2022 Top Five - Music

We have 12 days until the new year. 2023 is upon us. Since we are close to the new year I'm going to spend this week doing my best of lists. I'll do music, movies, tv, podcasts and sports. I will do a top 5 like I do every year as well. Take it or leave it, but these are my top 5 in all the listed categories. Today we will start with music.

Music has been different this year for me. I am getting into a territory where I am stuck. I listen to the same stuff over and over. I like what I like. I need to branch out, and that is a goal for 2023 in music for me, but as of now, I am stuck in my ways. My top 5 this year will be different than in the past, but it is still music based.

At number 5 I have my refound love for bands I listened to 20 years ago and stopped for some unknown reason. I may have let my music snobbery get in the way or moved on to something else, who knows. But this year I have found that I like a good amount of the bands from my past. Franz Ferdinand is back in my life. They are rad. They play cool pop music. I saw them in the "Sparks Brothers" movie and that reinvigorated my want to listen to them. I am dabbling with the band Clutch again. They play older blues songs with a heavier sound. They use lots of reverb and distortion while playing classic tunes. They are great. I also got very much back into The Strokes. They are a good band. They are what The Ramones wished they could have been. The Strokes are a much more talented Ramones. I am happy that I let my snobbish ways go and rediscovered these bands. That makes me happy.

At number 4 I got to see Nas and Wu Tang Clan perform live this summer. Busta Rhymes was there as well. This is the perfect concert for me. I feel like they asked 15 year old Ty what he would want to see live. These 3 artists would have been very high on my list. Wu Tang Clan was great. This is one of the best collections of rappers to ever be assembled. Even without some original members, I still got to see Raekwon, RZA and Inspectah Deck. It rules. Nas was amazing. He crushed the venue. The whole crowd was vibing to him when he stepped on stage. He had this incredible presence. It's a show I won't soon forget. And to see Busta, he showed up at the end, that was the cherry on top. It was a dream. I loved this show. I'm glad I went. Now to the album portion of my list.

At number 3 I have "Dropout Boogie" by The Black Keys. The Black Keys are one of my all time favorite bands. I have been in love with their music since I first heard them in 2001. Their sound is unique to only them. People have tried to replicate it, but they cannot do it as well as The Black Keys. That is why I love "Dropout Boogie" so much. It is a return to form. They are going back to their roots on this album. They are more bluesy and rock forward. The reverb and distortion is back. The album is fast and it flows wonderfully. I really enjoy it. I was a little taken aback when I didn't see it on anyone else's best of lists, but that is neither here nor there. "Dropout Boogie" is like going back in time for me in the best possible way.

At number 2 I have "Cheat Codes" by Danger Mouse and Blackthought. This record rips. It is such a good hip hop album. Danger Mouse is continuing to show that he is the best and most versatile producer in the game. He is at the top of the mountain on this record. The production, the beats, the sound, the extra instruments, it all works and blends so perfectly. He is a master of his craft. Speaking of masters in their craft, Blackthought shreds on this album. His rapping is pitch perfect. Verse for verse he is the best one on the record, and this record has a ton of big time cameos. Artists like Raekwon. Michael Kiwaunka and the last known recording of MF Doom. These are heavy hitters, and they are all great. But Blackthought blows them all out of the water. I have these weird feelings where I don't think Blackthought is good anymore, and then I hear something like this. It makes me feel like a dummy. But then I sit back and enjoy it. Balckthought is an amazing artist and "Cheat Codes" further proves that point.

My number 1 album of the year is "Mr Morale and the Bigsteppers" by Kendrick Lamar. This is a masterpiece. Kendrick further proves why he is the best in the game on this album. This record is deep and introspective and overwhelmingly wonderful. This is like an hour long therapy session and Kendrick bares his soul on the album. I must have listened to this record dozens of times but I still find something new and different that I love with each new listen. This is a work of art. This is a masterclass in recording an album. There are no bad tracks. Everything works. The flow of the album, the tracklisting, it is all perfect. The accolades are very, very well deserved. I got to see him while he toured with this album and that was an amazing experience. Kendrick Lamar is the GOAT. "Mr Morale and the Bigsteppers" further hammers that home.

That is it for music. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 movies of 2022. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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A Night With Nas and Wu-Tang Clan

Last night I got to see Wu Tang Clan and Nas on their New York State of Mind tour. Saint Louis was their first stop and a buddy of mine wanted to go. He asked if I was interested, and you better believe I was fully in. Nas and Wu Tang are two artists that I have always wanted to see live but never had a real chance. The last time Nas was in Saint Louis was in the 90's. As for Wu Tang, who knows when they were last playing live shows in STL. But they were here last night. In fact this was the first stop on their tour. They opened the whole thing here in Saint Louis. I was champing at the bit to see what this whole show would entail.

