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Are These Amazing Hip-Hop Producers The Greatest Ever? Pt. 2

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Welcome back good people!

When we last left off, we were discussing a mix of the greatest beatsmiths ever to sit behind the boards in hip-hop. After these pioneers are all dead and gone, their spirits will be the ghosts in your MASCHINE that powers the next generation of hip-hop super producer. They are the literal movers and shakers of the music industry. They are the composers of straight heat (no FRUITY LOOPS here). So back by popular demand, and with good REASON, we present Pt. 2 of the greatest hip-hop producers ever. And just in time too because I’m fresh out of producer puns.


Rick Rubin

Rubin

There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the incomparable Rick Rubin and his contributions to hip-hop production. Def Jam Records architect and co founder (along with some guy named Russell), Rubin has laid the foundation for not just classic songs but classic careers. From the Beastie Boys to Run D.M.C to LL to Jay-Z, Rubin’s rock and roll samples overlaid onto neck snapping compressed percussion made you want to fight for your right to walk this way, that way, and any other way Rick wanted you to.

Notables: Walk This Way / 99 Problems / Fight for Your Right to Party


Pete Rock

pr2

If you like Kanye and you like Just Blaze and you like hip-hop, then you’ll love Pete Rock! The original soul and jazz sample king, Pete Rock has been cranking out classic tracks and ridiculous remixes for over 25 years. Cousin to Heavy D, this mecca in the soul brother was a mainstay in East Coast 90’s era hip-hop, so when you reminisce over the golden age, you are more than likely reminiscing over Pete’s beats.

PeteRock_radio

Notables; T.R.O.Y (They Reminisce Over You) / The World is Yours / Rather Unique


Just Blaze

just-blaze-baauer-studio

Just Blaze is an animal. Plain and simple. He produces the type of music that makes you want to crash your brand new BMW into a brick wall. Utilizing melodic soul samples chopped to shreds, hard-ass drums and an unmatched frenetic energy, if you ever need to get yourself hyped up for anything, I highly recommend a Just Blaze joint. What Jimmy Hendrix does with an electric guitar, Just does with a soul sample. With several decades of cranking out hits for everyone from Harlem World to Rocafella Records, it would appear that you Mr. Blaze, do know what you’re doing… doing… doing…

 Notables: I Really Mean It / U Don’t Know / Touch the Sky


Rza

RZA

If you are a hip hop fan then I really shouldn’t have to say anything other than the name Rza but you took the time to read this so I’ll write something. Rza is the Soul / Sole Sonic force behind the Wu-Tang movement. Although his discography expands way past Wu-Tang, lets just say if you’ve ever liked any Wu-Tang song (and you have), Rza was more than likely the one who produced it. He’s produced for more people and on more classic albums than we care to count. From Bounty Killer to Bjork to Biggie. From Enter The Wu to OB4QL to Supreme Clientele, only Bobby Digital can supply the kind of grungy, dark, smelly basement beats that’ll make Jeru the Damaja Come Clean (Premo produced that but you get the point). If it needs to be hard-edged and gritty then it needs to be Rza.

Notables; Protect Ya Neck / Long Kiss Goodnight / C.R.E.A.M


Dilla

j-dilla 1

Hailing from Detroit Michigan, J. Dilla was and still is one of the most influential hip-hop producers of our time. With production credits from Common, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Slum Village and a host of others, his sonic youth makes up the very fabric of hip-hop music. I’ve prided myself on being able to recreate every producer’s sound and when I tried a Dilla track, I couldn’t quite get the timing right. He’s the only one I’ve been unsuccessful with. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. What Timbaland does to the groove of a track, J. Dilla does to the whole damn song. The syncopated, off-beat flow is a part of that Dilla magic. It’s more of a feeling than timing and 9/10 times it just feels right.

Notables; The Light / Stressed Out / Stakes Is High

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Rest Easy Eric Curran a.k.a M.C Krispy E

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Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, I’ve posted the same pic of me in the hospital  during my temporary and untimely demise  in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to “normal”, I asked Eric “Why’d you take the pics?” And he said, “I knew you would want to write about it if you lived.” Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.

You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6’4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her “Yo, is that dude bothering you?” She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.

Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like “Why are the other consultants making more money than you?” I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that “You need to hire Alfred!”, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, “What if you didn’t have health insurance when this happened?” I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.

My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor “Well I’m not going anywhere.” She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says “Well I’m not going anywhere either!” That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.

Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.

It’s been a bit difficult to deal with it to be quite honest and I’ve been writing this in my head for years but never had the bravery or grace to accept that my friend wouldn’t be here soon. I also can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your entire family nucleus unexpectedly. In true Eric fashion however, I would like this to not be about me but whomever has lost someone and has been coping. I’ve always intimated that my life would not be as enriched as it was were it not for the people in it. The problem with that is there is also no way to deny that it feels empty without those who helped craft your path. Rather than focus on the negative, I would rather focus on the examples of duty, family and emotional intelligence. All concepts reinforced by Eric that have led me to have successful relationships since I’ve put them into practice.

From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a “Enrique Pollazo!” And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!

Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.

Rest in Peace Eric. “Be Good.”

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Writing Your First Book / Should I Self Publish?

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I had the distinct pleasure of  participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.  Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century.  We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!

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What the NFT is a BEEPLE?

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On March 11 this year, the digital artist Beeple sold a collage of digital images from his “Everydays” series for nearly 70 million dollars as an NFT, or non-fungible token. And if that sentence confuses you, you’re not alone.

A non-fungible token is a unit of data on a digital ledger called a blockchain, where each NFT can represent a unique digital item, and thus they are not interchangeable. NFTs can represent digital files such as art, audio, video, and other forms of creative work. While the digital files themselves are infinitely reproducible, the NFTs representing them are tracked on their underlying blockchains and provide buyers with proof of ownership.” – Wikipedia

Still confused? Let the artist himself explain it, and learn how he went from NFT newbie to making the third most expensive artwork by a living artist in three months. Not to suggest Beeple is an overnight success. The “Everydays” series alone involved creating a piece of art every day since May 1, 2007 – and he hasn’t missed a day.

Check out some of Beeple’s amazing and controversial work below.

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