Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul among others. Their second effort, The Minstrel Show, was expected to have much more commercial success after the group signed a deal with Atlantic Records. Despite birthing what is widely considered another classic album, sales didn’t bare out near as well due in part to a lack of promotion from Atlantic. In 2007, LB would part ways with both Atlantic Records as well as group member 9th Wonder almost simultaneously due to differences on where the group would go and how it would sound with both parties. Little Brother returns in Fall of 2007 with their third album Getback.
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It was last night that I heard about the passing of legendary UGK hip-hop artist Pimp C. I’m a native Houstonian so I’m aware of the impact he had on the city as a pioneer of the Houston rap scene. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that in every death, there’s a lesson in life. Born Chad Butler, this young brotha was only 33 years old and was on his way to opening new chapters in his life and business.

I’m 31, so this hits close to home because it reminds me that life is not promised. We get mad at people over little things and we hold unnecessary grudges and beefs that could easily be resolved. We fight, disrespect and kill each other without realizing the impact it has on our society and community. On the radio this morning I was listening to an interview with Pimp C and how he was talking about the benefits of working together. There’s power in numbers and there’s no limit to the positive impact we can make if we only work together.

I can’t say that I agree with everything he’s said and done, I hope to have an impact on the lives of others as he did. It’s evident that his loss will be felt in the hip-hop community. So continue to pray for his family and those close to him that they’ll be able to have strength through the grieving process ahead.

OUR CONDOLENCES GO TO KANYE WEST AND HIS FAMILY DURING THEIR TIME OF BEREAVEMENT OVER THE LOSS OF DR. DONDA WEST.

Kanye Omari West is a 30 year old rapper/producer from the city of Chicago. Originally known for his production skills, Kanye has traded his place behind the boards for one on the stage. His credits as a producer include Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Common, and Jermaine Dupri along with introducing John Legend. His awards are numerous with several Grammys credited to his name. After two critically and commercially acclaimed albums, Kanye returns with his 3rd major release titled Graduation.

If you haven’t already heard about this album you REALLY need to get out more. Kanye and release-date mate 50 Cent have a wager on who’ll sell the most albums with 50’s career pushed to the middle of the betting table. In my humble opinion, the only things mainstream hip hop has had going this year has been “Internation Player’s Anthem” by UGK, decent efforts by artists like TI and Common, and a whole lotta bubblegum that all of which wasn’t necessarily bad. Graduation is expected to restore balance by backpackers and music pundits alike.

The album starts off with the track “Graduation” which is very…Kanye-esque? It replaces the comedic skit from Late Registration featuring Bernie Mac and has a rhythmic flow. Somewhat solemn but also upbeat at the same time. A good opening track. Maybe my fave line of the whole album is here; “Good mornean look at the valedictorian scared of the future while I hop in the DeLorean”. You’ll never lose me with 80s Michael J. Fox references.
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Prince is among the most easily recognized artists in the world. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, his first studio album was released in Spring 1978 and since then he’s released 24 studio albums. Among those albums he’s had five Number 1 singles, a litter of Top 10 singles, and four #1 albums along with some Grammy awards sprinkled in. He’s also produced for other top-selling artists like Whitney Houston, Sheila E., Alicia Keys, Tevin Campbell, Madonna, and The Time. He was named #28 on Rolling Stones Top 100 Artists of All-Time in 2004 and #5 on the Top 25 Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years. Having gone through several name changes, writing “slave” on his face over a dispute with his former label Warner Bros., and some interesting love relationships Prince remains an icon of pop culture. Planet Earth is his 24th LP.

Like most people I know I enjoy and appreciate Prince’s music but I’m not a “Prince freak”, excuse the pun. Certainly, his hits rival the catalog of almost any artist you can name. Part of his appeal is also that he appears timeless having turned 49 years old last month. Still, with Planet Earth I honestly didn’t quite know what to expect other than at least two singles that would likely be listenable. Sometimes it’s good to be wrong.

The album starts off with a solemn lead-in to the title track Planet Earth. Here Prince does his socially conscious thing by using his instrument to speak on earth-friendliness, race relations, and war. I would expect nothing less from Prince. Whether you agree with his commentary or not, the track is a good R&B/rock mix that picks up nicely as you get into the song. Even if some may see the track as “preachy” it doesn’t weight itself down. Very nice guitar riffs at the end as well.

“Somewhere Here On Earth” is another track of note that has a well-infused R&B/jazz sound. Great muted trumpet solo at the beginning that has a very “Miles Davis”-like quality. The track itself will remind jazz listeners of a Billie Holiday sound. The track is very smooth, soft, and sexy but not in a pornagraphic way many of us tend to characterize Prince’s music as.

The next track “The One U Wanna C” is hard to pigeon-hole. Maybe a little Counting Crows meets Fishbone? Whatever, it’s still uniquely Prince. Possibly what Prince does the best on this album is rock and this is a song that maybe displays it best. If you liked his Superbowl halftime performance last year you’ll like this track.

***Star Track***

You may disagree after listening to the album, but my favorite track was “Mr. Goodnight”. CLASSIC Prince with a modern feel. Ya’ll they got Prince rapping and he did a good job! The beat and the mood of the song reminds me of “Big Poppa”, but again, it’s uniquely Prince. A strong headbobber that will draw in the younger listener who probably doesn’t remember “Rasberry Berret”.

