Here is the latest remix produced by DJ Lord Jazz from Lords of The Underground (who employs the same Screamin’ Jay Hawkins I put a spell on you sample made famous by Preemo in Biggie’s Kick in the Door) for yU’s On the Corner featuring EyeQ.
M.I.A.’s new video for Born Free is clearly causing some uproar, as evidenced by YouTube removing the video from its Website. Directed by Romain Garvas, the video which draws inspiration from Children of Men and Apocalypto is not for the faint of heart, but given our present political climate it becomes even more significant. Music aside (I watch in mute till about the three-min mark because the music isn’t exactly my cup of tea) it does not take the brain of Stephen Hawking to discern that this video, art in motion, is clearly an analogy which cannot help but conjure up images of a police-state, the plight of many disenfranchised citizens of the world and what could be the end result of the recent Arizona immigration law.
Here are the visuals for Curt@ins, Letter to the People Pt. 1, a track that finds Dope Boy C venting over 9th Wonder’s instrumental for Memphis Bleek’s Alright.On another note did I detect a jab at Tyga (imjusayin)
Directed by Berman Fenelus, here is a video from the trio of Hardcore Gentleman, Tanya Morgan, for Bang N Boogie (For me the album[Brooklynati] picked up at this very track; I could have done without tracks 1 – 3) The video was shot in sections of Brooklyn (McDonough and Throop I think?, WhaddupDoe [J-Boogie]!) and Manhattan (Gray’s Papaya to be exact) while depicting younger versions (in spirit not in the physical) of Von Pea, Donwill and Illyas. Von Pea explains, "We all decided to just tell the story this time and stay away from costumes and comedy." Be on the lookout for Von Pea's solo album, Pea's Gotta Have It, available this summer via Interdependent Media.
Directed by Matt Koza and featuring cameos from the likes of Chaundon, Big Dho, Jozeemo and Joe Scudda; here is the uncensored version for LB’s aptly titled single Curtain Call (Khyrysis onthe beat). Little Brother's fourth and final album,LeftBack, is out now via Hall Of Justus.
Here is yet another leak from Declaime’s forthcoming album, FONK, entitled Gangsta. Declaime’s message is clear through his lyricism and accordingly he explains, "It's a message to the gangsters to wake up.This is not how we're supposed to be, and this music should heal, uplift, and cause harmony - not disharmony." FONK drops on May 4th.
My sincere condolences go out to the family of Keith Elam, who went by the backronym, Guru. He died yesterday after a year-long battle with cancer which was otherwise not made public till he suffered a heart attack and his consequent stay in the hospital. Hewas 43 years old. Gururest in piece, rest in piece, rest in piece(Still all things asidesomehow some way I don’t believe we have heard the last of this)
Ever since his release from Clinton Correctional, attentive listeners have been in awe of Shyne's return-unfortunately not for reasons he would have hoped for. Anybody with sense questioned how Def Jam could frivolously shell out a million dollars to a rapper who had lost the very voice that garnered him so much attention (whether good or bad). Upon his much publicized release, particularly because most listeners sympathized with his plight, he made his aspirations public through a slew of freestyles that had us [listeners] scratching our heads...Damn homie when [I] was in high school you was the man homie/ What the f*ck happened to you? Case in point, his forgettable Un-Thinkable freestyle where Shyne, channeling his inner Jigga(I'm about a dollar, what the f*uck is 50 cents?) berates Fiddy; I need a couple of million/ f*ck 50 cents (really though?). Anyway the people over at ItsTheReal.com suggest a what if scenario through the wonders of Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch Out.
To celebrate yU’s release of Before Taxes, he has decided to release two new tracks from the LP for free, Close and a bonus, non-album, song Work It Out.Before Taxes is out now.
It’s tipping close to a decade since Deltron 3030, a group comprised of principal Hieroglyphics architect, Del Da Funky Homosapien, DJ Kid Koala and producer Dan the Automator, unveiled their conjoined musical and theatrical concept masterpiece of the same name, Deltron 3030. Set in the year 3030, Del aka Deltron Zero alongside his trusty sidekicks Dan aka The Cantankerous Captain and Kid Koala aka Skiznod the Boy Wonder are inhabitants of a post- apocalyptic world; a V for Vendettaesque society where, you are to be inside by nine o'clock or risk getting shot. For that reason, amongst others which are made evident once the album is listened to from beginning to end, Deltron Zero armed with his rhymes scours the galaxy as a means of survival. As absurd as the album’s plot may sound, embedded within Dan the Automaton’s strikingly layered production, Koala’s sparse yet valuable scratches, Del’s outright otherworldly lyrics and the album’s interludes are themes that are very much applicable in today’s saturated music industry even ten years later. As with most concept albums, this effort is not without its features which include Damon Albarn of Blur, Prince Paul, Money Mark (frequent Beastie Boys collaborator), and Mr. Lif. Deltron 3030is an album that even the casual hip-hop listener can appreciate. From its over-the-top lyrics to its superb production that evens samplesSesame Street of all things.
Fresh off some SomeOthaShip, Declaime aka Dudley Perkins is prepping the release of his latest solo effort, FONK. It will be available digitally as well as physically on May 4th. For listeners of Declaime’s previous works not only does this project signify a departure from his Dudley Perkins persona but it also finds Declaime returning to his funk roots. “I wanted to keep it to my heritage of West Coast funk," says Declaime. "A lot of us west coast underground artists tend to go to the east coast feel 'cause it's an innovative boom-bap sound…” To help him achieve this sound Delclame solicited the talents of Quazedelic, an understudy of the principal innovator of P-funk, George Clinton, to produce the album in its entirety. The album’s lead single, Fame, is indicates of Declaime’s fonkadelic direction.
