DETROIT'S ALL A BUZZ RIGHT NOW!

The streets of Detroit are buzzing right now, and it’s not just because there are some very hot joints being dropped by some local emcees soon either. If you haven’t heard already, the Mayor of Detroit was recently put on blast by the local media over some private/scandalous text messages retrieved by some unknown source. These explicit text messages revealed that he had a sexual relationship with his female Chief of Staff a few years ago. Did I mention that the Major is married, and she’s not the Chief of Staff? It’s a pretty ugly situation no matter how you slice it, but what’s even worse is that they both lied under oath about their affair during a previous investigation. So, while the rest MI is caught up in this embarrassing scandal, I’m concentrating on these new HOT albums that are about to be released in next few weeks. Check these joints out…

My dude Guilty Simpson will be releasing his first solo project entitled “Ode To The Ghetto” that hits the streets on March 25, 2008. Stones Throw is taking care of business too with making sure this project is solid. The production is dope with Madlib, Mr. Porter, Black Milk and Oh No handling the majority of the beats. Simpson delivers the goods on this album when it comes to the raw verses as well. He keeps it gritty, street and hilariously clever as always with straight laced witty punch lines and commanding vocal tone. This is what we have come to expect from this emcee, and why we remain such fans of this young man. If you have been hanging around this site like a good internet surfer for any period of time you should be pretty familiar with Guilty’s style, but if not check this track out:

Mr. Simpson - Robbery

While Guilty is doing his thing-thing reppin' the D, there’s another Detroit local type emcee that goes by Fat Ray who has something planned to get you familiar with his movement as well. The best thing about Fat Ray’s latest project “The Set Up” is that the hottest producer from Detroit right now Black Milk is providing all of the production on the joint! What else can an emcee really ask for? If you can’t get a J Dilla beat to rap over, getting one from Madlib, Black Milk or Mr. Porter is not a bad substitute. Fat Ray has been on the mic for a minute now spitting those street tales that the locals know and love, but now it’s time for Ray to take his career to the next level. Since, Black Milk is a household name in 2008, it makes sense and cents for Ray to do this project right now. After hearing a few tracks from this project it sounds pretty good too. I’m possibly biased though? See, I digs house, soul, reggae, jazz, soft rock, hip-hop and hardcore rap music as well. I enjoy a good raw street type rap record every now and then. It kind of takes me back those early N.W.A. days. So, if you like a little gutta-butta like I do every once in a while be sure to put your ears on both of these albums out when they drop.

Peep this clip before you leave though:

Black Milk featuring Fat Ray

THE RE-UP TIMES TWO!
As always, when I get a minute I will try to re-up mixxes of SoundNexx's past when time permits. Today, I am sharing two mixxes that have requested for re-up by several visitors. If you missed these joints the first time around, get them why you can. Oh yeah, and before I lock the door on this short post, let me address a question that I get asked A LOT! The question is: Why do you post your mixxes in one large MP3 file instead of individual songs? Here is the answer: This is the age of MP3 players, so I like to have my mixxes in one file so when I'm listening to them in my iPod everything is together. I hate those annoying pauses between songs during any mixx. Lastly, some of the music that I share in my mixxes are hand delivered by the artists or record labels. I use these mixxes to give these great artists some deserved exposure, and a opportunity for my visitors to hear some great songs. I have a small rep to uphold, so I can't have these joints all over the internet with 10,000 downloads on some anonymous Upload file. I haven't forgotten about my old schoolers that still enjoy burning CDs though, so I make my mixxes short enough to fit on a disc as well.


So, I hope this answers the question?

Get these mixxes before you jet if you haven't already:

SoundNexx N.Y.E. 06 Chillout Mixx

SoundNexx HipHop Reggae Mixx

MARIAH IS THAT CHICK-EN!
Remember...when Mariah Carey was married and her music/image had that 'Leave It To Beaver' type feel to it? We all watched as she ran barefoot through the grass with her turtle necks and country style ankle length skirts on in video after video. She seemed like the prime example of good-clean wholesum living, while making those feel good anthems that your grandmother could sing along to without any embarrassment. Unfortunately, that was all image trickery cleverly mastered by her mind-controlling ex-husband/ex-manager who knew the truth about Mariah. The truth is Mariah has always wanted to get bucket-naked in front of the camera, and ever since their break up she's done just that! Well, sorta? I'm a man, so I'm not mad at her for showing off the enhanced goodies, but now it seems like she's doing it JUST to get some needed attention.

