Enjoy.
Monday, March 16th, 2009
She’s an indie pop chick with some great electro beats. I was really hesitant to get into her, but after hearing the track “New In Town” I’m convinced she’s going places.
Think Ratatat meets Lykke Li/Lily Allen. Think Justice meets Lady GaGa. Except it sounds like it was meant to be. Check out this track, it’s dirty and flirty, it’s got a filthy beat and a sweet chorus.
Little Boots – New In Town [mp3 download]
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Thursday, March 12th, 2009
Remember these? Why is it that some of the best pop classics barely charted?
The KGB – Lover Undercover [mp3]
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“Last night I found a lover undercover in my sheets/Didn’t get out of bed for weeks/Romeo’s got nothin’ on me, Romeo’s got nothin’ on me.”
My favorite is of this track is the last audible line of the song:
“Last night I found your mother under covers with a sheep/She couldn’t get outta bed for weeks.”
Classy.
Jive Jones – Me, Myself, & I [mp3]
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Monday, March 9th, 2009
Oooh, a new track from Method Man and Redman. The verses from Method Man and Redman are decent, though not incredible, they have a very tight flow. The only question I have is this: what on earth are they rapping about?
The real hero of this track is Saukrates, the guy singing the hook. The hook is tight, and I’d be down for 4 minutes of just that. Actually it’s reminiscent of that track “Compton” by Guerilla Black and Beanie Man.
Redman & Method Man (feat. Saukrates) – A Yo [mp3 - right click to dl]
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Friday, March 6th, 2009
Fact: Mark Ronson is a champ. Fact: Daniel Merriweather is a champ. Fact: Wale is definitely a champ.
Conclusion: If they all worked together on a song if would be awesome.
“But ezra,” you might say, “why would those artists ever work together? And would it even work? Maybe it would just be too top-heavy, burdened by all those great names!”
“Well,” I might reply, “because it would be awesome, yes it would, and you are wrong.”
And why is that? Because it’s happened, and it’s the shit. I bring to you, faithful readers, “Change.”
“Change” is the epic collaboration between the god Mark Ronson, the crooner Daniel Merriweather, and the upcoming rap-hero Wale. Get excited, this is the shit. The only sad part about this track is that while the lyrics are serious and conscious, it sometimes gets lost in the absolutely incredible music.
Daniel Merriweather feat. Wale – Change [mp3, right-click this to download]
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Thursday, February 26th, 2009
So apparently blogging about JT was a mistake – I routinely get 40 or 50 people visiting my site because they searched for a picture of his ass. That’s just weird. Oh well, I’m going to do it again.
This is an old mashup from Diplo, it’s a mashup between “My Love” and LCD Soundsystem’s “My Love.” It’s really pretty damn good, so please enjoy it. For all those interested, I’ll be DJing over @ ONE tonight around 12ish. It’ll be some house with hip hop vocals layered over parts of it. Some people call those mashups or bootlegs, even blends. I call it genius.
“My Love” vs. LCD Soundsystem’s “Someone Great” [mp3 download]
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Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
…A-Punked, that is. A lovely mash-up-ist by the name of Party Ben decided that Vampire Weekend and TI/Rihanna would sound lovely together.
I don’t know how he decided this was a good idea, considering how terrible the original “Live Your Life” is, but it works. A lot. This is great, amusing, and totally fun.
TI, Rihanna, & Vampire Weekend – Live Your Life, Punk [mp3 download]
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Saturday, February 21st, 2009
Snoop dogg, what are we going to do with you? First you mess about with Jim Morrison and now you mess about with Mr. Johnny Cash. Oh wait, “Riders on the Storm” was hot. And this record is pretty cool too. You might be violating some sort of sacred rock & roll commandments, but I won’t say anything.
To be fair, “Walk the Line” isn’t incredible – it’s got some weird small key-clashes that always put me off it, but at the same time it’s nearly endearing. Odd, yet endearing.
Snoop Dogg & Johnny Cash – Walk the Line [mp3 download]
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Friday, February 20th, 2009
Colin Munroe, of previous-post fame, has graced us with another track. We first heard him in the the fantastic “Colin Munroe is the Unsung Hero” mixtape. “I’m Fine” is a new track featuring Young Buck and continues the same wonderful trend of hip-hop beats, trumpet flairs, and R&B guitar finishes. Young Buck’s flow gets a little too close to Bun B at some points, but that’s not exactly a bad thing.
It’s been on repeat for the last 24 hours, so I’d suggest you see what it’s all about.
Colin Munroe feat. Young buck – I’m Fine [mp3 download]
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Monday, February 16th, 2009
A welcome departure from his other recent material, this track isn’t homophobic. Instead, it’s a gritty picture of hardship that is supported by a great beat. The bible imagery is a little much for me, but he’s got some fantastic biting lines in there:
“Pray to God AND the devil in church,/I’ma worship whoever hold me first./What you know ’bout trust?/ You ever got locked up?/ To have the prosecutor say you in luck!/ Tell us who gave you the dope, who gave you the pistol./Who told you to shoot it, think smart and think the sentences”
The beat is sharp, too – some great Chicago-style soul samples and a bass-line that reminds me of a downpour. If the majority of his new work is as impressive as this I’ll be a happy kid.
Rhymefest – Exodus 5:1 [mp3 - click to download]
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Friday, February 6th, 2009
Emilio Rojas, a Rochester-born rapper who attended the University of Rochester for at least a year, is responsible for one of the best city-anthems I’ve heard in a while (not that I’ve heard many). His track, “The 585,” is a shout-out for his hometown that praises our landmarks like the Klassy Kat gentlemen’s club. Below is a rough quality version.
“It’s the Roc ya’ll, the Roc ya’ll, and you know we’re headed to the top ya’ll.” You can bet your ass I’ll be rocking this at every UR party I play as soon as I manage to find a better quality version.
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