Blog

1. What's your favorite song by 15? (MF DOOM)
Can't Decide Between Hyssop and Doper Skiller

2. How did you get into 20? (Crown Of Thornz)
I heard about them first while watching documentary about New York hardcore "N.Y.H.C.".

3. Who is your favourite member in 1? Misfits
My favourite member of Misfits is definitely Doyle. He's huge as rock and mercilessly bashing his guitar.

4. What’s your favorite lyric bit by 29? (Insane Poetry)
Definitely Jihad (ft. Sutter Kain). Hardcore delivery of Shakespear the One-Man Riot and Sutter Kain is a masterpiece of ghetto metal.

5. Have you ever seen 22 live? (La Coka Nostra)
Unfortunately, I haven't

6. What's your favorite album from 10? (Atmosphere)
With no doubt Seven's Travels

7. Do you own any merchandise from 3? (Public Enemy)
Aside from nearly full discography on CD's and a vinyl of "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" i've got a t-shirt and a New Era cap made by OBEY.

8. What is a good memory you have of 7? (7L & Esoteric)
DUMB was made with similar sense of humour as mine.

9. Is there a member of the same age as you in 2? (Esham)
Esham is now 36, so he's about 15 years older than me. No, there isn't.

10. When did you first get into 8? (Necro)
It was about 3 or 4 years ago. I was looking for some dark and grimy rap, and there my friends told me about Necro.

11. Who likes 4 along with you? (Minor Threat)
No one. My friends like rap or indie rock, not really hardcore punk.

12. Which song did you first hear from 16? (Immortal Technique)
First was Dance With the Devil wich is basically a shocking story about disturbing violence and its tragical consequences.

13. What song made you fall in love with 5? (Insane Clown Posse)
I loved this band for Tilt-A-Whirl

14. Which song do you not like by 18? CunninLynguists
None

15. Why do you like 14's songs? Slayer
Speed, power, thrashing drums, bass, guitars. Howling vocals of Tom Araya. The Essence of Slayer.

16. Where did you first hear 6? Terror
On Last.fm listening constantly, similar bands to Black Flag.

17. How long was 19 a band before you liked them? Plastic Little
They released first songs on EP in 2004. I started to listen them a while after dropping first album in 2006.

18. Does 13 have a song that gives you a bad memory? Bad Brains
No, not at all. Only good feelings are connected with BB.

19. When did you get into 17? Jedi Mind Tricks
I got into JMT about 2003.

20. How long have you been into 9? Ill Bill
Over 5 years

21. If 11 had a concert 300 miles away, would you drive there to see them? Black Flag
Hell yeah!!! But i know it's impossible :(

22. How many CD's do you own of 12? Ultramagnetic MC's
Only one. Critical Beatdown

23. Does 21 have a song that makes you cry? 2 Live Crew
I don't think so :D

24.

25. Does 23 have a song that makes you smile? Cro-Mags
Kuruksetra makes me smile very wide

26. What's the last song you've listened to from 28? Kool G Rap
4, 5, 6

27. Is there a song by 32 that you've listened to more than 30 times? Spank Rock
I've listened to What It Look Like, IMC, Backyard Betty and Touch Me more than 30 times

28. Any song by 50 that you've only listened to once? Big Daddy Kane
Several.

29. Is there a song you are sick of hearing by 24? Nine
Nope.

30. What song got you into 40? Brotha Lynch Hung
Rest In Piss

31. What is your favorite single by 25? Madball
Powerful Set It Off

32. If 49 hated you, what would you do? King Gordy
I would be pleased being hated by King Gordy.

33. What would you say if 42 or one of the members from 42 asked you out? Tuff Crew
Of course i'd refuse. Such a stupid question.

34. Would you care if 41 had a boyfriend/girlfriend? Non Phixion
Of course not

35. Who has the best voice in 46? Roll Deep
Wiley

36. Do you think 26 is/are good looking? Grayskul
Not. Honestly, the Grayskul members are ugly :D

37. How many times have you listened to your favorite song by 36? Mr. Hyde
I've listened Say My Name about 26 times.

38. How many CD's do you own of 30? Negative Approach
Just one. Total Recall

39. Is there a song from 38 that makes you mad? Dr. Octagon
Not at all.

40. Which member from 31 do you want to see go solo? A.J.K.S.
He is actually a solo artist.

41. What does your favorite song from 48 remind you of? Three 6 Mafia
Now I'm High, Really High. I think the title is obvious.

42. Did you hate 43 at first? The Cool Kids
Not at all. I liked them from the first time.

43. Does your best friend also listen to 33? Arsonists
I don't think that my best friend even know that the Arsonists exist.

44. Do you think your parents would like 37? Sean Price
I don't think so.

45. Does 47 have a song that makes you want to dance? Prozak
Not really.

46. Have you ever seen 34 in person? Snowgoons
Nope

47. Do you like 44's name? Tech N9ne
Moniker and real name (Aaron Dontez Yates) of Tech N9ne are normal so there's no reason to dislike it.

48. Is there someone in 45 that you want to go out with? Gogol Bordello
Pamela Jintana Racine :) a decent girl to go out

49. Do you know anyone that hates 39? Slaine
Personally i don't know any of them, but just look at Slaine's shoutbox :)

50. Have you ever danced to a song from 35? Kool Keith
Kool Keith's music isn't easy to dance to.



IT'S ALL ABOUT MY MUSIC

(Left)
Ayo
Lionel Richie
Flo Rida

(Right)
Coldplay
MSTRKRFT
Thunderheist

Roughly, my taste in music has been a bit broadened in the last few weeks and this selection of new CDs is even more unexpected to me than the last time. I've never hated or been against any of these artists above, but at least, it's only recently that I got an idea of buying a Coldplay CD out of pocket.

I've known the guys of MSTRKRFT only for their remix works for such artists as Jesse McCartney and Ayumi Hamasaki, but I just learned that they also released their own albums and that the latest one, Fist Of God, features a lot of Hip-Hop/R&B big names as guest performers. The tracks with E-40, Freeway, Ghostface Killah and John Legend are all hot, but my most favorite one off of this album is "Breakaway," which features vocals by Jahmal Tonge of Toronto-based rock duo The Carps.

