New track from Outasight, produced by 6th Sense, will be dropping on Monday. In order to build up the anticipation, they just released this footage of them previewing the track in the studio. Gotta say, it sounds great. Outasight paired with 6th Sense is pretty much guaranteed success. Outasight’s really beefed up the soulfulness in his voice, and 6th does work with this beat. Check back on Monday for the official download.
peace,
-the judge
Off of his 3-track album Ethiopian Knights, this is just an awesome cut. I could only embed 30 seconds of it, but if you hit the link in the player, and head to imeem, you can stream the full track. It’s a 15+ minute funky jazz groove that’s well arranged, and jumps into some nice Ethiopian scales. I only have a couple of his records, but Donald Byrd is an excellent trumpet player. And if the name sounds vaguely familiar to you hip hop heads, make sure to go back and read the credits on Guru’s Jazzmatazz vol. 1 and look at the track Loungin.
peace,
-the judge
This is one of the few albums that opens with a strong enough beginning to draw me in. It opens with “Defense Mechanism” which is a lyrically driven and powerful track. Filled with social commentary and deep introspection, it gives a preview of the rest of the album’s songs (as it can be seen as repetitive), while being an interesting track in and of itself.
The album begins to wear thin a little as each song can start to sound the same. About halfway through the album the tempo switches with “Ricochet”. “Ricochet” is a pounding track featuring Arablak, Dibz and Yohon D, all who go in hard and smoothly alternate between verses with the same intensity.
More »
Yesterday, Bullet dropped his new mixtape Home Alone, full of spaced out electro beats and some rapidfire heat-spitting. A lot of the mixtape is instrumentals from various Pharrell songs, a bunch of Slot A originals, and even some original stuff done by Christian Rich and Chuck Inglish. It’s all really good, and will give you a taste of what Bullet’s upcoming album is going to sound like. Bullet comes hard, and spits crazy while the beats make you want to dance. He’s bringing artistic integrity back into pop music. And I’m loving it.
DOWNLOAD: Bullet – Home Alone
A new month, a new NothergroudTV look back at the previous month. June was huge for Notherground, as it marked the release of The Kid Daytona’s Come Fly With Me. So there’s plenty of footage from the listening party and the release. Check it out.
peace,
-the judge
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs dropped their excellent LP, It’s Blitz in March. Now, after a successful single with remixes by NASA, MSTRKRFT, and Animal Collective, they’re prepping for the release of their second single off the album. The new single, Heads Will Roll, will feature this really well done remix by Passion Pit. If you haven’t heard the original, or seen the video, I’ve got that up top for your convenience/comparison. But check out the remix below:
DOWNLOAD: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (Passion Pit remix)
peace,
-the judge
Drake’s new video off of the much loved mixtape So Far Gone. I’m gonna go ahead and give the mixtape another spin… because there were definite gems on it, but I wasn’t feeling it as much as a lot of other people were. But when people who I respect big up something so much, I think it’s only fair for me to give it another listen. Anyways, the video’s not what I expected (but probably what I should have expected). I was hoping they took the Degrassi concept further, and made it a lot funnier. Anyways, I’m sure you guys will still appreciate it.
peace,
-the judge
Just as I thought Tanya Morgan’s latest effort, Brooklynati, couldn’t get any better, Keelay and Zaire came through and proved otherwise. What was already one of the better tracks of off one of my favourite records so far this year just got remixed into an even better track. Damn, the art of the remix is still alive. Check it out:
Tanya Morgan – So Damn Down (Keelay & Zaire remix)
peace,
-the judge
It’s here! And just as expected, lot’s of bright colours, fast dancing, flashing lights, and action. It’s real cool. Great track, cool video. Check it out.
peace,
-the judge
Well, it’s about that time. We’re now 6 months into the year, and I think it’s about time I gave my piece of mind about how things are going musically. So far, there have been some amazing releases, and I’m just gonna go ahead and let you know about my top 10. As a sidenote, some of the newer releases have not been counted, just because I haven’t had time to give them enough spins.
