Big K.R.I.T.-Praying Man (Feat. B.B. King)

"Praying Man" is the perfect barometer for Big K.R.I.T.'s career right now. On an album titled Live From The Underground, K.R.I.T.  performs with none other than Blues legend B.B. King, a juxtaposition that highlights the meteoric rise of  K.R.I.T. (all of these .s are starting to get a little out of hand). After years of releasing superb quality mixtapes,  K.R.I.T. attempts to balance burgeoning name recognition with the holy grail of every rapper-not going mainstream-on his brand new debut and largely succeeds. While other artists might just use a soulful sample, K.R.I.T. gets King to come and croon while laying some mean guitar licks. The combination of the two along with  K.R.I.T. 's storytelling create a unique, introspective allegory that in some ways is the modern heir to Nina Simone's classic "Strange Fruit." Not afraid to show off his new found status with cameos from legends,  K.R.I.T. also doesn't turn his back on what got him here in the first place and the result shows on this jamandahalf and the album in general (one of the best of the year).

Buy Live From The Underground

Click here to download "Praying Man"

Juvenile-Ha

I recently got my hands on The Definitive Collection, Cash Money's attempt to define their long reign on top of Southern rap. Like a lot of people who grew up in the South during the 90's, I would have changed a few songs here and there, but the collection definitely brought back some memories. It also reminded me of how dated most of their music sounds. Other than a few tracks which have stood the test of time ("Bling Bling" "Loud Pipes"), most of the tracks sound empty and simplistic-both lyrically and sonically. But one thing that they do remind us is that what Kanye and Jay-Z were doing with Watch The Throne wasn't new, it was just another step along the evolution of bravado rap for which Cash Money did more than most to advance (though that's not necessarily a good thing). Today's jamandahalf comes from Juvenile, the king of the 90's era group, and was the song that really brought Cash Money to the national spotlight. While the crew split up years ago, they left an inedible mark on rap and over the course of almost a decade also managed to drop a few jamandahalfs.

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Juvenile Ha

Nappy Roots feat. Big Rube-Legend Lives On

Nothing makes my ears warmer than a Big Rube feature. I've professed my (man)love for Rube before, and this track from Nappy Roots put a huge smile on my face the very second that his baritone came on. Like a wise uncle, Big Rube always seems to impart timely advice and this time is no different. Sounding right at home on the Organized Noise beat, Rube starts off the new Nappy Roots album "Nappy Dot Org" on the right foot. Completely produced by the previously mentioned legendary Southern producers, Nappy Roots show once again that their lasting presence on the scene is justified. While they haven't hit the same commercial success that they had with their debut Watermelon, Chicken & Grits, the group's southern fried take on life is still a pleasure to listen to, especially in a game where the Southern conscious rapper has seemingly disappeared in the last few years. Check it out for the Big Rube, stay for the Nappy Roots. Enjoy.

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Nappy Roots Legend Lives On (Feat. Big Rube)

Big K.R.I.T.-The Vent

Big K.R.I.T., a favorite of the blog for a little while now, has recently released the follow up to KRIT Wuz Here titled Return of 4Eva. Since the last time he was on the blog K.R.I.T.'s been writing a play book on how to build consistent hype-release great music, go on tour, remain visible while not playing yourself out, strengthen yourself as an artist and a brand. Return of 4Eva sounds like a natural progression, rather than a huge leap, to his first tape, but as a rapper KRIT has clearly matured. Deeply rooted in Southern rap, KRIT sounds like 2.0 to the subset which has been both so oversaturated in recent years yet which still seems like it has something more to offer. KRIT continues to combine tracks that showoff deep introspection with tracks which showcase the more trunk-rattling traditional elements of Southern Rap, bridging the gap that most Southern rappers can't.

Today's jamandahalf features KRIT venting/rambling, in the best possible sense of the word, on a threadbare beat. When you hear this song you really have to listen. It's not a song that comes easy, but it does really show off KRIT, the rapper. On tracks like these KRIT shows off his humanity. Not Hollywood enough to stay aloof, "The Vent" sounds like a buddy coming to talk about what they got on their mind. KRIT is clearly not hiding, its impossible to over a few piano chords and a synth or two, rather, he's putting himself out there, ready to be judged. Judge for yourself and let me know what you think.

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Lil' Wayne feat. Cory Gunz-6 Foot 7 Foot

Change of plans tonight. Was going to drop a dope electro jam, but that'll wait. Lil' Wayne's new single off Tha Carter IV leaked today.

