Better Than Crack Or Smoking Dirt

Mr. X and Mr. Z “Drink Old Gold” – This is an early example of hip hop product placement dating back to 1987. I suppose that in the context of history, Mr. X (the MC) and Mr. Z (the DJ) are a poor man’s Erik B and Rakim or Kool G Rap and DJ Polo, but at least in terms of this one record, it had nothing to do with skills – this is just as good, really. As far as classic hip hop booze anthems go, this is top shelf material. It’s a minor tragedy that this is currently out of print.

The Tough Alliance “Take No Heroes” – This is the work of two young Swedish men who apparently have a deep and powerful love for synthesized strings and horns. Strangely, the guy sings in that nasal whiney style used by lots of corporate mall punkers, but with a peculiar Liam Gallagher-esque inflection which sounds alternately brilliant and irritating. This is a massively catchy song, so if you are trying to avoid getting something stuck in your head for a few days, you may want to sit this one out. (Click here to buy it from Srvice.)

FYI: Sasha is going to be doing a special fill-in post here tomorrow, but I’ll be doing an extra post on Sunday covering the MTV Video Music Awards in real time, as has been the tradition here for the past two years.

Also: Sean over at Said The Gramophone is taking a well-earned vacation, and has a team of guest writers filling in for him this week. It should be pretty interesting.