Archive for the ‘music’ Category
READY, WILLING, and cABLE street electric April 3rd, 2012
The stage is set, the playlist populated, the cavernous Cable Street Studio fast filling up, and the fizz of opening cans peppering the crescendo of chitter chatter filling the air, when the host takes to the stage. Andy McRobbie – a man with a wit drier than the Atacama Desert, a silk kimono that would look more at home on Gary Glitter’s bedroom floor, and a beer glass that resembles a GCSE student’s woodwork and chemistry fieldwork rolled into one.
Cable Street Electric could just as easily be called Cable Street Eclectic judging by the band names chalked on the board. The acts never fail to surprise – from a dickensian knee-slapping singalong, through West London’s answer to Pulp, to a Japanese cover of The Police – Every Breath You Take.
The setting is sublimely informal, the atmosphere feverishly creative, and the performances as diverse as a Benetton ad. These are early days for Cable Street Electric – but if the first three nights are anything to go by, let alone the passion and creativity of founder Katie Buckett [who has a track record in this field, having previously set up the now notorious Potion Café open mic in Bushwick, Brooklyn] – then it seems destined to go from strength to strength.
The weekly open mic is held on Mondays evenings, alternating between its base in Cable Street Studios [Unit B, E1W 3HB] and a friend’s loft just off Shoreditch High Street. Cable Street hosts acoustic and electric performances [amplification available], whilst Shoreditch is purely unplugged. The locations rotate, and more up to date can be found on the Cable Street Electric Facebook page.
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She Hollyhood. February 23rd, 2012
Brianna Perry, or YRB [Young Rich Bandit] is being credited with refining the Miami hip hop/dance sound right now. Her latest track, Marilyn Monroe has captured the attentions of the rap game’s movers and shakers, but it all started for YRB back in 2002 with an appearance in Trina’s Kandi. Ten years later, she’s returning the favour. This wont be the last you see of her.
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Only thing bigger than my ego is my mirror. January 24th, 2012
It’s not even February and A$AP Rocky – of Purple Swag fame – has already release two videos to the world. Both via the A$AP Mob website, and both astonishingly great.
The first, Hands on the Wheel [below - work that one out for yourselves], takes the form of a collaboration with ScHoolboy Q – a west coast rapper signed to the same label as Kendrick Lamar [Top Dawg Entertainment], and described by XXL Magazine as ‘somewhat of an oddball within an oddball crew, dabbling in recreational drug use, sporadic mayhem, and the occasional foray into socially conscious rap‘. Sounds good enough for me.
The second, Wassup [above] projects a beautiful combination of humble beginnings and a mob already riding the crest of the wave of success, along with plenty of purple. Musically you can judge for yourself – I got it on loop.
Watch this space or his space for more A$AP throughout the year. ScHoolboy Q’s debut album Habits & Contradictions is available on iTunes now.
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The magic number. January 8th, 2012
Three artists for 2012: Lianne La Havas, A$AP Rocky, Azealia Banks.
That’s me hanging my hat on the line – and I didn’t go for the easy ones [note: no Lana Del Rey].
Time will tell…
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August 26th, 2011
Label it a lazy write up if you want, but I couldn’t let Watch The Throne pass without comment. The album is great, end of story. The most notable tracks have to be 1,3,5,6,7,10,11. Maybe thats half the album, maybe thats saying something, but If you were to put a gun to my head to pick one, it’d be number 10, Murder To Excellence (if nothing more because it features the supreme verse “I’m from the murder capital, where they murder for capital“). But instead of waxing lyrical about the strengths and weaknesses of each of the 16 tracks, I’ve chosen to repost Ghostface’s summary…
“1. No Church in the Wild (ft. Frank Ocean) – Thought the beat was kinda average at first to be honest wit yall. But the shit been growin on me. The fact that Jay brought back one of his most boring flows…the same one he used on Pray off American Gangster…didnt help nothin tho. Yeezy drops his least EMPHASIZED bars in a minute n gets the green light from Jiggaman to bring autotune back. I dont kno what hour in the day this shit was recorded but it sounds like some 5 AM shit. In the end tho… both them niggas got the job done n start shit off on the rite foot namean. The victim of Breezy’s high pitched goon squad attack did his thing too.
2. Lift Off (ft. Beyonce) – I almost aint wanna even comment on this shit son…. I dont even kno what to say bout it yo. This shit sounds like the anthem the fairies in Ferngully would use to go to war against evil humans to or some shit b. This shit is like Shia LeBeouf in song form yo. Lissenin to this shit is like havin ya ears penetrated by a million microscopic dicks namsayin. Shit sounds like niggas doin aerobics on a magical cloud of daisies. How many meadows did Kanye cartwheel across before he decided to make this beat? Seriously yo…. Jus how many lily pads did the nigga skip across the pond on before he got inspired to make some shit like this? Definitely one a the worst songs Jay ever been involved in…thats includin those lame joints off Vol 3 wit Amil n Mariah or the worst songs off Kingdom Come….EVEN the Timbo joints off Blueprint 3. Like this joint is SOFT son. Guess thats why Jay only spit like 5 n a half bars on it. Its like the song Yung Berg would play before he goes n commits his latest string of L’s. Shit is jus terrible son…especially since it took like 6 niggas to produce this muthafucka.
