As another month of good old 20-11 rolls by, the temperature continues to rise in good old London Town.
Cue summer madness in the form of random outbursts of drinking and merrymaking, assisted by the fact that half of this month seems to be taken up by bank holidays. Even the anti-Royalists amongst you can't be mad at days off to enjoy the change of seasons.
As sure as the onset of longer days, even longer nights and a new future King and Queen brings a new sense of optimism to Ol' Blighty, a new Nextmen podcast also signals good times for young and old.
Hyperbole much? Sure... but I've got wedding fever. Even a Grumpy Old Man With(out) A Beard likes a good wedding.
This month, Dom and Brad Nextmen have laid down another fine selection of tunes to help you get into the party spirit. Here's there take on podcast #7: "Kkkkiiiiisssshhhhhhh… Phew, what a scorcher! Blazing melty white hot pants on fire heat."
"Luckily knickers are optional for The Nextmen’s lucky podcast session number seven as this cracking little download serves up some sizzle to soundtrack Spring. Feel the burn from Wiley [fresh! video below], MJ Cole, Apollo Brown, London Electricity, Zed Bias, Break, Jess Mills and many more. Light a match!"
I'm a bit confused. Here I was thinking that Self Scientific's new album, Trials Of The Blackhearted, was going to be... well, an album.
You remember albums... those shiny plastic discs that you used to buy when there used to be record stores on the high street.
Turns out, Trials is actually a Free-P. I think. Unless there's a Trials LP which dropped on the same day. If there is, it might not be the best business move. I don't know. So confused.
Whatever the case, DJ Khalil and Chace Infinite have kindly offered up a Trials EP for free download, which is good news for the fans and cheapskates alike.
But unlike a lot of free music that eats up your bandwidth, Trials Of The Blackhearted is well worth the download.
Khalil and Chace have called in the likes of Talib Kweli, The Game, Krondon, Freddie Gibbs and Big K.R.I.T. to get involved.
But it's the SS duo's own considerable talents that really steal the show, with Chase's exceptional lyrics and Khalil's stellar beats making Trials one of the better hip hop releases I've heard this year.
Plenty of heat here, from the palatable 'Everywhere I Go' featuring Kweli and The Game through to the soulful 'War Stories' featuring Big K.R.I.T.
You might love Kanye West. You might hate him. But whatever side of the fence you sit on, it's hard to argue against the fact that the man can create some exceptionally dope beats when he puts his mind to it.
The 'Ye naysayers might cite the fact that he's arrogant as hell (hard to argue with that); they probably hate his dress sense (ditto - but I'm not much of a style man).
But whether you hate or congratulate, it's obvious that Kanye To The does does have good hip hop records in him. Case in point? 'Everybod Told Me', a new tune from Consequence, which boasts a slow, soulful creation by Mister West himself. Check it out below, or head over to Nah Right to get your download on:
Dopeness for sure. 'Everybody Told Me' will appear on 'Quence's new mix tape, Movies On Demand 3.
As a side bar, it appears that the pair might not be so tight these days, with Consequence (who has been dropped from West's G.O.O.D. Music label) apparently taking a few shots at his former boss on his upcoming release.
I was going to start off this post by claiming that Nas and Damian Marley might be flogging a dead horse by releasing another video from last year's Distant Relatives LP.
But hitting play on the low budget visual for 'Nah Mean', one of the true bolters from N & D's afore-mentioned LP, pretty much put me in my place. This tune still bangs. And the video certainly helps.
Shot in location in Jamaica (at a guess... but it makes sense doesn't it? Okay, let's stick with Jamaica), Nas and Damian show how a simple concept executed well can go toe to toe with videos that boast the biggest of budgets.
Black and white footage coupled with the boys and a big crew of locals looking energised (complete with audible background noise... nice touch) makes for a dope video. Easy, but devastatingly effective:
Hold up, is that Rio Ferdinand making a little cameo at the end of the clip? Can't be... I would have thought he'd be too busy battling Piers Morgan on Twitter. That must take up a lot of time.
