Hip hop fans better get familiar with New York based Theophilus London, especially if you have ACL tickets. His video for his new single "Last Name London" not only teaches you how to pronounce his name but also bumps. London is another M.C. to ride this sort of hipster-hop wave that mixes electronic dance music with an old school flare. His debut album, Timez Are Weird These Days, comes out July 19. He will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live that same night. It seems Theophilus London is going to have a big year.
San Francisco based rapper K. Fly released her new music video for her single "Doctor Don't Know" last week on YouTube. This artist has grown on me. I've picked up her free mixtapes off of her website and have really enjoyed them on my ride to work in the mornings. She's like Missy only white and sort of hipster.
I'm no fan of Kobe by any means, but props to him for being the best player in the game and his own empire. Can't knock the hustle for real. Recently I saw Bryant in this Chinese hip hop video that's been circulating around the blogs and "Facey Spaces".
Many of you younglings out there may not know this, but Kobe is no stranger to music videos. I remember him rapping (yes, you read that correctly) in a Brian McKnight video back in the '90s. I posted both videos for you to check out.
I have been a long time fan of rapper and actor, Saigon. This new video premiered today on MTV.com. It is real talk, maybe even his best track or sickest rhyme yet. Please believe...
I get really excited when I hear a new hip hop artist I like. I'm such a backpacker snob when it comes to my hip hop.I can't help it. Hip Hop was the best in the '90s when I was really absorbing the genre and it has never been the same for me since. Sure I like a few artists here and there like Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Shad, Notar and a select few others, but it is too few and far between. I hate to sound old and bitter, but the accessible hip hop these kids now grow up hearing on the radio and BET these days is just dumbed down crap made for ringtone sales.
That being said, I get gem or two emailed to me now and then. The latest find for me this time is a D.C. rapper named Wale, pronounced like "Wall-A". I'm sure he's been around the underground and East Coast scene a while but that doesn't help me hear it down here in Austin. I like Wale's music because it sounds like where he is from. Washington D.C. has long been known for that go-go music influence and I have always loved it. That go-go sound is what made me tolerate that old Beyonce song "Crazy In Love". Combine that with his sick flow, unique voice and dope lyrics and you have Wale.
If you love real hip hop, welcome Wale into your iPod as well. Visit his official website here.
I had an AZ CD back in middle school and I thought he was going to really blow up. He came up in that golden '90s era of hip hop that I so miss. I rarely hear hip hop that I like anymore so that is why I get excited when I come across things online like this.If you like what you hear in this video, pick up his 1996 classic album, Doe Or Die.Will someone please bring AZ to Austin? I'm looking at you Transmission Entertainment and Knuckle Rumbler.
I was watching some early Entourage episodes tonight and then came across this video someone emailed me. I was glad to see it. I've had a download of Saigon's album for a while but haven't really heard much about him since. He is still one of the few rapper's out there who I think can lead us out of this new movement of ringtone rap and back into an era of lyrical, content driven hip hop. I also think most rap is soft now too, so it's nice to hear something intelligent with a rough edge. Check the video...he's rapping about some real tough subjects.
Hip hop is supposed to be urban poetry put to music. When I was growing up hip hop was hungry, raw and had something real to say. Somewhere along the line it lost its edge. Changing styles, trends coming and going, the internet, ringtone sales, etc have all changed the game. I hate to admit it, but I stopped listening to most hip hop that came out after the year 2000.
One thing I noticed is how the West Coast presence diminished in main stream radio hip hop and magazines. The only West Coast artists getting love were the mega stars like Snoop, Cypress Hill, The Game and a few select others. It is not a long list.
Well the other day I was checking out my reader and scanning through the various music blogs and websites I follow when I came across a music video from West Coast rapper, Jay Rock. The music video is for his single "Diary Of A Broke Nigga" which also featuresKendrick Lamar and Giddy. I just wanted to share it with you all because it is one of the few hip hop songs I've been excited about this year.
The video was directed by AplusFilmz. Watch their videos if you get a chance. These dudes should be winning some awards.
I guess he dug his head out the sand pit of shame (Taylor Swift incident) and resurfaced with a new video. I have to be honest....I can't stand Kanye but his music is dope. He's the arguably the best artist of our time. I'm diggin' this mini-movie meets music video concept. You need a good 34 minutes to watch this though, and that isn't always easy to do on a computer screen. Plug your laptop or desk top into your TV and couch it for this one. This should get a big buzz going and sell tons of copies of the new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
The Cool Kids can do no wrong in my book. Getting down with them is one of the best decisions Travis Barker has made. This video will hurt your eyes without 3D glasses, so if you don't have them just listen. It's dope.
Outkast's Big Boi is coming to Austin this weekend to play a big show at the new Eastside Drive-In located at 1001 East 6th Street. Local promoters Knuckle Rumbler and Transmission Entertainment teamed up to put this together. I'm stoked.
This will be this weekend's biggest event and quite a show. Local DJ crews Peligrosa and Table Manners will be going record to record in a bad ass DJ showcase of sorts. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Buy them online through Frontgate Tickets here.
For those of you who have yet to hear Big Boi's solo stuff, or who caught Vonnegut at ACL this past weekend, check out this video for Big Boi's single "Follow Us" here:
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The best news I heard all day yesterday was Slick Rick was going to play Fun Fun Fun Fest. That's a great start to my favorite music festival.Check out this video on the official Fun Fun Fun Fest website HERE.
