Just over two weeks ago (November 14), Royce 5’9 released his second single of 2019. Now a music video, “Black Savage” features Sy Ari Da Kid, White Gold, CyHi The Prynce and T.I. The song re-contextualized the disparaging term by instead, wearing it as a proud title. The song now plays during NFL games as part of JAY-Z and Roc Nation’s partnership with the league. “Black Savage” also marks Royce’s most noteworthy production to date in a year where he’s expanded his repertoire. During the show’s 300th episode (“The London”) of The Joe Budden Podcast With Rory & Mal, Budden called up his former Slaughterhouse band-mate. Near the 70:00 mark, Joe tells his crew, “Let me tell you something: on that Royce – ‘Black Savages’ record, in my head, the third verse is me.” Then, Budden decides to call Nickel Nine. Moments into the friendly call, Joe says, “In my head, I move T.I., and I’m the third verse.” Royce laughed. As Joe’s co-hosts tease Budden that he’s out of shape from the microphone, Royce says he’s willing to work with his longtime collaborator. However, while joking around, Royce confirmed a followup to 2018’s The Book Of Ryan, named one of Ambrosia For Heads top albums of that year. Royce 5’9, T.I. & CyHi Use Bold Bars To Redefine The Meaning Of Savage (Video) “I’m telling you, my album gonna bring you out of retirement,” says Royce. At 75:00, Parks asks Royce if he produced the entire LP. In April, fellow Slaughterhouse alum Kxng Crooked confirmed that 5’9 was producing his group and moving behind the boards. “I produced the whole thing. The only reason I think it’s gonna make you want to rap, Joe, is because I could tell you’re just looking for a reason to want to rap. You’re literally baiting people into conversations to bait you into rap.” Last fall, Budden had a standoff with “Black Savages” guest CyHi. “I’m bored,” Joe admits with laughter, bringing up the CyHi situation. Royce says, “CyHi—that’s god-level” of his guest and the Budden challenger. At the top of 2019, Royce also released a la carte single “Field Negro.”Kxng Crooked Explains Why Slaughterhouse Needs To Release One Last Album#BonusBeat: Listen to the full episode (#300) of The Joe Budden Podcast:
Yesterday (November 14), Royce 5’9 released a powder keg of bars in the song “Black Savage.” Produced by the decorated MC, the song was posted on social accounts by the NFL, reportedly tied into JAY-Z’s Inspire Change initiative with the league. However, the song is not about football. Instead, the track—which comes at a time Royce has suggested a followup to 2018’s highly-acclaimedThe Book Of Ryan—is about redefining what it means to be labeled “a Black savage.” A firing squad of elite MCs, including T.I. and CyHi The Prynce join Nickel Nine to flip a disparaging term on its head and show what excellence really looks like. The new video, featuring all of the MCs, as well as singer White Gold on the hook, and veteran Atlanta, Georgia MC providing a bridge, opens with a quote. “You have to decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not the idea of you,” attributed to author James Baldwin. With bold bars, these artists make a soulful song that demonstrates how savagery can be a virtue. It takes place in a stylish nighttime mansion party that celebrates the good life and heritage at once. Fellow Slaughterhouse co-founder Kxng Crooked makes a cameo in the visual. Royce 5’9’s Most Powerful Song Of His Career Is A Call For Solidarity & Pride Royce opens with an example of why he continues to reach new ground with his songwriting at the same time he begins a production career.“I don’t believe in your white Jesus and Last Supper’s / I place value on brothers who never had justice / I am a Black savage / Ali and Foreman in Zaire, fighting for Black magic / Rifles and flag jackets / Mama was suicidal, Papa had bad habits / Product of true survival / Rocker, like Black Sabbath / Hoppin’ up out the Chevy / Pac, Biggie, and Machiavelli / O.G., like Nas and Reggie / Culture like ‘Ox’ in Belly / Vulgar like Akinyele / Focused like Dr. Sebi / We did it your way, but now the culture is boppin’ to our Sinatra medley / I’m limitless energy / They gimmicks and imagery / Kendrick, Cole, and the Kennedy’s / Lyrical Holy Trinity / General of the city / They into promoting silly beef / Keepin’ it Willie D / Weezy on the ‘A Milli’ beat / Dreamchaser facing the enemy like my ni**a Meek / Tyler Perry writing my winning speech like it’s Emmy week / Heart of gold, never sold my soul, gun weighs a ton / Hov tellin’ Lori Harvey no at the Roc Nationbrunch,” he raps. CyHi opens the song with a melodic nod to Kurtis Blow and Lauryn Hill. “If I ruled the world / I would return all the gold that was stole’ / We upholster the nose on the Sphinx, it’s a world war / They try’na take the soul outta Soul / Ni**as say I sold out; I never sold out a show,” he begins, pointing out some historical savagery. “I don’t hang with pawns / I’m Genghis Khan,” he charges a few bars later. CyHi’s Atlanta neighbor T.I. closes out the song, addressing the people who judge him for his past. “You could never be me / Knew who I was before I got out the trap to sell the CD / I been shoulder-to-shoulder with gangstas facing LAPD / Felony after felony, still they be yellin’ me free / Now, my philosophy / Is no possession or apostrophe / ‘Cause ain’t no use bein’ in prison; you ain’t gotta be / Ironically, we dodge a crazy cracker with hammers / Just how they used to dodge a ni**a with braids and bandana / Man, it been more mass-killin’s than its been days in the year / Wonder if fighting for it worth it as much as leaving it here.” The former felon-turned-mogul admits the mistakes of his past without being shy about condemning the violence permeating society, and reminding his listeners where it seems to come from. Royce 5’9’s Book Of Ryan Is A New Chapter & Proof That He Is 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Greatest MCs This Detroit-to-Atlanta connection marks one of the most potent collaborations of 2019. Royce 5’9 is two-for-two (following the explosive “Field Negro”) in a relatively quiet year to date. New music from Royce is currently available on the official Ambrosia For Heads Playlist. T.I. & Teyana Taylor Hunt Traffickers & Abusers In A Powerful New Video#BonusBeat: Royce 5’9’s making of “Black Savage” episode:
While Dr. Dre is heralded in Hip-Hop as one of the best do it he is about to get a once in a lifetime distinction. He is set to be honored by Recording Academy for his work behind the boards.