3. Niggas in Paris – If you can ignore the homoerotic title the shit actually aint bad son. I prefer it once the beat changes up tho. It starts off soundin like some shit them Young Money niggas mighta left behind in the studio one day. Like I swear I can hear Gudda Gudda gettin his mediocre on in the background for the first 2:43 minutes. But then shit gets dramatic n its all good yo. it aint really the monster track niggas made that shit out to be tho.
4. Otis (ft. Otis Redding) – First off they need to not be actin like Otis Redding is a “featured” artist on this shit. Since when do niggas sample a dude n then call that shit a feature. Son aint even been alive for like 40 years b. Otis Redding is my dude tho…so dont get that shit twisted son. That bein said…this shit still goes nahmean. Folks been divided on this joint for a minute…but that aint stop the dozen hasbeen ass niggas who hopped on this shit from strugglin the fuck out on it (Im lookin at you DMX).
5. Gotta Have It – This shit probably the least Neptunes soundin beat the Neptunes ever produced yo. Not sayin thats a bad thing tho. Im glad they aint bring no bongos or space sounds to this shit g. Niggas is jus tradin bars on some back n forth shit n basically talkin bout the usual shit they do. Kinda jus a filler joint namean. It probably wont be the next single or nothin…but its still a ill joint namsayin. This shit also got The Godfather of Soul’s voice all over it…but they aint put “featuring James Brown” on the tracklist for some reason. Guess they missed that one.
6. New Day – “Me n the RZA connect”….thats a nice little quasi-hook rite ther namsayin. Sorry yo…this aint the 36 Chambers RZA…but it aint the “fuckin ridicalish” aint had a meal in a hot minute soundin RZA neither yo. It basically dont sound like a RZA joint at all son. He aint bring out the pointy ass rings n get on his BONG BONG shit or nothin but the god did his thing namsayin. Shit has Kanyes fingerprints all over it still tho.
7. Thats My Bitch – I aint the biggest fan a this shit rite here yo. It aint horrible or nothin but I remember when this shit was unleashed at the end a last year n it still aint grow on me like that. Its got all that retro hip hop shit happenin on it but I aint feelin the end results like that. Not sayin its wack….but I be skippin this joint usually.
8. Welcome To The Jungle – If Jay gon insist on usin this niggas bullshit ass beats still…the least he can do is make sure that Swizzy dont go near the booth yo. Ayo Snoop Budden…nobody gon need to hear you gettin ya “One hand in the air if you dont really care” on durin the hooks to no joints ever ever ever again son. Jus go back to contaminatin whats left of Alicia Keys n stop cashin in those favors niggas owe you to get on these high profile joints you malnourished ass lookin muthafucka. Son been urinatin wackness on these songs for years now b…. so can we jus acknowledge that the nigga got no business actin like he kno how to put together a hook now n stop lettin this whippet lookin muthafucka get near a mic?
9. Who Gon Stop Me – Now THIS shit is a problem yo. When it started the god was like ok cool….you kno…I was enjoyin it….the bassline was soundin like a lion growlin n shit. There wasa ill mood to it. Im diggin the joint namsayin….but then it starts really transformin into a monster after a couple minutes….n its like yo…we got a serious contender for best song on the album now. By the middle it sounds like niggas is drivin Lamborghinis around in the studio n drums is hittin like automatic weapons. I love this track son.
10. Murder to Excellence – Another ill joint. Not a lot I can say bout it tho son. If you heard it you kno its jus a solid track namsayin. Like a lotta these songs its got a change up in the beat halfway through. If I had to guess Id say its probably Wyclef’s favorite song on the album tho.
11. Made In America (ft. Frank Ocean) – First of all son….Lionel Richie called from 1986 n said he wants his song back yo. Word. Sade jus holla’d on twitter to say this shit is soft as fuck namsayin. I think Elton John wants to conceive babies to this joint b. Drake said he gon soak in his lotion pool to this shit rite here for like a week son. I think Wiz Khagina is scissorin wit Amber Rose to this shit rite now as we speak yo. I heard this shit gon be used for the next Gwyneth Paltrow movie too. I dont kno how the same nigga that did Who Gon Stop Me had anything to do wit this shit but apparently he did namean. This shit sounds like two niggas hang glidin over the ocean together at sunset holdin hands son. I think this is bout to be on Yung Berg’s yoga playlist. I cant fuck wit this shit at all b. This shit is like audio lesbian comin out my speakers son.