While we're on the 'Nah Mean' tip, don't forget to download DJ Nu-Mark's ace remix. You can grab it over here.
A week or two back, the Beastie Boys released a little teaser for their latest video, 'Fight For Your Right (Revisited)', from their upcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part II. But this is no ordinary hip hop video.
Clocking in at a touch under half an hour, this mini movie features a who's who of Hollywood (find the old post for a rough list - blogging from an iPhone on a train to the airport isn't something I want to spend much time doing... Thanks for understanding).
I've only watched the first few minutes of this, but it looks like a good watch. I'm sure I'll update this post, post-holiday, with some more ramblings, but for now, check it below:
Update: In the most surprising development of 2011, the Beastie Boys' new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part II has leaked. I for one am shocked. For those of you who haven't learnt how to detect sarcasm... I'm being sarcastic. It's a low form of wit, but it's all I've got for a Tuesday.
But the Beastie Boys haven't thrown in the towel. Far from it, in fact. In what is a defiant cyber middle finger to the wanker who uploaded the album (which is a clean version), the Boys have decided to stream the whole album, curse words and all, on their website. Take that, internet villain.
And you know what? It's sounding pretty damn good. Check it out below. Physical copies will be on shelves from 3 May:
It's been a year to the day since Keith 'Guru' Elam passed away (where the hell did the last 365 days go, I ask you?).
But the Gang Starr veteran and legendary M.C. certainly hasn't been forgotten by the hip hop public at large.
There have been a truckload of tributes popping up on radio stations (check Mr Cee's tribute mix from earlier today, or DJ Premier's stint on Hot 97 in NYC at 10pm local time) and blogs all over the show.
There's classics, b-sides and unreleased gems a plenty, here. But what boom-bap gem has claimed the number one spot?
It's pretty damn hard to pick; try doing it as a fun activity with a group of hip hop nerds... chances are opinions will differ. Here's one of my favourites (let's get some debate going, fellow Gang Starr geeks!):
Complex's pick for the top spot is a worthy one in my book, though. What is it? Only one way to find out. Follow the link to count down 'The 50 Greatest Gang Starr Songs'.
Production whizz Mark Pritchard is well known for his ability to turn his hand to a variety of different musical styles.
A look through his discography proves as much - although chances are you might not know that it's Pritchard who's manning the boards on many of his records, thanks to the wide range of aliases he records under.
Now, the man behind Harmonic 33, Harmonic 313, and Troubleman - to name just a few of his alter-egos... at this rate, Kool Keith's status of alias king might well be under threat - is back with a new project.
Africa Hitech is the brainchild of Pritchard and regular collaborator and all-around soul man Steve Spacek, another talented musician who, like Pritchard, has traded in his life in the UK for the sunnier climes of Australia.
The pair has signed to Warp Records to release an LP, 93 Million Miles, which has been described as a combination of "the clinical beats and heavy bass dynamics of grime with the organic feel of soca and reggae to devastating effect." Sounds deadly? It is. Check out album cut 'Out In The Streets' for proof.
The AH boys discussed all this and more with Christopher Tubbs on a recent visit to the All Saints Basement Sessions.
Watch below as the boys chop it up on a range of subjects, from their relationship with Warp and making music on iPhones, to working with the likes of J-Dilla (whom Spacek collaborated with on tunes like the superb 'Dollar'):
DJ Zinc has turned his hand to many a fine remix of the drum & bass and electronic persuassion over the years, but one of his finest moments is this monster of a tune.
'FugeeZ Or Not' sees Zinc taking The Fugee's mid-90's hip hop anthem 'Ready Or Not' and flipping it on its head, speeding up the pace to create a heavy jungle banger that's destroyed more than its fair share of dancefloors over the years.
Check it out below, for your streaming or downloading pleasure:
If this sort of thing floats your boat, head over to Zinc's Soundcloud page, where he's giving away a ton of downloads in DJ-friendly, big-file formats.
I've lived in London for four years now, yet through some cruel set of circumstances, I've never managed to see Pharoahe Monch live.
It seems that Mister Monch makes the trip to Ol' Blighty every second month (slight exaggeration for effect... but only slight), yet I've still managed to miss him every time.
