New Music: E-40 & Da Town Remix

Here are a few tracks for that Bay Area sweet tooth-

The first song is "Running Wild" by the CunninLynguists featuring E-40 & Evidence. The CunninLynguists are a trio of rappers from the south, Evidence is a member of the LA collective Dilated Peoples, and of course E-40 is the Magazine St. representer cum Blackhawk resident. Its good to hear 40 on a different kind of song. At some point we get tired of hearing about him sitting cups on girls' booties and going to sideshows. With the addition of Evidence, the song is a must listen.

DL: Running Wild- CunninLynguists Ft. E-40 & Evidence

The second track is the long awaited "Da Town Remix" by Yukmouth Ft. Richie Rich, Beeda Weeda, Agerman, Kafani, Shady Nate, Lee Majors, & G-Stack. I know their are hella folks on this track, but I like that there are some OG's such as Richie Rich and Lee Majors, but also some of the young guns in Beeda Weeda and Kafani. Overall, the song is not too special, but its Town business all day. Enjoy

DL: Da Town Remix- Yukmouth Ft. HELLA FOLKS (see above)

Audio: Mike Marshall feat. E-40 & Mistah FAB: "Drinks R On Me"

This track from Mike Marshall, Fabby and 40 has been a long time coming. I first spied a little piece of this joint almost a year ago, but here is the finished product. If you don't know who Mike Marshall is, he most notably sang the hook on the Bay classic, "I Got 5 On It." If you would like to know a bit more check out an introductory post I wrote on him a while back. This song could be a hit, but it might be a tad dated and auto-tuned to really make a dent. We shall see.

DL: "Drinks R On Me"- Mike Marshall feat. E-40 & Mistah FAB

Daps to ThaBizness

38th Notable: Drug Lord Darryl "Lil D" Reed

The infamous Darryl "Lil D" Reed ran the Bay Area's drug market during the 1980s crack epidemic and is the subject of the new movie Weight, now in production. A director is still being sought, but casting has already begun. Too $hort and E-40 are among those serving as advisors for the film. The write-up below is courtesy of Weight's website.
______
The year is 1983. The Place is Oakland, CA. The Drug Game in Oakland is booming, even though there has been an end to the reign of the notorious drug kingpin Felix “The Cat” Mitchell and the 69th MOB due to Federal Grand Jury indictments. With the introduction of crack cocaine comes a different game than that which Felix successfully held the reigns to over the last several years.
A 15 year old, Darryl “Lil D” Reed, is already groomed to the rules of the dope game and daily operation of 69 MOB business, and sets off at establishing himself in the streets as a major player. Armed with organizational skills and business savvy that would rival that of today’s most successful CEO’s, Lil D managed to build his own drug empire from the ground up pulling in millions of dollars by the age of twenty.

Raised in a modest working class family where the value of an education was greatly emphasized by his parents Darryl excelled both in the classroom and in athletics. He would develop a reputation throughout East Oakland first as a skillful and competitive baseball and basketball player and later for his exceptional leadership qualities and natural street hustlin’ skills. His small stature would earn him the nickname “Lil D”, a name that would soon be recognized and respected throughout the streets of East, West, and North Oakland; as well as Berkeley, Richmond, San Francisco, East Palo Alto, San Jose, Pittsburg, Vallejo, and Sacramento, CA.

Maturity beyond his years, and an uncanny knack for networking with fellow hustlers with whom he came in contact, would eventually catapult him to the top of Oakland’s drug trade before he was legally able to purchase alcohol. All this would abruptly come to an end when Darryl “Lil D” Reed was indicted on federal drug charges shortly after his lavish 21st Birthday Party. Sentenced under newly instated Mandatory Minimum Federal guidelines for drug offenses Darryl was given a sentence of 35 years with no parole - of which he is currently serving. After 20 years of incarceration the name “Lil D” is still heard throughout the streets of the Bay Area and in the lyrics of countless Bay Area rhyme spitters.

New Mike Marshall

Check out the music video for the autobiographical "Who's He?" from The East Bay soul vet and then take a sneak peak at his new single featuring E-40 and Mistah FAB.

"Drinks Are On Me"- Mike Marshall feat. E-40 & Mistah FAB

E-40 to Drop Slang Dictionary in 2009

I had read about this over at WooHa the other day, but Backside came through with the video. I am a huge advocate of the Bay getting its due credit when it comes to coining much-bitten slang, but a dictionary? The sociology major in me is lightweight juiced, but I'm more interested in pressing forward than dwelling on the past.

Plus Berkeley High students already produce an annual Bay Area slang dictionary, and the online crowd can easily cruise over to UrbanDictionary.com. It just seems like a waste of time. If it's just E-40's patented phrases or niche Bay slanguistics it could be dope, but in the vid above some of the words he's sharing with MC Serch sound fairly generic. *shrug*

38th Notable: E-40 vs. The Notorious B.I.G.

This infamous rap beef seemed weight appropriate after my last post, so here we are. Despite the understandable hoopla that surrounded the 2Pac/Biggie feud, Pac wasn't the only Bay beast to mix it up with Mr. Smalls. After BIG made some unflattering comments about Uncle 40 in the press, the above situation transpired.

