Greetings old and new readers! I've been quite a lazy bum this week so I haven't really pulled my finger out and done anything. I just relaxed, read some books, watched a couple movies and of course, listened to a lot of music. The weather really influenced what I lent my ear to since the sun decided to show it's face and shine it's rays in London these past couple of days! So expect this post to be filled with upbeat tunes you can vibe to; some classic, some new. This coming Thursday sees me attend Nas and Damian Marley's concert at Wembley supported by my special lady, Erykah Badu! I'm super excited - should be doper than soap on a rope. Also, I'll be posting my interview with Shane Eli who I met a couple weeks back so keep your eyes peeled. Here's hoping your week is fun and exciting as mine! *sloppy kiss*
Love.
Pusha T - Fear of God
Whether or not you're a fan of twin coke rappers the Clipse, Fear of God is a mixtape I recommend to any and everyone. One half of the acclaimed Virginia rap duo and G.O.O.D Music signee, Pusha T's debut mixtape is an all round crowd pleaser with freestyles galore. The fact that Pusha credits his brother Malice as being the more insightful rapper of the two is a commendable stab at humility - he shows his ability to produce solid 16s and hold his own among other rappers (Rick Ross, Ab Liva and 50 Cent feature). Underrated or not, Pusha will only get better and I have no doubt that his debut album will be testimony to that.
Sting and The Police - The Very Best of Sting and The Police
If you do not know who Sting and The Police are, click 'x' right now... You disgust me. One of the most innovative bands to emerge out of Britain during the late 70's and 80's The Police and front-man Sting are truly accomplished musicians. I must have been in primary school when I first started listening to these guys and I've been a fan ever since. Their reggae, jazz and punk infused style of rock is what I love about them, it's a fresh take on the usual ebullience and razzmatazz (shout out to Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon) of the rock and roll scene. In short, I definitely fuck with The Police.
She probably has one of the most difficult names to spell but her music is beautiful. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Meshell Ndegeocello released Bitter in 1999 and each song on the 12 track album is raw and as captivating as the first. Meshell's cushiony vocals lay perfectly alongside the array of instruments used - each guitar strum, cymbal crash and piano note is masterfully recorded resulting in a mellifluous and timeless record. I love it.
Whilst listening to Floetry and scrolling through my blog, I realised that I've been quite sporadic with my fashion posts. Some may have noticed that my subject matter has becoming increasingly musical and fashion seems to have been kicked to the kerb. Sorry! Well, that shall stop from today. To kick-start my fashion posts, let me introduce you to Azede Jean-Pierre. Based in Atlanta and of Haitian descent, Azede's creations are fairytale like, effervescent and charming. Drawing inspiration from everyday life and good ol' Mother Nature, each of her pieces are carefully crafted and the end product is nothing short of breath-taking. Not to mention she's super cute!
Allow me to introduce to you to singer/songwriter Tarik Adams, all the way from Louisville, Kentucky. With a sound he describes as hip-hop infused with pop and electro, I was intrigued to see what this dude was all about. So with this amazing tool we call the internet, I managed to have a little chat with Tarik about his music, his influences and his debut album Tigers & Girls which is to be released this coming summer!
Well I guess the first thing everybody wants to know is: Who is Tarik Adams? Tell us a bit about yourself!
I'm a writer, producer, artist from Louisville, KY and am now currently finishing up my album and residing in Cincinnati, OH and attending Xavier University. Josh La Rock and I started Feel Free as a production label back in 2004 and have been working diligently since. I've written, produced, and worked for a few artists while I worked on my craft, but I finally felt like it was my time to start focusing on my sound. Last summer me and my girl split and I just had alot of built up emotions and energy and I just flooded my notebooks with songs and it really helped push me to get things going.
Your sound has quite a dance/pop feeling to it judging by your debut single Wake Up - what sets you apart from other artists already established in that genre?
