MURS 4 PRESIDENT, SWEET LORD!
I have been meaning to do this particular post for a minute now, but I guess it's better late than never? If you are a true fan of that real underground hip-hop music, than you should already know about my dude Murs representing that Westcoast hip-hop, Cali style. Murs has been doing his thing lyrically for a minute now. As a member of the rap groups The Living Legends and Felt, Murs has definitely put his put his style of honest, yet care free lyricism on the map. Outside of the groups, this man has had a lengthy solo career as well. Personally, I have been an inconsistant fan of Murs since the early days, but it wasn't until he made his first album with producer 9th Wonder that I really began to appreciate his talent. Albums like "Murs 3:16" and "Murray's Revenge" (both produced by 9th Wonder) made me realize that with the right production behind him, Murs is a pretty solid emcee. The best quality about Murs in my opinion is that he's a rapper with a real perspective about life. He knows who he is as a man, and he's not ashamed to share his life's stories with us in rhymes, no matter how tragic they may be at times. I applaud that!

Recently, Murs & 9th Wonder have finally released their third project together entitled "Sweet Lord" and the best thing about it is that you can download it for FREE! I mean a legal download to, not that ole' bootlegging theivery that most of us are used to doing on the daily. Now, that is a real HIP-HOP move ladies and gents. Giving the fans some free quality music, 10 new joints to be exact. In return for this kind gesture, Murs wants everyone to legally purchase his upcoming album "Murs For President" that drops in September of 2008! It's like two albums for the price of one. Support good music dammit!!

First, click on the words SWEET LORD to get the new album...

Then, go to MURS & 9TH to peep out the details...

Finally, hit up my brotha from anotha Murs at:

www.mursmusic.com

SUNDAY SERENITY MIXX!
Originally when I began putting this particular mixx together in my head, I had it all planned out about the vibe I wanted to bring. Somehow the music took me where it wanted to go. I like where I ended up, but I definitely got there another way. You know how it is when you are trying to find that one CD that you want to put in the whip (vehicle) to ride to? Sometimes you know exactly what you want to hear, but other times you just see what jumps out at you. That's how my creative juices work when I am making a mixx most of the time. See for me it's not about having the hottest tracks in the streets right now in my mixxes, but it's about trying to create a musical theme. Putting songs together like a collage for your mind and ear stimulation. It's not about the individual tracks so much for me. Yes, I want each track to have enough likability to stand alone, but I also want it to work together with the other tracks that it shares space with during the mixx as well. Yep, I know...it's SIMPLY COMPLICATED!

I call this joint "Sunday Serenity" and it's a mellow rollercoaster of musical sounds all wrapped in a hard candy coated shell. Damn, I think I just described a peanut M&M?? Anyway, all you regulars know the routine by now, so have at it! Anybody here on their first date, welcome and just click around until you find something good.

SUNDAY'S PLAYLIST:

• 01-Obsidian Blue - Too Strong
• 02-RH ft. Anthony Hamilton - Kwah Home
• 03-Jimmey Abney - Come Go With Me
• 04-Boz Scaggs - Lowdown
• 05-Donald Byrd - Woman of The World
• 06-Confunkshun - Love's Train
• 07-DeBarge - I Like It
• 08-Floetry - Beautiful Day
• 09-J*Rawls - Tribute To The Beatnuts
• 10-Nate Dogg ft. Snoop Dogg - Never Leave Me Alone
• 11-Gino Vanelli - I Just Wanna Stop
• 12-Fred Joachim ft. Lauren Santiago - Heat It From You
• 13-RH ft. Q-Tip/Erykah Badu - Poetry
• 14-Sweetback ft. Amel Larrieux - You Will Rise
• 15-Zo! ft. Tiffany Paige - Funny How Time Flies
• 16-Patrice Rushen - Settle For My Love
• 17-RZA - Untitled Jazz #12

GET SERENITY HERE!

Then take a gander at this slice of funky spam on the way to you next destination:

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul

RAP'S FLYING MONKEY, BUSTED!
This is the most hilarious thing I have read all week, maybe in the last two weeks actually! Another fake rapper bites the dust. His name is Rick Foss a.k.a Ricky Ross from Miami. Personally, I have never been much of fan when it comes to this dudes music, but I did acknowledge his hustle. Whether he was a street kat or not never really concerned me, but when it comes to impressionable children it probably does. I guess that's why Rick chose not to speak truthfully to the photos that leaked of his past as a prison security guard. Instead, he chose to post a video of himself denying everything and stating the photos were fake. I understand his motives for trying to salvage his street image and possibly his rap career. I guess we can safely assume that this stunt back fired in Rick's face.

