Mix Tape Monday: A-Trak - Welcome To Kanye's Soul Mix Show

This week's Monday Mix Tape is a soul affair, as former DMC wunderkind A-Trak eases you into the working week (for all non-UK folk, anyway - it's Bank Holiday/Notting Hill Carnival weekend here in London Town!) in fine style on Welcome To Kanye's Soul Mix Show.

A few years back, Trizzle - who has gone on to even bigger things since his DMC days by co-founding the Fool's Gold record label and slotting into the role of regular tour DJ for Kanye West - put together this soulful mix whic takes in the original classic cuts that Kanye used to make some of his finest beats (before he went all fruity pants on his last album, at least).

Welcome To Kanye's Soul Mix Show runs through 23 top-grade tunes, including Nina Simone's 'Sinnerman', Bobby Bland's 'In The Heart Of The City' and Bill Withers' 'Rosie', alongside efforts from Gil Scott-Heron, Marvin Gaye and Etta James, to name a few.

A-Trak's mix matches the quality of his selections, too, as he tastefully scratches, manipulates and juggles this bevy of classic material to create one of the best mixtapes of the last few years, hands down. Sure, Kanye waffles a little over some of the cuts, but there's not even a hint of scratch-itis or 10 minute beat juggle solos. Hallelu-jah (well, it is Carnival Weekend, innit?)

You know the deal... download and track listing below:

Download A-Trak's Welcome To Kanye's Soul Mix Show

Track listing:

1. Nina Simone - Sinnerman (Get By Intro)
2. Al Green - I Wish You Were Here (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly)
3. Honey Cone - Innocent Til Proven Guilty (Testify)
4. Graham Nash - Chicago (The Truth)
5. Bobby Bland - In The Heart of City (Ain't No Love)
6. David Ruffin - Common Man (Never
7. William Bell - Strung Out (Down and Out)
8. Hank Crawford - Wildflower (Drive Slow)
9. Ahmad Jamal - Ghetto Child (They Say)
10. Mandrill - Peace and Love (Two Words)
11. KayGees - Heavenly Dream (Celebration)
12. The Whatnauts - I'll Erase Away Your Pain (Late)
13. Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home (Slow Jamz)
14. Chaka Khan - Through The Fire (Through The Wire)
15. Bill Withers - Rosie (Roses)
16. Etta James - My Funny Valentine (Addiction)
17. Gil Scott Heron - Is Where The Hatred Is (My Way Home)
18. Linda Lewis - Old Smokey (Go)
19. The New York Community Choir - Since You Came In My Life (Crack Music)
20. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up (Touch The Sky)
21. The New Birth - It's Impossible (Impossible - MI3 Theme)
22. Marvin Gaye - Distant Lover (Spaceship)
23. Lenny Williams - Cause I Love You (Overnight Celebrity)

Video: Street Struck - The Big L Story

It's been 10 years since Lamont 'Big L' Coleman was tragically gunned down in New York City, just as he was really beginning to come into his own.

Now, Rap Radar is reporting that Dangerzone Films is putting together a documentary on his life and times, named Street Struck: The Big L Story. Don't run screaming for the exits just yet, though; this looks like it has some potential.

Street Struck features L's family, friends, and fellow music makers recalling one of the brightest up and comers in the hip hop world, who has been elevated to hip hop's upper echelons since his passing.

The likes of DJ Premier, Dougie Fresh and Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg shed light on L and his music, as does live concert footage, and a very weird Robin Leach-style promo slot from L's first album, Lifestylz Ov Da Poor And Dangerous.

L's long-time producer and fellow D.I.T.C. alumnus Showbiz steals the show on the trailer though, as he recounts L's controversial single 'Devil's Son':

Show reminisces on questioning whether 'Devil's Son's touchy subject matter was the right approach for a single, saying that he thought L was crazy before asking him "You really going to say this shit on wax, man?" L apparently replied "man, I don't give a fuck"... and the rest, as they say, is history:



L's label at the time, Sony, shared his enthusiasm for the song. Show continues: "We went up to Sony, right. We played ['Devil's Son'] for the dude that was in charge, right... I don't know if he was some satanic worshipping motherfucker, but he was like 'yeah! This is the shit right here! We're gonna put this one out first!"

Street Struck: The Big L Story is apparently 'coming soon'. You can watch the trailer below to get an idea of what to expect from what will undoubtedly be a rough and ready - but hopefully compelling - documentary:

B-Real, Big Daddy Kane and a homeless M.C. dish up True Hip Hop Stories

Over the last few years, D-Nice (formerly of Boogie Down Productions) has been turning his hand to short, snappy video interviews, tracking down some of hip hop's true chatacters to get the inside word on some of their finest moments as part of the True Hip Hop Stories series.

