By now, if you regularly attend this site, you've heard plenty of Mayer Hawthorne's music and seen how his buzz has been growing exponentially nationwide. However, we haven't heard much about where the Michigan falsetto singer got his start. In this video from Ruby Hornet TV, we get to delve a little deeper into who Mayer Hawthorne is, and we get some background from his Athletic Mic League cohorts (14kT & Buff1), as well.
As promised, last night 14KT dropped off his instrumental LP, Nowalataz. I'll let him explain the project: "Here it is… a project I unofficially had done since 2006. It started when James Yancey a.k.a. J Dilla passed that February. To cope with the death of my favorite producer, who I liked to call my unofficial 'musical mentor,' I started making ‘donuts’ …uncontrollably. I never planned to release any of the material out of respect for Dilla & his craft. I’ve shared some of the music with others, in which they would repeatedly ask me to hear it, so I decided to put a little something together and make it official. JUST FOR YA’LL." You can catch 14KT (along with Buff1) on tour this fall opening up for Mayer Hawthorne, check the dates. Follow me after the jump for the Nowalataz download link.
Today, 14KT hits us with another leak from his upcoming project, Nowalataz (dropping Monday night). This second single is entitled, "Hello." Says 14KT of this song: "Around July of 06, I was in a record store digging and I discovered a copy of the best of Jackson 5 Picture Disc Vinyl. Im a MJ fan so I immediately copped it. That night I went home & was listening to it for the next couple days. A few days after I bought it, my homey Ro's (Octane/Burn Rubber Store) firstborn daughter was born. I happened to be in the lab when I found out and wanted to make a "donut" for him & his daughter. The first line I heard in my head was little MJ singing "When she says hello to the woooorld," so I flipped that and sent it to Ro. I think I remember Ro telling me his daughter would always cry, but when he played her that joint, she would stop crying! Ha. I always held on to this joint as a memory." Check out Michigan Hip-Hop for a rough version of the song Strange Fruit made over this beat.
I'll admit, before last year's The Golden Hour Soundtrack I was only somewhat familiar with Detroit beatmaker 14KT. After that effort, I was completely won over by his production. Now the Athletic Mic League member is gearing up for his second official project, Nowalataz, which will drop next Monday night. Here is the first leak from the album, "Verbal Intercourse 06." Says 14KT of the song: "This is my 'donut' for Wu. I made this joint RIGHT after I listened to Raekwon's 1st album Only Built For Cuban Linx. That's one of my favorite albums and 'Verbal Intercourse' was one of my favorite joints off that album. I was just in the lab listening to records and I found this record that sounded like some ish Raekwon/Ghost/Nas would lay some smooth stuff too. I love dreaming." Shout out to TSS on the premiere.
Here's the OKP premiere of Buff1's new video "Real Appeal" featuring AB and produced by 14KT. Buff1 lets the ladies know what he has to offer (pardon me), in his latest vid. Buff1's critically acclaimed album, There's Only One, is in stores now. Video directed by Jackson Perry.
Along with Miguel, Aloe Blacc is another talented young singer coming from the left coast who has caught my attention. Similarly, 14KT is a new cat who just popped up on the radar and who's LP, The Golden Hour Soundtrack, hits stores next Tuesday. The two link up for this song "Can We?? (Chill Again)." The song is inspired from going through a trying and serious relationship that made it so hard to chill and have fun again with that person (shit, don't I know the feeling). This version is not on the album.
If you don't know who 14KT is, take note now because dude bout to blow up. This video is an introduction to the Detroit Beat Maker and his crew, Athletic Mic League. After winning The Red Bull National Big Tune beat battle, we get this inside look at 14KT. His highly conceptualized instrumental album, The Golden Hour Soundtrack, is coming out on October 14th.
