OMM is Comin' Back!

In light of the fact that there hasn't been a podcast for, ohh, nearly seven months now... we're going back to being Obscure Music Monthly, your [Probably Not] No. 1 Source for music you mighta not heard, reviews, occasional live mixes at UStream.com and whatever else we can think of.

So be sure to change your bookmark (probably reaching on that one) to the original address!

128 Oz. of Haterade: Rundown, Vol. 2

Well... I know this blog has a little bit of readership in the Philly area, and I don't want to alienate any readers, so I won't go off on a tangent about Scott Hartnell and his fake-ass-drip-drip jheri curl, and really the entire Flyers squad, ruining my trip to the Penguins' home opener last night. Just want to drop a few quick reviews on some local Pittsburgh hip-hop talent, along with other records that are making their way through the current rotation:

• Vinny Radio, The Foundation/Slim Stario, A Star is Born - I highly recommend checking out both of these free mixtapes by Pittsburgh MCs. Vinny Radio rocks more uptempo, bouncy tracks, mainly supplied by producer P. Fish, to pair with his baritone flow, while Slim Stario slows things down with a heavier, grittier feel. Click on the links above to download both free albums.

• Dave Holland Octet, Pathways - You can't argue with a bass player who's gigged with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, just to name two. England son Dave Holland has put in more than four decades of work, and it shows in the shifty tempos of his compositions, whether they're by way of his quartets, quintets, or big-band arrangements. His latest octet record, Pathways, continues that tradition of excellence in a live setting, whether it's the burbling, chunky bass-walk that begins "How's Never?" or the lilting swing that rides through "Sea of Marmara." For me, what makes Holland's band so appealing is the inclusion of vibraphonist/marimbist (is that last one a word? Not sure) Steve Nelson, whose limber lines snake through the melody in all the best ways.

• Soulive, Rubber Soulive - Soulive has yet to release an album that I don't like. If there was going to be one, I was initially concerned that a record of Beatles covers might be it. It's not. You never heard "Revolution" be as funky as this. The audio clarity is a little muddy at times, but it's a solid set of Fab Four covers that James Brown would be proud of.

• Boog Brown & Apollo Brown, Brown Study - Apollo Brown already impressed me with The Reset. This set of tunes with female MC Boog Brown is just as good. Unfortunately, it's all too rare to find a high-quality female MC, but Boog definitely fits the bill.

128 Oz. of Haterade: The Rundown

• Das Racist, Sit Down Man - "Das Racist, the number-one slept-on/You can't see us like quarks and leptons." That quick little line right there is very emblematic of the fine line straddled by Brooklyn-based Das Racist. Combining danceable beats with subject matter that seems to be about everything and nothing at the same time, the combo of Himansu Suri and Victor Vazquez have created one of the catchiest mixtapes I've listened to in quite a while. Blending hardcore hip-hop sounds with nerd-rap references, Latino music samples ("Julia"), distorted pounding beats ("A Roc Marciano Joint") and even getting a guest verse from the out-there-extraordinaire El-P (the title track), Sit Down Man is a great antidote for the current, stagnant pop-rap scene.

• Lil' Wayne, I Am Not a Human Being - Maybe I'm just missing something about Weezy F. Baby. Probably not, though. Mostly, I'm just not impressed. Okay, you made like a million songs. That's great. But unlike Das Racist, who display a wide palette of sonic dexterity, there's hardly any variation throughout the entire course of Human Being, and there isn't much clever about lines like "You n****s is squares like a motherf*ckin' grid." Slow, plodding beats and cornball attempts at being some kind of southern-bounce R. Kelly characterize the majority of the album.

• Buju Banton, Before the Dawn - The latest news about Buju Banton isn't his latest disc... it's his trial on drug-trafficking charges. Apparently a Florida-area police informer has recordings of the reggae/dancehall star participating in a scheme to smuggle coke. Having come a long way from his "Boom Bye Bye" days, however, Buju's more-recent work has had a much more spiritual bent to it, and Before the Dawn is no exception. Tracks like "In the Air," "Do Good" and "Battered & Bruised" are positive anthems of struggle and upliftment. There are a few questionable detours, most notably into early-'90s-rock territory with "No Smoking At All." All in all, I don't know if it's what the press release refers to as "the prophetic new album," but it's definitely got its moments.

