Future NOT SO Future

He got his name from the Dungeon Family and his sound was encouraged by his cousin Rico Wade but is Future's sound really futuristic?

For the last 5 or 6 years rappers have been living on this crutch that we all know as "Auto Tune," effect software that enhances to voice to sound more clear or a bit digital.  It was brought to us in 2004 when Florida Rapper/Singer, T-Pain, used it on his entire debut "Rappa Ternt Sanga."  From 2004 - 2006 T-Pain seemed to be the only guy in the industry that was using and then he dropped "Epiphany."  After T-Pain's sophomore effort and many collaborations with major hip hop artist, everyone jumped on the "Auto Tune" bandwagon.  You had rappers like Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Jim Jones, and more using this software to not only make hits but to make entire albums.  With one or two artist using it I was cool with it but when you get cats like Yung Berg using to make and hit because they have no buzz then it's gone too far.  What Lil Wayne did with it on "Lollipop" was classic and what Kanye did on "Heartbreaks and 808s" was ingenious.  But when you have someone as talented as R. Kelly using it...............(Loss for words).

Now if you really wanna dig into it, Roger Troutman was the first one with the futuristic sound.  This brother have everyone in the thinking they were making love to the sounds and voice of a computer.  Zapp & Roger were decades before their time and they are still relevant in Hip Hop and R&B today.  Even when Roger was doing tracks with artist from Snoop Dogg to 2Pac, Blackstreet's Teddy Riley was using the invention created by Roger.  

So is Future's sound really futuristic?  No.  I would actually like to hear some tracks of Future without the added sound effects.  On joints like "Same Damn Time" and "Magic" he used it perfectly but when you listen to "Racks," even though it was a huge success, you can't make out a damn word this dude is saying.  It's cool to use it also on some of the more laid back tracks that touches his female artist but we don't want to hear it on every song.  Not only is Future singing with it, he raps with it also which is the focal point of my post.  He has overused it making everything Jay said in "D.O.A." true.  Future is a dope writer and artist and i just hope he doesn't continue to use this and fans' ears get tired of listening to it.  My advice to Future, just lay off it for a couple of tracks or every other track, IJS.

One,

IAMDJDK
www.iamdjdk.com

The Great Turntable Debate

Are Stanton 150s are better than Technic 1200s?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Stanton 150s are better than Technic 1200s (any model).  Both decks are heavy but the ST150s are built like tanks.  The ST150s weight almost 50 lbs were the 1200s weight in around 38 - 40 lbs.  I used to own a pair of 1200s but the cost to maintain them got pretty expensive so I sold them.  The way the tonearm is built on the 1200s, one good bump will through the tonearm calibration off.  There is no fixing it, just buying a new for $150.  The ST150 tonearm is built much different and can definitely take more abuse than the 1200s.  

The ST150 motor torque is a lil higher than the Technics but both are elite but the speed holds truer when applying pressure on the ST150s.  ST150s looks like Technics too with some extra features minus the 0 click on the pitch control. The feet on the Stantons are spring loaded making for better vibration stability.  Again the main difference is the tonearm and the motor torque.  Higher motor torque = truer speed with pressure and the straight tonearm on the STR8.150s = less skipping.  Most DJs argue the straight tonearm ruins records faster but turning the counterweight backwards does the same thing so WTF cares.

In conclusion, the iconic Technics are still a good buy for 2 reasons, they are no longer in production and they set the standard for turntables.  But with the new Stanton ST.150s, you will see more DJs make the switch due to cost mostly.  I assure you, when they purchase them they will be very surprised and satisfied. 

T.I. SHOPPING FOR A NEW DEAL

Rapper T.I. "TIP" Harris is looking for  a new deal reportedly worth $75 million dollars. Damn!

T.I., Atlanta based artist, is at the near end of his 10 year deal with Atlantic records.  T.I.'s new proposed deal could include three albums and T.I.'s elite Grand Hustle artist.  Also with the deal will be corporate endorsements deals, and a 360-style percentage of his publishing, touring, merchandising, and licensing.  Grand Hustle holds such artist as B.o.B. and Killer Mike.

T.I. has reportedly met with heavy hitters Dr. Dre & Interscope Records and Jay-Z & Roc Nation.  Sony and Universal also have offered the trap music artist 50 million each.

