Mixtape Mondays jumps off this week with mixes from Teddy King & Boogie Blind, Lefto and Diplo covering a range of sounds from true school hip-hop to hardcore bass bounce. Boogie Blind starts things off with Dumb DJs Need Teaching – a mixed bag of hard-hitting hip-hop sounds for the true heads. Lefto continues the lesson, schooling listeners with Elaquent on the assist for Soulection Radio‘s 133rd episode. They are followed by Diplo and friends, who do what they do best. Check the tunes and turn up!

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Brooklyn MC Nitty Scott drops the video for her single “Flower Child” featuring Kendrick Lamar – track from her EP The BoomBox Diaries Vol. 1. The video – the byproduct of a successful Kickstarter campaign – is a blooming ode to the bohemian aesthetic directed by Anthony Sylvester. The footage plays well with the laid back track as Nitty Scott traverses a concrete landscape enlivened by her flowery presence and bright attire. Kendrick Lamar makes an appearance on the track, but does not surface in the video for “Flower Child.” Check the summer-ready footage below. Stay tuned for Nitty Scott’s forthcoming LP The Art Of Chill, dropping soon.

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Kanye West debuted a short film inspired by American Psycho during a listening party for his forthcoming LP Yeezus, on Friday. The film follows in the tradition of West’s Runaway and Cruel Summer – both shorts that accompanied his previous releases in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The film attached to the ongoing promotion of Yeezus features Scott Disick and Johnathan Cheban – both extensions of the Kardashian clan – in a reenactment of the Huey Lewis scene from American Psycho that finds the pair debating the merits of Kanye’s music while “New Slaves” plays behind them. This film was projected onto buildings across the world, in keeping with West’s latest promotional strategy. Kanye’s recent forays into film don’t end there. Martin Scorcese has also added Kanye’s “Black Skinhead” to the trailer for his new film The Wolf Of Wall Street, starring Leonardo Di Caprio. No word yet on whether Yeezy’s music will score the entire film, which is slated for release on November 15th. Check the footage below to view the trailer and get a look at the projection of Kanye’s latest short film.

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JJ DOOM takes fans behind the scenes of the video for their single “Bookhead”, directed by legendary street artist Steve “ESPO” Powers. The documentary footage from NOISEY finds the deviant artists teaming up in the U.K. to shoot and deliver the final cut of a video that features an epic moment in hip-hop history as DOOM trades his old mask in for a new one. His latest accessory is unveiled and featured heavily in the footage – a mash of shots that are constructed to watch you as you are watching them. For those hoping the change of costume might reveal a bit more of DOOM’s face, you may be disappointed that this new mask does more to conceal his identity than the metal-faced classic. What you will love, however, is the clever execution and melodrama that the mirror images produce. Check the footage below for the full story. No word yet on whether the latest mask is permanent.

Spotted at VICE

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Estelle gives fans a little more heat from her forthcoming Love & Happiness EP with “Til Tomorrow” and “Whatever You Like” featuring Roses Gabor. “Whatever You Like” made its first appearance around March as a standalone single with a feature from UK rapper Wizzy Wow. The track appears a bit cleaner and laid back sans MC, though it retains the catchy hook and bounce. “Till Tomorrow” is a track that throws back to the golden era hip-hop production that made Mary J. Blige‘s signature sound. Estelle gets the hip-hop soul treatment courtesy of a beat from pad prodigy araabMUZIK. Check the tracks below. Stay tuned for more from Estelle ahead of the release of her three-part EP.

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Freddie Joachim‘s remix series The Joachim Remixes Vol. 5 returns via Mellow Orange Music. The 2012 project features remixes of D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Little Dragon, Talib Kweli and more. Freddie Joachim makes a point to kill every track he touches. He even spices the compilation up with some originals, including several interludes ranging from dope instrumentals that definitely play up his love for Dilla – a trait best exemplified in and around his remix of D’angelo’s “Left and Right” – to clips of dialogue that speak to his sense of humor. Check the project below and grab the free download. Look out for more dope. Freddie Joachim does not disappoint.

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The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival wrapped its annual four-day fete this year with a host of historic performances – two that followed a last minute substitution when R. Kelly and Jack Johnson stepped in as the headliners for Mumford & Sons. Kellz took the stage in an iridescent white jacket and made quick work of a string of hits, including “I Believe I Can Fly”; his performance of the iconic resilience carol was driven home by a few inflatable white doves. Bjork hit the stage backed by mind-bending visuals to perform a handful of tracks, including “Crystalline.” Nas performed a birthday tribute to his daughter to celebrate her 19th birthday with the Manchester, Tennessee crowd. Solange hit the stage for a short set to perform selections from her True EP along with a cover of Dirty Projectors‘ “Stillness Is The Move.” The night was capped by performances from Dirty Projectors and Fourtet, who dropped a mindblowing electronic set on the festival crowd. Check a bit of R. Kelly’s rousing performance at the closing night of Bonnaroo below.

Spotted at BB

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Jean-Michel Basquiat will reportedly be the subject of a new Broadway musical starring Motown‘s Eric LaJuan Summers as the iconic abstract expressionist. The play will span Basquiat’s life from his roots as a graffiti artist to his place at the helm of a revolution in post-pop art that gestated in New York City before sweeping the art world. Basquiat’s arrival signaled a vibrant cultural coup led in-part by his distinctive paintings – a still-emerging body of work with deviant roots and inimitably dope style that crash landed in the 80s and made him a star almost overnight. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s meteoric rise was countered only by the painter’s lingering addiction and subsequent death of a heroin overdose at age 27. These days his name remains golden amongst purveyors of cool who pepper his name across hip-hop tracks. Basquiat has also enjoyed a renaissance as a cult figure following the fairly recent emergence of never-before-seen works owned by his former partner Alexis Adler. The first reading for the forthcoming production is slated to occur on June 24th. Paul Stancato will direct the musical written by Chris Blisset, Matt Uremovich and Larry Tobias.

Spotted at MA

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Chrisette Michele drops her latest single “Love Won’t Leave Me Out” from Better – her fourth studio LP, which dropped on June 11th. The track gets an updated take on the sound of Philadelphia thanks to a step-friendly production from Carvin & Ivan that channels The Stylistics. Chrisette Michele owns at the helm with a pleading pitch and passionate runs that take the track to church as she lays claim to love. Keeping with the theme of classic soul, Chrisette Michele celebrated her album release in L.A. with a live performance of “A Couple Of Forevers” – her breakout single that samples “Stairway To Heaven” – at RnB Live. Check Chrisette Michele’s “Love Won’t Leave Me Out” below. Scroll down to take a look at the footage of her live performance. Purchase her latest LP Better via iTunes.

Chrisette Michele – Love Won’t Leave Me Out

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Alicia Keys delivers the Vegas inspired video for her song “Tears Always Win” directed by Robert Hales. The single from her Girl On Fire LP was co-written by Bruno Mars and features a 60s soul inspired melody with her trademark piano out front. Alicia Keys owns the narrative as a brow-beaten showgirl coping with the difficulties of a long-distance love in the neon gambling oasis, which is juxtaposed by the dust and matte colors of real life off the strip in closer proximity to the Nevada desert – a locale befitting the frustrations of a showgirl whose patience is all but spent. Check Alicia Keys’ video for “Tears Always Win” below.

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