Recently, D linked up with B-Real of Cypress Hill, who took the time to discuss Cypress' first single 'How I Could Just Kill A Man', how the group helped to break down the door for Latino hip hop artists, the longevity of hip hop, and what he and the rest of the group are up to these days:

Other recent posts include Big Daddy Kane (pictured) breaking down how he and Marley Marl made the classic 'Ain't No Half Steppin', and D's entry in the Portable Film Festival, where he interviews a homeless M.C. Check it below:



You can keep up to date with all of D's True Hip Hop Stories through his website.

One for the collectors: One Leg Up Records digs in the vaults with Brand Nubian and Nas

Here's something that will have the hip hop 'historians' out there salivating ('historian' is a euphamism for nerd, in case you haven't already guessed). Over the last year or so, One Leg Up Records has been quietly accumulating a stellar catalogue of releases in their Crispy Nuggets series. Now, they've managed to source a slew of rare and unreleased tunes from Brand Nubian and Nas, which will be pressed up on wax and released in the near future on a strictly limited basis.

Previous One Leg Up compilations have included obscurities from the likes of The Beatnuts and Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth. Only 200 12's were pressed up for each of these releases which, when combined with a firm promise of no represses, made them true golden ticket items. OLU is sticking to this winning formula for their next two releases too, which will undoutedly result in many a wet dream for the vinyl-collecting hip hop anoraks out there.

The Brand Nubian release, which is called The Now Rule Files EP, will boast seven Nubian rarities recorded between 1989 and 1997. Featured tunes include 'How Ya Livin’, a previously unheard demo produced by Pete Rock which was recorded prior to the group's classic debut One For All, and the original version of Nubian frontman Grand Puba's 'Mind Your Business' which features a Hall and Oates sample which couldn't be cleared in time for the track's release on the B-side of a Puba 12" in the early 90s.

You can check the tracklisting for The Now Rule Files EP below, and listen to and download some snippets here.

Brand Nubian - The Now Rule Files EP Track listing

Side A:

01. 'How Ya Livin’'*
02. 'I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That'

03. 'The Devil'

Side B:

01. 'Mind Your Business (Original Mix)'

02. 'Where Is Puba?'

03. 'Probable Cause (Original Mix)'

04. 'Love Vs. Hate' [Alternate Version]+

Produced by Brand Nubian

*Produced by Pete Rock

+Produced by Lord Finesse

The next record in the Crispy Nuggets series is sure to turn heads as well, with Nas stepping into the fray to help pay his child support bills by digging up some pre-Illmatic material recorded between '91 and '93. Details are still sketchy at this stage, but you can read more about it here.

There's a catch, of course. The limited run and super rare music on offer is going to cost you; with each record in the Crispy Nuggets series retails for USD $80, plus postage and packaging. The steep price isn't stopping die-hard collectors from parting with their hard earned, though, with One Leg Up seemingly having few problems in shifting their stock.

If you're interested in shelling out for either release, visit the One Leg Up website to see how you can make it happen. And then digitize me a copy as a finders fee... just kidding*.

*I'm not actually kidding. Cough it up, richies.

Raekwon is back: new video and music from Iron Man

It seems like Raekwon is throwing everything AND the kitchen sink into spreading the word that his long awaited album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, is finally going to drop on the 8th of September.

Over the last few days, Rae has dropped a fresh animated video for the J-Dilla-produced lead single 'House Of Flying Daggers', complete with appearances by half the Wu, done up cartoon-style. Oh, and there's some lovely scenes of blood pulsing out of veins. And someone eating a live chicken. You know, all the things you can't do in a video with real people (or chickens). Check it below:



On top of that, Rae (or someone in his camp... or some dirty bootlegger) has leaked an album cut, '10 Bricks', which is also produced by Dilla and features Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna. And it sounds pretty damn good, too. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II could be one for the books... here's hoping. You can listen to and download '10 Bricks' below:



Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is out on the 8th of September.

Mix Tape Monday: K'Naan & J.Period - The Messengers/M.O.P. & DJ Eleven - Fight Club

A couple of fresh collections for your listening pleasure today; one new and one old, one (relatively) peaceful and one that may result in the riot squad being called out.

First up on the new/peaceful side of the ledger is The Messengers, the first instalment of a five part series from Toronto M.C. K'Naan and mix tape king DJ J.Period that pays homage to three musical greats; Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Fela Kuti.

Part one of The Messengers features K and J remixing one track each from Marley, Dylan and Kuti, putting their own unique slant on some truly classic material.

Following this first chapter, K and J will pay tribute to each of this trio of musical heroes individually by releasing a new EP for each artist every Tuesday in September, beginning with a tribute to Fela Kuti (September 1), Bob Marley (September 8), and Bob Dylan (September 15). It all culminates in the release of The Messengers in its entirety (including additional bonus tracks and artwork) on September 22.

You can read more about the project here, and check the track listing for part one and get your download on below:

The Messengers Part One track listing

1. Let's Start (Fela Kuti Tribute)
2. Belly Full (Bob Marley Tribute) [Feat. Kardinal Offishall, Steele and Bajah)
3. Relationships Lay (Bob Dylan Tribute)

Download the first instalment of K'Naan and J.Period's The Messengers

The second mix for today comes via Hip Hop Connection, who link with regular columnist and 'The Rub' main man DJ Eleven to bring us Fight Club: The Best Of M.O.P.

