MPFREEEEEEEE

Nuff free music tis available on the t'internet. I've not been flagging up much of it, but intend to do so now. First up is man of the mo - Toddla T live at notorious Sheffield club Kabal where the young man learnt his bleeps-bass-house-techno-dancehall mashing trade. Toddla's favourite DJ is Pipes, who he goes back to back with on this mix. BIG. It's available here, courtesy of the lovely peeps at FACT magazine. But is likely to disappear soon, so get downloading (legally of course)! And I get to post the video for Fill Up Mi Potion again. Such a wikkid choon.



This is Lauryn Hill performing with DJ J Period on the decks. And here is a heavy, heavy J Period and Game Rebellion mixtape, Searching For Rick Rubin to download for free Think conscious, progressive hip hop and you're in the right ballpark, in short he's the hottest DJ in US rap at the mo.

Here's a review of the mixtape from Okayplayer - the label that put Jill Scott on her way, so a very a trusted and respected source and opinion.

J. Period & Game Rebellion
Searching for Rick Rubin
J. Period Mixtapes; 2007

Let me clear something up right off; I despise critic proclamations to the effect of “best (whatever) of the year.” Why? Because pandering “best of” platitudes pop up around February and then get vomited ad nauseam every 3 weeks for the remaining 44 weeks of the year. Praise of that level is like a fire alarm, best left on glass for emergencies. So in the words of Jay-Z, “get your umbrellas out,” because in this 4th week of December I’m busting the glass and declaring, this is the best record I have heard all year!

A while back a couple NYC journalist friends started bloating my inbox with Game Rebellion remixes. Their “99 Problems” remix was the universal “you have to check this out” track. What everyone failed to mention was “99 Problems” is one track on a record of “you have to check this out” tracks. Combined with remix master J. Period, Game Rebellion has twisted the entire Rick Rubin archive into their own artistic stamp.

Chances are J. Period hasn’t managed to slip by any OKP’s radar. And for those that missed his high profile exploits, you surely caught his pre-Game Theory mixtape The Best of the Roots. Game Rebellion’s own Brooklyn rock may have been swept under most of our Lesson rugs though. If you missed it, and I’m turning myself in as well, go get your late pass.

Searching for Rick Rubin remixes, and rewords, a number of tracks one would expect from a hip-hop record: “Public Enemy #1,” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” “Going Back To Cali.” But a few surprises slip in as well. “Under The Brooklyn Bridge” re-invisions the Red Hot Chili Peppers with Martin Luther at the chorus wheel. I’ve got nothing against Anthony Kiedis, but Martin Luther could sing the last Paris Hilton record and I would be listening intently.

Lyrically emcee Netic toes the line between socially conscious and infectiously listenable. For all my commercial snobbery, I still need an emcee to deliver their intelligent lyrics with rhythmic bravado. Netic delivers lines like, “Who you think gets more death threats/ Barack or 50 Cent?/ Damn Barack you gangsta/ Hell yeah, you’re Gansta,” and makes you bob your head all the way through.

Netic delivers his thoughts with little need for help, though Jean Grae gets tapped for “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” in what is her second amazing Brooklyn related guest appearance I have reviewed in the last month. (See 9th Wonder’s Dream Merchant Vol. 2 for the other.) The musical interaction here between emcee and band/dj/producer intertwines intuitively in a way that is rare in hip-hop. I should say rare in music period, but particularly in an era of hip-hop quick to slap recognizable samples with any remotely catchy chant.

The record is not without its bumps. After 12 tracks of “bow down before me” greatness, many interludes in the late portion of the album feature the artists defending themselves and how good they believe they are. In all honesty, I agree, and I didn’t need defensive monologues to tell me. But if unnecessary bravado on a hip-hop record is my only complaint, then we have clearly struck oil.

I’ve tried to tire of this record for weeks since first tearing open the cellophane. It’s not happening. I recognize I have a relatively small forum in which to trumpet my praise, but let it be known, if I have your email address, I’m filling up your inbox with Game Rebellion tracks.
Brian Hull

More MPFREENESS to follow soon...