#MusicMonday: Electric Daisy Carnival Hype

Hey everyone. Considering #MusicMonday is almost over, might as well make this one short and sweet. Typically I have a lot of musical thoughts going through my head and thinking of a lot of different ideas, but at this moment only one thing is on my mind: Electric Daisy Carnival. Even though Drake's album has come out recently and Eminem dropped Recovery today, EDC is my main focus. For those who have no idea about events that go on within the dance/electronic music scene, Electric Daisy Carnival is the biggest event to happen on the west coast. 2 days long, 12 hours each day, and jam packed full of the filthiest beats of house/trance/electro/drum&bass you can imagine. Also did I mention they have carnival rides? Yeah...it has carnival in the name; makes sense. My journey will take me to the heart of LA to witness the craziest spectacle that I will probably experience in the electronic scene unless I fly to Ibiza or go to one of the European festivals like Love Parade or Dance Valley in the Netherlands. Anyways, here are the DJ's that I am thoroughly stoked to see:


Steve Aoki
Deadmau5 (as usual)
Kaskade
Dirty South
Chuckie
Dada Life
Sean Tyas
Afrojack
Benny Benassi
Fedde Le Grand
Gareth Emery
Laidback Luke
Boys Noize
Above & Beyond
Sasha
ATB
Armin van Buuren (the man!)

If you weren't drooling over that then you just don't know whats going on. Did I also mention Spain plays Chile the same Friday that all this mayhem goes down? Brain overload!! Here's to me surviving the next week...

~M

#MusicMonday: Eminem's Recovery (Album Preview)

Hey everyone happy #MusicMonday yet again. I know I haven't really been posting much to this amazing thing we call the Music Rehab Clinic, but I've been pretty busy considering all the commotion that summer brings up. Parties and trying to be productive have halted my creative juices for columns just a tad but rest assured, the Clinic will come back with some pretty decent steam. In the meantime, I've had some thoughts on one of my favorite MC's: Eminem...


Eminem has changed the release date of his Recovery album to be released sooner (on June 21st) most likely due to leaking of the album in its entirety. Honestly, I was a little skeptical on the quality of the album considering Eminem's recent lack of hype, lack of work ethic, and lack of live appearances ever since the release of the Relapse album. I actually really enjoyed Relapse, so I was hoping that Recovery could all but change my pre-deposition on what new material would bring. However, the release of "Not Afraid" and taking a look at the featured artists really gave me a shock. Featuring pop singers like Pink and Rihanna? Only rapper featured was Lil Wayne? No skits? No D12? No Dr. Dre? Clearly this is a new Eminem and he wants us to know that right off of the get go. I think he is taking a huge risk with this album. After Relapse and its lackluster sales (at least in comparison to most Eminem albums), it's pretty safe to say that this is the "make it or break it" album for Eminem and his relevance on today's obviously changed rap game.

I think the complete 360 of Eminem's character into this serious man stripped of the Slim Shady antics that made him famous has to do with two reasons. 1) The rap game has changed greatly from the time that Eminem was dominating the charts with smash albums like The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show. 2) Rehab and the recovery process has changed him into someone who realizes the most important things in life and why he raps in the first place. Could Eminem really have put a nail in the coffin of the Slim Shady persona? It's really looking like it. He's older, wiser, and considered one of rap's most important figures in the 21st century. I'm not sure how I feel about the serious nature of his new music, but I am certainly intruiged to hear it.

Eminem has everything to prove, but he probably feels like he has nothing to prove. He's experimenting and probably just happy to be making music that he feels he should be making at this point in his career. Another evident factor of this is the change of production for an Eminem album. A typical Eminem has production from the usual suspects: Dr. Dre, Eminem, Jeff Bass, and sometimes from his D12 cohort Mr. Porter (known better as Kon Artis). It's pretty noteworthy to see all the new producers that Em has never worked make appearances on this album. Boi-1da, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin, and DJ Khalil make their mark all over the album. Also new and un-heard of producers (at least to me): Emile, Script Shepherd, Supa Dups, and Alex da Kid. Eminem doesn't even have 1 track on this album to his own production credit. I'm not really sure what that means. Cleary, he's looking for a new sound and wants to focus on his lyrical prowess instead of his production merit. I can respect that. Could it also be that he wants to give all these new producers their big time shot into the music biz? Could be the case as well and I really respect that. As much as it's evident that Eminem is a changed man, I think quality artists like him typically know what they're doing. Even if the production is poor and the songs don't catch the ears of America like the past albums did, I'm sure Eminem will still captivate with his incredible rhymes. We still believe in you Slim!

