1. Datkid feat. Dee Green - "Fuck Regrets" 2011 *Even though this is a post about Adidas, this video is all about British accents, beats, and Dee Green's De La Soul shirt.
2. Missy Elliott feat. Ms. Jade and Ludacris - "Gossip Folks" 2003 *Missy and her team knew how to make an entertaining music video.
3. Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill - "Turn Your Lights Down Low" 1999 *This is one of the best tracks from the Bob Marley remix-type album Chant Down Babylon.
4. Brother Ali - "Take Me Home" 2007 *Brother Ali, the everyman.
5. Sneaker Pimps - "6 Underground" 1996 *I loved this song, but, this video cheapens the song and it feels cheesy now.
6. RUN-DMC and Aerosmith - "Walk This Way" 1986 *This song helped to push Hip Hop into the mainstream.
7. Hi res feat. Datkid - "Drop Of Poison" 2011 (UK HIP HOP) *Hi res is wearing Seattle's most popular North Face jacket. Once again, I have a hard time deciding whether or not this song is a novelty or if it is actually good.
1. Chet Faker - "I'm Into You" 2012 *Shout out to my little sister who got me to listen to this song.
2. SWV - "I'm So Into You" 1992 *I had this song on the post about music videos with billiards. My favorite part of the video is actually the sparklers.
This is old news but UK Rapper Jehst sampled Danny McBride from Eastbound And Down two years ago on The Dragon of an Ordinary Family.
The song is called "The Illest" and due to the sample and the British rapper, I love it. I have a hard time discerning whether or not a lot of the UK Hip Hop is actually good or if I just love that I was able to find it.
You can check out more songs by Jehst by clicking his name on the right side of the screen or on Spotify or any other way you like to check out music.
It amazes me that I was able to discover Hieroglyphics at such an early age. I got Del the Funky Homosapien's No Need For Alarm cassette from BMG Music Service when I was fourteen years old (1993). I'm sure I must have found them through BET because the internet had not yet become a thing.
This was a pretty great album, but, my favorite Hieroglyphics songs are:
Souls Of Mischief - "93 Til Infinity" 1993
Hieroglyphics - "You Never Knew" 1998
My favorite Hiero memory is when I saw Souls Of Mischief with my friend Celia circa 2000 at Tahoe Taps in Truckee, CA. Every city has its own type of Hip Hop crowd, Tahoe shows have an everybody's either on vacation or need to party because I work in the service industry kind of feel.
The Hieroglyphics crew has continued to make music since the nineties and have just released a new video for "It's Partly Me" off of their new album The Kitchen. The video itself is not available for Blogger but can be found here on YouTube.
They definitely went for it, but, it is lacking something that could have made it great. As bands like the Rolling Stones and U2 have shown us, the urge to continue making music is probably overwhelming; especially if it was the one thing that made them feel complete and successful. I urge everyone to pursue the thing that makes them feel whole, even if I don't like listening to it. While I have loved a few Hiero songs, in my opinion, they've never been great as a collective. That said, I will continue going to Hieroglyphics shows and listening to their music because that is how I roll.
Joey Bada$$ is only 18 years old and has already proven his worth as a musician. His 2013 Summer Knights album included production by MF Doom and The Alchemist, that's fucking awesome. Joey and the rest of Pro Era are definitely still worth watching out for. Pro Era Website
Classic Elements is one of the great Seattle Hip Hop compilations.
The song by Jace called "What's Ya Definition" is one of the standout tracks for me. Classic Elements is further proof that Seattle has been making great Hip Hop for decades. 1998 brought us this great album which can found on Amazon or on Spotify.
This is one of those songs that I love even though it is some misogynistic shit. I also hate guns with a passion. The beat makes me forget about all that business. "The passenger almost fractured her neckbone lookin' back at us" has always stood out to me as fabulous (or hilarious).
