Swap a CD: 15 Recently Posted CDs in Rap & Hip-Hop

NERD - Nothing

N.E.R.D. — 2013-06-17T15:04:32-05:00

There are many lessons that come from age and experience, and when one discovers such a thing, one is compelled to broadcast it to the world. This is that. Sometimes those declarations sound like the cantankerous frustrations of cranky old men. But while this piece of writing you find in your hands does indeed center on one very important lesson, it will come with none of that "Back in my day!" nostalgia to scare you away. Because this is a story about right here and right now. Yes, there are hints of the future and just a bit of the past, but it's certainly about today. Which is to say: it's about NOTHING. NOTHING is the title of the 4th studio album from Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shae Haley - collectively, the three musicians-slash-producers-slash-singers-slash-songwriters known as N*E*R*D. (No-one Ever Really Dies). Formed as a concept band in their hometown of Virginia Beach, in 2000, N*E*R*D stands - defiantly - ten years later as a group of musicians who have worked tirelessly to carve out and conquer a new space in an otherwise nebulous musical world. Amazingly, this was not the album you were intended to hear. Early in 2010, Pharrell, Chad and Shae sat in their Miami recording studio listening to roughly 20 songs, recorded over the previous year, that they believed would form their newest album. Previous LPs, like their critically-acclaimed, highly-influential IN SEARCH OF, and its follow-ups, FLY OR DIE and SEEING SOUNDS, had explored the diasporas of the rock `n roll sound. They tenaciously, passionately created a musical space that subscribed to no boundaries or set of rules; and in that, created a loyal and dedicated following of fans that came from a myriad of backgrounds. In many ways, the group could have easily gotten away with releasing just about anything and it had a very good shot at finding some success. But N*E*R*D is not a group that feels comfortable with just getting by. "It didn't feel right. Sitting there and listening to it, it was definitely a new sound, an experimental sound. With a little bit more work, we'd have had something that the average person probably would've been just as happy with," says the group's vocalist and co-songwriter, Shae of the first sessions. "But we would *know*. Our core fans would *know*. It wouldn't be us." "People are concerned with war and the world. People are still dealing with their issues even if we think thing have changed," explains Pharrell. "And when we looked back on those 20 records, they weren't really saying what we wanted to say. They weren't good enough." And so N*E*R*D scrapped all 20 of those songs and decided to start over. They went back to NOTHING. "I believe in making `something' out of `nothing,'" says Chad Hugo. "Anyone who makes art or expresses themselves in any creative way, it's a challenge to empty out the cup and then try and refill it again. You want that challenge, to see if you can come up with something new and not rely on what you've done before. That's how we motivate ourselves." Did you catch that? Some of the most successful musicians in the world, who have every reason to just rest easy and trade on their name and reputation, scrapped an entire year's worth of work to challenge themselves and make something better. Clean the slate and start again. Do it better. Do it right. To understand this approach, one only need appreciate what N*E*R*D has meant to Pharrell, Chad and Shae. Under the Neptunes production moniker, Williams and Hugo changed the sound of pop music with their sophisticated minimalism, unleashing a limitless number of hits for artists like Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, The Clipse, Gwen Stefani and on and on and on (seriously - this could go on for another ten pages, so just TRUST, ok?). N*E*R*D was never meant to be a one-off side-project. The trio formed the band out of a genuine thirst for creative exploration - a hybrid of rock `n roll, hip-hop, R&B, country, blues, sci-fi. It was intended to be a manifestation of "folk" music, whoever and wherever those folk might be. It culminated in the 2001 release of IN SEARCH OF, a thoroughly un- self-conscious exploration of the human condition that, nearly a decade later, remains a standard- bearing, risk-taking template for any other artist searching beyond themselves. NOTHING is a return to that form. "We wanted to go back to talking about whatever we feel, whatever we saw," says Pharrell. "When we first started playing music, we started with nothing and that was a pretty cool place to go back to." Throughout their history, N*E*R*D has always marched forward with a quiet desperation. They have been afforded all the luxuries that come with success - and yet, this is a band that still grinds it out as if they were a starving local band working the club circuit. Two-thirds of their year is spent on the road, touring incessantly. They play big metropolises and small Midwestern cities, from festival shows to more intimate college campuses. Certainly, it's not something they would ever have to do. But it's in the experience of playing live, in creating and sustaining and riding that connection with their audience, that they discovered the essence of their music and for why they exist. "If you want to know how to run something, you gotta work in the mailroom first," says Pharrell. "I don't want that to come out the wrong way but playing live is our mailroom, it's our laboratory, it's where you see the connection between music and your songs and the fans and the reaction you get all in one place." "There's no greater feeling than looking out at an audience, whether it's in New York, Australia or Japan, and seeing kids - black, white, Latino, male, female, whatever -shouting the words back to you or rockin' out and having a good time," says Shae. "It is the most beautiful thing." NOTHING not only taps into that connection with their growing fan-base but also reaches back to the days of IN SEARCH OF - but more in spirit than in actual sound. "It's so 1970s, multi-flavored denim, when there weren't so many rules." Pharrell describes. Shae adds that if In Search Of... drew inspiration from the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Steely Dan, then NOTHING "is more like The Doors or the band America." The sound of NOTHING, through its 14 tracks, is decidedly stripped down - like their debut - but no less powerful. Whereas the albums FLY OR DIE and SEEING SOUNDS pumped the volume up with big band rock songs, NOTHING is a rock `n roll soul album. The first single, "Hot N' Fun," features the Neptunes' collaborator and friend, Nelly Furtado. It is a bounce-filled, sweaty summer club track that has echoes of old-school roller-skating jams. (Astute music heads may hear a trace of De La Soul influences in the song's bravado, which Pharrell admits could be the case: "No matter what I do or who I work with, the Native Tongues are in my DNA."). Other songs like "Party People" and "In The Air" cultivate the youthful idealism of hearing a favorite song for the first time, while Pharrell spins slick-tongued poetry about the appeal of women. For him, his approach is to "not sing sexy shit, but sing about real shit in a sexy way." Back when N*E*R*D first started, Pharrell and Chad described the group, saying, "N*E*R*D is a basic belief. People's energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn't destroyed." And that is the lesson in all of this. This group of talented and successful artists shunned a dependence on their past and concentrated on their present, knowing that whatever they put out into the world would always be out in the world. They created NOTHING. And Nothing Ever Really Dies.

