Review: "Houston for Dummies" & "Slump and Grind 2"
Thu Feb 9, 12:53 PM by
I just watched U2 accept the Grammy for Best Rock Album or Performance or whatever it was, and I was struck by a thought:
Fuck U2.They have not created an album worth listening to in over ten years; they are a homogenous pop song machine that continues to enjoy unjustified success. They are literally the biggest musical act in the world right now, and it really just goes to show that most of the world doesn’t know shit.
So, to most of everyone, I say: GET ON MY LEVEL
Here’s how-
(First, a brief explanation of why I would review two mixtapes in one article:) The San Francisco Bay Area and Houston, TX share a parallel development structure when it comes to rap music. It almost seems that there is a shared sentiment between the two scenes in that artists from H-town and the Bay are commonly found dropping an extra few bars on each other’s albums, much of the regional vernacular is common between the two, and each has shared a somewhat limited success outside of their own regions. Nevertheless, one common thread that makes the following two mixtapes related is the highlighting of regional stylistic developments throughout both of the tapes. In other words, this is not U2. This is the artistic merit that U2 wishes they could currently aspire to. This music strikes me as being created as a product of it’s own implied and manifested significance, not it’s own convenience, (as is the case with the Grammy Panel’s Best “insert genre here” Award.)
Hosted by the legendary Bun-B of UGK, and featuring the guest shouts (the equivilant of a mixtape blessing) from damn near every major player in the Houston game, this tape features Houston originals from 1988-2005.
The tracks from 1988-1997 were obviously selected for their staying power. These tracks definitely highlight Houston coming into its own over this time span. They are also often the original source of choruses and line references for the more modern Houston singles from artists such as Paul Wall and Slim Thug, for all of the Houston late-comers. This nicely mixed project is not only a brief (and aptly titled) history lesson, it is smart in the subtle touches added by Ayres and JD. For example, a DJ Screw (the originator of the infamous Screwed and Chopped mix style) produced track is not only included, which displays the ‘slow as molasses’ tempo, but several of the tracks are mixed in the Screw style1. Overall, this tape brings together one of the best track selections of any Southern Rap mixtape I’ve seen. It avoids the “overstressing” of other Southern tapes like the Swisha House tapes, or the Southern Smoke and Gangsta Grillz series, but maintains the challenging and confrontational content, so as not to come across as “Houston for Dummies and Scared White People.” There are several memorable tracks, and an 11 minute snippet of some of the tracks cut and pasted together is available here. There are definitely standouts on this compilation, and they are all highlighted in that teaser. Pay attention to Bun-B on that last track titled Four O’Clock in the Morning. The verse is delivered with such conviction and builds momentum with a listener so quickly, that it makes me say “JESUS SHIT!” every time I hear it. Let’s just say that if you are slammin’ this in your ride, and your girlfriend is sitting next to you: If she doesn’t immediately start giving you road head from hearing Bun-B rhyme about having sex while being unbelievably wasted, she’s probably really boring in the sack, and you should break up with her, leave her on the side of the road and move on. The mix is priced to move at $12, and also includes a bonus disk by DJ Eleven titled Houston Rocks It. Buy it here or if you are in San Diego, the exclusive source is M-Theory.
Slump and Grind 2 mixed by Dj’s B.Cause and Ross Hogg
...and if you ain’t from the bay, now yo’ ass know...B. Cause and Ross Hogg focused on mostly newer bay tracks, and they definitely aim to please with the hyphy and yee-yee crowd here. E-40 makes several memorable (“OOoohhhh!”) appearances, but his status as a bay rap institution is obviously earned, so he can show up on this thing wherever he wants to as far as I am concerned. Although it doesn’t attempt to package regional rap history like Houston for Dummies, there is one track that (here’s where I document that I thought of it before you) will blow the bay up. “Tell Me When To Go” by E-40 and Keak the Sneak, accompanied by the nicest video I’ve seen out of the bay in quite a while, will introduce the rest of the country to sideshows, ghostridin’ whips, scrapers, stunna shades and goin’ dumb. Basically, the time is ripe: there is enough interest in regional rap, especially stuff from the bay. (The last time that happened was with the Luniz…) Couple that with the fact that this track is nowhere near as abstract as E-40’s usual flow, and the club-bangin’ backbeat and you have a recipe for a late spring radio hit. I’m not claiming that I think it’s the best track on the tape, (I leave that to Messy Marv and his creepy reverbed/echoed delivery in “Get On My Hype,” and the ridiculously catchy hooks from both “Go Ignat” and “Now You Know” by The Mossie (f/ E-40, Turf Talk & Federation) and Frontline, respectively.) I’ll admit, I’ve been listening to this mix on repeat at work for about a week now, and it’s really hard to keep from (literally) screaming along with half of these choruses. However, a warning, do not listen to this mixtape on your way to any Southern California clubs: It will make whatever you hear at the club sound absolutely SOFT AS FUCK in comparison. This mixtape is 27 tracks of the hyphy-ist shit you will hear anywhere, and if you don’t feel like spinnin’ donuts in your ‘84 Buick with your doors open about halfway through it, there is something wrong with you. Buy it for $10 here or cop it at M-Theory in San Diego.
Here is another link for the H-town mixtape snippet teaser thing if you are too lazy to scroll back up through the text
Here’s some yousendit links for you:
Messy Marv Get On My Hype
Frontline Now You Know
Don’t sleep on this shit. They’re not getting re-upped.
Previous Article: The Naturalized Conclusion
Next Article: Beer Guy: The mediocre. The familiar. The quotidian.