I've always had a soft spot for the Brownsville, Brooklyn-brawling duo of Lil' Fame and Billy Danzenie, but as Fight Club shows, they don't have a soft spot for any one or thing. Let's just say that Fight Club might be the most aptly named mix tape of the decade, as Fame and Danz verbally beat tracks into submission in their trademark manner.

Eleven does the damn thing too, splicing together 32 cuts either by or featuring M.O.P. to create a hard hitting mix of hip hop mosh pit majesty. Check the track listing and D/L below:

Fight Club: The Best Of M.O.P. tracklisting

1. Rap Dudes Intro
2. Ode To A True M.O.P. Fan – DJ Eleven
3. Downtown Swinga – M.O.P.
4. Downtown Swinga ’96 – M.O.P.
5. Downtown Swinga‘ 98 – M.O.P.
6. U Don’t Know (REMIX) – Jay-Z feat. M.O.P.
7. Rugged Neva Smoove (DJ Premier REMIX) – M.O.P.
8. Live From Ground Zero – M.O.P.
9. Cold As Ice – M.O.P.
10. Facing Off – M.O.P.
11. New Jack City – M.O.P.
12. Breakin’ The Rules – M.O.P.
13. Face Off 2K1 – M.O.P.
14. Foundation – M.O.P.
15. BI vs. Friendship – Gang Starr feat. M.O.P.
16. Wolves – Krumbsnatcha feat. M.O.P.
17. 1/2 & 1/2 – Gang Starr feat. M.O.P.
18. Stick To Ya Guns – M.O.P.
19. The Mastas – Freddie Foxxx feat. M.O.P.
20. Pounds Up – M.O.P.
21. 4 My Peeps – Red Hot Lover Tone feat. Biggie & M.O.P.
22. Let It Bang – X-ecutioners feat. M.O.P.
23. We Run NY – Da Beatminerz feat. M.O.P. & Teflon
24. Nine & Two Clips – The Marxmen (M.O.P.)
25. Ante Up (DJ Eleven REMIX) – M.O.P.
26. We Got Gunz – Gang Starr feat. Fat Joe & M.O.P.
27. Salute – M.O.P.
28. Follow Instructions – M.O.P.
29. G Building – M.O.P.
30. How About Some Hardcore – M.O.P.
31. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow – M.O.P.
32. Slade – The Marxmen (M.O.P.) feat. Sade

Download DJ Eleven and MOP's Fight Club: The Best Of M.O.P

New music: Wio K - 'An Ting' (Feat. Ty and Serocee)

Here's a nice vibey hip hop/reggae ting (I can never say that without sounding corny...curse my whiteness) from Canadian M.C. Wio-K, who delivers the goods on 'An Ting', the second single from his soon to be released EP The Craftsman.

'An Ting' is a vibey, laid back cut which is guaranteed to get your weekend off to a nice start (at least if you like vibey hip hop/reggae tings... if you like Viking Rock, you'll probably hate it. And yes, I'll stop saying ting now).

Wio also drafts in a couple of UK heavyweights to add some British stiff upper lip to the track. London legend Ty delivers a typically strong verse, while Birmingham's Serocee adds the reggae flavour like Levi Roots at a Dragon's Den reunion by serving up a strong island vibe on the cut's sing-songy chorus.

You can listen to and download 'An Ting' below:
Wio-K (Feat. Serocee & Ty) - An Ting by GOMWAB
If you're feeling Wio, make sure to check out The Craftsman and it's other single, 'Hide An Shoot' featuring Kyza. You should also check older cuts like the killer 'Footloose', which you can watch below:

Video: Dante Ross goes way back with De La...

The always entertaining Dante Ross recently dropped some knowledge on Frank magazine for their special De La Soul anniversary edition, which mark's the group's 20th year together.

Dante is definitely the right man to wax lyrical on De La's past too, having watched the trio blossom after being assigned as their A&R at Tommy Boy Records, and overseeing the recording of their ubiquitous debut 3 Feet High & Rising.

Dante, who penned the article for Frank himself, takes the opportunity to reminisce on how De La was the first group he A&Red for Tommy Boy, which at that time, he says, meant he was "the group's cheer leader/road manager/dude in the office they hung with. 

"It mostly meant we made it up as we went along. But that’s how it was back then; we were basically writing the rulebook as we stumbled along."

Dante also speaks at length on De La's first ever live show in NYC (check the photos - the matching outfits are a strong look, boys).

Sounds like the group started out well, too; D.M.C. of Run D.M.C. (no, really?) was so impressed by the trio that he advised them to get back out on stage and perform the same set again after headline act Stetsasonic pulled a no show.

Interestingly, Dante makes mention of the fact that despite starting their live career with a bang, De La's stage show wasn't the greatest in their early days.

