As millions of Jay-Z fans parsed 4:44 over the weekend, heedful Kansas Citians studied Rich the Factor’s latest missive. 1,000 (Keep It Ten Hunnid) is another essential document of Kansas City’s criminal underworld. The album validates the assertions I made in an extensive examination of Rich published by KCUR last year. The title track includes a statement of purpose: “Rich, why you rap about the drug life? I’m like Pac when he rapped about thug life.” He notes that “I handle business on the late night and keep my grass cut low for the snake bites” on “Late Night.” The production continues to reference ‘80s and ‘90s R&B. “On the Grit” samples the 1990 hit After 7 “Ready or Not,” a sentiment that reflects Rich’s unrepentant grind.
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I reviewed Bruce Hornsby’s appearance at Knuckleheads last Thursday.
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I accorded the Philistines my KCUR Band of the Week designation.
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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star.
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I consider reactions to the American Jazz Museum’s negative publicity at Plastic Sax.
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Pianist Geri Allen has died. Perfection, her collaboration with David Murray and Terri Lyne Carrington, was my #9 album of 2016.
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A perplexing eight-minute documentary on the creation of Bargou ‘08’s wonderful Targ in Algeria raises more questions than it answers.
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I embrace the glorious pop of Calvin Harris’s Funk Wav Bounces without reservation or irony. RIYL: Pharrell Williams, 2017, Future.
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Aruan Ortiz’s solo piano album Cub(an)ism is astounding. RIYL: Cecil Taylor, truly new sounds, Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
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May the Purple Rain never stop falling.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
1 comment:
That Calvin Harris album was free on Amazon Prime so I checked it out, even though I know next to nothing about him. I was surprised how much I liked it. That guy really knows what he's doing.
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