I spoke with one of the greatest living producers, Alchemist, as well as Griselda’s best pure rapper, Conway the Machine, about their collab, LULU. Read it here for BILLBOARD.
Alchemist is on a historic run (Alfredo, with Freddie Gibbs came out after LULU) and Conway has since promised 3 albums after this one. As of this writing, we’re in the midst of a tremendous era for modern rap and these dudes’ names are somehow constantly in the conversation.
Growing up in the Bay in ’90s, you’d be hard pressed not to catch RBL Posse on the radio. These dudes from Hunters Point had huuuuuge hits, songs that are burned into my middle school memories. Between “Bounce To This,” “Blue Bird,” and “Don’t Give Me No Bammer Weed,” the trio were (almost) able to escape the gritty violence they often spoke of. What an incredible shame that 2 of the 3 members were murdered while so young. I picked the anti-cop anthem “Blue Bird” as well as “Bammer Weed” to explore since, I feel, those resonate the most after all these years. A million thanks to Black C for his candor and time regarding RBL’s history and how their songs came to be. For my “Making of…” series for POW, read it HERE. RIP Mr. Cee and Hitman.
This effusive mix by the cantankerous one, DJ PLATURN, was floating around the internet a month or so back. It’s a live set of obscure Asian 45s, melodic, colorful, and in-the-pocket grooves galore. Cover is by yours truly (I just used a phone app) and the mix is still available for download. Peep it HERE. It should also be noted that “45” in this case = not only the format, but also Trump, who has “infected countless lives,” says Platurn.
“Clear Blue Skies” by The Juggaknots was on repeat at the start of this pandemic. It’s been a favorite for many, many years but I just so happened to throw it on in around April and it never left the turntable (the whole release is excellent, just peep “Romper Room” for another stellar example). I called up the always gracious Breeze Brewin to get the stories behind the making of their classic cut; read it HERE.
