Kanye West‘s SNL appearance saw him losing his mind a little–in a good way (I think). We got to see the “screaming thing” Daft Punk recently described as his new vocal style on the Saturday Night Live debut of “Black Skinhead” plus a performance of “New Slaves” which technically already premiered on 66 walls worldwide but premieres here for the first time without windows and bricks visible in the lines of Ye’s face. In “New Slaves” Kanye describes himself as “going Bobby Boucher” but it sounds more like he’s going Obama-going-Bulworth and I for one support it (I think). Love it or hate it, it was definitely everything you expected from a Kanye West SNL guest spot. While “Awesome” seemed like a bit of a throwback to 808s & Heartbreak Kanye, these two new songs are kind of a throwback to “All Falls Down” Kanye with a much harder, more schizo edge…while he goes 1980s Adam Ant on the music side (and manifests his continued ambition to be the new version of Andy Warhol with the graphics and performance art approach). Watch below and let the WTF? conversation begin with us…

The post Kanye West SNL Appearance: “Black Skinhead” + “New Slaves” Live Debut appeared first on Okayplayer.

Kanye West‘s “New Slaves” video has apparently been screened on 66 walls worldwide in a kind of guerilla-action version of a premiere. Yeezy announced the distributed-premiere action last night via twitter with a link to the map of total world domination he has set up on his website www.kanyewest.com. The map (scroll down for a screenshot) shows red squares at 10 cities around the globe from New York to Sydney, Australia, with 6 or 7 locations within each city. Click on the city and you get a city map with times listed for the various screenings. Miss Info was on hand for the projection on the wall of the Wythe hotel last night right here in lovely Williamsburg, Brooklyn and our UK bredrins at SoulCulture captured the screening on the wall of the Old Truman Brewery in East London just a few moments ago (see above, Yeezy’s visage emblazoned on the wall of the 5th Avenue Prada store in Manhattan). Kanye is also expected to premiere material from the new album–which we now know is titled Yeezus and will indeed drop on June 18th, as suspected–on his appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live which will air on NBC in just about 30 minutes from now. Watch the UK & BK screenings below and tune in to NBC for more.

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De La Soul live from 30 Rock! The Native Tongue OGs appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night to perform two of their classic songs. Backed by The Roots, the legendary rap trio brought back memories of their incredible set from last year’s Roots Picnic. I half expected them to perform the Wu-Tang sampling new single “Get Away.” Instead they treated the network television audience to 3 Feet High and Rising’s “Jenifa Taught Me.” If that wasn’t enough, they ripped through “A Rollerskating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’” as a bonus online exclusive. These dudes carry so much energy and charisma in their performance game, I wish other MCs would take notice and aim for half as much stage presence as De La Soul live. As we wait for info on their forthcoming album You’re Welcome, check out the double dose of De La Soul below (and if you’re in Brooklyn, get your grub on with De La when they play the Great Googa Mooga foodie fest tomorrow in Prospect Park).

The post De La Soul Live With The Roots On Jimmy Fallon ["Jenifa"; "Saturdays] appeared first on Okayplayer.

Oscar O’Malley was just scratching the surface of his creativity with that last drop, “CoKo Bajio.” Listen to the NY emcee change up and flip flows like acrobatics with his latest jawn, “Billy Butcher.” No hooks here, just listen to Oscar murk Teddy Da Don‘s production for a few minutes.

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Omar follows “The Man” – his breakout single from the forthcoming LP of the same name – with “Come On Speak To Me”, a samba driven anthem about luring a potential lover. Omar is making sonic decisions with this record that follow his tradition of ridiculously good production, but somehow step above what he has groomed audiences to expect into a stage of experimentalism and exceptionalism that could stand to revolutionize the modern approach to soul music production. This time he puts Brazil in a bottle and launches it into orbit. If nothing else, Omar’s new music is likely to drive a few hold-outs back to the land of live instruments and a little more imagination. Drawing from the myriad of influence all musicians channel, he drops a joint that is distinctly Omar and undeniably dope. Check the track below. Stay tuned for more from Omar.

Spotted at SB

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Gregory Porter offically takes center stage after signing a recording contract with Blue Note Records. This deal follows Gregory Porter’s 2010 LP Water, which dropped to a wave of critical acclaim and received a 2011 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Porter was buoyed by another Grammy nod in 2012 following the release of his sophomore LP Be Good, when he was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance. Porter released both LPs on Motéma Music prior to making the transition to Blue Note, where he has been busy working on his forthcoming third LP. The album will feature production from Brian Bacchus and is scheduled to drop this fall. Check out Gregory Porter’s subway car performance of “Be Good” for NPR below. Head over to The Revivalist to get the full run down on Gregory Porter’s new deal.

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Child Of Lov first grabbed hold of our ears last summer with the songs “Give Me” and “Rotisserie” (possibly [?] a psychedelic answer record to D’Angelo’s “Chicken Grease.”) Fast forward a few seasons and his Crying Thunder mixtape is taking the blogosphere by, um, storm. Okayplayer decided it was high time for The Child Of Lov to step from the shadows to reveal himself as Amsterdam producer Cole Williams– the mysterious musical phenom who had been releasing tracks from the comforts of his bedroom and relative anonymity until recently.

