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Audio: ADaD “Space Invaders” feat. Fashawn & Naledge

by shamz on May 29, 2012 NEWS

It’s been a few months since we heard word about Windy City emcee ADaD‘s mixtape, P.S. I’m Next. But his collabs with Exile and Dibia$e alone still have me anticipating this tape. Today, ADaD gets intergalactic with some help from Fashawn and Naledge for the latest mixtape leak, “Space Invaders.” No date yet, but P.S. ... Read more

Audio: Curren$y “Jet Life” feat. Big K.R.I.T. & Wiz Khalifa

by shamz on May 29, 2012 NEWS

The Jets are almost ready to land, with their ring leader, Curren$y, set to release his latest LP, The Stoned Immaculate, on June 5th. Before we get the full LP, we’re blessed with another leak off the album, “Jet Life” featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Wiz Khalifa. Last time these three hooked up they dropped one ... Read more

Audio: TiRon & Ayomari “®adio”

by shamz on May 25, 2012 NEWS

West side residing duo TiRon and Ayomari are back at it with some new music to close out the week. T&A bless us with a little something you won’t find on the “®ADIO” (D.K. on the beat). The song will appear on the upcoming project, HNGRY, set to drop in July. [Audio clip: view full ... Read more

Audio: Meshell Ndegeocello X Miguel Migs, “Petit Mort (Moody Downtown Remix)”

by Eddie "STATS" on May 25, 2012 NEWS

Meshell Ndegeocello taps rhythm specialist Miguel Migs for a remix (dancefloor dub, really) of her get-under-your-skin compostion “Petit Mort.” Migs plays Larry Levan to her Talking Heads, augmenting the original song’s naive melody with a steppers groove and funky drumclaps that wouldn’t be out of place on the dancefloor of any downtown loft party circa ... Read more

LargeUp Audio: Five Steez “Divine Appointment” [prod. DJ Illout]

by Eddie "STATS" on May 25, 2012 NEWS

Words by Nico Simino, courtesy of LargeUp Jamaican MC Five Steez is an artist who, given enough exposure, could well become what folks would call a “rappers’ rapper.” Blessed with lyrical prowess and accompanied by minimalist, 90′s-era boom-bap, Five Steez reminds me of a lost tradition in hip-hop: straight-up-rhyming. His newest song, “Divine Appointment,” is co-produced by London’s DJ Illout, and features a ... Read more

MC Melodee X Cookin Soul – Check Out Melodee [Mixtape]

by anto on May 25, 2012 NEWS

Just like her homeboy Chuck Inglish, Amsterdam’s dutch mistress MC Melodee is taking that “bringin’ 88 back”-ish seriously. Her brand new, DJ Whoo Kid-hosted mixtape, Check Out Melodee, doesn’t only allude to Eric B. & Rakim in name, but also takes it back in sound to the golden days of cowbells, 808s and scratch samples. ... Read more

Audio: GLC “Cathedral (prod. Blended Babies)” feat. Raheem DeVaughn

by shamz on May 24, 2012 NEWS

GLC‘s long awaited collabo album with Blended Babies, Cathedral, is set to drop on Monday. We got a sample of the project with some slow ridin’ custom Chevy music last time around, now today The Ism brings the horns out and takes y’all to church with the album’s title track featuring Raheem DeVaughn. Check back ... Read more

Audio: Unreleased G.U.R.U. Freestyle Circa 1994 [Belgian Radio]

by Eddie "STATS" on May 24, 2012 NEWS

Continuing in the spirit of Throwback Thursdays, we bring you a rare bit of rap archaeology from the deep in the archives of DJ Premier–an unreleased and little heard freestyle from Preem’s Gang Starr co-founder G.U.R.U., kicked over the immortal “Mass Appeal” beat during an interview on Belgian radio circa 1994. Get a blast from ... Read more

Audio: Cocaine 80s “Unchain Me/Love 3x”

by shamz on May 24, 2012 NEWS

As promised, more white. Cocaine 80s continue to kill it with more new music to supplement your Thursday. Today’s leak is of the double feature variety with “Unchain Me/Love 3X.” Unlike the last jawn, Fauntelroy keeps it mellow and acoustic with both of these songs. Still no word on a project, but they’ve already leaked an EPs worth ... Read more

Audio: Leela James “Something’s Got a Hold On Me” + Behind the Scenes Footage

by anto on May 23, 2012 NEWS

It’s been a while since we last heard from Leela James. Now Leela is back with a new project and it’s gonna be an ambitious one. On July 31 she will be releasing her album Loving You More… In the Spirit of Etta James and as you might be able to deduct from the title, ... Read more

TALWST – Alien Tentacle Sex [EP Stream]

by Eddie "STATS" on May 23, 2012 NEWS

Northern alien (Canadialien?) and okayplayer-featured First Look artist TALWST dropped his EP Alien Tentacle Sex on the planet yesterday and not surprisingly it is a brilliant mess of dark, innovative genre-bending soul. The frequent illangelo collaborator arrives at a sound that is 0bviously an incestuous cousin of The Weeknd‘s druggy pop sound–so close in fact that it prompts ... Read more