When we got there, the show was at Riverport, or as it is now known, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, where there was a DJ playing. I have been to shows where the DJ is the headliner and also the opening act. This DJ, DJ Scratch, was very good at his craft. He was great at scratching, kept the crowd involved, played great tunes and did some wild stuff on the turntables. He has also produced records for members of Wu Tang, so you know he has credentials. He got on stage for 45 minutes and rocked the crowd the whole time. I did not know what to expect next. I have now been to three concerts since the start of the pandemic and each one has started right on time. And like clockwork, Wu Tang walked on the stage right at 9pm. I was impressed at the impeccable timing. They proceeded to play for 25 minutes, and it was one hit after another. I was impressed at how good they still sounded. They kept the crowd involved. They talked in between songs. Each of the emcees got their own chance to shine. The RZA did his verse from "Bring the Ruckus", and I was in heaven. It was a thing of beauty. The RZA is my favorite member. I did not know who I would see, but I was pleased. The only two original members that are still alive that were not there last night were Method Man and Redman. Every other living member was on that stage. Even ODB's son, YDB, joined the band on stage. I was hyped to watch them perform. Nas joined them after 25 minutes to perform a song. This ruled. He came on stage and crushed. I figured he was going to walk off stage and let Wu Tang finish their set. He did not. Wu Tang left the stage and then Nas performed for 25 minutes. He was amazing. I was more on the Wu Tang side as to who I wanted to see most, but Nas ended up impressing me the most last night. He went from song to song like the pro he is. The screen in the background was showing old music videos of his. It was very cool to see him perform and then look at a much younger version of himself. Nas was incredible. I could not have been more impressed watching him perform. Then, after the first 25 minutes, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah came back on stage and did a few songs together. Then the rest of the Wu Tang clan, minus the RZA, got back on stage and did another 25 minutes. Again, it was hit after hit. I was amazed at how they kept the show going and how each performer did their thing. After Wu Tang did a second 25 minutes, Nas came back out. He proceeded to do all his hits. It was amazing. He was simply wonderful. I could not have been vibing more. Nas did 25 more minutes and then thanked the crowd for coming out. I loved that each headliner did their thing for two seperate 25 minutes or so sets. I also loved that each group had a wardrobe change between each set. Most of the guys had a totally different outfit on for their second set. The night seemed to be over. The stage went dark, but I figured it was done. Then Busta Rhymes came out and did a few songs. It felt like I was in eighth grade again, listening to some of the first hip hop artists I discovered. It was a tremendous open to their tour and a great, great show.

I am so happy I got to see these legends perform live. What a great night of live hip hop.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Martin Shkreli is the Hero America Deserves

This is the normal physical reaction when one hears the words "Martin Shkreli"

The internet's latest ragefest is all about "pharma-bro" Martin Shkreli. According to the masses Mr. Shkreli is an abomination of a human being with no empathy and a total disregard for a civilized society. He is a spoiled punk brat who uses his influence to make money off of the backs of the less fortunate. He has no remorse. He has no compassion. He is a monster. Martin Shkreli is so bad, that our incompetent elected officials in Washington D.C. are being seen as the sympathetic party when it comes to Mr Shkreli's testimony to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. When one person can make the idiots in Congress looks good, that person deserves to be demonized.

I am not here to demonize Martin Shkreli, I am here to praise him. I in no way support the idea of jacking up the price of a life saving drug in order to make another billion. That is monsterous. The question I have is what law did he break (there is the securities fraud issue, but he has not been convicted of anything)? The press likes to focus on the obscene mark-up on the life saving drug Daraprim. By raising the price 5556% ($13.50 a dose to $750.00 a dose) Mr. Shkreli put lives in danger. Daraprim is used to treat infections in HIV positive patients, and is used globally to treat and prevent malaria. The World Health Organization lists the drug as an essential medicine. This mark-up on a life saving drug, coupled with Martin Shkreli's arrogance, has made the former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO a popular target for people fed up with corporate greed. The problem is that by raising the price on Daraprim, Mr. Shkreli did not break the law. He embraced a culture that is encouraged by our government and society as a whole. Plus, Martin Shkreli is not the first person to do this.

