Diddy doesn’t like the game right now. Not Game the rapper — the rap game. He’s going to experiment heavily on his new LP and thinks his peers should get onboard with his thinking.

“Right now, I’m working on my record, and it’ll be out in the end of summer,” he told us recently in NYC. “It’s feeling good. It’s different. I’m creating a new sound. It doesn’t sound like anybody else’s stuff out there. With that comes a risk. I’m excited about the risk. I do have a beef a little bit with the game right now. I think hip-hop has lost its risk-taking quality. Everybody goes to the comfort zone. It doesn’t have that risk anymore. You’re not like, ‘What is that?’ when you hear that record anymore.”

Mr. Combs said the record-spinners are as much to blame as the people making the music.

“People have figured out the formula when they make records for radio, and DJs ain’t DJs no more,” he declared. “DJs don’t break records no more. DJs don’t play album cuts. DJs play what is going to move the crowd. DJs, they don’t expose you to the newness. That was the DJs’ thing. Hip-hop is in a recession also. It’s not dead, it’s definitely way better than where it was at, as far as with ‘Ye, T.I. and with Jeezy. It’s so much great stuff out there, the responsibility has to come with the DJs. I’m about to call the DJs out. ‘Cause they are the future, and they gotta step it up. I can’t keep turning on the radio no matter where I’m at and can’t tell who’s who.

“DJs used to have a style,” Puff continued. “The hottest DJ in the game right now is Q-Tip. That right there is a DJ playing, taking you on a mind-travelling experience. Playing something and you’re like, ‘What’s that?’ ” …

Thanks to the playa Herm for putting me up on the scoop.

[editor’s note]

This got some pretty good discussion going on the Hollerboard. The ever outspoken Roctakon had this interesting bit to say:

if i can turn this another direction, the nail in the coffen from the dj standpoint was the day i showed up to marquee and stretch was on serato. I mean AM was first but at that time he was just a douche from the west coast who was wack to me, but to see stretch on that thing I was like OK i can do this now its no longer uncool. and over the next year about 1000 songs that I would have never played as a vinyl dj made their way into my sets. Sweet Home Alabama, and shit like that and the overly pop shit like Britney Spears that was not Slave or somthing like Lady Ga Ga. When your working in such a competitive market with 100 kids in line with their headphones waiting to take your place, you will do whatever it takes to get the people on the bankets and the bottles in the air, your measured in how many times people scream and yelp for a song and how much booze is sold. so every month for a few years this shit crept into my sets, and when i did it, that makes it ok for the people coming up under me to do it. and so on and so forth. I fought for a long time against this shit and one day was like fuck it, i give up, i dont give a shit anymore, ill make a mash up cd i’ll play whatever you want me 2 within a certian boundry bottle service djs are not artsts we are bus boys.

If NY had made a stand in 2002 – 2005 and really said fuck these DJ AM’s and these mash up dudes and z trips and so forth we would be in a different world, but with serato it was just to easy to give in you never had to spend a dime and every garbage crowd pleasing song was at your finger tips. NOW this white upscale club shit thing kinda has nothing to do with hip hop BUT, it dose at the same time, because all your decision makers and industry people and more established artsts are trying to party at these places and bad boy record reps are pusing songs on you like play this new bla bla bla while your playing BLUR and nobody is like “this is strange” this is just how it is…. I’ve been at one table with 50 cents manager and some rich euro trash and puff is catty corner and eric morrillo is djing, i mean worlds colliding, and in the end culture dose not win money wins when people and ideas collide.

