Passion of the Weiss: The 50 Best Hip Hop Songs of 2011 (#25-1)

Very proud to present the second half of Passion's top 50 rap songs of 2011. I wrote about Yelawolf's "Hard White (Up In The Club)" (#18) and Open Mike Eagle's "Nightmares" (#8). Click the writeup for "Nightmares" for the whole thing. Please share if you dig, there's even a zip file of all 50 songs.


Somewhere between Devin the Dude, Nate Dogg and Ish from Shabazz Palaces, Open Mike Eagle is the wry observer in the back of the class. The inverse of a million rap songs about dreams (including the one three spots prior) “Nightmares” isn’t solely aspirational nor is it a concept track. It’s a statement of purpose and a litany of astute complaints, demands and observations. Mike wants shag on his floor chart carpeting, and old guys singing four part harmony. He doesn’t call out lying-ass rappers but reminds us that the written life has always been synthesized. It’s designed to deceive. His new friends want to talk sneaker colors but Mike is too busy playing rap Nostradamus: the countryside will flood with tourists eager to see real families while gangbangers will turn to MPC samplers.

Passion of the Weiss: The 50 Best Hip Hop Songs of 2011 (#50-26)

Like we always do about this time. First half of Top 50 raps of '11 up now. Wrote about Fat Trel's "Rollin" (#49), Rittz's "Rattle Back" (#46) and Killer Mike's "Ric Flair" (#42). Above, the video for Ka's "Cold Facts" (#35), one of the most overlooked tracks this year. Ka strips gritty NY raps to the bare essentials, a barely-there guitar loop and dead-eyed staring into the project abyss. Can't wait to hear his album.

Click my take on "Ric Flair" to read the whole shebang. #25-1 on Monday, spread the word.

Ric Flair was a loud, flashy wrestler with irrepressible charisma, a taste for expensive clothes, and an unexplainable hold over women. He was in a lot of ways the first rapping wrestler. Killer Mike’s track is not the first rap song dedicated to Ric Flair (Cam’ron has that honour) but in many ways Mike taps into what Ric represented to rap music: unstoppable braggadocio. Three verses sum up what makes Killer Mike great: a blend of wisdom (“Long as you chase money, you ain’t gotta chase women”), big balling “(getting buried like a pharaoh”) and ignorance (“got two Nickis menaging for the Gucci”). The stomping drums and soulful crooning backing Mike makes it sound like a inauguration address, Killa Kill addressing the people from behind a golden podium. Just some game for a student from a teacher, and you’d be wise to pay attention. Wooo.

Passion of the Weiss: Matthews On Mathers - The Eminem Show

Wrote about The Eminem Show for my regular Matthews On Mathers column at the Passion. Read and tell me what you think. Album doesn't hold up like Slim Shady LP or the MM LP (which also sound dated) but it's an interesting listen.


The Eminem Show dropped in 2002 at the height of boy band fever and effectively ended the boy-band era in the U.S. by selling 1 million copies in its first week.After a short intro, we hear “White America”, where Em thoughtfully dissects the machinations that allowed a poor white kid from 8 Mile to dominate TV and radio. The partnership with Dr. Dre that took him from underground curiosity, to where “every fan black that I got was probably his in exchange for every white fan that he got/like damn, we just swapped.” Em’s presence on Dre’s 2001 was crucial to re-establishing the super producer’s commercial relevance, with “Forgot About Dre” and “What’s The Difference” re-minting Dr. Dre as an A-lister. And so baby blue eyes and blonde hair made Eminem a star.

Exclaim!: Where I Play - Moka Only

I was honoured to speak with Canuck rap legend Moka Only about his studio setup and recording process for Exclaim! He's an intensely creative, curious guy and made for a great conversation. Hit the excerpt below for the whole thing.

Moka is entirely self-taught and prefers to play his instruments live, with the exception of the sampler. "I usually start with the sampler, because I like to establish drums first," he clarifies. When starting a beat, he usually brainstorms a lyrical idea or theme and works from there. Ideas typically arrive while skateboarding, and Moka dashes home to record the keyboard or guitar figure, possibly even sampling his initial recording to create a beat. He often writes on a keyboard, seeking a main melody and a bridge piece that deviates from the main groove for variation. Rather than waiting for inspiration, Moka quickly decides whether a song will be an instrumental or have lyrics. The average song takes him an hour to record, from making the beat to mixing the vocals.