Wayne has an elephant sized presence in my iTunes and I've been a Lil' Wayne fan since way back in the day when me and my buddy Quon would ride around on our bikes listening to his debut Tha Block Is Hot. Probably the best album ever put out by a 16-17 year old, his debut set the tone for years of hard hitting albums and mixtapes. While his albums seemed to sometimes put constraints on Wayne, his zaniness always found its way onto his countless mixtapes (I still think Tha Drought III is the best mixtape of all time). With his Tha Carter series, Wayne solidified himself as a serious artist, and his Tha Carter III album was one of the most successful  albums of this past decade.

Wayne's combination of punch lines, raw energy, word play, and the undeniable "it" factor have made him one of the most popular rap artists in the world. A recent jail stint though had people wondering what was the next step with Wayne, especially after his last two eh releases (Rebirth and I Am Not A Human Being). This street single seems to answer every question and doubt. Picking up right where "A Milli" left off, Weezy comes out throwing JaMarcus Russell fastballs. Wayne started writing his rhymes for the first time in jail, and although far from the lyrical precision of Rakim in our last jamandahalf, he makes up for it with a swag that seems to be at an all time high. With lines like: "real G's move in silence like lasagna," and "I got through that sentence like a subject and a predicate" Weezy seems like he's fully back, having fun, and out to prove that the jail sentence was nothing but a hiccup in his over 13 year old career. Welcome home.

 Lil' Wayne-6 Foot 7 Foot (feat Cory Gunz) (JamandaHalf.com) by jammininthenameof

Big K.R.I.T.-As Small As A Giant

Almost every article I’ve ever read about Big K.R.I.T. compares him to other rappers like Pimp C and David Banner. Comparisons are easy, especially when talking about artists that most people don’t recognize. Familiarity breeds interest; we want to hear music that sounds like other music we know, we want to hear artists that we can compare to others. That is the entire premise of Pandora.com and the Genius playlists on iTunes: giving us music we can identify with, even though we may not know the specific artist or song. Especially with rappers, southern rappers in particular, people try and identify other rappers they sound like, boxing them in before they have the chance to make an identity for themselves. Everyone is the next Andre 3000 or Big Boi. Typecasted. This can sometimes help listeners find new artists that they might like, but in other ways it clips the wings of up and coming rappers, limits their individual shine and almost always sets them up to fail under the weight of too-heavy expectations.

Big K.R.I.T. earned the above categorizations with just one mixtape, Big K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, which generated huge buzz and resulted in a major record label deal. But hopefully the same comparisons don't also put shutters on him. On songs like “As Small As A Giant,” off the mixtape, K.R.I.T. mixes up a healthy dose of honest soul searching with clear confidence, over a flow that sounds aged but sharp. Starting off with his best Big Rube impression and a great spoken word intro, he goes right into his verse sounding much older than his 24 years. Completely self-produced, KRIT is a shining light of Southern Rap, keeping strong the introspective streak that the South has always had, and one that is more needed now than ever.

And oh yea, if ya ask me, I say he kinda sounds like a young TI mixed with a little Trick Daddy ;-).

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Cunninlynguists-Mic Like A Memory

The stark honesty of this jamandahalf is almost unrivaled in any song I can think of. I'm going to admit right now, I've slept on Cunninlynguists something heavy. With a discography that seems like it's filled with introspective hip hop cased in a Southern shell, I feel like I should have been playing this group for years. My loss.

In this surprising jam off of their 2001 debut, Will Rap For Food, the trio from Lexington, Kentucky and Atlanta weave tales of self doubt, personal struggles with drugs and depression, and tragedy over a beat jazzier than Salt Lake City's finest. Mix in a Common sample, and you got a hard hitting tale that in the end manages to be inspiring. Kno (the group's producer) mixes in a trumpet loop that is both invigorating yet haunting, at the same time reflecting the song's dark tales while keeping its triumphant spirit. What "Mic Like A Memory" is all about is finding oneself, whether it be through your family, through your friends, or like Deacon's confessional verse, through music. With three heavy verses that show off lyrical dexterity, tight flows, and an honesty that is rare in modern music, Cunninlynguists show off the skills that you've either known for years, or like me, you've been sorely missing. 

 Cunninglynguists-Mic Like a Memory (http://jamandahalf.com) by jamand1/2 

UGK-One Day

As Southern as a dinner of that good old Florida BBQ from Big Al’s BBQ trailer in Gainesville, Florida, accented by the sound of chirping crickets and taken down easy with some sweet tea, UGK was among the first Southern groups to hit the national stage. And like groups such as Outkast, Goodie Mobb, and the Ghetto Boys, UGK cooked up jams with a conscious streak, jams that had one ear to the classics of Motown and another to the streets. UGK’s sound maintains a down-home feel that has stood the test of time since they first dropped their debut album, Too Hard To Swallow in 1996, and continued to grow for the next 11 years until Pimp C’s untimely death in 2007.

