Asher Roth - Dude (ft. Curren$y)

Dude.  This song flew under the radar when Asher Roth dropped it on Ash Wednesday a couple weeks ago.  I only first heard it the other day, and I haven't stopped playing it since.  I'm sure a lot of people haven't heard anything from Ash since his novelty hit, I Love College, back in 2009.  Anyone who thought he faded into obscurity as a one hit wonder is sorely mistaken.  Roth has been laying low in the underground scene and has actually developed into a well refined rapper.  This collab with the Hot Spitta Curren$y should give you an idea of what his interests are: relaxing and enjoying himself.

Blended Babies handled the production and couldn't have done a better job.  The tight break beat, strolling bass line, and sparse piano chords lay the perfect setting for the two MC's to roll through their bars with ease.  It's chill.  It's good.  Check it out, dude.

The Pharcyde - Drop (Music Video)

This video is a classic.  If you aren't familiar with the alternative rap group, The Pharcyde, they rose to prominence in the early 90's with hits such as "Drop" that strayed away from the aggressive gangsta rap of the day.  The song is great; it was produced by J Dilla, and features a familiar sample from the Beastie Boys.  Ad Rock and Mike D even make an appearance in the video.  The video itself is what I want to draw attention to, anyway.  The guys from The Pharcyde enlisted Spike Jonze to direct it.  He was already making a name for himself by shooting creative videos for bands like Weezer,  Dinosaur Jr., and the Beasties.  Spike would ultimately go on to direct movies like Being John Malkovich and Where The Wild Things Are as well as produce for the Jackass series.

Back in 1996, though, Spike gave The Pharcyde a straightforward video premise: they take a reversed version of their track, shoot the music video backwards, and then reverse it again to give the final product.  It was brilliant because the band would appear to be doing impossible things because of a simple camera trick, but creative types rarely settle for the easiest route.  In order to make it seem more realistic, Spike wanted the guys to memorize the words to their song backwards so that their lip synching would still match up when the video was played forward.  One of the reasons I enjoy hip-hop so much is the linguistic word play.  I almost never care about what is being said, but rather how it is being said.  So I am very appreciative of the effort The Pharcyde put forth just to make the video work.  Essentially, they memorized a totally foreign song and performed that instead.

Hit the jump for Jonze's proposal and a couple of videos that give more insight.

Mikky Ekko - Pull Me Down (T.Williams Remix)

There has been a recent resurgence of male R&B singers happening, and I like it.  The genre as a whole has been evolving to combine influences from artists of the 90's and contemporary electronic production.  I've got quite a few singer-producer duos that I'm really excited about, and many DJ's are gaining fame as individual artists as well.

Mikky Ekko has been receiving a lot of praise for writing and singing on Rihanna's powerful track "Stay".  His own most recent single, "Pull Me Down", got the remix treatment by a group of talented producers including Odd Future's The Internet and Ryan Hemsworth.  However, the T.Williams version caught my ear in particular.  He strips away the familiar rough-around-the-edges sound of the original Clams Casino beat, and swaps it for a more driving UK dubstep beat.  The new synths dance along perfectly underneath Ekko's heartfelt vocals.  He certainly gives the song a new feel, and it's great to see all of these artists' creative interpretations.

Listen/Download:

Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Day

Hopefully you're waking on a pretty day today.  Every day is beautiful, but the waking part can be hard; I get that.  Especially on Sundays.  If you're currently resurrecting yourself after a long weekend, you don't want to sit in silence with your misery, you need some calm tunes in the background to ease your pain.  Soft, rhythmic guitars and a soothing voice should do the trick.  Also, you don't want to have to bother with picking a whole playlist; you just want to put something on and get back to focusing on living.  I've got you covered.  Kurt Vile (formerly of The War On Drugs) is set to release his next solo album, Wakin On A Pretty Daze, this April.  As a promotion, he released all nine and a half glorious minutes of the first single for free.  Check it out.

Stream:


Download: Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Day

Alison Valentine - Peanut Butter Remixes

I figured something sweet sounding would be appropriate today, and Alison Valentine couldn't have a more fitting name.  Her song "Peanut Butter" was a feel good track from last summer, but I actually found a couple of stand out remixes.  In fact, it seems that this first one has eclipsed the original in terms of popularity.  Each remix takes the song in a different direction, but both work well because, as everyone knows, peanut butter goes great with everything.

Moon Boots' version builds off the summery goodness, but adds a little more bass and drums, filling out the body of the song.  Moon Boots is a Chicago artist who has been pioneering a 'nu disco' sound as well as toying with R&B and house music along the way.  He met Valentine at one of his shows when she brought him flowers.  To return the favor, he lent his remix skills to her track, and the Moon Boots remix was born.

Alternate Download

Valentine herself remixed "Peanut Butter" for MTTM or Married To The Mob, a New York clothing brand.  This version is slowed down, has more of a funk vibe, and has less of a lo-fi feel.  The result is a much more overtly sexual track, and it emphasizes the "peanut butter" lyrics more too, which I like.

Mardi Gras!

Today is Mardi Gras so I decided to find some party tunes to soundtrack the day.  Since New Orleans is ground zero for Fat Tuesday celebraging, I scoured Soundcloud and Bandcamp for some awesome artists straight out of The Big Easy.  Specifically, I focused on the NOLA Bounce scene.  Bounce music is characterized by frenetic, high energy hip-hop beats that are made to get you moving.  The instrumentals are often built around the famous "Triggaman" beat from The Showboys' "Drag Rap".

