Jamoeblog Top Ten: 09:03:08

1) DJ Muggs & Planet Asia "Sleeper Cell" (Gold Dust Media)

2) Paris "Blap That Ass Up" + "The Trap" (Guerrilla Funk)

3) dan le sac Vs. Scroobius pip "Development" (Strange Famous)

4) Large Pro "Rockin Hip-Hop" (Gold Dust Media)

5) Tricky "Council Estate" (Domino Recording Company)

6) J-Live "Ooweee" (bbe)

7) Nightmares On Wax "195 lbs" (Warp Records)

8) Quest Quartz Qrew "Do Gooder" (Reverse Techniques)

9) Jean Grae "My Story" (Blacksmith)

10) Brooklyn Academy "This is Brooklyn" (feat Ill Bill) (K7)

DJ Muggs & Planet Asia have a very strong new collaborative album in Pain Language. It brings out the very best in both artists on tracks such as "Sleeper Cell," "Black Mask Men," "Smoke," "9mm" (video below), and "Death Frees Every Soul" featuring Sick Jacken. Wu-Tang members Killah Priest and GZA are among the album's many guests. Also making cameos on Pain Language (available at Amoeba in two weeks) are B-Real, Cynic, Scratch, Prodigal Sunn, Tri State, Chance Infinite, and Turban. What I love most about the Soul Assassins' DJ Muggs' top notch production is his ability to effortlessly create a dark, ominous mood -- the perfect backdrop to Fresno emcee Planet Asia --  that is enhanced with subtly interwoven soundbite samples.

Congratulations to the new DMC DJ champion of the USA DJ Slyce who took the title hands down (once again) last Saturday night at the Knitting Factory in New York and consequently will travel to the UK later this month for the 2008 DMC World Championship finals September 26th/27th. It was a kind of deja vu for DJ Slyce who also won the US DMC title eleven years ago (see video clip of that legendary 1997 DMC routine below). "Anyone who said hip hop was dead has not been to a recent hip-hop DJ battle and with the return of DMC to the Mecca I can assure you the DJ element of our culture is alive and kicking some serious ass! An historical night to say the least and not because DMC was back in New York, not because it was the first time a father and son competed-- it was having such a variety of past and future legends share the stage and tear the decks up," said Washington DC (formerly of the SF Bay Area) DJ Dust One, who drove the four plus hours to NYC just to attend the event last weekend.

Dust One stressed to me how blown away he was by both seeing Grand Wizzard Theodore (creator of the scratch) and to getting to talk to him. "I asked him if it must feel great to watch what he created develop into such an art form. He smiled and proudly answered, 'I created monsters,'" related Dust One, adding that, "DJ Slyce stole the show and will represent the United States with the utmost showmanship and [it] would not surprise me if he took the world title back home. His set was flawless and the creativity took it to another level.Competition was definitely tough, but DJ Slyce showed us he is the best! Much respect to all the competitors, the judges and to Christie Z for coordinating such a great show!"
 
DMC Events Coordinator Christie Z Pabon is a the tireless ambassador of turntablism as well as the other elements of hip-hop.  She had not organized a DMC battle for several years, instead focusing more on her own hip-hop dedicated organization, Tools of War. Pabon was perhaps the single reason why this year's US DMC battles seemed to bring the battle back on track after years of people complaining of it slipping. I talked with Christie Z, who organized the DMC battles from 1998 to 2000 and who likely will stay on board for upcoming years' DMCs, about how she felt about last weekend's event in NYC:

              AMOEBA MUSIC HOLLYWOOD HIP-HOP ALBUMS TOP FIVE CHART 08:29:08         

1) Ice Cube Raw Footage (Lench Mob)

2) GZA Pro Tools (Babygrande Records)

3) Lil Wayne Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal)

4) MF Doom Volumes 1 & 2 Nastradoomus (HHS)

5) Arabian Prince Innovative Life: The Anthology    
                                  1984 - 1989 (Stones Throw)

Thanks to  Marques for supplying this week's top five  chart for the Los Angeles Amoeba store. Hometown rap veteran Ice Cube occupies the number one slot with his latest album, Raw Footage, which hit Amoeba shelves August 19th. The album simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and Top Rap Albums Chart, and at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart.

