Today is my anniversary! 15 years ago today, Sheila and I got married. Since then it has been a hell of a ride, and through thick and thin, you're still my best friend, beautiful. Here's to another wonderful 15 years, and more besides.
For a day of celebration, I've been remarkably busy day running errands, but none more important than getting Inigo to the vet (again) to have fluid drained from his chest. His 'idiopathic chylothorax' continues unabated, which is a fancy way of saying his chest cavity continues to slowly fill with fluid (chylothorax) and we don't know why (idiopathic).
What I do know, is that it is time to educate myself on this thing and see if anything can be done. I've done some research and discovered that in many clinical trials something called rutin, which is a natural substance derived from flowers, helps halt and even reverse this sickness. So, with his chest again empty, and the vet's blessing to add rutin to his other medication, I'm off to try to save him again. Here's hoping.
In the meantime, there is always music, and today's disc for review.
Disc 382 is...Hard To Earn
For a day of celebration, I've been remarkably busy day running errands, but none more important than getting Inigo to the vet (again) to have fluid drained from his chest. His 'idiopathic chylothorax' continues unabated, which is a fancy way of saying his chest cavity continues to slowly fill with fluid (chylothorax) and we don't know why (idiopathic).
What I do know, is that it is time to educate myself on this thing and see if anything can be done. I've done some research and discovered that in many clinical trials something called rutin, which is a natural substance derived from flowers, helps halt and even reverse this sickness. So, with his chest again empty, and the vet's blessing to add rutin to his other medication, I'm off to try to save him again. Here's hoping.
In the meantime, there is always music, and today's disc for review.
Disc 382 is...Hard To Earn
Year of Release: 1994
What's Up With the Cover?: A pretty typical late eighties/early nineties rap album cover. The two members of Gang Starr (rapper Guru and DJ Premier) put on their best 'we cool' pose. While hardly exciting, this is what I expect to find in a rap cover, so I've got not complaints.
How I Came To Know It: Many years ago, my buddy Casey put me on to a guy named Guru who did an album called Jazzmatazz, which was a fusion of his rap with jazz musicians. I loved it, and later found out that Guru was also one half of the rap act Gang Starr, a critically acclaimed rap act from New York. Intrigued, I purchased an early record of theirs called "Get In The Arena" and loved it. "Hard To Earn" was just me drilling through their collection - in this case based on a recommendation from the knowledgeable staff of Ditch Records.
How It Stacks Up: I currently have three Gang Starr albums, with plans to get more (they have six total). Of the three that I have, I'd say "Hard To Earn" is second, or right in the middle.
Rating: 3 stars
A little over two years ago, Guru died of cancer, and rap lost one of its great artists, largely unknown outside of its own community. It was while reading the resulting obituaries that I learned that he hadn't always just been Guru, but was once one half of the critically acclaimed Gang Starr. Digging through Gang Starr's music has been a great and recent pleasure ever since.
"Hard To Earn" is a rap album that features my favourite rap subject: rappers bragging about how awesome they rap. This album came out in 1994, when a lot of rap was moving into 'harder' subjects, but for me the "I rap better than you" is still the grand daddy of all rap subjects.
In terms of style, "Hard To Earn" is focused on laying down very soulful grooves - nothing terribly complex, but very well-paired with Guru's smooth delivery. Guru has a calm, relaxed tone that never seems rushed - he reminds me of L.L. Cool J. I like them both, and have never felt a need to choose between the two.
Guru's phrasing is probably his greatest strength, his ability to roll concepts through the end of a line while always staying in the groove. There are a number of tracks where sections are delivered by guest rappers, some of which are great. In particular Smooth B (from the rap duo "Nice & Smooth") does some amazing work on "DWYCK" including:
"Smooth, I drop jewels like paraphernalia
I'm infallible, not into failure
Like a rhinoceros, my speed is prosperous
And pure knowledge expands from my esophagus."
However, Smooth B's mastery was the exception, and I mostly preferred Guru's stylings to any of the the guest stars on the record. And no, I have no idea what DWYCK stands for.
DJ Premier is like a good drummer, keeping a steady beat that Guru can play with, and then occasionally delivering some high quality scratching. Like a guitar solo, a good scratch shows skill, fits in with the flow of the song, and doesn't go on too long - Premier delivers on all three.
As a rap aside, I enjoyed hearing Guru repeatedly referring to his modest height (5'8"), usually in the context of making it clear it hasn't kept him from being popular with the ladies - usually the ladies of his opponents in a rap battle. Quoting any of these would be lost without being able to hear the rhythm and cadence of the music. Also, most occurrences involve some crude imagery - note Tipper Gore's warning label on the cover.
Overall, this record was so much fun I kept it in my player a couple of extra days, and probably gave it three or four listens, simply because it was a great record to walk to and from work with. I was tempted to give it four stars, but a couple things resulted in it falling short.
First, the album has 17 tracks. Long time readers will know that I believe there are very few reasons to have more than 14 songs on a single album. "Hard To Earn" is composed of short songs, with most under four minutes, so it isn't overall length. It is just that with that many songs, it is the equivalent of watching TV with someone who keeps clicking through the channels - it gets hard to focus and enjoy on one thing. There are easily 12 songs worth keeping on this album, but if Gang Starr had dropped the other five, they'd be a lot easier to individually recall.
One of the tracks, "Aiiight Chill" is just a series of messages on DJ Premier's answering machine. Yes, this song is subtly clever, as Premier shows the natural rap cadence of normal speech by pairing it with an evolving drum beat. It also has the added historical value of demonstrating that in 1994 everyone in Gang Starr's circle of friends signed of a message with "Aiiight Chill." I tried it earlier tonight, and it felt like a pretty cool way to end a message. As a song it just came across as overly clever, and not musically interesting enough.
Apart from these minor problems, "Hard To Earn" is a high quality rap record, which gets better and better with repeat listens. Although relatively new to my collection, I have a feeling it is going to get worked into the musical rotation many times in the coming years. Guru may no longer be with us, but his rap genius will always be with us.
Best Tracks: Tonz 'O' Gunz, Speak Ya Clout, DWYCK, Blowin' Up The Spot, Mostly The Voice
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