Billboard is reporting that the Compton legend has been selected by the Grammy Association to receive some heavy respeck in 2020. On Friday, November 1 its Producers & Engineers Wing announced that it will pay tribute to the N.W.A. member for his excellence in music production. The ceremony will take place on Jan. 22 at Village Studios in Los Angele to coincide with the 2020 Grammy Awards.
As Rap’s most celebrated beatsmith Dr. Dre has not only curated several classic Rap albums but has also proved that his golden touch is just as thorough in other genres with hits made for the likes of Gwen Stefani, Michel’le and Mary J. Blige. The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards will take place January 26, 2020 at the Staples Center.
Last Wednesday (May 22) at New York City’s Chelsea Music Hall, Pete Rock celebrated the release of his latest instrumental album, The Return Of The SP1200, with a party. Of course, Rock had to show off his DJing skills and have some fun of his own. He jammed with a band that included a respected cast of Daru Jones, Marcus Machado, and MonoNeon. Ambrosia For Heads was in the building to catch the momentous affair. Meanwhile, “The Chocolate Boy Wonder” posted up behind the turntables and other sound-providing equipment. While spinning some records and showcasing his chops and scratching talents, Rock gave his crowd a smooth transition from a classic joint he sampled for one of his most beloved creations, 1992’s “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).” Pete Rock Speaks To Video Music Box After The Death Of Trouble T. Roy That Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth class samples Tom Scott & The California Dreamers’ brassy cover of the Jefferson Airplane track, “Today”. From Mecca And The Soul Brother, “T.R.O.Y.” features some legendary saxophone riffs that echo and loop throughout its benchmark Hip-Hop/Jazz fusion. P.R. shows off the beat connection between the brass heard on “Today” by playing his sample’s source, while flawlessly transitioning into his and C.L.’s homage to Heavy D & The Boyz’ “Trouble T. Roy,” who died from a fall in 1991. Rock shows off his skills once again, as he casually allows “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” to play out. The cool, jazzy influence is definitely noted. Stream A Collection Of Previously Unreleased Pete Rock Beats From The 1990s (Audio)#BonusBeat: Some additional footage from AFH of Pete Rock jamming out with the band. Make sure you follow us on Instagram for more exclusive footage, clips, and Hip-Hop love.
At the 37:00 mark, Questlove brings up Lootpack, the Oxnard, California collective of Madlib, Wildchild, and DJ Romes. The trio that first appeared on Tha Alkaholiks’ 21 & Over went on to release a full-length on Stones Throw in 1998. That collection, Soundpieces: Da Antidote, prompted J Dilla to call Soulquarians collaborator Questlove late one night shortly after its release. “I met my match, man,” Dilla reportedly told The Roots’ band-leader. At the time, Quest’ recalls purchasing four copies at Downtown Manhattan’s Fat Beats store, and listening to the album alongside D’Angelo, presumably at the Electric Lady Studios where they were recording Voodoo. Five years later, Madlib and Dilla would form JayLib together.
Wolf explains, “I was going through the demos recently; the demo versions were all just recorded the way Madlib wanted it. Then we went to like a bigger studio and they multi-tracked it, and mixed everything [differently]. Madlib is like the nicest guy—like he won’t always speak up for what he wants sometimes, so you won’t always know what he really he wants—at least he was back then. So the engineer that did Lootpack, he mixed it a lot differently than the way Madlib’s demo sounded. Madlib cannot listen to [Soundpieces: Da Antidote]; he hates it because of the [mix]. Everything is too perfect and clean for him—clean for the [Emu Systems SP] 1200 anyway.”
Wolf, who is an accomplished artist, DJ, and producer says that Madlib’s subsequent control of the mix grew challenging as Stones Throw tried to shop him to artists. “After that, he would never give [engineers or artists] multi-tracks. I was trying to get Madlib beats to Nas and Q-Tip and people at the time, and it couldn’t happen ’cause he wouldn’t multi-track it.” One placement was in 2004, on De La Soul’s The Grind Date. “I remember with De La [Soul], when they did the ‘Shopping Bags’ [single], they wrote to it after I gave them just the two-track of it. They’re like, ‘Alright, we [are ready] for the multi’s.’ There are no multi’s. They were upset with me; I was kind of caught in the middle ’cause it was miscommunication where they assumed I was gonna give them multi’s on it.” Phonte says that in his experience with Madlib, he has witnessed this to be true. He says that as a longtime fan, he appreciates the aesthetic.
“That’s how Madvillain was created. That’s how JayLib, all the Quasimoto [albums too],” continues Peanut Butter Wolf. “When Madlib told me he wanted to work with DOOM and Dilla, that was our job to find those two guys and make it happen.”
As the discussion progresses into 2004’s Madvillainy, Wolf brings up what is known as “The Retarded Hard Copy” version of the collaborative project between MF DOOM and Madlib. “There’s a whole other version of [Madvillainy]; I don’t know if you ever heard it. But originally, DOOM rapped the whole album in like a hype tone. That version leaked. And I don’t know if DOOM felt like since it leaked he was gonna re-do the whole album or—I don’t know. But for whatever reason, he went back and did the whole album in a laid back way.”