I’ve heard remixes i’ve made or my friends have made on Hot 97 this shit was made for beckys, when did urban radio become facinated with what upper middle class white america was up to?

so basically across america, the prevailing style of djing that people are introduced to and that people aspire to as a general rule is this servatitude bullshit. Like how many kids want to be dj AM all over america? A lot more than want to be diplo i’ll tell you that much. I’ve taken it about as far as anyone can take it without a celebrity girlfriend or rich parents, (cue ronson) and I can tell you all that there is nothing there, no pot of gold and no silver lining its all bullshit. I’ve seen people making 20 grand to dj getting a blackberry stuck in their face with the words “the client wants more hip hop” across the screen. all there is is money, and if thats your bag by all means go for it, but thats it thats the bottom line cash dollars. I mean it always has been but the people that run nightlife in america that is why they do it, money and pussy and power, nothing else music is secondary in these places. nobody gives a fuck about anything else, i mean this is the american way and its fine, its hip hop its whatever you want to call it, but when you do everything with a dollar in mind the soul of somthing dies a little.

there will always be top 40 djs and thats great i love pop music and i love a good dj, and the current economy is def helping dead this bullshit, Im looking for “WES” to win a fucking grammy, not because i give a fuck about him or MIA or some shitty clash sample, but because motherfuckers who just do them, and do it because they mentally and physically CAN NOT do anything else need to be rewarded right now, i think things are swinging in new and interesting directions and djing is changing with the economy, but if you want to know why djing is crappy right now puff its because the most famous dj in america is the most famous dj in america because of US weekly and reality TV, not trying to take anything away from dude or blame him, i’ve not met a more ambitious and hard working person in my life, but facts is facts. All my toys and money and nice meals over the past few years are in some way indebted to this and i understand that we are all tied together in this way when one of us dose well we all bennifit, i’ve got to do a lot of fun things and meet a lot of cool people and go cool places cause of this shit, but im done, its not worth it, I dont care about money enough to be a servant anymore, im going to fucking do me till the wheels fall off and whatever happens happens. If you give a fuck about djing or music or whatever I hope you’ll do the same, and to all the tourists enjoy it have fun play your songs make your mixes are remixes and do your gig trading we need you too just rember your a fucking tourist and act accordingly.

again this is not really directly tied to souther hip hop and that kinda shit, you look at those lists that joe and co, posted its mostly artists who operate and thrive outside the mainstream of nellys and so forth, they want to get money but they want to tell their story at the same time, the same thing that made Oasis crawl out of some shithole in england to be the best band in the world for a second is that same thing that drives wayne to stand in a corner and rap to himself while the machinerey moves around him.

[/editor’s note]

Updated

Diddy clarifies a few of his statements and gives us a glimpse of what he thinks dj’s should be doing in the club, i.e., not playing his music.

Diddy’s message to the DJ’s!!!! The DJ created hip-hop; the DJ introduced Diddy to hip-hop! You can never underestimate the power of the DJ and their importance in hip-hop!! To all the DJ’s out there.. Give us some new shit!!! Understand your responsibility!!!!! We believe in u!!! Love u!!!

Cashless with Squincy Jones & Dayta of SPEAKERBOXX rockin’ it this Thursday, Feb 05, 2009. Me on design.

SHE MAD!

Funny thing is that Beyoncé played Etta James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records.

From WorldStarHipHop.com

He’s baaa-aack…

And just for good measure, Cam’Ron’s Rhyme Book Found!

It’s the dead of winter, and we’re freakin’ cold over here. But we’ve reached the month of love, and the buhbOmp crew is all about some love. So, to warm you up and help you get through these wintery days, we’re back with another installment of mp3 downloads. The snuggie can’t compete with this. …

(click the song names to download the tunes)

dj lil tiger | he was a king, she was a queen under the moonlight …

Taylor McFerrin – Broken Vibes feat. Vincent Parker
This has been out a while, but I don’t get tired of it. Besides, more people need to be up on Taylor McFerrin‘s diverse talents. He’s ill on the beatbox, vocals and beats. Beautiful, soulful tune. Check for the changeup.

Bukola – Hypnotised (Domu Remix)
Hypnotic beats with a touch of dancehall.

DKD – You Know It (feat. Bembe Segue)
A favorite midtempo broken number from a few years ago. DKD is the super collabo of Dego (4Hero), Kaidi Tatham and Daz-I-Kue. This is off their 2004 classic, Future Rage.