Thunderheist, which is made up of Isis (MC) and Grahm Zilla (producer), is a new artist to me. After finding Isis featured on a MSTRKRFT track called "Bounce" along with N.O.R.E., I thought of checking out Thunderheist's own material. Their self-titled debut album Thunderheist was released March and is a great Electro-Hip-Hop record that may remind you of the sound of Baltimore Club music.

Just Go, the latest album from legendary soul/pop artist Lionel Richie, successfully merges Richie's sensitive vocals with modern urban edges and is much more consistent than the previous one, Coming Home. This album features productions from today's super hitmakers such as StarGate, Tricky Stewart (with The-Dream) and Akon (with Giorgio Tuinfort), but they didn't try to make Richie sound too young or too urban but just provided sophisticated melodies and smooth sounds that actually fit to the vocals. Along with Charlie Wilson's latest effort, this will surely be among my year-end list and I'm very amazed that the legends who had a career of more than 40 years still can be so focused on making new music for today's audiences.

I'm sure that some of you don't really like Flo Rida and his music, but all that he has done is to be successful with established rapping skills and well-produced beats that everyone can dance to and sing along with and then I can't really see the point of hating him. You may diss him because his music is not "real," but in my opinion, as long as it's party music that people just dance to, it doesn't matter at all if it's "real" or not. It just sounds reasonable that Luther Campbell aka Luke of 2 Live Crew was his mentor. The new album, R.O.O.T.S., contains a bunch of audience-friendly Hip-Pop tunes and you can definitely enjoy it. The remake of "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" is irresistible.

Seems like ages since weve done a show on NSB... and due to the holiday ups and downs the much anticipated 'Round up of 2008' has be postponed till the 19th January I'm afraid but fear not as this show is jam packed with fresh new tunes for 2009 :)

Worldwide exclusive play of our new tune 'Haterz' as well as new stuff from Against The Grain, Functional, Silo plus fresh dubs from the likes of AC Slater, 2 Bit Thugs and Freq Nasty.

01. Elite Force 'Here Come The Flow (Gella Mix)' [UA]
02. LDV VS Boonos 'Heated'
03. Bassbin Twins 'Ruffest' [Bassbin Records]
04. Takomo 'Departure' [Polar Red]
05. Dekoy vs Rob Focuz 'Bob Hopeless' [Diverted Traffic]
06. Noisia 'Seven Stitches' [Diversion Recordings]
07. Splitloop 'Party People (Rico Tubbs and Will Power Remix)' [Against The Grain]
08. Nadastrom 'Pussy' [Dubsided]
09. DilemN '1st Class' [Silo]
10. Reso 'If Ya Can't Beat Em' [Civil Music]
11. Splitloop 'Method One V.I.P' [Against The Grain]
12. Drop the Lime 'I Love NY (Baobinga's Fuck Up Like Woah Remix)'
13. 2 Live Crew 'Party (2 Bit Thugs Badboy Bmore 2x2 Remix)'
14. Deadmau5 'Reward Is More Cheese' [Rising Music]
15. Plump DJs 'Beat Myself Up' [Finger Lickin]
16. Blue Effect 'Stop (Ben and Lex Remix)' [Functional]
17. Jay Stewart 'The Shuffle (Mr No Hands Remix)' [Breakin Even]
18. Calvertron vs Banga 'Whoop (NAPT remix)' [Destination?]
19. Ben And Lex 'Haterz'
20. Deekline and Wizard 'Back Up (AC Slater Dub Remix)' [Supercharged]
21. Hostage 'Ain't No Man' [Nightshifters]
22. Human Resource 'Dominator (Herv Remix)' [RS]
23. Jaimie Fanatic and DJ Rockid 'Move and Mingle' [We Are All Kidz]
24. Muse 'Knights of Cydonia (ffs Remix)'
25. FreQ Nasty vs propa Tingz 'Peacemaker (DUB)'
26. Dizzee Rascal 'Sirens (Chase and Staus Remix)'

