Homesick
Sorry for the lack of posts… I’ve been in Canada. And being here makes me a bit homesick. So I think I’m gonna have to make a new post to represent DC hip hop (pumps fist in the air). I don’t think I have even made a post about DC hip hop before, which is a shame cause we have quite a nice little scene. Most notably, the Low Budget Crew. I will make posts about the rest of the crew later, but right now, I gotta give some mad props to my main man Kev Brown. He first really appeared on the scene after contributing one track’s worth of production for De La Soul’s AOI: Bionix, as well as DJ Jazzy Jeff’s The Magnificent.
What I want to post about though is his project that followed next. The Brown Album. You have certainly all heard of Danger Mouse’s legendary Grey Album, but what most people don’t know is that Kev Brown was the first Black Album remixer, starting a trend that was continued by 100s of DJs and Producers to follow. The Brown Album was extremely limited release. It took me quite sometime to get my hands on it, but it was well worth it. The album is one of the best remix albums I have ever heard. Kev Brown is very effective at changing the mood of the track, into something more mellow and relaxed. Even on “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” Brown manages to chill things out, keeping his mellow production style in tact. The album was recently re-pressed and can be purchased here.
Kev Brown has often been compared to Pete Rock in terms of his style, and I feel that this comparison is well deserved. His solo album, I Do What I Do(CD - Vinyl), was phenomenal. It makes me proud to be a DC native (unlike a lot of other shit that goes on there). He’s working on a new album called Random Joints, which promises to be equally as good.
Here are a couple of videos, one of him working in the studio, and one of a joint off his upcoming album.
Kev Brown in the studio
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=iHOXXsu4ehc]
The Versatility Joint
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=VPbPj9ljt_c]
Keep your eyes peeled for this dude (and any other of my DC homeboys). He is ridiculously talented. Keep an eye on his blog for updates on what he’s doing.
