A JAZZ STATE OF MIND!
So, it's the day after one of the most important days in American history when we elected Barack Obama as the President of United States. Words cannot truly describe the feeling that I have at this moment. I am still trying to soak it all in at this point. While I'm doing so, I have found myself in a jazz state of mind. When I get in jazz mode and normally pull out some classics from some of my favorite artists like George Howard, Mike Franks, Najee, Miles Davis and Joe Sample. Yesterday, I decided to pull out some of my newer jazz joints and I put in the new Fourplay album called "Energy" to get my head right. I have been a fan of Fourplay since the beginning, so I pretty much know what to expect from this group of legendary old-timers. This album is great background music! Fourplay is a good group to start with if you are unfamiliar with contemporary jazz and you want to play it safe. They won't let you down.

After the Fourplay joint finished playing, I immediately put on the new Kim Waters album "I Want You" complete my listening experience. This album has a special connection with me because Kim is paying homage to the legendary Marvin Gaye. Anybody that digs Marvin is cool with me! I have also been rolling with Mr. Waters since the early days as well, and he's been pretty consistant over the years as well. This new album is no exception. Tracks like "Distant Lover" and the title track "I Want You" had me in rewind mode for the most part. Trust me, you'll be hearing these tracks sooner than later. Well, if you have already join my mailing list by that time you will. Another solid album from Mr. Waters. Oh yeah, and anybody that still thinks that Kim Waters is a female artists needs to step their jazz music game way up. Just because you have a sister or an aunt named Kim doesn't mean anything dammit! His momma calls him Kim, I'm goin to call him Kim...

Skip buying a rap album this month and pick up some jazz instead. Trust me, in a couple of years (or months in some cases) the majority of the rap you buy today will be worthless, but jazz is forever!

Click the album covers to hear some album snippets.

LEBRON'S NEW SHOE SPOT!


This joint is funny! Now, that I'm hearing rumors about King James possibly coming to the Detroit Pistons to play alongside Allen Iverson, I'm more interested in the kid now then I was before. I'm quite sure you can understand why, right? There are some dope soul classics playing in the background of this comercial joint as well, so check it out...

SOUND SPOT: TONY WILLIAMS
Remember the early beginnings of the singer Carl Thomas? He started his career on Bad Boy Records singing hooks for damn near every artist on the label back in the 1990s. Most knew his voice, but many didn't know his name. Meet the singer Mr. Tony Williams. He's on the same path as Carl to a certain degree. You've been hearing his voice for years now and you probably just didn't know it. Instead of Puffy's Bad Boy Record label, Tony is a member of Kanye's G.O.O.D Music label. Mr. Williams not only provides top notch vocals for those soulful Kanye West hooks, but he also writes music as well. Their musical bond dwells deeper than most because Kanye and Tony are first cousins. I'm quite sure having a family member like Kanye has helped Tony's opportunities for success overall, but who's complaining. Make no mistake though, Tony is a big part of the Kanye West sound that we know and love. Well, we love his sound most of the time anyway. Sometimes, his experimental edgyness can make even the most loyal fan to say WTFITS!

Anyway, it's Tony's time to finally shine and make his mark on the soul music game. Tony's debut album "The King or The Fool" hits the streets officially on...um...I wish I knew? No official word on when the new album will be available. All isn't lost though because I have provided some video footage that should be pleasing to the eyes and ears:

The Interview/Album Info


Dreaming of Your Love


Now, check out www.myspace.com/thetonywilliams +

Don't forget to join THIS AS WELL!

HAS MUSIQ SOULED OUT?
Before I even start this post, let me be clear! The date today is November 4th and the time is 5:59 PM (EST). If you are sitting somewhere right now reading this post on your computer and you haven't gotten off your azz to go vote, close your browser immediately and get moving! The time is now sucka! Okay, so where was I...Mr. Musiq Soulchild. I have been personally pleased with all of his projects up to this point in his career. Some were better than others, but overall they were all solid. I still remember when he was opening for Erykah Badu back in 2000 at some wack club in Denver, Colorado as an unknown by most. The audience was just glaring at him silently as he sang the words to his single. The few audience members that said anything were yelling, "When is Erykah coming on?"

Today, Musiq is a household name in soul and his new album entitled "OnMyRadio" hits the streets on December 9, 2008. I must say that I am not that impressed by his first two singles. They're just okay overall, but I still expect the new album to be pretty good regardless. The track list that I have seen on the Internet show guest appearances from Common, Chrisette Michele, Shawty Lo and a couple other folks I can't remember.