Download | Mirror

Podcast | iTunes | Archive | Myspace | Facebook | Virb

Ben & Lex
The Beatz and Bobz Show | NSB Radio | 05/01/09

Eminem
Kanye West
Lil' Wayne
Jay-Z
2Pac
50 Cent
Snoop Dogg
Beastie Boys
Nas
The Game
Dr. Dre
OutKast
Notorious B.I.G.
Cypress Hill
T.I.
Ludacris
Busta Rhymes
The Roots
DMX
Akon
Nelly
Missy Elliott
Lupe Fiasco
Three 6 Mafia
Timbaland
Black Eyed Peas
Ice Cube
Common
Young Jeezy
N*E*R*D
Fort Minor
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Ghostface
Mobb Deep
Chamillionaire
Public Enemy
Atmosphere
Gang Starr
Talib Kweli
A Tribe Called Quest
De La Soul
Fabolous
Xzibit
Wyclef Jean
Rick Ross
Will Smith
Jedi Mind Tricks
Method Man
The Streets
Mos Def
D12
Usher
Fugees
Chris Brown
N.W.A
Run-D.M.C.
Ja Rule
G-Unit
O.S.T.R.
Gym Class Heroes
RZA
Twista
Immortal Technique
R. Kelly
LL Cool J
MF DOOM
Jurassic 5
Wu-Tang Clan
Fat Joe
Clipse
Sean Paul
Cam'ron
Jay-Z and Linkin Park
GZA/Genius
Aesop Rock
Young Buck
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz
Juelz Santana
Lloyd Banks
Coolio
Tech N9ne
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Kid Rock
Redman
Ying Yang Twins
David Banner
Bushido
Chingy
Pitbull
KRS-One
Afroman
CunninLynguists
Insane Clown Posse
T-Pain
Dizzee Rascal
M.I.A.
Sido
Big L
P. Diddy
Raekwon
Eve
Flo Rida
Cassidy
Soulja Boy
Obie Trice
Sage Francis
Jadakiss
Jim Jones
Joe Budden
Trick Daddy
Lil' Kim
Mike Jones
Plies
Pharrell
DJ Khaled
dead prez
M.O.P.
Masta Ace
Juvenile
Blackalicious
E-40
Kool Savas
House of Pain
Looptroop
Eazy-E
Lil Jon
Everlast
Papoose
Lauryn Hill
Geto Boys
Warren G
Guru
RJD2
Styles P
Scarface
K.I.Z.
Daddy Yankee
Kottonmouth Kings
Mac Dre
Kelis
Madvillain
Bubba Sparxxx
Madlib
Roots Manuva
Lil' Flip
Puff Daddy
Handsome Boy Modeling School
Paul Wall
AZ
Petey Pablo
Method Man & Redman
Too $hort
Arrested Development
The Pharcyde
Die Fantastischen Vier
MC Hammer
Noize MC
Little Brother
Cheek
Necro
Andre Nickatina
Bun B
Royce da 5'9"
Naughty by Nature
Onyx
Lady Sovereign
will.i.am
Bow Wow
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
Salt-N-Pepa
Каста
Mims
J Dilla
Yung Joc
Slum Village
Jovanotti
Blumentopf
m-flo
The Beatnuts
Swollen Members
mc chris
UGK
Pharoahe Monch
Murs
MC Solaar
Paktofonika
Black Star
Gucci Mane
Pete Rock
2 Live Crew
Beanie Sigel
Ciara
Ne-Yo
Eric B. & Rakim
Birdman
Kaliber 44
Sir Mix-A-Lot
Vanilla Ice
Fettes Brot
Saul Williams
Eldo
IAM
Wiley
Promoe
Samy Deluxe
Mystikal
Ill Bill
Devin the Dude
KRec
Andre 3000
Flo-Rida
Project Pat
EPMD
Lil Wyte
Trina
Mase
YoungBloodZ
Rich Boy
Big Tymers
Flipsyde
k-os
Canibus
Deltron 3030
Nappy Roots
Quasimoto
Jay Dee
Buck 65
DonGURALesko
Tede
Ice-T
N.O.R.E.
Master P
Saigon
Plan B
The Diplomats
Baby Bash
Afu-Ra
Diddy
Rakim
Matisyahu
Kollegah
Kardinal Offishall
DJ Danger Mouse
Asa
WWO
Foxy Brown
Hi-Tek

So, I first did this A-Z: First Last Best entry in June of 07. However, as I stated in that journal, at the time I only had about 1/3 of my music on my computer. Now, however, I have about 3/4 of my total library, so I decided to take some time and see how this list has changed after adding all this new music to my computer library (lots of my older music will be missing, as I haven't added the last bit of my CD's to the computer). Not that anyone will really care enough to comment on this, or even to read it in the first place, but yeah, it'll kill some boredom...And notice the addition of the # category for shits and giggles...Yeah, I have way too much time...

First: 2 Live Crew
Last: 504 boys
Best: 30 Seconds to Mars

First: A Fine Frenzy
Last: Avril Lavigne
Best: Aly & AJ

First: B2K
Last: Butthole Surfers
Best: Backstreet Boys

First: C&C Music Factory
Last: Cyndi Thompson
Best: Carrie Underwood

First: D12
Last: Duran Duran
Best: dredg

First: E-40
Last: Extreme
Best: Eminem

First: Faith Evans
Last: Funeral for a Friend
Best: Foo Fighters

First: Garth Brooks
Last: Gym Class Heroes
Best: Godsmack

First: Haddaway
Last: Hurt
Best: Hall & Oates

First: Incubus
Last: Isley Brothers
Best: Incubus

First: Jack Johnson
Last: Juvenile
Best: Justin Timberlake

First: Kandi
Last: Kylie Minogue
Best: Kelly Clarkson

First: La Bouche
Last: Lumidee
Best: Ludacris

First: M2M
Last: Mya
Best: Maroon 5

First: N.E.R.D.
Last: Nu Shooz
Best: NSYNC

First: O.A.R.
Last: Ozzy Osbourne
Best: Orgy

First: P.O.D.
Last: Pussycat Dolls
Best: Phil Collins

First: Quad City DJ's
Last: Quindon Tarver
Best: Queens of the Stone Age

First: R. KELLYY
Last: Rusted Root
Best: Rihanna

First: S Club 7
Last: SWV
Best: S Club 7

First: t.A.T.u.
Last: Tyrese
Best: Theory of a Deadman

First: UB40
Last: Usher
Best: Usher

First: Van Halen
Last: Virgin Millionaires
Best: Vertical Horizon

First: War
Last: Wu-Tang Clan
Best: Weezer

First: Yellowcard
Last: Yung Joc
Best: Youngstown

First: Zero 1
Last: Zero 1
Best: Zero 1

#
2 Live Crew - As Nasty As They Wanna Be
2 Live Crew - Banned in the U.S.A.
2 Live Crew - Sports Weekend
2 Live Crew - The Real One

3 Doors Down - Away From The Sun
3 Doors Down - Seventeen Days
3 Doors Down - The Better Life

50 Cent - Bulletproof
50 Cent - Curtis
50 Cent - The Massacre

A
A Perfect Circle - aMOTION
A Perfect Circle - eMOTIVe
A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms
A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step

AFI - Black Sails in the Sunset
AFI - December Underground
AFI - Sing the Sorrow

Akon - Konvicted
Akon - Trouble

Alanis Morissette - Alanis
Alanis Morissette - Feast on Scraps
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette - Now Is the Time
Alanis Morissette - So-Called Chaos
Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Alanis Morissette - Under Rug Swept

Alice in Chains - Dirt
Alice in Chains - Facelift
Alice in Chains - Nothing Safe - Best Of The Box

Alien Ant Farm - ANThology

Arch Enemy - Anthems of Rebellion
Arch Enemy - Black Earth
Arch Enemy - Burning Bridges
Arch Enemy - Doomsday Machine
Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant
Arch Enemy - Stigmata
Arch Enemy - Wages Of Sin