Luckily, Mariah can still hold decent note in the new millennium, because her druggie/drunken shinanigans over that last few years have ruined my personal image of this great singer. Now, she's preparing to drop a new album in 2008 creatively titled "That Chick" where she's naked on the cover hiding behind a lucky hat. I pray that if this new album stinks that there are atleast some controversal photos inside of the CD sleeve to make up for it? Now that I think about it, I bet most of you folks haven't seen a REAL CD booklet (sleeve) since 1997! Yes, you should be very ashamed!

Where's Whitney when you need her dammit??

THE EBONY SOULUETTE MIXX!
Now, that I have finally recovered from my Cloverfield motion-sickness-migrain-headache that's been lingering around for the last couple of days, I can actually get back to posting! Movies that have a lot of running with hand held video cameras suck! Anyway, it's Martin Luther King, Jr's Day today, so I hope you (Americans) did something constructive other than just staying home and watching People's Court all day? Today, I bought a homeless man a new pair of shoes, sat at the front of the city bus, made a new caucasion friend, and then my alarm clock suddenly went off waking me up from my dream. Damn, I hate when that happens! Since, I did so much in my dream, I decided just to donate some clothes to the Salvation Army after I got off work today. It's about more giving and less taking in 2008. So, with that being said...

I am giving you good folks another soulful goodie for your MP3 and CD players that should definitely enrich your spirits. I call this one the "Ebony Souluette Mixx" because I thought it was pretty catchy? As usual, make sure you put your ears on this one if you consider yourself a soul music lover. Even if you don't, listen to it anyway just because I posted it for you.

EBONY SOULUETTE MIXX TRACK LISTING:

01*omar > painful truths
02*jill scott > rightness
03*4hero ft. d brock & phonte > give in
04*myron > turn to you
05*mary j blige > hurt again
06*hil st. soul ft. dwele > baby come over
07*erro > when love calls
08*cynthia jones > gotta soul
09*raheem ft. floetry > marathon
10*k'jon > feels like love
11*v > confess
12*jean grae > it's alright
13*dion ft. game > runnin'(soul vocal mixx)
14*wes felton > beyond the sky
15*marcell & the truth > time stops
16*lonna haroin > tender mercy
17*valarie adams > i think of u
18*luvbugz > under these covers
19*natasha bedingfield > these words (elleuud soul mixx)

GET THE EBONY SOULUETTE HERE!

ERRO - PEN JUST CRIES AWAY (VIDEO)

This joint is definitely one of my favorites on Eric Roberson's "Left" album featuring Kev Brown on production! Classic soul just the way we need it, so peep it out!

RAHEEM'S NEW ALBUM DROPS ON THE 15TH!
Unless you’ve been living on another planet for the last decade and you hate music, you know that new music drops ever Tuesday! On January 15, 2008, which just happens to be a Tuesday it’s a great day for soul music lovers. Why? Because my dude Raheem DeVaughn a.k.a The Neo-Soul Hippie is finally releasing his long-awaited second album “Love Behind the Melody!” I want to encourage you folks to show Raheem some deserved love by purchasing his new album. I’ve had a promo copy of his album (thanks to Raheem) for about a week now and I am really enjoying his new album. Even though I have a promo joint, I’m still buying his new album to show support. That’s what it’s all about though. Show support to the real artists that are making real music that you like or one day they may stop making music all together. Spend money to see them when they do concerts in your area. This is how they make most of their money to pay for their living expenses. I’m stepping down off of my soapbox now to speak on Mr. DeVaughn’s new album.

Let me start off by saying that if you are looking to hear the same exact sounds that you heard on his first album change your thinking. It has been a minute since Raheems debut, so he’s changed it up a little bit this time around. I think that’s a good thing though. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely the Raheem flavor that we’ve come to expect, but he seems more polished this time around. This is definitely a love & relationships themed album, and there are definitely some slow jam bangers that will have you hitting the rewind button if that’s your thing. One song that definitely has my ears buzzing outside of his hit single “Woman” is the track titled “Marathon” featuring Floetry! That’s a real banger, so I’m know you’ll be hearing that one real soon around these parts. This is a really dope album that I hope will finally puts Raheem on the map with the mainstream masses. Put your ears on this one for sure when you get the chance, if you truly love soul music.

RAP ATTACK: GAZELLES MIXX (SIDE B)!
It’s 2008 now, and even though the some music memories are fuzzy for many I still remember true hip-hop. When there was genuine artistry with a fun attitude. Originality seems to be trying to make a stagnated come back to a degree, but we are still a long way from the early years. Remember when beat boxing was shiznit? I still remember the first time I heard the Human Beat Box (shown on the left in his diamond studded Gazelles) from the legendary group The Fat Boys a.k.a The Disco 3 do his thing. It literally blew me away! Making sounds like that was unheard of back in the 1980s, so the Fat Boys style of hip-hop changed the game. Before you knew it other rap crews were incorporating beat boxing into their hip-hop arsenal. Some were good at it while others were just straight wack.