Hear more tracks by clicking below:

www.myspace.com/musiqsoulchild

IN THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN!
I'll be honest with you...I don't really get into the whole Halloween, trick or treat, Scooby Doo where are you type stuff! Being a grown azz man, that whole vibe is little kiddiefied (I don't think that's a real word) for my personal taste. Don't get me wrong though, I was all over that sh*t between the ages of 5 and 11! All I cared about back then was all of the candy I was going to get. I gave up the whole going door to door stuff when some knucklehead tricked me out of my treats by snatching my bag of candy! That pissed me off because my bag was damn near full too! I was semi-mentally damaged from that incident, so I put my homemade Peter The Pirate costume on the closet shelf for good! At this point in my life, I just don't have the time to be dressing up like somebody else when it's enough of a chore just picking out my work clothes. I can stare at the same pair of slacks for like 15 minutes before I even reach for a shirt.

Since, Halloween is tomorrow, I've decided to share some music that still gives me chilly-willies to this day when I hear them! These have got to be two the scariest songs ever made? I'm no punkalicious-cupcake by any means, but I know spooky when I hear it dammit! I've only play these tracks near Halloween and when people make special requests for them, but today I am sharing them with you. If you dare to download them, don't say that I didn't warn you. Put the kids to bed before you put these joints on...

Until next time we meet, have a safe Halloween!

Click here if you dare!

SOUNDNEXX MELODIC TRAVELZ!
Back down memory lane we go. No matter how many new singles and albums that come out weekly, I always find musical comfort in the old school jams of yesterday. Sometimes, the memories that a good old school jam can bring is more powerful than the music itself. Thinking about the good times is where its at. Remembering the days before I had to pay bills, cook my own food and work 40 hour weeks. I miss playing tag, Hide-N-Go Seek and my favorite of all Catcha Girl, Get a Girl! If you don't know what that last game I named is at this point, don't ask. Just trust when I say that it is as fun as it sounds. Hopefully, this mixx I call "Melodic Travelz" will have you cruising back down memory lane like it did me?

Check the playlist:

• 01-Give Me The Night - George Benson
• 02-You Can Have It - Kool & The Gang
• 03-Watch Out - Patrice Rushen
• 04-I Really Don't Need No Light - Jeffrey Osborne
• 05-No Limit - Kindred
• 06-Saturday Love - Alexander O'Neal/Cherelle
• 07-Whatcha Gonna Do With My Lovin - Stephanie Mills
• 08-You Eternally - Jazzanova ft. Dwele/Leon Ware
• 09-When Love calls - Alantic Starr
• 10-Tell Me If You Still Care - SOS Band
• 11-Waiting - Denise Williams
• 12-Lady I Love You - O'Bryan
• 13-The Sea - Jesse Boykin III
• 14-The Making of You - Gladys Knight & The Pips
• 15-Girl - The Time
• 16-Gentle - Fred & Gina
• 17-Jealous Girl - New Edition
• 18-Shadow Lover - Mary Jane Girls

If you haven't already, don't forget to join my mailing list by clicking the photo above.

THE YANCEY BOYS ARE ILL!
Every since I heard Illa J's EP a few months back, I had high hopes for this young man. Not just for the simple fact that he's a native Detroiter, but even more so that he's Jay Dee's brother. There has been a musical void in my personal world since J-Dilla's early departure and I have been trying to fill that void ever since. No luck so far. I guess you can say that I have high hopes of Illa J filling his brother's Timberland boots, even though that would be impossible for anyone to do acutally. You can't be mad at your boy for daydreaming though, right? Regardless, Illa J is a solid emcee and with the right production behind him I figured he could establish his own legacy. Having the last name of Yancey automatically puts obvious pressure on the kid to deliver the goods on every outing, but I think Illa is up for the challenge.

I am pleased to say that the new "Yancey Boys" album is a solid release overall. With Illa J rapping over all Jay Dee beats, how could it not be good. This project should definitely satisfy fans of that traditional boom-bap sound that Jay Dee was known for back in the day. Most of the tracks have that vintage Ummah flavor that we have all grown to love over the years. Illa's verses flow nicely over these hynotic beats, so I have no complaints there.

Unfortunately, I do have one complaint though! My complaint has nothing to do with the music though, but it's the album cover that bothers me just a little. I have one question. Why is Illa's lips so chapped in the album cover photo? It looks like he was tongue kisses chalkboard made out of decaying bricks for like 3 hours straight, and then decided to take that photo! Come on my dude. Use have to use some Vaseline, Chapstick, Blistex or even fish grease would do the trick. On second thought, maybe he's trying to keep it raw? Yeah, I know...bad SoundNexx!!

