Red Bull Music Academy Video Archives: Bun B on Port Arthur, Pimp C and UGK

Okay, so I'll admit that I've not been as conscientious as you, my faithful reader/s have come to expect over the last half year. My excuse? Honeymooning on a beach in New Zealand. Beat that!

But worry not, 'cause I'm back, fresh off the plane from 27 hours of long haul good times, and right back into it. Have you missed me? Alright, easy now... you don't need to be that honest.

Now that I'm back in London, and watching different parts of my body turn rather unnatural shades of blue and purple as I re-acclimatise to the winter weather (hold that mental picture close to your hearts, my friends... urgh), you can expect a lot of posts from me over the coming week as I try to beat the post holiday blues with a big stick.

First cab off the rank for today is another little gem from the Red Bull Music Academy archives (following on from the DJ Premier archive piece from late last year). This time around, it's the one and only Bun B taking his turn on the Red Bull couch.

In the brief edit below, you can listen to Bun touch on a number of topics, including taking his small home town of Port Arthur, Texas to the World alongside his UGK brother Pimp C (R.I.P.), the UGK musical process, choppin' and screwin', and his thoughts on topping the charts:



Of course, if the 10 minute clip above merely whets your whistle, then you can watch the whole archive interview on the Red Bull Music Academy website.

Also, for you London folk, the 2010 RBMA is taking place inn our fair city as we speak. Visit the designated RBMA London 2010 website to get the low down on a ton of events that are taking place across LDN over the next month (looking forward to checking out Chairman Mao at Plastic People myself, amongst others).

Interview Archives: De La Soul's Posdanous (2006)

Hip hop isn't really what you'd call a safe career choice. There aren't a lot of rappers from the early days that are still making good music, after all - although a fair few earn a crust by conning European and Antipodean hip hop fans into shelling out for some pretty average live shows. Seriously, there should be a cap on how much promoters can charge to watch chubby old guys puff and pant along to hip hop karaoke. If people want to pay for that, come over to my house - I'm dynamite live... cough.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Take De La Soul, who at 20 years deep and counting, are still tearing down live shows, and making some good music, too. Back in 2006, they jetted out to New Zealand for a couple of shows, so I was given a whopping 15 minutes with front man Posdanous to get the lowdown on what was going on in De La's world.

Interviewing Pos was a 'full circle' moment for me. 3 Feet High & Rising was one of the first hip hop albums that really grabbed my attention, although admittedly it did take me a while for the Long Island, New York trio's peace-loving daisy-speak to sink in. Give me a break, though... I was only 11 when it came out - and when you're 11, flowers and peace are for girls.

Add to this the fact that my first ever concert was a De La gig, too (back in 1991 - read more here), and you'll understand why there's occasional bouts of tongue tripping and moments of giddiness on the audio below (with a little feedback from time to time thrown in for good measure).

Pos didn't exactly sound over the moon to be doing what was, by conservative estimates, the 10,000th interview of his career, but it didn't take long for him to warm up. Trying to fit the best part of two decades into a quarter of an hour was never going to be easy, but we managed to cover bit of ground nonetheless. Pos talked at length about the early days of De La and the Native Tongues, the success of 3 Feet High & Rising and the change in direction they took for their next album, De La Soul Is Dead.

Speaking on the new tack the took on Dead, Pos said that it was an essential step in De La building their long career: "In the long run I think it paid off. Yeah, sales dropped, and, you know, people didn't understand at first - like 'why did they leave the daisy age?' But I think if we had came out with another album exactly the same as 3 Feet High & Rising, we wouldn't be together making, and being blessed to still make music, and still being able to (tour) and perform. We wouldn't be able to do that right now."

Pos also discussed the Native Tongues, which De La material he loved, the stuff he didn't like (including "pretty much any video we've done since 'Ego Trippin'... I don't watch our videos"), and the benefits of staying independent versus signing with a major label.

You can check the interview below:

De La Soul (Posdanous) Interview by GOMWAB

Mix Tape: DJ J-Live - Do The Knowledge Volume 1

As people get older, they tend to complain about things more often. Okay, so that might be a little bit of a generalisation perhaps... I know a fair few old folks with sunnier dispositions than I've ever had. But as a general rule, the older we get, the more we moan.

Many hip hop fans fall into this bracket, of course. We have a bad habit of sitting around, giving it the "it's not as good as it was in my day, sonny" treatment while bemoaning the "death" of the genre we know and love.

But you know what, old timers? Hip hop isn't in as bad a shape as you might think it is - and DJ J-Live has decided to pull together a mix to show you all is well in the magic hip hop kingdom.

