Song of the Day 12/28/19

So this is a leftover from my year end list that I couldn't really put onto the list proper due to the whole 5 songs working with the week strategy the best and the song coming out in 2018 but I don't know when exactly but regardless the tone of this was it suppose to be on the list proper but it wasn't so I guess you could say it's a spot number 6 also I got distracted with the holiday's which is why this is such a late post and I'm also not likely to be doing any posting on here until sometime around mid January or late February or whenever things calm down and I can get a back catalog of tunes to say something about.

So with that Happy New year and here's to new beginnings and not making resolutions because fuck that always look to improve your dumb ass so see ya...

Hershey Kess – Group X-Arabian Rap Sensation

 

I never talk about this because it's beyond subjective but I really have this weird fascination with this comedy rap group that hadn't put out an album in 18 years that I'd discovered in my shitty teenage pirating day's of flash videos and questionable downloading sites and if there was a group that has stuck through with me more than any group ever should it'd be these bunch of knuckleheads.

These guy's are the most bare bone rap act you'd ever listened to they use unapologetic-ally minimal bass and drum instrumentals that recycle the same melody every single song, their flows are kind of sloppily done but stick very tried and true to the joke they are making, and while their return of peppermint joe album actually has some legitimately impressively improved flows from one Hashmeer Shashmeer this isn't music you take seriously in the slightest and in all honesty their joke was worn thin back in 2000 but even with that in mind I just after all these years find this stuff to be just absolutely fantastically stupid the one minute segments in this album “Poisoned my poodle,” and “It iz poodle,” are some impressively catchy bits of sound but the track that took me by the most surprise this whole year was probably the topic of this article, “Hershey Kess.”

This is Shashmeer's best flow ever this song is an awkwardly confidently delivered bit of stupid that is held up by an infectiously simple and catchy bass line and some drum work that feels like this band forgot to be a joke for all of 2 minutes and actually deliver something that in all honesty is about as juvenile as some more legitimate acts have made but rather than the joke being just how bad those acts are you're instead chuckling at how well these guy's are delivering a tune about what I'd presume is analangus.

This song and group aren't for anyone beyond those with some warped sense of humor that see this as less a racist stereotype and more a kind of wonderfully absurdest take on hip hop from a group of individuals taking the joke and running as far with it as they physically can.

If you have the time and ability to listen to something dumb for more than an hour I'd actually advise you go stream this record sometime it's the best thing they ever put out in terms of finally having some musical talent.

Also while this album came out in 2018 these guy's really didn't do much promotion until this year and since I'm running this site fuck ya'll i'm a talk about one of my favorite terrible bands.

Sam's TOP 10 of 2017 #10

10. LOVE.-Kendrick Lamar fet. Zacari

So I just need to get some bit of information before I rant about this thought that's on my mind and that's that I actually do enjoy rap and hip hop as genre's and feel they're just as much real music as every other genre unlike a good portion of other rock music fans who feel the desire to hate on any rapper that's not Eminem I feel it's a genre with a wealth of talented people making some interestingly great stuff but it's not a genre I specifically have enough of a connection with to treat it like other millennial as some anti status quo race based anti traditionally punk tinged music that an older more conservative minded generation would find as nothing more than disposable noise.

I personally never will see it as an equaling punk music as a fuck you to baby boomers simply because it's a genre that's for the most part THE MAINSTREAM it's modern American pop music through and through and if you're not Rap you're in the dust because I remember watching this interesting round table discussion were these critics talked about how Rap music is the standard of our modern day culture and it's continued urbanization and it was a very interesting view and it got me really thinking about why this genre is a thing and why I was so fucking pissed that my local alternative rock station is starting to play more rap and hip hop in it's rotation going so far as to have Snoop Dogg headline it's biggest festival and it got so far that I do recall drunkenly having a mild argument with one of that stations Dj's and now I'm here at the end of the year a lot less angry and with one simple statement in regards to Hip Hop and it's place in alternative music which simply put it doesn't belong there simply because mainstream culture is Rap music it's not punk rock to play that genre it's simply required to keep the young demographic of disenfranchised liberal teenagers looking to piss off older folks by listening to music that goes against their standards of what makes good music and in turn they're alienating people like me that went to this station wanting to hear rock music that wasn't cock rock post grunge I hate my parents jams that I'd heard fifty different flavors of a million times over and under I want to hear Punk, New Wave, and the various way's you can make a guitar interesting not Chance the fucking Rapper, Donald Golver, OR FUCKING HEY YA!(which no shit STOP PLAYING THAT FUCKING SONG IT'S NOT 2003-2004 LET IT FUCKING DIE!) if I wanted to hear those acts I'd just turn on the top 40 stations they play them a plenty trust me.

