EARTEST: JOURNEY*LA*FEMME MIXX

This mixx is strictly showcasing female artists that have my attention at this point, and hopefully after listening to this joint they will have yours ears as well. It's a musical journey, so pack a lunch because you will be gone for a while...

Playlist:

1*maiysha - sledgehammer plush remix
2*green tea - great 2 me
3*rain - boss
4*brittany bosco - city of nowhere
5*georgia anne muldrow - john de conqueror
6*melanie fiona - ay yo remix
7*lauryn hill - lost ones kq remix
8*nneka - beautiful
9*lisa shaw - honey
10*andreya triana - angel lady remix
11*erykah badu - the cell
12*natalie williams - lil' wiser
13*lylit - change
14*monica blaire - promise me
15*deborah jordan - the light
16*joy jones - supernova
17*oceana - lala
18*corrine bailey rae - enchantment amp remix
19*hope - the rain don't last
20*giovanca - a matter of fact
21*yahzarah - usually
22*fatima - lil' girl
23*kissey asplund - car ride

TAKE THE JOURNEY HERE!

SOUND SPOT: MAIYSHA


Recently, there has been a large amount of female singers popping up all over the place. I can't even keep up with them all. I'm definitely not complaining because I love music, and I prefer too much of it rather than not having enough. I am still playing catch up, so if you already know about this next young lady feel free to skip to the next post. With that being said, I present you with another female singer to put on your musical radar, if you haven't already.

Maiysha is her name and she representing that Brooklyn flavor. Personally, I really like her voice. She makes me pay attention, which is mandatory for me to remain interested in most records. Did I already mention that Maiysha is very easy on the eyes as well? Do I really need to? Anyway, make it your business to check out Maiysha's "This Much Is True" album. It's a solid album in my personal opinion. If it wasn't I probably wouldn't be doing this post. My favorite track from the album is "Sledgehammer" and the Plush Remix of that track is dope as well.

Check out the video and hear it for yourself:



Get more Maiysha in your life by clicking the link below:

www.myspace.com/maiyshamusic

TRU WU-TANG FANS REJOICE!


In my world there is a distinct difference between real life and fantasy. I have developed plenty fantasies over the years like riding on a flying unicorn, waking up to discover 10 million dollars in my garage, and finding out the official release date for the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2 album. Do you remember how dope the original Cuban Linx joint was when it dropped? Of course you do! How could you forget? That album solitified Wu-Tang's status in hip-hop in my opinion.

Fortunately, Raekwon and Ghostface have finally come together to create OB4CL Part 2 in hopes of capturing that hip-hop magic once again. I have high hopes for this Wu project, but if it even comes close to its predicessor I will be pleased. I am happy to see production duties for the album include: RZA, J-Dilla, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Mathematics, Scram Jones and Dr. Dre.

The official album release date is September 8, 2009. Keep your toes crossed because as you know things can change.

OB4CL Pt. 2 Tracklisting:

01. Return To The North Star (Feat. Papu Wu) (Interlude)(Prod. Bt)
02. House of Flying Daggers(Feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah & MethodMan)(Prod. J-Dilla)
03. Sonny’s Missing(Prod. Pete Rock)
04. Pyrex Vision(Prod. Marley Marl)
05. Cold Outside (Feat. Suga Bang & Ghostface Killah)(Prod. Atl)
06. Godfather (Feat. Inspectah Deck)(Prod. Rza)
07. New Wu (Feat. Method Man & Ghostface Killah)(Prod. Rza)
08. Penitentiary (Feat. Ghostface Killah)(Prod. Bt)
09. Criminology 09 (Feat. Ghostface Killah)(Prod. Bt & Rza)
10. Fat Lady Sings(Prod. Rza)
11. Canal Street
12. 10 Bricks (Feat. Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah)(Prod. J-Dilla)
13. G-hide (Feat. Ghostface Killah)(Prod. Negro)
14. Rockstar (Feat. Inspectah Deck & Gza)(Prod. Rza)
15. Catalina (Feat. Busta Ryhmes)(Prod. Dr. Dre)
16. 40 Deuce (Feat. Jadakiss & Styles P)(Prod. Scram Jones)
17. Walk Wit Me(Prod. Scram Jones)
18. We Will Rob You (Feat. Slick Rick, Gza & Masta Killah)(Prod. Allah Justice)
19. Have Mercy (Feat. Beanie Sigel)
20. Surgical Gloves(Prod. The Alchemist)
21. Nigga Me(Prod. Dr. Dre)
22. Mean Streets (Feat. Inspectah Deck)(Prod. Allah Mathematics)
23. Kiss The Ring (Feat. Inspectah Deck & Masta Killah)(Prod. Scram Jones)
24. Ason Jones(Prod. J-Dilla)

