I know think I’m a fuckload little late on this one but when I came across this gem I had to post it. Little Dragon is one of Sweden’s illest bands right now (and the singer is smoking–she’d be the girl, of course) and Trackademicks is one of the Bay Area’s only most noteworthy producers, having produced tracks for Little Brother, Mistah FAB, J* Davey and Kid Sister; ?uestlove and the Fool’s Gold clique have both given the Alameda-native their nods of approval. Swing over to the very cool website RCRD LBL to download Trackademics’s remix of “After the Rain.”
Little Dragon-”After the Rain”(Trackademics Remix)
Last night the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl for the first time ever, bringing a little hope and glory to a city in dire need of positive attention. New Orleans native Curren$y also scored a meaningful touchdown with the city this weekend, dropping the Smokee Robinson Mixtape. Curren$y is my favorite rapper to count on in a jiffy. For example, say you’re running out of the house and are in desperate need of a banging mixtape for the whip, Curren$y is your man. Scope a few of the tracks and click the album cover to download the fine product. Go Saints.
Having spoken to Chuck Fenda on the phone, I knew it would be a vital mistake to miss an opportunity to speak with the reggae legend in person. So when Nathaniel @ VP Records told us that Chuck would be in L.A doing a show with the Jamaican Gold boys, we jumped on it. Big up to Rudegal for working out the logistics, check her page out, she manages pretty much anybody of note in the dancehall scene. We proudly present Chuck Fenda showing us his I Man. As always, big tings!
One of Los Angeles’ emerging beatsmiths, Drewbyrd–who has rocked parties thrown by The Fader and produced beats for dudes like Dom Kennedy–has just dropped his mixtape Show and Tell, which is really quite ill. Drew–like myself– is Bay Area born but finds the L.A. sunshine more conducive to creative work so I take hella pride in recommending you nab Show and Tell.
You know that point of the night when you’re in a lonely bar and there’s about half-an-hour before closing time, and consequently, the time is prime for locking down a nightlong partner to participate in carnal lust with? Well come Valentines Day-eve, that final-1/2 hour zeitgeist is going to be oozing through the air all night long at Get Your Heart On, which features the great MC/porn guru Kool Keith, a DJ set by Fatlip and the always lovely Lady Tigra. Tickets–the last time I checked–were mad cheap and it’s at some cutty downtown L.A. spot (better for nasty scenarios).
P.S. even if the lineup was garbage, I’d still post this ish because of the heart between the girl’s legs, on the flier.
How do I say this, right…I kind of dig the new Cudi. I think it succeeds because it sticks with basics and keeps pretension to a minimum. I’m not saying it’ll be the anthem of 2010 but I dig the simple systematic layout of the track and I think Cudi sticks to what he’s best at: monosyllabic weed metaphors; and, whatever that weird country-esque sample is in the background, it’s a nutritious supplement for this track.
Badness is one of the few MC’s walking the London streets that intrigues me anymore. Not to say that he’s necessarily a sick emcee, in fact, plenty of hip hop faithful would probably categorize his lyrics as incomprehensible garbage. However, Badness sparks interest more for what you cannot understand than a genuine appreciation of his artistic motivations. For starters, he’s a bad ass, and guilty of talking more shit on that side of the Atlantic than your average British poof. He seems to be completely indifferent to anybody else’s opinion of him, from industry cats to your average chickenhead. For people who appreciate Dancehall, I must say, I have not seen any dancehall DJ’s spit in the manner that Badness does, making his flow extremely unusual. His ability to sift in between dancehall, rap, and grime with ease will ensure a spot on the UK roster of urban artists. However, if he want’s to get paid in greenbacks over here, he’s going to have to stop concerning himself with being baleful, and focus rather on decipherability.
Leave it to the grassroots fans San Francisco to attract two of the backpack world’s finest for a charity night in support of Haiti. Jay Electronica is absolutely blistering the game right now, and Mos Def has been focused on a lot of production lately, making his existence all the more meaningful. Together they will put down a set for Haiti @ The Independent, 628 Divisadero, San Francisco, CA.
I wonder if Curren$y will also be there, marking the first time their supergroup, titled, Center Edge Territory, performs together on stage. Now that would be worth a 5 hour drive!
I was gonna write y’all another episode of my adventures in the bay area’s hip-hop clearance racks, but I recently stumbled upon an album that is too good not to write about. Formerly known as K. Dot, Compton’s Kendrick Lamar released his debut, self titled EP this past new year’s eve. It’s doper than a Bobby Brown piss test (thanks again Mr. Hicks), and it’s still available for free on his myspace, so make sure to cop it immediately. Whenever West Coast rap is praised it always seems to be due to the honesty involved in the lyrics. Being “real as fuck” is apparently our bread and butter. At first it was the unheard of level of anger, angst, and violence presented by Ice T, NWA, and Pac. Yet unfortunately that realism transformed into fantastical and out of this world boasts that became so formulaic, that the majority of Gangster Rap became more boring than listening to Tim Duncan speak. Luckily, a new trend in realism has been taking hold in the Left Coast, and it is just as powerful and moving as the music from the early 90’s. Instead of letting listeners know what it’s like to be the hardest gangster, or the most money hungry drug dealer, or the most heartless pimp, or how much they just don’t give a fuck, this new movement of West Coast MC’s are telling the honest tale of what it’s like being a genuinely good person trying to get by in some of America’s most dangerous hoods. Really this trend in California spitters has roots as far back as the Hieroglyphics crew (check out Del’s, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, ya dig), but more recently the rebirth of this style really took hold with Blu and Exile’s, Below The Heavens. After that, names like Pac Div, UNI, Diz Gibran and Fashawn started to get thrown around a lot more frequently, and hopefully after reading this, you will add Kendrick Lamar to the top of your list.