I, for one, remember seeing them as an impressionable 13 year old in what was my first concert, and wondering if they were taking the piss a little bit by only performing for 45 minutes, and making the crowd cluck like chickens and moo like cows while laughing it up off stage.

Things done changed now, of course; De La's live show is pretty much second to none these days, but it wasn't always this way, as Dante writes.

"De La killed their first show, which is funny, because during their early tours post the success of 3 Feet High and Rising, they actually were kind of suspect live, something they admit freely and something they worked hard to overcome. 

"It’s ironic because they have one of the best live shows in all of hip-hop these days and tour and perform constantly. As Pos told me, 'We got better ’cause we had to. We were watching the best: N.W.A., Slick Rick, Run-D.M.C., and Big Daddy Kane. We heard the talking and we had to suck it up and get our show right, so we did. We didn’t really have a choice, to be honest.'”

Dante - who you might know as 'Dante The Scrub' from 3 Feet High & Rising's skits - also offers up the definitive version on how De La's Native Tongue family settled on their name.

Apparently it went down like this: "Mase and Pos, between jokes, also told me about the exacting formation of the Native Tongues; a story I had never heard before. Listen up, kiddies. This is the first time this story has ever been told:

Pos: We went to Afrika [Baby Bam]’s [of the Jungle Brothers] house in Brooklyn one day. [Q-]Tip and Afrika had already thought it out.

Mase: It was like some Parliament-Funkadelic shit.

Pos: Word. Afrika was like, 'We all spit the same tongue, so let’s be the Native Tongues'.”

Simple as that.

You can read the full article here.

Also, check the press kit for De La Soul's 3 Feet High & Rising, featuring a very youthful looking Pos, Mace and Dave explaining the D.A.I.S.Y Age, and giving you an insight into an album that changed hip hop as we know it.

Mix Tape Monday: new music from Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Bubblers and King Britt

Another double whammy on the mix tape front, this week. After last Monday's Wu-Tang/D.I.T.C./Major Lazer marathon, I'm toning things down a little with some forward thinking beat treats from 'Mr Worldwide' Gilles Peterson and his buddies at Brownswood Recordings, and a nice little instrumental offering from ex-Digable Planet DJ and all-round quality music man King Britt.

First up, Gilles and the gang come through with 'Best of Bubblers': A Brownswood Mixtape. This great little compilation sets the scene for the upcoming release of the fourth installment of the Brownswood Bubblers series, which is due on 24 August.

'Best of Bubblers' travels the well-worn path that Gilles has walked throughout the Brownswood Bubblers series, picking out some of the top cuts from across all four releases and turning them into a tidy little 40 minute set.

GP has always championed some of the classiest future soul and delectable downbeat music that you'll hear on the airwaves. 'Best of Bubblers' is no exception. Check out classic wonky cuts like Simbad's 'Soul Fever' and Flying Lotus' 'Tea Leaf Dancers', or quality offerings from Bullion ('Get Familiar') and DJ Day ('A Place To Go'). You can listen or download below:

'Best of Bubblers' A Brownswood Mixtape. by Brownswood

Next up is Kingstrumentals, a compilation of solid, spacey instrumental beats from King Britt, the man behind a bunch of good music including Sylk 130 and the Ovum label. He even manned the wheels of steel for those insect-loving Digable Planets (he was Silkworm, don't you know... speaking of the Digables, I wonder what happened to Doodlebug? Actually, does anyone even know what a Doodlebug is?).

Kingstrumentals sees the King casting aside studio trickery and reaching for the MPC2000 to make what he describes as "just some boom bap vibes for all my peeps who just love a good loop."

Word.

Britt writes: "Sometimes in the studio, I feel I have too many options. Too many software choices, synths, etc. I felt like I needed to go back to the essence of making beats. So I dusted off the MPC2000 and grabbed stacks of wack from my library to make beats.

"It was such a wonderful feeling to just flip beats again. Wasn’t even thinking of releasing them, just an exercise for my brain. The fun part was that I only used the floppy drive. Only 12sec of sample time for each joint.

"All kicks, snares and sounds are all from records. Mixed raw, right out of the MPC stereo outs. Done in 1 week in April 2009 (one or two oldies thrown in for good measure)."

Word (again).

You can download King Britt's Kingstrumentals here (e-mail registration required)

New Compilation: DJ Muro & Roy Ayers - The Vibe Obsession

Japanese king of digging DJ Muro has come through with the goods on his latest mix The Vibe Obsession, paying homage to the king of vibes and all-round cosmic good guy, Roy Ayers. The two disc set sees Muro digging deep to pull out a bunch of Roy Ayers cuts, productions and guest appearances that span the last 40-odd years.

Disc one covers Roy's solo output - including a bunch of best known cuts such as 'We Live In Brooklyn', 'Coffy Is The Colour' and B-Boy Favourite 'Brother Green' - as well as material from his Ubiquity days, and production work for the likes of Ramp and Sylvia Striplin. There's also a nice live version of 'Searchin' taken from a show at London's legendary Ronnie Scotts.

