Lil Rascal - Like a Grown As Man (1995)

Ok first, everyone check out how I hacked my layout for three columns. If you use Google Reader or whatever, click-through and feast your retinas. It took me like a few different searches to figure out how to do that. Also, it's come to my attention that some of my friends have been using the internet like regular caveman (usually this is cool, but not this time). Listen guys, go to http://reader.google.com/, and you can have all of the blogs you read in one nice little place. A truly efficient way to navigate the information superhighway!

Enjoy how Lil Rascal often raps in a nice swing (first song, One a Day, for a good example), accenting the same beats as the hi-hat in a typical blues shuffle (Here is a fruity guy teaching how to play a blues shuffle on the drums). Even though much of contemporary rock and hip-hop employs a straight quarter note hi-hat pattern during most backbeats, the shuffle feel is ubiquitous. Rather than using the hi-hat to provide the swing, the kick drum serves this purpose. This is particularly obvious in the sparse beats so prevalent in early 90s New York hip-hop. Let me think of a good example um um um: stab your brain with your nosebone. Then you start to realize that syncopated kick is just absolutely everywhere.

Anyway, this Lil Rascal album is a great slice of G-funk influenced Texas rap, and dude doesn't just hugely, massively bite 2Pac.

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