THE OFFICIAL WAX POETICS PODCAST #1

I can barely speak without fumbling words. Good thing my playa patna Nate LeBlanc is a complete natural at podcasting– and we were both lucky enough to sit down and speak in-depth with a favorite of ours, Del The Funkee Homosapien. We nerded out and broke down his illustrious sophomore release, No Need For Alarm. Not only does this stand as the deepest dive into the album, but it’s a first in a series of podcasts we’re developing for Wax Poetics and beyond. Take a look and have a listen HERE. And please, no boo-boo heads.

Medicinal Muzik: Q&A w/ Oh No and Tristate

Our good pal, music journalist Layne Weiss (LA Weekly, Wax Poetics, Mass Appeal) quickly spoke with Oh No and Tristate about their new project. For fans of their fuzzy, disjointed brand of stoner rap, take a look. – DM

oh-no-2

3 Dimensional Prescriptions, the new album from beatsmith Oh No and MC TriState explores the concept that music is medicine. But as with most medicine, as with most drugs, not everyone is going to have the same reaction or experience listening to their brand of medication. For some, the duo’s latest may bring about inspiration, creativity, or joy; others may get angry, sad, a little crazy, or all at once. This isn’t a one-size fits all brand of treatment. It is up to the listener to choose your own adventure.

Produced entirely by Oh No, whos comes from the pedigree of Madlib-esque inventions, the album features collaborations from stalwarts Evidence, Westside Gunn, Planet Asia, Lyric Jones, and others. This project comes courtesy of Bay Area stronghold imprint, Hieroglyphics Emporium, and is out now.

What does the title Three Dimensional Prescriptions mean and represent?

TriState: The title is like Oh and I are both kinda on some techy shit. And you know, he does his thing in the world. Everybody knows that. And I get down with the tech shit too. I work with a corporation called Hunt AR. And we do AR (Augmented Reality) And anyway, you know. I just thought it would be a good way to tie in our relation into tech shit. He does VR (Virtual Reality). I do AR. That’s the Three Dimensional side of it.

So the “prescriptions” are each song. I look at each song like a prescription. Like you need to get your fix for your addiction. Listening to one of these songs might help you. Oh No is known as Dr No so that goes into the prescription thing as well. So the doctor prescribes you medication or prescription drugs for your issues. That’s another way you can look at these prescriptions.

Continue reading “Medicinal Muzik: Q&A w/ Oh No and Tristate” →

Casual’s Fear Itself

I’ve always thought Fear Itself should be rated higher when in it comes to Bay Area rap classics. ‘93 Til… and Del’s solo works are all celebrated but Fear Itself is somehow never mentioned despite charting well on Billboard, getting significant play, and aging particularly well compared to its counterparts. I decided to document the album track-by-track– with Casual and producer Domino– about the making of Fear Itself for one of my favorite sites, the homie Jeff Weiss’ Passion of The Weiss. READ IT HERE.

’93 Til Now: Tajai Outtakes

I was listening to old Hiero tapes and realized I was hearing dudes half my age rap. It was “Step To My Girl” by Souls of Mischief whom, says Tajai, were only “15-years-old when we first recorded those songs.” He continues, explaining “Cabfare”: “I didn’t even have a driver’s license let alone a cabbie license! I just laugh at those songs when I hear them but they have a special place because they’ve touched so many people and have the ability to bring me back to that era.”

“Cab Fare”

“Step To My Girl”

I just spoke with Tajai for an upcoming short piece on their new album, Montezuma’s Revenge, produced by Prince Paul. Here are some quick outtakes from that interview—for Hiero fans, and cats that remember seeing “93 Til” on CMC.

When was the first time you heard Prince Paul? How did he get on board with the new album?
Opio and Domino were on a Handsome Boy Modeling school tour with him and he mentioned doing some music with us. What started out as a dream became reality when he came out to record with us in 2006, damn near 20 years after we first were exposed to his wizardry. His projects have been some of the most influential in my progress as an artist and a person so it was a no-brainer to work with him. Continue reading “’93 Til Now: Tajai Outtakes” →