Despite the released version’s accolades, some who have heard both were reportedly hesitant. “The initial response was, ‘I liked him better hype. Why’d he do that? He ruined it.’ But for the people who never heard the hype version, they really responded to it.”
Wolf continues, “That album, JayLib, Quas’, and several other albums were all done at the same time using 150 beats that Madlib had put on three CDs. It was like 50 beats per CD. And it was all like 30-second snippets and stuff.” The guest then explains how and why the onetime flagship artist of Stones Throw stays so prolific. “They’re all done so quickly. He used to live with another producer. That other producer would spend so much time on a track, and Madlib would hear, through the walls, the same song over and over again. He would get so frustrated and sick of hearing the same song. So Madlib’s [approach is] everything is just 10, 20 minutes, and then on to the next track, on to the next track.”
The discussion also reveals that 2000’s Unseen became a breakthrough project by accident. “Quasimoto, that was like on the back. Wildchild gave me a Lootpack tape; Quasimoto happened to be on the back. Then I asked Madlib about Quasimoto. He’s like, ‘Oh, you weren’t supposed to hear that,’ like he was embarrassed. I was like, ‘Nah, I want to do that; yo, I love that.’” Peanut Butter Wolf continues, “[The Unseen was recorded] to cassette. The engineer didn’t want to mix it because—he didn’t want his name on it. ‘I’ll lose business if I put my name on this as the engineer.’ There’s all that hiss and everything.”
Back in the mid-1990s, when Wolf was working at a distributor in addition to releasing beat records for DJs. House Shoes, another artist, DJ, and producer, called him on behalf of a Detroit, Michigan producer, Jay Dee. “Shoes was like ‘I’m sitting on all these unreleased Jay Dee remixes. Because the major labels ask him to do remixes and then they never accept them.’ So Q-Tip was [J Dilla’s] manager, hookin’ him up with a lot of stuff. So [House Shoes] was like, ‘Me and Jay Dee want to a vinyl [release] of this, and we just want to do 1,000 copies.’” Released with a green label, the limited edition pressing contained a remix of D’Angelo’s “Me And Those Dreamin’ Eyes Of Mine,” Das EFX, Masta Ace Incorporated, and others. The relationship would build over the next decade-plus. Just days before his 2006 death, J Dilla released Instrumental Hip-Hop album Donuts on Stones Throw Records.
At 1:32:00, Phonte asks Peanut Butter Wolf about parting ways with Madlib and Stones Throw’s former label manager, Eothen “Egon” Alapatt. Throughout his career, Madlib has done projects outside of Stones Throw, including Blue Note and BBE. However, in the early 2010s, he began to release much of his material outside the Los Angeles, California-based label. “It’s kind of a long story,” begins Wolf. “With Madlib and Egon, who used to run [Stones Throw Records], things weren’t creatively working out between Egon and I, and I had to let Egon go. He basically took Madlib with him. He gave Madlib his own deal, his own label. Madlib’s stuff theoretically comes out on [Madlib Invasion]. He still does some stuff for us. He scored the movie [Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton] and did the soundtrack for that. It’s a loving relationship, but you know. Egon’s more involved in that.”
Stones Throw remains active. In 2018, they released Homeboy Sandman & Edan’s Humble Pi. Elsewhere in the interview, Peanut Butter Wolf reveals that Rawkus Records was pursuing acquiring Stones Throw in the 2000s. He says he flew to New York to meet with the label founders but was not interested. Wolf also describes his current roster. He also discusses plans to open a vinyl bar, featuring 7,000 of his personal records. Guest DJs will be required to use the music library during sets.
At the 37:00 mark, Questlove brings up Lootpack, the Oxnard, California collective of Madlib, Wildchild, and DJ Romes. The trio that first appeared on Tha Alkaholiks’ 21 & Over went on to release a full-length on Stones Throw in 1998. That collection, Soundpieces: Da Antidote, prompted J Dilla to call Soulquarians collaborator Questlove late one night shortly after its release. “I met my match, man,” Dilla reportedly told The Roots’ band-leader. At the time, Quest’ recalls purchasing four copies at Downtown Manhattan’s Fat Beats store, and listening to the album alongside D’Angelo, presumably at the Electric Lady Studios where they were recording Voodoo. Five years later, Madlib and Dilla would form JayLib together.
Wolf explains, “I was going through the demos recently; the demo versions were all just recorded the way Madlib wanted it. Then we went to like a bigger studio and they multi-tracked it, and mixed everything [differently]. Madlib is like the nicest guy—like he won’t always speak up for what he wants sometimes, so you won’t always know what he really he wants—at least he was back then. So the engineer that did Lootpack, he mixed it a lot differently than the way Madlib’s demo sounded. Madlib cannot listen to [Soundpieces: Da Antidote]; he hates it because of the [mix]. Everything is too perfect and clean for him—clean for the [Emu Systems SP] 1200 anyway.”
Wolf, who is an accomplished artist, DJ, and producer says that Madlib’s subsequent control of the mix grew challenging as Stones Throw tried to shop him to artists. “After that, he would never give [engineers or artists] multi-tracks. I was trying to get Madlib beats to Nas and Q-Tip and people at the time, and it couldn’t happen ’cause he wouldn’t multi-track it.” One placement was in 2004, on De La Soul’s The Grind Date. “I remember with De La [Soul], when they did the ‘Shopping Bags’ [single], they wrote to it after I gave them just the two-track of it. They’re like, ‘Alright, we [are ready] for the multi’s.’ There are no multi’s. They were upset with me; I was kind of caught in the middle ’cause it was miscommunication where they assumed I was gonna give them multi’s on it.” Phonte says that in his experience with Madlib, he has witnessed this to be true. He says that as a longtime fan, he appreciates the aesthetic.