I realize most people won’t consider this to be among Prince’s classics, but it has to go among his better releases. Prince manages to craft an album that simultaneously bridges the gap between younger listeners and his core base and brings in non-traditional Prince listeners by keeping the album PG. He also caters to the mainstream rock audience with tracks like “Lion of Judah” and “Guitar”. Prince again displays himself as a technician at production and pines out an album without any throwaway tracks.

I give Planet Earth an A rating.

Donnie is a soul/R&B artist hailing originally from Lexington, KY. Having honed his craft in Atlanta, GA, his Southern gospel influences are as prevalent as his socio-political commentary. His first album, The Colored Section, would go on to receive critical acclaim after an inauspicious debut. He claims Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Donnie Hathaway as his musical influences as he helps keep their legends alive through his music. The Daily News is Donnie’s second LP.

Though I love Donnie’s music, I’ve always felt that I wouldn’t be able to do his art justice in a review format. Therefore, I handed over the reigns to my wife, Shaunta Holmes-Reese for the review below since she was better suited to dissect what Donnie does best on his newest album. His music is as complex as it is enjoyable and I thank my wife for taking her time out to help a brother out. Her review is below.

Once again, people should open their ears and minds to what Donnie has to say on his newest LP The Daily News.. The album starts off strong with two of America’s biggest tragedies; the too soon forgotten 2005 Hurricane Katrina is represented by the song, “Impatient People” and the unforgettable per media events of 9/11 that are deeply embedded in the song titled “911.” Donnie gets his message across to listeners immediately saying, “I’ll trade the World Trade to spend some time with you baby, I’ll trade my racism, my sexism, my homophobia, trade all my funny ways, my financial center, gonna be a cold and lonely winter without you.”

After Donnie releases his emotions about unforeseen events, he let’s loose on the pharmaceutical industry with a full fledged band on “Over the Counter Culture” featuring Phonte of Little Brother. The song blasts the legality of chemicals and drugs used to “fix” the diseases of people, emphasizing that America supplies the drugs and the pharmaceutical companies “don’t never be breaking no laws” as they provide over priced ways to kill people who are already dying financially.
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Robert Sylvester Kelly is a Grammy Award-winning R&B artist/producer from Chicago, Illinois. He originally broke into the music scene nationally with his former group The Public Announcement. After leaving his group a year after their album release, R Kelly would go on to achieve immense career success including 3 Grammy’s for his single from the Space Jam soundtrack, “I Believe I Can Fly”. That same song would also be voted #406 in the Top 500 Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine. He has also produced tracks for several platinum recording artists such as Janet and Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, Nas, Celine Dion, and Jay-Z along with helping to spawn several artists’ careers such as Aaliyah, Changing Faces, and Sparkle. It’s estimated he’s sold over 50 million albums worldwide. His latest LP is titled Double Up and it is his 12th LP to date.
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Brother Ali is a hip hop artist hailing from the mecca of rhymes, Madison, WI. Having been birthed as an albino named Jason Newman, his striking appearance only accentuates his exceptional lyrical abilities. Though a rising artist, some of the notables under his belt include his well-received demo album, Rites of Passage, and a good run in the 2000 Scribble Jam Festival rap battle. Having gone from releasing a celebrated debut album to being homeless, Ali bounces back with his second LP titled The Undisputed Truth.

As an artist noted for his unapologetic and unabashed style, Ali starts off his album with no “intro” as a chaser. His first track “Whatcha’ Got” starts with only solemn organ music before Ali kicks the door in. This opening track is very aggressive with looping, background guitar riffs and BA’s 80’s-style delivery and flow. He even pays homage to that style with a mid-track bridge that is reminiscent of the BDP days of old. With his opening track, he sets the table for what type of meal is ahead and gives an idea of where he’s coming from even if you haven’t heard any of his previous music.
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OK…maybe Hip hop’s decline is THAT marked, but it is significant. According to www.futuremusic.com, rap sales declined from 2005 to 2006 at a clip of 21 percent. For the first time in 12 years, no hip hop album cracked the Top 10 for year. There are more theories on this decline than there are Too Short album releases. Thoughts range from the genre being in a rut to the idea that many of Hip Hop’s founding fathers are growing older and more mature and therefore more conscious of what type of music they produce. All those are great theories but my contention is for D) none of the above.

Fact is, I doubt many hip hoppers have suddenly had “come to Christ” experiences en masse. Also, though rap is suffering artistically from the record label machine pumping out “dough boy” hits, all music genres follow their marketing playbooks in hopes of putting out a winner. You don’t think Justin Timberlake sells so many albums because his falsetto, pale skin, and smooth dance moves are a first for the music industry do you?(See Michael Jackson)

When it all boils down to it, Caucasian youths have financially supported the Hip Hop Movement. (more…)

Here’s another CD review from Darrell. This is one of his most recent posts on theojohnson.net, so I thought I’d share here. Hope you enjoy.

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As a hip-hop fan, you have to sometime wish that there was some type of Rapper 401(k) or pension plan. There are some of our greatest pioneers out there who did it for the love before there was even money in it. Some even fell by the wayside b/c of convictions, drugs, poor money management, or even just being a one-hit wonder. Thankfully, Jeffrey Townes didn’t fall into that category…even if you didn’t know it. Despite being the lesser known half of the 90’s supergroup “DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince”, Jazzy Jeff has been doing quite well for himself. While Willie has been off becoming a movie icon, Jazz has been the musical force behind icons like Jill Scott and Musiq. He’s also produced for Little Brother, De La Soul, and he even dropped some birds for his boy Will. “The Return of the Magnificent” is Jazzy’s fif album, yo.
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