Here is the full story:

TheSmokingGun.com has confirmed that gangsta rapper Rick Ross did, in fact, work as a prison guard at one time.
The site matched the rapper’s Social Security number with that of William Roberts who graduated from the Florida Department of Corrections (DoC) training academy and was assigned to Dade County’s South Florida Reception Center in December of 1995. He was 19 years old at the time. He left the job in 1997.
Ross has adamantly denied that he worked as a corrections officer and he accused other rappers of using Photoshop to put pictures of his face on another person’s body.
"If this sh*t was real don't you think they would have more specifics, like dates and everything?" Ross told TheSmokingGun.com, "Fake pictures are created by the fake, meant to entertain the fake."

Personally, as soon as I saw that leaked photo, I knew it was him. I remembered what Rick Foss looked liked before all of the tats and the huge beard. This is back when Rick was a straight nobody, shadowing Trina in the "Told Ya'll" video from the "All About The Benjamins" movie soundtrack. Check out the video for yourselves below:

Told Ya'll (Video)

I want you to remember this date because I can pretty much guarantee that this will be the one and only time you will ever see Ricky Foss' face on my site. I am actually laughing as I type this, but I am really curious to see how diehard Ross fans will react now that the truth is out??

WHO'S GOT SKILLZ!
Emceeism is not just a state of mind, but it's actually a way of life for some artists. That's when a rapper writes rhymes of their own that actually rhyme (go figure) and the rhymes have some substance. No, these rhymes don't have to be about making the world a better place or how to stop homeless people from standing the freeway ramps begging, but they should speak about something relevant. What's relevant to you may not be relevant to me, and that is what makes hip-hop music so great. Somewhere down the line that concept was lost to a degree, and I don't how or when it happened. How a rapper can make a song about absolutely nothing is amazing to me. I used to think it was impossible to do such a thing, but sadly I've heard it done several times over the years.

Fortunately, there are still some rappers that still give a damn making music, and one them is named Skillz f.n.a Mad Skillz. I was an original fan of this kat when he first dropped the banging track "Nod Factor" back in the 90s! Back then I thought Skillz was going to be a staple in hip-hop, but sadly his music career has been hit or miss up to this point. Most people can't name 4 songs that Skillz has made throughout his career other than his infamous "Rap Up" tracks that he drops annually. His ability to spit about a whole year's worth of news and gossip in just over 4 minutes is impressive to say the least. It definitely shows that Skillz has not lost a rhyming step over the years, plus it gives a little merit to his rumored endeavors as a ghostwriter for many of your favorite rappers. No matter if you like Skillz or not, you definitely have to respect the man as a true emcee. Well, I guess you don't have to really??

Skillz is back in 2008 to try and prove himself to the masses once again that he deserves to be on your Top 10 List of greatest emcees ever. I can honestly admit that Skillz new album "The Million Dollar Backpack" is his best album to date since his debut! Hot beats, solid rhymes and honorable guest appearances are all present this time around. The album officially drops on July 22, 2008, which just happens to be tomorrow! Support good music!

Put ears on the track that has kept my head nodding for a minute now:

Don't Act Like You Don't Know feat. Freeway

Then peep these sites for of Skillz music:

www.myspace.com/skillz

www.skillzmusic.com

Then view the classic video:

Mad Skillz - Nod Factor

THE B.T.D.T SYNDROME!
Excuse the hellacious yawn, but it gets like that sometimes. I guess you can call this is a small music intermission. What I am about to type may hit home with some of you, while it’ll probably go over many of your heads, but I’m posting it anyway. Even though a lot of folks consider this site as a musical haven, it’s a blog too (sometimes anyway) where I will share a little insight on the man behind SoundNexx. I have ranted a few times on here about different things that have come to mind over the years, but for the most part I’ve kept is strictly business. Fortunately, this isn’t a rant for the most part, but it’s somewhat of a personal discovery.

When I was coming up as a youngster I fortunate when it came to music. My parents were music lovers, so I grew up hearing the classics in R&B, Jazz, Motown soul and anything else that sounded good back then. I truly believe that is where my love for music began. Over the years I came across other friends and family that also had a strong love for music. We would spend hours listening to and conversing about music. Normally, at some point these conversations would become focused on the new school vs. the old school. I would try to expose some of these old heads to new artists that my generation of youngsters was into, and they in turn would try to reveal how these new artists were just stealing from past artists. These so-called new ideas, concepts, hooks, production tricks and even lyrical content were mainly taken from past musical moments that I was unaware of. Initially, I would be a little bothered that these seasoned vets couldn’t relate to what I was exposing them too musically, but they were actually right in the end. I was naïve back then, but over the years I made it my mission to become more informed.

