sgt. sass: drop the glass.

dl: SGT. SASS - Drop The Glass (alt)

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After releasing the Double S 4 Mayor mixtape over a year ago, Sgt. Sass are following it up with a new EP entitled Body Rock. "Drop The Glass" (produced by Steven Bloodbath) is the first song off the EP to reach the world's ears, and it's joined by "Demonstrate", a b-side sampling the guitar riff from Hole's "Celebrity Skin". Both tracks epitomize the party-laden theme of Body Rock, but don't think that every song on the EP will fit into the same sonic soundscape as these two. The title track has a little bit of an ol' skool vibe with crazy electronic elements stitched in, and the poppier sound of "Never Again" will have you doing some crazy elbow dances. Or at least it'll have me doing some crazy elbow dances.

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BONER TRACK: SGT. SASS - Demonstrate (alt)

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- SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

anavan: the perfect sound.

dl: ANAVAN - The Perfect Sound (Z)
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I wouldn't have survived last week without Anavan. At any point when I got too stressed, I'd pull out my computer, open iTunes, find "The Perfect Sound", press play and repeat as necessary.

I imagine that loyalists to Anavan's punkier roots won't appreciate the extreme dance-pop direction of this tune. Having heard a few select songs from their upcoming album Cover Story, some of you may be relieved to know that "The Perfect Sound" isn't necessarily indicative of Anavan's overall sound.

Beyond their own tunes, Anavan's drummer AB has been doing a variety of remixes including A++, Foot Village, Sgt. Sass, Totally Radd!!, Sophie Nix, Attractive and Popular, kyoka, and Destructo Bunny the International Peace Keeper. The Sgt. Sass remix was runner-up in the No Big Deal remix contest, but personally I think AB was robbed on that one (no offense to Japattack).

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BONER TRACK: SGT. SASS - Take Your Man (ANAVAN remix) (Z)
BONER TRACK II: TOTALLY RADD!! - Cold Moonlight (ANAVAN remix) (Z)
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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - LAST IT - HYPE IT -

japattack: anoraak & sgt sass remixes.

dl: ANORAAK - Nightdrive With You (JAPATTACK! remix) (Z - YSI)

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I have to confess that I've been stalking West Philly's up-and-coming electro remixers JAPATTACK! through their blog ATTACKTHAT! They first came to my attention when I heard their remix of "Faggot Snappin" by my boys Sgt. Sass, and I've been keeping my eye on them since. Beyond my favorite fag-rappers, they've been keeping the blog world busy with their remixes of Thunderheist, Rye Rye, Spank Rock, South Rakkas Crew, Amanda Blank, Pase Rock, and a very popular mix of MGMT, Pitbull, and Justice.

It recently came to my attention that they had been vying for a spot on the new ANORAAK EP and would be submitting a remix of "Nightdrive With You". The duo seemed a little uncertain about remixing a song with singing (up to this point they've only dealt with rapping) and are having a laugh "over remixing a love song", but it turns out that they've made one of their best remixes yet. I know this as trite as far as blogger-talk goes, but it really keeps the spirit of the original while bringing something entirely new to the table. I'd even go as far as saying that I enjoy this a little bit more than the Adeyhawke or Fear of Tigers remixes. You know I wouldn't lie about these things. I have such a music-boner for ANORAAK, so this is serious business.

Of note, this past Monday JAPATTACK! dropped Attack That Sass, a collection of Sgt. Sass remixes which includes the "Faggot Snappin" mix and more. They're also starting to record some tracks with original vocals, so it ain't just about the remixes! Keep tabs on these boys by adding their blog to your RSS feed. These boys have a lot of potential, and they're seemingly getting better with each day that passes.

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BONER TRACK: SGT. SASS - I'll Take Your Man (JAPATTACK! Runs This remix) (Z - YSI)

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- SPACE IT - READ IT - HYPE IT -

sgt. sass: somethin' to be proud of.

dl: SGT. SASS f/ MIRROR BOIYZ - Fags In Space (YSI)

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I came across a profile on a certain social-networking site with the following quote--"I prefer to think of gay culture as EM Forster and Stonewall instead of rainbows and self-destructive female celebrities." This quote stuck with me as I walked to lunch today and noticed all the restaurants and bars that dusted off their rainbow flags. The concept of gay pride has always made me slightly uneasy in the stomach, as I indicated two years ago on this very blog. My uneasiness wasn't dissipated when I briefly attended a mixer hosted by HX magazine (much love to Matthew) and heard a bad dance remix of Lindsay Lohan's "Bossy" blaring from the speakers. Why are my people listening to bad music by maybe lesbians when there's quality music being made within our community? This isn't a rhetorical question.

