NO TRIVIA

May 8, 2012 – I didn't pick a rap release last week, but had I, it would've been Killa Kyleon and Mouse on tha Track's Welcome to the Fish Fry. And since nothing too great has really come out since then (KD's solemn Crown Me, Playboy Tre's pretty good Liquor Store Mascot 2 are worth your time, though), I'm just going to talk about Kyleon and Mouse's mixtape, which is one of the most consistent and accomplished releases of the year.

May 7, 2012 – The Internet has enabled every music listener's natural impulse — to imbibe as much different music as possible — and has exposed genre as both a necessary label for communication, and a painfully tired marketing tool. "Maximalism" is the buzzword right now, as the music itself has started to catch up to the varied tastes of listeners.

May 7, 2012 – Twice during our interview with Gunplay, the Maybach Music Group maniac grabbed an iPhone sitting on the table and took photos of himself, demonically grinning (see above). He also frequently sipped from a water bottle filled with vodka ("This is Ciroc by the way; shout out to Ciroc!"). Gunplay in the flesh is the same as Gunplay on record.

May 4, 2012 – Singling out Adam "MCA" Yauch from the rest of the Beastie Boys because he died today is weird. Like most great rap crews, the Beasties had a way of bouncing off one another, trading bars, and interrupting each other's rhymes that made them feel like an inextricable trio. But Yauch, a Buddhist, appeared to be the guiding force in turning the group from hilarious, annoying pricks to hilarious, enlightened, annoying pricks.

May 4, 2012 – Oh boy, everybody's got an opinion on that SPIN's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list, don't they? Well, I do too! Good to see Jam Master Jay make it to the top ten, he certainly deserves it. There probably should've been room for Rick Rubin and Mike Dean (who really did play guitar on some rap albums!), as well.

May 2, 2012 – Blame criticisms of Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — that it's half great, half disaster — on the inelegant transition from "Champion," a slow rolling rap track that ends with a furious verse from Nas, to "Right By My Side" a sunny turd of a slow jam turd featuring Chris fucking Brown. It's jarring, and it declares "rapping's over, time for pop," which turns out to be only half-true.