TCOL/Williams has emerged just as he prepares to release his forthcoming self-titled LP – a debut that takes the remnants of the mothership and attempts to launch them back into orbit with a future soul sound heavily influenced by the space bass of David Bowie’s extraterrestrial baritone, the nuances of Stevie Wonder’s inner visions and, yes, the birdgrease still dripping from D’Angelo’s groundbreaking works.  A self-taught musician, Williams applies his limitless ear and instrumental dexterity to the pads, keys and strings to create a percussively driven project that is fearless and emphatically experimental in nature.  This LP features MF DOOM, Thundercat and Damon Albarn in a mash of breakbeats, layered vocals and ballsy aesthetic that prove his aptitude for the electric will fuel his ascent.  The Child Of Lov’s arrival marks a renaissance of experimentalism in soul lead by his ghoulish gospel infused with a solid dose of junkyard funk.

So who is The Child Of Lov? Okayplayer got the mystery man on the phone from the Netherlands to find out. While we got very little of the man himself (for reasons still unclear, Williams spoke with digital distortion over his voice for the duration of the interview) he was gracious enough to give us a bit of insight into his creative process. Read on to discover more:

Okayplayer: How did you begin making music?

The Child Of Lov: I’m not from a musical family.  I’m not from one of those families where they gather around the piano and suddenly start singing.  There was a piano in the house, but nobody really played it.  It was more like a piece of furniture.  I had lessons when I was 7, but it was only for like half a year.  I didn’t really practice.  I liked it, but I didn’t like the practicing part of it.  I just wanted to have fun.  Then when I was about 14 or 15 I got into Fruityloops and started making beats.  At the same time my mom bought me a second-hand guitar that I really wanted for a long time.  I just started playing – sort of figuring out chords.  After the guitar, the piano was still in the house so I decided to try that as well.  That’s how the ball started rolling, really.  Later I bought a bass guitar.  That’s how it started, basically.

OKP: What took you from that point to where you are now?

TCOL: I remember when I was starting out making music.  I hadn’t really recorded anything yet, but I heard the Voodoo album – the D’Angelo album.  I was like, “This is really something else.”  I was really blown away by that album.  Emotionally – spiritually as well.  I just felt, “This is what it’s all about.”  Making my own music, I sort of wanted to recreate that.  That’s how it started.  Making these neo-soul kind of songs.

OKP: You mention D’Angelo.  What were your influences at the time? What inspires your sound now?

TCOL: N.E.R.D.  I bought the Fly Or Die record, which was really a great record.  I listened to a lot of Justified – the Justin Timberlake album that was out then.  Stevie Wonder.  At the same time I was also listening to jazz and sort of getting into Charlie Parker.  The last few years I’m really, really inspired by artists who try to cover a wide range of things.  I love Prince and The Beatles.  I’m listening to a lot of QUEEN, which I never thought I would.  And even D’Angelo.  I went to one of his shows – I think it was last year here in Amsterdam and he did a David Bowie cover.  He’s also done some Beatles covers as well.  He covers a pretty wide range too, I think.  He’s a great artist.

OKP: What was it like to work with DOOM, Thundercat and Damon Albarn?

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The Champ is here! Alan Hawkshaw and his music aren’t necessarily household names at first glance, but his compositions have led him to become one of the UK’s most legendary session musicians. Working as a composer of library music for the KPM label–makers of the infamous “library” records much sought after by crate diggers–since the 1960′s, his music is most recognized when sampled by artists such as Eric B. & Rakim, KRS-One, EPMD, Jay-Z, and De La Soul. Among many other standout jams, his organ work can be heard on the signature hook of “The Champ” by The Mohawks–one of the most sampled and most recognizable licks in rap’s arsenal. Check out a fascinating interview with Hawkshaw below.

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Electronic music producer Pretty Lights preps his forthcoming LP A Color Map Of The Sun – the first of his four LPs to be available for sale – with the video for his single “Around The Block” featuring Talib Kweli. The video produced by Anthony Dickenson for Pulse Films is a bright take on Brooklyn that compliments the summer jam ripe for scoring the good times in life. The song encourages us all to stop and smell the roses while the sun is still shining. Taking a cue from Pretty Lights’ sample-of-a-sample based production, the video features footage of the recording process for this bouncing jam. The song itself features Talib Kweli spitting fire over the track full of screaming sounds, buzzing electro-bass and a steady combo of kick and snare. Check the video below. Read the full feature on A Color Map Of The Sun at Okayfuture. Catch Pretty Lights at this year’s Governor’s Ball. Grab Pretty Lights’ single “Around The Block” featuring Talib Kweli via iTunes.

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I’m a big Pusha T fan, so no hate here. But as hard as that Kanye (and DJ Don Cannon) produced “Numbers On The Boards” beat is, the song is just cool to me, not Pusha’s hardest (IMO). So it’s no surprise that a few emcees have been trying their hand at the track. Jonwayne gets in the mix with this new one “Numbers on the Hoard.” “I got demons, shit I eat with them/in fact they’re the ones that tell me if I need more seasoning.” – love dude’s lyricism. Wayniac’s labelmate, Julian Malone, also tried his hand at the beat, check his track “IIOVIIIO” here.

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