"Thank God the Gangsta's back... and we ain't got to put up with this brainless rap," spits Cube on the catchy new album track "Thank God" -- just one of many strong cuts on this eighth solo album from the 39 year old artist. Others include "Jack N The Box," "Here We Come" (feat. Doughboy), and the singles "Do Your Thang" and "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It." And speaking of gangsta rap: listening to some of these new Cube tracks remind me of old Ice Cube and also of how the original gangsta rappers (NWA, Geto Boys, etc.), while demonized at the time for being so lyrically violent and offensive, were actually quite political and socially aware, comparatively more so than the most  prominent current crop of gangsta rappers.

Other entries on the current chart include GZA, Lil Wayne, and the just released Stones Throw retrospective of the Arabian Prince's 1980's electro years. Last week the pioneering LA hip-hop artist and original NWA member did an instore at Amoeba Hollywood, which, according to Marques, included the artist playing a lot of electro and electronica. 

Future Sound of London (FSOL), the duo comprised of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans, had their breakout hit with "Papua New Guinea" in 1991 and the track remains both the UK electronic group's best known and arguably best recording ever. It is one of those great records where the first time you heard it, it just grabbed you and pulled you in, leaving you thinking: WTF was that? Even now, all these years later, after just re-listening to it for the first time in ages, it sounds as tight (to these ears) as when it was first released 17 years ago. 

The song has the perfect balance of the slow rumbling bass, a trancey mix of breakbeats, plus the pitch perfect mix of dreamy vocals and sounds, all cascading into a dance pop masterpiece; one that has been remixed to death by DJs/producers all over the world who all helped make this a true rave/club classic. One of the great remixes I got of it back in the day was by the Twitch guys -- the SF remix crew that included Jim Hopkins, who used to put out limited edition double vinyl (later released on CD) sets at 45RPM of nearly always really great remixes of popular rave/techno tracks, including many UK imports.

"Papua New Guinea" also appeared on FSOL's album Accelerator as well on the 1992 soundtrack to the film Cool World.  Besides being remixed countless times, the song has also been released in various versions many times over the years since its original release (both bootlegged and legit versions + on countless compilations/DJ mixes) with the most notable including re-releases in 1996, 2003, and in 2001 when a five version EP of the song was released on FSOL's label Jumpin' & Pumpin featuring the original "Papua New Guinea" plus remixes by Hybrid, Satoshi Tomiie, Blue States, and Simian.

                                       JAMOEBLOG HIP-HOP TOP TEN: 08:27:08                                             

1) Homeboy Sandman "Opium" (Homeboy Sandman)

2) NaS feat Eban Thomas "You Can't Stop Me Now" (Def Jam)

3) Lee "Scratch" Perry  "$hine" (Narnack Records)

4) The High Decibels "Miss Cindy" (Rolling Jack)

5) Paris "Don't Stop the Movement" (Guerrila Funk)

6) Murs "Can It Be" (Warner)

7) Double Dee & Steinski "Lesson 3" (Illegal Art)

8) Foreign Legion "Come To The City" (Hunger Strike)

9) DJ Spinna "The Spirit of '94" (Colt 45)

10) The Bug "Freak Freak" (Ninja Tune)

The number one on this week's Jamoeblog Hip-Hop Top Ten (a subjective song-based chart) is from up-and-coming Queens, NY emcee talent Homeboy Sandman, whose totally unique flow and style is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise overcrowded sea of cookie cutter rappers. So far only available through his website, as well as at a few select East Coast record stores, Homeboy Sandman's self-released debut CD Actual Factual Pterodactyl offers up hip-hop like you've never heard before, with great songs such as the slow-mo flow of "Opium" or the funny uptempo rapid fire delivery of "Food Glorious Food" which draws its hook from the Oliver! soundtrack.