This might be a live take in the studio. Listen for the astonished "holy SHIT!" right before the end.
I wonder if I'd have recognized a great performance like that in the moment. I like to think I would, but I suspect not. I'm a slow listener; it usually takes a few listens for me to get it.
Big KRIT might be my favorite rapper for the hooks, and a good hook is enough to fulfill Dick Clark's necesssary and sufficient conditions for great music ("it's got a good beat, and you can dance to it"). Lupe puts together some pretty great hooks too, though. And when he matches them with his best topical lyrics like above and here, I think he's not just the best rapper but maybe the most important artist in Americn popular music. Disclosure: he also makes the kind of authority hating statements (more) that are dear to my heart. Read below the fold...
The King Remembered In Time is one of my favorite rappers out there right now. He's got an instantly recognizable voice and puts together some really catchy hooks (like this one). Read below the fold...
There has been another round of articles worrying bout the state of rock, but plenty of great music is still being created. It's just flying below the popular culture's - and even the alt-rock indie culture's - radar.