Disc two shows the impact that Roy has had on the hip hop world, as Muro runs through a selection of classic tracks that have either sampled Roy Ayers material, or been graced by his presence. There's some old favourites in there from A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu and The Pharcyde.

Head over to Bama Love Soul to check the tracklisting and a 15 minutes snippet of The Vibe Obsession

Kid Cudi talks Man On The Moon

All the regular GOMWAB readers out there (hi, Mum!) might recall my mission to see man of the moment Kid Cudi at the Wireless festival last month, which was thwarted by some scheduling nightmares.

I've moved on now, though, and after re-discovering Cudi's stellar A Kid Named Cudi mixtape (nice work, 10 Deep), I'm ready to forgive and forget (Cudi that is, not the festival) and turn my attentions to his debut proper, Man On The Moon - easily one of the most anticipated hip hop albums on the horizon right now

A few weeks back, the Cudster took some time out to sit down with Greg Selkoe from Karmaloop for a two-part interview covering a range of subjects.

In part one, Selkoe (A.K.A. Cinnamon Throat... no, I have no idea either) and Cudi talk about the recently completed Hangover Tour whch saw Cudi hit the road with fellow 'freshman class' rappers Asher Roth, B.o.B and Pac Div, and collaborating with Kanye:



In part two, Cudi talks about who's dropping in on Man On The Moon, (including MGMT, Common and Kanye West), and the making of the album. He also talks about the creative process, saying "everything I write is real. I've either dreamed it, or it's happened." Ummmm...



Man On The Moon is due out later this year (apparently this month, according to this interview, but I don't know if that will hold true.) Should be a goodie. In the meantime, you can...

Download Kid Cudi and 10 Deep's A Kid Named Cudi mixtape here

New Video:WildCookie - Heroine

Swedish bad man Freddie Cruger (A.K.A. Red Astaire - or is Red A.K.A. Fred? So many aliases...) is back with another project and another alias, joining forces with singer Anthony Mills to form WildCookie.

The new duo haven't wasted much time in putting some product onto the streets either, with the recently released Drugs EP - spearheaded by 'Heroine', a soft, swinging cut complimented by Mills' falsetto vocals - now doing the rounds.

It looks like a bit of money has been sunk into a slick yet fairly harrowing video to accompany 'Heroine', too. There's a lot going on in this clip; junkies turning into jazz dancers, homeless kids helping adults to shoot up, white doves flying the coop. My description really doesn't do it justice though - if it did, the video would be crap - so it's probably best if you just check it out for yourself:


Also be sure to check the latin vibe and loping piano on 'Serious Drug' where Mills - who also painted the cover art for the EP, pictured above - really shows his vocal chops, and the comparatively up-beat 'On The Road'.

The Drugs EP is out now. No free downloads for this one; if you like it, you can buy it from your local record store, or from iTunes. Watch out for a WildCookie album in 2010.

While we're on the subject of Fred-Red, here's a video for the track that first introduced him to me (and probably a lot of others), the classic 'Runnin' From Love'. Seriously, I think I've probably worn out three copies of this record - and it still sounds fresh. Check it out...

Two new mixes from The Nextmen! (Mix Tape Monday Part 2)

The Nextmen have come storming out of the gate with a couple of quality mixes to mark the release of their brand spanking new record, Join The Dots (out today in the UK). Both mixes are killer, too, so rather than holding onto them until next Monday, it seems only fair to serve up an extra-special second round of Monday Mix Tapes.

The first offering is the Anxiety mix, a slick selection which clocks in at a little over an hour, and shows Brad and Dom Nextmen doing the damn thing in the manner to which we've become accustomed. If you've heard a Nextmen set or mix CD in the past, you'll know what to expect here; quality tunes from across the board which are promptly sliced, diced, scratched and cut into a ready-made party.

Anxiety contains top tuneage from the likes of Jay-Z and Chase & Status, Dizzee Rascal, Ladi-6, and M.J. Cole (whose legendary cut 'Sincere' is transformed into a stellar dubstep workout by Nero). There's also a bunch of upfront blends and bootlegs which see the likes of the Beasties Boys locking horns with Bowie, and Lucy Pearl getting down with Queen. Quality business, for real.

To download The Nextmen's Anxiety mix, visit the recently revamped Nextmen website and register your email address via the 'register' box on the home page, or the 'sign-up' tab. You'll then be sent a link to the download. Simple as that...

The second mix is a real score, and a must for anyone who wants to get a better idea of what to expect from Join The Dots and long term Nextmen fans alike. And it's exclusive to GOMWAB! That's right folks, for a limited time only you can download a lightening fast 6-and-a half-minute mix of all eleven JTD cuts, only from Grumpy Old Man With A Beard*! Don't accept any imitations...

This sampler takes in all of the big moments on offer on Join The Dots, including the massive first single 'The Lion's Den', stonking hip hop cuts like 'Round Of Applause' and the 'Funky Kingston'-sampling 'So Many Girls' (both featuring Dynamite M.C.), and quality up-tempo bits and pieces like 'Red Setter' and the wobbly 'Stay At Home'. It's free, too... kind of like try before you buy, really. Nice.