Well I think once everyone hears my album, they'll see my versatility. Almost every record is a different sound and genre within pop/hip hop/electro. It's a reflection of a lot of the music I love - it's like I took influence from Miami Horror, Kanye West, The Dream, Pharrell, and even my man Robin Thicke and meshed it all together. I mean, I'll never claim to be as good as any of them - they're some of the biggest innovators in music today, but I aspired to be as innovative and versatile with my sound as they are. Releasing Wake Up as the first single was a fun risk - it's worked out great so far. Pushing myself as this kind of explorative hip hop artist and creating a pop song was a challenge - but I had fun.
June 2011 sees the release of your album Tigers & Girls (dope title by the way!) hosted by mixtape legend Terry Urban. What's the whole concept behind the album? Tigers? Girls? Please explain!
Tigers & Girls kind of came out of nowhere. It was one of those days where the words just came to my head. I put it on Facebook and it somehow got a bunch of likes. Like two hours later I said "I'm going to name my album that." Tigers & Girls is a conceptual album, not so much one single story, but it definitely has a beginning and end, with stories in-between of my experiences with girls thus far. It's been interesting. But Tigers are the wild girls you always see out in the clubs and on Facebook grabbing your attention and either dying for your money, or popularity, or even just to break your heart - they're the girls that will hunt you down and eat you alive. Often times they're beautiful and agile like tigers. Girls, well they're the girls, the good girls that want to pursue their dreams, have passion for life, and want love in the long run. The ones I prefer. Tigers & Girls is a view into my jungle.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to make it in the music industry? You're quite a newbie yourself - has it been a hard journey to success so far?
Just pursue it. Everyone has a voice, a set of ideas, emotions. Just be honest in your music. In my album, I am really reflecting my 100%. Like Wake Up would be some shit I would genuinely do for a chick I just met - if I felt she was the girl I had that instant feeling for and I wanted to lock down. I got some songs showing my vulnerability, my weakness, my fear. Don't be cool and claim its you, literally just be you.
Don't expect your friends to be fans. Expect your fans to be fans. The most supportive people have been people I barely know - from other cities. Reaching out, retweeting, sending their friends my way, and contacting about shows. I feel the love. But music wise, you just gotta work on your craft until its quality. I could have released an album years ago, but I was patient and wanted to wait until I knew I was ready. Hopefully it will show to people.
Who are your main influences and inspirations? Musically or otherwise?
I think I answered the question somewhat above. But I think Michael Jackson, Kanye West, and Bob Marley are the three greatest musicians of all time. Hands down. Eventually, I want to get to the point where my music leaves a legacy. Something parents would pass down. But I've got tons of work to do. All I hope for is growth.
Follow Tarik Adams on Twitter @TarikAdams and check out his websitehere. Tarik's second single Heaven Only Knows is out soon so be on the look out for that too!
They always say "hard work pays off" and I'm hoping that this coming week is testimony to that! I've got quite a few things in the pipeline so once they've all been finalised I'll let you know. Tuesday saw me interview Shane Eli (remember my Put You Onpost about him?) and I'm hoping to have that up by this week! He's a real charming dude and the interview was superb (thanks for the Starbucks Shane!) so definitely be on the look out for him and his coming release I Can Do Better in a few weeks time. I also interviewed upcoming singer/songwriter Tarik Adams, another great artist from across the pond with a mixtape due in summer so that should be an exciting post too. Accompanying me on my iPod this busy week were more JAMLA signees and New York foodies. Have a peep below to see what they were and I hope your coming week is as productive and fun as mine!
Love.
Big Remo - Entrapment
Now I have been playing this record for a long while now and I honestly believe it's faultless! Big Remo, another Jamla artist, continues to prove why 9th Wonder's label is one on the hottest hip-hop collectives around. This North Carolina native shows lyrical flair on his tracks reminiscent of a Nas/Scarface type, atypical of the usual southern styles of rap. Citing Slick Rick as one of his biggest influences, Remo truly takes a passionate and vivid approach to storytelling and that coupled with the soulful beats from 9th Wonder, Entrapment is definitely a beacon of light shining from the southern-eastern state of NC.
