Right around the time I was entering fifth grade, American popular music was experiencing a rap/rock renaissance. Bands such as the venerable Limp Bizit, Korn, Linkin Park and singers like Kid Rock were bringing the two sounds together, and creating something that sounded exactly like what you would think rock and rap combined would sound like. That’s probably why none of those bands were that popular as rap/rock bands for very long (save for LP, who actually went more of a hip-hop route, going so far as to record a collaboration album with Jay-Z).
The last twelve months have seen a resurgence of the rap/rock hybrid, although not in the same sense that you might think. Patrick Stump’s (of Fall Out Boy fame, no less) appearance on Lupe Fiasco’s “Little Weapon” and on The Root’s oft-maligned “Birthday Girl”, as well as Lil’ Wayne’s 80’s inspired “Something You Forgot,” “One Night Only,” and “Playing With Fire.” Now, L.A. rapper The Game gets into the act, with a track from former Blink-182 drummer and Famous Stars and Straps founder Travis Barker. While not exactly a classic rock/rap track (if you were hoping for “Walk This Way” you might be disappointed) it’s always interesting to see artists crossing genres in order to expand their fanbase. You can check it out below.
Usually when I’m looking for a nice piece of low-production, handmade clothing, global sneaker conglomerate Nike isn’t the first brand that I turn to. However, that may soon change. Nike has teamed up with Loopwheeler, a small, Japanese clothing manufacturer known for the quality and craftsmanship that goes into the cotton fleece that they produce. Their name, Loopwheeler, comes from the loopwheel looms that produce a higher quality fleece than traditional looms (similar to selvage vs. non-selvage fabric in denim manufacturing). The looms are much slower than the majority of looms being used to create fleece today, but this allows for more air to pad underneath the fabric itself, which creates a softer, lighter material.
The Nike Loopwheeler collection should come out later this summer, probably around mid-August. The sweatshirts are rumored to be retailing for around $250, not a bad price for a classic garment that will only get better as it gets worn.
D.C. rapper Wale has been keeping busy recently: he just signed a deal with Interscope for his first album, appeared on The Roots new album, Rising Down, and managed to release a new, full length mixtape, entitled The Mixtape About Nothing. Drawing off of Wale’s love for the TV show Seinfeld, the tape loosely ties in to the show (and even includes a short cameo by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine on the show), while still showcasing Wale’s above-average rapping skills and hypnotic drawl he has become known for. The material on this tape is a little darker than on 100 Miles and Running, his previous mixtape collaboration with former Fader affiliate and current Fool’s Gold ringleader Nick Catchdubs. Best of all, the tape is available for free. You can download it here.
We’ve posted about some of the better men’s stores in Seattle (Goods, Blackbird) but now it’s time to rep for the ladies. Dolce Vita, a women’s clothing and footwear store, has just opened up in Ballard on Ballard Ave, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you are looking for original and interesting clothing (and are, you know, a girl). Dolce Vita carries their own brand there, as well as some nice, lesser known designers such as Fillipa K, Dolan, and United Bamboo. Ballard seems to be getting hipper every day.
Usher has a thing for owning the summer. Anyone remember “U Remind Me,”“Yeah,” or recently, “Love in this Club?” Yeah, the man pretty much owns the hottest season, and with good reason. His songs are easy to listen to and he always ropes in a huge guest appearance. This time is no different, bringing Jay-Z into the mix for a laid back summer jam on “Best Thing.” Expect to hear this all summer long.