Audioslave - Audioslave
Audioslave - Out of Exile
Audioslave - Revelations

Avril Lavigne - Let Go
Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing
Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin

B
Basement Jaxx - The Singles

Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
Beastie Boys - Pauls Boutique
Beastie Boys - Solid Gold Hits

Black Eyed Peas - Elephunk

Black Label Society - Eternal
Black Label Society - Hangover Music Volume Vi
Black Label Society - Kings Of Damnation Era 1998-2004
Black Label Society - Mafia
Black Label Society - Sonic Brew
Black Label Society - Stronger Than Death
Black Label Society - The Blessed Hellride

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality
Black Sabbath - Never Say Die
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstacy

Bloodhound Gang - Hooray For Boobies
Bloodhound Gang - Use Your Fingers

Bob Sinclair - Western Dream

Bon Jovi - Bounce
Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day
Bon Jovi - Lost Highway
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet

Britney Spears - In the Zone

C
Cake - Comfort Eagle
Cake - Fashion Nugget
Cake - Motorcade of Generosity
Cake - Pressure Chief
Cake - Prolonging the Magic

Cascada - Everytime We Touch

Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet
Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk
Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll
Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder
Children of Bodom - Something Wild

Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay - X & Y

Crazy Frog - Crazy Hits

Creed - Human Clay
Creed - Weathered

Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill - Black Sunday
Cypress Hill - Temples of Boom
Cypress Hill - Unreleased & Revamped
Cypress Hill - IV
Cypress Hill - Los Grandes Exitos En Espa¤ol
Cypress Hill - Live at the Fillmore
Cypress Hill - Skull And Bones
Cypress Hill - Stoned Raiders
Cypress Hill - Stash (EP)
Cypress Hill - Till Death Do Us Part

D
D12 - D12 World
D12 - Devil's Night

Daft Punk - Discovery
Daft Punk - Homework
Daft Punk - Human After All

Danzig - Danzig
Danzig - II Lucifuge
Danzig - IV Vorschau

Dark Lotus - Black Rain
Dark Lotus - Tales From The Lotus Pod

Dark Tranquillity - Character
Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
Dark Tranquillity - Haven
Dark Tranquillity - Projector
Dark Tranquillity - Skydancer
Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery
Dark Tranquillity - The Mind's I

Default - One Thing Remains
Default - The Fallout

Deftones - Adrenaline
Deftones - Deftones
Deftones - White Pony

Depeche Mode - Playing The Angel
Depeche Mode - Violator

Disturbed - Believe
Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists
Disturbed - The Sickness

Dr. Dre - 2001

DragonForce - Inhuman Rampage
DragonForce - Sonic Firestorm
DragonForce - Valley Of The Damned

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

Drowning Pool - Desensitized
Drowning Pool - Full Circle
Drowning Pool - Sinner

E
Eminem - Curtain Call
Eminem - Encore
Eminem - Infinate
Eminem - The Eminem Show
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP

Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails Red Wine

Evermore - Dreams
Evermore - Real Life

F
Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High

Fatboy Slim - Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim - Big Beach Boutique II
Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
Fatboy Slim - On the Floor at the Boutique
Fatboy Slim - Palookaville
Fatboy Slim - You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fear Factory - Archetype
Fear Factory - Concrete
Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Fear Factory - Digimortal
Fear Factory - Hatefiles
Fear Factory - Obsolete
Fear Factory - Soul of a New Machine
Fear Factory - Transgression

Fuel - Natural Selection
Fuel - Porcelain (EP)
Fuel - Something Like Human
Fuel - Sunburn
Fuel - The Best of Fuel

G
Gnarls Barkley - St Elsewhere

Godsmack - Awake
Godsmack - Godsmack
Godsmack - IV

Gorillaz - Demon Days
Gorillaz - Gorillaz
Gorillaz - G-Sides

Gotye - Like Drawing Blood

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses - Lies
Guns N' Roses - The Spaghetti Incident
Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I
Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion II

Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape

H
Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road

Hinder - Extreme Behavior

Human Nature - Reach Out The Motown Record

All of us would like to be in the Anti-Rap army right? I mean, they're so cool and ignorant! So, here's a good idea how to be one of the "cool guys"

1.Ignorance
You can't be Anti-Rap if you're not ignorant. I mean, if you're open-minded you mind come across rap-loving artists (Aerosmith, Infected Mushroom, Junkie XL). It's very recommended to focus on classic rock (Just stay away from Aerosmith, and maybe even AC/DC), noise, black metal, etc. It's NOT recommended to go to the Death Metal scene, since Necro is probably performing with Obituary.

2.Prejudice
Listening to rap and then judging DOESN'T WORK OK? It's not cool according to Anti-Rap. The only rap you can listen to is 50 Cent & Soulja Boy, you may only listen to 5 seconds, if not it's not prejudice. Another great way is to put MTV on and watch the music videos and claim you know all rap. Another great way to show how stupid you are (If you know a bit about rap you're not welcomed in Anti-Rap) is to label artists which are not rap, but you call them rap anyway. (Sean Paul & Akon).

3.Criticize
Remember-you must explain WHY you hate rap. It may give people impression you're a nice and open-minded. When people tell you about underground rap, you must claim that the good artists from your scene are famous, while Hip-Hop's scene good artists are underground, so something is wrong with rap. When you say this, you must claim Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli & Common are underground.
You know what is brag-rap? Just like in rock where you talk about how much your life sucks, in rap you talk about how much you're great. If you wanna be Anti-Rap, than attack cheap brag-tracks. Don't listen to either Run-D.M.C. or Beastie Boys, since they got some clever rhymes and a good example how to make brag-rap. Infact, it's a good idea to dismiss brag-rap even if has somekind of poetic lines and high vocabulary.
When people recommend old-school, listen ONLY to N.W.A & 2 Live Crew, and call them crap because they talk about sex N gunz. Claim that if these artists are considered good, then rap sux. Avoid Public Enemy at all costs.
Ghetto? Claim it's more important to write songs about death/blood/gore than writing about how much life is bad at the ghetto. It's a good idea to say that breaking up with your girl is more important than poor people with no money.
Music & Lyrics-dismiss lyrics at all costs. Always claim they're meaningless. Always claim it's always about drugs, hoes, bitches ang gangsta. Remember to deny the existence of Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. and claim rappers never write or even producer their music. You might go far and claim they don't even write their lyrics. Why? Because you're ignorant.
Bash the fans-A good idea. Claim that rap fans are close-minded and ignorant, despite you belonging to the metal-scene/classic-rock scene/black metal or even far as NSBM. Claim that your favourite genre's fanbase is full of nice & open-minded people while rapfans are all ignorant. If you come across an open-minded rapfan-ignore him.