I never saw it happening, but I am actually one of them now! Them being the seasoned vets killing the dreams of today’s young music lovers. I have become that critical seasoned musical vet that has basically seen and heard it all, and is rarely impressed by today’s standards. I understand what is new musically to a teenager in 2008 has probably been done at least three or more times in the past. I have accepted that nothing is really NEW anymore! It used to blow my mind when I was younger and I would find out that a song I loved was a 4th or 5th generation remake! Here I am thinking this new dude or dudette was coming with some fresh musical heat, and then I’d find out later that it was actually Stevie Wonder or Aretha Franklin that originated the track. Would you call that paying homage or lazy thievery? That answer depends on whom you ask.

So, forgive me if I am not as enthusiastic about the latest rap or soul artist that is supposed to be the new new of hotness. Unfortunately, I have a sickness I like to call the “Been There, Done That Syndrome,” which stops me from getting too excited without some serious investigation first. I get a lot of music sent to me by folks that want me to review or critique it, which is fine by me. I am in no way the final authority on what’s hot or not. I’m just a man with an opinion, but I try to give people some HONEST feedback, especially if they ask for it. I figure some people think that I am going to stroke their egos with some positive feedback, even when I don’t like their music. Nope! I give it straight with no chaser because there is enough pollution on the musical airwaves today, and I refuse to cosign more of it. My opinion may seem personal, but it’s actually business for me. As much as I love music, I make it my business to help it survive where I can. I’m just doing my small part.

That iz all...

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming!


Before you leave, here an example of a classic track that has been remade several times over the years, but I present you with an original version:


Aretha Franklin - Something He Can Feel

LOST & FOUND: REMY SHAND

Can anyone tell me where in thee hell this kat is? Before everybody started jocking Robin Thicke, we had this man Remy Shand putting down the white choklate soul vibes. These are two of my favorite joints from his short career:

Remy Shand - Take A Message (Video)


Remy Shand - Rock Steady (Video)

Remy is probably hanging out with Maxwell, D'Angelo and Rebbie Jackson in the studio right about now??

PRETTY CATCHY INDEED!
Maybe it's just me? I could have sworn that this kat Fartley Bensworth was a butler/assistant just the other day. I still remember when I saw him holding an umbrella over Mr. Sean John himself as he exited the rear door of a limo somewhere in New York. I know Fartley has danced in a couple of rap videos over the year with his fancy umbrellas and oddly colored suspenders, but I never took him too seriously. Rumor had it that he was actually going to start his own designer umbrella line under the "Fartley Collection" brand, or was the Rihanna? No matter, I agree that it's time that somebody gave the Tote company some competition for the top umbrella spot dammit! Why should they be the only ones making any real money in the umbrella selling game. There's enough money for everyone, right??

Anyway, Fartley has dropped a new single that has been buzzing on the Internet called "Everybody" featuring Andre 3000, Sa-Ra and Kanye Western. It's not half bad either, mainly because of the guests appearances of course. It's a catchy concept track overall, but I'm still not convinced that Fartley a.k.a Bentley is skilled enough to hold down a whole album by his lonesome though. Time will tell. Honestly, it's always a good listen when Mr. 3000 (no Bernie Mac movie) blesses us with a couple of hot bars, so peep the new video...

Farnsworth Bentley - Everybody (Video)

Q-TIP FOR YOUR EARS!
One thing that I love and hate about hip-hop as a whole is how forgetful most of the part time fans are. Only remembering the most meaningless gossip with the obvious gimmicks included, but forgetting about the artists that helped make this genre what it is today. I can feel Ice Cube when he makes statements like "we started this gangsta shit" because rapper Roy Jones Jr. said it best when he echoed the words "Ya'll musta forgot!" It's hard for me to believe that with all the blogs on the internet today that nobody has mentioned my dude Q-Tips new album. I'll do it since I think the guy deserves it. The album is called "Abstract Innovations" and because it is Q-Tip I'll definitely support it. I know it originally leaked onto the internet a few years ago, but I think it still deserves some recognition. There are 17 tracks on the album with featured artists like Busta Rhymes, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Royce 5'9", Andre 3000 and another old school favorite of mines Heavy D on this track called LISTEN:

HEAR THE TRACK "LISTEN" HERE!

Then drop by Q-Tip spot and say whaddup to the kidd at:

www.myspace.com/qtip

An why they never made a video for this joint I'll never know...

J-Dilla + Busta + Q-tip = You Can't Hold A Torch!