I’d write individual posts for all of these but I’ve got finals and a life (sort of) so this is going to have suffice for the time being. A bunch of songs have popped up in the last couple of days, and it’s my duty to make them known to all of you. Without further ado…
Lil’ Wayne feat. Kanye West - Lollipop (Remix)
Rumors of this song have been floating around for a little bit at this point; Kanye posted a video of him playing Connect Four against Superbad’s Jonah Hill, and this seemed to be playing in the background. Given the liberal use of the vocoder (it must be T-Pain and his derivitives day here at trend fresh) I originally thought it was the new Jeezy single, “Put On,” but as it turns out Wayne and Kanye got together to record a proper remix to this year’s most unlikely number one single. While Kanye’s verse is nothing exciting, Wayne goes OFF on the rest of the song, seeming like he’s finally returned to form after about a year of being pretty spotty on a lot of his material. While it lacks the sugary sweet and almost comic sexuality of the original, Wayne’s wordplay is nuts and it’s nice to have something that makes me excited for The Carter III again.
N.E.R.D. feat. CRS (Kanye, Lupe, Pharell) and Pusha T - “Everybody Nose (Remix)”
Aside from finally firming up what this song was actually about to begin with (Cocaine? Didn’t see that coming), this song adds more fuel to the fire that there might be some truth to the rumors floating around that a CRS (Child Rebel Soldiers) album might actually come to fruition. Aside from this, the only other song that’s come out has been “Us Placers,” the remix of Thom Yorke’s“The Eraser” on Kanye’s “Cant Tell Me Nothing” mixtape that came out last summer. And really, what’s a song about cocaine without Pusha adding at least a 16 of lyrical ridiculousness?
Bun B feat. Lupe Fiasco - “Swang on ‘Em”
Bun B has managed to line up some pretty well known guests (Lil’ Wayne, Young Buck, Lyfe Jennings) for his upcoming album, II Trill, and rightfully so; the man is arguably the godfather of the Houston hip-hop sound. That being said, there’s still something weird to me about hearing Bun without knowing that Pimp C is gonna come in on the next verse. Lupe drops a decent verse on a beat I wouldn’t have pegged him for, and both rep their automobiles and hometowns, respectively. It’ll be interesting to see how this album does in the wake of Pimp’s passing, especially since this album uses more varied production than some of the other UGK stuff that’s come out.
That’s all for now; trend fresh will be on a semi-hiatus until the end of May due to some school and travel circumstances. That’s not to say that posting will cease entirely, but that it might be a little more sporadic. If you haven’t joined the Facebook group yet, you can check it out here, and as always, thanks for the support and if you have anything you want to share with me, you can hit me up by clicking on the contact link at the top of the page.
In a move oddly reminiscent of Nelly’s self aggrandizing “I’m on some new shit” back patting on “Pimp Juice” (That’s why I got my fade/Everybody had braids/Now everybody switchin’ to fades/And I’m thinkin’ ’bout braids) T-Pain has released a track WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE HE’S ON THE SET OF THE TRON MOVIE (aka using a vocoder). Pretty incredible stuff. I think T-Pain should just get one of those voice boxes they give to smokers when they have to remove their larynx and sing through that. That would be next level.
Anyone that’s been even semi-interested in rap lately has probably wondered if Detox, Dr. Dre’s final album, will ever see the light of day. Pushed back more times than anyone cares to remember, a lot of hip-hop fans are wondering if this purported masterpiece will ever actually be released. Part of the reason everyone’s so anxious about this album is that Dr. Dre doesn’t just have a history of making good records; both of his two solo projects (The Chronic and 2001) are canonical in nature; they’re albums that have withstood the test of time while accurately portraying some of the best music written in their era. Apparently Detox is no exception; speaking about the album, super producer Scott Storch had this to say upon hearing some early cuts of a few of the songs:
“I’d describe it as the most advanced rap album musically and lyrically we’ll probably ever have a chance to listen to.”
Dre’s songwriting process is, at the very least, unorthodox. While no one knows for sure, rumors have long circulated that Dre constructs “skeletons” (bare bones versions of tracks) for about 80-90 songs and then fills them in, cutting the ones he’s unhappy with. In a day where most rappers seem to record 25-30 tracks and then pick the best 15, 80-90 is somewhat ridiculous. Dre has confirmed that he has 18 potential tracks for the album finished, but whether or not any of them end up on the album or get scrapped is unknown at this point. That being said, fans have been waiting for this record forever; it was announced in 2002 and was supposed to be released in 2004, before being pushed back countless times. It has, in essence, become the hip-hop version of Duke Nukem Forever.