The practice of pharma companies buying generic drugs and radically raising their prices is not new. Do you know anyone with asthma? There is a very good chance that the asthmatic person uses an inhaler with the drug Albuterol sulfate. This is a life saving medicine for a very treatable illness. In 2013 Albuterol sulfate was $11 a dose. Six months later the price had gone up to $434 a dose, an increase of 4014%. Where was the public outrage towards the pharma companies? The drug was another off patent drug, but the delivery system (inhaler) needed to be redesigned because of new government regulations. The Pharma companies knew the inhalers would be protected by patents, so they jacked up the price of Albuterol to make some extra money (Mother Jones has a nice article describing the situation). I never remember seeing congress scolding at the CEO responsible for this greed?

There are many more drugs, ones not owned by Turing Pharmaceuticals, that have had their prices skyrocket. In 2014 Representative Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) launched a Congressional investigation into the skyrocketing cost of generic drugs. They put together a list of drugs that have recently seen a drastic increase in cost (see the list) and tried to get answers from the pharma companies. There were no answers, there was no public outcry, there was no congressional investigation, there was no prosecution, and there was no change in the laws to make this practice illegal.. These pharma companies were just doing what the United States government allows them to do. 

Now the government wants to get serious because Martin Shkreli is an unlikable fellow. The Republicans (you know the free market guys) and Democrats decide to use Mr. Shkreli as their scapegoat for their own incompetence. They have no case. Representative Cummings  stupidly decided to attack Mr. Shkreli because of the purchase by the former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO of the one of a kind Wu-Tang Clan album. If I had a few billion dollars I would have bought the Wu-Tang Clan album, they are one of the greatest american bands ever. What is the point of attacking the man for having great taste in music. That whole tirade by Representative Cummings proves that the government is showboating. Those Representatives created this America, Martin Shkreli is just getting rich off of their incompetence.

It is also amusing that all the supposed free market Republicans want to attack Mr. Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals for the price gouge. These bozos have been defending corporate greed for decades. Why are we not yelling at the health insurance companies who are making money off of people getting sick? They set arbitrary prices all the time just to make a few extra billion. The same charlatans in Congress who got mad at Mr. Shkreli will turn around and praise government welfare queens like Jamie Diamon and other business leaders who depend on bailouts. The only reason Congress decided to grill Martin Shkreli is because the internet is mad at him. There is nothing that can be done to stop him. Well the government could try to pass some laws to make this practice illegal, but that will never happen. The Republicans and Democrats alike would never upset their big money donors, no matter how many people need to suffer. 

Martin Shkreli is an american hero. He is the embodiment of the modern American dream. Born to immigrants who worked as janitors, Martin Shkreli made his way in the world be exploiting our inhumane economic culture. We celebrate these people as geniuses. America deserves Martin Shkreli. He is the hero we deserve. He got rich with shady legal practices, he increases his wealth with inhuman actions, and he smirks his way through life. He is a modern American creation. Plus he is also quite aware that Congress is full of imbeciles. While kids are getting poisoned in Flint, Michigan, through the direct fault of the government, the US Congress wants to scold a successful business man. That is the mark of a house led by imbeciles. Thanks you American hero Martin Shkreli for speaking the truth.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Do you want to sing the praises of the downtrodden? Come write for us.  

The Greatest American Band Debate: Run The Jewels

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

With the new year here and all of my best of lists done, I'm going to get back to my regular writing schedule. So that means, on Wednesdays, we will be getting back to our greatest American band debate here on SeedSing.

Today I have a newer group, but I feel like they are on their way to superstardom. It's another hip hop group, so get used to me writing about hip hop because it's one of my favorite styles of music and I've been listening to a ton of it lately. The band that I'm going to nominate today has only put out two albums, one in 2013 and the other in 2014, but they are currently working on their third record as we speak. This is a "super group", but it only consists of two rappers. The band I'm speaking of is Run The Jewels.

This group is rad. The members are Killer Mike and EL-P. Killer Mike is part of the dirty south rap movement. I first came to know him from his guest appearances on older Outkast records and the Dungeon Family stuff he did. I was always a fan of his style. He is gruff, disturbing and phenomenal. His rapping is so fast yet so clear, I'm amazed at what he can do with a mic. He is a wizard with words. He has become bigger over the years, stepping away from the Dungeon Family and the Outkast stuff, doing his own solo thing, and that has benefitted him very much. He found his own voice and had crushed on several solo albums, most notably "R.A.P. Music". Killer Mike is a beast. EL-P is a new discovery for me. I had heard his name as a producer when I was in my early twenties, but I had no idea he was a rapper too. The person that introduced me to him rapping was my brother Seth, who's made an appearance on our podcast. He is a great rapper as well. He has a slower delivery, but with his New York accent, it works like a charm. He has a smooth voice and since he's a producer and a beat maker, he has a great ear for making great rap songs. He is a legendary producer, but with Run The Jewels, he can become a legendary rapper. Basically, he's a better version of what Kanye West is doing, but since he isn't married to a reality star, he doesn't get the love he deserves. He gets it from the indie hip hop community, but he needs to be known nationally. EL-P is a great rapper.