You'll hear that sample during Gypsyphonic Disko's "Hey Pockey Phonic" around the :50 mark.  It should be obvious by then, though, that a lot more instrumentation goes into these Bounce jams than just samples.
Gypsyphonic Disko - "Hey Pockey Phonic"

I've featured Nicky Da B before on his track with Diplo, so his style of furious, in-your-face rapping and specific instructions on how to contort your body should feel familiar.
Nicky Da B - Beating Down Yo Block (Produced By J-DAWG)

Finally, we've got "Hide & Go Seek" by The Honorable South which is a re-imagining of a song of the same name by Bunker Hill.  This group has features of Bounce in their music, but they also incorporate elements of electro-rock, funk, jazz, and soul.

The city of New Orleans has long been a hotbed for cultural mixing and their music is no exception.  The energy and diversity in these songs should do the trick to get things shaking this Mardi Gras.  Enjoy!

Chill Bump - Five Minute Breather

Chill Bump are a hip-hop duo from France.  Producer Bankal cooks up some delicious beats, using a variety of original instrumentation and some clever samples as his ingredients, while MC Miscellaneous spits his spitfire lines over them.  His rhymes run the gamut from serious and political, to humorous and laid-back.

Coming from scratch and battle rap backgrounds, these guys are well rooted in the elements of hip-hop.  Their music provides an interesting case study in the international reach of hip-hop.  Miscellaneous raps in English for Chill Bump, and they have clearly drawn influences from American rap legends.  They often mention growing up listening to rap, so for them it has been a life long love affair.  As I said, they cover a wide variety of themes in their songs, themes that are consistent for pretty much any upbringing.  It seems that effective expression can take whatever form you need it to, regardless of nationality or language.

Chill out and Bump...Chill Bump:


Download 'Five Minute Breather' from their Hidden Strings EP here, and be sure to grab the rest of their releases on their Bandcamp as well.  They had a busy 2012 so I'm excited to see what they've got in store for this year.

Nujabes & J Dilla

On February 7th, 1974 the world was blessed with the birth of two men who would go on to help redefine the boundaries of hip-hop production and inspire fans around the world.  Detroit based J Dilla brought neo-soul stylings to the forefront of hip-hop during the late 90's.  Meanwhile, Nujabes was incorporating classical and jazz music into his productions from Japan.  James Yancey battled lupus and ultimately succumbed to his disease in 2006.  A few years later, in 2010, a car crash claimed the life of Seba Jun.

Both DJ's were true crate diggers; they made an art form out of selecting the perfect records for their tracks.  Even before their untimely deaths, they were gathering support and acclaim from across the hip-hop community for their works.  Their productions were well respected by both fans and fellow artists, and they were recognized for their progressiveness and creativity.

We have a fascination with dead icons, especially those that are gone too soon.  What's great about artists is that they leave behind a physical embodiment of their person within their works.  The emotions, feelings, and souls of J Dilla and Nujabes are captured in their music; forever accessible to us.  Even with their passing, their gifts and talents are preserved in the medium they loved.

Rest In Beats and Happy Birthday to you both.

A couple of my favorites:

Chester Watson - Phantom (Mixtape)

This kid is someone you need to know.  Chester Watson is a young rapper from Florida by way of St. Louis.  I wanna clear the air about a few points first: Yes, he is 15 years old, and yes, his age, flow, and voice force impulsive comparisons to Earl Sweatshirt but we have to get over that.  Of course older artists influence new generations of musicians, but it's borderline insulting to up-and-comers to have to live as The Next ____.  That's why I really don't like drawing comparisons; it's a lazy way of describing someone.  These are artists, and artists take their crafts very seriously.  I'm sure Watson hasn't spent his brief rap career solely attempting to emulate Earl.  In fact, based on his sample selection, he's got a pretty well refined ear for beats.  He uses samples from movies like Aladdin and The Wizard Of Oz, production from established veterans like MF Doom, MF Grimm, and Chuck Inglish, as well as his own self-produced beats.

His Nu Age crew may be very green, but there's no lack of talent here.  Phantom is packed with smooth flows, clever rhymes, and the occasional instrumental track which give a refreshing change of pace to the mixtape.  Highlights include the opener 'Phantom', 'Infamous', 'Slut Muffins', 'Ancient', 'Magic' (instrumental), and 'Pollution'.  I'm sure you'll find your own favorites, though.  Chester was born after the golden age of conscious rap, and it seems that some of his idols are nearly three times his age, but this is one of the strongest hip-hop releases I've heard in a long time.  Seriously, get on board with him.

Listen/Download:

Download Mixtape

Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (ft. Timbaland) (Urban Noize Remix)

Justin Timberlake returned to the spotlight with his single, Suit & Tie, a couple weeks ago.  It's a pretty good song, but the lyrics will inevitably become the caption under every selfie taken by idiots who dress up this year.  Anyways, in anticipation of that release, the production duo Urban Noize put out their take on Justin's 2006 hit, SexyBack.  Timbaland's original spacey chords and thumping bass are replaced by a more light hearted, funky beat that was inspired by old Marvin Gaye records.

Listen/Download:

I've been meaning to post these guys for a while now because all of their remixes are solid efforts.  I first heard them mashing Kanye's Forever verse with a children's choir singing Creep.  It sounds like a weird combo, but Urban Noize made it work.  They also seem to have a fascination with Lana Del Rey as they released an entire EP of LDR & Jay-Z mixes.  Find all of those and more on their Soundcloud.