4.Artists To Avoid
These ones seem to have something with rap, must be avoided:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sum 41
KRS-One
Public Enemy
Faith No More
Sage Francis
El-P
Clawifnger
KoЯn
CunninLynguists
Brother Ali
MF DOOM
Zion I
Cypress Hill
Fear Factory

5.One Last Thing
As you can see, it's not hard to be an Anti-rap. If you can be stupid, close-minded and ignorant then you're welcomed. Make sure to make lame exuses if you listen to rap-associated acts (RHCP or Linkin Park for example). When you compare Rap to any other genre, you must hit the weak points of Rap and NEVER hit the weak points of the other genre. However, some people will treat you like a clown, and use you to creat alot of jokes. Don't give a damn about them, as long as you're ignorant you're cool =)

Seriously, I wrote this since I'm sick of having Hip-Hop as a guilty pleasure. I'm not forcing anyone to listen to rap, but somebody once said-Genres don't suck, artists do. I agree, while I hate most Gangsta Rap I'm a big fan of Cypress Hill. Oh, and if any member of the Anti-Rap army is reading this-yes, you look like what I described in this journal.

Listen to what you want and enjoy yourself, peace.

Oh, and if you think I wasted your time watch this:


Once again-peace

On March 7th, 2007, the future of internet radio was being hotly contested in the House of Representatives. At the time, delegates were debating the validity of a recently ruling by the government's Copyright Royalty Board. Had the bill passed, it would have significantly raised the royalty rates for streaming songs over the internet. In all likelihood, this would have crippled a fledgling industry that many small-time recording artists and independent labels have lauded as an invaluable promotional tool for breaking music to new audiences. Thankfully, the bill has been delayed, and the oppositional Internet Radio Equality Act has garnered over one hundred Congressional sponsors since (largely due to a highly active contingent of online protesters). Nonetheless, it's been a tense couple of months for internet radio listeners.

However, when Senator Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania assumed the podium to testify on that day back in March, he didn't seem too concerned with the state of internet radio. Rather, he wanted to talk about mash-ups –- specifically, the work of one of his Philadelphia constituents, Greg Gillis. Gillis, who goes by the stage name of Girl Talk, has gained notoriety for using samples from as many as thirty different artists in a single three minute song. His 2006 album, Night Ripper, received numerous accolades for its originality and deft manipulation of samples, placing prominently in several best-of-year lists. However, under today's copyright laws, Gillis' work is also totally illegal. Doyle argued passionately in favor of the Girl Talk album, positing that, "some sampling of copyrighted material, especially when manipulated and re-contextualized into a new art form, is legit and deserves to be heard." He proceeded to compare Girl Talk's music to that of the Paul McCartney of the legendary band The Beatles, who copied a Chuck Berry bass riff for the song "I Saw Her Standing There." Perhaps Girl Talk's mash-up efforts aren't too different, Doyle suggested.

In a government that is generally highly restrictive when it comes to re-proportioning copyrighted works, Doyle's monologue was a refreshing treat that brought attention to an important issue in modern music culture. While his speech was largely irrelevant to the online radio proceedings and had no real impact as far as legislative action goes, it sparked popular debate anew throughout hundreds of internet forums and Starbucks cafés –- is sampling a legitimate music tool, and if so, to what extent should it be protected or restricted under today's intellectual property law? Certainly, the practice has had a rocky road since its rise to prominence in the 1980's. On one hand, it single-handedly revolutionized electronic music and practically birthed the genre of hip-hop. Proponents have hailed it as a creatively liberating and transformative new art form, one that takes old music and re-contextualizes it into something new and exciting. On the other hand, sampling has been derided as highly derivative work that clearly violates the rights of a copyright owner. These critics argue that sampling is hardly a boon to creativity –- rather, it does little more than illegitimately abuse the creative output of other artists.

In this essay, I will argue that sampling is a legitimate and transformative form of music, and that artists should be given more legal freedom to use the technique. My thesis is backed by two crucial points. First of all, I adopt the stance that sampling has allowed for the creation of new, horizon-expanding music that stands on its own legs as original and transformative. Secondly, I posit that the chief goal of copyright law is to promote creativity –- when it is used restrictively (as it has been with sampling), it unjustifiably inhibits our cultural vitality and blocks the creation of new, artistically viable work. This is both dangerous and unacceptable –- as Tim Wu bluntly summarized in an article he wrote for Slate magazine, "Vibrant cultures borrow, remix and recast. Static cultures die." If the two proposals I suggest are assumed to be true, then it is clear that copyright law should be revised to allow provisional sampling usage (dependent on a couple qualifications that I will discuss later in the essay).

Copying another's music is a cultural practice that extends back to the very beginning of the medium's existence. Themes, song structure, rhythms and note patterns are often repeated within different genres of music –- blues is largely based on the constant re-imagination of the same three chords, and many classical music composers wrote pieces that clearly built upon the work of their predecessors. Using old music as a building block for new is not a new concept –- in fact, it is deeply ingrained into our culture. To use a more contemporary example, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain famously proclaimed that his band's hit single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," was a rip-off of the alt-rock pioneers Pixies –- without that band's influence, Nirvana probably wouldn't have explored the loud-soft dynamics and vocal eccentricities that characterized their hugely influential seminal album Nevermind.

