May 16, 2012
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Video: El-P Live On David Letterman

by anto on May 16, 2012   NEWS 0 Comment(s)

Imagining El-P perfom on The Late Show With David Letterman in his Company Flow days is not the easiest of tasks. But El has certainly come a along way from his somewhat eremitic backpack-hero days, regularly sharing his twitter wisdom, raking up accolades from across the music press board for his work on Killer Mike‘s new album and recording songs with members of Interpol and Islands. Speaking of which, Islands frontman Nick Diamonds joins El Producto on stage for this performance of “Stay Down,” a cut you will also find on the much anticipated Cancer 4 Cure record, out this coming Tuesday.

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Pass The Popcorn: Michael K. Williams Speaks on Portraying O.D.B.

by Eddie "STATS" on May 16, 2012   NEWS 0 Comment(s)

We ran into Michael K. Williams (or as he will forever be known in the hood: “Omar from the HBO program The Wire“) on the streets of Brooklyn yesterday, which is how we know he has wrapped shooting on his black cowboy epic with Idris Elba, Erykah Badu and Jeymes Samuel (at least for the moment) and is back in a N.Y. State of mind. Or maybe that should be “Brooklyn Zoo” state of mind, because MKW stopped by Power 105′s Breakfast Club show this morning to chop it up about his forthcoming portrayal of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Williams does not hesitate to go deep, explaining how the ‘dark state of mind’ necessary to do the character of Omar justice spilled over into personal life, including a lot of “drinkin’ and druggin’.” Although he obviously has some regrets, he says the experience gave him the tools to play O.D.B. without “going too far.” Of course there’s a lot more details about the film, which is titled Dirty White Boy and focuses on the last two years of the rapper’s life, his struggle with mental illness and his relationship with his manager Jared Weisfeld–and the reaction of some of the other Wu members. Watch the full 20-minute interview above.

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Suzi Analogue – (R)ose (A)lways (W)ins [Instrumental EP]

by shamz on May 16, 2012   NEWS 0 Comment(s)

Suzi Analgue

As we wait for Suzi Analogue and TOKiMONSTA‘s collabo mixtape to drop, Suzi drops this RAW new EP to hold y’all down. With (R)ose (A)lways (W)ins, Suzi puts the mic duties on hold and hits us with 6 new beats. As is often the case with Suzi’s music, this EP is not easily assigned a genre, so go ahead and listen for yourself and put it in whatever box you choose (I’d just call it dope).

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MaLLy & The Sundance Kid – The Last Great… [Free LP]

by shamz on May 16, 2012   NEWS 0 Comment(s)

MaLLy The Last Great...

I’m a day late with this, but as promised, Minneapolis emcee MaLLy dropped his free LP yesterday (via Complex), The Last Great… The project was entirely produced by The Sundance Kid and is comprised of  12 original tracks with features from Brother Ali, Truth be Told, K.Raydio, and Claire De Lune. I only got put on to MaLLy at the top of the year, but the Twin Cities emcee is quickly making it clear he’s one to check for. Download/Stream The Last Great… after the jump (purchase physicals via Fifth Element).

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Reks

by Rachel Greenberg on May 16, 2012   REVIEWS 0 Comment(s)

[album cover]

How is success defined in hip-hop?  It’s a question that has been debated on the message boards of this very site, at least once a week at exhausting length.  For those in the “doin’ numbers” camp, Reks is not considered a success but to the other school of thought, he’s a champion.  Straight No Chaser, Reks’ new LP with longtime collaborator DJ Statik Selektah, is the coronation of an emcee at his peak level of skills and maturity.  If there was ever a blueprint for new hip hop that pays homage to the Golden Age without sounding dated, this is it.  Reks and Statik Selektah combine to make soulful, honest, no-nonsense hip-hop in the classic mold.

Reks and his DJ start things off in sound fashion with “Autographs,” Reks bringing his signature precise lyricism and in-the-pocket cadence and Selektah on the boards with a beat that sounds like the bastard child of Pete Rock and DJ Premier.  While Reks definitely killed shit (and killed it again as a zombie) Statik Selektah put his foot in this one harder than Bruce Lee.  “Such A Showoff” featuring  Kalil, JFK, and Termanology has got sick punchline upon sick punchline over a piano-laden, African drum-heavy banger that perfectly exemplifies why Statik Selektah is one of those cats you should be up on.  He’s got a recognizable sound but every now and again he’ll throw something at you unexpected.  Reks manages the almost obligatory double-time title track “Straight No Chaser” and excels; spitting with passion, irony, and engaging narrative.  The last cut, “730”, is vintage Reks and Statik Selektah–they’ve worked together on virtually every project of Reks’ career so longtime fans will knowingly nod in recognition.

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Santigold

by Rachel Greenberg on May 16, 2012   REVIEWS 0 Comment(s)

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In 2008, Santigold lit up the alt-pop world with an electric debut. In hindsight, Santogold served as a sonic pre-cursor to the cultural upheaval that would mark the subsequent months and years. As governments were overthrown, city streets were occupied, and Navy SEALs shot it out with pirates in the deep sea, the defiant eclecticism, unbridled energy and aural dissonance that characterized the Philly-born singer’s musical screeds made them feel suddenly anthemic. Four years later, Santigold returns with Master of My Make-Believe, an equally diverse, if more subdued, collection that feels like a reflection on the era of controlled chaos that her debut foreshadowed.

