My 366 Favourite Songs Of The Year | Jan 3rd - 9th [Lapalux, Robert Glasper & Jay-Z]

Okay. I've just finished crying gangster tears after watching Arsenal's FA Cup match against Leeds which we won, thanks to a goal from the legend that is Thierry Henry. That guy is pure claaaass mate. Anyway. Music. My favourite songs have all piled up this week so I'm lumping them into one big post!

Jan 3. Troy Bar

I have four videos to upload, for this day. Four. I went to Troy Bar (Open Mic night in Old Street every Tuesday) and it was the best night ever... Absolutely adored some of the songs that were covered; I'll Take You There by The Staple Singers, a couple of freestyles and a jazzy rendition of an old favourite - Golden by Jill Scott. I can't wait to share them with you! It amazes me just how much talent there is around me; I heard pure voices that night. But yes... Videos soon!

Jan 4. Orelsan - Suicide Social

I don't listen to as much French rap as I should to be honest - I'm completely slacking. Heard this joint by Orelsan, dubbed the "French Eminem" and I was gobbed. It's so scathing and aggressive. The thing about French rap is, the language allows rappers to be much more creative with words. Maybe one day, if I get gassed enough, I'll rap a lil somsing in français ... *shrugs* maybe. And so you're not phased by the language barrier, the video has words to it, so any non-French speaker can whip out Google Translate whilst having a listen. Considerate, non?

Jan 5. Schoolboy Q f/ Kendrick Lamar - Blessed

These guys are so, so serious. Kendrick Lamar certainly left a lasting impression on 2011 what with Section.80 and all that jazz, so it comes as no surprise that another 1/4 of Black Hippy, has come to nab his time in the spotlight. There's no way that the West Coast wordsworth won't appear on this year's XXL Freshman list - Schoolboy Q's skill and talent are undeniable. Too slick with it! Habits and Contradictions drops on the 14th. 

Jan 6. Robert Glasper Experiment f/ Erykah Badu - Afro Blue

Gotta love this cover of the Mongo Santamaría Latin jazz classic. I ladore the way Robert Glasper manages to catch the essence of hip-hop and jazz perfectly and as usual Erykah's vocals make any track sound sweet. Pay attention to the original posted below too.

Jan 7. Musiq Soulchild - So Beautiful (Lapalux Bootleg Remix)

Bruv. I've always said that I find Musiq Soulchild to be a bit yawn most of the time, so I'm thankful for this refix by Lapalux. Kudos to Mikey at AboutToBlow.com for the bring-in!

Musiq Soulchild - So Beautiful (Lapalux's bootleg remix) by Lapalux

Jan. 8. Razorlight - I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got (Live On Jools Holland)

Today I was reminded of an old favourite. Makes me feel a certain way everytime I hear it!

Jan 9. Jay-Z f/ Blue Ivy Carter - Glory 

Papa Jigga wasted no time telling the world about how proud he is to finally be a father and I love it! We're seeing a new side to Jay; not hustla Jay, not Marcy Projects Jay, but family guy Jay *cue theme music*. And it's so cute! I love how he sampled Blue Ivy's cry and had the nerve to say she "featured" on the track. LOL -it's awesome. And though the production sounds a bit rushed (not one of The Neptunes best by a country mile) the sentiments on this track make it damn near impossible for you not to respect the guy. Everything from revealing Bey's miscarriage, to her place of conception; it's just an honest track. When little Blue grows up, she'll surely be able to brag about her super-cool Pop. Beautiful.

Event | Hip Hop Karaoke

It seems like my Thursday evenings are going to forever be occupied from now on. Hip Hop Karaoke at The Social in London's Oxford Circus is the place to be every Thursday for any hip-hop head, karaoke lover. I went for the first time last week and decided to get up on stage and rep the ROC by doing a rendition of Jay-Z's Encore - I've rapped this song so many times in front of my mirror at home so it was definitely nice to have an audience this time! The vibe in that place was amazing, all love, no madness, no stress - just peace, love and hip-hop as I always say. So if you're stuck for something to do on a Thursday evening, get yourself to Hip Hop Karaoke, dude.

Here's the footage from my performance (I'm on my Fade To Black ish! lol)

"If you can't respect that, your whole perspective is wack, maybe you'll love me when I fade to black."

Throwback | Jay-Z & DMX Freestyle (1999)

So. Yesterday I was saying on Twitter how I wished that the battle between Jay-Z & DMX in the 1990s was captured on video. The way Sauce Money and Ski Beatz described the face-off between the two hip-hop greats sounded too epic - both standing on pool tables with an immense crowd surrounding them going at it for five hours straight. Amazing.

Well I did find this freestyle. No longer than a minute and thirty seconds long, the video shows DMX and Jay-Z trading verses backstage at the Hard Knock Life Tour in 1999. You've probably already seen this, it's old but I love it. So I guess this will have to do for now, right?

Video | Kanye West - Devil In A New Dress (Fan Made)

Created by producer/director Yonie, here we have his own interpretation of Kanye West's track Devil In A New Dress. I'm in love with this and the chicks in the video are completely hot! (reminds me of Beyoncé video for Why Don't You Love Me? though...) January 18th sees the release of the All of The Lights video off Kanye's most recent LP, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and word has it that filming has already begun for the H.A.M video off Jay-Z and Kanye's joint album, Watch The Throne. In the meantime, check this out!

Event | Wireless Festival 4th July 2010

This was hands down the best day of my life so far. Finally, after many years of waiting and listening to Hovi Baby on repeat, I got to see Jay-Z live in concert. I wish I could post a video of myself in hysterics however I think it'll shock you (I looked like a right mess afterwards). Anyhow, peep the pics my fellow ROC head Areg took. Pretty darn amazing.