The way that these musicians build off of previous music is roughly analogous to sampling. Sampling is the act of taking a small element of a music recording and re-proportioning it into a new piece of work. The most obvious difference between these two methods is that sampling is digital, whereas previous musical quotations have been analog. Namely, one approach replicates the notes of older music by replaying them with actual instruments, whereas the other replicates more precisely through the use of a digital sampler machine. The first of these machines were introduced in the early 1980's. They had the ability to record any sound –- from the slamming of a car door to a human voice –- and covert it into a digital signal. Once a recording was made digital, it could be easily manipulated by a computer and incorporated into a new piece of work. By the middle of the decade, samplers were relatively inexpensive and readily accessible, which corresponded with the late 1980's rap boom. Sampling has opened the door to a wide variety of new techniques in music –- the usage of loops, digital manipulation, complex layering of vocals or instrumentation –- that have all had a huge impact on the music scene today. However, most of these techniques are non-controversial. In this essay, when I use the term "sample" or "sampled work," I will be referring exclusively to the re-proportioning of pieces from other music recordings.

Many sampled works have gained widely acknowledged artistic legitimacy. For example, DJ Shadow's 1996 debut Entroducing...... was lauded as the first album ever released built entirely from samples. Blending snippets of jazz, funk, psychedelic and hip-hop with dialogue from old television shows and interviews, Entroducing..... was completely unique at the time of its release. As written in the Allmusic review of the album, "the effect was that of a hazy, half-familiar dream –- parts of the record sound familiar, yet it's clear that it only suggests music you've heard before, and that the multi-layered samples and genres create something new." It also unanimous acclaim from critics as one of the best albums of the 1990's, and went on to inspire an entire sub-genre of electronic music –- instrumental hip-hop. In 2000, Australian musical pioneers The Avalanches released Since I Left You, a remarkably cohesive melange of sounds assembled from over 3,500 vinyl samples. It too received widespread critical acclaim, with many critics citing the nostalgia that the samples evoked as one of the record's key strengths. In a glowing review of the album, Italian music historian Piero Scaruffi said that, "their recombinant art... was both hilarious and illuminating, as if shedding new light on the values of an entire civilization by de-constructing and de-contextualizing its fundamental attributes."

Both the aforementioned works are completely sampled –- neither band plays any instruments or sings on record. Nonetheless, they have also been widely recognized as original, artistically legitimate statements. They are also excellent examples of sampling at its finest –- bits and pieces of old songs have been re-contextualized into new music that stands on its own as distinct and original. To hear the work of either DJ Shadow or The Avalanches is to hear music that is both strikingly novel and disorientingly recognizable. It's somewhat saddening, then, that the initial international pressings of Since I Left You were printed only after the removal of several unapproved samples. While the work circulated throughout The Avalanches' home country of Australia unadulterated, international fans of the band didn't get the opportunity to hear the album as it was meant to be heard.

The reasons for this are simultaneously clear and unclear. On one hand, the band had not been able to clear all of the samples that it had used on the record, and thus did not have the authority to publish the original music in countries such as the United States. On the other hand, it's not at all clear why that this should have happened. Since I Left You had widely been acknowledged as a transformative piece of work –- should copyright law really be used to restrict the distribution of original, creative content? Yet the case of Since I Left You is almost laughably insignificant when held up to the dozens of music labels that have been aggressively sued by profit-hungry corporations, or artists who have had injunctions filed that prevented the distribution of their critically acclaimed music –- all in the name of copyright law.

In order to understand how copyright has led to this restriction, we must consider two things –- (1) the original purpose of copyright law, and (2) how this definition has been warped over the past several decades. Classically, the goal of copyright law is to encourage creativity. In order to do that, it must offer incentives for artists to create new work. If artists are given no legal control over what they have created, then their work is instantly devalued because it can be distributed and used freely by anybody, anywhere. This is problematic in that no artist would ever be able to profit off their work. On the other hand, artists cannot be given absolute control of their output. This could potentially prevent anybody from using their work, which would prevent culturally valuable criticism, supplementation and augmentation of other creative works. One of the most crucial concepts here is that of originality, which "implies that the author or artist created the work through his or her own skill, labor and judgment." The law wants to encourage the creation of further original works, but also protect against unauthorized derivative works. Determining a work's originality is useful in that it helps distinguish whether it is overly derivative or sufficiently creative.

This is where the fuzzy concept of fair use comes in. Courts are charged with the responsibility of determining whether or not a piece of work is legitimately transformative or original, or if it is a violation of the original copyright holder's rights. In the case of sampling, there are a number of questions to consider. However, two clearly stand out as the most important. Firstly, does the new song compete with the original work, thereby hurting the original artist? Secondly, is the sample used to supplement a new, creatively engaging work, or does it rely too heavily on the original (ie. is it both transformative and creative)? With highly imprecise questions like this, it becomes apparent than fair use is a rather sloppy concept, one that is extraordinarily subjective. Nonetheless, we can still give these questions some consideration and see where sampling might fit into the legal scheme of fair use exceptions.

In the vast majority of cases, the answer to the first question is "no" –- sampled music almost never competes with its original counterpart. Generally speaking, it is completely re-contextualized and appeals to completely different genre markets. For example, hip-hop predominantly samples from unrelated 1970's funk and soul, and those ubiquitous big beat remixes of Top 40 songs generally appeal only to a separate niche market of techno fans. For an extreme case, let's take a look at the aforementioned work of Girl Talk –- no one would ever want to buy Night Ripper as a replacement for The Beatles' Abbey Road or James Brown's In the Jungle Groove, even though both are sampled in his work. This is because Girl Talk's music is totally different from songs that it originally sampled. Night Ripper is neither a classic pop album nor a delicious slice of funk and soul –- it's a mash-up dance album, and that's an entirely different animal. To imagine that somebody might buy his CD as a replacement for any of the sampled artists is completely absurd. As Congressman Mike Doyle said before the House of Representatives in defense of Girl Talk, "mash-ups are a transformative new art that expands the consumers experience and doesn't compete with what an artist has made available on iTunes or at the CD store."