In his old age it's easy to see 40 as nothing more than a rolly-polly slang dictionary, but I guess back in his 'yola days on Magazine street, E-Feasible had some pull. This boss move by 40 should have been a clear signal to BIG not to venture "Back to Cali," but we all know how that turned out. No disrespect to you BIG, but you got moated.

"Used To Be"-UGK, E-40, B-Legit, 8 Ball & MJG

Man these dudes love single letters attached to their monikers: Bun-B, Pimp-C, E-40, B-Legit, etc. That aside, you won't find a much doper collection of underappreciated OG legends than this. Check it out.

DL: "Used To Be"- UGK, E-40, B-Legit, 8 Ball & MJG

BONUS: Another South/Cali Collabo

DL: "I Run (Remix)"- Slim Thug, Brisco, Nipsey Hussle, Yo Gotti & E-40

E-40 & Busta Rhymes: "Exclusive Ownership"

This is pretty sub-par in my opinon. You have two cats as explosive and animated as E-40 and Busta Rhymes on the same track and you put them over this slow spineless instrumental? Potential wasted indeed. 40 lyrically doesn't even know what to do here as he clearly wrote his verse before ever hearing the beat. No bueno

DL: "Exclusive Ownership"- E-40 & Busta Rhymes

Dreads or Not, E-40 Still Looks like Prop Joe

I thought that since E-40 cut his locks off, he wouldn't look so much like The Wire's Prop Joe. But then I looked back at pictures of E-40 from before he got twisted up, and realized that the resemblance has always been uncanny. Luckily 40 isn't quite as fat . . . yet. Daps to B.Dot for the reminder

New Music: Willie Joe feat. E-40 & The Jacka

Vallejo's Willie Joe enlists Hillside vet E-40 and Town OG The Jacka for his new single "Mountain." Joe has been putting it down for a minute but has only splashed on the local scene recently. He is a Bay native but relocated to Atlanta in 2005 to step his hustle up. Check out his myspace to peep more videos and tracks.

"Mountain," is the latest manifestation of a Bay artist trying to break a new slang word to the masses. Don't know that this one will catch on, but the track is nice. Willie Joe holds it down, gets a solid (if wishful) sixteen from Jacka, and a gem of a verse from 40 Water. Can't remember the last time I heard a dude rep the Carquinas Bridge on wax.


DL: "Mountains"- Willie Joe feat. E-40 & The Jacka

E-40 Finally Cuts Off His Dreads!!

We can all let out a collective exhale. Uncle Earl has finally taken the shears to his locks. He started growing them after promising to do so on "Tell Me When To Go," but even then their popularity was waning. As 510Renaissance reminds us, about 2 or 3 years ago a lot of folks cut their hair when the police began profiling based on dreads.

Some old heads have been twisted up for years, but I remember the blond tipped dread wave of the early to mid 2000s being first popularized by the STI (Scandalous Type Individuals) gang. Dreadlocks have not completely left the scene, but with the police attention, employer pressure and the evolution of style, they are fading in popularity. Some folks look good with locks, but some, like E-40, do not.The timing of this is crazy given the video posted below. If you haven't peeped Ryan Coogler's short film Locks, do so now. I want to write about it in more depth, but don't want to give anything away. Maybe soon.

Shout out to DJ Backside for the footage

"I'm That Dude"- Droop-E, E-40 & Cousin Fik

Droop-E drops some fairly run-of-the-mill ego-trippin with Papa 40 and Cousin Fik. Coutesy of Get-a Bar!

"I'm That Dude"- Droop-E feat. E-40 & Cousin Fik

Hip-Hop Comedy: The Lonely Island of SNL

For those of you who think you don't know who or what The Lonely Island is, you do. They are the creative geniuses behind SNL's Digital Shorts, the series that has produced "Dick in a Box" feat. Justin Timberlake, "Jizz in My Pants," and "On a Boat" feat. T-Pain (below). Andy Samberg is the most easily recognized of the trio because he is a regular SNL cast member, but the Lonely Island's other two members, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, are writers and guest stars on the show.

The three of them all grew up in Berkeley and then reconvened after college to start producing comedy videos. In addition to saving SNL, they have dipped their toes into movies and TV pilots. Today however they are releasing their own comedic hip-hop CD and DVD, entitled Incredibad. To make them even more dope and Bay, the second song on their album features E-40 as Carlos Santana. It sounds outlandish, but it is equally hilarious. Listen and download the track below and be sure to cop Incredibad ASAPolis.

