I love when a collegial atmosphere is created amongst music enthusiasts that breeds sharing and the open exchange of ideas. Its like all the good parts of socialism without all those pesky Anarcho-syndicalists! I might have that wrong. Anyway, a comfortable free love atmosphere has been created by Three Imaginary Girls, who have asked their readers to talk abo ut what is currently on their playlists . Below are a few of their choices. Up top is the superb video for B.L.O.S.S.O.M. by Komeda from 2003. You know you got [...]
![S&S Crew // Above The Clouds [ Meditating ]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/1179742_lg.jpg)
That's exactly where I'd like to be right about now. Above the clouds, or on them, meditating. DOWNLOAD // Gangstarr ft Inspectah Deck - Above The Clouds More dope pieces over at the S&S blog .

Waitress by Jessica Skinner You know you look like you're losing a piece of your soul each time you go through the greeting , is how a co-worker described my friend's expression as she repeated her routine explanatory greeting at The Melting Pot. Dead on balls accurate if you ask me. Some days that's exactly what it feels like, too. Like many twenty-somethingers, I have been dabbling in the service industry for a handful of years, alternating between stifling office positions, in [...]

Any serious discussion of East Coast hip hop and rap music must begin with reference to the legendary DJ Premier. Preemo, as he was affectionately known by the various emcees he worked with throughout his career, revolutionized the hip hop beat with his simplistic use of a punchy two bar breakbeat. His greatest contribution, however, may have been in the incorporation of vocal scratching into the rap producer's arsenal. His wide-ranging choice of samples also being a point of interest, it is mainly the perfecting of the scratch technique, that crazy wiki wiki sound, that has cemented DJ [...]

Marlena Shaw - Liberation Conversation Marlena Shaw - California Soul I just discovered Marlena Shaw's "Liberation Conversation" this morning via CKUA Radio . I'd never head it before, and it's a pretty crazy tune. Like one part James Brown and two parts Aretha. If you're not familiar with Marlena Shaw, you've probably heard her, regardless. Shaw's album, Spice of Life (1969), more specifically her track "California Soul", has been sampled on a couple of conspicuous hip hop albums. DJ [...]

Ok part two in a quick series of 90's hip hop songs that I loved / love. A lot of these tracks were tracks that I heard on Stretch Armstrong, Chuck Chillout or Red Alert's show. 1991 - Cypress Hill - Hand on the Pump . 1991 - Gang starr - Whos Gonna Take the Weight . 1994 - Craig Mack - Flava in your Ear . (I couldn't find the remix with Biggie, anyone got that??) 1994 - Nasty [...]
Nov 14, 2007, 1:31pm
MVSW
Here's the OS/OHW Wednesday video for this week: Gang Starr ~ " Mass Appeal " http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =0EWJ9JrxU0g Lyrical Excerpt: No way you'll never make it Come with the weak sh*t, I break kids Step into my zone, mad rhymes will stifle ya Lines like rifles go blast when I kick some ass A lot of rappers be like one time wonders Couldn't say a fly rhyme if there was one [...]

Caesar Frazier: Funk It Up From 75 (Eastbound, 1975) Gang Starr: Ex Girl to the Next Girl From Daily Operation (Chrysalis, 1992) Gang Starr: Speak Ya Clout From Hard to Earn (Chrysalis, 1994) I thought it'd be fun, for a change of pace, to pit a producer against himself. In this case, DJ Premier sampled two different portions from the same original source: "Funk It [...]

MP3: Girl Talk - "Pure Magic" MP3: Gang Starr - "Mass Appeal" MP3: Flosstradamus - "Act a Fool" MP3: Justice "D.A.N.C.E." MP3: Spank Rock - "Bump" (Pink Skull Remix) MP3: Panther - "You Don't Want Your Nails Done"

The Blackbyrds: Wilford's Gone From Cornbread, Earl and Me Soundtrack (Fantasy, 1975). Also on Lovebyrds . Gang Starr: Say Your Prayers From Step Into the Arena (Chrysalis, 1991) The Roots: Silent Treatment (Beatminerz Remix) From "Silent Treatment" 12" (Geffen, 1995) I've had this idea for a long time but had forgotten about it until I had cause to listen to Gang Starr's Step Into the Arena the other day. [...]
Ok, last week we featured Positive K on Old School Mondays because the Ack and I had been discussing his lyrical awesomeness the week before. Well I don't want to make this a habit, but we've got a similar scenario this week. Ack and I spent more than a bit of time last week discussing the excellence of the original hip hop junkies, Nice & Smooth . Even though their wiki entry vastly undersells their hip hop creds, ("they made several albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s to little popular appeal"), I'm going to guess [...]

No one else is working. Why should we? Then again, I'm always working. But today, stuffing myself stupid with barbecued ribs and red Kool-Aid takes precedence over the usual posting. So I've dug a little deeper this week for some Labor Day-centric treats. They're just a few work-related extras to keep you company when you're back in the office doing non-work-related things. Have a healthy and happy Labor Day . And enjoy the time off, for tomorrow we start anew – word to Kool Moe Dee . [...]
(Deel 206 hiero ) Gang Starr/Masta Ace - Stampa Alternativa Promo Split label: Stampa Alternativa jaar: 199? kant a: Gang Starr - Who's Gonna Take the Weight? kant b: Masta Ace - Movin' on Ik weet niet meer waar ik deze single vandaan heb, maar waarschijnlijk heb ik hem gekocht voor Gang Starr . Ik heb "Who's Gonna Take the Weight?" op de lp [...]
Overpowered By Funk - The Clash It's A Jam In The Streets - John Holt The Jam Was Moving - Deborah Harry Step In The Arena - Gang Starr Lady Madonna - Booker T & The MG's Business Time - Flight of the Conchords/ DJ Weekend's Team Building 99 Remix [...]
Rest assured, Joey " Straight Bangin " and I are putting in work, trying to import the many ballots we received into spreadsheet form. Sadly, it takes a whole lot of time, so don't expect a full list until at least late next week. All apologies. In the meantime, here's a look at the next 25 that didn't make my ballot. 50. Atmosphere- Overcast! Before concluding that 2Pac was right when [...]

Photo by David Greenwald This is not an April Fool's post, unless you consider this blog posting really good rap songs an April Fool's post. I guess maybe it is. Gang Starr - "JFK 2 LAX": mp3 ...takes about 6 hours and the "meal" they give you on the flight (which you have to pay for) is terrible. But I'm glad to be back in Los Angeles, especially now that the city is burning to the ground and all. Pete Rock and [...]
Part 4 in the series... F : The Fugees - Ready or not G : Gang Starr - Dwyck H : the High and Mighty - BBoy Document 99 (featuring Mos Def / Mad Skillz) I : Ice Cube - Amerikkka's Most Wanted BUY THEM HERE .
Going To A Go-Go - Smokey & The Miracles I mean, what other Smokey is there? Ok, don't answer that. The Bottle - Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Uno, Dose....Uno, Dose, Tres, Quatro... Contort Yourself - James Chance (a/k/a James White) - Before there was LCD there was this No Wave dance classic [...]
The Girls Look Soooo Good Gang Starr "Ex Girl To The Next Girl (Instrumental)" - The first time that I ever heard this song was on some college or public radio show late at night when I lived in Washington, DC back in 1998. I was instantly stunned, and dashed over to my stereo to tape as much of it as I could to the nearest blank cassette, but unfortunately, the DJ never back announced it, and only played this instrumental version [...]