Checkout Raekwon The Chef talking about the OB4CL Pt. 2 album:

SOUNDNEXX INTIMATE VERBAGE MIXX!


This mixx is heavily dipped in mellow vibed soul! It's a little bit of the old and plenty of that new music that will hopefully give your ears that electric relaxation that seek. If you hear a track you like, check the playlist and do some research about that particular artist. Music discovery is a personal journey, so endulge...

Intimate Verbage Playlist:

01-Marsha Ambrosius - Take Care
02-Slique - Your Baby
03-Soul I.D. - Is This Love?
04-Teena Marie/Faith Evans - Can't Last A Day
05-Raheem DeVaughn - Hennesy Joint
06-Questlove/Zo!/Foreign Exchange/Carlitta Durand - Purple Flip
07-Joy Jones - Over
08-Ciara - Like A Surgeon
09-Ashanti - Girlfriend
10-Drake - Something
11-Dwele- Spiritual
12-Aaliyah/Kelis - One In A Million (Remix)
13-Al B. Sure - Only You
14-Ryan Leslie - Valentine
15-Sunshine Anderson - You Do You
16-Chico DeBarge - Oh No!
17-Sparkle - Plenty of Good Lovin
18-Urban Mystic - Best Part of The Day
19-Hygher Ground - Grow Old (With U)
20-Chico Debarge - Not 2 Gether
21-Mica Paris - I Remember (Dubble Beat Mixx)

GET INTIMATE HERE!

THE MUSICIAN RYAN LESLIE!


Ryan Leslie's incredible talent has been growing on me like fungi since 2005. The ability to make catchy/quality records seems to be effortless for this writer/singer/producer. All of his musical endeavors have been good in my opinion, but I have heard the growth in his music over the years. Ryan's latest self-titled album that was released earlier this year is definitely his best project to date. Each song has the potential to be a hot single, but the whole album has an obvious cohesiveness. What impresses me the most about Ryan is that he's an actual musician. Remember those? This kat is literally a one man band. I think he plays every instrument except the kazoo. Don't believe me? Well, put eyes on this little slice of video footage:



Also, just in case you missed it, put eyes and ears on this too:



Find out more about Ryan Leslie by clicking the links below:

www.myspace.com/ryanleslie or www.ryanleslie.com

Click the cover of Ryan's upcoming single "You're Not My Girl" above to listen to his new album.

SOUND SPOT: HOPE


I am finally taking the opportunity to speak on the singer Hope! She's from Los Angeles. I have been following her music since 2006 when I came across her Myspace page while searching for someone else. I heard her lovely voice singing the track "Rain Dont' Last" and I was immediately hooked. I must have played that song about four times continuously before I could move on the next track on her Myspace music player. That song has a haunting vibe with a hint of sadness that still keeps me hypnotized even to this day. Hope has several tracks floating around the Internet, but no official album just yet. I have held off posting about her up to this point in HOPEs that she would finally release an album, but I couldn't wait any longer. If you don't already know about Hope's talent, it's time to get familiar...

Listen to beautiful "Rain Don't Last" below:



Also, put ears on "Bring Me Flowers" as well:



Check out more of her music at www.myspace.com/hearhope

NICOLAY LIGHTS UP THE CITY AGAIN!