UGK has jams. While not as consistent as Outkast or Goodie Mobb, when UGK drop a jamandahalf, you know it’s serious. This serious. But although my two favorite duos this side of Simon & Garfunkel got funky together on that classic, no other UGK song fully exhibits their uniqueness like “One Day.” From Pimp C’s opening line, “My mamma put me out/at only fooourteen” to the final loop of the dope Isley Bro’s sample, the song's bare-knuckled honesty hits hard, but is weathered by the undeniable smoothness of the guitar chords and the sugary vocals of the Isleys. And although Pimp C and Bun B always sound good together, the two have never sounded better than they do on this track, trading verses about growing up with nothing, and living without knowing what the next day will bring. A true classic. Enjoy.

UGK - One Day Your Here, Then Your Gone (http://jamandahalf.com) by jamsfordays

Lil' Fate & Ludacris-Growing Pains

The hype man: the guy whose sole purpose is to hype someone or something to others. Get them excited. Get them ready. Get them “hyped.” I once went to a talk by KRS-ONE with Moo where he spent 20 minutes explaining the necessity of having a hype man. Said you can’t make it without one. Said the hype doesn’t have to be true; someone just has to hear it.

The thing is, no one ever really wants to be the hype man, right? Everyone wants to be the guy getting hyped, not the one running around doing the hyping. But the hype man has played a crucial role in rap history, with hype men being chosen by fate to be the wingmen that have helped some of raps biggest names land the proverbial prettiest girl at the dance. Artists/hype men like Memphis Bleek and Flava Flav have been hyping someone (Jay-Z) or something (NWA) their whole careers, making it a career.

But I know in the back of their minds, these hype man have always wanted to one-up whatever they are hyping. Flava had “Flava of Love.” Bang, instant B-List stardom. Bleek had his verse on “Is That Your Bitc*?” Come to think of it, Robin even got with Poison Ivy.

“Growing Pains” off Ludacris’ best album, Word of Mouf, is one of all my all-time favorites. A song about growing up, and the trials and tribulations that come with it, this jamandahalf is 4 minute and 49 seconds of reminiscing about the good times and the bad. About being a kid and being blissfully unaware. About getting older and wanting it all. Over an effortlessly smooth beat, Luda and Lil’Fate tell us about coming up as a kid in Atlanta. Lil’ Fate who? Yea, Lil’ Fate, Luda’s hype man, takes this chance and kills it, dropping two verses of storytelling genius. For this one song Lil’ Fate is the man. And what a song it is.

 Ludacris - Growing Pains by jamsfordays 

B.o.B.-Don't Let Me Fall

Well god dern BoB. Since the last time the young Bobby Ray hit these pages, I think it's safe to say that he's certified blown up. His hit single, "Nothin' On You" (with its accompanying impossible game) hit platinum last week, a helluva feat for a 21 year old artist whose album hasn't even come out yet. It would be easy for BoB to put out an album with thirteen Nothin' On You clones and call it a day, but BoB is not that artist. As he demonstrated during the March 5th concert, BoB is not just a hit single, but is an artist with boundless talent who wants to use his music to push rap while expressing himself to the world.

Today's jamandahalf is the first song off of his debut album, "BoB Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray" and is both his introduction to the world, and a plea to ____ (a girl? his fans? his family) to not let him fall. The song starts off with an uptempo piano loop, eventually accompanied by the beat, and then finally by roaring guitar riffs. The jam acts as a showcase for BoB's talents: an effortless flow that switches from one verse to another, his singing skills on the hooks, dope word play with a heavy streak of honesty (mixing swagger with a hint of vulnerability), and a catchiness that never feels forced. These combine to make a heavier song than his first hit, but one that just feels just as good singing at the top of your lungs rolling down the highway. On the first song of his debut album, BoB also revels in his command of seamlessly combining rock and rap, as only someone who plays multiple instruments can (BoB plays the trumpet, guitar, piano, french horn). It's a bold, dope, follow up to "Nothin on You," and a sign that there are nothing but great things coming from the kid from Decatur, GA.

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The Jams Behind The 5th-B.o.B.-Generation Lost

For our second artist we bring you B.o.B, a rapper from ATL who is coming to CMC just as he's blowing up. Good timing, eh?


21 years old. Hit single . Album on the way with appearances from Lupe and TI. Recent cosign from Eminem. Life is good right now for BoB, but just as good for hip hop heads. After a recent run of disastrous years for hip hop, we finally seem to be moving again in the right direction. A new generation is once again putting substance with style over style with no substance; lyrics that ride on top of a sick beat over beats that purposefully drown out lyrics; a story and honesty (with swag) over fabricated swagger with no story. Artists like Jay Electronica, Fashawn, XV, and the artist of today's jamandahalf are putting hip hop back on track, skipping recent year and taking the torch directly from the Nas/Jay-Z generation.