Now, the more observant of you will have recognised the name J-Live. Yes, it is that J-Live, as in the MC... but he's got skills on the wheels too, don't ya know. So, as an artist who many 'purist' fans would consider as a purveyor of classic, true-school hip hop, why has J decided to go into bat for the class of 2009 on his new mix tape, Do The Knowledge Volume 1?

J says: "Basically, I got tired of hearing a lot of people say stuff like, 'there's nothing new out' or 'hip hop is wack now'. Upon hearing this I usually run down a list of names of new artists and even old artists with new albums and ask if they've heard of 'em. Nope! These people have no idea.

"There's a lot of good new hip hop. You just have to do the knowledge and keep your ears open. These are some of my favorites from 2009 alone. Enjoy!"

Do The Knowledge Volume 1 contains a fine mix of seasoned major label players and young and hungry indy kids. Don't be surprised to hear your Jiggas, Snoops and Raekwons in the mix with newer acts like Diamond District, Wale and J.Cole. So, there you have it. Now stop your complaining, and get your download on.

You can download DJ J-Live's Do The Knowledge Volume 1 here. Track listing below:

1. J-Live ~ DTK Intro
2. Jay Electronica ~ Exhibit A (Transformations)
3. Skyzoo ~ Return Of The Real
4. Royce da 5’9” f / Bun B & Joel Ortiz ~ Hood Love
5. Wale ~ Mama Told Me
6. Marco Polo & Torae ~ Word Play
7. Senor Kaos ~ Automatic Classic Remix
8. Mos Def ~ Priority
9. Mr Lif & Bahamadia ~ Breathe
10. OC & AG ~ Give It Back
11. Nipsey Hussle f/ Snoop Dogg ~ The Life
12. Edo. G & Masta Ace f/ Pos ~ Good Music
13. DJ Spinna f/ Fresh Daily, P.Casso & Homeboy Sandman ~ Get On Down
14. Tanya Morgan f/ Blu ~ Morgan Blu
15. Zion I f/ Brother Ali ~ Caged Bird Pt. 1
16. Jay Are ~ The Lee Morgan Story
17. Chali 2na f/ Elzhi of Slum Village ~ When Will I See You Again
18. Jay Z f/ Luke Steele ~ What We Talkin’ About
19. Raekwon F/ Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna ~ 10 Bricks
20. Diamond District ~ I Mean Business
21. Tiye Phoenix ~ Stop Right There
22. Method Man & Redman f/ Ready Roc & Streetlife ~ How Bout Dat
23. Living Proofe ~ Rise
24. J. Cole ~ Lights Please
25. KRS-One & Buckshot f/ Talib Kweli ~ Oh Really
26. Busta Rhymes f/ Jamie Foxx, Mary J Blige, John Legend & Common ~ Decision

Can you own a sound?

The role of sampling in hip hop has been debated for many a year now. In one camp sit those people who feel that sampling, when done properly, is a legitimate art form. On the other side of the fence sit those who favour the 'pay for play' model - in other words, if you use someone's music, you pay for it, regardless of what you've done with it.

So... can you own a sound? Well, that's the central question posed by Copyright Criminals, a new documentary which has just been release that examines the creative and commercial value of sampling.

Copyright Criminals traces the rise of hip hop from it's grass roots, back in it's pre-makin' money early years in New York City through to the genre's recent gravy train days, where it has morphed into a bling-laden, multibillion-dollar industry. According to the film's makers, that's when sampling started to become a problem.

The project's press blurb reads: "for more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a 'borrowed melody' became a 'copyright infringement.'"

Copyright Criminals includes interviews with artists who have sampled, including pioneering acts and producers such as Public Enemy, Hank Shocklee, De La Soul, Pete Rock, Q-Bert and Mixmaster Mike, as well as artists who have been sampled, such as Clyde Stubblefield - James Brown’s drummer and the world’s most sampled musician - and funk legend George Clinton.

Producers Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod shed light on both sides of the debate, considering whether original artists should get paid when someone samples their work, and whether current copyright laws are "out of step with our mashed-up, high-tech culture”.

If your interested in sampling, regardless of what side of the fence you sit on, this looks like an interesting watch. You can check out a trailer below, and get more info (including pre-ordering the DVD) here:

New Video: Gil Scott-Heron - 'Me And The Devil'

New heat from an old legend today, with the mighty Gil Scott-Heron serving up a video for his new single, 'Me And The Devil' - a decidedly modern-sounding affair which marks a welcome return for the 'God Pop Of Hip Hop'.

