GOOD RAMEN

Hip Hop magazine

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Check out this exclusive review on a beautiful piece of hip hop art by our ol’head Shiftomatik!!

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Shiftomatiks Flashbacks

If you were on a deserted island and could only have one hip hop album to listen to, which one would you take?  Without a doubt in my mind, ‘Train of Thought’ by Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek from the year 2000 would be it for me.  Now for an album reviewer at Good Ramen who was asked to review mainly records from my favourite golden years of 1993-98, this seems like a strange and unexpected statement… So let me try and justify this fairly epic endorsement for you.  Since their early collaboration on Mood’s 1997 album 'Doom’, Tek went on to produce one of hip hop’s greatest albums of all time, 'Black Star’ together with Kweli and Mos Def in 1998.  Absolutely one of the illest combinations of MCs and producer hip hop has ever heard!  Back to 'Train of Thought’ though.  Tek and Kweli clicked since their beginnings together, and their 2000 album showcases this in a way that is artistic, raw and even beautiful.  On tracks like 'The Blast’, for instance, seamless sampling and production by Hi-Tek combines with Talib’s razor-sharp, linguistically brilliant rhyming ability to create a song that is timeless and smooth, but also has a dose of just enough 'hard-core’ to make it an instant classic.  Hi-Tek even spits a verse!  Songs such as 'Some Kind of Wonderful’ and 'Good Mourning’ show Hi-Tek’s talent and diversity, but are amazingly added to by Talib Kweli’s supreme ability to make the listener hear the beat while still being able to think about the lyrics at the same time. 'Love Language’ is that rainy day track that is so smooth and melancholic with just the right mix of a positive vibe, and features a nice french hook by Les Nubians.  For those of us who simply wouldn’t be happy without a proper “banger” on any album, the track 'Down for the Count’ featuring Xzibit and Rah Digga serves that purpose perfectly.  Digga’s 16 is sick!  'For Women’, an ode to Nina Simone’s song of the same name (actually hers is 'Four Women’), may quite possibly be the most cohesive story-concept track ever written in hip hop.. But hey, I am biased.  It’s never been surprising to me that Kweli’s mother is a university English professor, and Tek’s father a singer called Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell band.  Language and music is literally in their blood.  The album as a whole then, is an unashamed display of what both Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli are capable of individually, as well as together, without ever out shining or overshadowing eachother’s genius.  It has everything in just the right amount.  Melody, flow, arrogance, intelligence, punchlines, social consciousness, grimey-ness, storytelling and even a concept.  Ultimately then, 'Train of Thought’ is pure hip hop perfection!  So leave me alone on my deserted island and let me keep listening!

Peazy, Shiftomatik

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Scroll down and check out the latest interview with Charles X from X and Hype!!!

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Charles X

Earlier this week i got to catch up with a local artist deriving from East Hills, Sydney, to talk about his recent success and his journey to becoming a breakthrough in Australian hip hop. Take a read and support the up and comer

GEEK: Hey X, really been wrapped up in the music you’ve recently brought out and i thank you for taking the time and having a chat. So i got few questions for you man, if thats cool.

X: yeah man, no doubt thanks for having me 

GEEK: So with your extensive 90′s hip hop knowledge, when did you become in love with hip hop ?

X: It was when I was 4, I remember watching RAGE & Snoop Dogg - Whats My Name, came on. My baby brain exploded like WTF IS THIS !!!! 

GEEK: haha dude i wasn’t even allowed to watch the video as a kid, that's dope though, its always good to see where people began their love.

X: Everyone has their little somethin’ somethin

GEEK: So in that case when did you begin and become a talented artist

X:  I started writing lil’ poems for honeys when I was in year 2 & made my first tape at 14 (the worst thing you’ll ever hear) but only really started a couple years ago.

GEEK: I think that’ll need to be released?

X: Absolutely NOT!

GEEK: Haha okay so i’ve actually caught a few of your gigs and thought you had so much crazy energy. What were some of your best moments and the best gig you’ve performed at?

