Best Seller

[acamus]

According to BallerStatus.com, "The Mix Up" was the highest selling hip hop album of the week. I didn't know it was a hip hop album, but that's an interesting twist.

[kleptomaniac]

on itunes, the mix up might be dropping on the top albums chart, but it's currently the #2 top hip-hop/rap album. #7 - licensed to ill, #18 - the in sound from way out, #44 - paul's boutique, #82 - ill communication, #94 - solid gold hits, and #95 - the sounds of science anthology.

they're probably counting the mix up as a hip-hop album because beastie boys are mostly known for hip-hop, so that's the way it is i guess! :p

[Suavee-Bolo]

Itunes are playing themselves.

(n)= Labels

[Deep_Sea_Rain]

they're probably counting the mix up as a hip-hop album because beastie boys are mostly known for hip-hop, so that's the way it is i guess! :p

Exactly. If Public Enemy decided to put out a disco album, it's still going to be put in the rap section. If Weezer put out a rap album, it'll still be in rock.

When the predominate portion of an artist's catalogue is one music genre, that artist becomes one of that genre. It makes sense when you think about it...

[OZBEASTIE]

Exactly. If Public Enemy decided to put out a disco album, it's still going to be put in the rap section. If Weezer put out a rap album, it'll still be in rock.



Hehehehe... Griff in bell bottoms, platform shoes and an afro :D

[easy 3]

What is non-hip hop about the mix-up?

It's got shit-loads of fresh breaks on it.

Hip hop both musically and culturally is bigger than simply rap music.

The mix-up kicks ass as far as I'm concerned - I'm really pleased it's selling a bit considering it's had such an unusual marketing approach - no advertising whatsoever that I've seen? No single? No vocals? Just loads of live shows - like a bunch of musicians or something crazy like that?

It's almost like a secret album for those in the know - in the current climate where everyone's rapping like it's a commercial, and acting like life is a big commercial, it's nice to see someone being true to themselves - I doubt they'll ever fall.

[b-grrrlie]

In record shops I usually changed Aglio e olio into the punk section... :cool:

[kleptomaniac]

top 10 hip hop albums on itunes around ze world! :P

the mix up is...

#1 - Australia
#1 - Italy
#2 - Austria
#2 - Canada
#2 - France
#2 - New Zealand
#2 - U.S.
#3 - Belgium
#3 - Denmark
#4 - Germany
#4 - Luxembourg
#4 - U.K.
#5 - Switzerland
#8 - Spain
#10 - Norway

http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10hiphopalbums.html

[mistressf]

wow is it #1 in italy? it amazes me. must've been all of my talkin about it for months around the country :D

no, really.
no live shows in italy, no interviews whatsoever, no ads, no promotion - here.

[Brother McDuff]

interesting. if this album were to hit platinum it would be a true accomplishment for the bboys. it would surely prove just how much selling power their name alone has.

[Laver1969]

top 10 hip hop albums on itunes around ze world! :P

the mix up is...

#1 - Australia
#1 - Italy
#2 - Austria
#2 - Canada
#2 - France
#2 - New Zealand
#2 - U.S.
#3 - Belgium
#3 - Denmark
#4 - Germany
#4 - Luxembourg
#4 - U.K.
#5 - Switzerland
#8 - Spain
#10 - Norway

http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10hiphopalbums.html

Excellent work, klepto! Those are some impressive rankings.

[Jitters]

If you factor online sales with store sales then the albums is doing extremely well to have no promotion.

[bigfatlove06]

What is non-hip hop about the mix-up?

It's got shit-loads of fresh breaks on it.

Hip hop both musically and culturally is bigger than simply rap music.

The mix-up kicks ass as far as I'm concerned - I'm really pleased it's selling a bit considering it's had such an unusual marketing approach - no advertising whatsoever that I've seen? No single? No vocals? Just loads of live shows - like a bunch of musicians or something crazy like that?

It's almost like a secret album for those in the know - in the current climate where everyone's rapping like it's a commercial, and acting like life is a big commercial, it's nice to see someone being true to themselves - I doubt they'll ever fall.