Yes! Sampha is releasing his own EP called Dual on July 29. The Young Turks label was smart enough to see that his work with SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, and Drake was great enough to earn him solo artist status. "Without" is the first track released from his upcoming EP.
You may be wondering why the hell ladders are a good category for music videos, I am too actually. It was the big ladder in The Police video that made me think ladders were a thing.
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Otherside" 2000 *I know a lot of high quality individuals who think this song is mega cheesy, I still think its pretty good.
2. The Police - "Don't Stand So Close To Me" 1980 *These guys were wicked cool in 1980.
3. Eddie Money - "Take Me Home Tonight" 1986 *Ladder as saxophone holder.
4. Has-Lo - "Limit" 2011 *This video is hella mask-y. I realize that is an absolutely ridiculous statement, but when I say it out loud I have a look on my face that illustrates my sarcasm.
5. JJ Doom - "Bookhead" 2013 *It's lovely that Doom made a video encouraging people to read more and patronize one's local bookstores.
6. Dirty Dike - "Return Of The Twat" 2013 *It would likely be terrifying to run across these dudes acting all crazy and yelling the word twat. Like a wild animal, he may be best observed from a safe distance.
7. Paula Abdul - "Cold Hearted" 1989 *The best parts of this video are the looks on the faces of the judgy people when the dancing gets too risqué for them.
I found this by way of Andrew Matson's Twitter (@andrewmatson). He is one of the Seattle-based music writers with the best taste. It is difficult to describe why this song is great, so maybe you should just watch the video and determine for yourself.
Mount Kimbie feat. King Krule - "You Took Your Time" 2013
*None of these artists are actually lazy, they or someone else is merely laying down in their music video.
1. Bruce Springsteen - "I'm On Fire" 1986 *This is an iconic Bruce video, the scene when he rolls out from under the car. Yeah.
2. St. Vincent - "Cheerleader" 2012 *I love her "Strange Mercy" song the most, but, this one is pretty good too. The video channels Gulliver's Travels.
3. Murs - "Bad Man" 2004 *Murs has made some pretty great music in the past, as lame as it sounds I stopped paying attention when his hair got like this.
That's not sexy.
4. Atoms For Peace - "Ingenue" 2013 *It's all Thom Yorke-y for sure.
5. Three Loco - "Neato" 2012 *This Andy Milonakis, Dirt Nasty, and Riff Raff video helps to show that there are truly many ways to live your life. It all seems very L.A., I'm from Seattle though so I'm not really sure what that means.
6. Ghostpoet - "Liiines" 2012 *This video has flying stuff like James Blake's "Limit To Your Love" video, cool.
7. Beyoncé feat. Sean Paul - "Baby Boy" 2003 *Beyoncé is the antithesis of lazy, but, she is laying down on the job.
8. The Roots feat. Erykah Badu - "You Got Me" 1999 *This is one of my favorite Roots songs for sure. These people are playing dead, which is not being lazy, just possum-like.
9. Hodgy Beats - "Alone" 2013 *Fortunately for us, Hodgy (22 years old) and his Odd Future friends are not lazy either. They have already accomplished more than most people have in their whole lives.
The original Joanna Newsom song is called "The Book Of Right On" (2004) is pretty good, but, there is hardly any bass involved. When there is no chance of synchronized group head nodding, I can't really get that into it.
In 2010, The Roots used the best part of Joanna Newsom's song and turned it into "Right On" as part of their How I Got Over album. I discovered this song through my new friend Joy who brought the light the greatness of this song. Thanks!
Here's the full list + more on a YouTube playlist. #YouTubeNchill
1. Klymaxx - "The Men All Pause" 1984 They go to Fatburger in this video.
2. Kendrick Lamar - "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" 2012/2013 I think it's cute how he and Mike Epps make faces at each other in this video.
3. Estelle - "Wait A Minute [Just A Touch]" 2007 She is one of the least ridiculous lady music stars. Estelle was not just one single, her whole Shine album was great.
