Every Stacks on Deck ever
Thereâs no Stacks On Deck in the upcoming issue of The Thin Air as we count out our 16 artists for â16. So hereâs every instalment of my rap column so far. Weâll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next issue.
#1 In Search of Jay Electronica
In the first instalment of his new hip-hop column, Dean Van Nguyen examines the curious case of Jay Electronica ahead of the New Orleans rapperâs upcoming appearance at Whelanâs, Dublin.
The career of Jay Electronica more closely resembles a Chris Gaines-esque side project than the career of a fully functioning artist. Plausibly, this could only be the work of invention. Hereâs a guy who, while drifting from city to city, found his way to recording with J Dilla, and later appeared on tracks with Kendrick, produced for Nas, jumped on stage with Diddy, and called Jay Z his boss over at Roc Nation â all without actually releasing an album.
Itâs as if someone of significant influence is behind the guise, pulling the strings in some kind of mad experiment, or using the persona as an outlet for ideas they dare not test out under their own name. Electronica â a real person, I assure you â commands a level of respect from both his peers and fans that defies his tiny output, which thus far consists of just one multi-track release in Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), a 15-minute piece put out on MySpace in 2007 that sees the MC rapping over a series of drum-less samples taken from Jon Brionâs memorable Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack.
Itâs a cool record, even though a full third of it features not Electronica but Just Blaze and Erykah Badu, speaking over the phone about their experiences with the New Orleans native. But for eight years now he has teased the release of debut album Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn), with little suggestion that the record will see the light of day anytime soon. For someone who has been a vocal critic of modern hip-hop, Jay hasnât added a whole lot to the genre in terms of output. âI have enough material for many albums,â he told MTV last year when asked if he had enough finished content to put out a record. âYou know how it goes. I donât even know what to say to this stuff...â
This is the kind of bullshit douchebaggery usually reserved for Axl Rose, Dr Dre and other multi-millionaires who take up to â and over â a decade to release an album, not a new artist looking to drop the first long-form artistic statement of his life. Some have lost the faith, but those who see Electronica perform in the small setting of Whelanâs on March 12, will see that the dude certainly has something. A potent rhymer and razor-sharp lyricist, he channels the spirit of golden age hip-hop greats like Kool G Rap and Guru, laying it over instrumentals few would dare touch, and somehow making it all work.
The thing is, itâs completely within Electronica to put together an album loaded with tracks as good as his 2009 single âExhibit A (Transformations)â, the deftly lyrical âDimethyltryptamineâ, Dilla-helmed demo âSo What You Sayingâ, or the recent PRhyme collaboration âTo Me, To Youâ. All it would take is a single jolt to the system to convince him that now is the time focus. But hear me, Jay: at this stage, anything less than a classic is unacceptable.
#2 From Belfast to the Bay
Belfast producer Bear//Face and San Francisco rapper A-1 combine to make a blissful slice of cloud rap, writes Dean Van Nguyen.
When assembling the instrumentals for his recently-released mixtape Thurlian, A-1 cast his gaze far beyond his native San Francisco. So wide, in fact, that the eclectic rapper caught sight of a piece that originally appeared on Belfast electronic musician Bear//Faceâs 2012 release Beat_Tape. Jacking the track âTaste My Sadâ and flipping it into his woozy single âGood Peopleâ, A-1 â whose Facebook profile describes his sound as âCerebral Western Outlaw Musicâ â crafted a blissful slice of frosty cloud rap.
For Bear//Face, it must have been a thrill. The twinkling Beat_Tape was reactive to the early noughties proliferation of cloud rap â a hip-hop sub-genre that inverses the traditional ethos of fat bass lines and crackling jazz samples, trading them in for hollowed-out instrumentals with a focus on lots of dead space, ethereal textures, and chopped ânâ screwed vocal loops lifted straight from the Dirty South. Itâs proved the philosophy of choice these last few years for artists like Cities Aviv, SpaceGhostPurrp, Lil B and Cloud Casino, but got pushed way into the mainstream by the fashionable Harlemite, A$AP Rocky. Bear//Face himself even put out an unauthorised remixes of the rappersâ âLong Live A$APâ and âPMW (All I Really Need)â a couple years back.
If Bear//Face has been seeking to work with an elite rapper like Rocky, he could do a lot worse than A-1. The half-Italian, half-Senegalese MCâs voice has a mild but definitely noticeable rasp to it, giving his flow a razor sharp edge. On âGood Peopleâ, he allows himself to lean into the laid-back track, before shifting up a gear and rapping in double quick time as the Irishmanâs beat picks up pace.
Elsewhere on Thurlian, A-1 proudly bares his Bay Area roots on the hyphy dance floor banger âThere I Goâ. While on âSunday Discoâ, he attempts to tackle another pinched instrumental â this time itâs the sparking keyboard riffs of producer Kaytranadaâs âSeeu Enni Wayâ. The music is so eccentrically fantastic that the rapper can barely stay on beat, but he keeps his vocal loose enough that the whole thing works.