~M

#MusicMonday: My 10 Favorite Rap Songs

What's going on music heads? Happy #MusicMonday to everyone yet again. Hopefully everyone had a good weekend, I certainly did. Union Street Fair in San Francisco, for those that don't know, isn't necessarily any specific important festival that involves music or anything. It's mainly an excuse to start partying in the morning and that is exactly what we did. Not to say necessarily that music wasn't involved, because it always is. How could one have a party without music? It never happens...so I heard some good tunes over the weekend for sure. Some good local bands and of course club hits in the bars. Things to get the party started you know. However, what brought me to this week's list was listening to Sirius radio this past week.

Hip-Hop Nation (Channel 40) had a special guest rapper on the air to break down his 10 favorite rap songs of all time. I believe his name was Laws. I don't know much about him but he ran through a pretty decent list of songs. It really got me thinking; If I had to choose my 10 favorite rap songs, what would they be? That seems like a pretty big task considering all the great hip-hop that is out there, but I managed to sit down and meditate on this idea and came up with what I believe are my 10 favorite rap tunes of all time. This doesn't necessarily mean I think they are the best or I think they are the most groundbreaking. Hell, they might not even be good at all to some, but for one reason or another, they are very very special to me. I could play these songs forever and a day from here until death and I will still love them. So let's run through it...

My 10 Favorite Rap Songs

10. "Paid In Full" by Eric B. & Rakim

The classic track that everyone has heard one time or another even if they didn't realize it. Covered time and time again, "Paid In Full" might have the most replicated bassline in hip-hop history. The attitude and rhymes are just fierce. Eric B. & Rakim wanted to let everyone know how serious they were about making a killing in the rap game and this was the boldest statement they could have made. Rakim revolutionized rapping in the 80's and created a whole new style that helped shape the east coast rap of the 90's.


9. "Role Model" by Eminem

Slim Shady was going to be a superstar, there was no doubt about it. A white dude with enough crazy antics to fuel music critics for all eternity could sell and create controversy, but this cut off of his major label debut stood out to me because it showed that he was first and foremost a rapper. The lines are brutal, the rhymes are great, and it showed off just how crazy Em could be while still making it sound great. It really showed off the talent that Dr. Dre saw in him.



8. "You Know How We Do It" by Ice Cube

All I gotta say is..."daaaamn". It doesn't get more west coast than this people. The track is hot all on its own, but Ice Cube really came correct with this jam at a time where Dr. Dre and the rest of Death Row were completely dominating the charts and west coast hip-hop as a whole. Instead of trying the one up, Cube just did what he does best and that's just be himself. The beat juts put a vision in my head of cruisin' down an L.A. street in a convertible '63 impala watching a pretty sunset. This is always a great summer jam for me. Props to QDIII for the beat, even though I didn't anything from him after this.


7. "Ten Crack Commandments" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Who better to tell you the rules of the crack trade and rhyme it so perfectly in a story than Biggie Smalls. Selling crack being his main source of revenue before breaking it big in rap, Biggie knew what he was talking about. However, what makes this song so great to me is the way it was articulated so perfectly. The man always could tell great stories with his raps, but ten commandments about how to sell crack and succeed? Awesome. It only sounds perfect on a DJ Premier beat as well. Biggie was spittin' crack before it was even referred to as that.


6. "Playaz Club" by Rappin' 4-Tay

Even though I am a Bay Area native and specifically born in San Francisco, I wasn't going to throw in a Bay song into my favorite rap song list lightly unless it really earned its place. "Playaz Club" did exactly that. The way "You Know How We Do It" really captured the essence of being from Los Angeles, this song really captured the essence of what San Francisco and the Bay Area as a whole was all about when it came to rap. The whole song has incredible style and Rappin' 4-Tay really brought the heat.


5. "N.Y. State of Mind" by Nas

Brutal! Grimey! It doesn't get more gutter than "N.Y. State of Mind". I almost feel like I'm from the ghetto when I listen to this. The entire Illmatic album could have filled up any top 10 list, but this track stood out to me simply because of the mood it created. Down the scratchy vocal recordings and choppy production, it really created the scenery in my head of the dangerous environment that Nas was coming from. Nas is also amazing when it comes to telling stories with his rhymes. DJ Premier strikes again with the beats!


4. "So Many Tears" by 2pac

Classic, classic song. This is 'Pac showing off his sensitive and soulful side. Up until this point we were used to all this talk about thug life, aggressive panther politics, and getting around. This was him showing off a little bit of vulnerability; that he's a person too, he's got feelings, and he's suffered the heartbreak of a hard life. This is the kind of song that makes you value all the good things in life. Friends and family especially. I was actually pretty surprised to see that Shock G produced this great beat.


3. "C.R.E.A.M." by The Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang was a posse to be reckoned with, and it was because of tracks like "C.R.E.A.M." that showed the rest of the hip-hop universe that they were unmatched at what they did. On perhaps the greatest beat that RZA has produced, Inspectah Deck really encapsulated in his verse what growing up in the ghetto was like. Method Man's hook on this song is also one of the most widely recognized in hip-hop history. Who doesn't still say "dolla dolla bill y'all" these days? I know I still do. Cash certainly does rule everything around us. Wu-Tang wasn't kidding.


2. "Deep Cover" by Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg

Who would have known that this solo debut of Dr. Dre introducing us to a brand new Snoop Doggy Dogg would be the first step to the creation of arguably the greatest partnership in hip-hop history? "187 on the undercover cop"; yet another of the most widely recognized hooks in rap. This song tells a great story between verses from Dre and Snoop about how much undercover police aren't appreciated in the least. From the very beginning of the intro dialogue, this song never quits in terms of quality. Still sounds great so many years later. Imagine if Warren G had never introduced Snoop to his cousin Dr. Dre? Rap might look a lot different these days; especially on the west coast.


1. "Above The Clouds" by Gang Starr f/ Inspectah Deck

How many times does DJ Premier show up on my list? I'm not sure, but it's a sign. DJ Premier makes the best beats in hip-hop in my humble opnion. This song is no different. I think the beat is what single handedly makes this my favorite rap song ever since I first heard it. It's soothing, it's calming, it's catchy, and I'm pretty positive can sway even the most stubborn hip-hop critic. Guru and Inspectah Deck also deliver great verses in this song to further supplement this great showcase of rap quality at its pinnacle. Can it get much better than this? I'm not sure, but I'm not convinced rappers from today's age can do it like this anymore. Very sad about Guru's recent passing, but it is in amazing tracks like this that legacy lives on. True artists don't fade.


And that's all for my list of favorite rap songs. What do you think? Do you agree? Am I completely off base for liking some of these tracks? What would your list consist of? Leave a comment and let me know. At the very least, I hope this column gets you digging through your old rap records and discovering some great tracks. Until next time...PEACE!!!

~M

#MusicMonday: The 25 Most Ridiculous Band Names

Happy #musicmonday out there to everyone out there on twitter and all the music heads around the world. What are you bumping out there in cyberspace? Leave a comment and let me know! Or hit me up on twitter @markymark925. Anyway, in true #musicmonday fashion, let's see whats up with another list. As I was writing last week's article on the 5 biggest douchebags of rock, Fred Durst ran into that list and it made me think of Limp Bizkit and how stupid that name was for a band. Honestly...Limp Bizkit. Let's take a second to think about that and how ridiculous it sounds even letting it roll off of your tongue. Then again, I couldn't expect much more from the brilliant mind of Fred Durst. But reflecting on how dumb that band name was made me think of the other stupid band names that exist out there in the world of rock. I ran along some of my iTunes bands and wanted to come up with a list of 10 that I thought were the worst. However, I stumbled upon a good read when I googled band names in my pursuit of writing my list. This definitely put whatever list I was going to come up with to shame, increasing the list from 10 to 25 and including explanations and history to each band name. This is a funny read and I pretty much agree with the results. Take a minute and check it out HERE.

