Austin's Phranchyze is one of the underground's most interesting rappers.

A towering, lanky battler, it's been an uphill climb for a dude known to humiliate posturing wannabes in battles so lopsided they inspired animated tributes. Unfortunately, the rap battle peaked in popularity posthumously in 2002 (it's a '90s thing) and the stigma is tough to shake: battle cats don't write hot songs.

On 2009's long-delayed, proper LP, Errybody Hates Me, Phran offered up playful bars and sneaker pimp jams to generally favorable critical reception. A year's worth of small scale tours and big opening slots on most of the relevant road shows (Clipse, Dead Prez, etc.), Phranchyze returns with his best solo effort to date.

The Black Larry Bird has his biggest hooks, best recorded stanzas and best production. The LP drops during SXSW (more on that Monday) and check out the tracklist after the jump and an exclusive mp3 below. I'm saying, fresh stuff.

I keep running back this video. It hasn't stopped being funny. The lingering zingers compelled me to closely analyze why Aziz Ansari pulling a page from the Dave Chappelle comedy playbook is so fresh. If you haven't opened the forwarded email with a direct link, Ansari, as Randy the posturing shock comic producing a mixtape with TV On the Radio's Dave Sitek, accuses teen sensation Justin Bieber of stealing "Baby," one of Bieber's biggest hits, from Randy.


1. Attention to detail

Accusatory, hyperbolic videos permeate YouTube (Did Jay-Z rip off "Run This Town?" Did Dane Cook steal jokes?) and the skit's graphics homage these user-made, dramatic, yellow journalism vids. Also, Randy bobbing his head upon hearing Sitek's beat, in a fit of exaggerated pyschosis, comes from a decade of behind the scenes rap videos (like "Fade To Black") wherein artists flip out upon hearing a dope beat. Instances like these are oftentimes sincere, mostly self-aggrandizing, crowning flashes of hubris. Ansari knows his viral movements.

2. The cast

It starts with the self-serious Nick Zinner, who happens to tour the world with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs; he sells the performance with no smiles and the same stoic attitude he's fermented in years of playing behind one of rock's most outlandish, compelling singers. It continues with Sitek hamming up the producer-behind-the-boards caricature. Ditto for the foaming-at-the-mouth hype man. It ends with the chubby fellow portraying Bieber.

3. The penis

After Bieber and this ruffians trash Randy's studio, they tag a mildly humorous warning. But also, for no reason whatsoever, spray paint a penis. Subtle poetry.

4. The Chappelle's Show homage

Hard to believe it's been six years since the otherworldly second season of "Chappelle's Show," mainly because it took comedy and slang years to catch up. We should all recall how funny Wayne Brady, a cookie cutter comic popular with safe audiences, channeling Denzel in "Training Day" was. I'm Wayne Brady bitch carried all decade through Britney Spears' semi-comeback. The line is dead, yet Ansari and company siphon laughs. That's skill.

5. The fact that Aziz Ansari, with the services of indie rock royalty, felt inspired to record a full cover of a Justin Bieber hit.

It's just great.

ATG sizes it all up.

Lil Wayne is finally in jail.
His sentencing perpetually curtailed by oddities (dental surgery, freak fires), the game-changing rapper shipped to Rikers Monday afternoon. One of our brightest stars gone until likely October. Without the luxury of near daily guest spots, the internet will be a less interesting forum for new music.

Thirteen years ago today, one of the most iconic figures in pop culture was shot and killed in Los Angeles.

The event changed the course of music as a windfall of money and fame went to cohorts closest to The Notorious B.I.G. Every year since, mixtapes and commemorative bootlegs emerge on March 9. Sean Combs poaches takes into full albums, merchandise, lavish parties and motion pictures. Today, Biggie tops trends on Twitter, the social networking equivalent of murals on brick walls. 

Ruminating on this subject is tiring so I'll just offer up my five favorite Biggie songs, posthumous, bootleg or otherwise.

1.    Gimme The Loot
2.    Mo Money, Mo Problems
3.    Things Done Changed
4.    Dead Wrong
5.    Deadly Combination

DJ Whoo Kid put together an XXL Freshman Mixtape, which is admittedly more realized than ours. But seriously, we just want to hear the two Freddie Gibbs joints. Sans DJ.

Freddie Gibbs - Born 2 Roll

Freddie Gibbs - Youze a Ho

ATG's Eddie Strait is not amused.

We disagree over Rick Ross's niceness on the mic.

Other shit we like, specifically tolerable indie rock.

We're firmly in the corner of music. If it's good, it's worth enjoying without pretensions or politics. In this spirit of consuming media sans blinders, we're starting a new weekly spotlight of, simply, other shit we like.


Reggie's Pick: Beach House

Beach House are a Baltimore male-female duo who make the kind sublime bedroom pop that you'll want to wake up next to over and over again. Vocalist Victoria Legrande's full, sultry siren songs ride along layers of hypnotic strumming and stripped down synths on each of her band's serene and seductive slices of dream pop. Teen Dream, their third album, is full of ethereal and infectious love songs that beckon and call in deep, rich tones. It's more aggressive and sonically varied than either of their previous efforts, and while March is too early even for us to start making Of The Year proclamations, my ears are having a hard time imagining more gorgeous compositions coming along any time soon. "Walk in the Park" is your high point. It's a slick and gently rollicking promenade with an upbeat organ loop and a climax of soaring, pleading vocals. Play it in the early afternoon while you wait for all this snow to melt.

Beach House - Walk in the Park


Ramon's Pick: Titus Andronicus

An over-educated bunch of broken romantics, Titus Andronicus embrace collapsed futures with frank, building, volatile garage punk. 2008's The Airing Of Grievances was aimless rioting balanced in madness by thoughtful, verbose songwriting. The ambitious follow up, The Monitor, is out Tuesday on XL Records and evolves powerful blasts into tedious, often times eight-minute segments of, weirdly, rollicking tunes about the Civil War. It's a concept album but one-line, anthemic hooks still carry a good chunk of the thing.

Titus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus Forever

About time. Thanks for not being Dr. Dre, 'Fest.

El Che features appearances From Saigon, Little Brother and production from Scram Jones, S1, BKS and Terry Hunter.