"Santana DVX"- Lonely Island feat. E-40

UPDATE: I just listened to the album and watched the videos that come with it, and must say that it's quite hellarious. Incredibad features Jack Black, E-40, Norah Jones, Chris Parnell, Justin Timberlake and T-Pain, but the surprise standout guest is Natalie Portman. Her profanity laden rap about all sorts of illegal ish will surely drop a jaw or two. First line: "I dont sleep m***erfucker off that 'Yac and that bourban/ Doin 120 gettin head while I'm swervin . . ." You gotta hear it. Seacrest, out

Assorted Slaps: Some Go, Some No

As much as it pains me to slap exhausted swagger obsessed spaceship tracks, I kinda like a few of these. Don't judge me!!! LOL. On the real, I'm waiting for the next generation to develop and take the Bay's music scene in a new direction, but in the mean time the OGs will have to suffice. Again, I have the utmost respect for these dudes, but I think we need to infuse our sound and scene with some fresh blood. I do think Trax can be part of that bridge from the old to the new though. That is all

These lightweight Go:

"NASA Music"- E-40, Method Man, DJ Swamp


"Smoke One"- Guce, Mitchy Slick, Gucci Mane, Messy Marv & Keak


"She Love Me"- Traxamillion

These "might don't go" (c) FAB:

"Talk Shit"- Traxamillion feat. T-Pain


"Scream at Me"- Traxamillion feat. Nicole Scherzinger

West Coastin: Ya Boy, E-40, Kurupt & Glasses

And I present you with the latest aspiring Cali anthem. OG-40 and LbAy YG Ya Boy unite with Southern Cali's Glasses Malone and Kurupt for "Superstars." Eskay described this as Cali's "Swagger Like Us," but I think it sounds more like a West Coast take on a DJ Khaled possee cut, minus the "We da best!" drops. It's aite, but nothing to write your boys in Rita about.

"Superstars"- Ya Boy feat. E-40, Kurupt & Glasses Malone

E-40 Gets Moated by the East Bay Express

Beginning of a rather harsh review by the East Bay Express' Rachel Swan. She lightweight goes in hard on Unc, but I think he's been had it coming. When was the last time 40 pushed the envelope? And why is he not featuring any Bay artists other than his family and Too $hort? Aren't ambassadors supposed to represent for their people? Put someone from the Bay on for once, rather than just cavorting in the South with the usual suspects.

E-40 is a shrewd businessman and competent rapper who at times verged on being a great rapper. But usually his desire to remain marketable outpaces his creativity — 40's endless repetition of certain slang words and quaint little sayings (i.e., "It ain't just bananas, it's coconuts") is more an attempt to create a brand identity than to come up with witty rejoinders.

A self-anointed hip-hop "ambassador" who's made most of his fortune in other industries (a Fatburger franchise, a "Yay Area" slang primer, a liquor line, and San Jose's now-defunct Ambassador Lounge), 40 takes few risks with his music. When he finds a successful formula, like the "hyphy" style that shaped his 2006 album My Ghetto Report Card, he'll beat it past the point of death. Which explains why this year's The Ball Street Journal — basically a Ghetto Report Card reprise — already sounds like an anachronism.

Rachel Swan goes on to to break BSJ down track by track and demonstrates how it really is a reprise of Ghetto Report Card. I haven't yet heard this album, but I wouldn't be surprised if this review is accurate.

Uncle Earl on The Parker Report (Excerpt)

MTV Shows

OG-40 appears on the Parker Report with The Game and DJ Felli Fell. In this clip they speak on the influx of hip-hop chain snatchings, as 40 wears a diamond encrusted dinner plate around his neck. They draw this conclusion: "If you can't bare it, don't wear it." I know 40 is big, but I didn't know he could bare half of Sierra Leone. . . I live and I learn

E-40 attempting to sell his Landy Cognac

E-40 has always had a myriad of investments outside of music, but they were typically a little off-beat and interesting- like owning Fat Burgers with former Raider Chester McGlockton. The burgers were fat, Chester was fat and 40 was fat. We got that, it was funny and I was convinced by Earl's waistline that he knew his burgers.

But now he's selling Cognac. The obese slanguist who still sports oversized tees and dreads is trying to sell us on a brandy that is typically defined as refined. When I think Cognac I see mahogany, cigars and leather bound books. Think Ron Burgundy feeling cultured or Diddy continuing to channel Frank Sinatra and Jay Gatsby. I just don't quite think Cognac when I think about my Uncle Earl. Granted hip-hop has fueled the rebirth of Cognac in the United States by most admissions, but 40 hocking stray bottles out of an an old Louie bag on Kyte just doesn't quite speak to me.

So 40, even if I could afford alcohol and drank Yac, I'd probably opt-out and hit up Fatburger instead. Lo siento Tio. Also, while we are on the topic of alcohol and 40+ year old Bay Area rappers, Ty $haw just released a song with Martin Luther, Elijah and Silky entitled "Red Bull and Vodka."

"Red Bull and Vodka"- Too $hort

And They Call Him "Earl"

I likes this one. Shout out to Jacky, who is busy cookin up a feast in the kitchen.

40 Agua on the "Hustle" + Xclusive Remixes

Agua Cuarenta is dropping the Ball Street Journal on November 25, so make sure you cop that! Also, grab a couple exclusive Kanye/E-40 remixes by the Bay's K-Town Dave (links below). Let him know whether or not you're feeling them in the comment section. If the feedback is positive, I may have to peer pressure him back to the PowerBook for an additional helping of hotness.

"Flashing White Girls" (K-Town)- E-40 feat. Juelz Santana & Bun B

"Tell Me When to Go Stronger" (K-Town)- E-40 feat. Keak da Sneak