Jamoeblog Top Ten 10:21:08

1. Mike Relm "Everytime (feat. Del the funky Homosapien & Adrian Hartley)" (Deep Fried)

2. Mulatto Patriot "Showtime (feat. Prosper Jones & Mena)" (MP)

3. People Under The Stairs "Letter 2 c/o The Bronx" (Gold Dust Media)

4. CYNE "Just Say No" (Hometapes)

5. Jake-One "I'm Coming (feat. Black Milk & Nottz)"  (Rhymesayers)




6. Madlib the Beat Konducta "Disco Dance" (Rapster/BBE)

7. C-Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz "Holiday" (Modular Moods)

8. Kaboose "Two Sides" (Syntax)

9. Cre-8 "Hootie & the Bloated Blowfish" (Potency)

10. Fort Knox Five "Sao Funky (pts. I & II featuring Javier Miranda)"  (Fort Knox)

Mike Relm's hit-bound single "Everytime" appears in three different (emcee) versions on the SF DJ's brand new debut album Spectacle (out today, Oct 21st, and avail in Amoeba Music). The track features female vocalist Adrian Hartley (who he worked with on the Blue Man project) on each of the three versions. The best version ("Everytime") is with Oakland emcee Del the Funky Homosapien, while the other two (almost but not quite as good) versions feature the emcees Mr Lif ("You Break") and ADeeM ("My Heart"). The rest of this new album is really good too, with some nice electro tracks, cameos from Quannum's Lateef and GIft of Gab, plus a bunch of TV montage skits sprinkled throughout, which makes sense since Mike Relm's specialty is doing live video mixes culled from hours of TV and movies.

HOLLYWOOD AMOEBA MUSIC HIP-HOP TOP FIVE:

1) Nas Untitled (Def Jam)

2) Immortal Technique The 3rd World (Viper)

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

4) Suga Free Smell My Finger (HMF/Warner)

5) Jean Gray + 9th Wonder Jeanius (Blacksmith/Warner)

Thanks to Scott Carlson in the hip-hop department at Amoeba Music Hollywood for this week's top selling albums chart, which includes in the number three slot the brand new release from SoCal's Suga Free, Smell My Finger, which dropped earlier this week. 

Lil Wayne's hot selling new album (#3 on Amoeba chart) has caught the attention of Abkco Music who are suing the rapper, his songwriters, and his label (Cash Money - a division of Universal) for "copyright infringement and unfair competition" over a new Lil Wayne album track that appears to heavily borrow from the Rolling Stones song "Play With Fire" which they own rights to. 

SF rapper Z-Man's group One Block Radius (the alt rock trio he is  a part of when not doing solo stuff or with his Gurp City familia) have signed to Def Jam. The Cali based One Block Radius accurately describe their unique, pop-ready sound as "Pharcyde meets Steve Winwood meets Sublime meets Outkast meets Hall and Oates" and drop their major label debut in September.

Super unique & talented, albeit generally slept-on, longtime San Francisco emcee  Z-Man flew out to New York City last week to do a couple of gigs including opening for the Alkaholiks at the Knitting Factory last Thursday (4/10) when the Gurp City former 99th Demention emcee, down with the Hieros, totally wrecked it on the mic (pictured left), much to the delight of the numerous San Fran transplants in the NYC audience that night, proudly representing in their SF Giants gear (no doubt they showed up to see both Z-Man and the other SF rapper on the bill Starski who is on the current LIKS tour).

 Z-Man, as well as pleasing fans, managed to convert many East Coast-ers unfamiliar to Z-Dazzle's fluency in the Bay Area spun Gurp City** slanguage (word billy) for a tight set that included his song "OJ Simpson & Courtney Love."  A great set, with DJ Thanksgiving Brown ably backing up the MC, from a true lyrical talent who I rate up there with E40 and the late Mac Dre when it comes to being a truly creative wordsmith, creating new words and always telling stories in a most engaging way -- a far cry from the usual tired clichés that pass as rap/hop-hop these days. For proof, pick up his CD "Dope or Dog Food" (Refill/Hiero - 2002) or any of the other releases of his available at Amoeba including his "Z-Mutiny" 12" vinyl release.  Z-Man never disappoints.