You can download The Nextmen's Join The Dots sampler here*

Remember, if you like what you hear here (and trust me, you will), remember to pick up a copy of the full version of Join The Dots - you won't be disappointed. The album is out now in the UK, and available from all the usual outlets. Folks outside the UK should keep an eye on the Nextmen website for up-to-date info on release dates in other territories.

Finally, for anyone who is in London this weekend, don't forget the Join The Dots release part at Cargo on Saturday... might be door sales only now though, so you'll have to get in quick!

*This link will be live for one week only - after that, it's a gonner!

Update: You can now cop the five minute mix through Soundcloud:

JTD - 5 Minute Sampler by bradbaloo

Mix Tape Monday: Major Lazer, Wu Tang Clan vs. D.I.T.C.

I've got two fresh mix tapes to help you get into gear today, including a dub and bass-heavy session from Major Lazer, and some smack you in the face and steal your Starter cap hip hop from NYC legends Wu Tang Clan and D.I.T.C. What more could you ask for to start the week?

First up, the mystical Major Lazer joins forces with clothing label Mishka to lay down the tenth mix in the Keep Watch series, stringing together a rapid-fire set that takes in top notch electronic-tinged reggae, dancehall and dubstep.

Keep Watch Volume X includes some bass-bin rattling cuts (because my laptop has bass bins... doesn't yours?) from the likes of M.I.A., Mr. Ozio, Terror Fabulous and Ludacris, as well as some upfront remix business from ML collaborator and dubstep don Switch, and Major Lazer himself. There's even some Bjork and Ace of Base thrown in for good measure. Boom!

Visit the Mishka site to download Keep Watch Volume X (with full track listing)

While we're on the subject of Major Lazer, there's a pretty entertaining back story behind this man of mystery, in case you haven't heard. Check the bio:

"Major Lazer is a Jamaican commando who lost his arm in the secret Zombie War of 1984. The US military rescued him and repurposed experimental lazers as prosthetic limbs. Since then Major Lazer has been a hired renegade soldier for a rogue government operating in secrecy underneath the watch of M5 and the CIA.

"His cover is that of a dancehall night club owner from Trinidad and he enlisted the help of long-time allies and uber-producers, Diplo and Switch, to produce his first LP. His true mission is to protect the world from the dark forces of evil that live just under the surface of a civilized society. He fights vampires and various monsters, parties hard, and has a rocket powered skateboard."

A rocket powered skateboard? Sweet... Anyway, if you like the sound of Major Lazer, be sure to check the quality Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do LP, which dropped a month or two back to rave reviews.

Moving on to mix number two, the mysterious Memory Man serves up the solid Wu-Tang Clan vs. D.I.T.C., blending the best of the best from the Wu and the Diggin In The Crates crew to create a tidy little package of that old boom bap that we all know and love.

As a general rule, blend mix tapes are pretty crap, but when you're working with the back catalogues of two of hip hop's hardest hitting cliques, chances are that you're onto a winner. Memory Man makes a good fist of it too, doing a good job of matching acapellas from the likes of D.I.T.Cers Big L, Fat Joe and A.G, and the whole damn Wu family, with beats from the opposite crew's past releases.

It's simple, really; chuck an acapella from Wu's 'Da Mystery Of Chessboxin' with Show & A.G. of D.I.T.C.'s 'Soul Clap' beat, for example, and hey presto, you've got 'Da Mystery Of Soul Clappin'. Or how about the beat from Big L's 'Put It On' with the vocals from Raekwon's 'Incarcerated Scarfaces'; what does that add up to? 'Put It On Incarcerated Scarfaces'! Give that man a prize...

You can download Memory Man's Wu Tang Clan vs. D.I.T.C here

New Music: The Roots - 'How I Got Over'

What better way to celebrate the beginning of another weekend than a new single from everyone's favourite hip hop band (not that they've had much competition since Stetsasonic went tits up), The Roots? Okay, I can think of a few, but The Roots will have to do until the midget wrestlers, caged lions and dancing girls arrive.

As I mentioned a while back, the pride of Illadelph are putting the finishing touches on a new album (now scheduled for release at the end of October). A month of so back, ?uestlove and the boys made the most of their new gig as house band for Jimmy Fallon's Late Night by using the show to premier 'How I Got Over', the new single from the album of the same name.

In case you haven't seen it, you can check it below:


On first listen, 'How I Got Over' sounds like a bit of a departure from the darker output on The Roots' last two albums, 2006's Game Theory and last year's Rising Down. Musically speaking, the track is a comparatively breezy, uptempo affair, with ?uestlove leading the charge on drums, backed by some solid support on guitar and keys.