SHE'S JUST PLAIN NASTEE!
Rap music has many faces and characters. Some you can care less about while others you adore as a fan. Then there are those rap artists that are located on the underbelly of the genre. The ones that are not really contributing any real value with their music, but are basically feeding off of the talented folks to make a quick buck. With that being said, I reintroduce to you a somewhat female artist named Khia. Talk about a one hit wonder with an attitude! Ever since the decent success of her trashy cult classic "My Neck, My Back" that made its way on the radio a few years ago, she has developed a funky disposition. No longer just a ghetto hoodrat that got lucky, but now she claims to be a talented business woman that needs another chance to prove herself. Since, her buzz died a tragic death a few years ago, she has done just about anything to get folks to pay attention once again. It has gone from posting nude photos on the Internet to tricking her way onto a rap reality show. Needless to say that nothing has worked. If we are lucky, it'll stay that way...

Khia's ability to be so disturbingly nasty makes me vomit in my mouth at times, but I know some of you freaks out there reading this post actually thinks this chic is hot. All I see is body odor and disease when I look at her! Khia's ability to make even the nastiest song even nastier has probably made Luke Campbell blush at one time or another. She can turn a classic Christmas melody into something stank, by just changing a few words around and adding a cheesy hook. It's her gift, which is also a curse...

If you haven't already, check out her version of this record:

GET YOUR CANDY HERE!

Now, make sure you go wash your hands after listening to that track...

HIP-HOP CONSCIOUSNESS!
Rap music has many faces. We've seen many artists in the hip-hop come and go time after time, but there are a few that actually stand the test of time. Remaining an legendary icon to some and a feared revolutionary emcee by others, Nasir is still here trying to change the game. Whether you hate him or not, you have to respect his musical hustle. Transforming from thug to teacher in a split verse like Oprah before she hits the talk show stage. Now, Nas is talented, but he can't touch Oprah's ability to change from oohgly to a half decent looking woman. While some rappers prefer spending their time talking about scuffing a fresh pair of Jordans, Nas is still making songs to stimulate our awareness like this...

Nas - Sly Fox

THE FEEL GOOD MIXX!
After a very busy and extended week of weddings, parties and BBQs, I'm back up in this bizzle once again. I'm feeling pretty good too! Got to see some friends and family over the holiday that I haven't seen in a while, so it was cool catching up a little bit. Even with my tight schedule, I was still able to put a little something together to get your musical heads right. It's simply called "The Feel Good Mixx"...filled with good music and vibes that will hopefully get you folks through the work week. As usual, put ears on this mixx when you get a minute.

I would like to welcome all of my new visitors to the SoundNexx Experience. I recognize that most of you newbies enjoy going through my massive archives to read the past posts and download the mixxes that you have missed up to this point. Some of you even leave me comments on posts that I may have done one year ago, which is cool! Better late than never, right?Don't think that I am not reading your comments because my reply may be delayed at times, because I am. I'm always down for a good debate or just a simple exchange of opinions.

Okay, on to the real reason why you come through here...

THE FEEL GOOD PLAYLIST:

01-Berry Feel Gooood Intro
02-Nathea - Can You Be My Ghurl
03-Greg Street ft. Nappy Roots - Good Day
04-Ashanti ft. Jerm Dupri - Good Good
05-Dwele ft. Bahamadia - High
06-Honore - Wonderful
07-Common ft. Pharell - Announcement
08-Mos Def - Travellin' Man (Green Remix)
09-Olivier Daysoul - She Proto 2
10-Wayna - Not Gonna Go
11-Kam Moye - Where & Why
12-Dwele - If You Want To
13-Little Brother ft. Tiye Phoenix - Too Late For Us
14-Peter Hadar - Sleeping Pills
15-Hil St. Soul - Black Rose
16-Muneshine - Today's Special
17-INT - Beat 8
18-Rick James - Mary Jane (G. Lantern Remix)
19-V - She Wants To Be
20-Lettuce ft. Dwele - Move On Up
21-Sleepy Brown - Till (Your Legs Start Shaking)
22-Up Hygh ft. Little Brother - Keep On
23-Dwele - 5 Dolla Mic
24-Kindred The Family Soul - If I

GET THE FEEL GOOD HERE!

SECOND LINK HERE!

THE OFFICIAL J*DAVEY RELEASE!

