Category Archives: Music

Moxie Black - Risky Bizness

Moxie Black   Risky Bizness

Why has this blog been so quite of late? BECAUSE I’VE BEEN BUSTING MY ASS TRYNNA GET THESE GUYS OUT! “Risky Bizness” will be the first of a series of free mp3 releases building up to their free promo LP, which comes out August 18t, 2010, did I mention free?

In the fall of 2009 the duo began their collaboration. In six days Moxie Black recorded thirty songs for two full-length albums, How Did This Happen? and We Said We’d Never Do This. On the seventh day they rested. #thatsmoxie

Without further adieu presente:
STREAM Moxie Black - Risky Bizness

DOWNLOAD Moxie Black - Risky Bizness

The Roots - The Fire (featuring John Legend)

The Roots   The Fire (featuring John Legend)

WHAAAAAAT!? Yo this track is fire. The Roots - How I Got Over drops June 22, 2010 and I can’t effin wait!!

STREAM The Roots - The Fire (featuring John Legend)

DOWNLOAD The Roots - The Fire (featuring John Legend)

Brandun Deshay - Volume: Three! To Get Ready (mixtape)

Brandun Deshay   Volume: Three! To Get Ready (mixtape)

Volume: Three! To Get Read from brandUn DeShay is exactly what you need right now. You’ve got to download this so-called mixtape if you’re into the indie hip hop scene or if you like good ass music. Props to my guy [Dekk]. I’m currently playing “Whish Me Luck!” the track with TiRon non-stop over and over again:

STREAM brandUn DeShay - Wish Me Luck! (Featuring DOM KENNEDY and TiRon)

DOWNLOAD Brandun Deshay - Volume 3! To Get Ready (mixtape)

Baths - In Ruins (Remix of Fol Chen)

Baths   In Ruins (Remix of Fol Chen)

Baths is to begin a 3 week residency at LA’s crazy famous electro scene The Low End Theory. In Ruins is a remix by Baths of a Fol Chen record. Listen:

STREAM Fol Chen - In Ruins (Baths Remix)

[VIA]

Major Lazer Live at Coachella 2010

“Today Die Antwoord, tomorrow Major Lazer!” By tomorrow I meant Wednesday…sorry.

I’ve only been to a handful of shows that come close to matching the energy and–for lack of a better term–pure filth of the Major Lazer show at Coachella 2010. The sun had well set that evening but the tents were steaming hot containment vessels for human body heat. I walked in, accompanied by two young ladies who were about to get their first taste of Major Lazer. Coachella 2010 had already sapped our energy for the day, but we were about to get a major boost (pun intended).

STREAM Major Lazer - Pon De Floor

I’m doing my best to give you an idea of what exactly transpired that night, but I’m neither a competent writer nor capable of remembering. I was completely sober save for being punch-drunk at the sound of Pon De Floor and other Major Lazer songs that knocked me the efffff out…if there’s only one show as amazing as this one at Coachella every year, consider me a repeat customer.

Major Lazer Live at Coachella 2010

To the best of my ability and per the video below, imagine five-thousand individual souls en-tranced by the island rhythms of Major Lazer, each one making their own best attempt to worship the music they’re hearing by gyrating their bodies compulsively, randomly, and to the beat all the while and evidenced by the video we were acting like one massive creature or a community of microorganisms more so than individual souls…Major Lazer stole our individuality and melted our brains together creating a squishy mold-able glob of people-play-doh.

Major Lazer Live at Coachella 2010

Major Lazer Live at Coachella 2010

Major Lazer Live at Coachella 2010

Major Lazer Live at Coachella 2010

Major Lazer Live at Coachella 2010

Die Antwoord Live at Coachella 2010

I saved my favorite two Coachella 2010 shows for last. Today Die Antwoord, tomorrow Major Lazer!

For those of us who don’t care about the color, shape, or country of our hip hop there’s Die Antwoord. The quickly rising stars from South Africa blend a unique approach and obscure subject matter laced with South African slang into a rather underwhelming genre; they breath new life into the strictly Black, African-American context of rapping.

Die Antwoord Live at Coachella 2010

I’ve heard and read the criticism of Die Antwoord and in my humble opinion its laughable at best (I’m not going to touch the White vs. Black South African issue because I don’t have the socio-political right to, and I don’t know South African history from South African sandwiches).

Were there naysayers of Jimi Hendricks on both White and Black sides of the fence? YES INDEED! There are those about us who maintain hip hop must stay within a Black-gangster-American code. This mentality perplexes me beyond belief: first, said Black-gangster image is rather gimmicky and easily the most fake least authentic thing about hip hop…it’s overused, stereotypical, expected, and uninteresting, lets be real it’s not 1995 anymore. Second, I can scarcely take you seriously if you think that African-Americans are all gangsters, and thus African Americans outside this paradigm are less Black or not Black at all…ask yourself, do you think African Americas were born with an extra muscle that allows for Jordan-esque dunking ability? HA!

Die Antwoord Live at Coachella 2010

I’m reminded of Dizzee Rascal who never even had a chance in America and probably for a multitude of reasons the least of which is lyrical-rapping skill, but rather his lack of success has mostly to do with image. Put Dizzly Rascal next to 50 Cent, 2 Pac, and Nas…one of these rappers doesn’t sound or look like the others. Image is the biggest reason a non-American rapper has yet to succeed in America, IMAGE!

Lo and behold Die Antwoord (recently signed to Interscope Records) has the best opportunity to make a serious run at the American charts. Though few will recognize Ninja’s talent as a rapper it’s once again an image conscious consumer that will eat this shit up. It should be said that Ninja is a dope emcee (evidenced by the first video), but what’s going to work for them in the states is how well timed their product is. There’s a moderate swing from the gangster image to unique forms of expression in hip hop these days. Don’t believe me? Kanye, Lupe, Wale, Cudi, Drake; what these rappers have in common is flight, as in fight or flight; all these dude would turn tale and run away if it came down to it. Lol, maybe not but their image is much softer than previous rap mega-stars. Couple the trend towards a softer image in hip hop with the rise of Indie as a genre, the production style of Hi Tek, and Die Antwoord’s uniquely South African hilarious but compelling hipster image and I’m predicting a winner!

Whether this happens is truly just a guess, but I’d be bamboozled if they can’t continue to build a buzz about their music with a major label backing them now.

Die Antwoord Live at Coachella 2010

Die Antwoord Live at Coachella 2010

Die Antwoord Live at Coachella 2010

Dirty Projectors Live at Coachella 2010

Coachella 2010 certainly had no shortage of amazing bands, and Dirty Projectors were quite possibly one of the best. The Brooklyn, NYC based experimental rock group got down and jiggy around dusk in the Mojave tent. This was my first real taste of Coachella 2010, as I arrived rather late Saturday afternoon. Additionally, you’ll notice I have some initial issue working the camera, but ey, nobody’s perfect.

Dirty Projectors Live at Coachella 2010

Dirty Projectors Live at Coachella 2010

Dirty Projectors Live at Coachella 2010

Dirty Projectors Live at Coachella 2010

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