Incognito – Nights Over Egypy (MAW remix)
Masters at Work’s monster rework of seminal UK band Incognito doing a cover of the Jones Girls’ classic.

Telefon Tel Aviv – Nothing Is Worth Losing That
In memory of Charles Cooper. I remember when Melodic and I met these dudes after a Telefon Tel Aviv show in Austin a while back. Really nice dudes. Amazing music, too.

—————

empanadamn | I love her / I love her not | Serato-ready

Jazzanova “Look What You’re Doin’ To Me” (Feat. Phonté)
Put this one on a mixtape for the girl in your life and tell her to smoke it.

INOJ / Daft Punk “Make Love You Down” (Siik Blend)
I love both these tracks, and they work remarkably well together. 

J Dilla “Fall In Love” (Flying  Lotus Remix)
A reinterpretation of a Soulquarian classique.

Ryan Leslie “How It Was Supposed To Be” (Remix Feat. Jadakiss)
So some might assume that this track is alluding to the relationship that Leslie had with Cassie, before Diddy Burger Kinged her out, but who really knows. I try not to keep up with the hip-hop Days of Our Lives. Next to the fact of this featuring a couple of dudes who I feel are really doing it in the game right now are the throwback synths.

Hawthorn Mayer & The Country “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” 
DJ Day put me on this last week. Apparently it was the song of the day at NPR (shouts to O-Dub).

So somehow how rapper/AKA sorority pledge Charles Hamilton got the idea that it would be a good idea to call a reluctant Rhymefest Serius Jones out to a battle (see embedded video above). Charles takes the L in the battle and then gets served by Rhymefest with this little jem. I can’t wait for further hilarity to ensue, when Chammy tries to take it back to ‘Fest. It bears, repeating, I’m actually looking forward to a rap battle. Damn Chammiel’s marketing team!!!

Rhymefest – Supersonic Chucky Cheese

I need this in my life right now. In my early skating days, Bad Brains pretty much ruled my world. They ruled a lot of people’s worlds, really. Here’s a teaser to the documentary that is in post-production, according to the filmmaker’s myspace/facebook page. I so can’t wait.

Another gem brought to my attention by the good folks at the Strut (shout out to willie_fugal).

Matthew LaVoie, executive producer of Voice of America’s African Beat radio show, has dug up some radio recordings of Fela Kuti during his highlife period in the 60s with the Koola Lobitos Band, with whom Fela began cultivating the sound that we know now as Afrobeat. Here’s a snippet of what LaVoie has to say about the find:

I thought I would feature what is arguably the most ‘famous’ tape in our archive; Leo’s never-released 1965 reel of Fela Ransome-Kuti and his Koola Lobitos that caught the Afrobeat pioneers at an interesting time in their careers. Fela had returned to Lagos two years earlier (after several years of musical study at Trinity College in London) and the Koola Lobitos were starting to get noticed in Nigeria.

Here’s a taste of one of the recordings:
[audio:http://www.voanews.com/english/africa/blog/images/Media/FELA_magbeyenwa.Mp3|titles=Fela Ransome-Kuti & his Koola Lobitos ‘Magbe Yenwa’]

There’s much more at LaVoie’s original blog post, including more tunes, lots of good background and an interview with Fela that aired in 1967. Please check it out.

BuhbOmp‘s own Empanadamn will be in the mix this Friday at APT, alongside DJ Day, $mall ¢hange, and the Large Professor (yeah, that Large Professor).

Info courtesy of DJ Day:

Come celebrate my man getting ancient and some random dude becoming a Supreme Court Justice. The one night in ’09 Moe Choi leaves the house, and the only time Sasha will wear a suit this year. Free admittance to anyone who knows Obama’s new cell number.

APT
419 W13st.
NYC 10014
$10

File under: People we admire

Rich Medina is as respected on the turntables as he is on the basketball court. While many people might be familiar with his name from music he crafted for The Roots, Jill Scott and Eve, heads might not know that Medina was once a step away from the NBA.

Knowledge being dropped here…