The two of these guys got together a couple of years ago and immediately connected. They both like the same style of music and they both have unique styles that, when put together, makes some fantastic music. They couldn't be more different in their deliveries, but it works so well together. In 2013 they released "Run The Jewels". This record is a must have for hip hop fans. It's so good. They open with the title track, "Run The Jewels" and it's a beast of a song. EL-P has the first verse and he crushes. He has that smooth delivery going over a very hypnotic, yet oddly loud beat that works so well. Killer Mike comes in, and even when talking about shooting a poodle, I can't help but nod my head to his lyrics and the beat. This is a great entry way into the world of Run The Jewels. You get both rappers styles and the beats are top notch. The very next track has Killer Mike teaming up with Big Boi, from Outkast, on a song called "Banana Clipper". The great thing about his song, Big Boi only has one verse and it's at the very end. Usually, when you have a guest, they get about half the song. That's not the case on "Banana Clipper". Killer Mike has the first verse, he crushes, EL-P has the second, it's excellent and Big Boi closes the song out with one of his best verses since early Outkast. This is an awesome song. And props to Big Boi for letting EL-P and Killer Mike shine, most big time rappers would want the spotlight, but Big Boi takes a back seat. I like that. They actually close out "Run The Jewels" with a "Christmas" song called, "A Christmas F&^%*&g Miracle". Now, this is by no means "Jingle Bells" or "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", and it's not meant to be. This is a jokey holiday song that is made awesome by these two kick ass rappers. They even made an ugly sweater that goes along with this song and the sweater is very ugly and very cool.

In 2014 they followed up "Run The Jewels" with "Run The Jewels Volume 2". This is another thing I like about these guys. No pomp and circumstance, no weird album titles with weird album art, just give me the title and the same art and I know exactly what I'm getting. I like that they get straight to the point. This album is just as good as their debut. On "Close Your Eyes(And Count to F&%k)", they are exceptional and it's made better by the reappearance of Zach de la Rocha. Everyone that reads my stuff knows that I'm a Rage Against the Machine fan and I love de la Rocha, he's a legend. He actually does the chorus which is also the beat by saying "run them jewels fast, run them jewels fast, run them, run them, run them f&%k the slow mo" and I was instantly on board when I heard this. This is a lot like "Banana Clipper", with EL-P and Killer Mike getting the first and second verses and de la Rocha closing it out, and it's equally as good, but better in my personal opinion. EL-P and Killer Mike do their thing and de la Rocha absolutely destroys the final verse. It is so good to hear his voice and hear that he is still one of the best rappers/singers/activists out there. He's a monster and I wish he did more music. "Close Your Eyes" is my favorite Run The Jewels song, and it's the one I always listen to first when I put their albums on my iPod. "Jeopardy" is another great tune on the album that lets both guys do what they do best. Killer Mike is there with his super fast, super awesome flow and EL-P produces an excellent beat and gives us that smooth style that we have grown accustomed to.

In my personal opinion, I think they are a better "super group" than Odd Future, and I love Odd Future. They are the best "super group" since the Wu Tang Clan. They only have two guys also, how crazy is that. I've heard that their live shows are phenomenal, and if they come to, or close to Saint Louis, you better believe I'm going to see them. I cannot wait to see what they do for this third album. I know it will be awesome, and hopefully even better than their first two. I know it's hard to put a band in this conversation that has only released two records, but damn it, those records are incredible and these guys belong in our conversation. The future is bright for Run The Jewels.

These guys can become legends.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He is currently try to form a supergroup of bad rapping rec center basketball stars. Join his team by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Wu Tang Clan

Today for the greatest American band debate, I'm nominating the Wu Tang Clan.

I love Wu Tang. They're one of, if not the best rap group of all time. People will throw out Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five or Eric B and Rakim, both I will be writing about on a later date, but Wu Tang is far superior. They have great, very memorable songs, but they get my nomination simply based on the fact that almost every single member of the band is still performing rap music and some are doing great things in acting. The fact that these guys not only have hit record after hit record while with Wu Tang, but most of them have had hit records as solo artists. That doesn't happen too often, but some of the members are more known for their solo stuff than their Wu Tang stuff.