'Me And The Devil' sets the scene for I'm New Here - Scott-Heron's first album in 15 years.

Based on this first single, I'm New Here is shaping up to be a great comeback from what has been a trying few years for the man who famously told us to look away from our television screens in order to witness the revolution.

The video is pretty slick, as you can see for yourself below:



I'm New Here is released on 8 February.

Mix Tape: Dwele - Keep RIZEing To The Top

Here's a little something to add to the "Music That Makes You Go Ooooooh" file.

The crew at BamaLoveSoul have put together a tidy little compilation of goodness from sweet, sweet soul man Dwele, and it's available for your listening plea-sure for $free.99.

The mix, entitled Keep RIZEing To The Top, features a selection of unreleased Dwele songs from his many unreleased projects.

According to BLS, "Dwele's demo, which is also considered his first album, 1998's Rize, was sold out of the trunk of his car exuding the DIY ethic that is much more prevalent nowadays. Bubbling over with warm Rhodes, unconventional lyrics and soul, soul, soul it helped him score a deal with Virgin where he released his first studio album Subject in 2003. He's continued to release albums since then and has become an industry favorite.

"In between recordings, he stayed in the studio banging out treats for his friends, fans and potential albums. A lot of these tracks have never seen an official release, yet they fell through the cracks and onto the computers of voracious listeners. We here at BamaLoveSoul feel as if these tracks should be heard and have selected several of these songs to create Keep RIZEing To The Top."

You can download Keep RIZEing To The Top by Dwele here. Tracklisting below...

1. J Finesse - For Dwele
2. Dwele - My People
3. Dwele - Suga Sweetumz
4. Dwele - Shoulda Known
5. Dwele - Find Me, Beep Me
6. Dwele - Lady Love
7. Dwele - The Fact Is
8. Dwele - The Simpleness of Passion
9. Dwele - Money Don't Mean a Thing (Atjazz Remix) *Bonus
10. Recloose - I Can't Take It feat Dwele *Bonus
11. Dwele - Limelight
12. Dwele - Is It Possible
13. Dwele - Cheap (Later Known as Brandi w/Slum Village)
14. Dwele - Fan2C Girl
15. Natasha Bedingfield - These Words (Dwele Remix) *Bonus
16. Dwele - Close To Me

New Music: Late Night With The Roots

After the release of The Roots' LNJF Sandwiches EP, it was inevitable that some industrious soul was going to spot a gap in the cyber market and put together a collection of The Roots' work playing with guest artists on Jimmy Fallon's Late Night TV show.

Now, lo and behold, the gap has been filled by a fellow named DJ Heat, who has put together a collection of performance clips from LNJF, entitled Late Night With The Roots.

Featured artists include Ludacris, Clipse, Wale, Q-Tip, 50 Cent, Raekwon, Goodie Mob, The Beastie Boys, Black Star, and Public Enemy amongst others, all backed by the legendary Roots crew. You can download it here, thanks to 2DopeBoyz.

Late Night With The Roots track listing:

1. The Roots – How I Got Over (Live)
2. Ludacris – I Do It For Hip Hop / Last Of A Dying Breed (Live)
3. Mos Def – Casa Bey (Live)
4. Beastie Boys – So Whatcha Want (Live)
5. Black Star – History (Live)
6. Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Rock (Live)
7. Ghostface – Baby f. Raheem DeVauaghn (Live)
8. Wale – Pretty Girls (Live)
9. Raekwon – Catalina (Live)
10. 50 Cent – Baby By Me / Do You Think About Me (Live)
11. Clipse – Popular Demand f. Black Thought (Live)
12. Clipse – Grindin’ f. Black Thought (Live)
13. Q-Tip – Barely In Love (Live)
14. Goodie Mob – Soul Food (Live)
15. Public Enemy – Bring the Noise (Live)

Mix Tape: Eternia - Get Caught Up

With the dust finally settling on the silly season, I’ve managed to take stock of the comings and goings of the last few weeks. During said stock take, I’ve figured out that I totally blanked on posting Get Caught Up, a solid offering from Canadian MC Eternia, that was sent through just before Christmas. Whoops. Better late than never, but...

Get Caught Up is a collection of hard-hitting beats and rhymes which Eternia – who has been holding it down on the Canadian scene for some time, but has flown under my radar until recently – has put together over the last decade or so.

Eternia is currently in the studio working on an album with DJ Premier protégé/partner MoSS, entitled Road To Release. But while she’s putting the finishing touches on her debut album proper, this mix will help you Get Caught Up. Get it? Of course you do... you’re not as stupid as you look.

