“Above the crowds above the clouds
where the sounds are original
infinite skills create miracles
warrior spiritual
Above the clouds raining down
Holdin it down”
-Gangstarr
“Above the Clouds”
Guru (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal) July 17, 1962–April 19, 2010
As I was driving home last night the
radio station out here in Houston played a mixed dedicated to Guru. One of the songs they played was “Above the
Clouds” and a listener called in asking who the artist was because she liked
the song. Guru was a big part of Hip Hop
culture and he will be missed, but one saving grace is that his music is
timeless. It’s there forever. Hopefully some fans and artist out there will
be exposed to some of the music he created now, and see the time and effort
that Gangstarr put into their craft.
There is no Hip Hop in the top 10 but maybe that’s fitting for this week. Take
the time to experience a Gangstarr album like No More Mr. Nice Guy, Step
in the Arena
, DailyOwnerz
, Full Clip: A Decade of GangStarr, or Mass Appeal: Best of Gang
Starr. If you like Jazz, then listen to one of the
four volumes of Guru’s Jazzmatazz series, where he blends Jazz, Hip Hop, and
R&B. Take some time out this week to
hear some real Hip Hop.
Guru…Rest
In Peace
Dropping this Week
I
wasn’t even going to put any albums in the column this week but the artists we
have today have a heavy following in the Hip Hop community.
First
up is North Carolina’s own Little Brother.
The group has gone through some ups and downs, and a little bit of
drama, due to their split with 9th Wonder. Now a duo, Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh, still
continue to spit real lyrics since their debut The Listening. This week
they release, Left Back, their fourth
album.
Next, is Devin the Dude, who, in honor
of yesterday releases Suite 420. If you’re familiar with Devin the Dude then
you know what style of music he’s producing.
I don’t know much about the album but I will be picking it up.
Lastly, is California’s own Cypress Hill
who releases their ninth studio album Rise
Up. This is the group’s first album
of new material in the last six years so fans out there should be happy.
That’s it for the week so go pick up one
of these three albums, listen to some Guru, and go enjoy some real Hip-Hop.