Sean Paul - Stage One

Sean Paul — 2013-06-15T20:40:42-05:00

Jadakiss - I Love You: A Dedication to My Fans

Jadakiss — 2013-06-15T20:40:07-05:00

Legendary rapper Jadakiss, returns to the airwaves with the bangin' new club track "Hold You Down" (featuring Emanny). Produced by J Buttah, "Hold You Down" is the first single from I LOVE YOU (A Dedication To My Fans): The Mixtape, set for May 24th release on Ruff Ryders/D-Block/Island Def Jam Music Group. I LOVE YOU is executive produced by Jadakiss and co-executive produced by Jay "Icepick" Jackson for The H Inc. In addition to Icepick and J Buttah, other producers on the mixtape include Duane "DaRock" Ramos (for Make Da Plug); Bink! (for One Shot Deal/Bad Boy Entertainment); Pav Bundy; Remo The Hit Maker; Mr. Inkredible (for Team Double Dose); Black Saun and DJ O.P. The eighth mixtape by Jadakiss in nearly as many years, I LOVE YOU sets the scene for his fourth official album release, expected later this year. The upcoming new album follows-up 2009's The Last Kiss, which debuted at #3 on the Soundscan chart, and rose to #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The Last Kiss spun off a number of singles, including "By My Side" (featuring Ne-Yo); "Can't Stop Me" (featuring Ayanna Irish); "Letter to B.I.G." (featuring Faith Evans); "Death Wish" (featuring Lil Wayne); and "Who's Real" (featuring Swizz Beatz & OJ da Juiceman). Prior to The Last Kiss, Jada released Kiss Of Death in June 2004. The million-selling #1 pop and #1 R&B album turned out a trio of hit singles, starting with "Time's Up" (featuring Nate Dogg, produced by Scott Storch); then "Why" (featuring Anthony Hamilton, produced by Havoc); and "U Make Me Wanna" (featuring Mariah Carey, produced by Storch). Kiss Tha Game Goodbye, the solo debut from Jadakiss, was released August 2001. On the strength of its three chart singles - "Knock Yourself Out" (produced by the Neptunes); "We Gonna Make It" (featuring Styles P. and produced by Alchemist); and "Put Ya Hands Up" - the album rose to #2/R&B and #5/pop, and went on to sell more than three million copies worldwide. Prior to starting his solo career, Jadakiss spent nearly a decade as a member of the legendary rap collective the L.O.X. (later known as D-Block), whose members included Styles P. and Sheek Louch.

