SoundNexx

JEAN GRAE'S ORCHESTRAL FILES!
The definition of a true female emcee seems to be almost extinct in 2007! There are a few exceptions, but for the most part there is a definite hole in the female rap category these days. I miss the ruff and rugged type female rappers like MC Lyte, Antoinette, Sweet Tee, Boss, Queen Latifah, etc. They brought a sense of balance to this lopsided industry with their “women can do it too” type attitudes. Now, the female rap legacy rests on the shoulders of a chosen few, and Jean Grae is definitely one of the female emcees out here that’s consistently doing her thing! As long as I have been a Jean Grae fan, I just recently found out that her real name is Tsidi Ibrahim and she was born in South Africa. I always thought she was born and raised New Yorker for some reason, and that’s probably because she has that serious East coast swagger about her. One of the most impressive things about Jean is that she has gained respect as an emcee across the board from the hardcore thugs to the underground backpackers. It’s a unanimous decision that Ms. Grae is a definite force to be reckoned with on the microphone, so if you’re not on her bandwagon yet you should definitely be trying to get on it!

So, as usual I was perusing the internet looking for that new hotness when I stumbled upon some new Jean Grae material. This collage of unreleased tracks entitled “The Orchestral Files” just appeared out of nowhere. This material was definitely made before Jean Grae signed with Talib Kweli’s Blacksmith label, but these songs have never been officially available for fans until now. If you didn’t know Jean is one of the first emcees representing New York on the independent scene. She worked closely with other respected emcees like Pumpkinhead and Bad Seed back in the day, plus she was an original member of the group Natural Resource and affiliation with the infamous Brooklyn Academy crew as well. She’s also down with the several members of the Justus League and the Polyrhythm Addicts, so a lot of these songs were made during that timeframe. The “O-Files” is full of that ruff, rugged and raw Jean Grae flavor that her fans have come to know and love over the years. When you get a chance be sure to put your ears on it and hear what you think.

Get familiar with Jean Grae a.k.a What-What below:

www.jean-grae.com

Then check out tracks from Jean's new joint below that:

The Orchestral Files

In other SoundNexx newz..

If you haven't already make sure you check out my latest addition to this blog called "SOUNDNEXX'S MIXX ENSEMBLE" located on the right-upper portion of the main page (under video player). This is where I will be posting previous mixxes that may have been requested or the original links are no longer available. Think of it as one stop koppin'! If you need to the track listings for these mixxes just Google mixx title. I will be adding and subtracting links peridically, so stay posted.