Well, that's my 14 cents on the topic, so I'll leave it there.

Purchase the Yancey Boys album on November 4, 2008!

Check out Illa's myspace page below:

www.myspace.com/illaj

JOIN THE SOUNDNEXX MOVEMENT!

SoundNexx is taking things to another musical level, so don't miss your opportunity to be apart of it! Click on the photo to find out more about the upcoming changes...

JON B IS BACK FOR HIS CROWN!

I think Roy Jones put it best when he said those famous words "Ya'll musta forgot!" Yes, my dude Jon B is back at it again. Remember, the guy that had the 90s on lock with his form of white chocolate soul? Sorry Mr. Thicke. The new album "Helpless Romantic" hits the streets on October 28, 2008. If you know like I know, you'll be getting your copy immediately.

If you doubt that Jon-Jon still has that flavor from yester-year, put ears on his new single "Ooh So Sexy" by clicking on his album cover.

www.myspace.com/jonboogotti

SOUND SPOT: LIQUID SPIRITS
Looking for some fresh musical sounds to get away from the same ole' same we call mainstream radio? Of course you are. Well, you can start by checking out my new favorite group representing Amsterdam, Netherlands that call themselves Liquid Spirits. This is a very diverse of talented folks that have come together for one common cause, which is making good soulful music. Liquid Spirits consists of 8 members (4 leadsingers + 4 instrumentalists) and they have collaborated with great artists like N'Dambi, Leon Ware, Lalah Hathaway, Phonte (Little Brother) and Daughters of Soul. With that members I think it's easy to name them the Wu-Tang Clan of U.K. Soul and R&B.

If you already dig the flavor of the groups like The Rebirth, The Brand New Heavies and Owusu & Hannibal, this group maybe right up your alleyway. Their first album entitled "Liquid Spirits" dropped back in December 2006, and even though it was a solid release it didn't make much noise over here in the United States. Fast-forwarding to 2008, L. Spirits are releasing their second album "Music" in November 2008. After hearing a few joints off of their promo joint, I'm digging it! If you snatched up my last mixx, you already heard a track from this project featuring Phontigalo.

Click the photo above to hear a few tracks from this group, and then click the links below to find out more information:

www.liquid-spirits.com

www.myspace.com/liquidspirits

MINDRITE MONDAY MIXX!
Personally, I hate Mondays unless its a holiday that allows me be off work and still get paid. Other than that rare occasion, they pretty much suck! Fortunately, most of my weekends are pretty entertaining, so I despise going back to the reality of getting up by way of the alarm clock. If you haven't heard, waking up with the sun is the shiznit! Every Monday I have to get mentally prepared for the obstacles that I have to endure on my way to work. It usually starts with aggressive drivers that tailgate you constantly because they're obviously running late for work again. Add that with all of the unnecessary road construction that seems to only be happening on the streets that I drive on, and that equals me throwing the bird up before I hit the employee parking lot. Things would be worse if I didn't have my music pumping in the mornings helping me get my mind right. I refuse to leave my garage before I get my music of choice in the vehicle. It's a must! Music calms my soul while the world annoys the hell out of me on either side of my bumpers. Good music in the vehicle works wonders for keeping me focused. Zoning out to some dope tracks is the shiznit too dammit, if you didn't know!

So, instead of keeping this addictive mixx for myself, I've decided to share it with you folks. Just a little something to get your mind right. Put ears and let me know what you think...

Track list:

• 01-What Say U - AKA Soulo
• 02-Bring It On (Remix) - Kino Watson
• 03-Break a Dawn - De La Soul
• 04-I Love LA - Jessika Quynn
• 05-Love - Jazmine
• 06-Yo Yo Affair - Madlib ft. Frenza
• 07-Make Up - Jazzy
• 08-Written On My Kitten (Remix) - Naughty By Nature
• 09-Who Do You Love - Bernard Wright
• 10-Hangin On A String - Loose Ends
• 11-Walked Outta Heaven (Remix) - J.E.
• 12-I Wanna Know - F.E.
• 13-So Far From Home - Jazzanova ft. Phonte
• 14-If You Don't Love Me - Liquid Spirits ft. Phonte
• 15-Away With Me - Jean Grae
• 16-The Way That I Live - Madlib ft. Stacy Epps
• 17-Fantasies - OlivierDaySoul
• 18-My Language - Steve Smith

GET UR MINDRITE HERE!

LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN...!

