Word. Few statements have ever been so true. In May, I got the chance to rollout on the road with the big homie Too Short and all I can say is DAMN!!! Homey is so true to his recorded character in real life it was inspirational. For those that haven’t had the opportunity to witness the funked out debauchery that is a Too Short live show all I can say is YOU GOTTA SEE IT AT LEAST ONCE. Check out the exclusive pics below and see the type of madness that was going on. Shout out to Black, P.O. & V. Johnson.
Yes yes y’all. Check it out a really candid EXCLUSIVE (I told ya there’d be alot of that here) 3 part interview I had the honor of conducting in late 2007 with the legend himself Slick Rick. Rick opened up on so much ill shit in this interview from his fashion influences, to being a U.K. nerd all the way to his real estate ventures as Slick Rick the BX landlord!! We were in Minneapolis’ banging ass Graves 601 Hotel which was on some super pimp shit, it was only right…
Check it out brand new 4th Pyramid produced by the legendary 45 King (Producer of “Stan” & “Hard Knock Life”)! Brought to you by the fine folks at Scion. Hot house remix by Fool’s Gold recording artist Sammy Bananas (Certified Bananas). Release also features tracks by Wale & Pase Rock and a ton of dope remixes.
45 King vs. Wale – Strings (In Flagranti Remix)-126 bpm
45 King vs. Pase Rock –The 900 Number (2k8) 107-bpm
45 King vs. Pase Rock – The 900 Number (2k8) (Eli Escobar Remix)-123 bpm
45 King vs. 4th Pyramid – P-Y-R-A-M-I-D 115 bpm
45 King vs. 4th Pyramid – P-Y-R-A-M-I-D (Sammy Bananas Remix) 123 bpm
Crafty veteran meets brash newcomer. It’s a timeless cinematic formula, but SCION AV has done it a little differently this time. 45 King, producer of “Hard Knock Life,” “Stan” and dozen other hip hop classics, plays the role of the old-school champ, dropping four jewels from his bottomless stash of beats. The youngsters are represented by man-of-the-moment Wale, crowd controller Pase Rock and 4th Pyramid, with In Flagranti, Eli Escobar, DJ Ayres and Sammy Bananas doing remix duty. Peep the plot:
DC native Wale, fresh off sessions with Ronson and Kanye, is a natural to bless a downtempo 45 King special. “Roof” lays a bossa guitar on a menacing bass and 90 BPM drums as Wale manages to fit both Manute Bol and Luc Longley into his sinuous street-level rap. The Rub’s DJ Ayres takes his 111 BPM remix of “Roof” straight to the party, disco style, with live bass, synth snares and plenty of cowbell.
“Strings” is really the only appropriate name for this cello-strewn 100 BPM beat, but don’t expect Beethoven. The trademark 45 King kick and snare are in effect, and Wale’s lovesick lyrics skate the rails and ledges effortlessly. The boys of In Flagranti aren’t having any of this love business, though. They like it dirty. At a blistering 126 BPM, their “Strings” remix spits metal guitar and hi-hat shreds over a sawtooth bass line.
Def Jux survivor and T-Dot repper 4th Pyramid takes a track that Grand Puba would’ve loved and turns it out on “P-Y-R-A-M-I-D.” 45 King’s horn-filled bouncy 115 BPM groove is a throwback, but it seems like Sammy Bananas didn’t get the memo. His “P-Y-R-A-M-I-D” remix slams the tempo to 123 BPM and burps rude bass and bits of pitched vocals for a thoroughly 2008 vibe.
You can put down the dictionary, the definition of “anthem” is 45 King’s “900 Number.” The ageless roof-raiser that cleared DJ Kool’s throat gets twin 2k8 reworks, with Pase Rock showing the party people how it’s done on the mic over the original 107 BPM beat (try to follow his head-spinning song references) and NYC veterano Eli Escobar coming with a jacking 123 BPM remix that slices the signature sax line over a crunchy electro bass.
Insightful cover story for NOW Magazine I was interviewed and quoted in about T.Dot’s bludgeoning yet struggling local hip-hop scene. The article was written by Addi Stewart aka Mindbender, a local artist and hip-hop activist in the community.
In its unedited form, I think this article would have better crossed-over to more non industry hip-hop heads and general folks but you know how it is. I can’t lie and say I agree with everything said in this article but it does scratch the surface and definitely open up grounds for interesting discussion and building. You be the judge. Check it out!
Welcome to my One Man Gong Show. My name’s 4th Pyramid. I’m a producer & MC from Toronto. I’ve decided to jump into the digital blog abyss with hopes to entertain, enthrall & empower. Stay posted on the blog. You’ll see frequent updates and a whole lot of EXCLUSIVE shit you won’t catch anywhere else in cyberland and even giveaways when I’m feeling generous. There you have it. It’s official.
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