The Alchemist came through for the holiday weekend with the “Flying High EP.” With the project drop comes the video for “RIP Tracy” featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Billy Woods. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Earl and a blurred out Woods dropping bars somewhere as The Alchemist is seen laying low in the background.
On this week’s episode of IDEA GENERATION, legendary producer DJ Premier takes us on a journey from his early days as part of the duo Gang Starr, to producing for then up-and-coming rapper Jay-Z and helping to shape his sound, to carving his own lane and becoming one of the greatest producers in hip hop history. And it all started with one idea.
0:00 – DJ Premier’s Journey in Hip-Hop
1:10 – Parents’ Careers and Early Creative Exposure
3:02 – Relationship with Travis Scott’s Father
4:37 – DJ Premier’s Perspective on Music Evolution
6:27 – From Aretha Franklin to Jackson 5
8:01 – Fresh Fest and the Birth of a Passion
9:48 – LL Cool J, Run DMC, Chuck D, and more
10:55 – From Blending to Scratching
12:01 – Choosing DJ Premiere as a name
13:04 – Pursuing Computer Science and Discovering Passion for Music
13:55 – Support from Parents and Working at a Record Store
16:00 – Making a Demo and Getting Noticed
20:06 – Joining Gang Starr and Developing a Sound
21:11 – Living and Working Together
23:03 – Defying Genre Labels
24:51 – Staying ahead of the trends
25:39 – Meeting Biggie Smalls
26:48 – Discovering Lady of Rage and Dr. Dre
27:12 – His evolution and collaborations with iconic artists
27:50 – Dynamic within Gang Starr
29:06 – The struggles of managing Guru
30:03 – A significant incident that impacted their relationship
31:25 – The story behind a classic song fight with Guru
32:14 – Overcoming creative block
33:02 – Unlocking the signature sound
33:07 – Making of “Mass Appeal”
33:57 – Collaboration with Biggie Smalls
34:27 – Impact of their music
36:12 – Personal Qualities and Humility
37:01 – Influence on Classic Albums
38:25 – Consistency and Evolution in Music
39:28 – Collaboration with Christina Aguilera
39:54 – Trusting His Instincts
40:13 – Coping with Guru’s Passing
43:56 – Rebuilding with Royce da 5’9″
46:48 – Conclusion and Future Outlook
47:48 – Change in Beat Sound with Adrian Young Music
49:11 – Becoming Aware of Travis Scott’s Musical Ambitions
50:32 – Scoring Movies and Creating a Cartoon
52:05 – Potential Collaborative Albums and Artists
54:40 – Embracing the Streaming Era and Rediscovering Joy and Passion
Lupe Fiasco delivers the song “Checkin” that he teased on social media recently. It’s the second song Lupe has released in 2023 and we have to wonder if a full length projects is being prepared for release.
From Larry June and Alchemist’s stellar album The Great Escape album comes the video for “Summer Reign” featuring Ty Dolla $ign on the hook.
Dave East is back at it with a spiritual successor to his collab with Bino Rideaux and the late Nipsey Hussle with “Clarity Pt. 2.” Could this be a sign of a new solo project from the man who played Method Man in Wu-Tang: An American Saga?
Seemingly out of nowhere comes a brand new collaboration between Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The family ties are deep on “The Hillbillies” as the duo do some traveling and go rogue with a home video. You’ll also find a cameo from Tyler, the Creator. What is this tied to? Who knows. PG Lang likes to keep it tucked on a need to know basis.
From Swizz Beatz’s Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2 project comes the video for “Take Em Out” which features Jadakiss, Benny The Butcher and the white-hot Scar Lip serving us bars on top of bars.
Russ’ Chomp 2.5 EP is yet another entry into the rapper’s catalog of dope songs featuring dope producers. One of the standouts is “Perfectionist” produced by 9th Wonder. The video is simple as Russ is poolside kicking rhymes but the song is reason enough for you to check out the entire project.
NxWorries is back. Anderson Paak and Knxwledge are back at it with a new song titled “Daydreaming” with a video that is a riff on Grand Theft Auto. Chances are, an album is on the way.
Another drop from Won’t He Do It? Yes, please. Conway The Machine is joined by Jae Skeese over J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production on “The Chosen.” The album drops on Cinco De Mayo.