In fact, far from offering competition, sampled music is often a useful promotional tool that gets artists even more deserved attention. In 1987, Suzanne Vega released her sophomore album, Solitude Standing. The opening track, "Tom's Diner," was a gentle a capella song that clocked in at a little over two minutes. At the time, it didn't receive much attention. However, in 1990, the song was retooled by the fledgling British techno artists The DNA Disciples. The remix re-contextualized Vega's vocals over a dance beat by Soul II Soul, and used the ad-libbed vocal on the original song's outro as the hook. Vega was incredibly pleased with the remix, and asked her label to release it as a single. It became a top 5 hit that year, and served as great cross-promotion for both artists. Admittedly, the Suzanne Vega example is one of rare synergy between the sampler and the sampled, but given that sampling only very rarely competes with the original artist's music, it can only bring more attention to it.

The more crucial question, then, is the second –- is the work both transformative and creatively engaging? As Guy Garcia wrote in a 1991 article for TIME magazine, "The arts have a long tradition of allusion and quotation, often with resonant effects. In pop music the only danger of sampling is that performers will use it as a crutch for the imagination, rather than a tool to help liberate it". In many cases, the creativity behind a work is readily apparent and widely acknowledged –- for example, both the aforementioned albums by DJ Shadow and The Avalanches were heralded as excellent and worthy examples what can be done with samples. However, originality isn't always present. In 1981, Vanilla Ice came under criticism for heavily sampling David Bowie and Queen's "Under Pressure" in his number one single, "Ice Ice Baby." Under pressure (honestly, no pun intended) from the original songwriters, Ice retroactively gave them songwriting credit, and it is speculated that an agreement was reached out of court. Songs such as "Ice Ice Baby" have been widely derided as highly derivative, riding on the catchiness of the sampled music instead of original creativity. When listening to the song, it is clear that a significant portion of its appeal ride on the catchiness of the sample it uses, using it as the kind of "crutch" that Garcia feared. Copyright law should not be protecting artists if the work they create isn't both transformative and creatively engaging. Similarly, one should not broadly condemn such a vibrant and colorful vein of creativity in today's music culture –- fair use should certainly be granted to valid works.

Historically, however, the courts have not agreed with this reasoning. Over the past few years, the judiciary may have granted immunity to almost all works of parody, but fair use exceptions are much harder to come by in sampling cases. Largely, this is because copyright law has come to stand for "property right" –- it tends to tends to protect the interests of established artists far more than those of future artists. Obviously, this runs counter to copyright's original purpose. Copyrighted material shouldn't be treated as property, but rather, it should be looked at as a potential source for culturally and artistically valuable new work. Unfortunately, corporate media interests are among the most powerful voices in government today, and they are far more concerned with turning a profit off their current assets. Thus, instead of looking forward and offering rewards to creators of new material, copyright law has come to look backward and reward the people who already own copyrighted material. This is violently contrary to the original purpose of copyright law, and threatens a serious stagnation of our culture.

Yet you'd be hard pressed to convince major labels to change –- the new face of copyright law is licensing, and it has given them a potent new source of revenue. In a move that is revealing of their greed and disregard for upcoming artists, music labels make sure that sampling is an incredibly expensive process. Today, all "legitimate" music acts must "clear" every sample that they use, which generally involves paying an up-front fee and guaranteeing the sample owner hefty royalties. Therefore, sampling becomes an incredibly restrictive industry. Artists on independent labels never have enough money to invest in the clearing of samples, and the immense amount of legal red tape is enough to dissuade any artist without a legal team behind them. Obviously, this makes sampling an incredibly restrictive art form, and puts upcoming artists at a gigantic disadvantage. Bigger artists such as Eminem and Kanye West can get their labels to cover sampling costs, but small-time artists like Girl Talk have absolutely no means of legally sampling their work in today's culture. As Marjorie Heins articulately phrased in "Trashing the Copyright Balance," "independent artists, artists who can't afford fees and rebels who just don't want to get permission for every chord or riff they copy are silenced in a system that ignores their free speech rights."

A system like this can lead to some pretty horrible abuses. Bridgeport Music is likely the worst offender, being the most powerful "sample troll" working in today's music market. Sample trolls are companies that acquire the rights to numerous recordings and proceed to "troll" the music industry for artists who use these samples, no matter how insignificant or marginal their use might be. Bridgeport Music is actually a one-man corporation that was established in 1969 by former music producer Armen Boladian. The company has no assets aside from its copyright holdings and earnings from related court cases. Technically, Bridgeport is a "catalogue company" –- a corporation that owns the licensing rights to various media and sells them to interested parties. However, Bridgeport takes a much more active approach in its approach to licensing. Instead of waiting for clients to approach his company, Boladian actively "trolls" for instances of sampling and sues all those who re-proportion songs under his jurisdiction.

In the 1970's, Bridgeport Music acquired the rights to the vast majority of funk musician George Clinton's music through a serious of dubious court decisions. In a couple of cases, Boladian actually wrote his own contracts and then forged Clinton's signature. These acquirements soon proved to be a boon to Bridgeport Music, as Clinton's songs are among the most widely sampled in hip-hop. Ironically, George Clinton is actually in favor of sampling. In an interview with Rick Karr, he said, "I was glad to hear it [hip-hop sampling], especially when it was our songs –- it was a way to get back on the radio." However, Clinton has absolutely no input as to how Bridgeport Music uses his songs. Mostly citing his Clinton assets, Bridgeport filed nearly 500 counts of copyright infringement against over 800 musicians and labels in 2001. The corporation assumed the position that every sample, no matter how minimal or manipulated, constitutes a copyright violation. Sadly, the courts upheld that stance. While many of the cases were dismissed or settled outside of the courtroom, Boladian's company won a landmark victory against N.W.A. in 2005.