“That’s how Madvillain was created. That’s how JayLib, all the Quasimoto [albums too],” continues Peanut Butter Wolf. “When Madlib told me he wanted to work with DOOM and Dilla, that was our job to find those two guys and make it happen.”
As the discussion progresses into 2004’s Madvillainy, Wolf brings up what is known as “The Retarded Hard Copy” version of the collaborative project between MF DOOM and Madlib. “There’s a whole other version of [Madvillainy]; I don’t know if you ever heard it. But originally, DOOM rapped the whole album in like a hype tone. That version leaked. And I don’t know if DOOM felt like since it leaked he was gonna re-do the whole album or—I don’t know. But for whatever reason, he went back and did the whole album in a laid back way.”
Despite the released version’s accolades, some who have heard both were reportedly hesitant. “The initial response was, ‘I liked him better hype. Why’d he do that? He ruined it.’ But for the people who never heard the hype version, they really responded to it.”
Wolf continues, “That album, JayLib, Quas’, and several other albums were all done at the same time using 150 beats that Madlib had put on three CDs. It was like 50 beats per CD. And it was all like 30-second snippets and stuff.” The guest then explains how and why the onetime flagship artist of Stones Throw stays so prolific. “They’re all done so quickly. He used to live with another producer. That other producer would spend so much time on a track, and Madlib would hear, through the walls, the same song over and over again. He would get so frustrated and sick of hearing the same song. So Madlib’s [approach is] everything is just 10, 20 minutes, and then on to the next track, on to the next track.”
The discussion also reveals that 2000’s Unseen became a breakthrough project by accident. “Quasimoto, that was like on the back. Wildchild gave me a Lootpack tape; Quasimoto happened to be on the back. Then I asked Madlib about Quasimoto. He’s like, ‘Oh, you weren’t supposed to hear that,’ like he was embarrassed. I was like, ‘Nah, I want to do that; yo, I love that.’” Peanut Butter Wolf continues, “[The Unseen was recorded] to cassette. The engineer didn’t want to mix it because—he didn’t want his name on it. ‘I’ll lose business if I put my name on this as the engineer.’ There’s all that hiss and everything.”
Back in the mid-1990s, when Wolf was working at a distributor in addition to releasing beat records for DJs. House Shoes, another artist, DJ, and producer, called him on behalf of a Detroit, Michigan producer, Jay Dee. “Shoes was like ‘I’m sitting on all these unreleased Jay Dee remixes. Because the major labels ask him to do remixes and then they never accept them.’ So Q-Tip was [J Dilla’s] manager, hookin’ him up with a lot of stuff. So [House Shoes] was like, ‘Me and Jay Dee want to a vinyl [release] of this, and we just want to do 1,000 copies.’” Released with a green label, the limited edition pressing contained a remix of D’Angelo’s “Me And Those Dreamin’ Eyes Of Mine,” Das EFX, Masta Ace Incorporated, and others. The relationship would build over the next decade-plus. Just days before his 2006 death, J Dilla released Instrumental Hip-Hop album Donuts on Stones Throw Records.
At 1:32:00, Phonte asks Peanut Butter Wolf about parting ways with Madlib and Stones Throw’s former label manager, Eothen “Egon” Alapatt. Throughout his career, Madlib has done projects outside of Stones Throw, including Blue Note and BBE. However, in the early 2010s, he began to release much of his material outside the Los Angeles, California-based label. “It’s kind of a long story,” begins Wolf. “With Madlib and Egon, who used to run [Stones Throw Records], things weren’t creatively working out between Egon and I, and I had to let Egon go. He basically took Madlib with him. He gave Madlib his own deal, his own label. Madlib’s stuff theoretically comes out on [Madlib Invasion]. He still does some stuff for us. He scored the movie [Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton] and did the soundtrack for that. It’s a loving relationship, but you know. Egon’s more involved in that.”
Stones Throw remains active. In 2018, they released Homeboy Sandman & Edan’s Humble Pi. Elsewhere in the interview, Peanut Butter Wolf reveals that Rawkus Records was pursuing acquiring Stones Throw in the 2000s. He says he flew to New York to meet with the label founders but was not interested. Wolf also describes his current roster. He also discusses plans to open a vinyl bar, featuring 7,000 of his personal records. Guest DJs will be required to use the music library during sets.
Missy’s career includes writing, production, and development for a plethora of Hip-Hop and R&B acts dating back more than 25 years. Elliott has six solo albums, all certified gold or better. She worked extensively on albums by Aaliyah, 702, Monica, and Tweet, among others. She is a five-time Grammy Award-winner (out of 22 nominations), including “Best Rap Solo Performance” for 2002’s “Get Ur Freak On.”
The 47-year-old Elliott’s journey of tenacity and perseverance began in Portsmouth, Virginia. The rapper, producer, and singer had a difficult childhood, involving accounts of physical abuse from her father and reports of molestation from a cousin when she was eight. The family also lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina for a period, when Elliott’s father, a shipyard welder, moved there for work.
Music would become a driving force in Elliott’s life by her teens. She co-formed R&B group Fayze. Timbaland, who was from the same area, produced the group. In 1991, Jodeci member Devante Sway heard some of the group’s material and signed them to his Swing Mob/Elektra Records imprint. In 1993, a backed Sista (a re-brand under Devante’s suggestion) released “Brand New.”
Living together in New York City, Swing Mob became a unit, also including Tim’, Magoo, and later, Ginuine, Tweet, and Playa. In the early ’90s, Elliott began offering her writing to others, including Cosby Show actress Raven Symone (see: “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of”), as well as extensive work with Jodeci on the group’s second and third albums. In late 1994, Swing Mob released Sista’s 4 All The Sistas Around Da World. It contained Timbaland and Devante production (as well as Mr. Dalvin), with appearances by Mary J. Blige and K-Ci. After the group’s lone LP.
