| | Marc Live Validation CD Marc Live Discography of CDs
One could spend hours talking about all the local flavors that exist in hip-hop these days. Some MCs have strong regional prejudices, but others keep themselves creatively healthy by turning to different parts of the United States for inspiration -- which is what Marc Live (formerly Marc Rippin') does on his first solo effort, Validation. The former Raw Breed member favors a very bicoastal approach on this 2004 release, drawing on influences from both California (Ice-T, Dr. Dre) and the Northeast (Redman, the Notorious B.I.G.). A Bronx native with a Miami address and many Los Angeles connections, Live features guest rappers who became famous in California (Ice-T) or in New York (50 Cent, Kool Keith, Smoothe da Hustler). Of course, some of the rappers who have been closely identified with L.A. are originally from the East Coast -- including Ice-T, Everlast, and Donald D -- and for Live, having a bicoastal outlook makes perfect sense on this 2004 release, which lists Ice and Kool Keith as executive producers. By 2004 standards, Validation isn't groundbreaking; many of the topics Live addresses -- the dangers of thug life, the surplus of sucker MCs who lack genuine rhyming talent -- have been addressed on numerous hip-hop discs over the years. But if Validation is less than innovative, it is still successful on several levels. The grooves are infectious, the production is attractive, and Live's rhyming skills are never in question. Live shows himself to be a skillful, focused MC who has been around the block more than a few times, and that historic perspective serves him especially well on the thought-provoking "Street Music" (which discusses the way hip-hop has become so corporate since the early '90s). Validation may not be the most original rap CD of 2004, but all things considered, it's a solid, respectable, well-executed solo debut for the former Raw Breed member. ~ Alex Henderson
The rapper's 2004 album features 21 all-new tracks with contributions from 50 Cent, Tigga Da Gambla & Duce Fever, Ice-T, Sinistre, Kool Keith & B.L.A.K. from Dollar Figure, & Centurial JL.
Includes bonus DVD.
Personnel: DJ Junkaz Lou (scratches); 50 Cent, Ice-T, Kool Keith.
Audio Mixer: Om'Mas Keith.
Recording information: Clayborne Family Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Junkadelic Studio; Space Loft Studio, Brooklyn, NY; SRCP Studio, New York, NY; Threshold Recording Studios, Santa Monica, CA. Marc Live Validation Songs Validation Review
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Purchase Validation CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Kool Keith Diesel Truckers CD (2004)
Validation album
 $8.55    
DIESEL TRUCKERS finds eccentric hip-hopper Kool Keith barreling down the highway in an 18-wheeler. Riding shotgun and spewing rhymes while producer Kutmasta Kurt mans the steering wheel, the former Ultramagnetic MC shuns his various alter egos (Dr. Octagon, Black Elvis) to deliver a straight-up rap record. The album begins with "Diesel Truckers Theme," as Keith drops automotive-themed ...
| | Nas Street's Disciple CDs (2004) Parental Advisory
Validation CD music
$15.99 
Without need for filler or skits, the ultra-focused Nas has more than enough on his mind and in his rhyme arsenal to fill the two discs. He opens by raising Cain on false idols, first indicting both sides of the political spectrum on "Nazareth Savage," then scathingly tearing into Kobe Bryant and Puff Daddy (among others) on "These Are Our Heroes." Nas does a double shot of old-school rap, chronicling the life of Rakim on "U.B.R. (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)" before nodding to Doug E. Fresh on "Virgo." Tying together this potent outing, Nas closes with a flurry of classic rhymes, on the grimy-yet-melodic bonus track, "Thief's Theme."