4. Nancy Sinatra - "These Boots Are Made For Walking" 1966 Nancy Sinatra's cool is timeless.
5. Love and Rockets - "So Alive" 1989 The leg as pendulum is my favorite.
6. Pillowfight - "Get Down" 2013 I got nothing but love for all parties involved but the song is more enjoyable without the sex sells type video.
7. Robert Palmer - "Addicted To Love" 1985 Robert Palmer may be King Of The Leg Shot videos...meaning of course that the Queens are the true royalty.
For Takin' It Back Tuesday (?), I will share with you my new/old favorite song. I still haven't figured out what this song is about, except for maybe Jeru's homophobia. It's all about the beat for me anyway. Jeru's "99.9%" is from 1999 (too many 9's?). I found it while trying to make a giant Spotify list of High Quality Hip Hop.
Also, "Come Clean" is one of my favorite beats ever.
1. Divine Scienze feat. Sene, Blu, and Britain Parker - "Happiness Is" 2013 *Courtesy of 2dopeboyz. They have so much music on their blog that it surprises me when I find something I like, the beat that got me starts @ 0:32. In this video, Blu shows us that it is possible to eat In 'n Out Burger and rap (or pretend to rap) at the same time.
3. Jeremiah Jae - "$easons" 2011 *Don't worry, the scary Aphex Twin-like face doesn't actually show up until the end.
4. Nas feat. Amy Winehouse - "Cherry Wine" 2012 *Smoke machines and projectors are the new hotness.
5. Iyeoka - "Simply Falling" 2011 *This was my first exposure to Iyeoka, she coo.
6. Main Source - "Fakin' The Funk" 1992 *From the White Men Can't Jump Soundtrack.
7. Justin Timberlake - "Tunnel Vision" 2013 *There seems to be an excessive number of mostly naked chicks in this video, likely to ensure that guys like to watch his videos too.
Here's all the Zombie music videos I've found so far on a YouTube playlist.
1. Modeselektor featuring Thom Yorke - "Shipwreck" 2011 *The lesson we can take from this video is to collect batteries in case of zombie attack, and the song is good.
2. Mash Hall (They Live, Don't Talk To The Cops!) - "Meth Heads" 2009 *Zombies/Meth Heads, what's the difference really?
3. Jedi Mind Tricks feat. Young Zee and Pacewon - "Design In Malice" 2011 *I like this song even though some of the first lyrics are "Sing, bitch." They're lucky to be included in this list.
4. Herbaliser - "March Of The Dead Things (Night Of The Necromantics)" 2012 *This song isn't really that great. For me it's all about the "Wu-Tang Is For The Children" shirt and the effort.
5. Aesop Rock feat. John Darnielle - "Coffee" 2007 *Not even Aesop Rock will be able to save us from the zombies.
6. Billy Idol - "Dancing With Myself" 1980 *They might not actually be zombies, but they are definitely zombie enough for me.
7. Janelle Monáe - "Dance Apocalyptic" 2013 She is the fiercest of the fierce.
1. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1985) * It's the Final Dance Off on DTV!
2. Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) *Rain dance scene, it's a no-brainer.
3. Mannequin (1987) *When watching this video, one should keep in mind that she is an Ancient Egyptian princess who came to the 80's by way of Mannequin.
4. Breakin' (1984) *This is one of the best learning to dance montages ever.
Rarely is there a remix that is as good or better than the original. I believe Gui Boratto's version of Massive Attack's "Paradise Circus" (2010) is one of those remixes. It reminds me of Orbital's "Halcyon & On" from the Hackers Soundtrack.
Don't Talk To The Cops! is a great band. Usually when I see them they are jumping up and down and having crazy amazing (no cryin') energy on the stage. This is one of my favorite DTTTC! songs, "Guess I'm Strange". Thanks for making music, I admire and respect you.
