Huli Shallone - "Give It Up"
Huli's album's got some serious legs, been out 6 months now and still spinning off hits, even after the non-LP "Makin' Moves", this is about the 4th or 5th song from the album that I've heard on local radio regularly. I didn't mention this track when I originally wrote about the album because it was in the 2nd half and didn't really stick out at the time. One of those creeping club tracks that there's a bunch of on that record, but now that I'm hearing it a lot it's growing on me, that beepy keyboard riff and Huli going "oh-oh-oh-ohhhh" along with it on the intro. No liner notes crediting producers, but K-Swift mentioned one night after playing it that it's produced by the same people who did that Trey Songz/Twista "Just Gotta Make It" (Troy Taylor & Kookie?).

Tyree Colion, Ms. Kitty, Comp, Little Clayway, Pork Chop and Q - Rap Attack freestyle
2 Sundays ago on 92Q's Rap Attack, Rod Madd Flava announced that it would be his last week as co-host of the show, putting on a suit and moving on to an upper management position. On Rap Attack and once or twice when I was at concerts he hosted he always came across real cool and genuinely invested in the local scene, giving cats real advice on how to get radio people to listen to their music and consider giving it airtime, so I'm glad he got promoted. Celebrities calling in and wishing him well, Bossman, Chris from Young Gunz, Skinny Suge (who said Stop Fucking Snitching Vol. 2 is dropping this month, so get ready for another round of controversy). Then, rounding up a hell of a lot of local MCs in the studio for a big finale freestyle for like 20 minutes straight, mostly over this clunky, slow beat I don't recognize that sounds like it could've been on the last De La Soul album or something or actually maybe a Rick Rock beat, but somehow perfect for the styles of everyone on it. Tyree coming first, sounding more like Fat Joe than I'd ever realized, but with a more greasy, laid back flow. Comp busting a written that I recognize from a track on his new mixtape, and then a funny squeezed up doubletime flow. Q coming alright and then fumbling and starting to say the same rhyme again on his 2nd time around. Little Clayway impressing me way more than he ever has before, sounding tougher and older, talking about dropping independent albums to feed his family. Then them all convincing Pork Chop to jump on that mic with that big, raspy voice he's only used for talking on the radio the last couple years, kind of faltering on the freestyle but then they throw on the beat from one of his old songs and he rips it, throwing in funny slurping sounds in place of the curse words, then comes back later and rips an old Premo beat. I finally heard those old World Premier songs he did with Rod Lee back in the day recently and really appreciated what he can do, showing where that radio personality charisma came from.

Labels: 92Q, Bosslady, Comp, Huli Shallone, Little Clayway, mp3, Tyree Colion