That was a very stream of conscious thought that I'm not gonna edit because fuck it it's the truth and what's funny is that even with ALL of that in mind the song to kick off this years list is a rap tune by the only artist in the game that I personally feel makes a quality of music that's at points above it's genre Kendrick Lamar.

“DAMN! LOVE AND LUST! DAMN! ALL OF US!” I can't say how many times I got fucked up and listened to that line over and over again but I did and while DAMN. As an album was not that great this odd little Drake inspired tune just seemed to stick with me in a way that's kind of odd to be honest it's a 3 minute love song about how much adoration he has for his fiance and nothing more and the backing vocalist Zacari sounds like The Weekend and Justin Beiber had a baby which is to say a lot better than he has any right to sound.

The strength of this track is very simple to me it's just a modern day R&B track that has just enough traditional elements to give it a familiar feeling while still sounding like something you'd expect to hear today and it's simple and easy to digest nature gives me this odd feeling of satisfaction and adoration that make me think it's one of the best things I've heard in a long time also it's a great tune to get FUCKED UP TO! So yeah Kendrick is the best and this song contrary to what I've heard some critics say is great and my pick for the 10th best song of the year.

 

Birthday Bash Featured Artist: Second Hand King

So now that we've had some time to get the news out there that I'm having a show at my place for my birthday I figured I'd take the time to write about some of the people kind enough to bless me with this wicked opportunity so without further ado here's my highlighted act of the week in anticipation for my birthday bash... 

Second Hand King

   

 Kansas City's own self professed Doo-wop rapper Second Hand King is one of many examples of and artist thinking outside the box with a style that blends two genre's of music that you never realized aren't that far apart in terms of how they actually flow you have an artist using samples and an overall style that's a refreshing change of pace. 

 I just have to highlight this cut from his upcoming concept album, Frankie “Go So Wrong,” a decidedly old school tinged straight up doo-wop number that's one of many a heartbreak themed tunes that this man seems to know how to just expertly craft, this snap along jam is one oddly addictive little number that's not so much an expression of master class vocals but rather an example of how delivery is everything and this songs blending of light rapping and a chorus that's so stupid simple that you can't help but think this songs pretty damn brilliant. 

 From what I've noticed this guy's really growing into his role and really making some genuinely interesting tunes that are showcasing some overarching story of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness and I'm starting to really enjoy this show. Aside from the tune above some other excellent cuts of his you should check out would be Cold Shoulder, Glass Houses, and my personal favorite Before the Bomb Drops and if you like what you hear you can of course see him at my birthday show and also at the Riot Room on September 9 as well as checking out the links to his various social media where you can maybe purchase some stuff from him. 

Social Media:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Bandcamp

I also manage to find this interesting interview that I don't know who to credit beyond the channel itself that's also a good place to get to know this guy.

 Interview courtesy of Jamieson Edwards:

 

Song of the Day 9/27/16

Cold Shouler-Second Hand King

I can't lie I'm not a good judge of rap music because for lack of a better reason it's a genre that hasn't ever really clicked with me because of it's overly repetative nature, 5 minute plus song lenghts, and spoken word lryical delivery it's hard for me to completely sit through entire rap albums and have a lot of the songs get old pretty quick, but admittedly there's acts here and there that manage to strike a chord with me especially whenever they are increadibly angry in lryics or tone, using the genre to kind of deliver a message to people, or just kind of amuse me in a very relatable way and that's where this local act comes to mind.

Second Hand King is a local rapper that I've caught a few times here and there and pretty recently saw him perform at a gig in a rundown basement. Second Hand King refers to himself as a “Doo-Wop Rapper” because he likes to use old rhythm and blues and rock and roll songs from the 50's and 60's as samples for his tracks which give them a very laid back vibe along with pretty catchy sing along hooks that seem to not only be original but also sang by him and from what I can tell there aren't any vocal samples in his tracks and his lyrics range in content from things as serious as death to the more lighthearted side of being rejected and everything and anything inbetween and the track I've decided to highlight today is in the more lighthearted category.