But there’s hope. According to 2DopeBoyz, a song recently popped up that was produced by WallStreet and Dr. Dre, with lyrics by Prophet, a fairly unkown rapper hailing from Hartford, Connecticut (and who sounds errily like The Game). It’s no secret that Dre has used ghostwriters on a lot of his material (Jay-Z wrote his verse on “Still D.R.E., and Snoop penned his lines on “Next Episode”); he’s a much more talented producer than he is a rapper. Entitled “It’s Like That,” it’s been confirmed that Dre helped produce it. Apparently this version of the song was just for Dre to learn the words and the flow of the song before he lays down his vocals. Here’s what 2DopeBoyz’s source had to say:
“Recently, I received some records submitted for Detox which were written by an artist by the name of Prophet. We didn’t end up keeping any of them but Dre liked his style of writing and the production so he wanted me to fly him and the producer WallStreet out. Once they arrived everyone got acquainted and started working. WallStreet pulled up a sample and started crafting the drums as Prophet who funny enough is a reggae/hiphop artist started writing the rap. The chemistry in the room was amazing. Dre walked in and heard the track and the first thing he said was we need to replay the sample and we’ll have a buzz single for Detox. Dre got on the boards and started to get more involved with the production. He started to EQ WallStreet’s drums making them sound 10 times bigger. He had the guitar and strings played over and the finish product of the track was CLASSIC Dre. Prophet continued to write the record and then laid his vocals to the record so Dre could learn the song. I expect Dre to lay his vocals down in the next day or so. It will be extremely hard if not impossible to get the song because no one has access to the files once Dre records to it. For now, all I have is the version with Prophet’s vocals on it.”
So take it for what you will, I have no idea if this will end up on Detox but it’s certainly the first song that even comes close to being confirmed for the album that’s leaked to the public. You can check out the original post over at 2DopeBoyz here and you can listen to the song below.
One of the problems with music is that it’s almost impossible to look at objectively. Every time I hear a song, I’m subconsciously figuring out how I fit it into my life, how I connect it to whatever is going on in my life at the time. That’s why people like art; despite the fact that vast audiences of people consume the same content we do, we personalize art, we make it our own.
In 2004, I was a sophomore in high school, and N.E.R.D’s second album, Fly or Die had just come out. I picked it up, having loved In Search Of…, and was hoping for something similar. I didn’t get anything similar. Instead, I got an album that made it cool to be a teenager again. Touching on themes ranging from first love to parental control, Fly or Die, at least for me, was one of those rare albums that spoke directly to what I was feeling at the time. Sure, as I grew older and revisited the album it began to seem dated. Then again, so did my sophomore year in high school, and the fact that this album could still evoke those feelings so clearly just after a song or two was certainly a more glowing endorsement than I could give to many other albums that I listened to in the spring of ‘04, if I could even recall them.
This summer, N.E.R.D. is set to release their third album, Seeing Sounds. I think we’ll see the band taking their sound in a new direction (the first singe, “Everybody Nose,” has sort of a baile funk/bossa nova rhythm thing going on with it, a lot different the punk-rock/techno flavor of Fly or Die.) The second song off the album, “Spazz” just leaked, you can check it out for yourself below.
A new exhibition has opened at the Paccar Pavilion at Seattle’s fantastic Olympic Sculpture Park. Geoff McFetridge, the graphic artist responsible for the Nike Tear-a-way Blazers and Pottok Wallpaper, amongst many other things, is having his work exhibited inside the Paccar Pavilion for the next year. Geoff is a really interesting artist, bringing together graphic design, streetwear, and high art to create a really interesting blend that’s become his signature, as well as his usage of strong colors and shapes, and so it’s good to see an art museum as high profile as SAM highlighting his work. It’s worth checking out if you get the chance.
