Free Sol
These guys are a 4 piece live hip hop/ soul group coming straight from Memphis. They have mad chops and their unmistakable sound will have you bobbing your head for wayyyy more. My advice to you is to listen up now before you look like a fool when they are on the come up. Here is a cut I recently heard and is a free download on their website. Check em out. enjoY!
Free Sol – Don’t Give It Away
Coming to you straight from San Diego, this 7 piece live band fuses Hip Hop, Soul, Indie, and Electro into one. They have been lurking in the underground of San Diego for some time but they are on the come up with their new full length album titled The New Kong. You can download the album for $7 on their website and to be completely honest, this is the best $7 dollars I have spent in a while. Just the fact that these guys play with a live band every time they hit the stage is completely impressive. Their groves are gutta and deserve the best reviews possible. Please check them out, you will not regret it. EnjoY!
Posted in Electronic, Funk, Hip-Hop, Indie, Music, Pop, Soul
Tagged Electro, Hip-Hop, Indie, Soul, That Day, The New Kong, Underground, Vokab Kompany
Recently I have been on this old school hip hop obsession. One day I popped De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising in my hoopty and went for a joy ride. As I was listening to these guy’s vibe I was constantly asking myself “Where has the real hip-hop gone?” It’s not within T-Pain, not Gucci Mane, not the Degrassi star Drake. What happened to the live drum sets and samplistic style of old school REAL hip-hop. These cats never talk about money, cars, record deals, etc. It was all about the vibe and music. Lyrically, this is the best hip-hop you can ever create, so my plea is this: Please bring back Hip-Hop. We love it and need it. Stop with the stupid trance synths and Maybach Music drops. Respect the people who paved the way and do it up right. Here is a taste of what I have been bumping lately. EnjoY!
Posted in Hip-Hop
Tagged A Tribe Called Quest, Bring The Noise, Buddy, Can I Kick It?, De La Soul, Hip-Hop, Passing Me By, Public Enemy, The Pharcyde
Rafael Casal has released a song off of his up coming album titled The Monster LP. This song is dedicated to bay area slang and to be more accurate 100 terms and descriptions in under 3 minutes. Not to mention that this idea is really cool, it also tweaks the Grinch Song and gives it a badass feel. This is the only song I have heard by Rafael Casal but it sounds like he is going to be spitting fire on his new album. Check it.
Special Thanks to AC.
Tagged Bay Area, Grinch Song, Hip-Hop, Rafael Casal, Slang, The Monster LP
Alright, I am about to vent for a minute. I am tired of everyone with a microphone hating on Auto-Tune. Auto-Tune was devised to make people sound better than they really do by correcting the pitch of the human voice to hit the desired note, and it does exactly that. It’s no secret as some individuals have made their whole career off of it like T-Pain. Now we have a huge following with Auto-Tune with promoters such as Kanye West, Bon Iver, T-Pain, Wyclef Jean, Lil’ Wayne, Mr Hudson, etc. Then there are the haters such as Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Wyclef Jean and various artists who are mad at the fact that the Auto-Tune users are making more money than they used to without Auto-Tune.
It is up for speculation why people dig the sound of Auto-Tune but there is one thing for sure – music is a movement and is always in motion. Right now the sound that is well respected BY THE LISTENERS is Auto-Tune with that vocoded talk-b0x sound. I have been saying that this hip-hop movement is going futuristic and Auto-Tune provides that sound, period. All you haters just get over it- you can use it too if you want to make money like Wyclef did and talks about. Obviously he is on the fence about the idea but he liked it enough to produce a joint about it and state that you ‘have to have skill before you turn on the tune’ so he is obviously saying that he is good enough to do it, right? Anyways, I know there are a lot of people that would like to agree or disagree with me and I want to hear it all. Bottom line, Auto-Tune is music and helps create music so why can’t we just respect it?
Posted in Electronic, Hip-Hop, Indie, Music, Uncategorized
Tagged Auto-Tune, Bon Iver, D.O.A., Death of Auto-Tune, Futuristic, Hip-Hop, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Movement, Mr Hudson, Mr. Auto-Tune, Music, T-Pain, Woods, Wyclef Jean
The duo out of L.A. is definitely having fun with their music, with tracks titled I’m in Miami Bitch and Lil’ Hipster Girl it’s hard to not think of Saturday Night Live and Andy Samberg and JT’s pop duo but I assure you LMFAO is here to stay. With their new album titled Party Rock out this last Monday there is no doubt that the album title says it all. This is straight fun dance music. At times it can be funny, and other times it can be ruthless but non the less all awesome. With heavy electronic instrumentals this music is easily remixed and you will most likely find more remix’s and club mixes of their songs floating on the interweb than you will their original mixes. LMFAO is necessary to any individual that is on the new wave hip-hop movement and enjoys a bit of forward thinking sound and clever quips.