“I wrote this for all the women in my life that hate me, i'm such an asshole,” I'm not going to lie that line kind of resonates with me to a degree along with seeing him go on a bit of a speil before he starts performing this song with one time in particular standing out because the theme of that night from what I can remember him saying is about how much a bastard he is and had been and I've been and am pretty much there more times than I care to admit myself dude and it's my own personal failures that make this track stick out to me with some amusing writing and delivery that's kind of reminiscent of an asher roth in it's kind of self deprivated style and semi-humerous lyrics like the line about how awesome it was to be in 4th grade which is a personal favorite of mine.

This track is fucking dope as hell people and seeing this guy perform in the most minimal of settings really gave this track a vibe that's hard to really match and I'm pretty sure I'll be on the lookout to see if this guy can continue to kill it night in and night out and if you can you should do the same.

Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #11

#11 King Kunta-Kendrick Lamar

I'm not going to lie the first five tracks of this album was probably the best god damn thing I heard album wise ALL YEAR and yet for some reason or another I keep dipping out of this awesome bit of G-funk heavy amazing and only find myself randomly getting reminded of the heaviest and most consistently great rap album I've heard since J. Cole's, “Born Sinner,” but unlike that album this one I found right in the ripe of it's cultural importance and while I'm not going to get into it this was the most  currently relevant message made all year and this song is just one of MANY great cuts that I had to choose from and while I personally prefer Wesley's Theory for both it's sampling of Boris Gardner's, “Every Nigger is a Star,” but it's pure fast paced interestingly lyrical cut I just kind of found this to be a song that could stand on it's own as a single rather then that one which just kind of sucks you in and is like the rock you trip over before falling into the rabbit hole.

I'd honestly have this higher but it's my own personal lack of consistency in listening to the album in question that has it just barely miss out on the top 10.

Album of the Day 3/25/15

So I remember yesterday I posted the new Kendrick Lamar LP because it's pretty fucking great and what's kind of annoying about being technologically behind and poor is that I don't have a copy of that album nor the ability to stream it from my phone so while I was hyped as fuck for it I couldn't just listen to it on my way to work or something so I've been driving around to J. Cole's Born Sinner album which actually is another one of those rap albums that I kind of started listening to through a buddy and oddly enough found myself REALLY enjoying more than any other rap album before it.

I'm not entirely sure what it is that I enjoy so much about this album but from the kind of bombastic blast of fucks that is VIlluminati, to a fair amount of tracks that explore a variety of themes, and some truly amusingly memorable verses this album is just one big solid collection of awesome that's only real gripe in my honest opinion is that it could have done without the skits and instead just had them as a part of the songs themselves.

Really one of my personal favorite rap albums people so give it a good listen...

Album of the Day?

So I've been trying to brainstorm a weeks worth of ideas but in all honesty I've kind of been pre-occupied with random chores and what not so I kind of only really been listening to a few of the same albums and songs repeatedly.

One more recent album I've decided to give a good listen is the recent Kendrick Lamar LP To Pimp a Butterfly which in all honesty might be the best god damn rap album I've heard maybe ever and the critical press seems to be having an utter field day with this album to the point where I'm seeing it have probably the highest scores of any album in quite some time and in all honesty it all seems very well deserved because this isn't a club banging collection of overly long jams that kind of drag on after listening to the album after a while but rather a very conscientious effort that really seems to have a lot to say and takes every opportunity to say it.

I'm pretty sure this may be considered a classic before we know it although I will say that this album kind of has a 90's throwback in a lot of it's instrumentals which is completely irrelevant but still give this album a fucking listen it's great....

Song of the Day 1/28/15

Fried Day-Bizzie Bone (Originally on The Next Friday Soundtrack)

So this song is just honesty one of the most amusingly laid back tracks that I’ve probably heard from any member of Bone Thugs doing their own thing and the fact that it’s on the soundtrack to the sequel of the Citizen Cain of the 90’s is just you know a nice little bonus…

Song of the Day 1/27/15

So soundtracks their a fun way to take a bunch of people who have no purpose being on the same CD and giving them an outlet to basically market a Mix CD which in all honesty I only ever find to be any bit useful when they have a few choice tracks that I can nitpick or every once in a blue moon their just a place for any particular artist to hide some of their best hidden gems of tunes and that’s what I think I’m going to cover this week my favorite tunes from various soundtracks that I’ve heard over the years so let’s quit Bullshitting you people and get to probably the best song to ever be on a film soundtrack…

Party and Bullshit-The Notorious B.I.G.( Originally on who’s the Man Soundtrack)