12.Why I Love You (ft. Mr Hudson) – Its almost like they knew they couldnt end the album on that Made In America shit. Contrary to the title n the fact that it says “featuring Mr Hudson” on this muthafucka….this shit goes hard yo. Mr Hudson does his thing too son. I fucks wit this joint forreal forreal. Might even be my favorite tomorrow.
13. Illest Motherfucker Alive – Ok now…when you call a song “Illest Motherfucker Alive” you really gotta live up to that shit son. This shit kinda almost lives up to the name of the song…but it aint that special yo. But Im not mad at it. Actually if Made in America n Lift Off made the album I dont kno why this shit is jus a bonus track namsayin. I think Breezy’s cousins are singin at the end a the song tho.
14. H.A.M. – This joint is still ass. Id rather listen to a whole Tyga mixtape son.
15. Primetime – This shit cool namsayin. Aint like my favorite song on earth or nothin….but No I.D. aint go n “Timbaland” these niggas wit no bullshit ass beat at least. Son always comes through wit sumthin decent or better. This shit better than decent tho namean.
16. The Joy (ft. Curtis Mayfield) – This shit shoulda been a official track on the album b. I dont care how old it is now…I still love this joint. I guess they aint wanna give they fans all this old shit…which is cool namsayin. But…AGAIN yo… if Lift Off gon be on the album anyway…you might as well jus swap that wit some old shit that AINT softer than Game’s emotions b. N they put Thats My Bitch on the album anyway so maybe there aint no real excuse for makin this shit a bonus joint. But why these niggas got “featuring Curtis Mayfield” on this shit? I think Jay n Ye better cut that shit out before it becomes a trend for these lame muthafuckas to start havin “featuring (insert dead artist here)” on they joints too b.
Word yo. The album might got some filler n a couple joints thats jus beyond wack…but its still a pretty tight project son.”
via Big Ghost
Maybe that wasn’t actually penned by the WuTang legend, but it could have been. Who knows?
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old news June 24th, 2011
Nobody Canna Cross It remixed news clip from Powa Music. So catchy and well produced that I guarantee you will reload it. Several times.
**NOTE**: This video is NOT meant to make a mockery of the unfortunate destruction caused by the recent rains in Mavis Bank. I hope the best for them all, as well as a quick response to fix the bridge.
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yellow model chick May 11th, 2011
The original is a sensation, but Birmingham-based Lady Leshurr’s cover of Look at Me Now will knock your socks off. Her flow is ridiculous, and her impressions so true they trick your brain into thinking her version must be the original. If you’re not looking at her now, you soon will be. Sorry to say it though, Breezy’s video is better [below]…
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these colours don’t run January 11th, 2011
For his fourth publication [“Photographs inspired by the rap music that once inspired me”], Montrealer Paul Labonté – or Paul 107 - has chosen to pay homage to the music that influenced and inspired him during his early days [as the title suggests]. Some shots sail dangerlously close to the wind of cliché but others are beautifully observational and characteristic of a genre that has touched the lives and shaped the image of so many people across the globe.
His previous titles include Bully: It’s the pits, a dedication to status dogs – which, as anybody who’s ever watched the news will tell you, is a polemic and topical subject here on our shores too these days [double page spread, below].
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you start to sound like Confucius when making up excuses January 10th, 2011
2011: a time for truths. When it comes to Chris Brown, I wouldn’t call myself a fan. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I despise him as a human being. Before the unforgivable, I thought him a mere fool, after seeing a clip of him on Sesame Street [an iconic part of my childhhood but don't go trying to sell yourself as a credible RnB star to me 15 years later OK]. And then the story dropped. Soon after the photo. I know there are two sides to every story, but a man who puts a finger on a woman is no man through my eyes, and it’s fair to say from what I saw he went a lot further than raise a fist.
That said, excellence does deserve to be recognised, and whilst I ummed and arghed about whether to post this or not – whether to take the black and white moral highground – I can’t deny that Deuces is one of the musical highlights of 2010. Made all the better with the help of Drizzy, TI, Fab, and Andre 3000. In fact Dre absolutely blew the rest of them out of the water with that verse. Legendary.
Kanye’s effort however falls so far off the mark it’s almost pittiful. And from an individual who memorably claimed in 2010 that “I try to compete against the past. Michelangelo, Picasso, the Pyramids” all that serves to do is prove that he has one hell of a long way to go. And that’s setting aside the comic ridiculousness of the statement in the first place. Sorry Ye.
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todor bien November 5th, 2010
This film was made by 5 graduates from Paris’ school of applied arts and image, Gobelins. Make of what you will musically, the animation is dope, and deserves to be shared…
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