One rap group that held their own when it came to the beat-boxing game was The Fat Boys’ arch-nemesis The Skinny Boys. They didn’t have any real beef with each other, but it was funny how they were total opposites in the looks department. The Skinney Boys definitely showed that you don't have to be fat to be fresh. Their leading man The Human Jock Box was the equivalent of The Human Beat Box, and this kid was just as talented when it came to mouthing original beat patterns. Back in the day I used to beat box myself. I was pretty damn good too, so I was often asked to beat box for the dope local emcees in school that chose to battle for bragging rights in the cafeteria. Yep, I was the dude back then? Even today with two glasses of water and a small oxygen tank by my side I could definitely do some serious beat boxing for at least 35 seconds straight? If your freestyle is longer than that, I can’t do nothing for you man!

Outside of beat boxing, hip-hop dances were real popular back in the day too! Yes, there is still dances being developed in hip-hop today, but most of the stuff done today is too complicated or just plain stupid. Hell, maybe if I were 15 yrs. old again all of these new dances would make sense, but compared to who I had for hip-hop dance teachers in the past makes these new schoolers seem juvenile. Artists like Kid-N-Play, Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane and Mr. Can’t Touch This himself, M.C. Hammer would dance these new millennium teenagers into the ground with only one shoe on. All those other rappers were definitely good on the hip-hop two-step tip, but M.C. Hammer was the truth! I was a real fan of Hammer when he first hit the music scene. I still remember buying independently released first album on cassette before it was re-released after his deal. I know folks in 2008 try to act like they never liked Hammer even before he fell, and I quickly tell them to STOP LIEING! No, I didn’t wear those infamous Hammer pants, but I damn sure learned most of his tighest dance moves from his classic videos. They were like a dance study guide for amateurs, and I won a couple of monumental dance contests around the way for my diligent practicing sessions. I remember when Hammer challenged Michael Jackson to a dance contest, but of course Mike never accepted. I think that was the best decision for Mike though, because I think he would have lost both his penny loafers and high-water pants to Hammer during that dance off. I could probably beat the glitter gloved one in a dance in 2008, as long as my trusty oxygen tank is close by.

Okay, enough talk people let’s get into some music. I took back to some real retro hip-hop that represents some of my favorite dance and beat box tracks. This is actually SIDE B of my Rap Attack hip-hop mixx series. I call this on the SoundNexx Rap Attack: Gazelles (Side B) Mixx. If you missed SIDE A of this mixx get it HERE! If SIDE B doesn’t get your head bobbin’ then check your pulse because you just might be dead.

RAP ATTACK: GAZELLES MIXX TRACK LIST

01*ROB BASE & DJ EZ ROCK - IT TAKES TWO
02*MC HAMMER - PUMP IT UP
03*CHUBB ROCK - YA BAD CHUBBS
04*KRIS KROSS - JUMP
05*HOUSE OF PAIN - JUMP AROUND (PETE ROCK REMIX)
06*STEZO - PUT YOUR BODY INTO IT
07*GIGOLO TONY - SMURF ROCK
08*2 LIVE CREW - THROW THAT 'D'
09*JOESKI LOVE - PEE-WEE'S DANCE
10*EPMD - STEVE MARTIN
11*DIGITAL UNDERGROUND - HUMPTY DANCE
12*KID-N-PLAY - GITTIN' FUNKY
13*THE JUNGLE BROTHERS - 'U' MAKE ME SWEAT
14*CHUBB ROCK - TREAT EM' RIGHT
15*SPECIAL ED - COME ON, LET'S MOVE IT
16*THE FAT BOYS - HUMAN BEAT BOX
17*SKINNY BOYS - THE HUMAN JOCK BOX
18*BAD BOYS - INSPECTOR GADGET
19*BIZ MARKIE - BIZ IS GOIN OFF
20*BROTHERHOOD CREED - HELLUVA

GET RAP ATTACK SIDE B HERE!

AND

GET RAP ATTACK SIDE A HERE!

YOUTUBAGE CLIP OF THE WEEK!!

Personally, I choose not to post a lot of useless Youtubage on my site, but sometimes I'll make an exception. This clip is one that is definitely worth watching just to be able to say that you've seen it! This beautiful young lady goes by the name of Lunga. I was amazed by her abilities and I'm sure you'll be too. All of you active ladies out there taking yoga, pilates and jazzersizing classes may want to step up your flexibility game after seeing this one. Please, don't try this at home...

Also, if anyone knows the name of the song in this video, please let me know!