In my opinion, TIP should sign with Jay and Roc Nation. Why? Because like I told you in my first blog, Jay is my favorite artist, lol.  On the real, T.I.'s best choice musically and business wise is to sign with Jay.  Jay could introduce TIP to a new audience.  You know those Frank Sinatra types.  With Jay's help, T.I.'s gun charges will be water under the bridge.  Just look what he has done for Rihanna and Kanye.  Even though the two of them are fucking up but they stay in the press on that media takeout bullshit.  I know TIP don't want that look but Jay can get a Nigga in Paris, literally.  And just for the record, the last artist Dre has signed are in the freezer.  Eve and Busta were there and didn't put out as much as a mix tape.  50 is the hottest artist over there and his music career is in the freezer as well.  He is getting money from other ventures.  Plus T.I., Grand Hustle, and Trap Musik is not a good fit at Interscope. Just a preview of what T.I. can accomplish with Jay, listen to "Swagga Like Us" and "Niggas In Paris Remix."  Even though Jay and Yay already laid their vocals, T.I. killed that shit and when I DJ that is the version of the joint I play.  So now you know how I feel, leave comments and chime in.  I respect everyone's opinion and will be glad to hear.

One,

IAMDJDK

www.iamdjdk.com

Real Gangsters Threaten Life Of Fake Gangster

So Rick Ross is being forced to cancel concerts in the face ofthreats by Gangster Disciples members who are upset that the rapper has invoked the name of a gang founder in one of his songs.

In YouTube videos, gang members warn Ross, 36, that he will end up in a hearse unless he pays tribute for using Larry Hoover’s name in “B.M.F. (Blowing Money Fast).” Hoover, serving life in federal prison, co-founded the Gangster Disciples in Chicago in the late-1960s.

The gang, which has grown to include chapters nationwide, has also accused Ross of coopting its Star of David logo on the cover of his new mixtape “The Black Bar Mitzvah.”

Another gang leader, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory of the Black Mafia Family, is also mentioned in the song, which shares an acronym--“BMF”--with the Ross song itself. Like Hoover, Flenory is a federal inmate (though he has a release date in 2032).

Ross, of course, has a working familiarity with the penal system, having served previously as a corrections officer in Florida. The rapper (real name: William Leonard Roberts) initially denied working as a screw, but eventually fessed up when TSG published documents from his Department of Corrections personnel file.

Those records showed that Ross swore a loyalty oath upon getting hired andagreed to “shoot an inmate attempting to escape.” His perfect attendance record earned him a nifty“Certificate of Appreciation” from corrections officials. In his 1997 resignation letter (submitted 18 months after his hiring), Ross thanked his superiors for “your interest in my career and for the experience I’ve gained through my employment.”

Ross--who has an encyclopedic knowledge of hoodlums of every stripe--copped his handle from notorious L.A. drug kingpin “Freeway” Ricky Ross, who earlier this year lost a lawsuit brought againt the performer for boosting his name and identity.

A$AP Rocky, 'Long.Live.A$AP': Track-By-Track Review

Wzup World?

With al of the hypes surrounding A$AP Rocky I had to get the album.  Although I don't like any of his singles besides F*ckin Problems, I just had to see why the world is hyping this guy up.   We all know he Rocky is a Harlem cat that is highly influenced by Houston's screwed up style.  Even though his flow sounds nothing like that of a Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Lil Flip, etc., I can hear the influence from the deep slow vocal speed he gives on each track.

Now let's jump into the album.

7. F--kin' Problems feat. Drake, Kendrick Lamar & 2 Chainz

Stupid fun to the fullest: the 40-produced Top 40 hit still crackles with a particularly engaging Drake verse and one of the most boneheaded hooks in recent memory. Turn this up and forget your f--kin' problems.  This will be the only Top 40 hit on the album in my opinion.  With Drake on the album this will get him some major attention from the ladies but they will not buy the album only this single off iTunes.

8. Wild For The Night feat. Skrillex 

The moment at which Skrillex's bleary-eyed laser blasts arrive on "Wild For the Night" is one of the strangest in an album full of unexpected pairings. Points given for such a crazily ambitious concept. 

9. 1 Train feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T. 

In an era of hip-hop where a new "Triumph" is nearly impossible to locate, "1 Train" presents a highly successful summit of the genre's rising stars. All seven MCs are on point, but Yelawolf and Danny Brown make for the most devastating one-two punch. 

10. Fashion Killa

The strongest run on the album starts with Rocky nodding to style icons in his storytelling and smartly getting out of the way of the hazily chopped vocal sample that serves as a beat. Massive replay value. 

11. Phoenix 

Rocky's lyricism rises up on an angry manifesto that wrestles with wealth, respect and suicide. Even if some of the momentum is lost as the track winds down, the MC is finally shedding some light on himself. 

