Wassup y'all!
Last week started off on a sad news: the passing of Bad Azz.
The Long Beach rapper had been locked up for a couple days on a charge of domestic violence when he was found unresponsive, alone in his cell. The cause of his death has yet to be revealed. He was only 43.
Bad Azz was most notably famous for his 2001 single "Wrong Idea" (actually, the song first appeared on Snoop Dogg's Tha Last Meal a few months prior) or for his 1996 guest verses on 2Pac's "Krazy" and Snoop's "Gold Rush" and "Blueberry".
Whether as a member of the LBC Crew ("Beware Of My Crew" and its even more iconic DJ Pooh remix featuring Roger Troutman should be in every legit Top 10 G-funk anthems lists!) or as a solo artist (his first 2 albums, Word On Tha Streets and Personal Business, are straight up Westcoast classics, if you ask me), he was, and will forever be, a rap unsung hero in his own right.
I'm sure the French G-funkstaz who had the chance to work with him will agree. I compiled some of his best French collabs at the end of this week's playlist (it's a shame that this one isn't available on any streaming platform, tho).
RIP Bad Azz.
On a lighter side note, you can't have missed it: 2001 turned 20 this weekend. How much has rap changed since Dr. Dre released his blockbuster sophomore album? If you wanna know how I feel about it, I'd say not so much: it's still as exciting now as it was back then!
Among many other sources of excitment in this week's (massive) playlist, make sure you check out Tulsa, Oklahoma rapper Dialtone's Oasis album (the missing link between LNDN DRGS and Le$) and La Diskett's F.U.N.K. Corner #1 EP (this is my homeboy Freesko's group and yeah, that's me on the W-Ballz-like intro, lol).
If you do enjoy the playlist, please share it, it'd be much appreciated!
Also shoot me a tweet or an email to let me know what your favorite tracks are ;)
Photo credit: Bad Azz
|
|
PLAYLIST
Listen On Your Favorite Streaming Platform
|
|
|
There's obviously a bunch of video interviews of Bad Azz out there, including by DJ Vlad, but this one by Urban City TV may be the most comprehensive one. No matter how familiar or unfamiliar you are with his music and his career, do yourself a favor and watch it.
|
|
|
You already know (at least you should!) that I'm curating BackPackerz's R&B playlist. I hadn't updated it in a while, my bad. But since cuffing season is officially back, what better timing to renew all 69 tracks? Click on Sabrina Claudio's beautiful face above and indulge yourself with more than 4 hours of R&B Diamondz & Chill.
|
|
TRIPPY
Inside My Mind: E-40
|
|
|
VICE's Slimi Hendrix takes a tour of Forty Water's brain. Smell me on this one, this is the more spaced out you'll ever get.
|
|
ARTICLES
While You At It, Also Read This
|
|
It's all for this week.
Don't forget to tell your friends to subscribe!
See you next Sunday ;)
|
|
|
|
|