This may seem like deja vu to some of you because you were able to put your ears on this mixx prior to its unplanned disappearance. So, I decided to try this process again. I suggest that you get it as fast as you can before the powers that be try to stop you from getting it. On another note, I wanted to share my personal feelings about the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors show that aired the other night. I must say that I wasn't as entertained as I would have liked, but those De La Soul and Isaac Hayes tributes were the highlights of the show. Personally, I would like to see Mos Def and Q-Tip do a project together. A Black Star reunion would be nice too though!

Also, if you haven't purchased, borrowed, begged for or stolen a copy of that new Foreign Exchange album by now, you are definitely doing the opposite of winning! That album is classic material that deserves your attention immediately! If albums like that could make it to mainstream radio, the world maybe a better place right now? I did say maybe! Please, support Phonte and Nicolay. They are both humble katz just trying to make good music, so spend some money and show your appreciation for their efforts...

Now, get the Soulfessionz Mixx before you leave. The track list is available as well...

AAAANNNNNDDDD NOOWWWW...
It's SoundNexx babie!! Yep, your boy is back at it once again. It's been some minutes since my last post, but needless to say it was necessary for me to get a few things together. I love computers, but sometimes they can be a pain in thee asshole-glutorious! This haven we dwell in called the Internet is full of nasty little viruses that can quickly turn a fine running stallion of a machine into a constipated donkey with a limp. Nevertheless, everything is good to go now. I know a few of you probably thought that the SoundNexx movement was over when I did my last post. Truthfully, that's usually the calling card for bloggers that have decided to put their keyboard on the shelf for good. Not the kid though! I still have some things that I want to say and some music to share. I don't know how long I will continue on my quest with this blog, but we'll worry about that later.

Outside of making today my official return, it's also my birthday as well. So, that means I'll be ending my post right here for now. I got some celebrating to do dammit, so excuse me while I exit the building...


Thanks to everyone that sent me emails and left comments checking in on my status! It was greatly appreciated. I have some goodies coming, so be on the lookout...


1,2 & 3...

YOUR NAMETAG GOES HERE!
Not only is it my pleasure, but I actually feel that it is my duty to show support for some of the local artists on the come up here in Detroit. Many of them are already hood legends in many respects, but some of them deserve a little more shine. I think it's my dude Nametag's time to get some overdue recognition outside of the city limits of Detroit. Free music seems to a new artist's calling card in the new millennium. I'm not complaining either because I love free music. So, to get folks to get a taste of what Nametag is bringing to the rap table before his official joint drops, he's released a free mixtape called "Classic Cadence Vol. 1" with a mixture of new and older joints that you've never heard. One of the best parts about this mixtape is that Black Milk is handling most of the production. Who doesn't like Black Milk, right? Nuff said...

Nametag drops his official EP "Courtesy of Ambition" in November 2008!

TRACK LIST:

01. Intro Speech02. The Campaign (Produced By Magnif)03. Champagne Bottle Flow (Produced By Ski Beatz)04. Stylin On 'Em (Produced By Black Milk)05. Grammy Family (Freestyle) (Produced By Kanye West)06. Back To It (Produced By Magnif)07. Pipe Down (Produced By Black Milk)08. Forfeit (feat. Marv Won & Quest M.C.O.D.Y) (Produced By Black Milk)09. American (Freestyle) (Produced By Will-i-am)10. Bang Dis Shit (feat. Black Milk) (Produced By Black Milk)11. Neva Heard Neva Seen (feat. ONPoint) (Produced By ONPoint)12. The Beaten (Produced By Black Bethoven)13. The Lookout (feat. Black Milk & Fat Ray) (Produced By Black Milk)14. Rambo Rap (feat. B.Stormz) (Produced By B.Stromz)15. Say Somethin' (feat. Black Milk & Slim S.D.H) (Produced By Black Milk)16. Red Alert (Produced By Black Milk)17. Hollywood Divorce (Freestyle) (Produced By Andre 3000)18. Outro Speech

CADENCE IS HERE!

JAZZY & SKILLZ LIVE IN THE MIX!

Every now and then I actually come across a nice piece of hip-hop entertainment that actually entertains me. Go figure! One of the illest deejays/producers in the game today DJ Jazzy Jeff is behind the wheels of steel while Skillz plays the hypeman role. This is Jeff in his element doing what he does best. If you've never gotten a chance to witness this man cut and blend records before, here is your chance. Keep in mind that this whole set is live! No retakes or fill ins on here at all. There is no track list for this mix because there are just too many songs to name that are being ripped apart by Jeff. Talk about going back down memory lane. Trust me, there are plenty of classic hip-hop tracks to go around, so put ears on this one for sure...