I love mash-ups! With Jaydiohead emerging as one of my favourites (a compilation of Jay-Z tunes with an indie sound) 9th Wonder's God's Stepson serves as a fine competitor for that number one spot. Released in 2003, this record is a remixing of Nas' sixth studio album God's Son. While the production on that album was mostly handled by Salaam Remi and The Alchemist and used a fusion of styles including funk and jazz, 9th Wonder steers this album in a new direction giving it a fresh and soulful sound. Sampling artists like Curtis Mayfield, Roberta Flack and Phyllis Hyman (if you don't know, you better ask somebody!) this mash-up cements 9th as one of the most prolific and well rounded producers in hip-hop. If you like Nas and those classic sounds of Little Brother and Slum Village, this one's for you!
If you've never heard of Action Bronson, today will be the day you meet him. This rapper/chef (yes chef, you know those guys who cook for a living? See here) from Queens, NY who brings back the mid 90's hip-hop sound that will forever be missed. Weirdly, it always seems to be the bigger dudes that hip-hop favours the most (Big Pun, Biggie, The Fat Boys, Fat Joe... ok, you get it) and Action Bronson comfortably continues that pattern. With a voice that could easily be mistaken for Wu-Tang's Ghostface Killah, Bronson uses clever imagery (usually involving food) to convey the usual street shit that rappers talk about (coke, hoes and whatever else) - but don't let that fool you. His lyrical composition propels him ahead of his contemporaries and I personally think Bon Appetit..... Bitch!!!!! is a doper than dope record. And lemme just say, rapping over Jay-Z's Can I Live joint off Reasonable Doubt will always earn you at least 10,000+ brownie points from me as Bronsenelli shows on Marijuana Bronson. Dope. Geddit?
Yesterday morning I woke up to the most heartbreaking tweet... "Nate Dogg is gone."
I cried my eyes out. He was a legend. Not just for G-Funk and West Coast rap but in hip-hop and music in general. One of the most soulful voices I’ve ever heard.
R.I.P Nate Dogg.
“How Long Will They Mourn Me?” Forever and a day.
Below are some of my favourite Nate Dogg features along with fellow West Coast rapper The Game's tribute All Doggs Go To Heaven... Take a listen and pour a little Henny or whatever you're drinking for the hip-hop legend.
So a while after this year's XXL Freshmen Cover was announced, 9th Wonder tweeted something about his artist Rapsody being featured on next year's cover. If you've been reading my posts you'll know that I co-sign Rapsody completely and agreed that she should be featured on next year's list. Well, 9th replied and said:
SO THAT'S WHAT I DID!
Read the mission statement below and hopefully this time next year, I'll be blogging about Rapsody on the Freshman cover! LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN - share, tweet, Facebook, blog - anything! Just spread the word!
"Ever since XXL started their Freshmen list in 2008, a female has never been featured on the cover. 2012 will be the year that changes. Rapsody, JAMLA (9th Wonder's music label) signee and original member of North Carolina hip-hop collective Kooley High since 2006, certainly deserves a spot on the cover. Influenced by hip-hop greats such as MC Lyte, Bahamadia, Jay-Z and Queen Latifah, Rapsody isn't just a dope female rapper, she's a dope rapper, period - who 9th Wonder calls "one of the most gifted MCs" he's ever worked with. Her first release, mixtape Return of The B-Girl displays Rapsody's finesse and knack for intelligent rhymes and her raspy but feminine flow. We believe she deserves to be on the cover and hopefully you agree with us too. Make it happen XXL!"
Fourteen years ago today, a young man was gunned down in his prime. The Notorious B.I.G, Biggie Smalls, or more affectionately, Big Poppa, is known as one the greatest to ever do it and I doubt there are many who'd disagree. Rising to fame in the early nineties with his seminal debut, Ready To Die on Bad Boy Records, it was plain to see that this dude was no small fry. The record spawned some of Biggie's biggest hits to date including Juicy and One More Chance and was commercially and critically acclaimed. His second studio album Life After Death was just as, if not more ground breaking and achieved the so coveted Diamond certification in 2000, putting Biggie in a small list of hip-hop acts who have managed to achieve the same (Outkast, Eminem and MC Hammer being the others).
This fearless New York native noted for his knack for intelligent and vivid storytelling paired with an abundance of effusive and complex flows, set him apart from many of his contemporaries and cements his legacy to the present day. His humorous and witty punchlines, gritty semi-biographical lyrics and musical charisma can only be described in the superlative sense - there'll only ever be one Biggie. He was a gem.
