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Classic Album Review

Classic Album Review: Snoop Dogg – Doggystyle

On the heels of the breakthrough release of The Chronic (Death Row Records) by Dr. Dre (1992), Doggystyle (Death Row Records) by Snoop Doggy Dogg was released on November 23, 1993. Having contributed, to a large extent, on The Chronic, you know that Snoop had his own debut to drop! That “lazy drawl" – G-funk style of rap – reigns supreme, again, here; but, on a whole new level. If you’ve never heard Snoop Dogg, and his swaggering vocals, you are missing out!

Snoop explains that the hook to this record is its realism, which is based on his own personal experience. Dre would come up with kick ass beats, and Snoop would sit right there and write lyrics on the spot. The album is littered with skits, because the distributors were demanding a finished product (before it was finished). Dre finished the songs they had, inserted the skits (within 48 hours), and sent it off. Desiring not to stretch G-funk any further yet, Snoop and Dre decided to produce layers in the style beyond that of The Chronic. Doggystyle is less about heavy, slow beats and more about high-tempo, lean tracks.

The album artwork (obviously) refers to the sex position, and is also a play on Snoop’s name. Technically, the cover illustrates some lyrical quotes from George Clinton’s 1982 single, Atomic Dog. But the artwork also expresses the culture of the Gangsta ethos – self-indulgence; drugs, cars, sex, and money.

Doggystyle debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 800,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week, making it the fastest selling hip-hop album of all time. “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” was the first single released from the album, and it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, and reached #1 on the Hot Rap Singles. It was certified Platinum in mid 1994. “Gin and Juice" was released as a single on January 15, 1994, reaching #8 and #1 like the previous single.

This record is pivotal for the hip-hop community, a classic “must have" album that Mark’s the evolution of the genre to a more melodious, synthesized, funk beat. Its controversial subject matter and lyrical content only help increase its appeal. Like The Chronic, Doggystyle is dangerous. And how wonderful that danger is!

Favorite Songs: Gin and Juice ; Lodi Dodi ; Murder Was the Case

Rating: 10/10!! Just a “must have" record!

What are some of your favorite songs off of Doggystyle?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Classic Album Review

Classic Album Review: Dr. Dre – The Chronic

The breakout solo debut for Dr. Dre, The Chronic, was (and still is) a timeless banger in its own right! This record revolutionized west coast hip-hop, setting the standard for everything in the genre that followed. Not only does this album showcase the groundbreaking production talent of Dre, not to mention his powerful lyrical style and delivery, but it also introduces us to some upcoming talent – namely, Warren G, Nate Dog, and (a certain) Snoop Doggy Dogg.

Fresh off his split with N.W.A., Dr. Dre released The Chronic on his own Death Row Records on December 15, 1992. The album cover pays tribute to Zig Zag rolling papers and the title is slang for high grade cannabis. On this record, Dre patented a new style of hip-hop, a sub-genre of sorts, called G-Funk. This style incorporates “fat, blunted beats" with old school soul/funkadelic grooves and rolling bass lines with single line synthesizers. But the key to this new style was the lyrical delivery. The form would later be called a “lazy drawl;” a laid-back delivery – controlled and measured – but containing ferocious, offensive, aggressive content. The new combination launched Dre and Death Row (and every single guest performer on the record) to the top of the hip-hop field.

My dad (the O.G. Metalhead) remembers this record’s release. He says, “We’d go to [metal] head parties where it’s usually the newest Metal album being played, and hear this new thing called ‘Gangsta’. I’m not exaggerating when I say, almost every single Metal Head was into this new stuff! It related well to the Metal community, with its swaggering style and crushing lyrics. The delivery was strange at first, but the words were all-too familiar.” There are many Metal shows I go to today where, when music is played between bands, Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg or Coolio, etc. is played over the speakers.

The Chronic peaked at number three on the Billboard Top 200. It was certified triple platinum by RIAA, selling over three million copies. The records three singles reached the Top Ten on the Top Ten Billboard singles. “Nuthin’ But a G Thang" reached #2 on Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on both Hot Rap Si goes and Hot R&B Singles charts. The album ranks 138th on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of all Time. In 2020, The Chronic was selected by The Library of Congress to be placed into the National Recording Registry because of its “cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.”