While the opener, “Go!” is vintage Santigold, complete with chanted vocals atop double-time percussion and sci-fi chase synths, “Disparate Youth” is the project’s true tone-setter. With jittery keys and drums belying a mid-tempo trance groove, lyrics of rebellion are delivered with world weary resolution as opposed to reckless abandon, as if sombered by a newfound awareness of the struggle that will come after the uprising. The same feeling is captured more explicitly on the album’s centerpiece, “The Riot’s Gone,” where the singer laments of “trying to loose the world inside, but it’s got no place to go,” atop a pensive track that gradually builds to ethereal falsetto catharsis.

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Kutmah Presents

by Rachel Greenberg on May 15, 2012   REVIEWS 0 Comment(s)

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Kutmah. Brownswood. Two names that guarantee something different in the music world, something cutting edge and, most importantly of all, something good. For the last couple of years Brownswood has been hipping people to what’s hot in the worldwide electronic scene in its Electr*c series while Kutmah established himself as a Don of the L.A. beat scene–before his forced relocation to England, where he’s become a highly respected DJ, producer and artist.

In a recent interview, Kutmah rather disarmingly said that to establish himself as a DJ, he had to play stuff that nobody else was playing (“you’re not going to be J Rocc, simple as that.”) That admirable philosophy runs through this collection, which is impeccably curated as you’d expect. Some of the names that Kutmah has championed in the past are now reassuringly familiar – Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke – but most of the names here are reassuringly unfamiliar.

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Various Artists

by Rachel Greenberg on May 15, 2012   REVIEWS 0 Comment(s)

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Politically, Listen Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power is a powerful reminder of our ugly and not-so-distant past but also that the American Civil Rights movement was one that relied on a multitude of crucial figures, not just the names that get bandied about every February. Musically, the album recalls a time when some of the most radical, intelligent and courageous musicians and activists in the country were elevated to iconic status in popular culture. Somewhere along the way, things done changed.

This is far from a slapdash collection of well-known protest songs. On the contrary, archivist Pat Thomas painstakingly assembled the pieces of this puzzle. Along the way he  “befriended key leaders of the seminal Black Power Movement, dug through Huey Newton’s archives at Stanford University, spent countless hours and thousands of dollars on eBay, and talked to rank and file Black Panther Party members, uncovering dozens of obscure albums, singles, and stray tapes.” The effort was not in vain. Some of these recordings have never been released on CD before, while others recall obscure samples from the golden-era of hip-hop whose origins may have been mysteries to many listeners until now.

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Sene

by Rachel Greenberg on May 15, 2012   REVIEWS 1 Comment

[album cover]

Sene is a bit of anomaly amongst the younger generation of rappers. He is not the most dexterous MC nor is he swag-oriented like say his NYC counterpart, A$AP Rocky. His elocution is more subtle, with lines that speak to an articulate grasp of today’s universal frustrations.

His new project Brooklyknight showcases Sene as a hybrid of Digable Planets, Justin Warfield and pre-Yasiin Bey. The type of left-leaning album you wish you could dig on more in an era of conformity. The mercurial production flickers between the straight-ahead (“Backboards,” featuring regular collaborator Blu) to the experimental (the mind-melting “The Feel Real”). Many of the sung hooks are distracting, but there is something in the dissonance that supports the overall tone and push of the set.

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Odd Future

by Rachel Greenberg on May 15, 2012   REVIEWS 0 Comment(s)

[album cover]

To set things straight: The reasons for Odd Future’s breakthrough success are obviously deeper than their oft-discussed shock value. Sure, they took the willfully offensive rudeness of a young Eminem to a level befitting a generation whose sex-ed classes had been outsourced to Limewire. But the reason music listeners are still checking for Odd Future 2 1/2 years after Tyler’s Bastard mixtape made the first widely-recognized splash for the camp is that the crew hosts a remarkable amount of musical talent beyond the unholy trinity of Tyler, Earl and Frank. Having reached a head-count of 11–all of whom are featured on The OF Tape Vol. 2, the Wolf Gang’s problem is not one of lack but of overload.

Many of the individual members have gradually been developing their distinct artistic personas, shedding some of the immaturity that made their early group efforts both memorable and assailable. This maturiation is reflected on The OF Tape Vol. 2: Left Brain handles just as much of the production as Tyler and demonstrates an enhanced palette of sounds. Domo Genesis and Hodgy Beats both flow with unprecedented focus, most notably on “Bitches” and “Hcapd.”  Tyler dependably delivers like a superstar. Mike G goes from being a fifth wheel to contributing a standout track. Frank Ocean needs only one 2-minute solo-cut to underline his status as today’s most naturally gifted R&B artist – but it feels as though there are just too many aspiring chefs in the kitchen.

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Audio: Ryan Leslie x Fabolous “Beautiful Lie” (Remix)

by Eddie "STATS" on May 15, 2012   NEWS 0 Comment(s)

After teasing us with in-studios, making-ofs, and behind-the-scenes (above) one-man bandman Ryan Leslie and dapper dan-man Fabolous dropped the audio for their collaborative joint “Beautiful Lie” (Remix) yesterday. I’ma be honest, I found Fab’s verses a bit underwhelming but his style is still such a good balance to Les More’s that I still see supergroup potential.

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Video: Murs x DJ Quik Interview Backstage At Paid Dues

by Eddie "STATS" on May 15, 2012   NEWS 0 Comment(s)

Hip-hop artist/mogul Murs takes the opportunity to sit backstage with rap legend DJ Quik backstage at the Paid Dues festival and chop it up about L.A. living, drugs and haircare tips, among deeper subjects. Never one to suppress his own devilish streak Murs cuts straight to the chase with “ever did acid?” in the first few seconds and the conversation just gets funnier from there. I could give more synopsis but I don’t want to ruin the

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