A few other quick-hits:

• Big Remo & 9th Wonder, Entrapment - Big Remo holds it down, but the most notable thing about this LP is that 9th Wonder occasionally wanders out of the sped-up-soul-sample box he's been trapped in for seemingly ever.

• Brian Wilson, Reimagines George Gershwin - The legendarily quirky Beach Boy doesn't so much reimagine Gershwin, as replace classical instruments with pop ones. There are a few interesting numbers, particularly "Summertime" and a Pet Sounds recasting of "I Got Rhythm" as a beach anthem, but overall, it's just alright.

• Mavis Staples, You Are Not Alone - Now this one is the real deal. Staples got together with (of all people) fellow Chi-town native Jeff Tweedy, from Wilco, who wrote a few songs and helped Mavis put together a slammin' old-school R&B record. This set would fit right in with the rest of the Staples' discography, and probably sounds even better live.

• Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give - This album is a lot more country than I was led to believe the Zac Brown Band sounded. That said, the most shocking part is probably the fact that the song featuring Jimmy Buffett doesn't completely and absolutely suck. Well, that and "Whiskey's Gone," where Brown tells a bartender to "lick his sack." Not a joke.

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Remix I Totally Forgot to Post on Linkin Park's Contest Site

Well... Linkin Park had this really cool contest where they gave out five stems from their forthcoming single, "The Catalyst," for fans to remix and repost on their MySpace site.

Unfortunately, I stupidly thought the deadline was July 30. It wasn't. It was July 25, and I completely missed it. Now, I'm not a Linkin Park fan, per se, but I always love the chance to remix a song and give it my own spin. So I've posted a link to download my version of "The Catalyst," where I took the stems and re-ordered them into a sort of dubbed-out version complete with Nyabinghi drumming.

Click here to download "The Catalyst (Beat Doctor's Dub Mix)." And lemme know what you think! (Link will be active until Aug. 4)

128 Oz. of Haterade: 'Teflon Don,' by Rick Ross

This isn't the album cover, but it shoulda been...

Negligible corrections-officer past aside, I have kind of a soft spot for Rick Ross (pause). I don't really have much use for his raps, but his producers have occasionally done what I think is a pretty good job taking Jay-Z's debut 'Big Willie' aesthetic and sound, and slowing it down a little. On tracks like "Magnificent" and "Yacht Club," from Deeper Than Rap, a '96 Jay verse wouldn't sound out of place at all. His guest spot on Teflon Don's "Free Mason" is equally well-matched... although Jay spends his bars dispelling the winter's Freemason/devil-worship rumors, while Rick sort of courts it... the Freemason part, at least. Although me personally, I wouldn't equate "Maybach Music" with building the pyramids...

Anyway, when he's not flossing over heavy downtempo thudders, the executive-lounge atmosphere is definitely still in effect: in the smoothness of DJ Clark Kent's beat for "Super High" and the rough-edged bounce of the Drake-assisted "Aston Martin." J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League handle the latter, as well the bulk of the production. Unfortunately, none of Raphael Saadiq's recent Motown vibe rubs off in his guestwork on the closer, "All the Money in the World," but as Rick Ross albums go, well... if you liked the first two, you'll probably like this one.

FREE DOWNLOAD! Redman Mix: 'Funk Doc vs. the Beat Doc'

Click here to download as a single MP3 (the link will likely expire on July 22):

TRACKLIST

1. Double Deuces (Madlib Mix) feat. Method Man

2. Check'n Me Out feat. Def Squad

3. Get Dirty (Beat Doctor Remix)

4. So Ruff

5. Pick It Up

6. Funkorama (Beat Doctor Remix)

7. Father's Day feat. Method Man

8. Lookin' Fly

9. Blow Your Mind

10. The Game (Beat Doctor Remix) feat. Def Squad

11. Yeah Yeah You Know It (Beat Doctor Remix) feat. Def Squad

12. Love Me Now (Doom Mix) feat. Beenie Man

13. A-Yo! feat. Method Man & Saukrates

14. A Million and 1 Buddah Spots

15. How High, Pt. 2 (Beat Doctor Remix) feat. Method Man

16. Can't Wait (Beat Doctor Remix)

17. 'NIN' Interlude

18. Soopermanluva, Pt. 3

19. We Run N.Y. feat. Hurricane Gee

This mix was created to promote Redman, and not for profit. Be sure to check out Reggie Noble 9 1/2, slated for a fall release date!