You know as I get older I find myself being more of a Biggie guy and if there was a tune that probably convinced me to his utter bad assery it’d be this overlooked bit of awesome that was actually his debut track in the form of this very good times joint that is also my favorite tune to blast when I’ve knocked back a few brews…

Song of the Day 1/13/14

So people I’ve been kind of collection song ideas and what not for this and I figured this week I’d address some newer tunes that I’ve heard or randomly stumbled across that I think are pretty sweet so without too much small chat here’s some of the best new music this week…

#icanteven-The Neighborhood Fet French Montana

So they’re back people….with a mixtape? Yeah this fun little alt rock act has decided to kind of go in an even darker direction with a mixtape of both decent rap spots and grim tunes about failed relationships which is all good in my book especially when the songs bang as awesomely hard as this one.

It’s like the best blend of that kind of dark and electronic heavy alternative music that we’re use to but with some more modern day rap cliche of that drop the bass kind of instrumentation to make a tune that would be considered fairly typical if the main act didn't know a decent method of doing that style in an interesting manor.

What we basically have here is nicely balanced and kind of showcases an experiment done right in every way even if the name admittedly enough is kind of stupid…

Sam's 5 Worst Songs of 2014

So of course with every good there’s always a bad and while last year was dominated by one tune so terrible that I couldn’t honestly think of any other song to possibly match just how horrendously awful a fucking song it was just in general I kind of found myself actually struggling to come up with a list of songs that I didn’t really find to be that bad this year but even so I managed to come up with a list that I’ll at least manage to say that it’s not populated with obvious joke tunes like #Selfie by the Chainsmokers because I can at the very least realize the songs a joke and in all honesty this year’s selections bar one aren’t honesty that terrible they’re just mediocre as fuck so let’s quit shooting the shit and tell you guy’s the songs that sucked the hardest this year my Top 5 worst of 2014…

5. This is how we do-Katy Perry

So there seemed to be this thing in pop music where dumb ass typical fucking white girl irresponsible song writing and dumbassery was a thing and of all the shitty tunes that I can recall that did it very terribly…minus one other song on this list probably had to be one of the worst in it’s just utter lack of any semi decent quality or hook that most Katy Perry tunes manage to have that lead me to not just want to continue to wish terrible acts on here.

Just Dumb irresponsible music through and through is the only way to really describe this shitty little tune.

4. Rude-Magic!

The Big One hit wonder of the summer has been decided and for some reason people wanted to hear some half-assed reggae crooning Canadians…You know I don’t even people like this admittedly isn’t a completely awful number it’s just about some asshat that is basically telling some dude to suck it and for whatever reason this was number 1 for god knows how long?

3. Fancy-Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCS

Ok I’ll admit this songs chorus is quite a banger in all senses of the word and is the ONLY decent thing going because Azalea aside from looking like Doug sounds like the most typical of white girls doing her best Nicki Minaj impersonation with verses that are almost as half-assed but without any charm.

2. All about that Bass-Megan Trainor

So I’m all about tunes or motivational phrases that make us all feel good about our bodies and the way we are really I am but this song is not one of those things. NO really just listen to her describe the thin as skinny silicone Barbie bitches and come to realize this song is an unapologetic example of body shaming at it’s worst…in the form of a catchy throwback tune that’s not groovy enough to be Winehouse and nowhere near vocally strong enough to be Adele so what I initially thought was a joke track kind of morphed into something that’s gotten a lot more credit than it deserves…so I guess in a way it did fool everyone.

1.Anaconda-Nicki Minaj

So I’m just going to think that this bitch just intentionally will make songs so blatantly terrible just to see if it’ll become a hit based on just how cringworthingly awful they really are and defiling an awesomely terrible tune like Baby Got Back by making it even more ass focused and not nearly as enjoyably dirty isn’t what I wanted to hear and in all honesty there wasn’t any arguing what was the worst thing I heard this year because while the other songs required a little explaining or had some decent qualities this song is just pure trash in every sense of the word in all honesty this song should ONLY be played by the dumbest drunkest whitest bitches looking to just repeatedly go, “OH MY GOD BECKY LOOK AT HER BUTT,” and nobody else because from beginning to end this is just bad.

Well people there we go My personal picks for the worst of the year it’s not as thorough as the one that A Dose of Buckley made which I’dhighly advise you go check out for a very well put together list but it’s still a pretty solid selection of awful so hopefully next year doesn’t have anywhere near the cringeworthy tunes.