It's hard being popular. Or lazy...Yeah, let's stick with lazy.
Thankfully, a clear social calendar on a Friday* and a well timed half-price ticket offer meant that I was finally able to enjoy the Pharoahe Monch live experience this weekend in all its glory. And glorious it was.
Now, I expected Pharoahe to be good on stage. With bombs like 'Simon Says' in the arsenal, you would expect that he's torn down many a venue around the globe. But it wasn't until tonight that I realised how deep Pharoahe's repertoire really is.
Of course, 'Simon Says' bought the house down**. But when that anthem is preceded by tunes like 'Fuck You', 'Oh No', 'Desire' and the lady-pleasing 'The Light' (which made me squeal like a teenage girl... I can't lie, I love that song, girlfriends), you get an idea of the quality back catalogue Pharoahe has put together over the years.
Oh, and his new album, W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) - which most of the crowd seemed to know word for word already despite it only coming out a few weeks ago - ain't half bad either.
I was initially left feeling a little underwhelmed by W.A.R., but it's definitely growing on me now. Check it out (plenty of good tunes on there, but I'm feeling 'Let My People Go' and 'Clap' in particular).
But big tunes, old and new, aside, one of the highlights of this show was the onstage dynamic. Pharoahe and his crew (singers Mela Machinko and Showtyme, and DJ Boogie Blind) clearly enjoy performing together.
Nice to see a bit of good-natured banter between the group when things didn't go as planned too, rather then screw faces. Class acts, the lot of them.
You can see what went down thanks to another of my trademark shaky hand videos that looks pretty good (if I don't mind saying so myself) but sounds pretty bad (I need a new camera).
I've had to cut a few songs out due to some YouTube fuckery, but you get the idea:
*Sad realisation of the weekend. For the first time in my adult life, I know what shows are on TV on a Friday night... and I enjoy watching them. I need to get out more.
**Amusing yet slightly worrying realisation of the weekend. I went to this concert with my lovely wifey, who is four and a half months pregnant (woohoo!). This was baby bump's first concert. Once he or she becomes a teenager, it's going to be hard to argue against swearing once they learn that their first concert ended with a rapper screaming at them to 'get the fuck up'.
Influencing a whole generation of music fans obviously earns a group a little bit of weight.
So when the Beastie Boys called on some of the bigger names in Hollywood to star in a new video - or is it a movie? I don't really know - everyone was down to help.
'Fight For your Right - Revisited' harks back to the days when the beer-guzzling Beasties first broke through to become world-wide stars, employing a who's who from the silver screen to take turns at playing the Boys in their frat boy favourite hey-day.
Will Ferrell (pictured), Jack Black, Seth Rogen, John C.Reilly, Elijah Wood and that geezer from Eastbound & Down all line up in their Adidas and gold chains, circa 1980-whenever (I'm not putting much time into research for this post... is it obvious).
Meanwhile, sightings of a heavily-wigged Susan Sarandon in a scene shot in a lift couldn't be confirmed before going to press.
Apparently, the clip below sets the scene for a short film of sorts that will get the ball rolling for the new B-Boys album, Hot Sauce Committee Part II, due on 3 May. Check it out now:
Update:
One of the tracks from Hot Sauce Committee Part II has leaked. You can check out 'Make Some Noise' below:
New newness from Blitz The Ambassador today, with the the Ghanaian-born, New York-based MC/producer repping his roots on his latest track, 'Dear Africa'.
Possessing a heavy afrobeat vibe and a guest slot from Les Nubians, 'Dear Africa' is a fitting first leak from Blitz's upcoming album Native Sun (due to be released on 6 May).
Over to the press release: "The song is at once an ode to [Africa's] beauty and history, honest first-hand narrative, roll call of her capital cities and a call for change.
"Laced with slinky sax, blaring horn lines, west African guitar licks and booming 808s, the song packs a prolific call to the world in under five minutes."
Right, that's about enough of that gushiness. Best to check it out for yourself. You can listen to 'Dear Africa' below or download here:
