The Roots mural commissioned by the City of Philadelphia to honor the legendary Illadelphians, is to be unveiled and dedicated at a ceremony on Friday, May 31st. Fostering community engagement through citywide paint days, as well as the launch of the coinciding “Roots 101″ youth lecture series, this two-year project has celebrated the huge impact of The Roots on both the Philly and hip-hop communities they represent with such love and pride. The visual celebration of hip-hop’s biggest figures has long been a tradition of street artists and the like – as the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is one of the most prolific of its kind, it’s only fitting they honor one of the city’s most beloved cultural heroes in a most official capacity. Designed by the very talented Tatyana Fazlalizadeh and Amber Art and Design, the dedication of this mural in one of the nation’s oldest cities is a testament to The Roots’ significant place not only in hip hop, but to American culture at large. If you’re in Philly, be sure to attend the ceremony on Friday, May 31st where there will be food, drinks, and a special appearance by the Legendary Roots Crew themselves. Check the info below.

The Roots Mural Dedication
Friday, May 31, 2013
11:30 a.m.
World Communications Charter School
512 S. Broad Street (use South Street entrance)

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Grand Daddy I.U. is one of those hip-hop mainstays whose career trajectory never quite matched his talent – but thanks to the internet, the producer/MC is back behind the mic and boards, releasing “She Said” featuring Sadat X. Last time we heard from him was his 2007 album Stick To The Script, but you might better recall him from appearances alongside Big L on Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous or his 1990 Cold Chillin’ Records hit, “Something New.” “She Said” employs that early-90s boom-bap production style the Grand Daddy is known for, and a nice Dennis Brown sample for the reggae heads out there, and is the lead single off his forthcoming P.I.M.P. (Paper Is My Priority) album due in June. Check out “She Said” below.

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There’s not a lot that can be improved upon in OutKast‘s stellar ode to catchin’ feelings – better known as “Prototype” off The Love Below – so the best anyone can really hope to do is try to pay homage to its impeccable greatness, as Australian psychedelic rock crew Tame Impala do with their live cover. Tame Impala’s cover vocally isn’t really touching the funk of Three Stacks’ dynamic range, but the group’s instrumental treatment of the song makes up in requisite flavor and is worth the watch alone. Using a combination of guitars, two vocals and a couple synths (shout out to the dude playing the mini keys in the corner), the group cleverly interprets the many layers of Andre’s vocal arrangements by splitting the track up across the band. It’s a fun and interesting cover,  even if after all is said and done it just reminds us of how dope the original is. Watch Tame Impala’s cover of “Prototype” below.

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The God Rakim Allah took to the sofa at Red Bull Music Academy in the most recent of RBMA’s jealousy-inducing appearances, sitting down with ego trip’s Chairman Mao for a lecture discussing his ascendance into the pantheon of rap – Rakim being the MC widely known for ushering what many fondly remember as the Golden Era of rap. With all of the insane parties and events that comprise RBMA’s month-long takeover of NYC, it’s easy to lose sight of the dope lecture series that participants have access to, but if all experiences in education were this dope, I’m sure quite a few of us would hold PhDs in Hiphopology (Rap Studies?) by now. In the nearly two-hour talk, Ra also addresses whether or not he feels he is the greatest rapper of all time – and while plenty of people have weighed in on this debate, there is no denying this man’s role in fathering the styles of your favorite East Coast MCs. Proving his eternal presence in music doesn’t just end with hip hop, Rakim was also recently involved in an event celebrating the life and work of poet Sekou Sundiata in Harlem as part of a year-long tribute to the passed wordsmith, which you can check out via our family The Revivalist. In the meantime, watch the RBMA lecture in full below.

props to ETL

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Looks like Mariah Carey has decided to not quit her day job what with the increasing tensions over at the American Idol camp. This morning she unveiled a smooth collaboration with the one Miguel called “#Beautiful” (hashtag and all), reminding us of one undeniable truth: the woman can sing. In most regards, “#Beautiful” is your typical early-summer R&B/pop love duet, but the thumping guitar combined with Miguel’s appearance on the track certain make for an enjoyable listen on the lighter side of the music spectrum. Check out “#Beautiful” below.

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Pass the popcorn and Read A Book! The Black Constellation — a creative entity comprised musically of Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction, and visually by artist and director Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes — have premiered their latest short film (Sparkles)…Recollections of the Wraith as part of their larger work, Ode to Octavia. Sparkles is a gorgeous short piece of cinematography and sound, one that uses color and detail to craft a unique piece of art that defies categorization in either area. The Black Constellation explain that their work “combines the astral and the earthly; the gorgeous with the abjectly honest; the ancient with the as of yet unimagined… All the while remaining in constant communion with the Sacred.”

Presented initially as a piece in a thirteen-part installation at Seattle’s Frye Art Museum, Ode To Octavia is in the words of the creators, “a brief peak into a sacred clandestine ceremony and celebratory act examined through video, object, and codified sound.” The series is made in tribute of celebrated science fiction writer Octavia Butler. Since we’re not sure where the rest of the installation can be viewed now that the exhibit at the Frye Museum has finished, we hope the release of Sparkles is only the first of more releases to come from The Black Constellation. Watch (Sparkles)…Recollections of the Wraith below.

The post Shabazz Palaces ‘Ode To Octavia Pt. 12: (Sparkles)…Recollections Of The Wraith’ [Short Film] appeared first on Okayplayer.