FREE DOWNLOAD: 'It's Like That' Remix

'Put the ras klaat in bumbo klaat..."

So, as I continue finishing up a mixtape of remixed and classic Redman tracks, I wanted to toss up a quick little teaser. So click here or below to download the Beat Doctor remix of Redman & K-Solo's "It's Like That (Big Brother)," from Red's '96 record Muddy Waters. I couldn't find a good spot for it on the mix, which will be uploaded shortly.

DOWNLOAD: Redman & K-Solo, "It's Like That (Beat Doctor Remix)"

Back in Biznass!

Well, not exactly in business... it's still a non-commercial podcast, but we'll be back this Monday with a brand-new show, including an interview with Brooklyn rapper PackFM (above), whose new record, I F*%!ing Hate Rappers, will be released in stores on June 16.

We're not going back to the daily weekday format, but the hope is to bring you a weekly podcast, featuring interviews with artists of all stripes, along with album reviews, and the occasional odd news and sports items.

As always, if you have a show idea or there's someone you'd like us to try and interview, email the show at thebeatdoctor@verizon.net!

FREE DOWNLOAD: 'Pimpslapp'd!': A Horrifyingly-Inappropriate Valentine's Day Mix

If you're considering this mix as a last-minute Valentine's gift for your girl who loves music, I cannot stress this enough: DON'T.

Okay, so I don't want anyone to get overly offended, so let me just say first: this is intended as a joke, and there's a story behind it.

Back in the day, in high school, I had a female friend who was fairly big into feminism and women's liberation; which I'm all for. But she also wasn't above taking some good-natured ribbing about it. And it was the Golden Age of East Coast hip-hop and gangsta-rap, so my way of ribbing was generally to whip up mixtapes of the most misogynistic songs I could track down, and play them when we were hanging out or driving somewhere.

At first she would pretend to be offended, but a short time later, we're rolling down the road with her yelling "B*tches ain't sh*t but hoes and tricks!"

So that's the humorous place from whence this particular mix comes. It ranges from Too $hort to Biggie to Snoop Dogg and plenty of people you may not have even heard of before. And there are actually some positive songs here as well (for example, both of the Jeru da Damaja songs differentiate between ladies and "b*tches," a distinction many other entries here do not make).

Regardless, it's my Valentine's Day present to one and all. However, for fans of the podcast, there are no censor bleeps here... each and every song on the mix has explicit lyrics galore. So, for my father, who has been playing the podcast during his shift at the coffee shop, I CANNOT STRESS HOW INAPPROPRIATE THAT WOULD BE. And, I suppose, if you're planning on breaking up with your girl for V-Day, this would be perfect to leave in her mailbox.

Otherwise, enjoy some of the most willfully-ignorant, X-rated, misogynistic hip-hop you're likely to hear! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD! (link will be active until Feb. 20)

• Snoop Dogg Intro

• 
Prince Paul - Dimepieces

• Quasimoto - Hydrant Game

• J. Dilla - Crushin'

• Biggie - Dreams of F***** an R&B B*****

• Thirstin Howl III - Dreams of F***** a Cartoon B****

• Jeru da Damaja - Da Bichez

• Jeru da Damaja - Me or the Papes

• Too $hort - C***tales

• Xzibit, Jayo Felony & Method Man - P**** Pop

• 2Pac - All Bout U

• Prince Paul - Beautiful Night

• Ant Banks - The Drunken Fool

• ODB - Got Your Money

• DJ Quik - Down Down Down

• Snoop Dogg - Fresh Pair of Panties

• Junior M.A.F.I.A. - We Don't Need It

• DJ Quik - I Useta Know Her

• Snoop Dogg - It Ain't No Fun

• ODB - Dog S***

• Redman - Soopermanluva, Pt. 3 (Pt. 2)

• Biggie - One More Chance

• Celly Cel - Skanlezz Azz Bytchez

• Snoop Dogg Outro