Thursday, March 31, 2011

Benjamin Starr "The Scorsese Sessions" - A Joey Thee DJ Review




When I first told Benjamin Starr’s Manager, T. Rich, that I would listen to “The Scorsese Sessions” and write a review, I thought it would be easy. As a DJ, I listen to music all day, everyday…all genres. So to prepare for this listening session, I decided to try something new so I can really get the experience for the project’s intended theme. I cut off all the lights, put on my Technic headphones, closed my eyes and listened to the whole body of work.

After listening, my mental was completely disrupted, confused, and discombobulated for about ten minutes…”Why?,” you may ask: “Is it a weak follow-up to “The Experience”? Does it come of as wildly underwhelming? Well, let me put it to you like this, “ The Scorsese Sessions” IN ITS ENTIRETY, is one of the BEST hip-hop mixtapes that I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to and I say that with the upmost respect for the art of hip-hop that I can gather. I’ve listened to tons of mixtapes in my life, and this one clearly stands out prominently. It covers every essential element that I have in mind that makes a perfect mixtape. I’d really rather call The Scorsese Sessions an album, because that’s exactly how it flows and how it’s arranged. Is not a mixtape just for the streets or just for the college kid or just for the average hip-hop head old and new, this is for every type of listener that likes to indulge in GOOD MUSIC.

In my humble opinion, Benjamin’s “The Experience” mixtape was a solid project that affectively introduced Ben Starr to hip-hop and opened some eyes and ears, locally and nationally…”The Scorsese Sessions” is NOT a mixtape, it is a free ALBUM that undeniably introduces his natural talent to the WORLD. I don’t care if you’re from Singapore, Bangladesh, Budapest, Milan, ‘Madagascar’, ‘OZ’, East Coast, West Coast, Mid-West, or The South, If you love hip-hop, you will feel his message, his lyricism, and his delivery.

From Act I you can tell the mixtape is much more than random “rappidy raps” with no substance, it’s like the introduction of a biopic where Benjamin (with the help of Ryan Janeiro & Righchus) does an excellent job of paining the picture of who he is (“Unplugged”) and where he’s from with songs like “Fish & Grits” & “My Story” (Shouts to our mutual home state South Carolina!).

“Life is a bitch/made-up/see how her Mac looks/and that’s why iTune her out--like MacBooks…”

By Act II Benjamin lyrically helps the listener visualize the temptations that we all face at different points in our lives. The picture B. Starr paints is so accurate, that you can’t help but reminisce on your personal encounters and ‘complex’ situations (to say the least).

“…And let you all be Vince Vaughn to my Vince Van Gogh”…

Act III successfully creates the part of the movie/motion picture when the ‘climax’ has occurred and now you’re just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be. “In Front Of Your Eyes” has a DOPE concept where B. Starr rewinds a vivid story from death back to life when you have the opportunity of making the decision that could change the course of your destiny. This track solidifies such a growth in Ben Starr that it would be blasphemy to deny the intelligence, content, and substance in his lyricism.

I couldn’t pick one track that didn’t really feel, but one of my favorite standout tracks is “Hear My Tears” that uses a sample from Anita Baker’s “Angel” record (one of my all time favorite soul/r&b singers). I wanted to start running all over my apartment in the middle of the night when I heard this record. I can’t give proper accolades to the soulful production work on The Scorsese Sessions so I’ll simply say, “AMAZING + KUDOS ALL AROUND!”

Benjamin asks the proverbial naysayer, “What you tryin’ to be, an Ali or a Sonny Liston?” The only thing I can say in response to that after listening to "The Scorsese Sessions" is “Benjamin Bomaye!!”

-A Joey Thee DJ Review

DOWNLOAD THE SCORSESE SESSIONS, HERE, THEN YOU CAN THANK ME LATER!! #JoeyTheeDJstampOfApproval

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Monday, December 6, 2010

Joey Thee DJ presents "December 4th" : A QuickMix Salute to Jay-Z





On December 4th, 2010. I put together a quick mix to pay homage to the most notarized and acclaimed rapper alive, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. Enjoy! Click here for free Download HERE.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Kanye Interview w/ Matt Lauer on The Today Show



Here’s the full interview that Kanye spazzed over. So now that I’m watching this, while I still think Kanye might have overreacted, I can somewhat understand why he was mad. Lauer was all “look at his face” (Bush’s) and what not. What is that? I guess you could say that he was just trying to get a more emotional response from an interview subject, but that was weird. At the end of the clip, Lauer directly addresses the Twitter tirade and plays the portion of the interview that Yeezy was really pissed about. #Awkwardmoments.

COURTESY OF NAHRIGHT.COM