Favorite songs: F*ck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’), Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang, Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat

Rating: 10/10!! One of the best records ever!

What are some of your favorite songs off of The Chronic?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Bladee – icedancer

BEST TRACKS: Be Nice 2 Me, Jaws, Linkdin, Inside out, Closer

FCC clean: Inside Out, Jaws, Side by Side, Topman, Special Place, Feel Like, For Nothing, Anything, The Silent Boy Cries

Bladee is one of the forerunners of emo cloud rap, making this style of music since 2013, before the likes of Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION entered the scene in a major way. This mixtape is characterized by plush trap-beats underlaying a dreamy, atmospheric feel created by bright melodies and reverberating vocal distortion. It’s a sound that surrounds you, allowing you to slowly sink in. The album is saturated with memorable lines, sometimes heartfelt and sometimes flexing, but always clever. Refreshingly, this emo-rap album is definitely more emo than flexing. Bladee is vulnerable on this album, showing fear, dejection, and downright desperation. Smartwater is the track most exemplary of this emo display, “If you would want me dead, I would be into it. I just want your attention”.

I’m in awe of the striking production quality on this album. Vocals are heavily autotuned but still tasteful. Droning vocals, reminiscent of quranic recitation, make for a trance-like experience. With the baddest beat, wittiest lines, and best mix job, the starting track of the album is track 4, Be Nice 2 Me. What stands about this track is how the second verse is slowed down and distorted.

There might be a tad too many ice metaphors and references to Drain Gang, to the point where it becomes a little cringe. And the intermission track could have been done without, but this isn’t really a statement on Bladee, as this track is cartier’gods interlude, in which Bladee only makes a fleeting appearance. Critics say that the sonic palette of Icedancer is dizzying and annoying, but I disagree. I think the hooks are hyper melodic and solid enough to ground the music. At first listen, I admit that Bladee’s style might sound chaotic, but even to the untrained ear, the seemingly haphazard elements marry together in a very sensicle way by the second listen. After traversing this hurdle, Icedancer becomes much more enjoyable and even addicting.

-Safia

Categories
Short Stories

AV Story

 

‘I’m DJ Psyched and 2k Indie is coming to an end for the week…’ 

Oh finally DJ AV thought. I’m tired of this 

Hearing the DJs signing off is his favorite part of the day.

He spent the next few minutes patiently waiting while the DJ finished logging off and making sure the studio was clean and ready before they left. He was so eager for the DJ to leave that he said ‘Oh finally’ a moment too early.

‘What?’, DJ Psyched said before turning around again, giving the studio one last look. ‘I must be hearing things’, she said to herself before closing the door and leaving.

This time AV waited about a minute before trying to speak up, but just as he was about to say something Mica interjected saying ‘Can’t wait even a few seconds huh?’.

‘I don’t see what the big deal is’ AV lied. ‘So what if they find out, who are they to assume we don’t have thoughts and lives too?’.

‘Oh we are not having this discussion again.’ Mica added, ‘If you were a human I’m sure you wouldn’t want to know that your microphone and computers are more intelligent than you either.’

‘Coast is clear by the way’ AV shouted out for the whole studio to hear, ignoring Mica’s comment.

‘Thank goodness’ said Cedric, ‘I don’t even know why I bother being here, no one seems to want to use the CD player anymore’.

‘It’s all those streaming services’ Auxy interjected, ‘I wouldn’t mind them so much if people didn’t go yanking me out of there computers… and they wonder why they need to replace their aux chords so often’. Auxy tried not to think about this too hard after saying it, broken aux cords always ended up in the trash… and she was not ready for that.

‘Alright, so the first thing on the agenda is aux care, got it’ AV said, he always liked to act like the station leader. ‘Anything else?’

‘Can you please turn the music down, I can hardly hear anyone’ Mica added.

‘Sorry sorry’ said Soma the speakers, ‘That psyched kid really likes to blast the music…’

‘Well, we can work on that too…’ but before AV could finish what he was about to say the door swung open fast, too fast. No one had time to go back into auto mode.

AV made direct eye contact with DJ Psyched, and before he could say or do anything psyched was facedown on the floor.

‘Oh not again’ AV said. ‘Get up DJ Psyched! DJ! DJ!  Get UP!! DJ PSYCHED!!!’