Ones I especially despise:
Limp Bizkit
Sum 41
Def Leppard
Stone Temple Pilots
Panic! At The Disco

A few missing from the list:
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Led Zeppelin
Strawberry Alarm Clock (*This one especially takes the cake)

What else do you music heads think? Anything Cracked.com or myself missed? Let's hope bands in the future don't do anything this dumb or at least pull the Zeppelin route and back up their ridiculous name with some amazing music. Rock on!

~Dr. M

#MusicMonday: The 5 Biggest Douchebags in Rock

Happy Monday to all the music heads out there! More specifically, it is #MusicMonday. Are you confused as to what the hell #MusicMonday is? Well then obviously you aren't on twitter. However, Monday is a day where for whatever reason, people tweet about the music that they are listening to or whatever music they like. Pretty much just an appreciation for the sounds and beats that they love and want other people to hear. So in the spirit of this, considering this blog already gets an almost daily posting on all things music anyway, I decided to do something special for Mondays. The idea is to make a new list every Monday of something in relation to music. Whether it be a top 5 or top 10, or bottom 5 or bottom 10, it will be new and interesting. Nothing is off limits, so we shall see where this goes. So in the spirit of the new list, here it is...

The 5 Biggest Douchebags in Rock

Although everyone loves music and we're all passionate about what we like to listen to or create musically, some figures in music take it a little too far and believe themselves to be far superior to their peers and fans in the music world. Respect, appreciation, humility, and substance are all missing from figures like this. In my opinion, here are the biggest douchebags of rock and roll.

5. Noel Gallagher

Opinionated snob and a loudmouth to the Nth degree, the older brother of the Gallagher brothers of Oasis has cemented his well deserved spot in rock and roll infamy by his anger filled antics and rants and belief that he is nothing less than the greatest thing to happen to rock (something that all of these men share). Nobody has been off limits to Noel, criticizing his artist peers and even his own bandmates in every way. According to him, nobody is as musically inclined, fashionable, better looking, or as intelligent as him. Sadly his opinions have resonated and his bold statements have actually gained some followers. What's the kicker for me? His very well documented verbal and physical battles with his own brother on and off stage. If even your own brother can't stand you; that is a statement all in its own. As of 2009, Noel Gallagher has quit Oasis because he had the nail in the coffin final fight with his brother that told him there was no place in the band for him anymore. Maybe the world will now see less of him. We can only hope so. In his own words.. "I represent power, musical power. I am fucking brilliant every night I go out there. I could give a fuck about anybody else in the band. They look after themselves. But I am always cooking on a solid eight-and-a-half out of 10." -Rolling Stone. That same interview he said all he wanted out of his most recent US tour with Oasis was 5 million dollars and nothing else. 'Nuff said.


4. Axl Rose

As the frontman of the loud, dirty, and grimey hard rock/hair metal band Guns N' Roses in the late 80s/early 90s he had a reputation for being a selfish bastard with his "don't give a fuck" attitude and easily sparked temper. A Rolling Stone article chronicling the 20th anniversary of the release of their Appetite for Destruction album in 1987 described the band space where they lived before getting signed as a tiny complete shithole with trash everywhere that the entire band shared except for the immaculate private room that Axl reserved for himself. The general consensus: he was a loose cannon with possible bi-polar disorder. After he was so unbearable to be around, Guns N' Roses fell apart as all the band members left...however, according to Axl, he was the band. Guns N' Roses still "continued" with new members and no album for 20 years until Chinese Democracy was released in 2008. Mr. Rose kept fans of the Guns waiting for over 15 years for a complete waste of 70 minutes of their lives that Axl had called "legendary" up until its release. His self righteous antics continue to live on as does his watered down incarnation of the band that made him famous. Really...what kind of a weirdo gets in a fight with Tommy Hilfiger?