I do want to mention some of their famous songs still, and I'll do that right now. Songs like "C.R.E.A.M.", "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nothing to F$&k With",  "Protect Ya Neck", "Bring Da Ruckus" and "Killer Beez". "C.R.E.A.M." Is an awesome, classic rap song with a great, great chorus. It's an acronym for cash rules everything around me and that's the epitome of a classic rap lyric. I love it so much. "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nothing to F$&k With" is such a cool, dirty, hard core rap song. They put themselves at the front of greatest rap group with this song. They let it be known that they were the best, and anyone coming to get the crown, step off because you don't mess with Wu Tang. "Protect Ya Neck" is grimy rap at its best. This song is filthy in all the right ways and it gave each member a chance to shine. "Bring Da Ruckus" is a cool rap song about bringing the noise to rap. It's a joyous song about the beauty that is rap. "Killer Beez", while not one of their best songs, has the coolest music video ever. Each member kind of morphs into a bee while rapping and it was very, very cool. Check it out if you haven't seen it.

But, as I said earlier, they're getting my nomination because of the members of this group. This is a murderers row of all time great rappers. Let's list them off right now, RZA, GZA, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Ol Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, Masta Killa and U God. See, some of the best of all time. U God is still making solo albums, but he's probably the least famous. Masta Killa hasn't made an album since 2012, but he's still active with Wu Tang and he still performs live with the band. Cappadonna was in the first iterations of Wu Tang and he still performs with Theodore Unit, another hip hop group with Ghostface Killah. Inspectah Deck was a performer and producer for Wu Tang and received critical praise for his lyricism and way he rapped. He did some solo work, but now he's a top of the line producer, mainly doing things for Wu Tang. Raekwon is awesome. He's made a great career for himself as a solo artist, and he was an integral part of Wu Tang at their height. He's credited with creating "Mafiosi" rap. He's got one of the coolest styles of rapping that I've ever heard. We all know about Ol Dirty Bastard. He was one of the grossest, yet coolest rappers I've ever heard. His style was all his own and it will never be duplicated. His most famous lyric, "ooh baby I likes it raw", is disgusting and glorious. I loved ODB and I still miss him. Rest in peace. Ghostface Killah is my favorite member of Wu Tang. I love his style of rap, and his solo albums are the best of the bunch. His style is grimy and gritty and politically conscious. He's achieved critical acclaim for his work with Wu Tang and his solo stuff. Ghostface Killah is one of the all time greats in the world of rap music. Method Man has gained more notoriety for his acting than he ever did with his music. Now, that's not to say that he's not a great rapper, he is. Just listen to the Wu Tang song "Method Man". It's about him and he's the star on the track. But, he's taken to acting like a pro. He's been a star, a role player and a cameo guy and he always crushes. Just look at his role on "The Wire". He played "Cheese" and he was excellent as a thuggish drug dealer and, spoiler alert, when he got shot in the face, I was stunned. GZA is a genius. He wrote the majority of Wu Tang's songs and is the founding member of the band. He always seems like the most level headed guy in the room. He deserves way more praise than he gets. Without him, we never would've gotten Wu Tang. He has maintained a successful solo career as well. I love everything the GZA does. The final member, RZA has the most critical acclaim in music and acting. He's right up there with the GZA. Where the GZA started Wu Tang, the RZA produces everything they do. He's also, for most people, the first name you think of when talking about Wu Tang. He's made a ton of solo albums, he's appeared as a guest on a ton of albums and he's, hands down, one of the greatest rappers of all time. He's highly in demand. As far as the acting, not only has he done as much, if not more, than Method Man, but he's also written and directed movies. He's appeared in movies like "Ghost Dog", "Funny People" and "Coffee and Cigarettes" (ed note: Plus he was the Blind Master in the G.I. Joe: Retaliation - awesome movie). In these bit parts, he all but steals the show. He's a great actor. He's also written and directed and starred in "Man With the Iron Fists", both one and two. While these aren't the best movies, they're campy throwbacks to old school Kung Fu movies and he wrote them. That's impressive. He's right up there, influentially, with the GZA.

Wu Tang Clan is an all time great. This blog was easy for me to write because these guys are so famous and so influential to rappers today. Look at a group like Odd Future and tell me they're not striving to be the next Wu Tang. Wu Tang is awesome and they absolutely, 100 percent deserve to be in this discussion. These above reasons are why.

And remember, Wu Tang Clan ain't nothing to mess with.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He yearns for a Wu Tang Christmas sweater. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.