Brady Watt - Lifetronics review

Brady Watt's a hip hop session musician, and in demand bass player, whose stepping into the light with a strong release his debut Lifetronics LP.Watt's made a livelihood backing live Joey Bada$$, Ski Beatz, Statik Selektah and he's just joined DJ Premier's all-star band. Lifetronics is grounded by his understanding of the lagging beats of neo-soul and the rigeurs of hip hop which makes each of his compositions a unique springboard for the MC or sung verses from artists as varied as Talib Kweli to Melanie Fiona.

Across the board the album has a fresh, eccentric quality that is matched by the guests that compliment the beats rather than overshadow them.

Some tracks like Minds of the Future (feat. Smoke DZA) sound like they could be an outtake from Blakroc the Black Keys one-off album of hip hop collaborations.  As much as Watt's is primarily a bass player the album's most memorable hooks are slinky guitar leads a couple of which bear the deep imprint of D'Angelo. Smoke Break is an obvious homage for instance - a short vamp that's just a few chords shy of the much longer tune The Root from D'Angelo's singular Voodoo album.  Watt's is joined by a slew of strong but little known MC's that bring the organic bounce of his beats to life.  It's not surprisingly on the instrumentals that Watt is strongest such as 80 Full-Color Plates (feat. Dave Gagliardi and Gary Busey).

Detroit vs. Everybody Remix (16 Minutes feat. Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Trick Trick,Marv Won prod. Statik Selektah)

The original version of Detroit Vs. Everybody was on an Eminem compilation of no particular distinction (Shady XM).  The original featured Shady, Dej Loaf, Royce da 5'9", Big Sean and the more-played-out-by-the-moment Danny Brown (and it hurts us to say that- we loved Danny Brown!).  And rarely use exclamation points for emphasis.

The Remix which clocks in at a whopping and not entirely enthralling sixteen minutes.  Dej Loaf appears on this one too along with Trick Trick, two thirds of Random Axe (Guilty Simpson and Black Milk), Detroit Che, Boldy James, Sino, Payroll, Hydro, Big Gov, Kid Vishis, Big Herk, Calicoe, Diezel, Icewear Vezzo,Big Herk and Marv Won.   All the rappers are Detroit natives or connected with the D - a handful (Diezel, Marv Won, Guilty) having previously appeared together on Trick Trick's second gangster album The Villain.

Action Bronson - "Easy Rider" (Official Video)

Ride the Harley into the Sunset/ Ride the Harley into the Sunset

To be honest, and my brother agrees, Action Bronson is pretty hit and miss depending on what producer is behind him. Fortunately on the single Easy Rider he's got Party Supplies who produced Blue Chips 1 and 2 back in his corner.   Party Supplies seems to be his Caramilk secret.  Party Supplies is the Mickey to Bronson's Rocky and frankly he should never step in the ring without him- but if he does he should always recall (preferably in a tripped out montage sequence) the lessons he taught him: "Get up you son of a bitch!"  His productions behind other producers from 2013's meagre Saaab Stories (prod. Harry Fraud), to 2012's critically acclaimed and not-totally-shit Rare Chandeliers (prod. The Alchemist), back to 2011's Well Done (prod. Statik Selektah) tend not to deliver the best results.  And it's sort of surprising that Ghostboy Ghostface can't make a hit without Party Supplies but here's hoping against hope.

The album should kill based exclusively on this short film rendition directed by Tom Gould, you find Bronsolito admittedly at his best form narrating about 'taking acid for 10 days straight up in the Indies...wearing very loose pants, wearing very loose pants'.  This Albanian immigrant ex-chef born Arian Asslani is admittedly more than a Vitiligo ridden Ghostface.  His timbre and gruff tone constantly evoke Pretty Tony but his rhyming couplets are all his own.  "John Coltrane played with that Cocaine phase/ I know your grass from that opaque taste".

The video/short short fim, from Bronson's forthcoming Mr. Wonderful (after the one and only Paul Orndorff), really has to be seen to be believed.  The short version is that Bronsolito wakes up a Vietnam veteran in a VA hospital, fairly quickly has a hot Polynesian drop acid on him and then he straps a four square of blotter to his forehead under his American bandana (a la Jimi Hendrix mythos) and take off on his Harley into the sunset, while tripping balls and evading 'The Law'.  Along the way he meets his Spirit Guide, gets beaten down by Hell's Angel proxies al a Hunter S. Thompson, until reclaiming his mystic guitar.

