Round of Applause - Black Milk

My iTunes library has grown quite a bit in 2010...homegrown, that is.
Of all the albums, mixtapes, songs that I've gotten my hands on this year, about 97% of them have been from a local rapper.

You're not experiencing déjá vu, I've said something similar numerous times. I've been so caught up in Detroit hip-hop this year that I've kind of ignored everything else.
That being said, Rick Ross, The Roots, Big Boi and Kanye have released some pretty good albums this year (from what I've been told :-/ ). So when I decided I'd do my top four favorites, I'd pick my top four Detroit albums, it's only fair.

Why four? Five was too hard (plus I have a thing for even numbers. My blog. My Rules).

Before I get into the top four some honorable mentions are Marv Won's 'Wayne Fontes Music', Street Justice's 'Go HAAM', Nametag's 'The Name Is Tag' and Moe Dirdee's 'M.O.E. (Mark of Excellence)'. I've heard The Left's Gas Mask is pretty awesome, but I haven't heard it yet (I know slacking).

4. Crown Nation - House Shoes presents Blue Mondays/Slut Bag Edition Double EP: I swear people don't talk about Crown Nation enough. Quelle and Denmark Vessey. I've written about these two fellows a little while ago, and stand by my claim that people are heavily sleeping on them. This Double EP, combines the best of both Crown Nation worlds, "Blue Mondays" was Quelle's solo project while "Slut Bag Edition" was a Crown Nation baby. The song that got me hooked was "The Archie Whitewater Interlude" which is on Slut Bag Edition, maybe it's their hip-hop quirkiness mixed with old school flavor and manipulation of simple flows and cool lyrics that makes them dope.

3.Miz Korona - The Injection: Though it dropped back during this summer, I officially got injected November 15 ( I remember the date because I had jury duty that day). I was dead determined to get a hard copy of that album and yes it took that long. Miz Korona is one of the artists I've gotten to know this year; I've seen her perform several times and simply ran into her on a few other occasions. One of the first songs I heard by her was "Like a Zoo," which is featured on this album, and I was pretty much captivated by her rhymes. She attacks bars with a spitfire delivery and pretty excellent word play; it's impossible to listen to The Injection without rewinding a song's verse to make sure you heard her right.  The entire album (with the exception of Cookin') was produced by Chanes, who I have officially stopped sleeping on, and is possibly the best 40 minutes of your life.

2. Danny Brown - The Hybrid: His jeans are tight but his rhymes are tighter. Ok, corny, but Danny Brown is way beyond a lot of his peers and The Hybrid should have been an album I paid for, I feel like I cheated the system. The Hybrid was my first time hearing anything by Danny Brown; I didn't know who he was, what he'd done, nothing. The only thing I knew was that my Twitter timeline was going haywire over this guy's album and I found out why. Danny Brown tells some interesting tales through his lyrics many of which are relatable hood tales like "Thank God" which makes mentions of Bridge and WIC cards or "Juno" which hits the nail on the teen pregnancy head. Production isn't half-assed either,  Red Bull 's 2010 Big Tune Producer 14KT did a track as well as the aforementioned guys of Crown Nation, Mosel, Nick Speed, Chuck Inglish ... The Hybrid bleeds awesomeness.

1. Black Milk - Album of the Year: When Black Milk named this album the last thing he was doing was exagerrating.  AOTY is the best $10 I ever spent. Upon its release, AOTY came in at #129 on the Billboard 200, which is a pretty dope accomplishment. Sometimes when producers decide to step behind the mic it's not always the greatest (and if it is, someone else wrote it for them), but Black did a damn good job lyrically on this album. That could be because producers know their music, they know how to to ride their beats if no one else does. 'Album of the Year' gets personal, as he discusses the passing of Baatin and his aunt and almost losing Hex, but also has hints of cockiness and arrogance. My favorite thing about the album is the beats; Black Milk does this thing with drums, I can't really describe it, but you know that thing I'm talking about if you've listened to it. If he wanted it to be, 'Album of the Year' could have been an instrumental album (but you know how that goes when wack rappers think instrumental albums give them a right to drop wretched 16s, I digress). The only cohesive statement I can make on Album of the Year: it is awesome, Black Milk did an amazing job on it both production and lyrically, and it may be too early to call it, but in a few years AOTY will be on the list of classic hip-hop albums ... even if it's only in the 313.