Producer Nicolay has been a pretty busy musical over the last few years, but he's found time to complete his next installment of his instrumental based compilation. It's called "Shibuya: City Lights Vol. 2" and it drops on September 15th. One of the coolest aspects about Nicolay's Vol. 2 joint is that 4 tracks are featuring the soul singer Carlitta Durand. She's one of my favorite new comers. If you don't know 'bout Carlitta Durand by now, you need to find out!

Shibuya: City Lights Vol. 2 Tracklist:

01 Lose Your Way feat. Carlitta Durand
02 Shibuya Station
03 Crossing
04 Rain In Ueno Park
05 Satellite
06 Saturday Night feat. Carlitta Durand
07 A Ride Under The Neon Moon
08 Omotesando
09 Meiji Shrine
10 Shadow Dancing
11 The Inner Garden
12 Bullet Train
13 Wake Up In Another Life feat. Carlitta Durand
14 Departure
15 Shibuya Epilogue feat. Carlitta Durand

Executive Producers: Phonte Coleman and Nicolay for Foreign Exchange Music, LLC

www.myspace.com/nicolay

SOUNDNEXX'S HIP-HOP SPINZ MIXX!

THE SPINZ PLAYLIST:
1-The Questro-mental
2-Tanya Morgan – Just Arrived
3-Mos Def – Priority
4-Marc Mac ft. Phonte – Take A Trip
5-Mitsu ft. Elzhi – Get ‘Em Up
6-Little Brother – Shake It
7-The Away Team – Home Alone
8-Kid Cudi ft. Kanye West/Common – Poke Her Face
9-Grand Puba ft. Q-Tip – Good To Go
10-Tanya Morgan – So Damn Down
11-ADaD – Blown
12-Jay Electronica – Dealing
13-SFP – Waiting
14-Jay Who? – Second Life
15-SFP – Gotta Lotta
16-Camp Lo – Summer Love
17-J Dilla – King
18-Charli 2na ft. Elzhi – When Will I See You
19-Replife – R U Ready
20-Kev Brown – Another Random Joint
21-Blame One – Lyrics Geometric
22-Jay Electronica ft. Tone Tresure – Victory Is In My Clutches
23-88 Keys ft. Phonte – Close Call
24-Wale ft. Tre – Rhyme N Reason
25-Legacy ft. Phonte/Chaundon/Sean P – T.K.O.

GET THIS MIXX HERE!

WARNING: If you are alergic to real hip-hop music, I suggest that you check with your doctor before playing this mixx! Side effects from listening to this mixx may include: a sore neck from excessive head-bobbing and temporary hearing loss from having the music volume maxxed out!

GRAND PUBA IS RETROACTIVE!
One of the most recognizable rap groups from the Golden Era of hip-hop is Brand Nubian. Classic tracks like “Slow Down” and “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down” amongst many others have solidified their legendary status in my book. Even though I like the BN group members Lord Jamar and Sadat X, my favorite was definitely Grand Puba a.k.a. Puba Maxwell. His effortless wordplay and catchy punch lines were always the highlight of any Brand Nubian track. Things kicked into lyrical overdrive when Puba dropped his first solo album “Reel To Reel” back in 1992, and then followed that up with his second joint “2000” in 1995. With all of the incredible hip-hop that was released during that time, I feel many rap fans overlooked Puba’s releases. He dropped his third album “Understand This” in 2001, but most folks totally slept on that joint.

It’s 2009 now, and Grand Puba is back with his fourth album “Retroactive” for all to hear. After listening to the album it’s obvious that he hasn’t lost a step lyrically. Even though he’s aged some over the years, his gift of gab still tops the average emcee out here rapping today. Guest features on the album include: Kid Capri, Rell, Q-Tip, Lord Jamar, Tiffini Davis, Talee, Sarah Martinez and Large Professor.