What is not hip hop about the Mix Up is... um... how do I put this... OK... EVERYTHING. If you can convince one living (non-retarded) person that this is a "Hip-Hop" record I will give you complete control of my personal finances. I planned a much longer and more scathing response, but I didn't believe that kind of idiocy really deserved that much of my time.:D All in good fun man, but REALLY???

[easy 3]

Please - listen to Hip hop vs Rap by KRS One and think about the musical definition of hip hop (hip hop generally as a culture started about 73/74 the first rap record came out in 79)

If that doesn't work try chopping a loop from TMU and try rhyming to it.

If that doesn't work, throw on any number of tracks from TMU and try uprocking to them.

And if that doesn't work then please don't try telling people what your definition of hip hop is - you claim everything about the mix up is non-hip hop and having spent more than half my life studying hip hop I'm asking 'what is so non-hip hop about TMU?'

seemed like a reasonable question to me homez!

Maybe there's been a mix-up or maybe you should let me have control of your personal finances.:)

[bigfatlove06]

I have never really studied hip-hop (unless you count listening to it for the last 24 years). I had no intentions of attempting to convince you or anyone else that the record that the record is or is not a hip-hop record (it still makes me laugh that anyone would consider it). I was simply making a joke. I don't claim to know shit about the "definition" of hip-hop, I just know that when I put on The Mix Up I think jazz/funk not hip-hop. When someone plays Metallica I think metal, when someone puts in the Cure I think New Wave, when someone puts in Nirvana I think Grunge. Is this closed minded? Probably. Is it how those of us who haven't studied hip hop for half of our lives view the question of whether or not The Mix Up is a hip-hop album? Probably. For me to get into a discussion of what my definition hip-hop is a fruitless endeavor, but just so you have some idea of where I am coming from.... The first rap track I ever heard was Rock Box by Run-DMC, and I have been collecting and writing rap music ever since.

I guess if by your definition of hip-hop record is a disc with great beats to rhyme over then my favorite 3 hip-hop records of all time are:

Love And Rockets - Love And Rockets
The Pouges - Rum, Sodomy, And The Lash
Portishead - Dummy

Finally, I did not really address your actual question in my original post. "What is non-hip hop about the mix-up?"

I said "everything" under the mistaken impression that I was answering a question posed by someone who was willing to consider that someone else may have a different (but potentially valid) definition of hip-hop. That was my mistake. After reconsidering I have decided that since hip-hop incorporates all types of music (as evidenced in the remix section), that everything is hip-hop, and nothing is not hip-hop. So I guess I owe you an apology!

I know I used a fair bit of sarcasm, but I am not trying to diss. Maybe I just don't get where you are coming from. I like your passion though.(y)(y)

[easy 3]

Fair enough - it's a debate I'm glad to provoke.

I guess what I mean is that hip hop (as a marketed music form) could really do with being more broad-minded about it's potentials and definitions recently - that's something the Beasties always seem to achieve and that's why I like them so much. Hip hop used to draw on very diverse references and reflect that, at the moment it seems to be getting increasingly generic and stale. I listen to all sorts of instrumental funk but I guess what I'm feeling when I listen to them is a hip hop feeling (you dig?) - which is why I was surprised and a little disappointed when a lot of people seemed to make a fuss about TMU being instumental - it's exactly the sort of record hip hop producers dig for (i.e. full of fresh breaks) and that's why I'm asking what's non-hip hop about it.

I certainly didn't mean to come across as some kind of high and mighty twat about the whole thing - and maybe the word 'study' is a bit arsey - I appreciate I'm simply not old enough to be some kind of Bronx OG - (hell I grew up in a small town and have never been to the US) but it just didn't seem like such a daft question to me - a lot of record shops don't really have a funk/breaks section for example.

I'm sure Bambaataa himself couldn't give a shit about definitions of hip hop either (or the Beasties for that matter) I guess I just preffered it when hip hop appeared a bit more diverse.

[mistressf]

regarding the hiphop debate, i was just reading the uncut review, and here's how it ends:

'' The MixUp is the best record collection ever thoroughly digested and re-imagined by a cunch of guys in love with sound. IE, exactly what hip hop is supposed to be, no matter how old you are.''

it just brought this thread to my mind..