The only thing missing is a member of Los Lobos.  Preferably David Hidalgo.

Action Bronson & Party Supplies (Blue Chips 2 download)

Action Bronson is a white rapper.  You don't need to see his mug or listen to his voice to know this.  If you listen to that deep down voice (of yours inside) you realize that like skydiving and rock climbing no self-respecting black man would subject themselves to a name like Action Bronson.  It's a white rapper name like Aesop Rock or El-P, only Bronsolino doesn't sound anything like the brainy Aesop or the producer rapping of El Producto.  Action Bronson sounds like a black man, one black man in particular- Ghostface Killah. They both have the same strangled dusky tone which admittedly would be impossible to fake.  His flow, cadence and delivery it should be said also borrows heavily from Pretty Tony.  Fortunately he also shares something of Killah's lunacy and flair for self re-invention.

Blue Chips 2 is the mixtape sequel to a mixtape you will likely never listen to nor have cause to- like Best of the Best 2.  Blue Chips 1 was released ages ago (March 12, 2012).  Born Arian Asllani, the Albanian cum Queen's NY former chef's schtick might be thin gruel over time but the partnership with production duo Party Supplies seems to bring out his best profile.  Standouts like lead track Silverado and Jackson & Travolta showcase the producer's and MC's chops alike.  The tape is peppered throughout with tight samples ranging from Peter Gabriel (Sledgehammer), Phil Collins (Pseudio), Tracy Chapman (Give Me One Reason) and Elton John's Island Girl.  Party Supplies (DJ Justin Nealis) deploys six of the 80's radio staples on the aptly titled Contemporary Man.  Nealis is responsible for one of Danny Brown's most memorable tunes Grown Up. On Amadu Diablo he flips the acoustic guitar intro of Chapman's Reason to brilliant effect.  Elsewhere the Pharcyde's Passin' Me By provides the hook for one of the slow rollers (Through The Eyes Of A G) which periodically lets the gusty proceedings breath.

Bronson's known for collaborating with predominantly sample-based producers like Harry Fraud (Saaab Stories EP released June 11, 2013), Statik Selektah (debut Well Done - and the mafiosa draped Rare Chandeliers with The Alchemist.  [One of his best featured collaboration's is on two cuts - Elimination Chamber and Daily News- from Domo Genesis and Alchemist's own collabo No Idols].  It's this collaboration with Nealis though that provides Bronson with the best plate to serve up his bizarro bravado. 

Guilty Simpson (High Way Robbery w. Small Professor/ Swan & Simpson w. Rasco)

Always busy, always on the run, Guilty Simpson charges through a series of new collaborations on two new releases Highway Robbery produced by Small Professor (a concept album set in post-Apocalyptic Detroit but not the Robocop Detroit) and the Swan & Simpson EP (a strong collab with Cali Agents MC Rasco)

Simpson is handily one of the strongest MC's out of Detroit in the last decade.  While Danny Brown has gotten oversaturated attention for his molly-poppin'-clit-lickin' antics Guilty has steadily merced away at increasingly satisfying releases.  Random Axe, his supposed supergroup with Sean Price and Black Milk producing sounded like more fun in the studio than it was to listen to.  On these two releases it's not like Guilty's really progressed as a lyricist, his hallmark is his his street Solomon burly bravado.  But it's not like you want Guilty to change all that much here it's nice that he's got production, DJ and MC collaborators that make his smack-the-white-off-rice delivery fresh.

I'm The City (w. Boldy James and Statik Selektah on cuts) is definitely worth a listen as is On The Run.

Rasco makes a great foil for Simpson with both playing strength off of strength.  It's nice to hear a couple of silverbacks make sweet music and seem to enjoy themselves for a change.  Give History a shot:

Raekwon - Lost Jewlry EP (download)

Raekwon the Chef has released a new 12 track EP, Lost Jewlry in anticipation of a full-length LP, F.I.L.A. (Fly International Luxurious Art).  Production duties were variously handled by Statik Selektah, Vin Tha Chin, Roads-Art, Frank G, DJ Thoro but mainly Buckwild and Scram Jones with guest turns by Maino and Freddie Gibbs.  You can download the Lost Jewlry mixtape/EP here.