X:  Best moment would be when we had to be uncle toms on that whack ass TV show (X-Factor) & nick (Hype) jumps off the stage like 10 meters over to some friends of ours who are local Sydney artists aswell. Shout out to Cupiid and Manu crooks! and the best gig was one where a close friend Ninetyone another local artist randomly flew out to in Queensland aha that was turnt.

GEEK: Dope, sounds like you guys have some crazy times!

X: oh for sure, not a weekend goes by that we don’t have near death experiences haha.

GEEK: Okay so obviously you have a oldskool feel to your style. Who was the biggest influence to your movement. 

X.  I remember while making Da Mutantz (album) me & nick (hype) used to come back from class & just watch every live performance & interview from LONS & Tribe in the 90s. We’d always be finding new ones that one of us hadn’t seen like, YOOOOO! Nick son you needa see this one !

GEEK: Busta was a crazy energetic guy! So its easy to say your collective group Da Mutantz all have that oldskool style too or do they each represent something different?

X:  Nah for the Mutantz is just us trying to conserve the true essence of hip hop that we all loved in the 90s but at the same time do something incomparable & new & not corny like the rest of these mother F$%@# out here aha nah it’s all love fam.

GEEK: i suppose the idea is to bring out something new every track. So you have a partner in crime Hype, therefore X and hype. How did you guys collaborate ?

X:  X & hype really just started because I decided I wanted to try take this rap thing serious but I was too nervous to rock a stage & nick was always turnt as f$%@ at partys with no liquor in him jumping around & he was always with me bumping my raps anyways so I pretty much talked him into becoming my hypeman, it took a while aha but he’s my brother he’s always had my back.

GEEK: Haha so Hype is your scapegoat but at the same time a down homie! And you guys have a tape out soon, whats involved, whats its story ?

X:  We have a few joints in the works atm but our main joint Da Mutantz is definitely coming out this year. I actually made a majority of this tape when I was 17-18 but it was an experiment to see if I could make timeless music, just like all the 90s classic albums that we bump regularly. These days attention spans are short & trends are even shorter. So I held it till now to see even if I progressed musically & got influenced by different artists (which I did & have) I’d still have a timeless piece. So that’s this year plus we should have a whole lot of other content this year also.

GEEK: Awesome i cannot wait my dude! Okay, only got a couple more questions dude. Locally who are you on right now ?

X:  At the moment I mess with Klimax & Kalton constantly oh & Flow Fi HEAVY.

GEEK: Dope well i’ll have to check them out and might even get an interview as well haha! Okay and one final Question X. Who else are you on right now internationally ?

X:  Hurt Everybody’s killing it for me right now on the real a collective from chicago you might of herd of Supa Bwe if not DO SO! & also a couple new mutant joint bouta shut the world down too. watch out for ninetyone man!

GEEK: yeah for sure i’ll keep a close eye on the team. Well thank you X, awesome to have this time and i hope all the best for you and the team!

X: No thank you man, been a pleasure and keep this up local artists need a bit of shine.

GEEK: Totally Right! And you're very welcome my man

There you have it from Charles X himself. Been a crazy week but i hope you enjoy while you get a chance, check out some X and hype links on this blog and vibe out

GEEK signing out

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Local artist interview with X and Hype. The dynamic duo leading Sydney's new collective group "Da Mutantz". Time to get on this movement! Stay tuned for more Good Ramen, Artist Spotlights, mixtape of the month, upcoming local artist gigs, concerts and more

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A FEW WORDS...

Hip Hop is a culture, society and a lifestyle. A beat, a sixteen or an adlib that takes you somewhere. Somewhere that for that time you are unreachable by your surroundings. Smothered by a bass line you are unable to be a regular member of society, instead you're an upstanding citizen of the worlds Hip Hop core. Good Ramen is that outlet, all your needs fulfilled and maintained so stay tuned. Good Ramen taking off in the coming months 

Editor in Chief

Eamonn The Geek