I have been supporting the J*Davey movement since the beginning, and it's been some years actually. The saddest thing about this group is that they are now just getting the musical break they deserve. The kind of break that will get their wonderful music recognition all over the world. They deserve it! These two cool folks have been putting in some serious work for a minute trying to get their brand off of the ground. Music bidness obstacles have kept them from gaining momentum up to this point, but their future looks sunny. Today, they have officially released their underground classics so that those with no true interest in being download savvy can finally attain their music. The serious downloaders been had these joints in their MP3 collection. Better late than never for those that don't just yet. The best part about this release is that both of their projects "The Beauty In Distortion" and "The Land of The Lost" are included for one reasonable price. You can't beat that even if your name was Ike Turner!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE!

CELEBRATING 80'S MUSIC!
Because I have been overloaded with music for the majority of my life, it has become pretty challenging for me to get my excitement level high for the average releases. There are exceptions though, and this upcoming Zo! & Phonte "Love The 80's" project is one of them. I am a fan of both Zo! (my Detroit brother) and Phonte (one of my favorite emcees in the game), plus I digs me some 80's pop and rock music! This is a big win-win for me! I know that may be hard to believe since I traditionally keep it soulfully blissful around these parts, but please don't get it confused. I would have no problem pulling out some Hall & Oates on that azz quick, fast and in no real hurry, so take me serious once you stop laughing. Due to great marketing tactics the track listing for this project has been kept somewhat under wraps. This makes the internet buzz even bigger, which should help those 2,500 limit CD copies to move pretty quick when it officially drops on July 8th! These are the kinds of projects that music needs to keep it interesting and vibrant. As stated by Phonte...don't take this project for a joke. This is a serious project with quality vocals and production. I know it's hard to believe that when you put eyes on the album cover, right? Can somebody say "You've got that SOUL GLO!" Let me quit, because I know some of you are dripping Jeri Curl juice on your computer keyboard as you read this...

If you haven't already (which I don't know why you haven't), download my Phontigallo's Phavorites Mixx that I did back in 2007, and hear a few of the tracks that will be on this project.

Then put eyes on this...

Zo! & Phonte - Take On Me

PRODUCERS 2 CHECK 4: DJ MITSU
Continuing on with my posts showcasing some of my favorite producers in the game, this kat right here is next on the menu. He's provided some of the hottest remixes and produced tracks that my ears have ever encountered. I call him Mr. Mitsu-su, but most know him as DJ Mitsu The Beats! Dude is Japanese reppin' Sendai, Japan, but don't make any hasty judgements about this dude. He's nice with his! In the spirit of Japanese deejays that have come before him like DJ Krush and DJ Honda, he too has been able to put his personalized stamp on American hip-hop and soul music. His style of production generally has the smoothed out soulful/spacey feel to it that usually makes a good song even better. Personally, I have been watching DJ Mitsu's music career blossom over the last 5 years or so, and this kat has not missed a beat (pun intended). His early vinyl only released remix joints titled "RE: New Awakening Volumes 1, 2 & 3" are the main reasons why I started paying attention to this dude in the first place. He remixed several hot records for artists like Kev Brown, Little Brother, Rich Medina, Waajeed and Sa-Ra, just to name a few. Good stuff no matter how you slice it. Since, Mitsu lives in Japan, his music (imports normally) is a little bit harder to locate stateside, but with a little creative savvy nothing is impossible to find. Yes, the Internet can be a wonderful cesspool of weath and knowledge, if used properly boys and girls...

Time for some visual sound FX for your eyes and ears:

DJ Mitsu - Untitled No. 9


DJ Mitsu is part of a larger group of hot producers and artists working under the Jazzy Sport label. There's a lot of good stuff coming out of that camp, but again it's up to you to find it where you can. You can start your quest by putting ears on this little Mini-Mitsu Mixx that I put together for your listening pleasure. This will give you a taste of what Mr. Mitsu is bringing to the lunch table production wise...

MINI MIXX PLAYLIST:

1~Count Bass D - Benzaiten Love
2~PPP ft. Tiombe Lockhart - Stay With Me (Remix)
3~DJ Mitsu - Untitled No. 9
4~Dwele - Right Here (Flutty Mix)
5~DJ Mitsu - Mine Lady
6~Diverse - Ain't Right (Mitsu Remix)
7~DJ Mitsu ft. Talib, Pete Philly & Perquisite - Hope (Remix)

MITSU IS HERE!

Oh, and before you leave, be sure the check the Mixx Re-Up column on the right to kopp some older mixxes you may have missed. I just added a few...

JAY-DEE'S ESTATE & INFRINGEMENT!
I was made of aware of this informative article in the LA Times by my Detroit home K-Fresh at Renaissance Soul Detroit. If you are a Dilla fan or just a fan of hip-hop music you need to put eyes on this article. Dilla's estate is going through some hardships right now, and copyright infringment is at an all time high...


CHECK THIS OUT!