Comments on: Chick-o-Stick pick of the week. 2008 EDITION #5

By: your mom

your mom — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:30:43 +0000

fuck LA

By: shalem

shalem — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:34:50 +0000

no doubt, if you want to talk about over-saturated music markets it has to be LA, NYC, and ATL. I would want no part of LA if I was just starting out trying to “make it”… you know what other market is not my cup of tea… the bay. After moving back to the East coast and djing for a couple months i’ve realized just how much i really don’t like “hyphy” music.

*richie i LOVED that verse you did on the drum pt. 2. especially the part where you made fun of all the hipster/hyphy clothes. You really broke em down. you are going to get some funny looks bringing hardcore NYC rap to frisco… it’s great. by the way, there are some lines in there that sound familiar, like maybe you wrote them to an incredibly amazing beat…

By: Steb

Steb — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:09:28 +0000

I hear what your sayin shalem… but try pulling that pay me shit in L.A. as a new group and be prepared to have people laugh at you while their closing the door in your face. Now if you’ve already established yourself in another market and that has resulted in significant buzz, then yeah..get paid, I know you’ve played all over the world and have gotten paid i’m sure, You’ve earned it. Payed your dues. This market (Los Angeles) just rarely allows that to happen. (NOTE: I don’t want to see it in the Bay ever again!)

Here’s a perfect example: The now huge and famous band One Republic has always had ties to Timberland but, that wasn’t enough in L.A. When they started playing out in this market..they sold tickets. Not only sold them but blew them out and usually walked with not only a sold out show but, a grip of cash they otherwise wouldn’t have received. Eventually they were able to turn that into door splits and soon guarantees..then, when they needed favors like say an 8:00pm showcase at the Viper for Sony, Warner and Universal Music all they had to do was call and next thing you know their signed. And their single reaches number one even though it’s four years old. Anyhow, the point is many groups start there and while less reach the end game desired it’s the process that has been in place since G&R. Now further down the road her there’s a little hipster community called Silverlake. Silverlake has a penchant for breaking really good or just weird bands and sending them on their merry way.. Arcade Fire, Silversun Pickups are some recent alum. But even more bands fizzle out and just dissapear.

By: shalem

shalem — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:39:30 +0000

roger, roger. i agree with everything steb wrote. i have to say i am not a fan of the “pay to play” it crosses a lot of lines. i think an artist should have enough pride in their work/show to demand to BE paid. i agree with steb about “you should probably quit” if it comes down to paying to do shows.

it’s also similar to another phenomenon that is pretty exclusive to the rap world… paying an artist (rapper/producer) who you don’t know to work with you. there really isn’t any integrity in that.

more times than not opening acts detract from the experience of the entire night… i would prefer a dj. i’ll take a mediocre dj over a mediocre rap group any day.

By: Richie Cunning

Richie Cunning — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:27:46 +0000

Steb is our good friend Steve from the popular hip hop group Ostrichhead that you might know from their Good Morning America appearance. He is also the reason that the Rec opened for Wu Tang and Digital Underground in recent weeks. He is a General amongst Privates and let it be known that Richie Cunning hereby vouches for him.

By: shalem

shalem — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:11:55 +0000

who is steb?

By: Steb

Steb — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:02:51 +0000

Actually Richie..you are and this whole crew is an example of hustle done right! Using all your resources and getting it done. To be fair ya’ll should have had the opportunity to make some dough off that show…

By: Q'm

Q'm — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:43:07 +0000

I feel like I read part of a new “Entourage” script…Chico is a boss

By: Grip Grand

Grip Grand — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:21:06 +0000

Big up for highlighting the best verses the above artists ever did…if either was suffering at the hands of the Canibus Syndrome, those verses would be to blame. Pharoahe Monche got Rhyme of the Month in the Source for this Bring It On verse (if I recall), and it’s probably (in my opinion) the best example of that flibbity-bibbity vocabulary flow that sucks so bad in the hands of those who can’t handle it correctly. But OK kills that style all over their second album. Eat your heart out, Aesop Rock (just kidding, big fan, let’s collab, et cetera).

And the Wreckoning is my favorite Lateef song by far, better than all the Latyrx stuff and everything else that followed — maybe because it hews a little closer to the “classic”, less-experimental-and-abstract hip-hop mode that I prefer. The track (pretty music + hard drums = my favorite beat-style) and the rap (here’s a great way to start your verse: “Look, bitch…”) combine to form a soothing song which is, at the same time, a savage beast. “Perhaps it’s best for everybody if we just cut short.” What else can you say? This song is so tight, I don’t even mind that the whole second verse about a rotting corpse (normally not my cup of tea).

Nice picks, B…

By: Rich C.

Rich C. — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:34:15 +0000

Sorry I made that Wu thing so complicated.