If you are still wondering if Puba Maxwell still has it, peep this freestyle clip:


Put ears on the album HERE!

www.myspace.com/grandpuba

THE REVIVAL OF ROYCE DA 5' 9!
I'm back in my hip-hop state of mind. There will be a musical contribution sooner than later to show hip-hop some love, but until then let's talk about one my favorite emcees Royce Da 5'9. Royce is the kind of emcee that you can depend on when it comes to make music. Every verse that comes out of this man's mouth has a purpose. He seems to treat each song as if it's a rap battle, and he still hasn't lost his focus after all of these years. By now he could have gone pop and joined the circus of other mediocre rappers out here trying to get paid by the mainstream, but he hasn't. Why? Because he still has respect for the musical artform we know and love called HIP-HOP. Royce is back with a new EP entitled "The Revival" that should definitely keep his fans continuously hitting the rewind button. The EP is four tracks strong with one song featuring his Slaughterhouse counterparts Joel Ortiz, Joe Budden & Crooke I.

Checkout the Slaughterhouse video for "The One" below:


If you like hip-hop and/or Royce you definitely need to hear this joint.

Click the album cover above to check it out!

SUNDAY'S SPIRITUSOUL MIXX!


Today is Sunday, so I've decided to post a collage of uplifting tunes that should definitely sooth your spirits. These are some of my favorite spiritual tracks, so please enjoy them...

Playlist:

01~Choklate^Amazing
02~Big Bub^Father's House
03~Fred Hammond^Love's In Need
04~Kindred/Jasmine Sullivan^I Am
05~Dave Hollister^No One
06~BeBe & CeCe Winans^Heaven
07~Deitrick Haddon^God Is Good
08~The Clark Sisters^You Brought The Sun
09~Kirk Franklin^Looking For You
10~Gordan Chambers/Melonie Daniels^Still Blessing Me
11~Rena^Things You Do
12~Simply Cherry/R'Chiro^Testimony
13~Canton Jones^Stay Saved
14~Rena^Findaway (Remix)
15~Cynthia Jones^Live Right
16~The Winans^The Question Is
17~Mary Mary/Kierra Sheard^God In Me
18~India Irie/MC Lyte -Psalm 23
19~Simply Cherry^Simply Ol' Cherry

SPIRITUSOUL MIXX HERE!

REALITY MUSIC BY CHICO DEBARGE!


Who's not a fan of the singing family known as DeBarge? With all of the classic records they have blessed us with over the years, how could any old school music lover not be. Chico DeBarge seems to be the only sibling from the family (outside of El) that has been able to create a buzz as a solo artist.

Every since Chico was released from prison over a decade ago, his music has taken on a different feel. He's shedded that patiented pop sound from the earlier days of the group for a musical vibe that definitely has a harder edge to it. Chico has remained true to his R&B roots, but there has been some definite growth and maturity overall as a solo artist. Personally, I like it! I wish more of my favorite old school artists could evolve in this manner.

Chico is back with his fourth solo album entitled "Addiction" and it's more of that goodness we've come to expect from Mr. DeBarge. He describes it as reality music. It's a combination of love songs and street music. Chico's previous albums seem to play out like a movie soundtrack, and this new album is no exception. It's a musical look into the life of man making the music, and it will be available on July 14th...

Chico is currently on tour with Joe, so when he comes to your town be sure to check him out live. Here is a taste of what you can expect from Chico on that tour:



Be on the lookout for Chico's new single "Oh No" as well...

DWELE'S GETTING SPIRITUAL!


This video uses a blend of both of the Dwele tracks "Spiritual" and "You Won't Be Lonely" from the infamous Sketches of a Man album. If you still don't have that new Dwele in your music collection by now, turn in your soul music card and shut your computer down immediately!