12. Suddenly 

Make no mistake, the 2:28 mark of "Suddenly" -- where the beat comes in and Rocky essentially blacks out over it -- is the best moment of "LongLiveA$AP," but the rest of "Suddenly" soars due to richly revealing lines like "We had cookouts and dirt bikes, and dice games, and fist fights, and fish fries, and shootouts, like one Sig with two rounds." 

13. Jodye 

A bruising bit of boom-bap that would sound at home on a Tyler, The Creator album, "Jodye" allows A$AP to slam his syllables together and sneer without abandon. The track is one of the young MC's most breathtaking battles yet. 

14. Ghetto Symphony feat. Gunplay & A$AP Ferg 

"Dinner date for 1K, shopping date for 2K, bougie-ass bitch made me wait to fuck for two days," Rocky seethes, proving that romance is indeed alive and well. After serving as an exclamation point on Kendrick Lamar's "Cartoons & Cereal," Gunplay once again showcases an unhinged vibrancy. FYI to you other rappers, keep Gunplay off your records.

15. Angels 

The second straight song on the album to sample an Imogen Heap track, "Angels" is a distillation of the album's strengths: vocal distortion, a forward-thinking beat and Rocky's chameleonic ability to sound at home over it. 

16. I Come Apart feat. Florence Welch 

Pairing Florence Welch's big-hearted sincerity with Rocky's cool exterior may seem like an odd decision, but "I Come Apart" doesn't try to overextend itself and establishes a common ground between the artists. Don't be surprised to hear this on pop radio soon.

In conclusion,  I can only give this album 3/5.  A$AP and the producers chosen on the album do not vibe good.  Even some of the collaborations I just don't understand.  Why would you put Gunplay on your album?  This is just one of those weird albums that people will by because Hot 97 and BET is overhyping this kid.  I congratulate him for getting his shot but once you get that shot do more with with it.  I understand you have to do what you like musically but sometimes you need to think outside the box and ask others in your corner to give you an honest opinion about your track selections.  He will go gold but this album will not reach platinum status.  Once the buzz get out that this album is subpar the hype will be over.  Just look at last year. Nas put out a classic album and only sold 80,000 units.  2 Chainz put out an album full of club bangers and went platinum.  With exception of Kendrick, club bangers sale.  And I will end this blog here, take notes A$AP.  If your next project sounds like this one, you will find yourself on an independent label again.

One,

IAMDJDK

www.iamdjdk.com

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NEW VENTURES

Wzup World?

I AM DJ DK here bringing you a new blog on music news and reviews.  NO, this blog is not about gossip or any other celeb bullish*t.  This blog is strictly about new music, music reviews, artist reviews, dj equipment news, software reviews, and much much more.  IDGAF what Chris Brown and Rihanna do off stage.  I am here to listen to their music whether I like it, love it, or hate it.

Now, a little about me. I AM DJ DK, I can't stress that enough.  I am first and foremost a music lover, secondly I'm a dj.  I have a mass music collection and a great ear for music.  I can appreciate any genre of music and get something out of it.  My main love is R&B, Hip Hop, and Soul.  With the era we are in now R&B is becoming a lost art and I appreciate the artist like, Trey Songz, Miguel, & Frank Ocean for keeping R&B original.  I do like what Chris Brown does for the club, but in my car he gets no play unless it's "No B.S." on my iPod.  I'm a fan of Hip Hop minus the skinny jeans.  Aside from Lil Wayne the artist that rock skinny jeans I really don't feel, but I'm like 10 - 12 years older than those cats too.  If I wasn't from Louisiana and didn't listen to Wayne in my youth I would probably pass on his music too.  My favorite Hip Hop artist hands down is Jay-Z "Best Rapper Alive."  Why? Been listening since "Reasonable Doubt."  Most of you say Pac and Biggie but Biggie only dropped 2 albums and Pac I wasn't feeling the albums just his singles.  Soul music I love it all.  70s Soul and Southern Soul.  What is southern soul you ask?  TK Soul, Johnnie Taylor, Mel Waiters, Marvin Sease, Wilson Meadows, etc.  This is Southern Soul music.  That strange music you listen to on Sunday after church that talks about all of you things you have went through and going through in your love life while drinking bootleg beer from the club.  Now what you know about that?  See you have to be in and from the south to have a deep love for Soul music.  Yeah you got Motown but they didn't talk about those back street love affairs like ZZ Hill and JT talked about.

So there yo go.  You know how I feel about music and you see a lil of my passion for it.  I'm currently rebuilding my website, www.iamdjdk.com, and it will be up soon.  Keep looking out for my latest post and music reviews.

Much Love,

IAMDJDK
www.iamdjdk.com