Yay Area Heat

San Quinn, "Hell Yeah"

Mac Mall, "Go Dumb"

E-40, "Go Dumb"

I've had a shitty week and didn't get up to NYC last night to celebrate my boy MF's birthday last night. As a belated gift to him, I figured I'd drop some Yay Area bangers today and I'd put obscene breasts to make up for the fact that my DVD died last night (a capper to another lackluster day.) A win-win for everyone.

I always feel a minute behind on this hyphy scene, probably because I haven't figured out who's making the must-hear mixtapes yet. How about it? Who is the DJ Drama for the Bay Area scene? Anyway, these are a few songs I've picked up along the way, nothing too recent (we'll drop some of that soon. Mac Mall touches on the omnipresent theme of going dumb, dropping a great song over a flute-centric beat. It really doesn't sound like the hyphy sound. San Quinn's "Hell Yeah" does, on the other hand, with its claps and synth sounds.

The real winner here is E-40's "Da Dummy," which is just sick. I actually like more than the "Tell Me When To Go," the song that has taken 40 national and given him long overdue respect and fame. The beat is absolutely sick, sounding almost like a digital digideroo. It never ceases to amazes me how experimental hip hop can sound without sacrificing its club appeal. This one is the masterwork of Droop-E, one the best, and dropped last year. We'll start to make this a regular feature and get into the most recent stuff.

-Nick "Catchdubs" is spinning at Walnut Room tonight for PaperStreet's Sunday Is The New Black weekly. Check out my preview for the show in the Philly Weekly, which got quoted verbatim on the PaperStreet newsletter. Even better, Nick gives your bol a shout-out on his super-famous site, every blog's godfather. Now, if we can just get a link here, I'd be real happyy. Or as happy as a miserable, neurotic person can be. I also did a preview for DJ Too Tuff's gig at The Fire in his ongoing comeback.

-More self-promotion? We are the second most popular blog right now on Hype Machine, motherfuckers! The shit ain't even begun yet, this has all been prelude. I reupped the Tiefschwarz remix of Missy Elliot's "Teary Eyed," as requested by more than a few. I'll have the Daft Punk "Face to Face" stuff up shortly and later Bob Dylan Sunday returns early with another episode of Theme Time Radio Hour.