Wise Words From Some Decent Guys…

A couple of hip-hop’s elite thinkers some statements yesterday that backed up many of my own thoughts (pats self on back. I told you so!). I feel obligated to share this FOR THE GREATER GOOD, and because the words rings so true. Anybody who loves music or considers themselves an artist — of any kind, really — can pull something out of this.

No I.D., who’s been scorching lately and will definitely be the subject of a blog post in the near future, checked in with Tony Sculfield and company on WGCI’s The Morning Riot in Chicago. When asked about declining record sales, and what they may be attributable to, No stated the following:

Personally, I contribute it to the way we’re putting together albums…The quality of albums is not what it used to be.

Albums sound like compilations nowadays. You got 10, 15 producers on an album that never met each, that never sat in a room and really figured out what this thing is supposed to sound like. I think the fans can hear it. The fans usually buy more into the albums that are put together buy one or two people that know each other, that have a cohesive sound. It basically sounds like something that’s gonna last 10, 20, 30, 40 years.

Check the entire interview out here, as he goes into detail about several, namely the new Common album!

Also yesterday, a one-on-one interview with legendary engineer and DJ Young Guru hit the Web. Speaking on Jay Electronica and Exhibit C (what he says applies to hip-hop records in general, though), Guru had this to say:

Those type of records you can’t fabricate, and you can’t sit in an office and think about putting this R&B person on this person’s beat, and let’s get this writer. No. Those are what I call fabricated. Not to say that that’s negative, but a lot of organic hip-hop isn’t made that way. And that’s not the way Jay Electronica works.

Check the entire interview out below.

I say and post this to reiterate the fact that this music shit is about bodies of work. Listening predominantly to albums released between 1968-1972 (expect a post about this, as well), this has been a major point of emphasis for me lately.