Nuclear Beef

New School Energetic Art Hip Hop Audio Beef Today. Azeem can't stop pouring palm wine on the froggy FBI.

(all tracks are by or featuring Azeem)

'Palm Wine Two' from 2001's Craft Classic

'Frogs' from DJ Zeph's 2004 album Sunset Scavenger

'Non Stop' from 2004's Show Business

'Under Surveillance' with Variable Unit from 2004's Mayhemystics

Azeem is one hard-working guy, and yet another example of how badly heads can sleep on the right MC at the wrong time or in the wrong place. Slept on like a Labtekwon or Skillz or Danja Mowf. If it were 1991 and people were still excited about intelligent hiphop, Azeem would be on everyone's playlist.

I first became a fan with 2001's Craft Classic, which is consistently excellent. I posted 'Palm Wine Two' first because if you only listen to one song it should be this one. A type of Hip-Hop love song that is all too rare in that it involves.. actual people.. living actual lives. Imagine.

(This song has made me bawl before. Plus that beat is hot to death. Kanye West is a biter.)

Choice Beef Quote:

For the praises of God, I'd rob heaven
Cause it's harder not to be with you
Get on the phone and tell your Pops I want to marry you

CHORUS:
It's not your look or what you're doing, it's (who you are)
Your body shape or your booty, it's (who you are)
You know the reason that you move me, it's (who you are)

'Frogs' is one of the few standout tracks on DJ Zeph's Sunset Scavenger album. It and 'Non Stop' show that Azeem knows what to do with an ill beat from Zeph. Unfortunately, the rest of the tracks on Sunset Scavenger and Show Business aren't as good as the wonder-twins team-ups. DJ Zeph and Azeem, if you're listening.. do a whole album together, ok?

(Sunset Scavenger is now called Sunset Salvage, presumably because Zeph was cease-and-desisted by Sunset Scavenger Sanitation. If you're local to the Bay Area, Zeph and Azeem are both playing at Otherworld Halloween in Oakland this Saturday night, Oct. 30 2004.)

Line for line, who rhyme better than you do
Genetically test your style: I'm your father, dude
That's the truth, you tested and it's certain
I spit so hard, the front row need a shower curtain

Slowly I creep through the world of deceit
And breath through my feet
Everything seen disintegrates
Like sillhouettes, cinnamon mist, smoke from cigarettes... LSD trips

I've included the track with Variable Unit as a bonus, just so you understand how versatile Azeem is. Variable Unit is a big possee band, and with Azeem on the mic sounds like a Do You Want More?!?!? or Organix era The Roots. Great when you're in that mood.

(Both the Variable Unit album and DJ Zeph's album are on Wide Hive Records. Show Business is on Bomb Hip Hop Records. Craft Classic is on Stray Records, which is a subset of Dog Day Records though neither label seems to have a working web page. It's 2004, guys. Get it together.)