Black Thought also mixes things up a little on the vocal front by singing as well as rapping. The sing-song chorus and light backing track can't totally smooth over the 'mean streets' lyrics, though; 'How I Got Over' isn't all sunshine, as BT raps that "we dying to live, so to live we dying", and that he's "all cried out 'cause I grew up crying." Somebody give the man a hug, already.

You can check the studio version of 'How I Got Over' below:


You can download 'How I Got Over' here

Raekwon & Rosenberg - The Chef cooking up new Cuban Linx

Here's a little somethin' somethin' for all the Wu-Tang fanatics out there. Last week, Raekwon the Chef sat down with Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg for the latest installment of Noisemakers, a series of live interviews conducted by Rosenberg which are aimed at hip hop nerds like myself (I try to wear my anorack on the inside, but sometimes I just can't hide it... Okay, I can hardly ever hide it. Beardstrokers unite!)

During the evening, Rae talked at length on subjects ranging from his classic debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and the origins of the Wu, to a supposed beef with Biggie, and why he's called the Chef (apparently it's not because he likes pies; it's because he's "got flavour, neighbour" - fair enough).

Rosenberg and Rae also touched on the follow up to OB4CL, entitled OB4CL2 (makes sense, doesn't it?). I, for one, was beginning to doubt whether this LP would ever see the light of day; it's been almost 15 years since the first installment after all, and the obligatory delays that are part and parcel of the music business seem to have been stretching on a little longer than normal in this case.

But fear not, Wu-Tangers; OB4CL2 sounds like it's shaping up nicely, and is set to drop on the 8th of September (which, by conservative estimates, is the thirty second and hopefully final scheduled release date).

OB4CL2 features verses from most members of the Wu (and potentially their friends, family, and some random guy that Ghostface found on the Staten Island ferry), as well as guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Slick Rick, Jadakiss and Beenie Siegel.

Beats are rumoured to be provided by RZA, Dr Dre, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Erick Sermon, Alchemist, and J-Dilla, who recaptures the OB4CL2 vibe on 'House of Flying Daggers' featuring Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah and Method Man (which Rae previews in Part 2 of the interview at the 31:30 mark).

You can listen to Peter Rosenberg interviewing Raekwon (via GrandGood) here

You can download 'House of Flying Daggers' here

Video: Chris Rock takes a long look at...hair

Hair's a good one (oh god, someone stop me). Funny man Chris Rock's latest project isn't another well-time stand up tour or DVD, or a not so well-timed sitcom show.

Instead, the world renowned comedian has turned his attention to making Good Hair, a documentary on... you guessed it... hair.

Apparently, the whole thing started when Rock's daughter asked him "daddy, how come I don't have good hair?"

Rock decided to investigate this notion of 'good' hair further, and ended up creating a piece of work which delves into the stereotypes associated with hair, and in particular, the impact these stereotypes have on black people.

From what I can make out on the Good Hair trailer, good hair apparently means straight hair. Former Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle running mate Paul Mooney puts it another way: "if your hair is relaxed, white people are relaxed; if your hair is nappy, they're not happy."

Cue the 'hair relaxer', a straightening solution containing Sodium Hydroxide. This stuff is so potent, it can burn skin. In fact, it can even burn through an aluminium can.

Rumour has it that relaxer was responsible for the asymmetrical look that Pepa of Salt 'n' Pepa fame used to rock back in the 80's (pictured, right) - and it wasn't done on purpose. Ouch.

I guess Ice-T pretty much sums it up when he says that using relaxer - or creamy crack as it's also known - is like "a torture session".

Good Hair also takes the opportunity to explore the "black hair market", which is worth an estimated USD $9 billion a year.

Sounds like a lot of money, doesn't it? But did you know that weaves often cost around USD $5,000 a pop? Neither did I... no wonder the women in the trailer (and hip hop's number 1 fan the Reverend Al Sharpton) are adamant that NO ONE touches their hair.

I wouldn't want to let anyone touch my hair if I had to pay for it in installments, either.

Good Hair received a Special Jury prize from the Sundance Festival this year, and also features the likes of Maya Angelou and Nia Long. It's not due for a full release until October, but in the meantime you can check the trailer below:

Interview Archives: DJ Premier (2005)

When I started A Grumpy Old Man With A Beard, I pledged to dig out some old interviews from my hip hop magazine days for your reading pleasure. As you may have noticed, these haven’t exactly been raining down like dollar bills in a Fat Joe video – put that down to my ability to ‘tidy’ things away in ‘tidy piles’, which I quickly forget the relevance of.

Fortunately, I’ve managed to track down my old transcripts, so it’s time to get the Interview Archives series cracking.

First up is a casual chit-chat with a true beast of the beats, the mighty DJ Premier - a man who's responsible for crafting some of hip hop's most memorable moments. Of course, there’s his work as one half of Gangstarr; and then there's the beats for Biggie, Jigga, Nas, KRS... the list could go on for days.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Premier on two occassions back in 2005. The first session took place over the phone from Primo's NYC-based HeadQcourterz recording studios (formerly D&D) in around July, while the second was a face to face catch up during his visit to New Zealand for a DJ gig a few months later.

