More often than not, Halloween weekends are memorable ones. Some are classics, and some work out less well than others. Freshman year was a flop and a half, and last year was comedy. Anyway, Halloween is a solid excuse for all things debaucherous and stupid. Get it in this weekend and stay safe. For the time being, we got you with some new slaps from Lykke Li (Danny I see you), Yeezy and Cee-Lo, to name a few. The Crystal Castles with Robert Smith (The Cure) is crazy, and The Hood Internet is what you might call weekend appropriate. Duck Sauce and Young Dro? Come on. This is Bowties.
Damn. With the advent of G.O.O.D. Fridays, I’ve been trying to keep the front page from flooding with Kanye material. But when he’s dropping joints like this, it makes that pretty tough. Swizzy calls this one “something special”, and I can’t really argue. Another sprawling mess of quality verses, “Lord Lord Lord” clocks in just over seven minutes, pairing Yeezy with another roster of hip-hop royalty. Always good to hear from Mos and Rae, but I gotta say Ye’s decision to bring Charlie Wilson back into the spotlight almost has me more juiced. The dude’s voice is just legendary.
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They say this is the place
where angels come again
They say that this is the place
where it all can happen for you…”
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Cole asked me if this was going to become a regular thing. The short answer is yes, it is. I love music, and consequently, I like to blog about it. But folks like say, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek, U-N-I or Sharon Jones (look below) just aren’t really sensitive to the fact that we like to post songs one at a time. We’re inspired by a lot of things at once. So my hands are pretty much tied here. For the record, Gorillaz kinda stole the show this week. Plastic Beach drops next week, so get you a copy.
Just in time for the Coachella, Gorillaz dropped the first single from their upcoming Plastic Beach this afternoon. This time around, it looks like Damon Albarn took a decidely more electronic approach, putting together something that sounds more like ’80s or ’90s electro than the dusty breakbeat indie Danger Mouse constructed for Demon Days. Still a hitter though. Not to mention, pulling Bobby out the cuts is one of the coolest things you could possibly do. Mos rounds out the track, taking his place as Sun Moon Stars, the latest fictional character in the crew. With a guest list that includes Paul Simon, Snoop, De La Soul, Lou Reed and Little Dragon, I don’t really have to tell you Plastic Beach is looking pretty serious.
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Looks like black and white is in for the 2010. After a decade full of ups, downs and creative flux for hip-hop, it’ll be interesting to see which artists continue pushing things forward in the next one. Looking at The Ecstatic, it seems pretty clear that Mos isn’t giving up his spot anytime soon. “History”, a personal favorite from one of the year’s best albums gets the clip it deserves here, complete with some classic imagery, courtesy of Coodie & Chike. Nothing too flashy. Just real shit. Can’t say I expected anything less.
The guest list for “Just Begun” reads something like “Forever”, just with way more underrated rappers. On wax, it’s one of the most settled tracks to drop in a while. Production wise, it’s a reminder of exactly why Hi-Tek has been one of the most in-demand producers in the game over the last decade. Nearly ten years after dropping one of underground hip-hop’s most legendary albums with Train of Thought, Kweli and Hi-Tek are set to drop their reunion project, Revolutions Per Minute this February. If this is any indicator of what we can expect, looks like heads are in for something special. Cole goes way too bad on this one too.
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As the year comes to a close, we thought it was only appropriate to share with you the music that inspired us most. Off top, let me make it clear that this isn’t “top” or “best” anything. Contrary to popular opinion, this music thing is not a competition. Not to mention that trying to collapse a year’s worth of music into a comprehensive playlist just isn’t really feasible. Just ask Lily Allen, Pac Div or about 100 otherartists who easily could’ve ended up on this short list. Having said that, it’s only right to pay homage to the tracks that made our life that much more enjoyable. Whether they made us sing and dance, contemplate our lives or drive way too fast in the whip, the artists behind these 25 deserve a little recognition. Consider it their gift to you.
It’s not like Mos, Talib and the legendary Roots crew haven’t shared the stage before, but pretty much any occasion where you can get this many dope cats together for the same song is a good one. Not to mention the girls from Dirty Projectors stopping by to lend some additional vocals. Leave it to Dilla to make the music that made it happen. Last week, Mos & Kweli made their way over to Jimmy Fallon’s show to perform one of the stand out cuts from Mos’ The Ecstatic. The industry would be looking a lot better if shit like this happened more often.
In the midst of the digital music era, it’s easy to forget that part of what made hip-hop so captivating in the first place was the live performance. Long before Wayne or Ye sold out arenas, an MC used to have to be able to rhyme off top, and on the spot to be respected as such. These three are MC’s in every sense of the word, and three of the best to do it, in my humble. Maybe the dopest part about this is that none of them have to do some shit like this. They do it simply for the love of their craft. Watch how it’s done kids.
This is inspiring in so many ways. In this edition of the Embedded series, Current TV follows Mighty Mos on a recent tour to Japan, where he performed cuts from this summer’s The Ecstatic. That Mos can travel to a place with such a different culture and language and still manage to communicate with folks so powerfully is a testament to the universality of his music, and of this thing we call hip-hop. Watch as Mos performs in Tokyo, shops for gear in the legendary Shibuya district, and even crashes a sumo tournament. This is just too dope. Just look where dreams can take you.
You’d be hard pressed to find three people in the industry that put on harder for this hip-hop shit. Mighty Mos, Ms. Badu and the enigmatic Jay Electronica will be in the building this Thursday night at Davies Symphony Hall in Frisco. If you haven’t gotten around to The Ecstatic, make it a priority. But anyways, Davies is a gorgeous spot to see some music played, and it’s always cool to see our generation’s favorites bridging the gap between hip-hop and high society. Cop a ticket here for this show, or for the next two tour stops. The Ecstatic tour will be rolling through the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on Friday and the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday. Should be a dope show.
This was always one of my favorites from the massive archive of dope beats left by J Dilla before he passed in ’06. Good to hear Mos & Kweli on the same track again too. Do any two emcees have better chemistry on a track? Tip & Phife maybe. “History” is yet another reason to be juiced for Mos’ upcoming The Ecstatic due out June 9 (AKA Tuesday). If you haven’t heard the single, “Casa Bey” yet, get familiar here.
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This video counters the previous. If T.K. fumbled, Mos picks it up and keeps running with it. Mos Def’s new album The Ecstatic drops June 9. In conjunction with the release, Mos is soon to announce a U.S tour. More on that as it comes.
An interesting segment from Real Time with Bill Maher. It’s dope that folks from various backgrounds and careers come together to speak on relevant topics. Maher, Mos Def and Salman Rushdie touch on the idea of a one world currency, the difference between Bush and Obama, and their stance on legalizing marijuana.