Kendrick has been building his name in the Los Angeles area with Jay Rock and the rest of Top Dawg Entertainment for the past few years. As many can imagine due to his affiliation with Jay Rock, his public career started with him building his skills around the standard array of gangster boasts. Yet he stood out from the rest due to his unorthodox flow, and far better than average word play. Then, to paraphrase one of his recent interview responses, he woke up one day and realized that in order to progress further he needed to stop forcing himself to fit into the standard definition of a rapper, and start using his rhymes to express who he really is. After that K.Dot became Kendrick, and his lyrics took a much more personal and honest tone. Let’s all give thanks, because for those of you who have felt the urge to punch Blu in the face for releasing nothing but glorified horse shit since Below The Heavens , or wished that Fashawn had some better punchlines, or felt that UNI is way too fucking hipster to actually give a chance, The Kendrick Lamar EP will once again restore your faith in this “I ain’t a killa but don’t push me” sub genre of rap.
Lyrically Kendrick reminds me a lot of Elzhi. Although he almost always is rapping about something specific, he never lets the subject detract from his punchlines, metaphors, and relentless flow. It’s a good combo, because not only do you feel like you are hearing a diversity of thought provoking and intellectually valuable tracks, but the motherfucker is ripping the mic the entire album. On “Vanity Slaves”, Kendrick gives his own take on why members of the inner city community spend money so irresponsibly. He draws the connection to the complete lack of opportunity or valuable personal property available during the years of slavery, and as a result of that, the black community is now involuntarily overcompensating by obtaining as many tangible signs of wealth as possible. While the song doesn’t convince me that buying a diamond encrusted emblem of a weed leaf or some 26” rims is a good idea if you don’t own a home, the thesis is praiseworthy, and the mic work is full of raw passion and emotion, yet still somehow comes off as polished as well. Yet for those of you who arn’t necessarily trying to listen to an academic essay over beats, don’t trip. There is plenty of other shit on the album. On “P & P”, one of my favorite tracks, Kendrick and fellow Top Dawg Ent member, Ab Soul, explain that when life gets them down, the quickest way to forget is some pussy and patron. On “I Wanna Be Heard” Mr. Lamar professes his love for writing bars, and the frustration felt in not having the opportunity to share his craft with the world, despite knowing he spits heat like an Australian summer. By no means is it a new subject, but on this track Kendrick’s talent is undeniable, and his personality really shines. Paired with a beat reminiscent of Exile or Madlib, this might be the song I find myself listening to the most. Finally Kendrick still leaves room to show he can simply spit better than anyone else on “Thanksgiving”. Little Brother’s Big Pooh tries to hold his own alongside Lamar, but fails to come close to the lyrical ability or excitement that Kendrick provides.
The mere existence of this video at this juncture is indicative of immensely odd marketing tactics. “Ciroc Star” was off of Chester French’s (free) mixtape Jacques Jams which dropped close to a year ago. In that time, CF has put out an actual (not free) album, Love the Future. Why not drop a video off of the pay album? Personally, I can’t really complain, as Jacques Jams was one of 2009’s best sleeper hits. “Ciroc Star”–while a ridiculous testament to Diddy’s shameless entrepreneurship–was one of the best tracks on the mixtape, sans Jada’s garbage verse.
Ironically it takes a G from Philly and not a President from Chicago to truly put together a stimulus package that makes sense, let alone cents. Philly fire spitter Freeway has teamed up with hip hop Godsend Jake One. The collaboration has produced a virtual stimulus package for hip hop sonically, however, this will also stimulate the real economy, literally! People will buy this CD. Why? Why buy when you can pirate? Watch the video, and let Rhymesayers show you exactly why son!
Cop the physical copy of this ridiculously marvelous marketing item passing itself off as a CD, everywhere February 15th 2010!
It usually is not a wise move to let a couple of 20-somethings from New England design your nutrition plan. However, DJ EmohBetta out of Boston and ZIF favorite Falside, just released a 5-course meal called Meet’ N Veggies, and it’s scrumptious! The EP is a picture perfect example of a collaborative effort, namely the following:
Dj Emoh Betta of Boston’s most celebrated turntablist crew, The Deck Demons, recentlyteamed up with the acclaimed, 20 year old Indy Hip Hop producer, Falside. After an afternoon of Pad Thai, caffiene, and brainstorming, they formulated “Meet’n Veggies”. This 5 track EP blends Falside’s instrumental elements with Dj Emoh’s intense technical skill on the decks.
Funny thing about Falside is that he can’t scratch worth a damn, and that’s some self-proclaimed shit, in fact there was a video up online at the following link. That video mysteriously disappeared from Vimeo on January 10th, LOL, call me a conspiracy theorist. Either way, good look for Falside to team up with a true deck demon, and put together another fine example of the current hip hop renaissance in Boston.
Taste the dishes below, and order the free meal right here.
PeD
Jake
tak4prez
Doogz
*sHOTgun*
asugs
Matt
Yvettita
