Narkworthy 6/3: Nark Inc.

This mixtape was actually sitting on the burner for a week or so. After the onslaught of summer hip-hop, it took a little while to decide what would make the cut. After seeing the track list, 2 things jump out at me:

1. Neptunes, Neptunes Neptunes. Pharrell and Chad are all over this edition. N.E.R.D. is making me consider avoiding the inevitable leak and buy Seeing Sounds. Star Trak cohorts Kenna, Chester French and Mickey Factz make necessary appearances. Lastly, 2007 may have been the year of Timbaland, but 2008 might be all Neptunes. Between the Common track, N.E.R.D., and Pharell's work on Madonna's album, they certainly have a head start on Timbo.

2. Midwest Revival. Nark Inc. is filled with artists representing Chicago, Detroit and even Cleveland. It was hard to dissect a few cuts from Kidz In The Hall's The In Crowd, with so many to choose from. Common purists are going to be mad, but you can't argue with the Pharrell beat on "Universal Mind Control". Ann Arbor transplant Buff 1 makes the 1st of many future Nark features, Royce 5'9" makes two appearances, as does Cleveland newcomer and self proclaimed "stoner", Kid Cudi.

..and yes, Curtis and his silly vocoder made the list....whoops.

Nark Inc.
1. TQ - Paradise ft Krayzie Bone
2. X.O. - Grind Baby ft Cee Cee
3. Brisco - On The Run ft Akon & Flo Rida
4. Kid Cudi - Day n Nite
5. Common - Universal Mind Control ft Pharrell
6. Mickey Factz - The Water ft Lauryn Hill
7. N.E.R.D. - Spaz
8. Buff 1 - Beat The Speakers Up
9. Idle Warship - Fall Back ft Chester French
10. Elzhi - Motown 25 ft Royce 5'9"
11. Kenna - Say Goodbye to Love ft Lupe Fiasco
12. B.O.B. - Lonely People
13. Saigon - Believe It
14. NYGz - Ya Dayz R #'D remix ft Lady of Rage, Freddie Foxx & Royce 5'9"
15. Bun B - Swang On 'Em ft Lupe Fiasco
16. Wale - The Crazy
17. Kidz In the Hall - Middle of the Map Pt. 1 ft Fooch
18. Kidz In the Hall - Middle of the Map Pt. 2 ft Black Milk & Guilty Simpson
19. N.E.R.D. - Everybody Nose remix ft Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco & Pusha T
20. Kid Cudi - Dat New "New"
21. G-Unit - Rider Pt. 2
22. Rick Ross - Get Down ft Pharrell

Download Nark Inc.

2007 Wrap-Up: Commercial Hip-Hop Albums

For all of the complaining I have done about the rap/hip-hop game this year, when it was good, it was really good.

#4 Common Finding Forever
It might not be Common's best, but it was still one of the best in the game. After his most successful album to date, Be, gained crossover success, Common decided not to mess with a good thing on Finding Forever. With help from Kanye West, Will.I.Am. and DJ Premier, Common pleased pop fans and hip-hoppers alike with stellar story-telling on "Drivin' Me Wild", "The Game" and "The People". The only thing missing was a few more J-Dilla beats.



#3 Jay-Z American Gangster
Jay-Z must have been watching "Godfather III" in between viewings of "American Gangster" because just when you thought he was out, he got pulled back in. Young Hov decided to postpone retirement again and create a concept album inspired by Denzel Washington's most recent amazing performance. American Gangster easily eclipses his last effort and created a dark landscape as close to Reasonable Doubt as it gets. "I Know" is classic song writing taken from the view of heroin, while "Pray", "Success", and "Fallin'" exploit the highs and lows of S. Carter's hoodlum past.



#2 Kanye West Graduation
The ever controversial Kanye West added a sales war with 50 Cent to his resume with the release of Graduation. Not surprisingly, it lived up to the hype. "Stronger" used a Daft Punk sample to get pop fans interested, but gems like "Flashing Lights" and the earnest approach on "Everything I Am" impressed hip-hop purists and pushed Mr. West to the head of the class.



#1 Lupe Fiasco The Cool
Kanye and Common weren't the only Chicago MC's to show the world how Chi-Town does hip-hop. Lupe Fiasco's semi-concept album, The Cool barely made it into consideration for 2007, but won't be easily forgotten. He continues where he left off on Food & Liquor with the story of a mobster who rises from the grave on "The Coolest", while he introduces new characters The Streets (the gritty "Streets On Fire") and The Game ("Put You On Game"). Lupe Fiasco is particularly compelling on the intergalactic sound of "Intruder Alert" and military style of "Little Weapon" While using each verse to describe 3 different stories, "Intruder Alert" intracatly details the experiences of a rape victim, drug addict and an immigrant. The hypnotic beat by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on "Little Weapon" echoes the entrancing story of child soldiers in Africa. Lupe's composed delivery while dropping refreshing knowledge is apparent no matter who's point of view he spits from.