Nowhere But Up - Nametag

I don't know what it is about summer, but it's like musicians go into music overkill. Maybe it's the warm weather that makes them in a great mood to release music but I'm not one for complaining.
Recently (as in within the last week) three of Detroit's best put out albums.

Nametag, Miz Korona, and Fatt Father all released their projects this past week, click each photo to check them out:



Also, Nametag recently released his video for "Another Other" the track that was produced by Black Milk and served as the album's single. Besides a dope beat and flawless lyrics he gets points for wearing Freshman Clothing and DSE gear.

Recognize - Invincible

If you didn't know, March is Women's History Month. I've been wanting to do a post about them for the longest and I just couldn't figure out when the right time was to do it, until now. Many times, this breed of rapper is overlooked and highly slept on, I'm talking about the Femcee [female emcee].

I know some female rappers have a problem with being called that, but I personally think it is the coolest term that may segregate them, sure, but to me, it's a term of respect for them. People often limit the female rap game to Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, Trina, Eve and the like, but none of them are true MC's, they're all nicely packaged label products. Do I listen to them? Yeah, but they don't truly embody the craft of rhyme, rhythm and patterns.

I know some of you reading are probably a little confused, if they aren't femcee's then who are?

Well you have Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu who have all (with the exception of Erykah) been pretty inactive these last few years.
Zoning in a little closer to home, a lot closer actually, are four femcees who could make your favorite rapper evaluate his own bars.

First up, we have Invincible.
If you follow me on Twitter or have seen my Facebook status you have seen this line:

I'm striving to be one of the best period, not just one of the best with breasts and a period.

I swear that is my favorite quote and nothing can replace it. This is what I love about Invincible, besides dope lyrics and tracks with substance she has turned down major label deals, started her own label (Emergence) and went ahead and self-released her album ShapeShifters in 2008.  Invincible has gotten major kudos from the likes of Metro Times and XXL Magazine and rappers like Talib Kweli. Besides being a lyrical monster, Invincible definitely holds down the Detroit fort well, in town and out. Last year after going to SXSW for the first time, she got the idea to hold a showcase at this year's SXSW. You may remember seeing Ro Spit and Marv Won tweeting about it, Detroit by Southwest was the biggest showcase for 313 musicians down in Austin this year with Slum Village and Black Milk headlining, and Invincible made it happen. She used the connects she made for herself at 2009's festival to make things happen for everyone else in 2010. How many people can say that?

Next we have Mae Day. I've posted joints by her a time or two before on this blog. Mae Day seems to be what I like to call a silent killer. No, she's not posted on top of the Fisher Building with a sniper rifle, what I mean is she does her thing without saying anything. Maybe that doesn't make sense either, but I know every time I see something released by her, it kind of hits me from the left. You never really know what she's working on, but all you can bet is that it's going to be ill. Her mixtape, 'Cherish the Day' released back in February of 2009 and served as a sort of ode to Sadé and was recently re-promoted on hip-hop blogs and sites when Sade released her album 'Soldier of Love.' In recent news, Mae Day performed at SXSW and dropped lines on Rhianna's "Rude Boy." If MC Lyte realizes how stupid dope she is, where is everyone else at?

"I can't believe I'm hearing all this raving and ranting, from Vanessa, up in here at New Detroit stamping," after reading that line you immediately know what movie and what scene I'm talking about. If not, that's a line from 8 Mile's "Lunch Truck" scene featuring rhymes by Eminem, Xzibit and our next femcee Miz Korona. Even if you never heard her (well, you probably think you haven't heard her) you know who she is. Korona has performed at SXSW, opened for Eminem, collabed with Trick Trick, it's quite impossible to say she's "just another MC" when her resumé is as sharp as one of her bars. She just dropped a mixtape of recently unreleased joints including a "Dilla-lude," a few bars dedicated to her favorite producer (and mine) J Dilla. Currently, she's on the grind working on her debut album 'The Injection' and of course doing performances whenever she can.


