Archive for January, 2011
I recently came across this video from Detroit emcee Draetown and was glad to see a fresh piece of visual art that shows my hometown in a positive light. There isn’t nearly enough of that so it’s a pleasure to give this video more exposure. If you’re used to watching that wack-ass Detroit 187 show on ABC — which I hope hurries up and gets 187′d — then this video will do you some good.
I came across this joint almost a month ago, and it definitely left an impression. The synth heavy, haunting effects and palpitating bass- come courtesy of producers Musiq Korner. The triumph in Nipsey’s grown-man prose is supported well by June Summers‘ soulful hooks, and I feel something in the music that makes the difference between a good rapper and a great emcee – heart.
The song adds a new dimension to the hood-hop hydraulic sound and rhymes that dominate most of Nipseys mixtapes, convincing me that this South Central LA ambassador is an artist that might be marathon material, as opposed to the sprint characterized by most mixtape phenoms.
Download Nipsey’s recently released (Dec.21st) and quite crackin mixtape Marathon here.
Last month, a good friend got married in her native Eritrea. Though I wasn’t along for the party, the folks who were couldn’t stop talking about it. In fact, one of their highlights was a performance by Wedi Tukul, an Eritrean musician who is best known for being one of the most visible supporters of the Eritrean War of Independence from Ethiopia, and is so popular that he is known as the Bob Marley of Eritrea (no frat).
So Wedi Tukul performs at this wedding, in a small village outside of Asmara, the capitol of Eritrea. And he tears. it. down. To the ground. Everyone at the party was going nuts for him. Not too bad.
And of course, this performance leaves an imprint, and upon their return, the whole crew made sure we, the non-partakers, saw and heard Wedi Tukul. And they were right, the dude is great. He owns his songs like nothing. Just check out this jam:
So yeah, great music. So what could make it better? It just so happened that the homie has a homie in the Bay who’s been remixing Eritrean music for a couple years now, and sent a remix of Zeray back my way. Now that is what we call an unforseen win.
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Wedi Tukul – Zeray (Abraham remix)
Now, surely this story is reaching its climax, no? Well, sort of. It turns out the Bay Area remixster, aka the producer Abraham, did a full album refix of Jay Z’s “American Gangster” with all-Eritrean samples. And he wants you to have it. Titled “The Eritrean Gangster,” the album is exactly what you would hope for in such a concept-driven album. The lyrics, well we know them (hello all you roc boys out there), and Abraham’s production draws out the funk of his samples, and drops well-programmed drums over the top, leaving you with a happy final package.
Download: Abraham – “The Eritrean Gangster Mixtape”
Yes, this is a long post, and yes, there are many musics here for you. You’ll just have to enjoy it!
mega late pass on this one: jamie xx put this mix together for benji b’s radio show way back on january 5th. it’s pretty much all i’ve been listening to since then, and because this is technically a music blog, well, you get the drift. tracklist after the jump.
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jamie xx mix for bbc radio one – download
It’s only fitting that LxNxM pay homage to the cultural phenomenon and rituals that originated our namesake. It’s pretty amazing listening to Nas kick knowledge and narrative around the creativity and community people built around the mixtape. It’s a trip thinking that those of us in our late 20′s have seen the music we love evolve in mediums from vinyl-tape-CD-mp3.
“What more could I say? I wouldn’t be here today if the old school didn’t pave the way” – [Grand Puba].
One Love.
One of the brightest lights of the seemingly ever-bubbling Los Angeles hip hop scene is producer Swiff D. Though his main claim to national fame is his ongoing involvement with everyone’s favorite fresh hop ambassadors (that would be Pac Div), his resume is padded with production credits ranging from a who’s who of LA names to stylistic outliers like Jadakiss and Method Man.
But enough about the past! To celebrate the new year that is upon us, Mr. D is giving away his latest installment of instrumental bounce, aka the easy-t0-digest LaDDers. The FreEP comes with 15 tracks, the longest of which tops out at just over two and a half minutes, and many not cracking the 120 second mark. It’s a taste test sampler that will whet the appetites of mc’s looking for writing music, producers who are looking for inspiration, and fans who just enjoy good music in the chambers.
Full tracklist below the jump (be forewarned, it’s out of order from the list below…).
When last we checked with Safari Sound, Sweden’s top soundsystem (to our knowledge – correct me if I’m wrong, Swedes), they had just dropped their Bad People Deya! Move Move Move! mixtape, which made it past Tang’s well-primed taste barriers.
I hadn’t checked for them in a minute, but decided to drop into their Soundcloud, and lo and behold, the fellows have been on Sweden’s Din Gata radio, and have been releasing their monthly shows as cohesive mixtapes. And yes, they maintain that Safari Sound quality that put us up on them in the first place.
Stream and download the most recent show (in two installments, because that’s how much they like you), and check below the jump for the full tracklist.
SAFARi DANCEHALL SHOW, FOR DiN GATA 100.6 – 2K11 JAN EDiTiON – PART I by safarisound
SAFARi DANCEHALL SHOW, FOR DiN GATA 100.6 – 2K11 JAN EDiTiON – PART Il by safarisound
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS – “Irish Celebration” (Official Music Video) from Stephan Gray on Vimeo.
This one will get you revved up regardless of if you’re an Irishman or not. Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and video director Stephan Gray did a smashing job with this music video. I think this song is bound to get national exposure very fast and will help Macklemore gain more fans from coast to coast. Especially in New York and Boston where Irish neighborhoods might legitimately start bumping this tune on a regular basis.
Well done all the way around fellas. If you’re in Seattle, check out Macklemore and friends at the Showbox at the Market on February 25-27 where he’s just sold out two consecutive nights as a headliner and recently added a third show.
Who knew that Himanshu (Heems) Suri would ever refix a Katy Perry track? If you say, “I did,” you’re a motherfucking liar. Nevertheless, one of the funniest rappers from Queens has chopped, flipped, and rapped over Katy’s Perry’s omnipresent jam of 2010, “Teenage Dream.” Check it out below. And for more commentary from brother Hima, check out a piece that came out today from yours truly in the Metro Times of Detroit on Das Racist. The trio are cracking jokes the whole time.
Das Racist’s Heems x Katy Perry – Teenage Dream by Hypetrak
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