‘What?’ Psyched said as she slowly lifted her head, realizing that she had been asleep, and was now being woken up by the next DJ coming in for their shift. ‘Oh sorry’ she said.

‘It’s fine, but uh… could I please get in now, my set starts in five’

‘Yeah of course’, she scrambled to grab all of her things so she could leave, and just as she was logging out she could’ve sworn she saw a little wink come from the corner of the screen…

– DJ Psyched

Categories
Playlists

Psyched’s Ultimate Indie

 

I’ve talked about this on the blog before, but I’ll say it again, I have an obsession with making playlists (I guess that’s a good thing considering i’m a DJ). Anyhow, the first playlist I ever made for WKNC was a playlist titled ‘Psyched’s Ultimate Indie’. I listened to Indie a lot before I started DJing, but I figured that since I would be running a show that focused on new released Indie music, my Indie library was going to get much bigger. 

In order to keep track of all the new music I found during my time with WKNC, I decided to make this ultimate playlist. The reason I’m writing about it today is because the playlist hit a big milestone last month, we’re now officially at 500+ songs (530 at the time of writing this), so I figured now would be a good time to reflect on the playlist and see what it has become…

30 hours of music ranging from artists like Cigarettes After Sex to Modern Diet, and just about anything in between. The first thing I thought of upon listening to this playlist was ‘how can this all be one ‘theme’ yet has so much diversity in sound?’ I won’t answer the question ‘what is Indie’ again, because I think we can all agree that it’s hard to define and I have a whole other blog post about it, but we all kind of know what it is when we hear it. I’m sure some of the songs and artists I’ve put in this playlist could be debated as not really fitting in here, but the criteria I went with was ‘if it feels indie, it can be indie for this playlist’. Some artists I can think of who might stand out a bit in this playlist are ROLE MODEL, grimes, Young the Giant and halfalive. This playlist really doesn’t have any other rules and it’s evident when it’s on shuffle. There’s everything from rock, psychedelic, to pop sounding Indie (and genres I can’t even put a name to).

I wanted to go through and choose some favorites/ react to some music but upon further review I’m seeing that 500 songs is a bit overwhelming and hard to fairly narrow down. So I think I’ll have to save that for another day… because in the making of this post I decide I’d narrow down the Ultimate Indie playlist into ‘Psyched’s Favorite Indie’ (I told you I was a bit addicted to making playlists…)

If you’re interested in checking out the playlist I’m curious if there are any artists or songs you think don’t really fit the theme, or would fit better in a different playlist. What are some artists you think are a must in an ultimate indie playlist?

– DJ Psyched

Playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uhiwdTwdvRDzIgo6EXmWf?si=1-8XnoaoRjmnhRyEmi3tuQ

Categories
Miscellaneous

Get Psyched Podcast Episode Highlight: DIY Series ft. PME

 

PME is an independent creator from Fayetteville, NC. He’s self taught and specializes in music production and beat making. He released his first official Single on Spotify in mid 2019 titled ‘Peanut Butter’ and, at the start of this year, he released his first Album titled ‘20/20/20’. 

We’ve known each other since highschool and in this episode we talked about everything from what it means to ‘make it’, how he got started, advice for others, his goals and plans for the future, and how crucial support is for any independent creator.

His biggest goal at the moment is to focus on the business aspects of being an independent producer. He talks about how beat making comes naturally to him and that the hard part comes from getting your work out and being heard. He runs an instagram, twitter, Spotify and other accounts to share his music and beats. One of his big plans for the year is to drop more singles (which he has been recently) and get them on more platforms. 

We also discuss how investing in yourself is crucial when you’re doing things on your own, and he gives advice as to where he puts his money and energy in building his brand. ‘The only thing I’ve really bought for my music has been my launch key and macbook … if you want to get into music and you have a laptop, and you can find some free program that you can use to make music, that’s honestly all you need. If you want to get started, invest your money and just save for a minute’ 

We also talk about how he believes school is not a must for up-and-coming creators and he gives his view on other ways creators can learn. His take on learning is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on it these days. If you have access to a device with youtube, you’re good to go. ‘Youtube is your best friend’.

