Dam Funk must have some ridiculous sort of studio work ethic. He seems to be pumping out tunes through his Twitter account as fast as I can download them these days, but I'm certainly not complaining.
A couple of days back, Dam dropped a lil' somethin' somethin' entitled 'IHopeUKnowImWatchingJune', and I'm happy to report that it's quality.
If you know Dam's music, you'll have a fair idea of what to expect here: heavy synths and heavy bass beautifully blended together to create what is, in my book, the best brand of modern funk doing the rounds right now.
Let's kick off the weekend with some new music from the self-appointed Biggest Star In The Universe ™. Who could that be, I hear you ask? Take a guess... yep, that’s right... the one and only gay fish - Mister Kanye West.
Rumours swirling around the interwebs indicate that Kanyeezy is returning to a harder sound for his upcoming album, Good Ass Job – music to the ears of those who found his last album, 808s and Heartbreak, rather insipid.
‘Power’ is a pretty decent first step in this direction. Granted, it’s not the boom bap bad boy that I for one was hoping for – but it’s not 'Coldest Winter' either.
Based on a solid beat by Symbolic 1, ‘Stonger’ sees Kanye throwing casting his R&B hat aside. There is a speed wobble, mind you. I did spend the first three and a half minutes wondering when soul man Dwele (who guests on ‘Stronger’) would swoop in to add a little lyrical sugar.
When Dwele does finally show up in the last minute, Kanye get dangerously close to 808 territory by threatening to sing along. Thankfully, this threat is an idle one, as Yeezy sticks to rapping, talking about jewellery and taking general pot shots at his critics (there’s not much else to rhyme about these days, apparently).
Saturday Night Live comes in for particular criticism, with ‘Ye taking aim while proclaiming: “Fuck SNL and the whole cast, tell ‘em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass/more specifically, they can kiss my asshole.” Charming.
So, what's the overall verdict on this one? For my money, it's a step in the right direction after 808. I tried my hardest to like that record when it came out. I really did. But I can't lie - it was pretty damn disappointing, in my humble opinion.
'Power' might not be a ‘Jesus Walks’, 'Two Words', or (insert Kanye classic here), but it's definitely closer to what I want to hear from Mr West. You can listen to 'Power' by Kanye West featuring Dwele below:
Am I tainted by enduring what I think is easily the weakest album of Kanye’s impressive career? Or is ‘Power’ actually good? I think it’s the later, but I might need to sleep on it. In the mean time, help an old man make his mind up by dropping your two cents in the comments section.
Big Boi's highly anticipated, highly delayed solo LP, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty is set to drop at the height of summer, for us northern hemisphere dwellers, anyway (read more about it here).
It's already pretty clear that the speaker-shaking 'Shutterbugg', the latest single to emerge from Sir Lucious' armoury, will be one of those high-rotation summer anthems, too, with Scott Storch hooking up a storming beat for Big Boi to get loose.
Okay, so there's a good chance that you'll be sick to death of this come September (I'm sure some of you are sick of it already, in fact). But for now, why not rinse this bad boy while the sun is shining and the woollen overcoats are tucked away?
Big Boi has just dropped a video to give his hit in the making a little push out the gate. Things start out as par for the course, but things start to wile out a little as the video progresses - no doubt aided by all the brews consumed to make the wall of cups that takes centre stage.
All in all, it's a good, solid video, for a good, solid banger. You can check it out below (don't worry about the warning about the video being deleted, it's still there for the watching):
On any given week, I usually struggle to find a solitary new release album that I'm willing to shell out my hard earned clams for. So the scenario of four albums that I've literally been chomping at the bit to own hitting the stores in the same week is definitely something worth writing about.
The objects of my affection on 17/18 May? Read 'em and weep: Damian Marley & Nas - Distant Relatives; The Black Keys - Brothers; Reflection Eternal - Revolutions Per Minute; and LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (you didn't know I got down like that, did you?)
Unfortunately, my attempt to keep the floundering CD market afloat didn't go entirely to plan. Reflection Eternal only saw the light of day States-side last week, and won't be gracing UK shelves for another month. Ah well... best laid plans of mice and men and all that.
Despite this minor setback, I manged to secure the other three releases. I had plans to write whopping great reviews for each one too, but due to pressures from the day job (I don't get paid to do this, unfortunately), I've not managed to put pen to paper on finger to keyboard until now.
Now that I finally have a little room to breathe following a temporary reprieve from the daily grind, I thought it would be a good time to throw on my reviewing cap. But I have consumed three pints, and to be honest, I can't be bothered. So instead of waiting another week until I get a chance to wax lyrical on my trio of golden LPs, I present some of the shortest reviews I'll ever write. Here goes...
Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives:
Nice to hear Nasir sounding hungry and tearing into tracks again. Damian Marley is pretty damn good too, although if I have any criticism of Distant Relatives, its the fact that his beats sometimes sound a little wishy-washy for my liking. Oh, that and the fact that I've already heard what is the best half of the album already. But in reality, it's head and shoulders above 95% of hip hop being released right now. So I'll put my minor gripes to the side and enjoy.
Cream Of The Crop: 'As We Enter', 'Friends', 'Africa Must Wake Up'
This might raise a few eye brows for regular readers of the hip hop-dominated pages of AGOMWAB, but I've always got time for James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem. In fact, I'm pretty damn excited to be seeing them live in Barcelona next month at Sonar. But I digress. This Is Happening shows how damn tight LCD really are as a band, while Murphy leads from the front displaying his undeniable talent. Word is it's there last album. I, for one, hope not. This is quality.
Cream Of The Crop: 'Dance Yrself Clean', 'Sleeper'
Sleeper: 'Pow Pow':
The Black Keys: Brothers
I've been banging on about this album to anyone who will listen to me (which seems to be a rapidly dwindling number of people. At leas that's what it seems like today... I blame the afore-mentioned three pints.) This is rock and blues music, done right. Great lyrics, great music, great album. And you know what? I think it's the best of the big three. Highly, highly recommended.
Cream Of The Crop: 'Tighten Up', 'Everlasting Light',
So there you have it. Three reviews that tell you very little. But as the old saying goes, writing about music is like dancing about architecture. If you like what you hear from the listed tracks, get out there and take a listen to the albums yourself, and make up your own mind.
How long have we been waiting for How I Got Over, the long promised and now well overdue LP from those mighty musical masters of late night television, The Roots? Too long, me thinks. But fear not, as things seem to be ramping up af 22 June release.
As I type this, I can hear the cynics snickering at what is the latest in a long line of promised release dates - especially seeing as a recent post on OkayPlayer (which also includes an up to date track listing) says that the band haven't actually finished the album.
But I say shhhhhh to the cynics. Let's think positive, people! With a little faith, we might finally get the album we crave. Blind faith, perhaps, but faith all the same.
Thankfully, there have been some steps in the right direction for all us believers this week. The first small step was How I Got Over's cover art being released yesterday. The next, significantly bigger step, is the album's first single surfacing yesterday.
Okay, so the tune - named 'Dear God 2.0' - isn't exactly How I Got Over's first single. That honour belongs to the album's title cut, which surfaced a good 9 months ago. But let's think of this as a fresh start.
So, what's the deal with 'Dear God 2.0'? Well, apparently it's a cover/re-rub of a tune by a group called Monsters of Folk. I must admit that this didn't exactly inspire me with confidence. No disrespect, but 'folk' conjures up images of side burns and sheep skin coats.
After seeing past my folk prejudice however, I'm happy to report that 'Dear God 2.0' is the god damn bees knees (how hip hop am I?).
The Roots take what is a damn good original tune (I might need to look into these Monsters of Folk geezers), and put their own trademark stamp on it. Lush instrumentation (does it gets any lusher than a harp?), a steady groove, and Black Thought at his introspective best as he vibes off Monsters of Folk's lead man Jim James (who also appears) to create a piece of melancholic brilliance.
If you want a track by track, blow by blow account of what to expect from How I Got Over, visit Complex for the inside word. In the mean time, you can listen to 'Dear God 2.0' by The Roots below:
Stay tuned for more news on How I Got Over in the next few weeks.
Here's another old favourite from back in the day - if 'the day' was 6 or 7 years ago. Sounds like enough time to play the BITD card to me... regardless of how old it makes me feel. Oh my aching back.
The joint in question is a right belter by The Nextmen by the name of 'Silent Weapon', a head, dancehall/hip hop hybrid which features the vocal talents of the one and only Cutty Ranks.
I copped a copy of this bad boy on 7" around the time that the Get Over It LP on which it originally appeared came out. This tune pretty much stayed in my record bag for... well... I'm pretty sure it's been there for the last 7 years.
Yep, 'Silent Weapon' has aged well, alright - it still slays a dance floor at any given moment. Even with my copy that has alcohol of all descriptions cut deep into the grooves, and more snaps, crackles and pops than Ricies.
You can listen to 'Silent Weapon' by The Nextmen featuring Cutty Ranks below:
The vocal version posted above is stream-only. But seeing as The Nextmen are good guys who look out for their fellow DJs, they've been nice enough to post up the 'Silent Weapon' instrumental in a nice, fat file.
Maybe you can lay some Shakira vocals over the top and make what the kids call a "mash up". Or perhaps even do something a little more worthwhile, if you wish. The world is your oyster.
My mix tape game has been on a slow but steady decline over the last couple of weeks. For that, my faithful followers, I apologise. I also apologise for calling you followers – the religious cult undertones are a little too strong for my liking.
In an effort to address this mix tape malaise, I’ve gone on the hunt for some fresh hip hopz (urban spelling), and tracked down a handful of hot releases which I'll post over the next week.
What's more, you can download said releases without the internet po-po giving you any grief. Big up the legal downloads.
Today's offering comes from Oddisee, a gentleman who has been making good music for a decade-plus, but who has really been turning heads over the last year or two. In fact, every time I've heard new music from him recently, I've become even more convinced that he's definitely on the verge of something truly special.
If you're not that familiar with Oddisee - a producer/M.C. from Maryland who is part of the Diamond District crew - you probably won't know that he's a man with fingers in a number of pies. But today, I'm shining the light on just one of them - namely, his 'Odd Seasons' project.
Odd Seasons has been going for about a year, and has seen Oddisee release a mix tape (or 'free-p' if you will) for each of the four seasons. This has culminated in the recent release of Odd Spring, the last of the series. And my lord, is it dope.
Featuring a bunch of instrumental and vocal cuts, Odd Spring showcases Oddisee's skills on the mic and behind the boards. For my money, it's the latter of these two talents that really shines through on this release, with Oddisee tip-toeing effortlessly between a whole bunch of genres while maintaining an unmistakable hip hop flavour from go to whoa.
Yup... whether it's modern soul cuts like 'In The Now' featuring Olivier Daysoul and up-tempo electronic instrumentals like 'Juba May', through to more traditional hip hop such as the undeniably dope 'I'm From P.G.' and 'Two Way Street' featuring Muneshine, Odd Spring is the real deal.
According to Oddisee, the Odd Seasons series "was a way for me to be creative for no reason other that creativity. That's why they've been free releases. In order to remind my self why I do music, I have to allow some of my works to be created and released for well.... I hate to say it but... 'The Love'."
You can listen to and/or download Odd Spring (and the other Odd Seasons releases for that matter) on Oddisee's Band Camp page:
Now that all four of the Odd Seasons are in the can, Oddisee has announced that he will be pressing them on vinyl and wrapping them up all pretty-like in a lovely four-piece box set - one piece of wax for each season. Ear to the ground for that one, vinyl heads.
Marco Polo has been doing his damnedest to keep NYC's boom bap tradition burning brightly over the last couple of years. Funny thing is, he's Canadian.
That's not really important though - because once you hear Marco's beats, you'll see that this Toronto transplant represents the Big Apple to the fullest.
After releasing Double Barrel, a hard-hitting album alongside regular vocal collaborator Torae, last year, our man is now putting the finishing touches on a solo LP, The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo.
Last week, the folks at Duck Down (the label which Marco calls home) posted up a remix of an Excile tune by the name of 'Radio', featuring Marco's mate Torae and Ruste Juxx (another M.C. that has recently released an album with Mr Polo, according to the internets).
As it turns out, 'Radio' is one of a bunch of Marco Polo remixes which will feature on The Stupendous Adventures - and it's not half bad, either. Strong beats + strong rhymes = strong hip hops. You can listen to it below.
The Stupendous Adventures Of Marco Polo drops on June 29 and features appearances by the likes of Large Professor, Diamond District and Skyzoo. Oh, and Grand Daddy I.U. - how's that for a blast form the past?
Here's a special Sunday treat for all the hip hop historians and good music fans out there.
If you've ever wondered what record Buckwild lifted the sample for O.C.'s 'Time's Up?' from, or where Dr Dre got the sample he used to create Snoop's 'Gz and Hustlas', this post is for you.
If you couldn't care less, but just like good music of the hip hop, funk, soul and jazz persuasion... good news! This post is for you too. Something for everyone, today.
Fine music aficionados Kon & Amir (who just graced London's Vibe Bar last weekend) have got together with Mark Ecko's Complex to go well deep on the record digging tip, rifling through their sizable crates to compile a list of what the duo consider to be The 50 Greatest Hip Hop Samples Of All Time.
Here's what Complex has to say on the matter: "These days, everyone loves hip-hop. But how much does the average fan really know about the building blocks that formed the foundation of the genre's entire sound?
"That's right, before it was all-808-everything, hip-hop used a secret (and sometimes not-so-secret) selection of classic soul, funk rock, and jazz records from the ’60s and ’70s to create their sound.
"From tiny, obscure snippets to instantly-recognizable loops, the sample-based producers of the late ’80s and early ’90s uncovered some truly classic musical gems that are still sought after and used today."
That sums it up pretty well, really. Kon & Amir have done the work so you don't have to, creating an archival gem for anyone with any sort of interest in black music.
The list is also packed with interesting factoids (I, for one, never knew the Eugene McDaniels recorded a diss record aimed at Mick Jagger - looks like beef on wax isn't exclusive to hip hop, kids).
Grab yourself a cup of coffee and settle in as K & A take you through each of the 50 cuts, all of which are posted for your listening pleasure, alongside a hip hop cut which has sampled the original tune, and some commentary from our record digging duo. It's all about context after all, innit?
Of course, you might not agree with some of the tunes or some of the placings here (as you'd expect to be the case with any 'best of' list that someone other than your fine self has compiled). But if you don't like it, go and make your own list... you sissssssy.
It looks like Mark Ronson is back in the studio working on a new album. Okay, so this probably isn't a news flash to some of you, but excuse me while I play catch up.
Ronson's new LP, which is called Record Collection and will be released under the name of Mark Ronson and the Business, is set for release some time later this year.
But if you can't wait that long, Mark has dropped a sneak peek of what we can expect by playing 'Lose It (In The End)' - a shiny new cut featuring the man himself vocals and the mighty Ghostface on rappity-rap duty - on his 'Authentic Shit' radio show.
Of course, Ronson and Ghost are hardly strangers. The pair hooked up back in 2003 to release the party-starting 'Ooh Wee' from Ronson's first album, Here Comes The Fuzz. Ghost also showed up on an alternative version of Amy Winehouse's Ronson-produced 'You Know I'm No Good'.
As you could guess, Ronson and Ghost reunited is a good thing, although I must admit it's not what I expected.
The first listen didn't do much for me, but like all good pop music, something about it compelled me to play it again. And slowly but surely, it's starting to grow on me. So why fight it, I say? Looks like Ronson has been working on his singing too.
You can listen to 'Lose It (In The End)' by Mark Ronson featuring Ghostface, as played on 'Authentic Shit' (originally spotted at Metal Lungies) below:
While you're at it, check out a video for another album cut, 'Circuit Breaker', below... one for the gamers out there:
The issue of blogging and leaking music to the public is something that's been on my mind for some time now. I guess that's no surprise, seeing as this little site right here is, of course, a blog.
As a long-time music fan and ex-record store worker, offering up full albums or a ton of unauthorised songs to download isn't something that sits right with me.
As some of you may have noticed, when I post a song up here that isn't an artist or label-sanctioned legitimate free download, more often then not it's as a YouTube clip or streaming media.
I'm not as pure as the driven snow in this regard, of course. On occasion, I have posted (very limited) download links to songs that weren't sent to me by a label, which I have seen on other sites. But for the most part, I try to keep it clean.
With this pseudo-ethical blogging outlook in mind, I was interested to see Nah Right (probably the biggest hip hop blog out there, in case you're not familiar) post up a clip of super producer and video game guru Just Blaze giving his two cents worth on the subject of music blogging and leaks.
Mr Blaze seems like a smart dude to me. Watch below as he offers up some interesting insights, looking at the issue from the point of view of artists, labels and bloggers:
If you're interested in this subject, Eskay from Nah Right has also posted up his views on the issue in an interesting and thought-provoking piece, which you can read here.
It's all action stations in Dublin this week. A few days back, I posted up a tidy little jam from the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's Heritage project, released by Dublin outfit ChoiceCuts.
Now, with the dust yet to settle on HBE, here comes another quality cut from some more stalwarts of the Dublin scene, All City Records.
The All City gang has been putting out a string of strictly limited 10" vinyl releases recently as part of a series which shines the spotlight on the cream of the Los Angeles' beat scene.
The fourth installment of LA 10” Series sees Detroit transplant and former Dilla running mate House Shoes drop off a joint entitled 'Newports' (alongside Jordan Rockswell, another ex-Detroit producer who also now calls the City of Angels home).
'Newport' is a tidy piece of instrumental hip hop business (and a tip of the hat to HS' favourite brand of cigarettes to boot). Take a head nod-inducing beat and some vibey window dressing and mix it with a D'Angelo vocal sample, and you've got a simple yet effective tune. I'm sure Dilla would be proud.
You can listen to or download 'Newports' at XLR8R. All City Records LA 10” Series featuring House Shoes and Jordan Rockswell is out now via 10″ vinyl (you can pick it up directly from All City), and on iTunes from May 18th.
Here's some music from an artist I haven't heard from in time. San Franciscan song bird Goapele was a favourite of mine back in the early 00's (noughties is well past its used by date, me thinks), but I've not really kept up with what she's been doing for the last few years.
But thanks to some good spotting by The Smoking Section, today we have a track by the name of 'Different' - a nice wee unreleased ditty for your listening plea-sure, which features an appearance by the mighty Mos Def to boot.
The word on the street is that 'Different' was an unreleased remix of a cut from Goapele's last album, Change it All. The album version featured The Game's running mate and Bay Area resident Clyde Carson, but Mos decided to come through to lend his talents to the remix.
'Different' was apparently recorded back in 2005, but hasn't seen the light of day until now "due to industry politics." But here it is for you today, in the flesh - a nice piece of R&B goodness which still sounds fresh despite being locked in the vaults for so long. You can listen to or download it below. Whoop!
While we're talking Goapele, you should also check out another little unreleased gem which she's just posted up - 'Catch 22', featuring 9th Wonder on remix duties.
According to Goapele, "9th did this remix back in '03, I think. He recently released it on his mix tape 9th Wonder Invented The Remix", but you can cop it here. Goodness all round...
A week or two back, I spewed out a rather gushing post that extolled the virtues of Timeless, a project which saw 150-odd musicians join forces in Los Angeles last year to honour musical behemoths Mulatu Astatke, J-Dilla and Arthur Verocai by recreating their work for a series of three concerts.
Now, 'Fatastic/Untitled' - one of the Dilla cuts that was given the treatment by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and his Suite For Ma Dukes Orchestra (as the gaggle of musos were known) - has been taken and flipped yet again by the insanely talented Georgia Anne Muldrow.
While Miguel and co. created a sublime work which bought the string section into the spotlight, Georgia re-tweaks their creation by adding a little more of a dirty cosmic funk feel to the mix (you know what that sounds like, right?) You can download Georgia Anne Muldrow's remix of 'Fantastic/Untitled' here, courtesy of VTech.
While you're at it, watch the video below to see the method to Georgia's madness. How many mamas you know who can rock a beat while they've got their baby asleep in their lap? Speaking of which, happy mother's day for yesterday to the Southern Hemisphere mums, especially Mama GOMWAB.
Today's little musical nugget comes courtesy of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, who have teamed up with premier party people ChoiceCuts over the briny there in old Dublin Town to cook up a tasty little re-interpretation of the Outkast classic 'SpottieOttieDopalicious'.
If you're not familiar with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, here's the run down via ChoiceCuts: "Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are one of a kind. Graced with soul, funk, and spirituality these guys have captivated audiences worldwide.
"Their music is a combination of all genres. With the undeniable drive of hip-hop, the freedom of rock and the melodic thread of R&B these guys are nothing short of unique.
"All band members are the sons of legendary Sun Ra trumpeter Phil Cohran. The group began performing together as children (some as early as 3 years old). In 1999 they formed what is now known as the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and have performed or collaborated with some of the greatest musical stars of the last two decades.
"From Mos Def to Maxwell, Wu Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah to UK superstar Damon Alburn, Erykah Badu to Fela Kuti's drummer Tony Allen. If you don't know these guys you're missing out.
"During one of their many stays in Dublin with ChoiceCuts, Hypnotic decided to shack up in a studio located high in the Dublin mountains to rehearse for a week and write new material.
"Hypnotic and ChoiceCuts had a bit of down time in between these sessions and with plenty of Guinness and Jameson in tow chose to rework some of their favourite records from other artists that have influenced them both."
The result is a fresh take on an old favourite, which you can listen to and/or download below:
'Spottie' isn't the only result of the HBE/ChoiceCuts partnership, mind you. Both parties have teamed up to create The Heritage EP, a super selection of versions of tunes that have influenced Hypnotic and their music. check out the video below, or head to the ChoiceCuts website for more information. Shouts to Edmund Skillary for the heads up.
Busy week this week, yes... but I'm back. And what have I missed in the world of hip hop over the last five days? A new Fat Joe video? Somebody hacking Solar's Twitter account and making everyone's most hated 'super producer' say what we all really think of him? Is that really it? Yep... seems like it.
Okay, so I'll admit that I'm quite happy to see someone clown Solar (bigger person, schmigger person) - but I was hoping for something with a little more musical value. But wait! There is hope! Two new videos from Reflection Eternal (a.k.a. Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek). Yusss.
Video #1 is for R.E.'s 'give daddy a hit' first single 'Midnight Hour', featuring Estelle. Alright, so this might not be new music as such; I've rambled on about this cut before (check it here). But in case you missed said ramble, I like this song - it's good fun. I'm still tired, so that's all I got.
You can check out 'Midnight Hour' by Reflection Eternal featuring Estelle below:
Video #2 is for a cut called 'Strangers' featuring everyone's favourite Texan, Bun B. This, my friends, is dope. I'm sure this will go down in blog world (a magical world inhabited by internet gangsters and hip hop geeks). Watch away...
'Midnight Hour' will feature on the new Reflection Eternal album, Revolutions Per Minute, which is dropping on May 18 (the same day as new albums by Damian Marley & Nas, and The Black Keys - big record shopping day coming up).
Attention Deficit, the debut album from highly hyped wordsmith Wale, came and went with surprisingly little fanfare late last year - a little strange perhaps, especially in light of the buzz that the Washington D.C. M.C. managed to generate over the year and change prior to it's release.
But don't let the fact that Attention Deficit didn't set Soundscan on fire confuse the issue - because it was a more than decent release, all in all. Tracks like 'Prescription', and the Mark Ronson-produced 'Mirrors' featuring Bun B, showed what Wale is capable of, as did 'Diary', a quality cut featuring Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry fame.
Thankfully, it seems that Wale's label hasn't given up the ghost on Attention Deficit (nice to see), with a new Rik Cordero-directed video for 'Diary' surfacing today. And - as is generally the case with Cordero's clips - it's a good watch. Check it out below. And track down Attention Deficit if you like what you hear. Definitely worth a spin or two:
Traditionally, Sunday musical selections on the GOMWAB transistor are generally limited to soothing soul and down-tempo nuggets.
As the day wears on, the occasional gospel joint winds its way on to the play list as I start praying to any higher power that might be listening in the hope that I will somehow or other come into some cash, thus making the pre-working week blues redundant.
Luckily, we're blessed with a bank holiday tomorrow in the UK. So in order to celebrate this stay of working execution, I've swapped the soppy shit for some rawk. And for me these days, rawk means The Black Keys.
The new BK album Brothers is set to be released later this month, and it's sounding pretty damn ace ('ace'... the words aren't really flowing today, obviously. I blame beer). Check out a video for a new cut off the album, 'Next Girl', below for some proof.
Apparently, this isn't an official video. But the Black Keys know about it. But they didn't want it released. But their management thought it could be a viral sensation. But, but, but... I can't keep up. There are subtitles though... they might help you make sense of the situation.
While you're at it, check out 'Howlin' For You', the b-side to Brothers'first single, the Danger Mouse-produced 'Tighten Up', which is now available on 12". 'Howlin'' is a belter. A bluesy, rocky belter. Oh yes, today, words are my tool.
Also, if you're a super-fan, head over to The Black Keys' website to check out a super-special limited edition version of Brothers which includes a bunch of bells and whistles. Only available in North America and Australia unfortunately... shame.
After releasing what was perhaps the biggest hip hop single of 2009 (in my world, any way), the hype surrounding Jay Electronica certainly hasn't subsided in the 20-10.
Indeed, Joe Hip Hop (the shell toe-wearing, freestyle-spitting equivalent of Joe Public) has been patiently waiting for Mr Electronica to put out a new joint to follow up on the epic Just Blaze-produced 'Exhibit C'.
There have been a few scraps thrown from the table in recent months, from fan-assembled mix tapes to sound track appearances. But today, my good reader, is a red letter day, because Jay has dropped a little freshness in the form of a new track - 'The Ghost Of Christopher Wallace'.
Christopher Wallace is, of course, the one and only Notorious B.I.G. That might go some way to explaining why Biggie Smalls' old running mate Diddy - a man who's involvement will undoubtedly raise a few eyebrows over in purist's corner - is talking all over the track in his trademark style.
But it's Jay Elec who is the leading light here, flowing smoothly over a slow, rolling Quincy Tones beat while rhyming that "the game ain't been the same since B.I.G. died/ and Wu swarmed on New York from out that beehive."
Okay, so Jay could probably burp into the mic and cop a ton of downloads right now. But if you're a fan of 'Exhibit C', 'The Ghost Of Christopher Wallace' is definitely worth a spin or three.
You can check it below, or head over to Rap Radar, where you can also listen to Jay speak a little about the track (which is apparently unfinished) with Angela Yee.
A year or so ago, a series of three concerts were held to honour three composer/arrangers from three different genres, all of whom have had an impact on the world of hip hop.
The series, known as Timeless, saw a gang of musicians (150-plus is the official word) join forces in Los Angeles to honour musical behemoths Mulatu Astatke, J-Dilla and Arthur Verocai by putting on a concert paying homage to each artist's music.
As you'd expect, some enterprising souls were on hand to document every minute of every show (good lookin', Mochilla). So if you weren't one of the lucky few who managed to witness these marvellous musical adventures in the flesh, you can now own your own little slice of lushness in the form of a 3 DVD box set - one disc for each concert.
It all sounds grand on paper, doesn't it? Of course it does. But can I be honest with you? I never really intended to shell out my £'s to pick it up. No offence to anyone involved - and no, I wasn't planning on getting my illegal download on. It's just that, for some reason, the concept just didn't slap me in the face (something I need, occasionally) - nothing more, nothing less.
But after laying eyes on one of the clips from the Dilla show, I'm fast considering an about face in my tight wallet stance.
The reason for the potential change of heart? A short and sweet clip from the J-Dilla show which sees Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and the Suite For Ma Dukes Orchestra lay down some orchestral goodness, taking what is arguably my favourite Dilla beat and sending it to the moon.
For me, the Ma Dukes crew's interpretation of Slum Village's 'Untitled (Fantastic)' is goose bump material. Adding some orchestral accompaniment to a beautiful piece of emotive, evocative music just seems like the right thing to do. But enough of my gushing. Check it out here for yourself.
After digging a little deeper, it seems that Timeless will definitely be added to my viewing wish list. Check the details of the Dilla disc alone: One show, composed and arranged for a 60 piece Orchestra by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson; special guests including Bilal, Dwele, Posdanous of De La Soul, Talib Kweli and more; mixed and mastered by legendary knob twiddler Bob Power.
And now, for the feel-good factor - part of the proceeds of all Suite for Ma Dukes performances and recordings will go towards Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey and the heirs to the Dilla Estate. I'm sold.
Dam Funk must have some ridiculous sort of studio work ethic. He seems to be pumping out tunes through his Twitter account as fast as I can download them these days, but I'm certainly not complaining.
My mix tape game has been on a slow but steady decline over the last couple of weeks. For that, my faithful followers, I apologise. I also apologise for calling you followers – the religious cult undertones are a little too strong for my liking