Posted in Electronic, Hip-Hop, Indie, Music, Uncategorized
Tagged Club Mix, Electronic, Hip-Hop, I'm in Miami Bitch, L.A., LFMAO, Lil' Hipster Girl, New, Party Rock, Rap, Remix, SNL
The Atlanta based band is on the rise with a experimental feel and an interesting vibe. They have been working with producer Ben H. Allen who has produced with bands Gnarles Barkely and Animal Collective. Their style is very original but pulls from numerous genres to create a musical orgy that is like no other. The band has also has featured vocalist Cee Lo from Gnarles Barkely and a member of the Hip-Hop Freshman Class, Asher Roth on a few tracks from their debut album entitled Southern Gothic.
Listen: The Constellations – December
The Constellations – We’re Here To Save The Day (ft. Asher Roth) Pocket Remix
Posted in Electronic, Hip-Hop, Indie, Music, Uncategorized
Tagged Animal Collective, Asher Roth, Ben H. Allen, Cee Lo, Dance, Dance Groove, December, Experimental, Gnarles Barkely, Hip-Hop, Indie, Pocket, Remix, Souther Gothic, The Constellations
Father Abraham back on his grind with a new project for our listening pleasure. Here is how it works: Abe puts out a new song every week for one whole year. He is coming up on the halfway point with his 26th song set to drop this Thursday 7/2/09 on his website for free download. You can also get all of the other 25 joints on his downloadable playlist AND his albums via his website. Support this cat and make donations, he is legit. It’s not everyday that people put their good music out there for free. Cop that shit ’cause it’s hot.
Posted in Electronic, Hip-Hop, Music, Uncategorized
Tagged 52 Pickup, Boston, Father Abraham, Hip-Hop, Hunter, Loud, Music, Rap, Sasquatch, Sex
It has recently come to my attention thanks to my main man, the Fridge aka Ice Cold aka AC, that we have a new wave of hip-hip phenoms coming up in the scene. Give respect where respect is due and these cats deserve it. J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Wale, and Charles Hamilton are just some of the few new faces that are making a dent in the game.
J. Cole
J. Cole is a young cat fresh out of St. Johns University in NYC and just dropped his second mixtape titled The Warm Up (Download). Cole is making a name for himself by working with DJ On Point and his major record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. This is a guy who needs no introduction.
Listen: J.Cole – Grown Simba
Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi is probably best known for his hit Day ‘N’ Night, but little did we know that this guy can actually flow. He has some ridiculous chops that are setting the hip-hop scene on phire. His new album titled Man on the Moon: End of Day is set to drop on August 25th. Be sure to mark your calenders and enjoy this little joint I found where he absolutely rips it.
Listen: Kid Cudi – Dat New New
Wale
My homies have been talking about Wale for quite some time now and I have just recently taken the time to listen to his cuts. Honestly, they are dope as fuck. Wale is one of the few that can rip it on any track given to him. Like Kid Cudi, Wale has released a mixtape with the help of 10 x DEEP and you can get it for free here. Also Wale is hooking up with some big names so keep a look out and an ear open.
Listen: Wale – Chillin (ft. Lady Ga Ga)
Charles Hamilton
One word. Ruthless. Charles Hamilton is a Harlem native with mad flow. C. Ham has recently released a digital album titled The Pink Lava Lamp and it is available for free download here. Charles said that within the album he tried to “embody different genres of music to express different feelings and emotions that (he) feels in (his) everyday life.” Don’t let me tell you why. Just listen.
Listen: Charles Hamilton – Brooklyn Girls
P.S. Just a funny clip.
Posted in Hip-Hop, Music, Uncategorized
Tagged 10 x DEEP, Brooklyn Girls, Charles Hamilton, Chillin, Dat New New, download, Grown Simba, Hip-Hop, J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Lady Ga Ga, Mixtape about nothing, mp3, Music, The Pink Lava Lamp, The Warm Up, Wale
This Echo Park based band just outside of Hollywood has a lot to offer the music world. Their new wave style both blends alternative riffs with electric keys and hip-hop feel. Although not all of their songs have the same makeup as their hit, Violent and Young, Iglu and Hartly still have something interesting on their hands. Their new pop style is one to be reckoned with and can be seen on their album titled & Then Boom. With one UK tour under their belt and awaiting a world tour in mid July, the band returns home for a September reunion in Seattle, which will be sure to please all locals. Check them out and support them by purchasing their LP titled & Then Boom on iTunes.
Listen:
Posted in Electronic, Hip-Hop, Music, Uncategorized
Tagged & Then Boom, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Iglu & Hartly, Music, Pop