Beastie Boys - Solid Gold Hits (Dig)

Beastie Boys — 2013-06-15T20:40:06-05:00

2Pac - 2Pac Live

2Pac — 2013-06-15T20:40:06-05:00

Bone Thugs N Harmony - Greatest Hits: Chopped & Screwed

Bone Thugs N Harmony — 2013-06-15T16:32:57-05:00

DJ Cam - Mad Blunted Jazz

DJ Cam — 2013-06-15T11:43:19-05:00

G Love - Lemonade (Dig)

G. Love — 2013-06-15T09:29:12-05:00

Dizzee Rascal - Showtime

Dizzee Rascal — 2013-06-14T22:16:07-05:00

The follow-up to last year's "Boy In Da Corner" is a bigger sounding album; a volcanic ride of crazy wordplay, ghetto techno, and bottom heavy bass. The first single, "Stand Up Tall", is a hyperactive, video game bounce with a hyper catchy chorus. The follow-up single, "Dream" is a re-make of Captain Sensible's (The Damned) 1982 chart hit, "Happy Talk". Includes bonus DVD with three videos and a short film.

Run Dmc - Run-D.M.C. - Greatest Hits

Run Dmc — 2013-06-14T16:05:24-05:00

No Description Available No Track Information Available Media Type: CD Artist: RUN DMC Title: GREATEST HITS Street Release Date: 09/10/2002

The Roots - Phrenology

The Roots — 2013-06-14T12:30:29-05:00

No Description Available No Track Information Available Media Type: CD Artist: ROOTS Title: PHRENOLOGY Street Release Date: 11/26/2002

Professor Murder - Professor Murder Rides the Subway

Professor Murder — 2013-06-13T09:18:03-05:00

Living Colour Run DMC Faith No More BooYaa TRIBE - Judgment Night: Music From The Motion Picture

Living Colour & Run D.M.C., Faith No More & Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. — 2013-06-12T12:46:28-05:00

Various Artists - Office Space: The Motion Picture Soundtrack

Various Artists — 2013-06-12T12:44:57-05:00

Ice Cube's "Down for Whatever" is the highlight on Office Space's soundtrack, a classy West Coast production with just the right proportions of laid-back groove and simmering tension. Scarface turns in a credible enough track ("No Tears"), and the Geto Boys' impersonation of Bill Clinton at the end of "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" is funny, though not terribly accurate. But Canibus and Biz Markie's attempt to rework David Allan Coe's "Take This Job and Shove It" into a hip-hop novelty hit falls flat, as does a similar effort by Lisa Stone at revitalizing "9 to 5." Two ancient Perez Prado mambos tacked on at the end of the album throw its already shaky continuity even further off course, but they're such great tunes that only a fool would bemoan their presence. --Charley Gothic

Proper Grounds - Downtown Circus Gang

Proper Grounds — 2013-06-11T21:19:05-05:00