3. Fred Durst

If you were in junior high or high school around the time of the nu-metal & rap-metal movements, you couldn't turn on mtv or the radio for 10 minutes without hearing the choppy rhymes of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. Clearly nobody loves fame and attention more than this man. Taking every opportunity to get on camera, taking every opportunity to get on magazine covers, talking as much controversy as possible, calling out rival bands on stage, getting in fist fights with fans, spilling his guts to gossip mags about the famous broads he nailed, and still having the nerve to say that the music industry is out to get him and he doesn't deserve all the hate and criticism coming his way takes some serious balls. Does Fred Durst love himself and want the entire world to love him? I don't know, I think the cover of the band's Results May Vary album tells that story. Who names their album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water? Fred Durst does, kids. Thankfully Limp Bizkit and Mr. Durst have traveled the downward spiral into irrelevance in the music scene. However, there's talk of a comeback. Please say it aint so. All the rap-metal kids might have to dust off their red Yankees hat and cut off jean shorts for that reunion concert.


2. Billy Corgan

The biggest crybaby in rock, bar none. The dynamic creative musical force behind the alternative juggernaut The Smashing Pumpkins. The only main that has been more psychologically affected by fame more than Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan has always wanted everyone to know that he is not a happy soul. I have my disagreements on how millions of dollars and being internationally recognized as a rock and roll icon could be a bad thing, but Billy never seems to satisfied, and that is the problem. He said his life sucked before hitting it big in music, and then, his life became just that much worse being in the limelight. He has an album called Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness; the album that made him the most money after he was already rich. However instead of blowing his brains out, he decided to keep crying on a larger scale with every album and every interview. However, his crying didn't/doesn't come without a dash of opinion here and there. He believes he is an alternative icon that deserves to be recognized even though the music industry is flawed and fake. Don't get me wrong, the man has more talent in his little finger than most artist these days have in their entire being, but a man who claims so many problems yet is renowned for his difficult nature and self righteousness can't garner much sympathy. If a man can't even have faith in his own bandmates and largely recorded albums himself, there's no need for a band. Cue the solo career. And it's not about the money, yet after an 8 year hiatus keeps the band rolling on with an entirely different lineup. I thought that's what the solo career was for? Something doesn't add up. Could it be that a ticket for a "Smashing Pumpkins" album and tour would get more sales than a "Billy Corgan" album and tour would? A band is more than one person Billy. Get with the program. Unfortunately for him, his mouth and lack of creative steam have caught up to him. The new plan is to release a 44 track new album called Teargarden by Kaleidyscope for free; to be released song by song. Good luck Billy! "Do I belong in the conversation about the best artists in the world? My answer is yes, I do,” he says. “I’ve been too productive for too long, and despite what anybody wants to strip away from me, I am influential. I am. So all the Pitchforks in the world can try to strip me of every ounce of dignity, but I belong." - Billy Corgan


1. Trent Reznor

Why is Nine Inch Nails called a band yet is basically centered around one person who constantly changes band for live performances and tours? Because Trent Reznor took the Billy Corgan route a little bit further and understood from the get-go that he was a complete pain to work with. Maybe he decided to make a solo project and call it a "band" since it would take more than one person to play his "industrial rock" nonsense in a live setting. Or maybe he didn't want to seem like the only one at fault for creating loud noises and mumbo jumbo. Either way, NIN's success will always be one of the biggest mysteries in modern rock to me. So much so that somehow the band operates now without a record label thanks to their loyal and drugged out fanbase. Kind of like how Kid Rock calls himself "Rock and Roll Jesus". A term like that is simply because Trent Reznor couldn't think of it first. But mark my words, you know he believes it. From his success in the 90's, a well publicized drug habit, and his hard road to recovery...he's wanted to let everyone know that he always reigns supreme and he is "above the music industry." Everyone is fake, music today is horrible except for his, and music is always in a slump until the next Nine Inch Nails album is released. A perfect world for Trent Reznor would probably be a lot of little big haired fat unpopular kids spitting their hate for the modern world and society while filling up his pockets and ego. Lately he's filled his time with creating probably another 8-disc "album" and spitting his hate mongering on twitter. Actually, he "left" twitter because people didn't necessarily enjoy his tweets about how much other artists are inferior to him. The glass is always half empty for this man.


That's all for now. Hope y'all enjoyed it. Did I miss anyone? Am I wrong? Whether you agree or disagree. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks to these guys for showing what a class act in music truly isn't. Til next time!

~Dr. M