More unfinished business...

To Be A Champion - Gang Starr - 1989

While it's agreed its a bit late to offer a tribute to the late Guru of GangStarr, I decided to play one of his more obscure tracks anyway. We're not sure if you were aware that there was a Gang Starr album that predates Step Into the Arena, much less this B-side track to a single from said album.

The content does not stray too far from Guru's typical talking points of this era, e.g. Guru's the shit and you are likely not. Still I find myself drawn to the minimal production and am always delighting in Guru's paradoxical and occasionally juvenile word choices. "You can call me I'm a realist, an idealist, whichever you prefer - I'm takin' you prisoner, so just call me Sir!"

Hoppin' Ahead

Okay, so 2010 wasn't exactly a record-setting year for Beatswatch. All the reason to expect that 2011 will be a shockingly robust return to form (regression toward the mean and all that).

There's something almost touchingly endearing about a West Coast Gangsta rap track this early in the "genre". The beats are still delightfully oldschool, nary a G-Funk whiz or wheeze here. The rappers faces, so gaunt (well, at least Snoop) and young. Even the profanity and offensive language, still self-muted, unsure how truly excessive it could be and would one day become. Why did this never see the light of day? Surely Death Row owns it and could spit it out on their latest "everything but the kitchen sink" attempt to profiteer off of their back catalog.

Djavan

If there is one thing I learned during my short visit to Brazil, it is that Djavan is the man. I really had no idea how respected and popular he was in his own country, even more so than Caetano, Gilberto Gil, or any of the common names you might hear in the States. My first intro to Djavan was this amazing video:


That guitar!

Here he is with his pals Gal Costa and Chico Buarque, with great 90's style:

I love that Djavan is wearing a Raiders hat in this video. Go Raiders!

Juca Chaves, Muito Vivo

Take Me Back to Piaui - Juca Chaves - 1972
Paris Tropical - Juca Chaves - 1972

I picked up this album ("Muito Vivo: A Satira de Juca Chaves") on a trip to New York last year. I had never heard of Juca Chaves, but the dude at the shop gave it a hard sell and convinced me I probably wouldn't find it anywhere else. I went back the next day, so I could listen again to these two songs off the album, which blew me away. I also enjoyed just hanging out in the store. Definitely one of the coolest shops around, and the only one I've ever been to that specializes almost exclusively in Brazilian vinyl! It's rare to find a good old brick-and-mortar store where you can just chill, get solid music suggestions and learn a few things from the guy behind the counter.

"Take Me Back to Piaui" is apparently a big hit among DJs. It sounds familiar enough to be something you could sing along to, even if you haven't heard it before. The backup vocals are perfect, I can picture this being done on a big stage with bright spotlights. Chaves has the kind of heightened talk-y delivery that calls to mind Wilson Simonal and Tom Ze. In "Paris Tropical" (a goofy play on Jorge Ben's "Pais Tropical") he jokes around, you can tell he is out there having a good time. No surprise Chaves became a comedian later on in his career.

A to the R-S-E-N-I-O

Forget Conan, forget Leno. The true king of late-night will always be Arsenio. Is there anyone else who could've assembled an all-star rap event on this level? Arsenio managed to pull just about every major East Coast rapper of the moment for his last show on the air in 1994, and he couldn't have done it with more style.

My pal Justin and I have watched this video endlessly over the years, and it has become the gold standard for measuring all posse jams. The performance has a funny combination of feeling rehearsed and of the top of the head. It's incredibly entertaining, hilarious, fun, but so much more than that...It is by far my favorite discovery on YouTube.

I remember watching this for the first time with giddy anticipation for who was going to walk out next on stage. The anticipation keeps escalating and pays off big-time at the end. After repeat viewings, I'm still amazed at how fresh it sounds, despite learning over time that Q-Tip, CL Smooth, GZA, and others are basically just reciting lines from other songs they've done. Meanwhile, my appreciation has only grown deeper for Yo-Yo's cute (and badass) introduction and MC Lyte's heartfelt tribute to the roughneck from Cleveland, Ohio. If it is your first time watching this, I envy you!

Blue bossa

Aguas de Marco - Joao Gilberto - 1973
Na Baixa do Sapateiro - Joao Gilberto - 1973

Miles Davis once said Joao Gilberto could read a newspaper and make it sound good. I couldn't agree more! Gilberto's economy and understated cool are ever present in this 1973 version of "Aguas de Marco." It starts with Gilberto strumming a single chord for what seems like forever--the musical equivalent of playing dumb. Then: A handful of chords. Brushes on a closed hi-hat. When Gilberto launches into the melody, his phrasing is like short-hand, as if he were singing to himself in an empty studio or teaching someone how it should be done. He is so matter-of-fact in his delivery, it wouldn't be a stretch to image him at the breakfast table reading the paper out loud in this voice.

Risin' to the Top

Born 2 Live - OC - 1993
Take You There - Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth - 1994

Funny how two songs with the same sample and nearly the same beat (no offense, Pete Rock) can have such a different feeling. While C.L. Smooth settles for the typical "I'm the shit" approach (not that there's anything wrong with it), the oft-forgotten OC deploys a thoughtful reflection on childhood, life, and death that is more reminiscent of an early 2pac or Nas than of the rapper best known for the seminal Time's Up.