Like a Zoo - Miz Korona

Last, we have Chacity with lyrics that cut as deep as the scissors she does hair with. She dropped her Set it Off-themed mixtape 'It's My Turn' in Decemeber and is currently in the studio working on her next mixtape that is supposed to be released in June. From what I gathered from her tweets and FB status updates, Chacity has been in the studio with Royce Da 5'9 and will presumably be featured on his upcoming 'Bar Exam 3.' Chacity is indeed a force to be reckoned with, anyone that can not be overshadowed and can keep up with Royce, Kid Vishis and Miz Korona on a track must be nice.

There we have it folks, four femcees that I think deserve a lot more credit than they are given. I know there are more out there (like the young Lady Te who just filmed a video to her song "Shut It Down" not too long ago). You can call it a movement, you can call it a trend, but you can't call it a joke.


Respect the Femcee.

Hip Hop is in my Veins - Miz Korona

Shortest post and a first in Tha 'A' Side history, I'm straight jacking another blog/site. My favorite frenemy Marcel over at WHUTUPDOE.com got an exclusive, that I must say I'm somewhat jealous of: Miz Korona's unmixed, unreleased (until now) mixtape Dope Muzik.
Here's what Korona had to say to about the project :

Dope Muzik was a project of passion. I was inspired to do it after losing two of our most influential artist from the city, Dilla & Proof, and listening to a lot of their music both recent releases and classic unreleased material along with other classic albums based out of the early to mid 90’s. Then I approached The Lab Techs about doing the project with me around 06 but our schedules put a halt to the project. A year later I met Chanes and the idea resurfaced and the rest is history. We started recording it in 2008.

The concept and title came from the mind state that the beats and rhymes from that [early-mid 90’s] era put me in. Everything was dope back then. The style of the rhyme patterns, the beats, the way they shot videos: I just wanted to recapture that in my own way.

Also, drug addiction was at an all time high around that time so I tried to tap into the mind of an addict but from an artist standpoint.

We recorded the album in 7 days. I recorded a song the first day I met Chanes. The second day I went back and we worked for 18 hours straight, knocked out 10 songs all from scratch.

To Download Dope Muzik, CLICK HERE

Music Video: Totally Awesome - Marv Won

We've been over this, if you don't know who Marv Won is cover yourself with zebra gravy and go lay in a lion den. (if you don't have his album 'Wayne Fontes Music', do that twice). Today he released the video for his song "Totally Awesome" off of the December release and has a few cameos from some people you may know like Ro Spit and Rick of Burn Rubber Sneaker Boutique and Miz Korona. Peep It. "Totally Awesome" - Marv Won featuring Rio Data.

Yay or Nay: Like a Zoo - Miz Korona

This song has been out for a minute—a looonnnnggg minute—and if you remember my last post about Miz Korona, then you know she shot the video for this song took place in December. "Like a Zoo" is the buzz single off her debut album "The Injection" (yeah, I didn't know she never did an album either). I wanted to try out the new .mp3 player I'll be using on here, and I figured what better way than with a song I heard (then lost and just got back today) but never posted. Yay or Nay: Like a Zoo - Miz Korona.







Photo credit: That photo of Miz Korona was shot by Michelle Merriweather; you should check her blog.

Like a Zoo - Miz Korona

Miz Korona has been on the scene for quite a while and she is getting ready to release her debut album 'The Injection' pretty soon. But before she does that, Korona needs YOU! Yes, You! She's going to be filming her video for the album's lead single "Like a Zoo" this weekend in Detroit and wants everyone there.

Miz Korona filmed this video a few days ago, and we often complain about the radio not supporting our artists, now it's time for us to. Watch the video below and if you're free, swing by Comerica Park tomorrow afternoon.