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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.

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

Drizzy's new single stormed the scene this morning. We've been following the story. The major label debut, Thank Me Later, is slated to drop in May, which'll be towards the end of his month-long Away From Home tour.

Produced by come up partner, Boi-1da ("Best I Ever Had," "Forever") and Al Khaaliq, it's a triumphant arrival anthem and kisses off bandwagoners on its big hook:

"I know way too many people here that I didn't know last year...who the fuck are ya'll?"


Drake - Over (produced by Boi-1da & Al Khaaliq)

We told you.

Blu and Mainframe have a new production company, a new free EP, and just premiered new visuals all under a new moniker, Johnson & Jonson.

"IN CELEBRATION OF THE LAUNCH OF OUR NEW COMPANY WE PRESENT OUR FIRST MUSIC VIDEO FOR BLU & MAINFRAME'S "DISCO D.Y.N.A.M.I.T.E." DIRECTED BY A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. - N.W.C."

Solid choice of interesting, expansive openers make an otherwise run of the mill college tour worth checking out. Hit the jump for dates.

With the backdrop of industry perils pushing back Chamillionaire's third major label album, Venom, the Houston rapper delivers on a December promise to bring "major pain" via a mixtape dubbed, um, Major Pain. Like his classically underrated and excellent Mixtape Messiah volumes, Pain is set to be an ongoing series available through his website.

"If you happen to take a trip to New York, and you happen to bump into anybody, anybody in Manhattan that's walking out of the Universal building -- you know, anybody that you see in a suit and a funny looking bow tie, you deliver this message, you tell them this, February 2 here comes the pain, they don't push us back"

In an ironic twist, Venom finally gets a March 16 street date.

And in related, welcome news to fans of their seminal 2002 classic, Get Ya Mind Correct, Cham is reuniting with longtime cohort and brief beef buddy, Paul Wall, for a nationwide tour that jump starts next month during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

Taking their temperature.

We'll weigh in tomorrow, but on the eve of Lil Wayne's Rebirth -- the rock album outlets have been reporting about for well over a year -- critical reception is scathing, we've gone through scrapped Fall Out Boy, Lenny Kravitz duets, three covers (the above is one of the tossed inceptions), two other official releases (We Are Young Money, No Ceilings), two Grammy gigs, and with jail pending, this may be the last meaty bit of media we get from the game's most interesting voice.

Yeah bro, it kinda sucks. 


Rolling Stone:

"He splutters and wails over tracks stuffed with aggro stomp and bland riffage; it sounds like he's been holing up with a bunch of Spymob and Incubus records."


The Guardian:

"Artistically, at least, rap-metal seems to be pop's own Red Bull Flugtag: the best you can hope for is an inglorious plummet."


Chicago Tribune:

"The lyrics are crushingly banal. Wayne revels in his cartoonish persona, but some of his lines wouldn't get a laugh in a high school locker room."


London Times:

"The New Orleans rapper can't sing a note so the Auto Tune is set to 'Annoy.'"


Entertainment Weekly:

"A nimble, almost balletic rapper on countless mixtapes, singles, and Billboard-topping collaborations, the 27-year-old comes across both muddled and belligerent on the much-delayed, extensively leaked Rebirth."