JONESIN' WITH PURE JOY!
I wouldn't consider myself a true afrobeat fan, however, I am a music fan, so it's not shocking that I totally dig Joy Jones' new album Godchild. What is afrobeat you ask? It's defined as a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularized in Africa in the 1970s. I think if you currently enjoy the rhythms of reggae music, afrobeat shouldn't be that hard for your ears to digest. The beats on this album also have a nice mixture of soul and electronica mixed in there as well. Everything comes together nicely overall. Joy gives the production on her album purpose with messages of love, hope and prosperity. Positivity without excessive preaching is always welcome around these parts. I wish we had more albums like this one. If you want to diversify your growing music collection with a little island soul flavor, give the Godchild Joy Jones a listen. You just might like what you hear...


Checkout Joy's video for "The Joy" below:

Get more familiar with Joy Jones by checking out her web sites:

www.myspace.com/lovejonesrecordings

www.lovejonesrecordings.com

SOUL MUSIC IS A KALIEDASCOPE!
While I have been taking in all of media shenanigans surrounding MJ's death over the last week, I have gotten several emails asking when and if I was going to do a tribute mixx. I have decided not to do a MJ mixx, and the main reason is based on the fact that no one compilation could do his influential body of work justice. Plus, there are just too many songs to choose from anyway, so I won't even bother. Fortunately, there are plenty of folks showcasing their MJ tribute mixes all over the Internet, so you should be good to go. Some are well thought out, while others seem to be bandwagoners just throwing something together at the last minute. Regardless, it is all about showing MJ some love I guess, so...

Anyway, I am dropping a new mixx today, it's just not a tribute. I call this one "Kaliedascope Soul" because I think it's a pretty colorful mixture of tunes. As always, when you get a chance check it out.

Playlist:

01-Kaliedascope Instromental
02-Roddy Rodd/Phonte/Carlitta Durand = This Time Around
03-Ayah = Do It All Again
04-Daru/Byron/Da Button Pusha = Repetitive
05-Rena = When You're There
06-Sa-Ra = Melodic N' Mynor
07-Raheem DeVaughn/Young Chris = Wanna Love You
08-Mitsu/Ivana Santill = Playin' Again
09-Slique = Glow
10-Joy Jones = Be My Husband
11-Zhane' = Vibe
12-Ginuwine - Last Chance
13-Al B. Sure = I'm Glad
14-Taiwah - Talk About
15-Drake/Lykke Li = Little Bit
16-Deborah Jordan = Future Calling
17-Tony Toni Tone' = What Goes Around
18-Michael Jackson - Pretty Young Thing
19-Ryan Leslie = You're Not My Girl
20-Mos Def/Georgia Muldrow = Roses
21-New Edition = You're Not My Kind of Girl
22-Reuben Studdard = I Can't Help It
21-Kaliedascope Outstromental

GET COLORFUL HERE!

K'JON'S FINALLY GETTING AROUND!
There is always a sense of pride when one my hometown bretheren begins his quest for the major leagues. Now, it's K'Jon's turn! We (Detroiters) have been following K'Jon's local career for years. I began listening to his music back in 2007 after I saw him perform live as an opening act for Raheem DeVaughn. Most of the restless concert crowd that night was initially uninterested in the relatively unknown opening act, but once they heard K'Jon sing live their attitudes changed. He had use hooked with his smooth voice and vocal control. The next day I went out and purchased his second independent album "Ballroom Xplosion" from a local record store. One of my favorite tracks off of that joint called "On The Ocean," which is actually the track that is getting heavy rotation on all of the radio stations in 2009. K'Jon's first independent album is entitled "This Is Me" if you are interested in finding it.

Now, the world is getting familiar with K'Jon, which is good for his music career. When I heard legendary radio personality Tom Joyner playing K'Jon's single on his morning show, I knew things were looking up. Going from local radio to syndicated definitely increases overall listenership.

K'Jon will be releasing his third album (first Columbia release)"I Get Around" on August 4th, so be on the lookout. I hope K'Jon blows up worldwide because he deserves it. He's been putting in work for years on the underground scene and he's actually a talented singer. I guess his ship is finally coming in. Continue to support quality music...

Checkout the video for the single "On The Ocean" below:

Peep his websites below:

www.kjon.com

www.thisiskjon.com

www.myspace.com/whoiskjon