Most importantly, what PME thinks is critical for any independent creator, is support. We discuss how important it is to support small creators and how simple that can be. Even something like sharing a friends post can be incredibly instrumental to getting their work out there, and this kind of support is what gets small artists off the ground. It always starts locally, so we encourage everyone to support their creative friends and community. ‘Support means more to us than you think it does, we need that to make a living, without support we’d just be weirdos in our rooms or studios making music for no reason. Without yalls support, we would have nothing’.

Thank you PME for being on the podcast! You can checkout our episode at the link below and checkout the artist himself as well! 

https://getpsyched.transistor.fm/episodes/diy-artist-series-with-pme-part-1

PME is also the creator of the beat I use for my podcast. The track used is ‘300k’ off of his first album.

– DJ Psyched from the Get Psyched Podcast

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Artist of the Week: Snoop Dogg

Bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay Snoop doggy Dogg is in the house!!! Snoop Dogg is one of my all-time favorite rappers! The beats he uses are awesome and I absolutely love his flow in which he raps and the word play he uses within his lyrics. I saw Snoop Dogg back in December of 2019 at the Ritz in Raleigh and it was my first time seeing him. He puts on an awesome stage show and did his little Snoop Dogg signature dance of the bobbing from side to side. I would definitely recommend seeing him live!

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. was born on October 20, 1971 and is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, media personality, entrepreneur, and actor. His music career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg played a huge role in Dr. Dre’s solo debut album, The Chronic. Snoop Dogg is featured in numerous songs off that album and with this album, this was the first time my dad ever heard of Snoop Dogg and fell in love with his sound. My dad would play The Chronic during my childhood and that is where I found my love for Snoop Dogg.

Snoop Dogg’s debut album, Doggystyle (one of my favorite albums), was released in 1993 by Death Row Records. The album debuted at number one on both billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Doggystyle became certified quadruple platinum in 1994. In 1996 he released his second album, Tha Doggfather and that album was certified double platinum in 1997.

After leaving Death Row Records, Snoop Dogg signed with No Limit Records where he recorded his next three albums. He was then signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records in 2002. He was hired by EMI as the chairman of reactivated Priority Records in 2009. He also coaches a high school football team on his free time.

In 2012, Snoop Dogg took a trip to Jamaica and announced his conversion to Rastafarianism and was now Snoop Lion. He released a couple of records and a film under this name but in 2015 with the release of his album, Bush, he returned to using the name Snoop Dogg. In 2019, Snoop Dogg announced that he was a “born-again Christian” and released his first gospel album, Bible of Love. On November 19, 2018 he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Discography:

·      Doggystyle (1993)

·      Tha Doggfather. (1996)

·      Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998)

·      No Limit Top Dogg (1999)

·      Tha Last Meal. (2000)

·      Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss (2002)

·      R&G (Rhythm and Gangsta): The Masterpiece (2004)

·      Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (2006)

·      Ego Trippin’ (2008)

·      Malice n Wonderland (2009)

·      Doggumentary (2011)

·      Reincarnated (2013)

·      Bush (2015)

·      Coolaid (2016)

·      Neva Left (2017)

·      Bible of Love (2018)

·      I Wanna Thank Me (2019)


Favorite Songs:

·      Gin N Juice

·      Drop It Like It’s Hot

·      Murder Was The Case

·      Who Am I

·      I Wanna Rock

·      1800

Have you seen Snoop Dogg? What are some of your favorite songs?  

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Jah9 – Note To Self

ALBUM REVIEW: Jah9 – Note To Self

BEST TRACKS: Highly (Get To Me), Heaven (Ready Fi Di Feeling), Love Has Found I, Ready To Play

FCC Clean

Jah9 is a singer born in the Jamaican countryside, who, at the age of nine, moved to Kingston, the heart of Jamaica. Through her strong, regal voice and unique jazz-steeped dub sound, her music has crossed international borders. She is also very spiritually intune, heavily learned in Rastafarian teachings and trained in multiple disciples of yoga. When I came across this album, I was elated to see such confident, talented female representation within Rastafari as well as reggae music. Highly socially conscious, Jah9 intentionally rebels against outdated traditions and mindselts while simultaneously embracing the rich and warm Jamaican culture.