The psychedelia-meets-hip hop-meets-soul 9-piece experimental outfit creatively birthed by Erykah Badu and known collectively as The Cannibanoids released an exclusive mix for Beatport, which fittingly dropped on 4/20. The group, which boasts 8 laptops, 6 keyboards, and 4 drum machines – are perhaps as innovative as they are defiant of all attempts to be succinctly labeled. In conjunction with the mix release, the folks at Beatport interviewed the crew to talk about the science of addiction and how it pertains to their music, among other things, and the results are expectantly trippy:

The concept behind the Cannabinoids is that it is a musical representation of the science of addiction. Can you elaborate on what that concept means to each of you?

Erykah Badu: How it feels to love something and want something insatiably. That’s how we want to feel about it—not necessarily about the music, but about creating it, and performing it. That was the spark, the idea.

Jah Born: In terms of the science of addiction… the collaboration itself, what we’re doing is addicting. It’s a great feeling, we love doing it. And the sound that we produce, and the music that we kick out, it draws people in. That’s how I understand the science of addiction in this project.

‘The Beat Tape Vol. 2′ is the result of a live jam session that took place a little while back in Badu’s native state of Texas, and showcases the groups ability to reject convention in the name of exploring new musical spaces. To read the rest of the interview, head to Beatport – and click the link below to download the full mix via our kinfolk at Okayfuture.

>>>The Cannibanoids ‘The Beat Tape Vol. 2′ via Okayfuture

This week, Erykah will be involved in a series of sold-out events including a lecture and DJ set as a part of Red Bull Music Academy, but if you’re unfortunate enough to have missed out on tickets, stay tuned for video of both to come later.

The post Erykah Badu Speaks On Cannibanoids – ‘The Beat Tape Vol. 2′ [Mix + Interview] appeared first on Okayplayer.

We’ve known for a little while the collective effort from Killer Mike and El-P will be titled Run the Jewels, but with each subsequent song drop we realize more and more how serious these two are about wrecking shop–if by ‘shop’ you mean ‘the rap game’. “Get It” is the name of their latest track, and it’s been released by Fool’s Gold Records in conjunction with the pair’s tour dates for the upcoming hotter months. As Killer Mike will let you know, “we are the masked avengers, we’re here to tell you all of your false idols are just pretenders” – and from the sounds of “Get It,” they really mean that shit. Listen to + download “Get It” below, and don’t forget to cop tickets when Run the Jewels comes to your city this summer.

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Clams Casino is that dude, but among many diehard beats fanatics, he is also that dude you may not know is THAT dude yet, if you know what we mean. Hopefully this track featuring DOOM yanks you out of the dark once and forever. The producer behind some of A$AP Rocky’s best beats has dropped a doozy of a track titled “Bookfiend” for the masked legend–and has even taken the author by surprise in its high levels of mellowed-out excellence. The unexpectedness of the collaboration certainly adds to its appeal, but not only because this producer-MC pair seem unlikely to even be in the same room together, much less making dopeness like this – DOOM’s gritty voice and complex lyrical formulations are only enhanced by Clams’ signature spaced-out sounds, while the two distinct styles complement each other effortlessly. It’s the new-age, out-of-left-field combo you didn’t even know we were waiting for, but here it is and damn if we don’t love it. Rap gods of the universe, consider this post my appeal for “Bookfiends” to be the first of much more innovative hip-hop style blends to come.

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Director Kahlil Joseph has released another beautiful short film entitled Wildcat, once again tapping into the sonic artistry of Flying Lotus to produce the score. Last time these two worked together for Until The Quiet Comes, a short film created in conjunction with FlyLo’s excellent album of the same name, the pair’s efforts were commemorated with critical acclaim and a Sundance Award, so expectations may be high here. That’s okay in this case – because Wildcat is equally – and differently – phenomenal. Exploring the world of African-American rodeo performers in Grayson, Oklahoma (formerly Wildcat, OK), the short film follows a black American subculture widely unseen by the rest of the country, at least in popular culture or fine art contexts. On choosing such a place of inspiration, Joseph told online magazine Nowness,

“Black people are light years more advanced than the ideas and images that circulate would have you believe. The spaces we control and exist are my ground zero for filming, at least so far, and there are opportunities for me to tap into the energy.”

Joseph’s stunning cinematography almost reads more like a series of thoughtful photographs, leaving the film just as visually engrossing as the subjects themselves. The director, who is also a part of Los Angeles film collective What Matters Most, has a style that evokes a dreamlike quality throughout his body of work. In Wildcat, he weaves images of a young woman dressed in white, representing the spirit of Aunt Janet, the woman considered by members of the Grayson community as the founding mother of the annual August rodeo where Joseph shot the film (and to whom the film is dedicated).

Clearly, Wildcat is superb on many levels, but without mentioning Flying Lotus’ light-handed touch in scoring the film, we’d be doing both the producer and the filmmaker a disservice in ignoring one of the most successful elements of the film. Usually, a mark of a thoughtfully crafted score is the imperceptible melding of sound and image in such a way that the two distinct elements become perceived as one in the mind of the viewer. Wildcat and Flying Lotus’ skillful production, achieve something entirely different, however – moments such as rain hitting a windshield while FlyLo’s orchestral strings play contrast harmony against visuality in a way that can’t help be noticed. Watch Wildcat in its entirety below.

shouts to Nowness

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