According to Eternia, the fare you’ll hear on Get Caught Up aren't “‘pop’ songs. These are not video singles. These are not Top 10 hits. This is the heart and soul of why I do what I do when I do it. This is a personal offering... I hand-picked these songs from the past decade, [because] I felt they are overlooked, they are the most personal to my life, and they reveal my growth as an artist.”

Get Caught Up, which is mixed By DJ Law and presented by 2DopeBoyz and Kevin Nottingham, features production from 9th Wonder, Jake One, MoSS and Apathy amongst others, and a guest vocal shot from bonafide Canadian hip hop legend Maestro Fresh Wes. You can download it here, and check the track listing below.

Get Caught Up track listing:

1. Re-Introducing… Produced by: Ant B aka Mr. Cincinnati
2. Dynomite (2005)
3. Foul Child (2009) Produced by: Ant B aka Mr. Cincinatti
4. Stuck Up (2000) Produced by: Apathy
5. Spring Fever (2003) Produced by: Simahlak
6. Real Frequency (2003) Produced by: Jake One
7. God's Story (2004) Produced by: Mercilless
8. Perfection ft. Promise & Grimace Love (2004) Produced by: Amir the Terrorist
9. Day in the Life Feat. Tona & Maestro Fresh Wes (2008) Produced by: MoSS
10. Victorious Feat. G. Knight (2004) Produced by: Mercilless
11. Destiny (2007) Produced by Apathy
12. On and On (2007) Produced by: Mez
13. Balance (2004) Produced by: Kenny “Bounce” Neal Jr.
14. Everything (2004) Produced by: 9th Wonder
15. Herstory (2008)
16. Let Go Outro Produced by: Ant B aka Mr. Cincinnati

Mix Tape: Eclectic Relaxation: A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest

After the recent De La Soul tribute mix tape Le Da Soul: 20 Years Of De La Soul, it seems fitting to keep the Native Tongues love-in pushing along by dropping in a wee linky-link to Eclectic Relaxation: Eclectic Relaxation sees DJ Chong Wizard hooking up with Thick Magazine and Kevin Nottingham to present a mix tape ode to Tip, Phife, Ali (and sometimes Jarobi).

This is no flash in the pan effort through; the project has beA Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest.

en on the go since last summer when a beat contest was hosted by Kevin Nottingham for producers to reinterpret their favorite Tribe tracks. The competition drew quite the response by all accounts, with hundreds of entries apparently being submitted.

Eclectic Relaxation showcases the best of this bunch of beats, with M.C.s such as Del The Funky Homosapien, El Da Sensei, Frank Nitti of Frank 'N Dank), Moka Only, and Bootie Brown all adding their vocal touches to pay homage to ATCQ in fitting fashion... not that the Tribesters are dead or anything like that, of course... but, ya know... credit where it's due and all that.

You can download Eclectic Relaxation: A Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest here.

New Music: Blu - theGODleeBarnes LP

A little sprinkle of freshness from Blu today, who has dropped a little somethin' somethin' by the name of theGODleeBarnes LP via everyone's favourite self promotion vehicle, Twitter.

Blu, in case you don't know, is pretty damn slick on the mic. Admittedly, the recording on offer here might not paint the best possible picture, due to the fact that it sounds like it's been bounced down to cassette tape a few times over, but it's still worth a DL.

You can download theGODleeBarnes LP by Blu here courtesy of The Smoking Section.

On another note, new posts are going to be few and far between for the next month, by the way. With my wedding on the horizon, I think it's safe to say that I'm going to be a touch on the busy side, but I'll drop a few gems if and when I can. Don't miss me too much...

New Music: Mystro - '2009 Rap Up (UK Edition)'

Skillz is still delivering the goods with his annual ‘Rap Up’ track, serving up another great edition of the high and low lights of 2009 at the end of last week.

But while the U.S. M.C. offers his views on the world through the eyes of an unashamed stars and striper, British rhymesmith Mystro has decided to offer up a more English-centric version of the past year’s events by creating a UK edition of the ‘2009 Rap Up’.

Mys takes the opportunity to examine what’s been going on throughout the ’09, covering British artists from Speech Debelle, Dizzee Rascal and Chipmunk to Chase and Status, Susan Boyle and N-Dubz.

He also makes mention of UK favourites (depending on who you ask) such as the X-Factor, boxers Amir Khan and David Haye and snow delays, as well as taking a little look at the British Government lending a helping hand to local banks, and Thierry Henry lending a helping hand to France’s attempts to qualify for the Football World Cup (tisk, tisk, Thierry).

