Killa Cam takes aim at Jay-Z, plus new tracks from Jeff Merchant and Hard-Fi
By CHRIS NELSON | February 9, 2006
Even if most artists are all about getting their paper, there are always a few out there — Hard-Fi, Cam’ron, and Jeff Merchant, to name three — willing to toss us a morsel or two for free.
Hard-Fi, "Cash Machine" | Ska-influenced in the best possible way that something can be ska-influenced, “Cash Machine” delivers the kind of emotional impact that artists can only dream of. Why iTunes would give away the best track on this Brit band’s otherwise lackluster album is totally beyond me. Just be glad that it did. Get it before Steve Jobs changes his mind.
Cam’ron, “You Got It” (a/k/a "You Gotta Love It") | The diss track that we’ve all been reading about amounts to one of the more carefully planned controversies since Janet let her right one hang. But listening to Cam giggling as he repeats “you ugly!” a half-dozen times before likening Jay-Z to characters from Fraggle Rock and Alf is still funny as hell.
Jeff Merchant, “Landlord Song” | Taking a solo turn from his work with LA-based group the Lullabies, Merchant makes shitty landlords and hipster roommates sound somehow entrancing in this lush, quirky three-minute ode to LA’s Echo Park.
Related:
FARC, Cam'Ron, Bombs away - side, More 
- FARC
You’ve probably heard of two of the “indie” hip-hop artists below, even if they’re bypassing trad distribution models and just giving away their music.
- Cam'Ron
When misogyny runs this in-your-face, it’s hard to make a case for metaphors.
- Bombs away - side
- Combat pop
The new British sound is marked by riot vans, rage-engorged faces in taxi queues, the mute vigilance of the cameras, and everywhere the sense of some remote flogging going on.
- Hard-Fi
With all the hype surrounding Arctic Monkeys, Editors, and even Hard-Fi, it’s become apparent that the UK is swimming in musical talent while suffering from a paucity of A&R scouts.
- Various artists, RUN THE ROAD VOLUME 2 | Vice
If Cam’ron is good enough to look for talent overseas and Jay-Z can nab Lady Sovereign, then Great Britain might just overcome America’s mainstream myopia. Vice believes it.
- Izza Kizza
Kizzaland’s main draw? It’s Kizza’s elastic snake-charmer flow.
- Fruity loops
It used to be, come the first week of the month, you could count on a new Certified Bananas MP3 mixtape showing up on-line, clocking hits of the day (reggaeton, rap, dancehall) alongside the Providence DJ duo’s inimitable blends and remixes.
- Culture clash
If there were two golden rules worth following for this reviewer gig, they’d be never conflate an artist’s backstory with her product, and never read other people’s reviews.
- Pop goes to war
Next time you put on the new Spoon single to make that subway ride go by a little faster, consider what musical escapism means to troops in Iraq.
- The big hurt: Music news in brief
Those of us still chuckling over DMX's “your momma ain’t name you no damn Barack” diatribe are in for another dose of ill-informed rapper cuteness.
- Less
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