Can't Stop, Won't Stop

A Look at a Few of This Year's Highlights

by Meat

So 2005 was an interesting year for rap music.

Although, we still had the usual one-hit wonders and countless albums full of fillers and disappointments, the year did produce a few somewhat memorable moments. Strictly based on the entertainment value, it was all about the beef between 50 Cent and the Game. In one year, we saw the rise, the signing of and the eventual fall-out between these two label mates. From shootouts at New York radio stations to a brief public truce, this saga has it all; drama, suspense, betrayal, and it ain't even over yet! The thing is, out of all this came a wonderful series of underground instigation in the form of mix tapes. Some of these were better than anything either artist had put out thus far, especially for the Game. He managed to demonstrate some serious hunger that was noticeably absent on his album. Sure, he shot himself in the foot by doing so, but it did give him just the right forum for him to do what he does best. Peep out "300 bars" (arguably Game's best verse to date) on any number of these mixes for further proof.

Soap operas aside, there was also some great music being made both above and below the radar. For all my college kids, some of you still might not have checked out Danger Mouse and Mf Doom's Danger Doom: The Mouse & the Mask on Anti/Epitaph. A great mixture of sample-driven beats and comical wordplay, fully loaded with dope cameos (Talib Kweli and Ghostface Killah) and extra entertainment courtesy of Adult Swim. Also on Anti/Epitaph is The Craft, the third major release by Blackalicious, an album sure to please any Quanum fan. There was also the return of J-live with his newest The Hear After on Penalty or GZA reliving the days of old by hooking up with DJ Muggs on Grandmasters put out by Angeles Records.

Still, if what you need is a little more of that hand-eye coordination shit then check for the ever-reliable Oakland Faders or Demolition Men who managed to put out their fair share of quality mix tapes this year. For beatheads it was DJ Platurn (one part of the Faders) who takes the cake with two memorable efforts; his ode to De La Soul entitled So This is De La Heaven, Part 1 and the blend-infested Blendapellas with DJ Enski. Both manage to equally show Platurn's skills as a turntablist as well as a dope party DJ. As for the Demo Men, they come hard with their Street Radio series featuring the likes of Vincent Price and Bay Area's own Balance hosting the festivities. Using the forum to break new songs as well as give their chosen host some time to shine Street Radio is everything KMEL would want to be.

There's also the other Price, Sean Price that is, who's got a new one called Monkey Bars. Peep that one or any of the other solo efforts from Boot Click Camp members. Whether it's Tek and Steele making a come back or Buckshot teaming up with Little Brother's 9th Wonder on Chemistry, they all have their nod factor going. Oh, and though LB's sophomore effort didn't quite blow the whole industry out of the water, The Minstrel Show on Atlantic did give it a much needed breath of fresh air and solidified 9th wonder's position as one of today's top producers.

As for the radio, the South has completely dominated the airwaves and leading the pack has been Texas' Swishahouse crew. Having produced tracks for some of the most popular albums of the year, including Paul Wall's The People's Champ and Mike Jones's Who is…?, they have finally introduced the Chopped and Screwed sound to most of the country (Peace the originator DJ Screw). Personally, no album stands out on their own due to the fillers that engulf each release, but singles like "Sittin' Sidewayz", "Back Then" and "Still Tippin'" are straight dope, hands down.

Speaking of 12" singles, Balance's "Right Here" should have cats fiending his upcoming release on Fontana, and DJ Shadow's foray into some town business on "3 Freaks" featuring Keak and Turf Talk is undoubtedly the most surprising release of the year. A single that will surely unite two groups of people that have had very little in common up to this point (note: this is a very limited release so snatch up your copy before the Japanese get wind of it).

Obviously, by now we all have heard "Super Hyphy", but that was just an indication of what's to come in the future from our hometown heroes. Berkeley rhyme sayers Frontline also plan to be part of that future and their Now You Know album that dropped earlier this year proves that they're worthy of such. Other Bay titles to peep are Mista Fab's Son of A Pimp, which has be gaining popularity since it's initial release, and Bart's B.A. Sports for the song "Gunz in da Closet"(Best chorus of the year!). And last but not least, DJ Chango and Domingo Yu put out a mix that is helping raise funds for East Oakland's Unity High, a school that has a program teaching selected kids everything about the music business. Lessons Of the Game not only features some classic hip-hop tracks it also includes one of the kids from the program. Pick this one up for sure and support the youth.

Oh well, that's it till next year….