Tag Archives: nas

Video: Nas Talks “Illmatic”

Not much needs to be said about Nas’ 1994 debut, except that it’s one of the greatest hip hop records ever made. Illmatic is so good, in fact, that even the Queens wordsmith himself has struggled to replicate its sublimity.

That’s why it’s welcome news that Nas — along with AZ, Pete Rock, and Illmatic collaborator DJ Premier — will perform the album in its entirety at this weekend’s Rock the Bells Festival kickoff in Los Angeles. In the above video, Nasty Nas takes a moment to talk about the album and, in general, life in Queens.

In addition to Nas, The Rock The Bells Festival Series will feature up-and-coming hip hop artists as well as other seminal artists performing their classic albums, including Ms. Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Common. Dates are below…

Poetic Memory: Cougar (List)

Cougar

Cougar, Madison Wisconsin’s all-foxy-grandma-instrumental-post-rock band, just released their sophomore effort, Patriot. Along with it came two starkly different—yet excellent—singles,”Stay Famous” (MP3) and “Foil Épée Sabre” (MP3, EP only). “Stay Famous” plays with old-school indie dynamics, while “Sabre”, a meandering folky piece, may or may not have something to do with fencing. You can check out their catalog at iTunes, as well as other places.

We recently got together with Cougar to talk Poetic Memory, and after listening to the two songs above, it should be no surprise that their influences range from Timbalada’s “boobs” album (whose cover is NSFW, by the way), to Bach, Hendrix, and Tortoise’s TNT. If you are surprised, it’s all explained below.

They have one gig in their hometown of Madison, Wisconsin before they embark on a European tour. Tourdates are at the bottom of the post. Continue reading