To celebrate their tenth anniversary, one of my favorite hip hop groups, Dead Prez, is giving away their newest mixtape away for free on their website. Titled Revolutionary Gangsta Grillz, the duo spit fire over some popular Drake beats. I'm enjoying it already and real hip hop fans will too. Check out this cool teaser video I saw on YouTube. "All the bullshit hop hop they sellin' is going to start a rebellion in the real world".
I get sent the weirdest stuff on a daily basis. Although most days I find it annoying, sometimes weird or odd does catch my attention. Here is another example of that. Rapper Kosha Dillz, whose name I assume is a play on him being Jewish and from New Jersey. I like how "Kosher" is spelled and pronounced like "Kosha". I also like pickles.
Anyway, he sent this video to me and it is the title that caught my attention at first. It's titled "Doo Doo" but has nothing really to do with poo, thank goodness. It is off his current album, Beverly Dillz. Clever. Check out the video, directed by Robbie Barclay:
I'm still waiting for time travel to be invented so I can show my junior high self this picture and interview I did with Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. I sat down with Sen Dog when they came through Austin and we had a good talk about everything from his personal health, his yard sale and their new album, Rise Up. Not much more can be said that hasn't been said about Cypress Hill already, but this was definitely one of my favorite interviews I've ever done. He was open, honest and even funny at times. Check out the interview online at Austin Vida here:
My favorite hip hop group of all time, Cypress Hill, swings by Austin Thursday night for a big concert at Stubb's. Nothing, other than a At The Drive In or Rage Against The Machine reunion, can make me happier. They are touring to support their new album, Rise Up, which includes the summer anthem "Armada Latina". This is their best radio single in years, maybe ever. When you get Pitbull and Marc Anthony on the same track with you, backed by Eric Bobo's percussion and such, you have a smash single. I have already heard a bunch kids with "Armada Latina" as their ring tone.
Chilean MC and Nacional Records artist, Ana Tijoux, is the best thing to happen to hip hop since Cypress Hill. On the eve of her U. S. debut album dropping on Tuesday, 1977, I sat down with Tijoux to talk about who she is. Of course we chatted about the album, but I wanted to know why a Chilean MC gets it right when so many American rappers don't, still thinking auto tune effects and Lil Wayne remixes make good songs or albums. Tijoux is classic, 90s style, in every since of the word. Learn more about the M.C. who may have made my favorite hip hop album this year. I can tell you it will be between her 1977 album and Cypress Hill's new one, Rise Up.
Friday nights in Austin are full of great shows to check out. This Friday is no exception. With that being said, I think avoiding the downtown riff-raf is the way to go Friday night. Austin Latin funksters, Brownout, perform at The High Ball on 1120 South Lamar. You will be hearing a lot about this place as it seems to have some cool things happening this year.
Joining Brownout, as if they aren't reason enough to go, are DJ Manny and Bigface. You may know them from DJ Dojo, the record store that they have DJ lessons at. They've spun all over town for years now. I last saw them at Beauty Bar before the Afrika Bambaataa set in 2008. It's been too long, I know.
Manny is known for his crazy DJ bicycle. If you've never seen it, it is quite impressive. Even more impressive is the crew from B-Boy City who are going to be doing some breakin'.
Check out this video to get an idea of what this whole crew is about in terms of vibe, sound, etc. There is nothing else like it in town that I know of, so treat yourself to some dope beats and funky rhythms.
I can't believe I am having to blog about this, but I have been finding too many people either don't know about this album or haven't heard of Blakroc. I find this to be both absurd and disheartening. This was the best album of 2009, although many may have missed it initially because it was released late in the year. Still, I had a hard time finding a physical copy in town until I went to Waterloo. I even scored the vinyl. God bless Waterloo.
So all that being said, let me briefly enlighten those in the dark. This is yet another brilliant Black Keys project, the same Black Keys out of Ohio fronted by Dan Auerbach. Known for their mix of '70s style rock and blues, The Black Keys were a favorite of so many subgroups, from hipsters to bikers and everyone in between. Auerbach had an impressive solo album, Keep It Hid, which was more mellow but still with the bluesy Black Keys vibe.
Now imagine that with some of hip hop's most lyrical MCs like Mos Def and Jim Jones. I know what you're thinking..it's rap-rock. Well it is indeed rap-rock, but no that cheesy stuff form the late '90s or the early 2000s. Think rap-rock that was of Rage Against The Machine like quality. Unlike my beloved RATM, this Blakroc album is more bluesy than metal. It's also more hip hop than blues given the talent of the MCs involved. This is the one album to bring together musical fans from all walks of life. In fact, it saved hip hop for me in 2009.
With all the God awful, samesy radio rap minus maybe Kanye, only Mos Def's latest album did anything for me. It's sad to admit too because I grew up listening to a lot of hip hop, but to me it went down in quality after 2000. Not since Enter the 36 Chambers have I been this passionate and excited about a hip hop album. There is even a hint of R&B to it with the ressurection of Nicole Wray. Remember her one hit, "Make It Hot"?
Alright I'm done ranting now. I could go on all day on all sorts of tangents. Seriously though, Blakroc is the Bees Knees. Instant classic. Give this video for "Ain't Nothing Like You" a look and listen.
Ian is a graduate of Round Rock High School and attended St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. In 2008 he joined the team at Double Stereo (formerly CD Fuse) as their Blog editor where he reviewed concerts, albums, and did interviews for the popular music site.In January 2009, he became the Editor in Chief for Austin Vida. In 2010, with the help of some of his most talented friends, he launched Red River Noise. "Ian's Music Blog" is also one of the few blogs selected to be a Do512 All-Star.
On any given night of the week he can be found in downtown Austin on 6th Street and the Red River live music district.
