Nas' Illmatic, redone by Funky DL as Jazzmatic
March 30, 2013 2:55 PM Subscribe
British hip-hop producer/rapper Funky DL has a freebie for you: Jazzmatic, Nas' Illmatic redone as a jazz album from the late 1930s.
This is pretty neat as a concept, but Premier's actual beats are still better and jazzier imo.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:05 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:05 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you like this, you might also enjoy Elmatic, Elzhi's song-by-song Illmatic tribute, with tracks by Will Sessions.
posted by box at 3:11 PM on March 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 3:11 PM on March 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
Elmatic, previously
Also, if you like Funky DL's style, he sampled Amy Winehouse in Back to Frank & Back to Rap, which you can stream there from Bandcamp (more info on the making of the release), but it seems the download option has been disabled.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:16 PM on March 30, 2013
Also, if you like Funky DL's style, he sampled Amy Winehouse in Back to Frank & Back to Rap, which you can stream there from Bandcamp (more info on the making of the release), but it seems the download option has been disabled.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:16 PM on March 30, 2013
Elmatic is pretty good. Elzhi did a good job keeping the themes of illmatic, but still coming from him.
The beats are decent, but like Potomac said, illmatic is classic for a lot of reasons other than Nas' acapellas.
I'm generally split on remix projects like this. Some turn out some awesome tracks, (like this from Wu-Gazi), but Life's a Bitch, Memory Lane, One Mic, Shakey Dog, a lot of them the beats and lyrics are inseparable for me and anything thats "remixed" is ... just missing something.
On the other hand, 93' Till Infinity beat seems to make everything sound good.
posted by lkc at 4:11 PM on March 30, 2013
The beats are decent, but like Potomac said, illmatic is classic for a lot of reasons other than Nas' acapellas.
I'm generally split on remix projects like this. Some turn out some awesome tracks, (like this from Wu-Gazi), but Life's a Bitch, Memory Lane, One Mic, Shakey Dog, a lot of them the beats and lyrics are inseparable for me and anything thats "remixed" is ... just missing something.
On the other hand, 93' Till Infinity beat seems to make everything sound good.
posted by lkc at 4:11 PM on March 30, 2013
93' Till Infinity beat seems to make everything sound good
Agreed [The Pack - Vans (Diplo's Vans Till Infinity Remix) ]
the beats and lyrics are inseparable for me and anything thats "remixed" is ... just missing something.
Then you might enjoy Jazzmatic jazzstrumentals, the beats without the vocals (free stream, available to purchase).
posted by filthy light thief at 4:38 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Agreed [The Pack - Vans (Diplo's Vans Till Infinity Remix) ]
the beats and lyrics are inseparable for me and anything thats "remixed" is ... just missing something.
Then you might enjoy Jazzmatic jazzstrumentals, the beats without the vocals (free stream, available to purchase).
posted by filthy light thief at 4:38 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's like of Dream Warriors actually became a thing.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:25 PM on March 30, 2013
posted by Ad hominem at 9:25 PM on March 30, 2013
filthy light thief: Yeah, sorry. I wasn't meaning to disparage this. I think he did a good job with the beats and they sound good, but an old adage is "don't remake something great, remake something that could have been better."
An up-and-coming producer isn't going to make a Nas acapella sound better than the original, any more than the late 90's pink floyd "trance remixes" improved Wish You Were Here by putting extra halo pads and a drum beat behind an already good album.
"Everybody wants to be a DJ, everybody wants to be an MC",
-- Posdnuos 1989
There are a million rappers and producers and DJ's, and a few of them are pretty good. The field is fertile ground, but if you were a singer and promoted yourself with "alternate lyrics" to Back In Black, or Stairway To Heaven, then ... eh.
posted by lkc at 1:50 AM on March 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
An up-and-coming producer isn't going to make a Nas acapella sound better than the original, any more than the late 90's pink floyd "trance remixes" improved Wish You Were Here by putting extra halo pads and a drum beat behind an already good album.
"Everybody wants to be a DJ, everybody wants to be an MC",
-- Posdnuos 1989
There are a million rappers and producers and DJ's, and a few of them are pretty good. The field is fertile ground, but if you were a singer and promoted yourself with "alternate lyrics" to Back In Black, or Stairway To Heaven, then ... eh.
posted by lkc at 1:50 AM on March 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
Nas is always at the top of the list of rappers with terrible beat choices. He could have had a Hard Knock Life or Izzo, songs where the producer made the song. but I suppose what is great about Nas is that his rhymes always made the track. I think he will aways remain a rapper's rapper. Even the Rza tracks are minimal, about the lyrics. When he had a hit with Made You Look, that song was about the producer,Salaam Remi.
If he had had Kanye could he have made hits? Probably , but he wouldn't have been Nas, the GOAT mc.
posted by Ad hominem at 2:28 AM on March 31, 2013
If he had had Kanye could he have made hits? Probably , but he wouldn't have been Nas, the GOAT mc.
posted by Ad hominem at 2:28 AM on March 31, 2013
In short, your favorite rapper's favorite rapper will probably be Nas or Raekwon.
posted by Ad hominem at 2:56 AM on March 31, 2013
posted by Ad hominem at 2:56 AM on March 31, 2013
streamed some of it--it sounds good! thanks
posted by the mad poster! at 7:59 AM on March 31, 2013
posted by the mad poster! at 7:59 AM on March 31, 2013
Ad Hominem: Nas produced One Mic, so its not always terrible. But yeah, every album past It Was Written he seems to need at least one flat out _terrible_ song. Mary J Blige sued him to get Braveheart Party off of Stillmatic.
posted by lkc at 10:55 AM on March 31, 2013
posted by lkc at 10:55 AM on March 31, 2013
Cool - thanks for sharing this. Unfortunately I need to be near a computer that can unzip that file to hear it (are they intentionally making it difficult to listen to, perhaps?), but I heard a couple tracks on youtube and really liked It Ain't Hard To Tell. Hopefully there's more in this album like that one, but those tracks where they speed up the vocals (like on One Love) - ick. I can't put my finger on it, but it's like Uncanny Valley meets Don't Mess With the Classics...
(and for the record, I always thought my favorite rapper's favorite rapper was Kweli, but I made that assumption years ago, and it's probably changed since - and Kanye actually produced 3 tracks on Quality)
posted by antonymous at 7:00 AM on April 1, 2013
(and for the record, I always thought my favorite rapper's favorite rapper was Kweli, but I made that assumption years ago, and it's probably changed since - and Kanye actually produced 3 tracks on Quality)
posted by antonymous at 7:00 AM on April 1, 2013
Oops - I'm an idiot and went right for the last link! You can stream it, praise Yevon!
posted by antonymous at 7:30 AM on April 1, 2013
posted by antonymous at 7:30 AM on April 1, 2013
redone as a jazz album from the late 1930s
That's kinda misleading isn't it? I love piano loops and dig DJ Cam and such but for a moment I thought there'd be actual 1930's style music mashed up with rapping and that wasn't the case. It's the usual hip hop beats and (admittedly tasty) jazz snippets.
posted by yoHighness at 1:39 PM on April 1, 2013
That's kinda misleading isn't it? I love piano loops and dig DJ Cam and such but for a moment I thought there'd be actual 1930's style music mashed up with rapping and that wasn't the case. It's the usual hip hop beats and (admittedly tasty) jazz snippets.
posted by yoHighness at 1:39 PM on April 1, 2013
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posted by ouke at 2:59 PM on March 30, 2013