THIS IS AN IMPROMP2 POST!
By now it’s no secret that I loves me some hip-hop, reggae, house and soul when I’m ready to get hyped, but I also like to smooth things out with a little jazzy sensation from time to time as well. On some grown folks type-ish. As much as I enjoy listening to artists like Little Brother and Masters at Work, they are not appropriate for every occasion. Sometimes I just want some relaxing background music while I’m doing something around the house or on an late night drive. BTW, if you haven't been on a late night drive yet you're definitely missing out. Recently, I just came across the third album from one of my old favorite jazzy rap-soul groups from back in the day Impromp2 entitled “Definition of Love.” The group Impromp2 is made up of musicians Johnny Britt and Sean Thomas. The first time I heard these guys was on there first single “Enjoy Yourself” off of their debut album “You’re Gonna Love It” back in 1995! Don’t be surprised if you here that joint on one of my upcoming mixes some day real soon because that track still sounds good even in 2008.

Impromp2 is back at it with the release of their fourth album entitled “It Is What It Is.” They are definitely taking it back to their musical roots on this album. Judging by many of the articles I’ve read it’s pretty obvious that they are not too pleased with the way the music scene has changed over the years. With this album they are trying to make a difference, hopefully awakening the senses of real music lovers that have been polluted with trash lately. So, if you’re looking for something refreshingly smooth to put your ears on give Impromp2 a listen. There’s a great possibility that you just might like it?

If you have never heard of Impromp2 here is your chance to get familiar.

www.impromp2.com

Check out some sounds from Impromp2 below:

Impromp2 Music

IT WAS OH SO SAMPLE THEN!
Look at your monitor, is it a turd, no... is it David Blaine, nope…it’s DJ SoundNexx babie (echo effects go here)! This is not a trick folks. This is my first official post for the New Year. Yep, your boy is back at it again for the 2007 plus one! This year makes it approximately two years since I started this blog. What does that mean? Nothing really, just that I have dedicated a lot of my personal time to share my love for music with you good folks over these past two years. That’s about it. I won’t bother getting into those irrelevant statistics about how my visitor traffic has increased or how many site hits I get per day because who really cares about that stuff anyway. Running this spot is strictly a hobby for me that some folks actually like to check out from time to time, and that’s cool with me. I try to keep things simple around here. So, you may be wondering what new things do I have in store for 2008? The answer to your question is “not a dayum thang playa!” I just plan on bringing you more DOPE artists to explore and many more tunes to enjoy. Seriously, if you want to share any suggestions or ideas that you feel are worthy, feel free to do so.

Speaking of tunes, to start off the New Year right I am sharing my fifth installment of my Sample This Lesson series mixxes. With this mixx I am showcasing one my favorite old school artists Donny Hathaway. He’s not just any ole’ artist, he’s a legend to many. His voice and sound were like no other in his class. While many have tried to duplicate there will only be one Donny Hathaway. His music is timeless and I still keep many of his tracks in my rotation even today. I chose three of my favorite Donny Hathaway tracks that have been sampled by many artists over the years for this mixx. There are also several samples in this joint that have been used by artists like Lil’ Kim, Common, Little Brother, Kanye, Jay-Z, Nas, etc. that should be pretty recognizable by most. See how many of them you can name. Put your ears on this one for sure!

SAMPLE THIS LESSON 5 TRACK LIST:

01>louis Armstrong – what a wonderful world
02>quincy jones – emerald city
03>jeff lorber – rain dance
04>steely dan – black cow
05>junior – is this love
06>donny Hathaway – love, love, love
07>dorothy ashby – cause I need it
08>al green – something
09>enchantment – silly love song
10>j.d. rogers – faithful to the end
11>mel & tim – keep the faith
12>greg perry – come on
13>george duke – someday
14>rose royce – love is in the air
15>foster sylvers – misdemeanor
16>Montana – wrap factory
17>grover Washington – black forest
18>bobby Caldwell – my flame
19>chi-lites – that’ how long
20>Isaac hayes – ike’s mood pt. 1
21>donny hathaway ft. roberta flack – you are my love
22>the sylvers – what love is made of
23>otis redding – it’s too late
24>Freda payne – the road we didn’t take
25>donny hathaway ft. roberta flack – be real black for me
26>baby huey – hard times
27>mad lads – promises of yesterday
28>nipsy russell – what would I do
29>james brown – get up, get into it, get involved

GET SAMPLE LESSON 5 HERE!

Oh yeah, before I exit I wanted to give a type out to my peoples and visitors overseas that check out SoundNexx on the regular! Since, it is January 5th today, this will be the last day that I will say or type the words "Happy New Year" until the ball drops in 2009!

Deuces...