#2...Hot tracks of the day: Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Appreciate" b/w The Roots "Stay Cool"

Today's entry finds a focal point with two amazing tracks. The first is a track from Pete Rock's 2004 Soul Survivor II Record. Essentially this is a comp with Pete Rock's production and other folks rapping...for the most part Pete Rock stays behind the boards and lets his beats do the talking, and MAN, they talk. The record itself boasts guests appearances from some of the most well respected MC's in the game; RZA & GZA, Talib Kweli, Little Brother, and Dead Prez, to name a few. The track itself has a great jackson 5 sample (2-4-6-8 who do we appreciate) in the refrain and has Pete's old bandmate CL Smooth rhyming and he absolutely KILLS it. I have CL Smooth's recent solo record American Me in the iPod and I've just been sitting on it...It's gonna be time to give that one a spin before long. CL's flows are still clean, concise, and to the point.



The second track I wanted to share was The Roots "Stay Cool". whenever I put this record on my iPod I was driving around listening to it, and I knew I had heard the beat before. after racking my brain for a few minutes I realized it was nearly the exact same beat as "Ego Trippin" (Pt. 2) off of De La's 1993 masterpiece Buhloone Mind State. This was and still is one of my favorite all time beats, and Black Thought never dissapoints, so this track makes for a match made in Hip-Hop heaven. You can find this song on The Roots' 2004 record The Tipping Point. I love all of the roots' work and this record as a whole doesn't falter. As soon as thought kicks in w/ "Bass for your face High for Your Eyes"... you know this song is destined to make it on your party playlist or one to bump in the ride while driving around on a nice temperate night w/ the windows down and the sunroof open. I was rocking this song at a stoplight on the corner of Barton Springs and S 1st street here in Austin last night and nodding my head accordingly, and I think the people that saw me thought it was a little weird to see a bearded white guy rocking it to this track.

-Marv.

Biblio:

http://www.amazon.com/Buhloone-Mindstate-Soul/dp/B000000HJ3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Survivor_II

http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Roots/dp/B0002A2WAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1257550280&sr=1-1