How the âTaste My Sadâ instrumental made to A-1, or whether the duo have ever had any real contact, I do not know. But the unlikely team-up highlights how killer a long-form project in that vein could be for Bear//Face. If, of course, he pinpoints a rapper who is worthy of his cuts.
#3 Is Vic Mensa the next big rap star?
Dean Van Nguyen reckons the Chicago artist can reach hip-hopâs highest peaks.
Vic Mensa made a big impression on me last year when he opened for Danny Brown at Dublinâs The Academy. Performing to a typically half-full, half-focused venue in advance of the main attraction, the Chicago MCâs qualities sparkled as he carried a series of tuneful jazz-tinted numbers with his distinctive tweaked-out, crooning rap style â his hooks loitering around my head even after Brownâs battering set. As the crowd left the venue later that night, Mensa could be seen hanging out at the tiny merch stand, promising to sign any purchased piece of memorabilia to bolster his eveningâs take.
Cut to just over a year later, and Vic is looking every bit the 21st-century rap star â a position that will surely be solidified if his career path remains on its current course. Having recently lined up alongside Kanye West for live performances of one of Westâs new tracks, âWolvesâ, the pair have re-teamed for Mensaâs latest single, âU Madâ. An earth-shattering drill number built on concrete pillars and hard gradients, the 21-year-old drops his usually melodic style to go fully HAM against the beat, spitting more forcefully than I previously thought possible of him. Itâs another big green tick for the artist who, since his Dublin appearance, can seemingly do no wrong.
Mensaâs Academy setlist largely drew from his carefree 2013 mixtape Innanetape, which found him rapping about sunny days sipping orange soda. That release remains his most fully-functioning piece to date, as Vic has since been selective with what he puts out, more interested in crafting songs that work than in getting a massive amount of bars down on tape. And dude knows how to cut a single. The trickle of new music we have heard from him in the last year has shown a retreat from the sun, into the shadows, but every track sounds likes a hit. Druggy pill anthem âFeel Thatâ was as catchy as it was decadent, while the Chicago house-influenced âDown On My Luckâ saw Mensa drop rapping altogether and, instead, allowed his scat to rattle and ping against the throbbing electronic beat.
That is not to say that Mensa is the undisputed best young rapper in the game right now. But, with his catchy flow, famous friends, photogenic looks and impeccable taste, he has a great chance at being hip-hopâs next major commercial artist â a more mainstream Chance The Rapper, or Lupe Fiasco without the faux intellectualism. This potential is reflected in Jay Z's decision to welcome him into the Roc Nation family and, with debut album Traffic in the pipeline, who could possibly say how high this kid can soar.
#4Â The Love Movement: Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde returns to Dublin
Dean Van Nguyen looks ahead to the hip-hop legendsâ July 4 Sugar Club appearance
âBizarre Ride II the Pharcydeâ is both the name of one of the greatest west coast hip-hop albums ever made, and because a various legal wrangles, a touring outfit that features a chunk of the creative team who put the record together.Â
Like all great groups who end up opposing each other in court, itâs been a sorry saga, but before all the bickering beef you had The Pharcyde, a neon-lit LA rap foursome that boasted an eclectic musical palette and wicked sense of humour. The highschool friends put out their debut album in 1992, and with their surrealist shit-talk, street corner energy and candy-coloured beats, the piece proved completely out of step with the bleak Californian rap records of the day.
To mark Bizarre Ride II the Pharcydeâs 20th anniversary in 2012, members Slimkid3 and Fatlip â who had lost the rights to the Pharcyde name to their former bandmates Imani and Bootie Brown â teamed-up with the albumâs producers J Swift and LA Jay to perform the LP in its entirely show at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. Such was the eventâs success that theyâve pretty much been touring the LP ever since.
âAt first it was just one show,â Slimkid3 told me in 2013, âbut once we started rehearsing, I think that is when we realised that, all the fun we had when making the first album, those energies were there again. I think that the feeling, it was a good feeling â the good jokes and all the good times really inspired us to see where it goes.â
July 4 sees the collective return to Dublinâs The Sugar Club after their 2013 performance at the venue, and with them no doubt will be the energy that powered not just Bizarre Ride II the Pharcydeâs creation â making it plain that the album is like no rap record made before or since â but the dozens of live shows theyâve absolutely killed these past couple of years.
âI think itâs our energy that makes it a fun experience. We basically have no filter, yâknow?â said Slim. âBut one thing that we do have is the respect for the music, the craft and the energy itself that made Pharcyde from the beginning. We know that weâre supposed to be here in this moment to do this, and all that it pushes through us, and thatâs from energy. Thatâs honest energy. Thatâs humility, thatâs celebration, thatâs everything.â
#5 âR U Still Down?â The Drake conundrum
Dean Van Nguyen asks whether revelations into Drakeâs artistic process should tarnish his reputation.