I was writing for Back2Basics Magazine at the time, and was offered the chance by my editor, DJ Sirvere (big up), to speak to Preem for half an hour to bridge over a few gaps from our first interview. I ended up tagging along with him for four or so hours that afternoon while he did the rounds of local radio and TV stations, taking the opportunity to fire questions at him in between his other media commitments.

Now, I did say earlier on that it was a pleasure to interview Preem... but in all honesty, it was one of the most daunting assignments I've ever had (next to an Outkast interview - but I'll save that story for another time). It's not that Premier wasn't approachable - quite the opposite, in fact. It's just that he isn’t one to mince his words, and he certainly doesn't suffer fools lightly.

Thankfully, I made it through unscathed, as Premier happily offered up very frank opinions on a range of subjects. But what really came across loud and clear was that Premier was as passionate about hip hop as his beats are banging. His energy was infectious, and he really came to life when recalling the musical influences that shaped him while growing up in Texas, the golden era of hip hop that he encountered on moving to New York in the mid-80s, and his work with the greats of the game (including some classic studio stories).

Of course, not everything from these two sessions made the final cut for my article. During one of the moments when the tape recorder wasn’t rolling, Preem delved into a subject that was clearly near and dear to his heart – porn. Hell, he's such a fan that he even produced a track for porn actress Heather Hunter. You can hear him touch on the subject a little more below (if that's what you're in to):



While being driven to his final interview, Premier decided to conduct a quick porn devotion poll amongst the other people rolling with us in the minivan (the vehicle of choice for all touring hip hop stars, don't you know). He eventually turned his attentions to me, asking me in his trademark deep, gravelly voice: “What about you? You like porn?” Not really a topic I'd thought we'd be covering in the interview, to be honest.

As I fumbled for an answer, Premier obviously picked up on my 'uneasiness' (that’s a nice way of saying I’m really a prude). He quickly followed up with a statement that still rings in my ears to this day – “You ain’t a real man if you don’t like porn”.

That was pretty much the moment the interview ended. My memory is a little clouded, but I vaguely remember jumping out at the next set of traffic lights (while considering launching a feeble face-saving mission by saying I was heading to the nearest news agent to stock up on porn). Shameless... anyways, read on for more from the man himself.

Read the DJ Premier interview here (reproduced with permission)

Mix Tape Monday: 5 (yep, 5) mixes from DJ Graffiti, Michigan's mix tape king

This week, the Monday Mix Tape section is being renamed Monday Mix Tapes (radical change, I know) thanks to the genrosity of DJ Graffiti, a.k.a Michigan's mix tape king. Graffiti has posted a slew of free mixes for your listening pleasure - come on kids, count 'em with me now: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 tapes... Ah ah ah ah!

Graffiti has been banging out quality compilations for a while now, and as these five mixes show, he's more than happy to turn his hand to any style of hip hop. From Rick Ross and the Clipse to Dabrye and Mayer Hawthorne, Graffiti's got it covered.

Of the five downloads on offer today, my particular favourites are the smooth Vibeout mix recorded for J Period's Tru Elements Radio show ('cause I'm a big softie really), and Battle My Crew 2 (perfect when it's time to act... hard). Well worth a listen...

You can download the five mixes (along with covers and track listings) here. For more info on DJ Graffiti, visit his website.

A sad day for hip hop - RIP Baatin (Slum Village)

Some sad news filtered through the grapevine last night, with word spreading that Titus 'Baatin' Glover - one third of the original line up of Slum Village - passed away yesterday.

Details are a bit sketchy at present, but it appears that the 35 year old MC was found dead in Detroit's Anglin Street. Slum Village's tour manager, Tim Maynor, confirmed the rumors of Baatin's death to Michigan's MLive.com, but no further information has surfaced as yet.

Baatin formed Slum Village with Jay-Dee (aka J-Dilla) and T3 while still in high school, and went on to release some classic material, including the stellar Fantastic, Vol. 2 LP (2002), and quality singles like 'Tainted' (Baatin's on the second verse, FYI):


Slum Village feat Dwele : Tainted

He had previously left Slum Village around 2003 due to health issues. According to an obituary in the Los Angeles Times, Baatin "had said in interviews over the years that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and struggled with emotional problems." However, he returned to a re-jigged SV line up last year to work on a new album, Villa Manifesto, which is due to be released next month.

Baatin had been on the road with Slum Village over the summer, performing as part of the Rock The Bells festival that is currently touring across North America. The group's last show took place at New York's Jones Beach Theater on July 19.

This is another sad day for hip hop, and SV in particular; T3 is now the only surviving member of the original trio after Dilla passed away in 2006. In a statement released to the Detroit Free Press, Dilla's mother, Maureen Yancey said: "Deepest sympathy to the family, friends and fans of Slum Village on the passing of Baatin. We loved him and his kind heart and spirit will forever be in our hearts."

You can read Baatin's obituary in the Los Angeles Times here, and check out some of his handy work below: