Mix Tape: Skillz, DJ Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - 'Infamous Quotes'

Punchline wizard Skillz has dreamt up more than his fair share of infamous quotes over the years. The Virginian M.C. has made quite a name for himself by dishing out some of the sharpest punch lines in the hip hop world - so if anyone is qualified to drop a mixtape called Infamous Quotes, it's this man.

The concept behind Infamous Quotes is quite simple, really. Take a bunch of popular culture icons like Will Ferrell and Allen Iverson,  and a bunch of famous songs ('Microphone Fiend') and movies (Boyz N The Hood), grab some of their most memorable quotes, and structure a mix tape around them.

Skillz' skills as a conceptual writer of rhymes really coming to the fore here. Songs like 'Microphone', 'So Ghetto', 'The Kick Back' and 'The Last Laugh' - a wee jab at Questlove of The Roots for not paying up on a bet - show Skillz' ability to tell stories with the best of them.

Those three songs are reason enough to check Infamous Quotes. But if you need any more prompting, how about the fact that the mix is put together by two of the finest mix tape DJs in the game, DJ Jazzy Jeff and J.Period, and features original production by Alchemist, Nottz, Jazzy Jeff and Don Cannon. And it's all yours for free.99.

You can download Infamous Quotes by Skillz, DJ Jazzy Jeff and J.Period here. Remember to show your appreciation when Skillz’ new album, The World Needs More Skillz hits stores on October 25th.

New Video: Gil Scott-Heron - 'New York Is Killing Me'

A new video today from one of hip hop's fore-fathers, Mr Gil Scott-Heron.

That's right ya'll, the man who famously predicted that the revolution won't be televised (but it might be covered on Twitter... or not) is back with a new video from his latest album, I'm New Here.

The track getting the visual treatment today is 'New York Is Killing Me' - a track that got the remix treatment a wee while back, with NYC prodigal son Nas dropping by to add a few bars. You can check that remix out below:



As you can hear, it sounds like Gil hasn't exactly been enjoying his time in the Big Apple. That doesn't stop him putting in a commanding performance which encapsulates exactly what it means to have the big city blues.

Now, 'New York Is Killing Me' has been given a remix of a different kind. In order to translate Gil's emotive words into images, a mighty talented director was required. Chris Cunningham certainly fits that bill.

The award-winning director - who is responsible for top notch videos for the likes of Bjork and Portishead, and this little doozy created on behalf of Aphex Twin - hasn't directed a music video for four years, but working with Gil was obviously an opportunity that he couldn't turn down.

Cunningham has created what's being branded as an audiovisual remix of 'New York Is Killing Me', combining haunting NYC-inspired images (think subway trains) and Gil to create a rather dope little companion piece. You can check it out below:

New Music: Aloe Blacc - 'Good Things' LP

It seems like an eternity has passed since Aloe Blacc became a blog staple on the strength of his super-infectious single, 'I Need A Dollar'. But in reality, it's only been six months since AB put out his impassioned plea for an extra ducket, if anyone happened to have one to spare. My how time flies.

As I've written in the past, I was as guilty as the next man of giving 'Dollar' a right royal caning when it was released. It got to the point where I almost had to physically remove it from my iTunes account after fearing that the song would be be permanently burnt into my conscience as a result of too many repeat plays. I can only blame myself.

Despite my self-abuse, Aloe's latest album, Good Things, has remained near the top of my hit list for 2010. And here we are, half a year on from 'Dollar', and Good Things has finally hit record store shelves (at least in Europe - it's out tomorrow for all you readers residing States-side).

Good Things is produced by Jeff Dynamite and Leon Michels (of El Michels Affair) for Truth & Soul productions, with the distinctive T&S sound shining through from from start to finish.

Michel's sting and horn arrangements - which have already graced albums such as Lee Field's excellent My World - give Good Things a real sense of depth, providing a soulful platform for Aloe to croon his sweet vocals from. And croon, Aloe most certainly does. There are highlights a plenty here. For my money, tunes like 'Hey Brother', 'Miss Fortune' and 'If I' are a cut above.

Admittedly, Good Things doesn't include any material which matches the easily palatable 'Dollar' in the mass-appeal/accessibility stakes. So whether or not the record buying public (all three of them) will latch onto the album in the manner they did to it's first single is debatable.

But that doesn't matter a dime; even though you can argue that things drag a touch in the middle of Good Times (where the song writing strays a little too close to the cliched mark for my liking on occasion - 'Loving You Is Killing Me', I'm looking at you), this modern day soul man has delivered a high quality LP.

Good Things by Aloe Blacc is available on Stone's Throw records.

Jay Z: He's not a business man, he's a business, man

Jay-Z's rise from one-time hustler to respected entrepreneur has reached new highs.

Of course, those of us who have followed the Jay's career are aware of his commercial nous, nodding knowingly when he boasted that he wasn't "a business man - I'm a business, man."

But his recent interview alongside Warren Buffett - a real-life Daddy Warbucks if ever there was one - is proof that he's well and truly crossed over into the mainstream of money makers.

The Jigga Man recently sat down with Wazza to be interviewed by Steve Forbes (the brains behind the Forbes publishing empire), with the momentous meeting being billed as one of the most successful musicians of all time chopping it up with one of the most successful investors of all time.

The footage of this interview, which focuses on each man's success and the importance of 'giving back', ranges from fascinating to cringe-worthy.

The fascinating side of the ledger includes Jay talking about his move into music, and his setting up Roc-A-Fella Records - more as a necessity rather than because he wanted to. But as Jay says, it's worked out pretty well for him. You can watch the clip below:

So, what's cringe-worthy about this interview? Well, seeing you asked, Jay's suit doesn't build on his normally suave image (what is this, Grumpy Eye For The Bling Guy?). Watching him giggle like a nervous school girl when he exclaims that Buffett is "super-duper joking" is a little disturbing, too.

Hold up... when I think about it a little more, I guess seeing Jay in a situation where he isn't ice-cool is kind of refreshing. It's just funny that after duelling with and beating most of hip hop's big names, it's an 80 year-old white man from Omaha that makes him squirm a touch.

You can view more clips on the Forbes website (with one highlight being Jay's story about losing an iPod with The Blueprint 3 after he'd paid $5 million to buy back the rights to it), or read more about the meeting here.

Mix Tape: The Dropkick Cousins - The Double Rainbow Mix Tape

How about a change of pace today? Go on... it's Friday. If you're like me, you're probably grumpy and tired, but hopefully looking forward to a good weekend.

So let's call on the Dropkick Cousins, representing my homeland on Nu Zuland, to kick start the next few days of festivities.

The Cousins (a.k.a. Maz Def and Kev Fresh) are a couple of West Auckland expats who are now holed up in the windy city of Wellington.

They've been making a bit of a name for themselves in their homeland too, sharing stages with everyone from DJ Zinc to an upcoming support slots for Pharoahe Monch and Jack Beats.

So what can you expect from the Cousins? Nothing but the best and freshest tropical, UK funky, bass jam, afro, party house and dubstep electro vibes from around the globe. That's what.

You can get a taste of how the DKC's do by checking out their latest mix, The Double Rainbow Mixtape - an unrelenting collection of remixes and bootlegs which includes contributions from the likes of DJ Zinc + Benga, Rusko, Ms Dynamite, Vato Gonzalez and Dubbel Dutch. Check out a couple of the tunes below:

Vato Gonzalez - 'Badman Riddim':



Dubbel Dutch - 'Deep Underground':



There's also some storming edits by the Cousins themselves, including a tasty cut and paste on Bingo Players' 'When I Dip', which mixes rave buildups and dirty dubstep to devastating effect:

Bingo Players - 'When I Dip' (Dropkick Cousins Edit):



You can listen to The Double Rainbow Mix Tape by The Drop Kick Cousins below, or download the mix here. Have a good weekend, people.

The Dropkick Cousins - Double Rainbow Mixtape by thedropkickcousins

New Music: Consequence - 'Got Me Trippin (The Amerie Joint)'

Former Tribe-Called-Quester Cons-to the-Quiz-Ence (hyphen overload right there) has relied on family and ex-band mate loyalty for his latest joint, drafting in his cousin and former lead Quester Q-Tip to grace the boards on 'Got Me Trippin' (The Amerie Joint).

‘Got Me Trippin’ sees Cons having a bit of a moan about an untrusting girlfriend. But while the rhymes are on point as expected, it’s the beat that wins the race for me.

Tip has hooked up the sort of simple, vibe-laden track that he's well known for, with atmospheric keys and bass setting the scene for his flesh and blood’s heartfelt rhymes.

So, why the reference to Amerie – the world’s favourite American/Korean R&Bstress – in the title? Look no further than the chorus, which features a zigga zigga cut and paste of A’s monstrous hit from two thousand and who cares, ‘One Thing’.

It’s not rocket science really... Good beats + good cuts + good rhymes = good hip hop. Warm fuzzies all round. You can listen to ‘Got Me Trippin’ by Consequence below:



If you like what you hear, head over to Nah Right to get your download on.

Video: Miguel Atwood-Ferguson & Aloe Blacc - 'Deliver The Word' (Guru Tribute)

I've been away, but now I'm back. Yep, holiday time is over for this Grumpy Old Man With A Beard, so excuse me while I wipe the sand from my hairy backside and get into a spot of good, old-fashioned musical catch up. Okay... deep breath... here we go.

Most folks these days know Aloe Blacc for his soulful crooning. But many of these same folks have forgotten or just plain never knew that AB is indeed a Rappa Ternt Sanga (rapper-turned-singer for you old folk... me, I'm down with the kids) who used to be better known for dropping dope rhymes than singing sweet hooks.

Aloe showed that he still has his M.C. chops recently though, turning out with orchestral hip hop enthusiast Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (the man responsible for the excellent Timeless concerts) to honour one of hip hop's fallen soldiers, the legendary Keith 'Guru' Elam of Gangstarr.

The duo linked up at a recent concert which Atwood-Ferguson put on in Los Angeles, and put something a special little something together by the name of 'Deliver The Word', a song designed to pay respect "to the voice of the architect", as Aloe so rightly sings.

For those of you who might think the beat is familiar, it is. Take a listen to 'Betrayal' from Gangstarr's Moment Of Truth to find the inspiration for this sweet little number. Quality business.

You can watch the video for 'Deliver The Word' below, or download it here:

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble "Deliver the Word" feat Aloe Blacc from Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on Vimeo.

New Music: The ILLZ - 'Cover Me (I'm Going In)'

The kids are down with British singer La Roux, she of the now slightly annoying pop anthem of 2009, 'In For The Kill'. Up-and-coming wordsmith and capitalisation enthusiast The ILLZ knows this.

These two facts, ladies and gentlemen, pretty much sum up the talented East Coast-based M.C.'s latest release, 'Cover Me (I'm Going In)'.

'Cover Me' takes a mighty slice of 'In For The Kill' and flips it on its ear, creating a stark and rather ominous beat for The ILLZ to do his thing over. But don't take the blatant La Roux rip as a sign of ILLZ-diggy's pop sensibilities - because he's definitely not rhyming for the pop charts.

It seems that The ILLZ likes to challenge himself by going in over beats from different genres. And to be fair, he's pretty damn good at it too, as 'Cover Me (I'm Going In)' shows. You can listen to it below:

(sorry, due to some fuckery from some one out there in cyber land, this streaming clip has had to be taken down. This also marks the first time I've ever used that blog staple, the dreaded strike-through - a black day on two counts).

If you like The ILLZ's steez, head over to his website where you can download some of his previous projects, including the mix tape The Pursuit. 'Cover Me (I'm Going In)' will feature on The ILLZ's upcoming release Let It Fall: The Pursuit LP 1.5, which is due to be released in late November.

New Music: John Legend & The Roots - 'Our Generation' Remix (Feat. Pete Rock & CL Smooth)

In theory, I should be excited about The Roots and John Legend joining forces to record an album.

But in reality, I haven't taken the chance to listen to any of the multitude of cuts that have leaked from their upcoming LP Wake Up! Apparently, the act of clicking and dragging is just too much for me.

While I have a soft spot for Johnny L and The Square Roots, I'm a bit more enthusiastic about Pete Rock & CL Smooth. If you equate 'enthusiasm' with 'obsessive, slightly deranged fan', that is.

Pete and CL are right up there for me, alright. Hell, I didn't even mind too much when CL seemed to forget some of his lyrics at their reunion gig last year.

Now you can understand why it's taken some divine intervention from Pete and CL to get my lazy ass to wake up to Wake Up! - an album which sees John crooning and The Roots playing a bunch of classic funk and soul protest tunes from the '60s and '70s.

So, how did Mecca and The Soul Brother get in on the action? We can thank the mighty mix tape mangler J.Period - who is putting together a mix tape by the name of Wake Up! Radio to help spread the word about Wake Up! - for that. Here's the good word:

"With John Legend & The Roots joining forces to propel political songs like Ernie Hines’ 'Our Generation' back into mainstream popularity, it was only fitting for J.Period to reunite the group that first sampled Hines’ on their seminal ’92 single 'Straighten It Out' - artists from an era when hip hop carried its own social message - Pete Rock & CL Smooth.

"Back together on wax for the first time in 7 years, Pete & CL are in rare form on 'Our Generation (J.Period Remix)', spitting conscious lyrics that remind us of hip hop’s potential to move not only our feet, but our spirit."

Check it out for yourself below:



After hearing 'Our Generation', I'm all of a sudden excited about Wake Up!, and wondering why the hell I haven't been paying more attention. Damn my lazy bones.

But to be honest, as good as John and The Roots sound (and they do sound real good, like), this song reminds me how dope Pete & CL are together. New album, please. Now. Thanks.

In what seems a slightly horse before cart arrangement, John Legend & The Roots' Wake Up! will be released on 21 September, while J.Period's Wake Up! Radio will be released in November. Apparently it's a 'companion piece'. Go figure.

Fear not, though - you can whet your appetite by downloading 'Our Generation' at JPeriod.com now. Get in there.

New Music: DJ Shadow - 'Def Surrounds Us'/'I've Been Trying'

Cut and paste production guru DJ Shadow has been a little quiet over the past few years. Maybe he's been hiding from the militant MPC fanboys out there who chastised him for trying something a little different on his last album, The Outsider.

Shadow, who's debut LP Endtroducing blazed a trail for a generation of beat makers, took his musical innovations a step to far in the eyes of many of an ardent supporter, adding indie vocalists and hyphy rappers (remember them?) in an attempt to cover some new ground.

I must admit I wasn't wild on The Outsider to tell the truth, but you can't blame Shads for trying something a little different. Man can not survive on 'Organ Donor' and 'Midnight In A Perfect World' alone, after all. Almost... but not quite.

Now, Shadow is back in the saddle and racing towards a new album, which is due to see the light of day next year. And in keeping with his track record of pushing the boundaries, the Bay Area resident (hence the hyphy) has been tying a new method of distribution - namely, 'shop-placing' vinyl in selected record stores.

"What is this new fandangled shop-placing?" I hear you ask. Well, apparently Shadow has been giving his latest 12" single, which includes the dubstep-esque 'Def Surrounds Us' and the folky 'I've Been Trying', to selected stores in the UK and US, as well as placing it randomly in shops across Europe.

Herrrrrrre's Shadow with the scoop: "The idea is 'shop-placing;' it's the opposite of shoplifting. You go into a store, and leave your record in the racks to be discovered later. It's not about being cute, it's about passing the music along in the most unobtrusive way possible."

"I'd rather give away free vinyl than a download, because to me, downloads are so impersonal and soulless. In 2010, it has become akin to sending your dad an e-card on his birthday; no personality, no class. And from an artistic point of view, I think it sends a negative message about the worth of the music."

For those of you who aren't lucky enough to stumble across Shadow's musical equivalent of Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket (okay, I'm exaggerating for effect here), he's relaxed his rules slightly by offering up both tracks to download for free for one day only. Visit DJShadow.com to get your fill (if the server can stand it - if not, try SoleSides). Once it's gone, it's gone.

You can listen to each cut below:

01 Def Surrounds Us by Island Records UK

02 I've Been Trying by Island Records UK

DJ Shadow's new album, currently untitled, is due for release in May 2011.

Hey, hang on a minute... If Shadow is giving these songs away, does this mean that he's going to send a loved one an e-card this year? If he's a relative of yours, you might want to bring that quote up in conversation around birthday time. Just sayin'...

New Music: Taylor McFerrin - 'Early Riser' EP

Taylor McFerrin isn't what you'd call a household name. Chances are, you're more familiar with his pops, multiple Grammy Award-winning vocalist and composer Bobby McFerrin. But the younger McFerrin certainly shares his father's musical genes.

While Bobby - who you probably know thanks to his number one 1980's hit 'Don't Worry Be Happy' - tends to combine easily palatable jazz leanings with a splash of Caribbean flavour, Taylor favours the instrumental hip hop/soul end of the musical spectrum.

After making a splash back in 2006 with Gilles Peterson/Benji B favourite 'Broken Vibes', as well as contributing to projects by the likes of UK hip hopper Ty, McFerrin Jnr. is now preparing to go for self with a new album.

To help spread the word, he's offering up a three track preview on his website which will give you a clue of what to expect.

What you shouldn't expect is any whistle-friendly fodder a' la daddy dearest's biggest moment. Instead, Taylor follows a deeper path, combining atmospheric musical flourishes with stabs of vocal percussion that are more beatbox, rather than McFerrin Snr.'s doo-wop.

From the lush instrumentation of the down-tempo 'Awake To You', to the dubstep drum patterns and subtle wobbles of 'Done For', to the excellent 'Place In My Heart' featuring ethereal vocals from singer Ryat, it's all musical butter. You can listen to the cuts below:

Taylor McFerrin - Track Preview from EARLY RISER by Taylor McFerrin

If you like what you hear, head over to Taylor's website where you can download the tracks for the paltry price of one e-mail address. Value at twice the price.

Chi Ali: Learning life's lessons

When I was first discovering the joys of hip hop back in the early 90's, I looked up to many of the artists that I listened too. This was partly because, in all my teenage wisdom, I believed them to be wise old men (most kids think anyone who is over five years older than them is ancient, after all).

There were a bunch of artists in my age bracket during my hip hop infancy of course, but I never really had that much time for them. Call it ageism. Call it jealousy. Whatever it was, most of my age group peers just didn't do much for me, musically speaking.

Sure, groups like Da Youngstas weren't bad. But my music snobbery was already well honed by the time I reached 14. Kris Kross? Bah! I spit at your feet.

But there was an exception to this youthful discrimination - and that exception was none other than "the fabulous lord on a skateboard", Chi-Ali. A 14 year-old who was down with Native Tongues? It was pretty hard for me, being the same age as Chi when he released his debut album The Fabulous Chi-Ali in 1992, to fathom anything cooler.

Looking back on The Fabulous Chi-Ali, it's clearly blessed and cursed with the same sense of awkwardness that most 14 year-old boys possess. Chi's tales of the fairer sex seemed uncomfortable (a 23 year old girlfriend? Come on now...), as did his ocassionally bragadocious beat-down boasts. The fact that his voice hadn't quite broken added to the unescapable sense of teenage angst.

But damn, at the time, it seemed like Chi was truly the man amongst us boys.

After The Fabulous (which boasted production by The Beatnuts and Mr Lawnge, and vocal shots from Dove [a.k.a. Dave] of De La Soul, Phife of A Tribe Called Quest, and Lawnge's Black Sheep partner Dres) dropped, all went quiet on the Chi front.

But rather than being consigned to the annals of hip hop history, Chi resurfaced a few years later - unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons.

Around the turn of the millenium, Chi shot and killed Sean Raymond, the brother of his estranged girl friend. After going on the run for over a year, Chi was eventually caught, convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison - a sentence which he is currently serving.

Prison time is undoutbtedly a game changer for most people. Chi is no exception. Last year, he was interviewed at New York's Sing Sing prison, where he is currently incarcerated. This interview surfaced recently - and it seems that Chi has learnt and continues to learn his lessons.

Hip hop often glorifies violence and crime, but as Chi shows in this interview, prison is no joke. Watch below:



As it transpires, The Fabulous Chi-Ali wasn't Chi's final outing. Thanks to the detective work by the DJ Premier Blog, it seems that the young Ali (complete with a lower voice - puberty will give you that) actually got into the studio with DJ Premier.

You can check out the results of this session, 'No Surrender, No Retreat' below:



Watching Chi as a grown man makes 1992 seem like even longer ago than it really is. He is currently due to be released from prison in two years - here's hoping he can put his new found knowledge to good use.

New Music: Voli - 'Glass Doors' Sampler

Another fine entry in the 'don't judge a book by it's cover' files today, thanks to Glass Doors - a fresh new free-p from a fresh newcomer by the name of Voli.

Don't let this New Jersey native's introspective R&B crooner impersonation on Glass Doors' cover fool you.

Rather than saccharine-laced ballads, you can look forward to some solid beats and dope rhymes on Glass Doors. Just the way we like it.

Seems like Voli is comfortable on the boards as well as the mic. Let's let his press blurb take over the story. Ahem..."Voli focused on rapping for several years before deciding to shelf his lyrical talents in order to cultivate his production.

"After mastering hip hop production, he worked on developing his style, introducing more pop, rhythmic, and rock into the mix, expanding into a sound with an individual and distinctive style.

"Despite this growth, years of producing songs to suit the needs of other artists and struggling to find placements led Voli to realize there was no one better to get on his tracks than himself.

Alright, that's enough - you get the picture. Voli does a decent job of backing up this big talk though, with Glass Doors serving as a nice introduction to his talents.

Glass Doors features beats by Elite, J. Cole, Omen and Voli himself, and vocal slots from Elite, Aliah Sheffield and Jayro. Check early standouts 'Tripwire' and 'Solitary Confinement' to get a taste of what Voli's all about, or stream/download below.

Mix Tape: The Nextmen - Bestimix 33

Festival season is sadly drawing to a close for another year here in Blighty. It's definitely going out with a bang this weekend though, with a little help from the big names and the bigger costumes that are part and parcel of the legendary Bestival.

Okay, so the line up for this end of summer extravaganza isn't exactly aimed at hip hoppers per se. But if you're descending on the Isle of Wight and want a bit of a beats and rhymes fix, fear not - for The Nextmen will be on hand to deliver what you crave in their own indomitable style.

In order to get the party people in the mood, the boys have put together a pre-festival 'Bestimix', which the Bestival gang are kindly giving away on their site.

You know what to expect here: hip hop of the highest order, whether that's old (Jay-Z's 'A Million And One Questions') or new (Nas and Damian Marley's 'Nah Mean'), old school reggae (Toot and the Maytals' 'Louie Louie'), and new school beats and pieces (courtesy of Zinc, Wiley & MJ Cole, and Magnetic Man amongst others), all mixed to perfection.

You can listen to The Nextmen' Bestimix below, or download it here.



If you're a regular reader of this site and have managed to get yourself a ticket, my top tips for the weekend include Flying Lotus, Janelle Monae and LCD Soundsystem. If you like the sound of Bestival and want to check out yourself... tough. It's long sold out. Just listen to this mix with your eyes closed while sitting in a field. Next best thing.

Video: Big Boi - 'You Ain't No DJ' (Feat. Yelawolf)

Woo hoo! Yet another fine video from Big Boi's immense LP Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Ballad Of Chico Dusty! This right here is proof positive that sometimes, you can't get too much of a good thing.

It's the spasm-inducing 'You Ain't No DJ' that's getting the full visual treatment this time, as Big continues to push his magnum opus hard in the hope that a few more people will realise that he's created the best hip hop album released this year. Yeah, I said it.

In keeping with the track itself, the video for 'You Ain't...' is a jerky, stilted affair which shows BB rocking an old school shell suit and getting his dance on surrounded by stop-motion images of his home town of ATL.

There's also breakers, a DJ (but, of course) who gets his zigga-juggle-zigga on while putting the 'skinny' in 'skinny jeans crew', and an appearance by Yelawolf, who puts the... hell, I have no idea actually. Dude has a style which is unmistakably his own. Tow truck chic? Sure. Let's roll with that.

You can watch 'You Ain't No DJ' by Big Boi featuring Yealwolf below:

New Music: Wiz Khalifa - 'Black & Yellow'

Young whipper snapper Wiz Khalifa has been winning over a bunch of fans over the last few years thanks to a string of catchy tunes that have achieved approximately one gazillion plays on YouTube. Or something in that general vicinity.

But the Pittsburgh youngster has extended his reach beyond the Digital Natives by managing to impress the critical masses at the recent Rock The Bells shows - a true bastion of Grumpy Old Man With Beard rap if ever there was one.

If you can survive that without releasing a record in the 80's or 90's, you must be doing something right.

Wiz, who was named as one of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen of 2010, has just released a new track by the name of 'Black & Yellow'. Apparently this Stargate-produced track is something to do with his car, which is... you guessed it, black and yellow. Kids say the darnedest things.

Thanks to the crew at Rostrum Records, you can download 'Black & Yellow' by Wiz Khalifa here. If you want to hear more from Khalifa, summon all your Googling powers and track down any of the slew of mix tapes that are floating about, or hold out for his upcoming Atlantic/Rostrum LP.

New Music: Rah Digga - 'A Few Thoughts'

Rah Digga strikes another blow against Little Kid Rap today, serving up 'A Few Thoughts' - a freestyle heater which shows that this veteran M.C. means business.

'A Few Thoughts' is quality on both the beats and rhymes front, with Rah's verbal jabs (including a few well-aimed shots at other female MCs... who gives a damn about unity!) matched by a loping banger of a beat created by the mercurial Nottz.

The whole thing is guranteed to result in violent head-nodding and a range of 'my face is melting' grimaces. Rah and Nottz are a good combination alright. They obviously know it too, because Nottz will produce all of Digga's upcoming LP, Classic.

You can check out 'A Few Thoughts' below, or head over to DJBooth.Net to get your download on:



Rah Digga's Classic album is out on September 14th.

Video: Cee-Lo Green - 'F*@k You'

I firmly believe that you can pretty much say whatever the hell you want in a song, as long as you sing it with a sweet, sweet singing voice.

Rap it, and you don't stand a chance. But sing it? You could probably play it for your Mum, and she wouldn't even notice. Hell, she might even tap her toes to the beat while doing her knitting. That, my friends, is the power of a good singing voice.

As luck would have it, ex-Goodie Mobber and current Gnarls Barkley-er (I guess?) Cee-Lo Green has been kind enough to back up my theory with his latest song, the pleasently titled 'F*@k You'.

For those of you who long for the days when Cee-Lo was more prone to dropping a hot 16 (like he did on the track below) rather than out-and-out singing, don't get too excited. Despite the rather abbrasive title, 'F*@k You' is far more ballad then bragadoccio banger.



Goodie Mob - Cell Therapy

Watch below as Cee-Lo croons his best wishes to an ex. And listen to/watch the lyrics. The curses almost slip by unnoticed thanks to Mr Green's angelic tones. Novelty record? Sure. But it makes me smile. I wonder what my Mum would think?

New Music: Nas & Carlos Santana - 'Back In Black'

Another entry in the 'what the fuck?!' files today. When I started A Grumpy Old Man With A Beard, I rather naively promised to highlight what I thought was good music. But every so often, a song comes along which is so odd that I feel compelled to post it.

When I woke up this morning, I thought to myself that today, like any other day, could potentially throw a few curve balls. An awkward moment at work, maybe. Perhaps a touch of commuter rage. But I didn't in my wildest dreams think that the curve ball would be gods from the hip hop and guitar worlds linking up to cover a hard rock anthem.

But the world moves in mysterious ways. So here we go: Nasir Jones; Carlos Santana; AC/DC's 'Back In Black'. No words for this one... just listen for yourself. If you're like me, you too are probably thinking 'What. The. Fuck':



In theory, this could have been good. Nas is Nas; Santana is a legend; and 'Back In Black' is a monumental tune. But something just doesn't click. But hey, I never thought I'd hear Nas cover 'Back In Black', and I have nothing else to post, so why the hell not?

'Back In Black' will appear on Santana's new album Guitar Classics: The Greatest Guitar Classic Of All Time. The mind boggles. Feel free to leave your scorn or praise in the comments section.