As Swing Mob disbanded from the label, Missy would continue production, writing, and development. She and Tim’ partnered and worked acts. None would be bigger than Aaliyah, whose One In A Million album featured extensive production, songwriting, and some raps from Missy. The 1996 double-platinum effort gave way for Elliott’s solo career. One year later, back on EastWest/Elektra, she would release Supa Dupa Fly. At a time when many female Rap artists led with sexual imagery and song themes, Elliott’s approach focused on inventive deliveries, universal subject matters, and a universe of jaw-dropping music videos.
The album debuted at #3, with more than 125,000 units, a first for a female solo MC at that time. Elliott joined JAY-Z on tour and persisted with a series of feature spots on albums.
Although the 1990s introduced Elliott to the masses, she reached her greatest strides between 2000 and 2005. 2001’s Miss E…So Addictive, 2002’s Under Construction, and 2005’s The Cookbook were each Top 3 on the charts. Under Construction contained two Top 10 singles, “Gossip Folks” with Ludacris and “Work It.” At a time when tough-talking Rap music was in vogue, Missy kept the party moving, and connected the genre to its origins, through sampling homages, fashion, and dance.
On her most recent album, 2005’s The Cookbook, Elliott again flashed Rap music back to an oft-overlooked part of its origins. “Lose Control” paid respects to Cybotron and Hot Streak, while reinvigorating club DJ records of the early 1990s, thanks to Fatman Scoop. It became Elliott’s first multi-platinum single.
Outside of her own catalog, Missy has appeared on hits ranging from MC Lyte and Lil’ Kim records to pupils including Ciara and her Gold Mind Records artist, Tweet.
In the last 14 years, Elliott has remained comparatively quiet. She has released a handful of promotional singles, always hinting at a seventh album. 2015’s “WTF (Where They From)” with Pharrell and 2017’s “I’m Better,” featuring Lamb, each made the charts. So did Missy’s two Step Up 2: The Streets songs more than a decade ago.
One year ago to the month, while receiving an award presented by Janet Jackson, Elliott told the public about her private battle with autoimmune illness Graves’ Disease. “I was sick and I couldn’t even lift a pen,” Missy told the audience during her acceptance speech, referring to her diagnosis of Graves’ Disease, an autoimmune disease. “My nervous system had broken all the way down. I didn’t come up in here in a wheelchair. Nobody helped me get up here. I’m walking…by the grace of God.” According to ABC News, Elliott confirmed the diagnosis to media and fans in 2011, but has been very quiet publicly about her health. She had been feeling effects since 2008. “I was on medication for a short while but have been off it for quite some time now,” she said then in a press release, “I manage the condition through diet and exercise.”
Elliott joins an induction class that includes Cat Stevens (nka Yusuf), Tom T. Hall, John Prine, and Jack Tempchin. Dallas Austin, a songwriter/producer recognized for his work with TLC, P!nk, Gwen Stefanie, and Boyz II Men, will also be inducted. Austin founded Rowdy Records, a label that also featured Rap artists including Illegal and Y’all So Stupid. Outside of those acts, he has produced for Erick Sermon and Poison Clan’s JT Money.
The induction ceremony will take place June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Missy’s career includes writing, production, and development for a plethora of Hip-Hop and R&B acts dating back more than 25 years. Elliott has six solo albums, all certified gold or better. She worked extensively on albums by Aaliyah, 702, Monica, and Tweet, among others. She is a five-time Grammy Award-winner (out of 22 nominations), including “Best Rap Solo Performance” for 2002’s “Get Ur Freak On.”
The 47-year-old Elliott’s journey of tenacity and perseverance began in Portsmouth, Virginia. The rapper, producer, and singer had a difficult childhood, involving accounts of physical abuse from her father and reports of molestation from a cousin when she was eight. The family also lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina for a period, when Elliott’s father, a shipyard welder, moved there for work.
Music would become a driving force in Elliott’s life by her teens. She co-formed R&B group Fayze. Timbaland, who was from the same area, produced the group. In 1991, Jodeci member Devante Sway heard some of the group’s material and signed them to his Swing Mob/Elektra Records imprint. In 1993, a backed Sista (a re-brand under Devante’s suggestion) released “Brand New.”
Living together in New York City, Swing Mob became a unit, also including Tim’, Magoo, and later, Ginuine, Tweet, and Playa. In the early ’90s, Elliott began offering her writing to others, including Cosby Show actress Raven Symone (see: “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of”), as well as extensive work with Jodeci on the group’s second and third albums. In late 1994, Swing Mob released Sista’s 4 All The Sistas Around Da World. It contained Timbaland and Devante production (as well as Mr. Dalvin), with appearances by Mary J. Blige and K-Ci. After the group’s lone LP.
As Swing Mob disbanded from the label, Missy would continue production, writing, and development. She and Tim’ partnered and worked acts. None would be bigger than Aaliyah, whose One In A Million album featured extensive production, songwriting, and some raps from Missy. The 1996 double-platinum effort gave way for Elliott’s solo career. One year later, back on EastWest/Elektra, she would release Supa Dupa Fly. At a time when many female Rap artists led with sexual imagery and song themes, Elliott’s approach focused on inventive deliveries, universal subject matters, and a universe of jaw-dropping music videos.
The album debuted at #3, with more than 125,000 units, a first for a female solo MC at that time. Elliott joined JAY-Z on tour and persisted with a series of feature spots on albums.
Although the 1990s introduced Elliott to the masses, she reached her greatest strides between 2000 and 2005. 2001’s Miss E…So Addictive, 2002’s Under Construction, and 2005’s The Cookbook were each Top 3 on the charts. Under Construction contained two Top 10 singles, “Gossip Folks” with Ludacris and “Work It.” At a time when tough-talking Rap music was in vogue, Missy kept the party moving, and connected the genre to its origins, through sampling homages, fashion, and dance.
On her most recent album, 2005’s The Cookbook, Elliott again flashed Rap music back to an oft-overlooked part of its origins. “Lose Control” paid respects to Cybotron and Hot Streak, while reinvigorating club DJ records of the early 1990s, thanks to Fatman Scoop. It became Elliott’s first multi-platinum single.
Outside of her own catalog, Missy has appeared on hits ranging from MC Lyte and Lil’ Kim records to pupils including Ciara and her Gold Mind Records artist, Tweet.
In the last 14 years, Elliott has remained comparatively quiet. She has released a handful of promotional singles, always hinting at a seventh album. 2015’s “WTF (Where They From)” with Pharrell and 2017’s “I’m Better,” featuring Lamb, each made the charts. So did Missy’s two Step Up 2: The Streets songs more than a decade ago.
One year ago to the month, while receiving an award presented by Janet Jackson, Elliott told the public about her private battle with autoimmune illness Graves’ Disease. “I was sick and I couldn’t even lift a pen,” Missy told the audience during her acceptance speech, referring to her diagnosis of Graves’ Disease, an autoimmune disease. “My nervous system had broken all the way down. I didn’t come up in here in a wheelchair. Nobody helped me get up here. I’m walking…by the grace of God.” According to ABC News, Elliott confirmed the diagnosis to media and fans in 2011, but has been very quiet publicly about her health. She had been feeling effects since 2008. “I was on medication for a short while but have been off it for quite some time now,” she said then in a press release, “I manage the condition through diet and exercise.”
Elliott joins an induction class that includes Cat Stevens (nka Yusuf), Tom T. Hall, John Prine, and Jack Tempchin. Dallas Austin, a songwriter/producer recognized for his work with TLC, P!nk, Gwen Stefanie, and Boyz II Men, will also be inducted. Austin founded Rowdy Records, a label that also featured Rap artists including Illegal and Y’all So Stupid. Outside of those acts, he has produced for Erick Sermon and Poison Clan’s JT Money.
The induction ceremony will take place June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
If the debate for the King of R&B is up for grabs, followers of the late great James Brown can rest easy, as his position among the greatest to ever do it, is secure as a Master padlock. Known indelibly as the “Godfather of Soul Music,” Brown’s career covered successive generations that stretched from chitlin circuit pit-stops in the ’60s, through his own Funk era and ultimately, the birth of Hip-Hop. In the Netflix original documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown, the life and times of the oft referred “hardest working man in show business,” is examined fully. Questlove, Chuck D, Nelson George, Greg Tate, and others appear in the doc’.
It is common knowledge that Brown’s influence on Hip-Hop has been acknowledged and celebrated through countless samples – “Funky Drummer” being the most popular – but who knew Brown dipped into the sampling pool himself?
As it turns out, Brown’s saxophonist and bandleader, Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, was called into James’ dressing room one night after a thunderous performance in the summer of 1967. Never formally trained to read music, Brown explained to Ellis that he had something in his head he needed to be transformed into song.
“I started putting notations to his grunts,” Ellis remembers with a hearty laugh at the 57:00-mark of the film, “which came out to be the bass line of ‘Cold Sweat.’”
Ellis goes on to explain that he had been listening to Miles Davis’ “So What,” which “popped up” while he was developing the track that would eventually become “Cold Sweat.”
“So I took that [dee dumph] part and repeated it over and over,” Ellis explains. “Then we added a very important guitar part, contrasting all of that – which is funky all by itself.”
An unquestionable masterpiece, “Cold Sweat” has been cited, by some (including in George’s The Death Of Rhythm & Blues) as the first true Funk song for all its moving parts. Aside from Brown’s grunts that laid the groundwork for the beat, the finished track borrowed from his previously-released “I Don’t Care” in 1962. Moreover, it incorporated Brown’s signature screams and solos from Maceo Parker on sax, and Clyde Stubblefield on drums.
“I didn’t write it to be so monumental,” Ellis confesses, “but my Jazz influence was creeping into his R&B, so the combination of the two is where the Funk came from.”
During the late 70s, when Brown was said to be losing a step, his Funk music was hot as ever in the Hip-Hop community and among DJs. Albums like Get On The Good Foot and Sex Machine were in heavy rotation, while “Give It Up Or Turn It Loose” provided breaks that proved to be something of a goldmine. But it was the unlikely “Funky Drummer” that catapulted “Mr. Please Please” to un-chartered territory.
For the record, the actual Funky Drummer was not very fond of the tune. “I hate that song,” the late Clyde Stubblefield affirms in the doc. “We all was so tired and didn’t even want to record. So I started playing just the drum pattern. Brown liked it. We recorded it, and it came out ‘Funky Drummer.’”
#BonusBeat: The trailer for Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of JamesBrown:
If the debate for the King of R&B is up for grabs, followers of the late great James Brown can rest easy, as his position among the greatest to ever do it, is secure as a Master padlock. Known indelibly as the “Godfather of Soul Music,” Brown’s career covered successive generations that stretched from chitlin circuit pit-stops in the ’60s, through his own Funk era and ultimately, the birth of Hip-Hop. In the Netflix original documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown, the life and times of the oft referred “hardest working man in show business,” is examined fully. Questlove, Chuck D, Nelson George, Greg Tate, and others appear in the doc’.
It is common knowledge that Brown’s influence on Hip-Hop has been acknowledged and celebrated through countless samples – “Funky Drummer” being the most popular – but who knew Brown dipped into the sampling pool himself?
As it turns out, Brown’s saxophonist and bandleader, Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, was called into James’ dressing room one night after a thunderous performance in the summer of 1967. Never formally trained to read music, Brown explained to Ellis that he had something in his head he needed to be transformed into song.
“I started putting notations to his grunts,” Ellis remembers with a hearty laugh at the 57:00-mark of the film, “which came out to be the bass line of ‘Cold Sweat.’”
Ellis goes on to explain that he had been listening to Miles Davis’ “So What,” which “popped up” while he was developing the track that would eventually become “Cold Sweat.”
“So I took that [dee dumph] part and repeated it over and over,” Ellis explains. “Then we added a very important guitar part, contrasting all of that – which is funky all by itself.”
An unquestionable masterpiece, “Cold Sweat” has been cited, by some (including in George’s The Death Of Rhythm & Blues) as the first true Funk song for all its moving parts. Aside from Brown’s grunts that laid the groundwork for the beat, the finished track borrowed from his previously-released “I Don’t Care” in 1962. Moreover, it incorporated Brown’s signature screams and solos from Maceo Parker on sax, and Clyde Stubblefield on drums.
“I didn’t write it to be so monumental,” Ellis confesses, “but my Jazz influence was creeping into his R&B, so the combination of the two is where the Funk came from.”
During the late 70s, when Brown was said to be losing a step, his Funk music was hot as ever in the Hip-Hop community and among DJs. Albums like Get On The Good Foot and Sex Machine were in heavy rotation, while “Give It Up Or Turn It Loose” provided breaks that proved to be something of a goldmine. But it was the unlikely “Funky Drummer” that catapulted “Mr. Please Please” to un-chartered territory.
For the record, the actual Funky Drummer was not very fond of the tune. “I hate that song,” the late Clyde Stubblefield affirms in the doc. “We all was so tired and didn’t even want to record. So I started playing just the drum pattern. Brown liked it. We recorded it, and it came out ‘Funky Drummer.’”
New Orleans, Louisiana veteran MC Curren$y is an underground sensation who has made a name for himself by staying out of the way, and in his lane. The laid-back lyricist most associated with classic cars and smoking herb seemingly never gets caught in drama. Instead, he has built a booming brand through releasing more music than just about any rapper on his level. His new collaborative effort Fetti—alongside Freddy Gibbs and entirely produced by Alchemist, is a testament to a catalog that has been in constant demand for upwards of a decade. Spitta recently sat down with the Rap Radar Podcast to discuss the album, his loyal following and a desire to maintain his status as an underground king.
While he’s had stints with labels No Limit, Cash Money, Young Money, Blu Roc/Def Jam, and Warner Bros. Records, Curren$y has made his most critical strides as an independent artist on his Jet Life imprint. That approach has served him well.
“I wait my turn,” he insists. “I never was on [Master] P’s bumper like, ‘Listen to this.’ I was there because of the homie. When somebody asked me what I could do, then that’s my turn. I never was on they bumper about [my Rap career or solo interests]. I used to pass out t-shirts.” In the early 2000s, Spitta was part of a 504 Boyz lineup. He joined P, Silkk The Shocker, Magic, Choppa, T-Bo, and Krazy ahead of 2002’s Ballers album, which cracked the Top 50 on the charts.
While earning a significant wage was an objective, Spitta never obsessed over it, because in his mind, it was just meant to be the way that it is. Like No Limit’s later years, that was the case during a fruitless period at Lil Wayne’s Young Money. “Where Da Cash At?” was a successful record, but the anticipated album never following. At 21:44, Spitta talks about “rolling the dice” and having faith in a higher power, which in turn ensures appropriate rewards from the universe. He continues, sharing his first interaction with Jadakiss at (22:02), where the LOX rapper acknowledged his Rap skills, but was more impressed by his determined spirit. “He was like, ‘You can rap and all that sh*t, but you was like, ‘Nah, I’ma do my own thing,’ and then you just did that sh*t!’” Spitta, who was rumored to have turned down an offer to be a Maybach Music Group artist in the early part of this decade, was a front-running example for an artist who does more independently.
To this day, Curren$y has no qualms sharing his music with the faithful masses, knowing his efforts will always come back to him. “I put [music] out, and if they get it for free, they get it for free,” he says. “But when I’m in they town, they can’t bootleg that. You gotta come off that $20 or $30.” Curren$y’s tours and spot dates have led him to a collection of an estimated 35 cars and several N.O. properties. During the Rap Radar interview, Spitta even admits that he bought an early-2000s model Bentley because it was the year that he thought he’d get one. The Rap industry had other plans.
The new father recalls an era when he recorded a string of mixtapes that are, to this day, considered classic material by many. His explanation is vivid, as he describes the 700-square-foot apartment and makeshift booth that helped him create improvisational magic. Among the items he used to record were a mic taped around an overturned chair, a tube sock and a wire hanger for the filter.
“Some people give me the credit I’m supposed to get, but I don’t give a f*ck about that,” he says, describing his impact on culture. As for collaborations, it’s something he’s all but perfected. Take the How Fly project with one Wiz Khalifa for example. “It changed the game. It changed how people smoke. It changed how people dress. It changed music,” he says with unbridled confidence. “That’s why a lot of those young dudes give it up to me.” Alluding to how comfortable he is with his place as an underground legend, Spitta shares another exchange with Talib Kweli where the Brooklyn rapper complimented his “Push Thru” collaborator (a song that also features Kendrick Lamar) about how loyal his fans are.
“You like the best and the worst buddy, because the people who listen to you, don’t want to hear shit else,’” the veteran says. The truth is, Curren$y’s overall trajectory and unwillingness to switch it up for the fetti, is a direct refutation of a verse made famous by one Shawn Carter:
“I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars / They criticized me for it, yet they all yell ‘holla’ / If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be lyrically Talib Kweli / Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense But I did 5 mill’ – I ain’t been rhyming like Common since.”
