
Authenticity is a funny old thing. In most musical genres you care to mention, there's always a die-hard bunch of fans who complain that these new artists aren't as good as the old ones, things were much better in the old days, blah de blah de blah. Of course, they are missing the whole point that the artists they so venerate were in fact reacting to the status quo of their own time, and were trying something new and revolutionary. Wanting new music to be like the old is just hypocrisy. Run-D.M.C. – It's Like [...]
In honor of my renewed appreciation for classic radio (spurred on by Bob Dylan's "Theme Time Radio Hour"), I present a Baker's Dozen of great tracks about the dying medium.

Public Enemy before they were Public Enemy, when young Chuck D . was moving furniture for his dad's company and rocking the graphic design on his own party flyers... SPECTRUM CITY - CHECK OUT THE RADIO Crash Crew were pioneers of hip hop and electro, signed early on to the infamous Sugarhill Records . When they weren't dirt biking in the woods they were melting faces and ripping up microphones [...]
Reginald is not, I'd contend, a particularly 'street' name, not one that will get you much 'rep' in the 'hood'. Check my accent out there, I'm down with the kids me, intit. Anyway, the thing I like about today's track is that one of the artists is called nothing less than Reggie Reg. It's a supreme show of confidence in one's ability that enables an MC to carry off a moniker like that. As part of the Crash Crew , Reggie Reg was one of a democratic collective that produced today's track, the ridiculously catchy Breaking Bells. [...]