Okayfuture Audio: SBTRKT “Gamelena”

by Eddie "STATS" on May 23, 2012 NEWS

The man of a millions masks (SBTRKT, I mean) has announced that he’s ”back in the studio. working towards eps/ album/ etc.” and as proof he offers this bleepy slow-house juggernaut called “Gamelena.” Sounds like an ill video game–and so does the title. By way of metadata, ‘TRKT offers these words: ”something new – no plan for ... Read more

News

LargeUp Exclusive: Meet The Wizard–Jamaica’s Only Female Producer

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

Words by Jesse Serwer, photos by Martei Korley. In case you haven’t noticed it, LargeUp has been killing it this week. Among other notable exclusives they sat down with Jamaica’s only female producer AKA The Wizard for an in-depth interview. Get the intro and a short excerpt below and hit the link at bottom to ... Read more

Okayafrica Video: Akua Naru ‘Tales of (Wo)Men’ (Live In Session)

by killakam on May 29, 2012 NEWS

Ghanaian-American multifaceted wordsmith — and “Okayplayer-to-watch” — Akua Naru comes through with another “Live & Aflame” session in Cologne alongside the DigFlo band. For the new clip she flips the title to her organic “Tales of Men” jam, performing it with live flutes, arpeggio-ed guitar and a massive horn section (stick through to 4-minute mark for that). Akua ... Read more

Video: Sonnymoon “Universal Appeal” Live In Session

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

Sonnymoon drop a live performance of their jam “Universal Appeal,” clearly an answer/diss record snapping back at Gang Starr‘s “Mass Appeal” (<–not clear at all. But it’s fun to think about while you listen), in a session for yours truly. This video is like an answer to the question, How do you give the performance ... Read more

Video: Common On The Art Of Rap [Clips From Ice T's Documentary]

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

Okayplayer-for-life Common speaks on the days when he first fell in love with H.E.R. in these clips from Ice T’s rapumentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap. But who knew the Chi-town resurrector would namecheck an unknown crew from Cincinnati as his introduction to the rap game? Readers of his memoir One Day It’ll ... Read more

Video: Bobby Womack x Lana Del Rey “Dayglo Reflection” + “Deep River”

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

More signs & wonders from the forthcoming Bobby Womack LP–this time a video (lyrics video? or perhaps hieroglyphics video?) featuring pop music’s love/hate child Lana Del Rey on a duet called “Dayglo Reflection.” The inside-out beat and quiet vocal lets the grain of Womack’s voice show without even trying, an understated performance from the veteran, ... Read more

Video: Esperanza Spalding “Black Gold” Live On Jools Holland

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

The unfairly beautiful & talented Esperanza Spalding was in Europe over the holiday weekend, where she blessed the audience at BBC studios with a live performance on Later with Jools Holland. Looking funktabulous in her balloon-sleeved orange princess dress, Espe and band turned it out with such aplomb that even reggae legend Jimmy Cliff had ... Read more

Video: Homeboy Sandman “I Do Whatever I Want”

by shamz on May 29, 2012 NEWS

We’ve gotten nothing but good music and dope videos thus far from this Stones Throw x Homeboy Sandman partnership. Today, Boy Sand rolls out yet another video, “I Do Whatever I Want” off of his Chimera EP. So that’s what y’all ladies be doin’ at them sleepovers? Get glammed up, have pillow fights and vibe ... Read more

Video: Reks “Autographs”

by shamz on May 29, 2012 NEWS

After first giving us a listen to the track back in December, Reks just released a video for his Statik Selektah produced first single “Autographs.” Reks fittingly takes hip-hop back to its’ essence with this vid, handing out his own CD on the street, performing at local venues, and signing autographs at the record store ... Read more

Video: Black Thought, Prodigy & Homeboy Sandman Live At Lyricist Lounge 20th Anniversary

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

If you don’t catch our live tweets (or Common‘s…or Michael K. Williams‘) about how epic last week’s Lyricist Lounge 20th Anniversary reunion/celebration was, we now have living proof (no Primo). Watch the legendary Black Thought freestyle live, Mobb Deep‘s Prodigy send one out to his man Killa B (you can run, but…) and Homeboy Sandman rep ... Read more

Video: Murs “Epic Salutations (prod. Ski Beatz)”

by shamz on May 29, 2012 NEWS

Like true gentlemen, Murs and Ski Beatz start the day by offering you salutations, but not just any salutations, “Epic Salutations.” Ski’s collabo album with tabi Bonney, The Summer Years, has yielded quite a few videos to date, not to be overlooked, the Ski x Murs album, Love & Rockets, is brought back to the ... Read more

Video: Large Professor Speaks On Working With NaS On Illmatic

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

As we wait for new long-players from both NaS (Life Is Good – July 17) and Large Professor (Professor At Large – June 26) the Largest Pro speaks to Hip-Hop Wired on working with Nasir on the collaboration that started it all; Nas’ classic LP Illmatic. In a word: “ferocious.” Watch above. spotted at HHNM Read more

Pass The Popcorn: Andre 3000 As Jimi Hendrix [Photos]

by Eddie "STATS" on May 29, 2012 NEWS

Despite the squasheration from the Jimi Hendrix Estate, filming on Andre 3000‘s depiction of the guitar legend during his years in England has begun, according to the UK’s Daily Mail and other media outlets, which published these photos of 3-Stacks stepping out of his trailer onto the set in character. Andre has previously commented on ... Read more