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I think if you’ve been keeping up on current [USA] events, you’ll know what the opening skit is about. Shout outs to Derek for creating/voicing the character of Johnathan America.

Other than that, though, this episode is all about first impressions. When you are a child of the MTV generation like I am, and you have crazy ADHD like I do, and you bought a Sidekick for the sole purpose of being able to IM and drive at the same time like I did, you rarely have the attention span for much beyond the first minute and a half or so of a new CD.

And as anybody who has ever sold indie CDs out of a trunk on a busy thoroughfare will tell you, the first impression is the difference between a sale and an angry look.

So this episode of your favorite hip-hop podcast is the First Impressions Episode - nothing but first tracks. Track 01s. This is probably one of my favorites so far. Hope you dig - have fun with this one.

Tracklist!

J Dilla - Geek Down feat Busta Rhymes. I remember how fucking amped I was the first time I played this in the dusty Volvo. jdilla.org

Oh No - Intro. 27 beats in 3 days? Damn. As much as I like dude’s older brother, I can’t remember the last beat that Madlib made that made me want to hit somebody (feel free to refresh my memory in the comments though). This one does that to me, but maybe I’m just violent. myspace.com/ohnodisrupt.

Large Professor - Intro. The tempo might slow down a little on this cut, but your head should absolutely not stop nodding. myspace.com/thelargeprofessor.

J.R. Writer - To Be A Diplomat. I like how the dude fits a good portion of the backstory to his entire career into the first track of his CD, just like he’s trying to bring you up to speed on who he is and why you should care. This track inspired the entire episode. myspace.com/jrwriter

Murs - Intro. This is pretty much a given. If you don’t already own this album, get off of my internet. As soon as you put this cut in, you know the rest of the album cannot possibly be anything other than hot. myspace.com/murs316

M.I.A. - Banana Skit. 30 seconds of weird. I bet a lot of you actually skipped this track looking for “Galang”. Dummies. Get yrself an educayshuuuuuuuuuun! miauk.com

Agallah - Gangster. Summer of 2005 (okay I was late), this stayed in the deck like stupid. I replay this to the point where I should be sick of it, but I’m still not. This joint was my introduction to Purple City, period (again, slow). I don’t know if the mixtape is even available anymore, but if you can find it, there are some gems on Doomsday. myspace.com/agallahdonbishop.

Stanza - Enter In. I wish I had found this CD in my stash before I’d started the Soul episode. Two minutes of telling you who he is, and what you’re going to hear for the next 48. The production and the wordplay are both worth a rewind. Probably the best surprise I’ve found in the mail all month. Recommended. myspace.com/stanzahiphop.

Superiority Complex - Intro. See, these dudes get to talk all cocky like that in their intros, and the second I try things like that, females start looking at me crossways. Not fair. These two invite a lot of criticism based on their name alone (not to mention their insulting the rapping public at large), but I think their opening attack ain’t half bad. myspace.com/superioritycomplexmusic.

Now On - Ascension. I remember kinda being eh on this cut until they brought in them crazy-ass synths and rhodes. I actually have a hard time concentrating on the lyrics because the instro just really goes that hard. And then they drop in the turntablism…feel free to rewind this one as well. nowonmusic.com. [thanks josh]

intro beat: Unagi - Sacred Music
outro loop: The Go Gos - We Got The Beat.

Whoo boy. As always, hit up the comments section.