#BonusBeat: Today, Spitta released “Flatbed Ferrari”:
New Orleans, Louisiana veteran MC Curren$y is an underground sensation who has made a name for himself by staying out of the way, and in his lane. The laid-back lyricist most associated with classic cars and smoking herb seemingly never gets caught in drama. Instead, he has built a booming brand through releasing more music than just about any rapper on his level. His new collaborative effort Fetti—alongside Freddy Gibbs and entirely produced by Alchemist, is a testament to a catalog that has been in constant demand for upwards of a decade. Spitta recently sat down with the Rap Radar Podcast to discuss the album, his loyal following and a desire to maintain his status as an underground king.
While he’s had stints with labels No Limit, Cash Money, Young Money, Blu Roc/Def Jam, and Warner Bros. Records, Curren$y has made his most critical strides as an independent artist on his Jet Life imprint. That approach has served him well.
“I wait my turn,” he insists. “I never was on [Master] P’s bumper like, ‘Listen to this.’ I was there because of the homie. When somebody asked me what I could do, then that’s my turn. I never was on they bumper about [my Rap career or solo interests]. I used to pass out t-shirts.” In the early 2000s, Spitta was part of a 504 Boyz lineup. He joined P, Silkk The Shocker, Magic, Choppa, T-Bo, and Krazy ahead of 2002’s Ballers album, which cracked the Top 50 on the charts.
While earning a significant wage was an objective, Spitta never obsessed over it, because in his mind, it was just meant to be the way that it is. Like No Limit’s later years, that was the case during a fruitless period at Lil Wayne’s Young Money. “Where Da Cash At?” was a successful record, but the anticipated album never following. At 21:44, Spitta talks about “rolling the dice” and having faith in a higher power, which in turn ensures appropriate rewards from the universe. He continues, sharing his first interaction with Jadakiss at (22:02), where the LOX rapper acknowledged his Rap skills, but was more impressed by his determined spirit. “He was like, ‘You can rap and all that sh*t, but you was like, ‘Nah, I’ma do my own thing,’ and then you just did that sh*t!’” Spitta, who was rumored to have turned down an offer to be a Maybach Music Group artist in the early part of this decade, was a front-running example for an artist who does more independently.
To this day, Curren$y has no qualms sharing his music with the faithful masses, knowing his efforts will always come back to him. “I put [music] out, and if they get it for free, they get it for free,” he says. “But when I’m in they town, they can’t bootleg that. You gotta come off that $20 or $30.” Curren$y’s tours and spot dates have led him to a collection of an estimated 35 cars and several N.O. properties. During the Rap Radar interview, Spitta even admits that he bought an early-2000s model Bentley because it was the year that he thought he’d get one. The Rap industry had other plans.
The new father recalls an era when he recorded a string of mixtapes that are, to this day, considered classic material by many. His explanation is vivid, as he describes the 700-square-foot apartment and makeshift booth that helped him create improvisational magic. Among the items he used to record were a mic taped around an overturned chair, a tube sock and a wire hanger for the filter.
“Some people give me the credit I’m supposed to get, but I don’t give a f*ck about that,” he says, describing his impact on culture. As for collaborations, it’s something he’s all but perfected. Take the How Fly project with one Wiz Khalifa for example. “It changed the game. It changed how people smoke. It changed how people dress. It changed music,” he says with unbridled confidence. “That’s why a lot of those young dudes give it up to me.” Alluding to how comfortable he is with his place as an underground legend, Spitta shares another exchange with Talib Kweli where the Brooklyn rapper complimented his “Push Thru” collaborator (a song that also features Kendrick Lamar) about how loyal his fans are.
“You like the best and the worst buddy, because the people who listen to you, don’t want to hear shit else,’” the veteran says. The truth is, Curren$y’s overall trajectory and unwillingness to switch it up for the fetti, is a direct refutation of a verse made famous by one Shawn Carter:
“I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars / They criticized me for it, yet they all yell ‘holla’ / If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be lyrically Talib Kweli / Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense But I did 5 mill’ – I ain’t been rhyming like Common since.”
#BonusBeat: Today, Spitta released “Flatbed Ferrari”:
Galt MacDermot has died at the age of 89 today (December 17). It was one day before his 90th birthday. Although family members confirmed the news, according to Rolling Stone, a cause of death has not been made public.
In the early ’60s, MacDermot—who studied at South Africa’s Capetown University, relocated in New York City. He produced Julian “Cannonball” Adderley during this time. Towards the end of the decade, the emerging composer partnered with lyricists Gerome Ragni and James Rado to work on Hair, which debuted off-Broadway in 1967. In the 1970s, Galt lent his talents to Two Gentlemen Of Verona, a modernized William Shakespeare adaptation.
Ahead of his death, Galt MacDermot embraced his extended following through Hip-Hop, Rare Groove, and crate diggers. While Madlib sampled the great, Galt released his Up From The Basement series with some help from Now-Again Records. It included some Hair takes.
Ambrosia For Heads extends condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Galt MacDermot.
Galt MacDermot has died at the age of 89 today (December 17). It was one day before his 90th birthday. Although family members confirmed the news, according to Rolling Stone, a cause of death has not been made public.
In the early ’60s, MacDermot—who studied at South Africa’s Capetown University, relocated in New York City. He produced Julian “Cannonball” Adderley during this time. Towards the end of the decade, the emerging composer partnered with lyricists Gerome Ragni and James Rado to work on Hair, which debuted off-Broadway in 1967. In the 1970s, Galt lent his talents to Two Gentlemen Of Verona, a modernized William Shakespeare adaptation.
Ahead of his death, Galt MacDermot embraced his extended following through Hip-Hop, Rare Groove, and crate diggers. While Madlib sampled the great, Galt released his Up From The Basement series with some help from Now-Again Records. It included some Hair takes.
Ambrosia For Heads extends condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Galt MacDermot.
