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Teena Marie was a “special” woman. Truth be told, I wasn’t really up on her music till the Chappelle Show made Rick James hot again. I started digging through his old records and then that light went off in my head, like OH, she was on that record…and this one. Damn, she’s kinda ill. She was to Rick what Tami Terrell was to Marvin. They made some great music together. So I did my research from that point on and dug up a few of her classics as well, like Square Biz and this joint, Ooh La La La, which was famously sampled by the Fugees. Honestly, I always thought she was on some other ish. A white woman singing that soulful kinda threw me off. At times she used to do waaaay too much with the vocals but hey, that’s black music, and more importantly it was her style. For that I had to show respect to the ivory to our ebony. R.I.P. Sweet Thing.
I know I’m prolly late to this but I was doing my usual perusing thru the halls of Vevo when I came across this joint by Mickey Factz. Not the biggest fan of his but I definitely respect his grind. Scoring that Honda endorsement deal without an album or even a hot single out was a huge look. Guess he figured it was time to take care of the latter and bless the streets with some heat and this one doesn’t disappoint. Love the way this video was shot. The edits are crisp and save the typical mean mug, ghetto imagery, the cinematography is on point too. I don’t know if its just wishful thinking but dude sounds eerily similar to Sonny Cheeba (of Camp Lo fame) on the hook. Come to think about it, everything about this sounds like a Lo record. Maybe that’s what drew me to it. Need to get them boyz on the remix and make this a Bronx Anthem with the homie D-Black. Cut the check!
Scooped some tickets to the Jamie Foxx Live on Letterman concert at the last minute on Tuesday. Luckily I had my cam on me and was able to get a few nice shots. It was kinda tough shooting in such low light but I finally got a chance to work on my manual photography skills. Lowered the shutter speed and was still able to capture some lush images in ‘natural’ stage light. Not as sharp as I’d like but it came out alright. And oh yeah, the man put on a great show. His energy was great and he can actually sing. I don’t think there are too many people out there more talented than Jamie Foxx. Respect.
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No one talks, lost in the mood…
Bonus Track
The End feat. GLC, Chip That Ripper and Nicole Wray
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Al Lindstrom interview with legendary hip-hop magazine magnate, Elliott Wilson, known to the interwebs as the main blip over at Rap Radar. Here he drops a bit of science about what it takes to run a successful magazine as well as his new venture with Respect Magazine, which showcases hip-hop culture through high end photography. He also throws a couple shouts to my man Bonsu Thompson who’s now heading up the Source. Definitely check out the sites and be sure to support the Source in its new incarnation.
Lately I’ve been on the mission to find new and interesting music outside of the urban realm. I came across this song from the Broken Bells (a duo comprised of ever-evolving super producer Danger Mouse and the lead singer of the Shins, James Mercer) while reading through Last.fm’s 2010 Top 40 most scrobbled artists. I can’t lie, initially I was strictly in it to hear new music from Danger Mouse but ended up really digging James Mercer’s voice. This song just has a nice feel to it and I always enjoy videos with esoteric themes. This one certainly didn’t disappoint.
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“Sometimes I be feelin’ like mothafc*k the healing, schemin’ having thoughts of teaming up with the villains…”
I’ll keep it short and sweet. New hip-hop from due school emcees D-Schwartz and Butta Verses. They both tore this beat to pieces. Schwartz, I ain’t madd at this at all son. Keep grindin’.
Sharing music with KitKat and this joint came to mind. Beautiful record. Like I told her, “there’s gonna be a lot of lil Jose’s running around cuz of this joint.” lol … Enjoy
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“I just hope tiiiiime’s on my side, I’ve been tryiiiiiin alll my liiiife…”
Nothing special here. Just a record with a catchy ass hook I can’t seem to get outta my head and some tough verses. Exactly what you’d expect to get from Lloyd Banks. Enjoy!
The homie D-Black just recently released his new EP, Long Story Short. Normally I’d offer up some sort of review but since its my boy and I’ve watched him come up and “pay his dues,” I’m not sure how objective I can be. So I’ll just play distributor on this one. I will say this, the dude is a prolific writer and works hard at his craft. Co-signs and collaborations from respected artists/producers like Illmind, Nottz and Little Brother don’t hurt either. I’m just sayin…
Peep the press release below and download if you feel so inclined:
Long Story Short… is the long awaited EP from Bronx rap artist D-Black, who has collaborated with the likes of Rapper Pooh (Little Brother), Skyzoo (Duck Down Records), Chaundon (Hall Of Justus), and producers such as Illmind, Nottz, DJ Babu, and countless others. After dropping his first mixtape, New Black City, D-Black went on to complete two blog series, Mr. October Series, and made features on mixtapes hosted by DJ Green Lantern and DJ Dutchmaster. Long Story Short… is a compilation of D-Black’s material recorded during the period of late 2008 and early 2010 that has not been released or is considered “rare” records. Producers who contributed to this project are Illmind, Epik, Matik, and Lab Ox of Roc Nation. For all updates regarding upcoming projects such as the Success Story album, show dates and times, and all other information, please follow D-Black (www.twitter.com/dblack408). Thanks for your anticipated support!
Interested to hear what you guys think so feel free to leave a comment when you’re done giving it a good listen.
Featured Track
D-Black :: Ghetto (produced by Matik!)
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Whenever Black and Matik get together they make magic. This record is no different. I’ve already threatened them with bodily harm if they don’t put out more joints together. I’m expecting more heat when the next album drops. For now I’ll keep Tonya Harding on speed dial and thump this ’til my tape pop.
