Deadguyale

at least it will be easier for the boys to notice the girls NOT to waste their time on!

its good to see these guys in the spot light. positive hiphop is still alive n kickin'! im glad its finally made its way back into the main stream.

Like a man possessed by the spirit of Chuck D, Noam Chomsky and Malcolm X wrapped into a White Owl and smoked slow, Tech never rhymes about money unless he’s talking about the government giving to the Taliban, and he never talks about hoes unless they’re your mother. He is vicious, hilarious, angry as fuck, and delivers rhymes like agent orange delivers tumors. There is no abstraction, no singing, no back-pedaling, no apologizing. Tech has a manifesto to spit, and he doesn’t stop till he’s done. And it doesn’t hurt that he drops gems like “cause if you go platinum / it’s got nothing to do with luck / it just means that a million people are stupid as fuck,” along the way. Some highlights from the album include “Harlem Streets,” the lead single “Industrial Revolution,” “The 4th Branch” and “Peruvian Cocaine.” “Harlem Streets” is an all-too true vision of New York accompanied by DJ Roc Raida on the turntables, “Industrial Revolution” has more great one-liners than Rodney Dangerfield has bad movies, “The 4th Branch” hates hard on the US government and “Peruvian Cocaine” is a tight concept piece which depicts the way cocaine is trafficked into the US. Most of the members of the Stronghold Crew play a character in “Peruvian Cocaine,” showing the corruption at all levels and the amount of talent under the surface of that New York set. The best cut on the album, however, is “You Never Know,” featuring the lovely Jean Grae. A tragic love story told from the first person, it is effortlessly narrated and heart-breaking, managing to locate catharsis even as it descends. Usually foul-mouthed in a wonderful way, Jean Grae simply sings the hook on this track, leaving Tech to weave his tale. “You Never Know” motivates much like a funeral – it makes you want to go out and do something. Revolutionary Vol. 2 is a rock-solid LP full of enough heat to light a fire under George W. Bush’s ass. It is also proof that hip hop, the most ubiquitous booty-shaking sound right now, is still a powerful tool of social critique. Though not everyone may agree with some of Tech’s more left-field conspiracy theories (e.g. bombs planted in the twin towers by the US government), Tech is nothing if not understanding of this reality. He is full of righteous hate, but never in blind or sweeping ways that are sometimes endemic of history boiled down into hip hop form. He insults the government, but never hates on whole colors, creeds or social groups, and he never insults his audience. As he puts it “I love the place I live, but I hate the people in charge.” And it is this mixture of intelligence and anger, knife edge and open heart that makes him one of the most promising artists in the New York independent scene. By Owen Strock Dustedmagazine.com please listen to this guy y'all be blown away i suggest the song "dance with the devil" as a good starting point "you never know" as mentioned in the review is also amazing this guy is the future this is what hiphop should be

im pretty sure you can get this on soulseek

I noticed the name first, The Soul of John Black. Something about it was a little mysterious. I thought the name was more interesting than the picture of the duo - two rather plain but handsome brothas, one in a cowboy hat (that would be the lead singer John "JB" Bigham), the other kneeling down with his hand outstretched (that's Christopher "CT" Thomas). The music on the unit's recently released self-titled debut reveals faint traces of contemporary flavors. And although the sound is firmly rooted in classic rock, funk and soul, the album doesn't feel dusty or self-consciously retro. Calling from Los Angeles, JB, breaks it on down for me. "The name comes from the spirit, come from deep within," says the singer-guitarist. "John Black is like the spirit of the great soul singer from back in the day. His voice is like an alter ego. We're bringing back a flavor that's been lost in the process of new music." Yeah, yeah. These days, just about every soul (and pop) singer who can play an instrument and owns a copy of Stevie Wonder's or Al Green's greatest hits is on this mission to "bring something back." But TSOJB isn't selling us short. These guys are the real thing, musicians who can - anywhere, anyplace, anytime - drop some serious jazz, rock, funk, ska, whatever you want. Or the two can throw it all together as they do on The Soul of John Black. CT, speaks up. "See, people today have taken technology so far that you actually miss the human process of playing an instrument. There's not enough people playing on their stuff." Each artist has been in the business for a while. Of course, JB has been in the game the longest. He was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, the youngest of five. His mama, a hip woman who worked for the post office, turned him on to music early. "My parents were into the Chicago scene," he says, "you know, Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield. I remember hearing Lou Rawls and Dionne Warwick, too. Later on, my brother came back from Vietnam and brought back Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix." The artist started playing guitar at 13. CT grew up in St. Louis, where his folks weaned him on Gladys Knight, Bobby Bland, the Temptations. Like his partner, the bassist is the only musician in his family. "I just absorbed all that stuff," CT says. "Me and my cousins would entertain the family with homemade shows, costume changes and all." JB joined the Air Force Reserves after high school and spent three years as an aircraft mechanic stationed in Victorville, Calif. When that stint ended, he bussed on to Hollywood and worked various gigs as a musician. He also befriended Miles Davis, contributing "Jilli" to the jazz icon's last studio album, 1989's Amandla. For eight years, he played in Fishbone, the rock-punk-ska band. After he finished high school, CT moved down to Louisiana where he studied with Ellis Marsalis at the University of New Orleans and worked with pianist Henry Butler, sax man Kenny Garrett and different members of the Marsalis family. Six years ago, CT moved to Cali, where he crossed paths with JB around '98. The two played a gig together. And once they found out they shared similar musical visions, a union formed instantly. Recording their first album together was an organic affair. The two laid down tense, no-frills tracks with some musician friends, and the overall feel is freewheeling and vibrant. JB's twangy, tart vocals and irreverent lyrics that mostly center on the peaks and valleys of love drive the 13-cut album. "I think it's hard for people to understand that we just played the music," CT says. "We just sat around and did it. The energy, I think, comes through." "That's what we do," JB chimes in. "I mean, we wanted to convey that whole live vibe. It's hard to be original, you know. But what makes it original is that it comes from the heart, that your thoughts about the music are pure. We're just trying to introduce people to new ideas, man." CT echoes his homeboy, "Yeah, man, that's all we're trying to do." Rashod D. Ollison The Baltimore Sun these guys are great, buy their album ASAP!!! you can hear some samples at www.thesoulofjohnblack.com

to hell with their nonsensical lists! the best albums of the 90's are the ones in MY collection

that reviewer does not know what he is talking about. xzibit was releasing good albums long before eminem became popular. if anything, his connection to eminem brought him down.

the pretty tony album will be coming out in april. is anyone here anticipating this as much as me?