10. NASA – The Spirit of Apollo
N.A.S.A., the combined forces of DJs Squeak-E-Clean and Zegon rallied the troups and managed to make one of the most awesomely guestlisted albums of all time. And even so, they managed not to be outshined by their guests, striking a very nice balance between the beats and the vocals.
9. Nosaj Thing – Drift
Nosaj Thing may be a name you’re somewhat unfamiliar with. But he’s been holding it down in the circle of out-there electronic and hip hop producers like Flying Lotus and Samiyam for a while now. His debut album Drift manages to reminisce of his peers’ styles, while being distinctly unique, with heavy use of synthesized vocal choruses, and slightly more structured tunes.
8. Passion Pit – Manners
Passion Pit is my breakout artist of ‘09. Their debut album Manners is packed with potential hit singles. The music is ceaselessly cheery, heavily synthesized, and makes great use of samplers. Plus, Michael Angelakos has the falsetto of an angel.
7. Jade – It’s My Heart, Cookie EP
When I first head Jade, she blew me away. The former Star Trak signee created an excellent piece of work, with help from folks like Theophilus London and Chuck Inglish. Straight up vocal pop with excellent production across the board.
6. Diamond District – In The Ruff
Straight up 90s boom-bap emulation from 3 of DCs finest MCs? How could it get better than that? Oh yeah, by releasing it as a free download (although if you want the dirty version, or a physical copy, definitely make sure to go out and support the release).
5. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Since when do bands like Grizzly Bear debut so high on the Billboard charts? Since they managed to fill out their sound with driving percussion, while still maintaining the integrity and charm of their old stuff. Plus, Two Weeks is a jam that’ll make even the strictest hip-hop heads nod their head.
4. Fresh Daily – Tomorrow is Today
“In a time when music is being mass-produced on earth, one MC is embarking on a voyage to beyond.” Fresh Daily takes us on the voyage with him, moving from spaced out beat to spaced out beat, all while keeping the rhyming on point.
3. Tanya Morgan – Brooklynati
The Okayplayer cosigned trio has made some great music in the past. But they’ve never been as on-point or inspired as when they moved to Brooklynati (a portmanteau of Brooklyn and Cincinnati). The album has a raw energy, but polished sound that I’ve never heard before, and will be hard for anyone to capture again. It has the same obvious chemistry as Moonlighting, but each of the guys seems to have stepped up their skills.
2. Print – Comic Books Unlimited
Holy shit! An album told from the perspective of Clark Kent/Superman that’s highly metaphorical, excellently produced, sincere, and features a gang of Super Friends. Print can rhyme his ass off, and he also seems to have the power to inspire the best out of a lot of his peers. He’s also got a great taste in beats, and creates a very nice atmosphere throughout the project.
1. Theophilus London – This Charming Mixtape
Theophilus London is my current musical obsession. Since Jam! dropped, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the moves he’s been making, and it seems like he’s finally starting to break through. He’s being heralded as the “New King of Pop” by some, and although that’s a very high honour, it’s too hard to pigeonhole his genre like that. He can be lyrical and thought provoking just as easily as he can make a well crafted party track. And sometimes he does both at the same time. The mixtape shows off a lot of his talents, but I get the feeling there’s a lot more up his motorcycle jacket sleeves.
RUNNERS UP:
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
A great outing, but there’s just to much recycled material beatwise for me to put this in my list.
Cunninlynguists -Strange Journey Vol. 1
Kno has never been so on point with the production, but the album is too much of a compilation, and not enough of an actual album for me to count.
The Cool Kids & Don Cannon – Gone Fishing
Don’t get me wrong, The Cool Kids are DOPE, and I love their music. But sometimes it just gets a little too repetitive and blends together in my mind.
That’s it from me… hope you like what I have to say. But hit up the comments if you’ve got something to add.
peace,
-the judge