âA rapper with a ghostwriter? What the fuck happened?â asked Kendrick Lamar on âKing Kuntaâ, a rap single of the year contender cut by an artist considered one of the driving forces in bringing lyrical-based hip-hop back to the mainstream. Last month, Meek Mill was asking the same thing. In a tweet heard around the world, the Philly MC asserted that Toronto crooner Drake did not write his own rhymes and, in the process, initiated rapâs most headline-grabbing beef in years.
The back-and-forth sparked two dis tracks from Drake, âCharged Upâ and âBack To Backâ. They were listenable but not particularly vicious numbers that fired a couple of decent one-liners at Meek without commenting on the allegations at hand. His opponent, meanwhile, baffled everyone by striking back with the bitty, incoherent âWanna Knowâ. Somehow, Drizzy (at time of writing) has triumphed without addressing the issue that sparked the contest in the first place.
When audio leaked that appears to validate Meekâs assertions that Drakeâs collaborator Quentin Miller had a sizeable hand in forging some of his recent work (as a co-writer, not a ghostwriter, as he appears to receive credit), fans were left grappling with the question: Does it matter if Drake needs help? His enhanced rep would suggest a sizeable section of listeners donât think so. And yet, itâs hard not to feel somewhat duped. Drake has always positioned himself as an open book â a sensitive soul happy to lay out personal details from his life via an often stream of consciousness rap style that feels intimate. Itâs how heâs fought his way from teen soup actor to one of the few true rap superstars out there today. If that transparency turns out to be a falsehood, it dilutes what makes Drake so special.
If Drake didnât come up with the melody on the chorus of âJust Hold On If Coming Homeâ, I wouldnât really give a shit. But if it transpired that the confessional freestyle âSay Whatâs Realâ was not Drake and Drake alone, heâd drop a few notches in my estimation. Because whatever qualities Drizzy brings to the table away from what emanates from his pen, heâs never been shy at announcing himself as a special one (âLast name Ever, first name Greatestâ). And when you repeatedly attempt to stake a claim at rapâs head table while simultaneously inflating your own abilities, it rings with deceitfulness in a genre that has always valued realness above all else. Kendrick knows it, he was just reminding you.
Ahead of his November 10 show at Dublinâs The Academy, Dean Van Nguyen examines the burgeoning career of retro New York rapper Joey Bada$$.
Released in 2012, Joey Bada$$âs debut mixtape 1999 was a refreshing slice of throwback hip-hop at a time when Virginian producer Lex Lugerâs hard-as-nails 808s and Chicagoâs blood-soaked drill scene were rapâs most fashionable sounds. With its jazzy samples, smooth boom-bap drums and nostalgic turntable scratches, the Brooklyn teenager brought listeners all the way back to the golden age, establishing himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the game for those who value rap musicâs traditionally core elements.
If, like me, you still bump Illmatic on the regular, Bada$$ seemed the complete package. He sounded comfortable rapping on jacked J Dilla and MF DOOM instrumentals â his smooth, youthful flow gliding gracefully alongside the silky beats. And like a young Nasir Jones, he was a razor-sharp lyricist to boot. âBarely even conscious, talking to my conscience/Gettinâ deeper in these flows like conches,â spit Joey on A$AP Rockyâs 2013 single â1 Trainâ, acknowledging his conscious rap ethos. Appearing alongside a whole host of new-age talent in Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T, it was the Pro Era collective co-founderâs most prominent brush with the mainstream to date. Another high point on his ascent to what seemed inevitable rap stardom.
But Bada$$âs rise hasnât proved quite as straight forward as those initial victories. As his baby face faded, his hair lengthened and physique filled out, Joey opted trade in his previously clean, fluid flow for a more stuttering vocal style that nodded to his Caribbean background (his mother is from St Lucia, his fatherâs from Jamaica). It proved an uncomfortable fit for the MC and the otherwise urbane sounds of his debut album B4.Da.$$, which dropped last January. Tracks like âHazeus Viewâ and âBig Dustyâ epitomising the ugly tongue-kissing of Bada$$âs more aggressive spits and the recordâs chilled-out, jazz-tinted beats.
B4.Da.$$ was no turkey, though. The retro production front-to-back is glorious, while tracks like âPaper Trailsâ and âOn & Onâ are as lyrical on-point as anything heâs ever done (the latter likely finds him considering the 2012 suicide of his friend and frequent collaborator Capital Steez, a tragedy no adolescent should have to endure). So while the record may not have vaulted him to hip-hopâs head table, his body of work suggests that the still only 20-year-old Joey will almost certainly make a better full-length. And if he maintains his admirable ethos, thatâs definitely something worth rooting for.