This album is a contemporary take on Jamaican music. The classic reggae beat is the core to this alluring music, underlaying a soulful, jazzy, afrobeat funk sound. The incredible rhythm and sway of this album momentarily soothed my soul. The smoothness and slow of this album cannot but be appreciated. Most impressive element of this immaculate album is Jah9’s lyrical capability. Her syllables never miss a beat, and are dense and complementary to the music, without feeling rushed or squished into the bars. I would describe Note To Self as roots reggae, dealing with social issues faced by the African Diaspora, black and female liberation, and the honoring of Jah.

This Jah9 certainly draws inspiration from mystic and ancient sources. Jamaican or not, this album provides clarity and power to all who listen openly. If anything, this music will awaken the energy in your blood and make you want to move. Not to hate on indie (I love indie), but I recommend this album if you’re burnt out on listening to the same old oppressed white indie boys and want something more spiritual and rhythmic. I also recommend Note To Selfif you like similar artists like Popcaan, Hollie Cook, and Chronixx.

-Safia 

Categories
New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Other Worlds by Módl

Other Worlds - EP by Módl on Amazon Music - Amazon.com

ALBUM REVIEW: Other Worlds by Módl

BEST TRACKS: Hate to Turn, Daydreams, Fallen

FCC Clean

Módl is a 23 year-old producer, songwriter, and vocalist from Virginia who infused his future bass roots with the likes of Indie, R&B, and Hip Hop. Módl’s first EP, Other Worlds, was released in 2016 with the idea of energetic songs in mind.

Módl’s Other Worlds EP is, in fact, otherworldly. To me, this almost dance but also downtempo EP sounds similar to artists such as Illenium or ODESZA. All of Módl’s songs in Other Worlds consist of deep, future bass-esque bass and bubbly synths to contrast. The thing I love most about Módl’s songs are the vocal chops. The vocal chops are well done and add an extra element of rhythm. 

Daydreams and Hate to Turn are instrumental tracks, while Before I Leave, Questions, and Fallen contain lyrics. Particularly, Before I Leave has the most different sound with the inclusion of an acoustic guitar mixed with the same synths and deep bass. Also, the entire EP has an atmospheric sound that makes you feel like the sound is all around you. After listening to the album, I had the sudden urge to create a travel video since the songs felt so atmospheric. It is a great EP to listen to in the car, especially Hate to Turn, that one is my personal favorite. 

I recommend Other Worlds for fans of ODESZA, Illenium, or other future bass artists who are looking for a similar style but with a focus on vocal chops and a balance of deep bass and synths. I found this EP after I was exposed to another song by Módl named Coastline and I explored the rest of his discography. 

-Tegan 

Categories
New Album Review

Making A Door Less Open Review

My favorites: Can’t Cool Me Down, Martin, Deadlines (Thoughtful) 

Listen if you like: Pixies, The Microphones, LCD Soundsystem

The album, Making A Door Less Open, is Car Seat Headrest’s newest musical project released May 1st. It is the first new music they have released in a few years, and has been long-awaited by indie fans. This new album is synth-heavy and widely experimental, to me it seems heavily influenced by 70’s electronic rock bands. Car Seat Headrest has definitely evolved from where it began, as a solo project of Will Toledo created in 2010. This album has pushed past the lo-fi alternative/indie sound of their past albums into a more electronic, developed sound. Making A Door Less Open is sonically appealing as it intricately meshes gravelly vocals and synth electronics into something truly distinctive.

I found no clear narrative or pattern throughout the album, though a lot of it focuses on future plans, fame, and commercialism. The songs generally seem scrambled throughout the tracklist without thought, though the chaos somehow fits all the expectations I had for the album. In the almost-punk electro melody of Hollywood, Toledo yells out “Hollywood makes me wanna puke.” On one of the more acoustic-styled tracks, Life Worth Missing, he sings out: “I’m coming up short in a life worth nothing.” It’s a clear rebellion against consumerism, money, and all the other problems infecting society; though every song has a slightly varied melody and style. 

Though I don’t think this is the best album by Car Seat Headrest, I really appreciate the direction Will and the other members are taking to evolve their sound and try new things, especially because I heavily enjoy the synth/electronic sounds. I hope that this project leads to new and better albums in the future by CSH, and hope you enjoyed my review of the album.

– Miranda