It's been a minute, but I'm back here to leave some good material I've been playing this past week. A mix of recently released, and classic material of the past from various genres, that's what my daily listening consists of, I like songs that tell a story, are original, creative and drive the emotions like a film.
When I see music somebody's written about online, I'm usually eager to sample the music right then & there before I download it, so from knowing this I put together a playlist for you to hear below. I usually try to pick songs that even if you heard a 30 sec. snippet of any part of the song, it should be enough to draw you to want to hear more, especially if you're already familiar with that particular genre and sound. I definitely appreciate finding that type of music online or in the real world.
Method Man P.L.O. Style (Pete Rock remix): This is one of a few remixes Pete did exclusively for the Future Flavors show, it was always good to hear these side projects he did that never got commercially released when I tuned in back in the mid 90's. You may notice this is the same beat he used on The Lost Boy's The Yearn off the A.I.D.S. soundtrack, but arranged to the lyrics of Meth and Carlton Fisk instead. I remember hearing this before The Yearn came out, so it was dope to hear the way Pete flipped that same sample Large Professor used years earlier on Just Hangin' Out, the drums and chopping on it sound crazy 'til this day.
Jern Eye - Get Right feat. Mistah Fab & Zion I: New song which looks to be the start of some promising hip hop music to come from Jern Eye, an MC from the Bay Area. Over a smooth-flowing production by Jake One, this is an inspirational song about keeping your mind right through your day to day moves, and how to get yours regardless of the obstacles out there. I've been eager to hear more West Coast talent come out nowadays, I think this is one of those.
Finale - What You Mean To Me, Brother's Keeper, Jumper Cables: Three of my favorite songs from Finale's A Pipe Dream & A Promise album, he's a talented MC from Detroit who brings a great line up of production to match his complex visual wordplay for this solid hip hop release. I always appreciate the dope, established producers out supporting an up & coming MC like this for one project.
Finale has a unique delivery and style that should separate him from many other artists you'll hear out now, he brings alot of detail into a verse that will probably cause you to go back and listen again to pick up on more things each time. I think that's a good thing, to have writing that you can take time to absorb like a book or movie. Definitely check for his album, it's one of my favorites of the moment.
JR&PH7 - Top Rank feat. Black Milk and Guilty Simpson: On the first listen, I wondered if this song was something Black Milk produced himself, after studying further I discovered JR & PH7, two producers from Germany who combined with Black & Guilty to produce this great track. I think this is one of those examples of talent and unique sound European artists have to offer, I'm almost always impressed by what I hear from this region of hip hop, jazz, R&B releases, etc. The great echoing synth sound you hear on this beat reminds me of the one used on Das Efx's Real Hip Hop remix, which gives me the feeling of listening to some obscure jazz fusion records. www.jrandph7.com
Chino XL - Nahh!: If you know Chino's catalog, this is a good example of what he brings in a song: impressive delivery and metaphors with self-descriptive lyrics, painting a larger-than-life, intimidating figure of himself, similar to a character of a movie. His choice of production is usually a vital part of bringing these visuals across, in this one the beat is a dark combination of orchestral strings and voices with hard drums provided by Focus of Dre's Aftermath label. I think Nahh! sounds like a great threatening piece overall, similar to Pun's Beware in letting you know this is an MC who's out to challenge anyone.
The Roots - Live at WNYU: This is part of an acclaimed freestyle session that went down at Martin Moore & Mayhem's WNYU radio show in the 90's, before Illadelph Halflife was released. I remember listening to the show during the time this actually aired, but never got to tape the full session, which must have lasted for a couple hours. I have another part of the performance here at home on tape, so I'll upload that soon. Hope you enjoy this part for now.
Black Attack - My Crown: One of those independently released gems of the late 90's that I still can't get enough of. The combination of Black Attack's laid back delivery with the jazz sound brought by Ghetto Pros (JuJu & V.I.C.) equals out to a greatness in underground hip hop for this song. The Beatnuts always had a talent for choosing good, unheard-of horns and making it work in hip hop song, this is one of my favorite examples of that part of their trademark sound.
Donald Byrd & 125th Street N.Y.C. - Love Has Come Around: I like this song as an uplifting track with a rhythm designed to make you move, this is a soulful collaboration of two talented musicians and bands, Donald Byrd's 125th Street, N.Y.C. Band and Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul Unlimited. Vocalists Rose Williams, Diane Williams, Pat Lewis and Diane Evans really shine on this track.
From the 1981 album Love Byrd, I think this song as a whole is an interested growth in the sound of these two artists from the period of the 70's where many would say both their trademark sounds of soul and organic jazz fusion were solidified, evolving from that into the newer, polished, uptempo feel of early 80's black music. I can recall Isaac experimenting with higher tempo love songs similar to this track on some of his album releases of the late 70's, this was one of his strong points as a songwriter to me and I can feel elements of this in Love Has Come Around from his percussion, vocal arrangement and piano work. Both Byrd and Hayes seem to bring elements of their past musical achievements into this fusion of jazz and soul to create a beautiful vibe.
This is a short list of some songs and other media I've had on rotation this past week. Although there is alot of hip hop on this blog, my listening varies between different genres, hopefully I can present a nice discovery and variety of something you end up playing heavily too.
Inverse: Beautiful City and Rise & Shine off the So True EP. I was very impressed by the feel good vibe of this album, it is refreshing to hear talented MCs Tunji and Toby put a strong effort like this into songs that can make you feel good about life. Great production by Cook Classics, I like songs like these which have good live instrumentation used that I can listen to and get more emotional depth in the listening experience, and at the same time as all the feel of what I know as a dope hip hop beat.
They have more music I'm still going through aside from the EP. Between the EP and other songs they've done, they show a diverse array of sound as a group but their root seems to be in the traditional hip hop sound. Listen to more Inverse here at http://www.imeem.com/inverse
Beanie Sigel featuring Freeway & Young Chris: Ready For War. New music from the Broad Street Bully album. This is one of those songs that is a displays the standard of excellence in lyrics and production in the form of street representation that is the Rocafella sound. After hearing this and knowing Bean's past work, I look forward to the new album. http://www.zshare.net/audio/637791303daa1f48/
Roy Porter: Panama. This is one of my favorite jazz songs by this great drummer from his 1975 LP called Inner Feelings. I like the sound of horns layered with a flute for the chorus, it's something I recognize instantly whenever the song comes on and adds a great feel to the rest of the song unlike anything I've heard in 70's jazz fusion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVNPALW4314
Jay-Z & Marvin Gaye: Brooklyn Soul (American Gangster LP remixed by Shuko & Gunna). This is the my favorite out of the few A.G. remix LPs so far, I think it's an outstanding effort by Shuko and Gunna using all samples by Marvin Gaye combined with instrumentation to create a very polished and compelling sound. They provide the backdrop to Jay's lyrics very well with each song while keeping some of the feel of soul music that you heard in the original album.
http://sharebee.com/69463380
Visit Shuko at www.myspace.com/shuko
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