Pulp Fiction Pt. 1 is one of my favorite tracks from the duo hailing from the Land of the Kings; U-N-I. Taken from their album, A Love Supreme 2.0 and featuring Cali’s new favorite son, Fashawn, the video borrows from one of Tarantino’s classics of the same name, Pulp Fiction. The lyrics are so picturesque, as all three emcees seamlessly feed off each other as if involved in the three-man weave.
With the baseball season in full swing, and the Yankees and the Red-Sox renewing their historic rivalry, Brooklyn emcee Masta Ace and Boston representa-by way of Roxbury- Edo. G keep creating visuals for their album, Arts & Entertainment. Case in point, A& E’s, a cheesy video (it diminishes the track) that features the vocal stylings of Marsha Ambrosious.
Queens bred-emcee Homeboy Sandman will be releasing his debut commercial release, The Good Sun, on 6-1-2010. The forthcoming album, his first on indie label High Water Music, not onlyexhibits his patented lyricism that underground audiences have grown accustomed with; but this album has the Sandman on a mission of some sorts, “The Good Sun is setting a lot of things straight. If somebody sets someone else straight, it might be referred to as ‘sonning’ them. I’m ‘sonning’ people with this album—a lot of people. It’s the good son though. It’s all done with love” Featuring production from the likes of Ski Beatz, Psycho Les and 2 Hungry Bros.to name a few; The Good Sun, is sure to contain positive, witty intellectualism from this U-Penn graduate who has no intentions of yielding to the true liesof the mainstream, You move in Rihanna and Ciara midst/rare are moments where motives are clear as a Sierra Mist
1.)Core Rhythm (produced by Core Rhythm)
2.) The Carpenter (produced by 2 Hungry Bros)
3.) Not Pop (produced by Core Rhythm)
4.) Yeah But I Can Rhyme Though (produced by Ski Beatz)
5.) Table Cloth f/Fresh Daily (produced by M Slago)
6.) Low Co. (produced by Pyscho Les)
7.) Mean Mug (produced by Ben Grymm)
8.) The Essence (produced by 2 Hungry Bros)
9.) Strange Planet (produced by KO Beatz)
10.) Being Haved (produced by DJ Spinna)
11.) The Things They Carried f/John Robinson & Daniel Joseph (produced by Core Rhythm)
Imitation is the highest form of flattery; enter Murs and 9th Wonder with I Used To Luv H.E.R. (Again), a remake of Common’s (before he dropped the sense) ’94 classic I Used To love H.E.R. The lyrics are word for word as Murs serves as Common’s vessel while 9thWonder’s production provides the tracks soundscape. Although it is a solid effort from the duo, you can never recreate a classic; MURS & 9thyou get an E for effort.
Here is the first official leak from yU’s - one third of Diamond District - forthcoming solo album Before Taxes entitled, Native. This Oddisee produced track finds the aforementioned yU embodying his Native American ancestry through acute lyricism: I sing a song of truth, courage, and respect / Jumping out there like Geronimo, we stand up for that / And our plan of attack is straight Cherokee strategy / You can kill me, but you cannot kill my legacy. Before Taxes, will be available April 13th via Mello Music Group.
An industry veteran to say the least, Scarface returns after a brief hiatus with Dopeman Music, a tribute to streets often guilty of orchestrating defeats. This is the first ever mixtape for The Godfather of the Southwho feels he is ready to dabble into new things. "I feel that I need to move on to another stage with the way I deliver my music to the public. I got a lot of sh*! and I'm using about 3 percent of what I know about music. I'm not using it all. I'm music. I can play that sh*! long enough for a real musician to catch it and feel me, where I'm going, and we make magic like that."Dopeman Music is due out on May 4th via Scarface’s own Facemob Music Label, distributed by Deep Distribution Worldwide.
Here is the first leak from 1/5 of D.C.’s Low Budget Crew member Kenn Starr’s pending summer mixtape, Kragenoff. The aptly-titled The Notti Joint finds Starr collaborating for the first time with Portland based producer Dave Notti. “…I found his production to be the perfect backdrop to the brand of hip-hop I strive to create and maintain,” says Starr. According to the MC, this rather short track (clocking in at just below two minutes) represents the mixtape as a whole. "I felt like this was the perfect straight-to-the-point introduction to what people can expect from my upcoming mixtape." The forthcoming project also features production from the likes of Oddisee, Apollo Brown, 14 KT, Kev Brown, and more. Kenn Starr’s sophomore LP, Two Track Mind, will be available via Mello Music Group this fall.
Anyone familiar with HBO’s new series, How to Make It in America, has already gotten wind of its intro, well here is the official video for Aloe Blacc’s I Need A Dollar (You & me both brotha man…Lord run come save me).
Detroit mainstay, DJ House Shoes is proud (an assumption based on the quality of work in question) to present the latest work from up-and-coming producer, Chanes. An Experiment in Instrumentation is a fifteen-track instrumental album that begs the question, how is it possible to create musical sounds by electronic means? The answer lies within Chanes’s practiced synthesis of electronic, hip-hop, trip-hop and ambient music to create something that is uniquely his own.
Looks like white & black vids are the new black; Brooklyn Zu, Wu-Tang affiliate teams up with Fredro Starr of Onyx fame for a head-nodding video for Chi’sBig Heist mixtape. This track has all the staples of a well-fortified Wu-Tang diet, beat-wise that is.