While Nas has never been one for false modesty, it must be quite the rush to include his father, jazz trumpeter Olu Dara, on his single "Bridging the Gap" to speak ...
| | Bill Withers Plus Justments CD (1974)
Validation music CDs
$12.78  
Back in March 2004 music magazine Mojo included Withers' fourth album on a list of "67 Lost Albums You Must Own." Whether 'Justments is indeed the stuff of legend remains debatable. Surely no holy grail like the similarly mentioned Cold Fact by Sussex labelmate Sixto Rodriguez, it seems at least unfairly ignored. Nothing here might be as compelling as "Grandma's Hands" or "I Can't Write Left-Handed," but there are plenty of melancholy reflections from a genuine soulman who came across more as a West coast singer/songwriter. Replacing the hired hands of his debut with former employees of Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band proved equally important in shaping Withers' identity. Not only had they been instrumental in creating a landmark with his second album Still Bill, follow-up Live at Carnegie Hall showed how easily they could replicate their unrestrained approach on-stage, performing quite a few tunes which hadn't yet appeared on a studio album. This experience further tightening a natural combination, the band was set for Withers' third studio album. The moody overtones of 'Justments suggest both band and singer might have suffered a bit from fatigue, a ...
| | Eminem Relapse: Refill CDs (2009) Includes Bonus Tracks
Validation songs
$15.59
Eminem's expansion of his 2009 comeback Relapse is cleverly titled Refill, playing off the prescription pill artwork of the original album while offering precisely what it promises: another seven songs in the same vein as the original. Generally, these songs retain much of the carnivalesque horror show vibe of Relapse -- when Slim Shady raps about "Buffalo Bill" it's not ...
| | Timbaland Shock Value II CD (2009)
Validation album
$13.29
Shock Value produced a pair of smash singles in "Give It to Me" and "The Way I Are," thus necessitating a sequel. Timbaland does not stock Shock Value II with quite as many guests, and performs a higher percentage of the vocals, and what results is less schizophrenic and more directly pop than its antecedent. The highs ...
| | ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits CD (1993)
Validation CD music
$10.39
In seemingly random order, GOLD contains fourteen of Abba's twenty American hits (the remainder are on MORE ABBA GOLD); which is to say, it contains fourteen of the most delectable pop productions of the '70s and early '80s. "Dancing Queen," "Waterloo," "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and the other landmarks of upbeat melancholy are complex concoctions--all layered harmonies and brilliant keyboard arrangements. These songs don't easily fit into any pop timeline, which may be why Abba received much of their acclaim long after breaking up. What may have seemed like Euro-pop fluff in its day, has been revealed by time to be truly classic studio pop.
The Swedish band's songs had show-tune and '60s-pop roots, skirted around the edge of disco, and were an unspoken influence on new wave. Without them, Madonna's very existence would be highly unlikely. With its Latin beat and gospel harmonies, "Lay Your Love All Over Me," one of the five songs here that didn't chart in the U.S., sounds like the very source of "Like A Prayer." Like Madonna, Abba had a grandiose vision of pop's place in the world--"who could live ...
| | Meters Look-Ka Py Py CDs (1970)
Validation music CDs
$11.55
Although the Meters had scored a pair of hits on the band's self-titled debut ("Cissy Strut," "Sophisticated Cissy"), the instrumental quartet was still busy churning out sessions at the New Orleans studio of Allen Tousaint and Marshall Sehorn. Between backing such names as Lee Dorsey and Betty Harris, the band cranked out a follow-up that was even funkier than its debut.
When these songs aren't busy getting basted by Art Neville's succulent-sounding organ ("Pungee") or spiced up by guitarist Leo Nocentelli's licks ("9 'Til 5"), the rhythm ...
| | B2k Pandemonium! CD (2002) Bonus DVD; Bonus Tracks; Special Edition
Validation songs
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| | Tomas De San Julian Mis Grandes Exitos CD (2004) (Import) USA
Validation album
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| | Demented Are Go Hellbilly Storm CD (2006) Bonus Track
Validation CD music
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| | Claude Gauthier Homme Qui Passait Par La CD (2006)
Validation music CDs
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| | 40 Cal Broken Safety CD (2006)
Validation songs
$14.49
| | Djoumbush Featuring Warhol Dervish CD (2009)
Validation album
$15.19
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