And regardless of the controversy that surrounds him (that's not what this post is about), his voice and lyrics will forever be revered. Rest in peace.
"Stay far from timid, only make moves when your heart's in it
So this is the new feature I was talking about. My 'Put You On' posts will feature upcoming artists whom I've found interesting, exciting or whatever - and if I'm on my job, you probably wouldn't have heard of them yet! I come across new talent practically everyday (YouTube is my friend for sure) so each week I'll write up a quick paragraph or two on these artists I've been lending my ears to. Hopefully you'll discover something new! Anyway. Let me keep in moving. First up is Shane Eli.
Don't let anyone ever tell you Canada's best hip-hop exports are Drake and Kardinal Offishall because you'd be missing someone else. Rapper and producer Shane Eli, born in Canada but raised in Los Angeles released his debut album The Push last Spring and hopefully we'll see a lot more from him in future. “My influences are pretty diverse. The first albums I bought were Wrecks n’ Effect’s Hard or Smooth and Offspring’s Smash. I grew up in a household where my mom played everything from Ella Fitzgerald to Joe Cocker. It taught me to learn to love good music – not just good hip hop.” And those variations definitely show in his work. His debut album is an interesting fusion of synthesisers and futuristic beats, most notably on tracks I'm Different and the song dedicated to her, her and her Baby You're The One - did I mention the whole album was recorded and produced entirely by him? Yeah and in his LA apartment too. Not bad.
This month sees the release of Shane's second album I Can Do Better which houses singles I Love You (Kinda) and the most recently released When We Were Kings; the latter of which uses a chopped up sample of choristic oohs and aahs and excerpts from interviews with hip-hop luminaries 2Pac and Jay-Z. I reckon it'll be a solid effort, if his latest single is anything to go by. Here's hoping anyway. Take a listen to the aforementioned track below and be sure to download his album! (It was free... so it's okay. Trust me.)
Another week full of opportunity and progression. Still got loads to do though, so I'ma keep this post short and sweet (here's hoping). I've been lending my ears to all sorts and happened to come across new artists (and I'll be featuring those artists in my new weekly "Put You On" segment/section soon) and fell in love all over again with some old favourites. Have a listen and let me know what you think! Here's to another week of forward movement. Love.
The Floacist - Floetic Soul
One half of the now defunct UK neo soul duo Floetry, Natalie Stewart aka The Floacist presents us with her debut solo album Floetic Soul. It's kinda weird not hearing Marsha Ambrosius accompanying her although I do find this record to be a refreshing mélange of spoken word, soulful lyrics and beats. Musiq Soulchild features on one of my favourite tracks from the album Forever. Love.
Despite French Montana dropping the mixtape Mister 16: Casino Life last month, I'm still hooked on 2009's Mac Wit Da Cheese. Anyone who pays close attention to anything I say knows that I love a gangster flick and that mafioso rap is my favourite type of rap ever. Something about the criminal activities depicted in raps excites me *shrugs*. Everyone needs a bit of 'gangsta' in their lives, right?
I suppose the reason why I respect Rapsody so much is because she transcends, goes above and beyond - not just a dope female rapper but a dope rapper, period. She can spit! Listening to her music reminds me of MC Lyte and old school Jay-Z, you know, that raspy, deep feminine voice? I love it. 2010's Return of The B-Girl is the perfect record to me, with production handled mostly by 9th Wonder (she's signed to his music label JAMLA) makes for a true and complete piece of work. She certainly has made a profound impression on me and I'll definitely be writing a post on Rapsody soon. Watch this space! Meanwhile... Go out and get this record. Now.
Cypress Hill are surely one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time. There's no denying that these original kings of the bong (you think Wiz Khalifa smokes a lot? Cypress are streets ahead of him lemme assure you) had a strong debut with their eponymous album Cypress Hill. I can't help but break out into my old school moves listening to them and B-Real probably has the best rapping voice I've ever heard! Certified classic that everyone should own. Shitty album art though. Ha.