You can listen to Mystro’s ‘2009 Rap Up (UK Edition)’ below:

Mix Tape: Reflection Eternal - The Re:Union

The long-promised second LP from Reflection Eternal (a.k.a. Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek) has been in the works for a minute now, but it seems that things are starting to heat up a little following the release of a new mix tape, entitled The Re:Union.

The Re:Union, which has been pulled together by Statik Selektah, features a bunch of new material, unreleased bits and pieces, and some Reflection Eternal classics. You can download it here.

Of course, the whole project sets the scene for RE's sophmore album, Revolutions Per Minute, which is scheduled for release in February 2010. If the recently leaked track 'Just Begun' featuring Mos Def, Jay Electronica and J.Cole is anything to go by, it's shaping up quite nicely, thanks very much.

You can check out and/or download 'Just Begun' courtesy of Blacksmith.

New Music: Skillz - '2009 Rap Up'

As 2009 winds down, dime-a-dozen top ten lists are starting to find their way onto cyberspace and into print media all over the place. I too considered writing such a list, but as I'm now on holiday in the motherland (New Zealand, folks, not Africa) for the next wee while, I'm not entirely sure I can be bothered.

While I may summon the strength to pull myself away from cafe breakfasts, top notch coffee and BBQs to cast a critical eye over the ups and downs of the '09, I think it seems fitting at this stage (unlike my clothes if I continue on my afore-mentioned diet) to leave the 2009 wrap up n the hands of the one and only Skillz.

For those who aren't familiar, Skillz - one of the wittiest wordsmiths in the hip hop stratosphere - takes it upon himself to produce a track at the tail end of each year, wrapping up the comings and goings in the world of hip hop and beyond.

The '2009 Rap Up' continues in a similar vein to past installments, with Skillz laying down a summary of all things good and bad that have taken place over the last 365-odd days.

As you'd expect, Barack Obama's inauguration, Bernie Madoff's dodgy investments, Notorious, Chris Brown & Rhianna, Michael Jackson, T.I., Kanye West, The Real Housewives Of Atlanta (you know it...), and the Balloon Boy all get a mention. Tiger Woods gets some special attention too, with Skillz hitting the nail on the head by rapping:

Can you say fail?
Who else's name Tiger?
Why would you leave your name on the voicemail?

Word.

You can download a radio rip of Skillz' '2009 Rap Up' here, or listen to it via 2 Dope Boyz.

Mix Tape: A Decade Of Flying Lotus

The Christmas season might be winding down, but the presents just keep rolling in. This time, it's the one and only Flying Lotus filling the role of the bearded fat man and offering up a tidy little mix tape speaker stuffer, entitled A Decade Of Flying Lotus.

As you can guess, Decade is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin - namely, a collection of beats and treats that FL has been working on over the last 10 years.

According to Flying Lotus, he "felt it was time to let go of some things that have been gathering dust. Some old things and some new things. I tried to pick out tracks that I know ya'll haven't heard yet so there should be surprises around every turn."

The whole thing is strung together by Flying Lotus' futursitic beat comrade Gaslamp Killer, who does a nice job in/on the mix. You can download A Decade Of Flying Lotus here and read a little more about the project here.

Also stay on the lookout for Flying Lotus' upcoming album, Cosmogramma, due out on Warp Records on 10 April 2010.

KRS-One and Lupe join LeBron, Kobe and Nike to get in the Christmas spirit

Merry Christmas! Seeing as I'm about to get busy with a turkey and then fall into the deepest of food comas, I'm keeping it short and sweet today, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to spread some Christmas cheer by posting up a couple of ads (Xmas is just sell, sell, sell these days) that Nike have put together for the holiday season.

The clips, which see Nike dipping back into Lil' Penny territory by dusting off their puppets again, feature the vocal talents of the one and only KRS-One, who plays the roll of Santa, and Lupe Fiasco, who plays Blitzen, one of Santa's reindeer.

It seems all's not well at the North Pole, with Blitzen taking offence to Santa running with his new boys, NBA basketballers LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

Of course, with KRS and Lupe involved, there's a strong hip hop presence in the mix (oh, and Kobe too... just kidding). Trash talking, posturing, shiny suits... the whole nine.

Part one sees Blitzen, who seems a little disgruntled to say the least, laying down a little basketball challenge to KRS-Kringle and his boys K.O.B.E. and Bron-Bron:



In part two, KRS fights back, proving to Blitzen that he's still number one by pulling off tricks like biting the rim (don't try this at home kids):



Season's greetings y'all...