The press release reads like as follows: “Babygrande Records, the fourteen year-old pioneering indie label, is proud to announce its renewed partnership with with legendary MC Grand Puba for the release of his fifth studio album, The More Things Change.

Grand Puba, the revered frontman of Brand Nubian, is a true hip-hop icon. His relevance to the culture dates back to his involvement as a founding member of the group Masters of Ceremony. Many credit Puba with being one of the first lyricists to bridge the gap between upbeat, socio-political and conscious narratives in urban music. His influence can be seen in the expansion of the Native Tongues movement (De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest) to rawer groups like Dead Prez and Black Star as well as RZA & GZA of Wu-Tang Clan. In addition to his success with Brand Nubian, Puba is also a decorated solo artist in his own right with classic hit singles such as “360 Degrees (What Goes Around)” and “I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are).” Puba is adding onto his already robust legacy with The More Things Change, his first album since 2009’s Retroactive, which was also released via Babygrande.

“I have always felt that I am both an MC and messenger for the people. Technology has ushered in the information age and its time for all people to use this age to right the wrongs of the past and set things up for a righteous future. It saddens me to see a new generation experiencing the same social, political and economic challenges that every generation prior has faced. The world is watching everything from police brutality, to the failure of our judicial system, to Hollywood’s continuous inaccurate portrayal of our Egyptian ancestors. The world is watching. I am thrilled to be back with Babygrande to release my new album and to do my part as an MC and as a messenger ” Puba told Allhiphop.com

The album’s title track, which is also Puba’s first single in six years, sheds light on the proverb “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Such proves to be true at the onset of 2015; America is torn amidst endless counts of police brutality against African Americans and the overwhelming injustice of the legal system. Puba uses PhD’s production and vocals from Isis as a landscape to convey his message as only he can.

Grand Puba’s album The More Things Change will hit stores this Spring via Babygrande Records.”

Better late than never animated video from Mega’s 2009 LP, Born and Raised.

We usually don’t fuck with radio rips on here, but we will make special exceptions from time to time. Like when DJ Premier decides to give us a preview of his upcoming album with Bumpy Knuckles, The Kolexion, which will feature Foxxx tearing through vintage, unreleased Preemo tracks. Or when he shows off something from his album with KRS-One, Return of the Boom-Bip (that’s “bip”, not “bap”, featuring Grand Puba. God damn that DJ made my day.

LISTEN: DJ Premier – “Gang Starr Bus” (feat. Bumpy Knuckles)

LISTEN: DJ Premier – “5%” (feat. KRS-One & Grand Puba)

Props: DJ Premier Blog

DJ Premier just released the cover art and tracklist for his upcoming Year Round Records compilation. While specific track guests have not been released, the LP will feature Nick Javas, Khaleel, Styles P, Saigon, Royce 5’9, Freddie Foxxx, Joell Ortiz, Lady Of Rage, MC Eiht, Grand Puba, KRS-One, Papoose, Teflon, NYG’z, Blaq Poet and more. Look for DJ Premier Presents Year Round Records: Get Used To Us on Dec. 7, 2010.

Tracklist:
Opportunity Knocks
Not A Game
Hot Flames
Rappin Exercise
Policy
Ya Dayz R #’d(remix)
Married 2 Tha Game
Lifetime Membership
Bang This
Ain’t Nuthin Changed (remix)
Epic Dynasty
Temptation
5%
Fine By Me
Sing Like Bilal

Though Pu left the trio shortly thereafter to explore his own path, his trend setting ways continued on his 1992 solo-debut, Reel To Reel, a debut which gave us a glimpse of what styles would still be so in vogue today. In short, Pu had both the commercial, and underground on lock, and long before Method Man was a glimmer in hip-hop’s eye, Pu had already jumpstarted the hip-hop/soul crossover movement, knocking out an influential jam (“What’s The 411″) with hip-hop’s #1 soul sista Mary J. Blige.

Yet, instead of playing the accustomed role of trendsetter with his third solo-foray, Puba is merely following them with Understand This. Similar, to most of our old-school legends, Pu is faced with an inevitable awkward transition, struggling to connect with contemporary hip-hop fans that have a different agenda then the ones who initially embraced him. Though Pu’s chic flow, and vernacular wordplay are still prevalent (“Up & Down “). Unfortunately, the flamboyant attributes Pu once called upon at will are beginning to wane in the twilight of his distinguished career.

While Understand This is virtually a self-contained effort; there are only a handful of collaborations and Puba exclusively mans the boards for all but one track. Pu’s monotonous production (“Issues”) affixes a very discernible been there, done that before stamp to Understand This. And although Puba displays some of yesteryear’s versatility on the deadbeat Dad bashing “Baby Mama Drama”, and the spacey “Up And Down.” The previous adeptness Pu demonstrated at juggling a variety of styles is a non-factor here, as Understand predominantly beats a party & bullshit drum, without the prescribed edutaining chaser.

Even the everlasting chemistry of Puba and his Brand Nubian cohorts is tested, as Sadat joins Pu for the embarrassingly rudimentary “What’s Up With It” which is far from Brand Nu. Fortunately, Lord Jamar fairs slightly better on “Keep It Movin”.

The steady diet of filler, flimsy hooks, and skits included here leads us to a very pertinent question; is Understand This just a capricious transgression, or is Puba just the latest old-school legend that has ran out of relevant things to say? Either way, you will cram to understand Pu in 2001?.
 

I like this record a lot - despite that Puba is trying to move the crowd with “Up & Down”, I don’t think he’s slipping because he has accomplished his goal, without sacrificing the overall sound of the music. By no means is he trying to churn out a carbon copy of Swizz Beatz, Neptunes, Puff Daddy, or whatever the sound of the time is, he’s just spitting some easy lyrics over fun production. Still, while not lyrically complex, if I’m trying to get a crowd’s attention with some honest hip-hop, I don’t want them trying to break down the complexity of the lyrics anyway - I’ll look to the album for that. – Pizzo