Wednesday, October 19 2011
10 Standout Hip-Hop Tracks from 1991
As a complement to PopMatters' "Nevermind Nostalgia" retrospective on music in 1991, Sound Affects takes at look at a partial selection of the year's hip-hop highlights that lean more towards beats production than the era’s increasingly popular gangsta genre.
Tuesday, October 11 2011
An Album Found in a Trashcan: De La Soul Is Dead
Listening to De La Soul Is Dead means immersing oneself inside a funny but terrifying universe, where brutality and self-destruction exist side by side with smart-ass jokes and sex talk and good music.
Wednesday, April 14 2010
De La Soul Is Dead: Long Live De La Soul
Stressed out and defiant, De La Soul set out to destroy what made them famous on their second album. Almost 20 years later, De La Soul is Dead remains a benchmark of how career suicide albums should sound.
Wednesday, May 6 2009
De La Soul: Are You In? Nike+ Original Run
The beats are there for the Long Island trio, but this continuous mix aimed at runners falls short on the lyrical tip.
Tuesday, March 31 2009
Various Artists: Dillanthology Vol. 1
Although it offers nothing new, this is a fine introductory piece for new or unacquainted J Dilla listeners.
Tuesday, April 1 2008
It Ain’t No Joke
Hip-hop, like most other arts, intentionally pays humor less mind because, hey, it's not supposed to be taken seriously! But seriously.
Thursday, December 16 2004
De La Soul: De La Mix Tape: Remixes, Rarities & Classics
De La Mix Tape is a curious collection of, well, remixes, rarities, and classic joints in Tommy Boy's recent slew of De La Soul product (see the joint release of Live at Tramps NYC 1996 and last year's Timeless: Singles Collection).
Monday, December 13 2004
De La Soul: Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996
Released around the same time as The Grind Date, its seventh studio album, De La Soul’s Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996 is a time machine for fans old and new. Then again, De La Soul has consistently managed to sell records by never aging.
Monday, November 1 2004
De La Soul: The Grind Date
The Grind Date has an economy to it that suits De La Soul's new workmanlike perspective; at 12 songs it's the most concise album they've made yet.