The case in question was Bridgeport Music vs. Dimension Film, which centered on N.W.A.'s 1990 single, "100 Miles and Runnin'". The song sampled Funkadelic's "Get Off Your Ass and Jam," even though use of the sample was entirely non-obvious. Producer Dr. Dre had taken a two-second guitar chord progression from the song, significantly lowered the pitch, and the pitch, and then looped it five times throughout the song . The original sample was barely distinguishable, but the court ruled in a 1994 appeal that the copyright owner of any sound recording had the exclusive right to publish it, or any variations thereof. Specifically, the court said, "Get a license or do not sample. We do not see this as stifling creativity in any significant way." Furthermore, the court removed the prior de minimis standard on sampling. Many previous sampling cases had dismissed based on the fact that they were so insignificant that they couldn't possibly be violating copyright law. The Bridgeport case revised that policy to a "bright line" stance, which said that all music samples were protected under copyright, no matter how insignificant their usage was. Obviously, this makes things easy for the courts –- it eliminates the troublesome vagueness of the "fair use" concept altogether. However, it was profoundly frightening from the viewpoint of sampling artists.

This case is troublesome for several reasons. First off, the opinion that restricting sampling doesn't restrict creativity is completely ridiculous. N.W.A.'s off-kilter brand of intensified street-rap probably didn't appeal to the musical tastes of the white, aging jurists, but that is hardly grounds to dismiss the creativity of the work. In fact, the decision was widely derided as racist, as it refused to recognize hip-hop (a predominantly black art that depends on sampling for its vitality) as a legitimate art form. If there is one form of music that depends on sampling more than any other, it is rap –- its very creation has been tied to sampling since its rise to prominence in the 1980's (with a few exceptions, such as the instrumentally-based hip-hop jam band The Roots). While there is certainly a significant amount of hip-hop schlock that permeates our airwaves today, a huge roster of hip-hop artists have been widely recognized as extraordinarily talented and artistically gifted. However, in spite of the hip-hop's critical and popular legitimacy, the Bridgeport case completely dismissed it.

Secondly, it allows for censorship at the discretion of copyright owners. People may argue that the music industry is probably not interested in censorship, but historically speaking, this has not been the case. In 1994, the vulgar rap collective 2 Live Crew was sued for mimicking Roy Orbison's classic "Oh, Pretty Woman" and allegedly defacing the song with their characteristically misogynistic lyrics. Certainly, 2 Live Crew's take probably "ruined" the song for many people by putting it into a highly unappealing new context, but the courts rightly upheld the notion that the song was transformative and original. However, with the Bridgeport decision, labels do not need to sue artists that they don't like –- they merely need to deny them permission to use the sample. That this sort of power currently rests in the hands of labels is frightening, and flagrantly contrary to the purpose of copyright law.

Thirdly, "musical quotation" remained a viable form of sampling –- the courts specifically acknowledged the legitimacy of re-recording a sample and using that in place of a direct digital copy. However, this completely ignores one of the chief sources of creative potential in sampling –- re-contextualization. As DJ Shadow said in an interview with Keyboard magazine, "Cutting and pasting is the essence of what sampling culture is all about for me. It's about drawing from what's around you, and subverting it and de-contextualizing it." To be fair, the N.W.A. song was not an example of this re-contextualization –- the Funkadelic sample was manipulated beyond recognition, such that nobody listening to the song could have recognized it, or drawn any cultural merit from its usage. However, for artists such as the Top 40-sampling Girl Talk, re-contextualization is a vital part of the music's message. The courts are clearly ignoring the vital basis for creativity that they should be protecting anyway.

In the time since, labels and copyright owners have unfairly wielded their newfound copyright powers against numerous critically acclaimed artists. In 1997, The Verve released its hit single, "Bitter Sweet Symphony." The song used an inverted sample from an obscure orchestral tribute to The Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" for its hook. The Verve had actually asked verbal permission to use the sample, but they were sued anyway for using "too much of it" in the song. To be sure, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" leans heavily on the sample, but it also featured completely original lyrics, structure and instrumentation. Nonetheless, the band was successfully sued by The Rolling Stones. They lost all profits to the band, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were inexplicably given songwriting credit, even though they had absolutely nothing to do with the recording. Another more infamous example is DJ Danger Mouse's The Grey Album, which used cut-up samples from The Beatles' The White Album as a musical bed for vocals from Jay-Z's The Black Album. EMI, who held the copyright to the Beatles recordings, immediately filed an injunction to prevent distribution, even in the face of the album's enormous popularity and critical acclaim. In protest, DJ Danger Mouse fans organized Grey Tuesday –- On this day of digital civil disobedience, participating Web sites and blogs offered Danger Mouse's mash–up for download in defiance of EMI's legal threats. Aside from these two examples and numerous others, many speculate that even more great works haven't been realized because of copyright law –record labels frequently nix ideas for heavily sampled works before their musicians are even given studio time.

In the meantime, Bridgeport continues to work in the background of the music industry. Just last year, Boladian's shady corporation was awarded $4 million for illegal sampling in Notorious B.I.G.'s landmark debut, Ready to Die. But, as the prominent west coast rapper Ice T might say, don't hate the player –- hate the game. It's not the corporations who are truly at fault here, as they are simply taking advantage of opportunities to earn money –- we live in a capitalist system, and this sort of entrepreneurial behavior is to be expected. Change is not going to come from the corporations, who always have and probably always will be predominantly concerned with profit. The true villains here are the courts, who have supported a copyright system that clearly violates the very principles of creativity and originality that it is supposed to protect. Assuming that sampling is a creatively viable music technique (as I have argued here), there is no reason that the courts should allow commercial interests to have jurisdiction over how samples are used. In such an environment, the focus inevitably shifts from the generation of new, creative content (ie. art) to the protection of old material (ie. profit). While odds are low that we are going to see significant political change anytime soon, forward thinking politicians such as Mike Doyle do lend us a certain degree of hope –- perhaps a moment of change is on the horizon. With any luck, upcoming samplers such as Girl Talk will gain legitimate legal standing within the next few years –- until then, the gross perversion of copyright law will seriously cripple what should be a vital source of creative new music.

- Ethan