BoB (born as Bobby Ray Simmons) is a North Carolina born, ATL bred, rapper who is on the cusp of blowing up. BoB's mixtapes combine southern rap, an ear for samples (Manu's "Mr. Bobby" and O Brother Where Art Thou's "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow" for example), and rock to create a unique sound that has shades of a young Andre 3Stacks infused with a restless energy to expand his own talent while pushing the bounds of current rap. Although far from reaching his potential, BoB in his mixtapes has revealed a relentless pursuit of musical experimentation, and not only raps but sings, plays the guitar, and produces his own music.

Today's jamandahalf is from his 2008 mixtape "Who the Fu*k is BoB." "Generation Lost" has a level of self awareness that is not often seen from any rapper, let alone a 20 year young rapper. Rapping about his home, ATL, BoB critiques social norms without seeming preachy, and never puts himself over anyone, saying he was a part of the problem not long ago. Over a sparse beat, BoB's flow is effortless and never forced, revealing a musical maturity that is years ahead of his age. BoB shines brightest when he talks about the paradoxal nature of the relationship between the artist and the listener (see "Elevators" by Outkast): how often times it's the worst music that sells the best. Rapping about taming the musical monster of the past few years with real music, BoB says that no matter what, he's going to keep making music he wants to make. For us, that's good news.

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Generation Lost  by  jamandahalf

Outkast - Player's Ball

Ahhh I would like to welcome all of you fine folk to a special christmas edition of JamandaHalf, and in the spirit of the holiday season I wanted to grant you all some musical knowledge that some may already know.  Not all christmas music blows!! I know for some this is a shocking development, and in the past I didnt think it was possible, but music comes in more shapes and styles than you can dream up and thus I was introduced to my first christmas song JamandaHalf.

Now many of you Im sure have come to appreciate Player's Ball for the fire that it truly is.  The 1994 release of the single marked Outkast's maiden voyage into the hip hop mainstream and the rest is history.  However, while it is common knowledge that the easy rolling flows and infectious chorus can get any party movin, it is not as widely known that the track was originally recorded for the LaFace Records Christmas album.  At first glance the song is a jam in any season, but as you look deeper the references are clear.  Jingling bells, snow boots, egg nog, and the rest of a chritmas feast (minus the ham hocks of course).  Check the lyrics as you listen for a more spherical perspective.

And thus one of my all time favorite tracks was really a christmas jam in disguise making my hipocritical hatred of christmas music both ignorant and unintelligent.  So now that Ive learned my lesson teach it back to me a few times over, post up any of your favorite holiday songs, or anything else for that matter...

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Outkast-ATLiens

There was a time when Outkast really was “Outkast.” Not too long ago actually. That was before this whole “Put out a double cd, break up, get back together, make a bs period piece, break up, come back and put out a classic jam and a half (Art of Storytelling Part IV), break up, supposedly work on single album and a joint album” phase they’ve been on since after Stankonia. Big Boi’s been around; but Andre 3000’s been missing, on the reg. But god dern, when Outkast was really “Outkast,” they were the greatest musical duo of all time…

Outkast’s second album, also called ATLiens, was a bridge between their insanely promising debut, and their polished masterpiece, Aquemini. With a general theme of outer space and extraterrestrials among us, Outkast included, jams such as Elevators, 13^th floor, Two Dope Boyz define and highlight ATLiens. The breadth and depth of ATLiens is unparalleled in rap history, and the ease that Big Boi and Andre are able to completely switch sounds, content, and style on individual tracks shows their unreal musical versatility. While the whole album is one giant jam and a half, and many song could have higher lyrical merit, or a sicker beat, none of them are more a jam of a half than the album’s title song.

Outkast is what Southern Rap could be…no, Outkast is what Rap should be. Over a pounding Outkast/Earthtone Ideas beat, both Dre and Big Boi lay down lyrical magma. Big Boi starts off, laser beams blazing. Did he just say he was cooler than a polar bear’s toenail? Yeaaa he did. Did he say it tickles to see you try to be like Mr. Pickles? Uh huuu…Did Dre tell you that he put his glock away because his lyrics are “a stronger weapon that never runs out of ammunition”? Si chaval. ATLiens (the jam, not the album) may not be the most introspective, otherworldly Outkast jam of all time, but play it a couple times. It's two rappers, who on only their second album, are asking the world, who better? ATLiens is the jam and a half.