Now that I got that off my chest, this would be a perfect time to tell yall that my friends and favorite Philly-fag emcees Sgt. Sass will be performing at Sugarland tomorrow night, June 28th, at 11:45PM. I imagine that this would be the perfect way to spend your Pride weekend. Just remember these wise words from a homeless lesbian I once gave $20 to--"It's gay pride every day in New York City!"

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- SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

sgt. sass: baltimore show.

dl: SGT. SASS - Raw Beat (YSI)
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Hey Baltimore. I'd say "good morning", but that would be inaccurate and a totally gay reference. You have less than 3 hours until Sgt. Sass invades your ears. Well, probably more than that because there are a lot of other acts performing and shows never start on time. But get pumped! KD and DT are about to take over the world (and probably all of outerspace too). 9PM. The Nerve Center. TONIGHT!

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- SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

benni e: call me daddy.

dl: BENNI E - Call Me Daddy (YSI)

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Say hello to Benni E. Back in November, she busted on stage out of nowhere at a Sgt. Sass show to deliver a verse over 50 Cent's "I Get Money". And hell...this mysterious lady in a pink-wig spit so hard that I imagined Fiddy was somewhere crying about his inferiority. I was immediately starstruck, feeling a need to go shake her hand and churn out a compliment of no substance like, "Woooow, oh my god. That was SO AWESOME." I relived this day over and over as I listened to the Sgt. Sass mixtape Double S 4 Mayor, continuing to be intrigued by this self-proclaimed "vegetarian hype girl".

Two weekends ago, she celebrated the release of her mixtape Microphone Influenza at Make Yr Break's April partay (The Bubble House, Philadelphia). Upon arriving to the space, I was greeted with a big hug and then reprimanded for not visiting sooner. There was some chill time with tunes provided by DJ Bunnystyle, and then we all finally got some new flavor in our earrrrrrs! I don't even have words to describe how "SO AWESOME" the performance was. I mean, if my ears could taste, they'd be like "DAMN THAT JAM WAS DELICIOUS!!"

How delicious? Well have a taste yourself! "Call Me Daddy" is rapped over the instrumental for Spank Rock's "Backyard Betty", and it's totally better than Spank Rock. If you're hungry for more after that, check out more tracks on the space, including a free download of the mixtape's title track "Microphone Influenza".

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- SPACE IT -

sgt. sass: i'll take your man.

"SGT. SASS is back and we came to out-rap you. Fags talk trash, back up cause we'll slap you"

If you're a fan of Salt N Pepa's Hot, Cool, & Vicious album, these lines may sound familiar to you. However, if you're assuming that the use of the word "fag" here involves a homophobic slant to the 1986 jam, you got things all wrong. The end of the chorus remains the same-- the claim that "If you mess with me I'll take your man." The boys of Sgt. Sass like men. And if you mess with them, they will take yours.

Got a problem with them using that oh-so-debated "f-word"? Well, they think you got it wrong. "A lot of people have an issue with us using the word 'faggot,'" says Sgt. Sass member DT when interviewed by Philadelphia Weekly. "But I hear that word every day and I probably will for the rest of my life. So you have to own it." The article goes on to explain that they're reclaiming "faggot" in the same fashion that female rappers such as Lil Kim and Missy Elliott reclaimed the word "bitch". Even if you don't agree with their usage of "faggot", you've got to admit--- that shit takes balls.*

This usage is most apparent on "Faggot Snappin'", a snap music track that begins with the statement "If hip-hop is dead, then we givin' it life, two down ass faggots done picked up the mic." This song will be accompanied by a dance, a common criteria for recent songs by southern rappers. The lyrics reiterate the point mentioned above, "Some don't like the term I use to label this brand new dance, I hear the word every day they call me it at every chance." I'm still not sure what this dance involves. First you limp your wrist with attitude and snap it back. Flip your hair and roll your back? The 75% of whiteness within me is confused by this. Can't I just throw in a soda on the side? I'm really good at that.

Get your ears ready. These boys will soon be releasing an EP with the help of their producer Johnny Woods, and these "two down ass faggots" are ready to bring some new life into the hip-hop world. Do yourself a favor hip-hop fans. Have a listen to some male rappers who don't submit to the machismo-homophobe bullshit and actually admit that they like men. Yeah, I said it.**

dl: SGT. SASS - I'll Take Your Man (YSI)
(Philly homo-hop)
- space it -

* Okay, so Missy Elliott and Lil Kim don't have balls and they reclaimed "bitch". I suppose I could have just said "that shit takes guts" but I really just like saying "balls". I remember one time in high school, I was talking to a male friend about his crush and said "You totally want her BALLS." She was standing directly behind me, and did not take kindly to the fact that I implied she has testicles.