Common: Hip Hop "Forever"

Common - Finding Forever 4/5 Narks

Common has blessed the masses once again with a great album. While most of the rap industry is focused on making a new dance, dropping a non-sense radio hit or selling the most ringtones, Common keeps hip-hop alive. Over and over, he has consistently dropped knowledge for backpackers, street scripture for hip-hop heads and enough eclecticism to grab mainstream listeners and Finding Forever furthers that notion. Continuing on the momentum of 2006's hip-hop album of the year, Be (arguably, album of the year in any genre), Common, with the help of usual suspect Kanye West, has created songs full of rich narrative and unrivaled soul appeal.

People who don't take time to listen hip-hop/"conscious rap" claim it doesn't keep their attention. Fortunately, one of Common's strongest qualities is the way he tells stories through song, which attributes to fans often pressing rewind. It is like listening to a spoken word poet who knows how to prophesies with rhythm. On "The Game", Common tears through DJ Premier cuts and Kanye's menacing production while speaking on the current status of the hip-hop culture. "Southside" stomps through with the hardest beat on the album. Common and fellow Chi-Town affiliate, Kanye West spit battle raps back and forth as if trying to one up each other with clever lines like: "Back in ‘94 they call me Chi-town’s Nas/Now them n***** know I’m one of Chi-town’s gods" and "Thinking back to the projects, and they way they tore ‘em all up/Like when I do a project, and come back and tear the mall up".

Common trades some of the pop-tinged songs of Be for soul on Finding Forever. His deep voice has never sounded better intertwined with samples looped by way of producers Devo Springsteen and the late JDilla. D'Angelo sufficiently guests on "So Far To Go" where Common shows appreciation and lust for a lady for bettering herself. The peak of the album is the aptly titled, "Misunderstood". Once again, Common weaves haunting tales of lost souls in the ghetto over the lush, Nina Simone sample. Its as if he has cast himself as the narrator as an AIDS-stricken young man and a young stripper wander through lives spiraling out of control.

Another standout track is the radio-friendly, "Drivin' Me Wild", surprisingly featuring Lily Allen. Although the song doesn't make uses of Lily's sly humor (though her voice is very recognizable), it does showcase Common's storytelling ability at its finest. While he lyrically disects a female narcicist ("Had a body, A body that you can't pay fo'/That mean she had some Ds on her but they wasn't fake though") and a playboy with too much money ("Spendin cash at the bar to get credit/Drinkin Chaundon just because BIG said it"), Lily uses breathy vocals to get the point across. The chorus, "It's this thing now, that's drivin' me wild/I gotta see what's up before it gets me down/No it's not a mystery, it's everything", explains how meaningless obsessions can take over one's life.

Finding Forever is another classic album by Common that should appeal to fans of all kinds. While it lacks some of the pop appeal of his last album, it fills the void with insightful, soul-filled tales backed by some of the year's best production in hip-hop. Look for Finding Forever to rack up a number of accolades before the 2007 is over.

Common ft Lily Allen - Drivin' Me Wild

Common: Top Of "The Game"

I have pretty much abandoned rap on this blog. Frankly, there isn't much to get excited about anymore. There are an abundance of great producers, old (Timbaland, DJ Premier, Neptunes, Just Blaze, Kanye, etc.) and new (9th Wonder, Danja, RJD2, Hi-Tek, Cool & Dre), who craft eclectic and head-nodding beats, but there is a lull in the MC department.

The past favorites that I grew up with are still around, but their output has waned tremendously. Kingdom Come was better than most of 2006's offerings, but was nowhere near Jay-Z's best. 50 Cent has been basically phoning in his bars since his debut and his G-Unit cronies are just as bad (Lloyd Banks' The Rotten Apple was self-explanatory). Eminem has fell off the map (but due for a comeback), trading in lyrical lessons ("Stan" and "Renegade" to name a few) for club songs ("Smack That" and "Shake That"). Little Brother broke up after knocking out two classic hip-hop records (The Listening and The Minstrel Show). OutKast decided to make movies, instead of groundbreaking albums. Andre 3000's verse on "Walk It Out" is the best guest appearance in years, but just makes me want more. Lil' Wayne, TI and Kanye are leading the charge by gaining credibility and stellar album catalogues. The Carter III, TI vs. TIP and Graduation should only bolster their resumes in 2007.

The new crop of commercial rappers doesn't seem to bring much hope. Young Jeezy is a poor man's TI, with amazing production, but a horrible lyricist. Rich Boy was blessed with hit single (although overshadowed by Kanye's hilarious remix), but the album failed to yield the same results. The only bright spot is Lupe Fiasco, who had one of the best albums of 2006 with Food and Liquor. He is currently crafting the follow-up, with hopes of collaborating with Kanye and Pink Floyd (what?).

But is that it? Was Nas right when he titled his gem of 2006, "Hip Hop Is Dead"?

Fortunately, there is one rapper who has consistently defied that statement, and continues to impress with age. Common, one of Chi-Town's finest, has been on fire since hooking up with fellow Windy City alumnus, Kanye West. Their work on 2005's Be, resulted in one of the best hip-hop albums in years and best of any genre that year. Favorably, they decided not to mess with a good thing and continued their relationship on Finding Forever. Guest includes British songstress Lily Allen, D'Angelo, Will.I.Am, Dwele, posthumus production by JDilla. If the first single, "The Game", is any clue as to what is to come this summer, Common's 7th album could be his best.

Here is the first single and one of my all time favorite songs from Be:

Common ft DJ Premier - The Game


Common - Be