MY VERY LAST MIXX FOR 2009!
I just thought I'd drop one more post and mixx before the new year arrives in a few short hours. Each year I continue with this blog I can't help but recognize how much the Internet is growing, changing and evolving. Some are in the good ways, while others are pretty bad, but it all depends on who you ask. The music of 2009 was much better overall than what dropped back in 2008! Just my personal opinion of course. Some of my favorite joints that dropped this year came from Eric Roberson, DJ Spinna, Mos Def, Royce, Ryan Leslie, Zo!, Daru Beats, Soulpersona, Platinum Pied Pipers, Darien, Will Downing, Vee, Ledisi, Choklate, Joy Jones, and many others. I hope this trend of great music continues into 2010! If it's hot and I know about it, I will be showcasing it on here. I like showing love to those that deserve it.

Thanks to all of the artists that make good music, give free music and those who support the SoundNexx movement! It's greatly appreciated.

My last mixx for the '09 is called "Lyrics2Show" and this one is for the real hip-hop heads out there! For those that refuse to except the unexceptable nonsense that is being disguised as rap music in the mainstream...

GET IT HERE: LYRIC2SHOW

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

NEW J-DAVEY IS WHAT WE NEED!

Even though some people consider the Internet "The Devils' Playground" personally I feel the World-Wide-Web is the shiggity! That's because it's the only place where you can get new J-Davey music for free! If you actually read the sentence just before this one you should be smiling from ear-to-ear by now. Outside of receiving gifts like socks, ties and Wii gaming systems for Christmas this year, J-Davey dropped their free EP called "Boudoir Synema: The Great Mistape" loaded with 5 new tracks. Everybody is still waiting on their official album release, but this free joint will have to due for now. If you haven't gotten an earful of what J-Davey bringing to the music table up to this point, take this opportunity to do so. Hesitate at your own risk...

Click the album cover below to get the new EP:

D-BROCK IS BACK ON THE CASE!
It’s good to see the soul singer Darien Brockington a.k.a D-Brock back on the music scene again. I remember seeing this kat perform live with Little Brother, Yahzarah and Dwele a few years back just before his debut album dropped. It was at a small intimate club around my way (Detroit), which was a perfect setting for experiencing good soul music. I got to chance to chat it up with Darien prior to his performance, and he seemed a bit nervous. He obviously put the jitters behind him because he came to the stage and ripped it. He actually showed us his comedic side a couple of times during his performance. Darien stopped the music in the middle of a couple songs, and asking different people in the audience what they thought about his music. The funniest part about him playfully interrogating the audience was that he was actually serious. He wanted some honest feedback. You’ve got to love that! His humble approach to making and performing his music is actually his greatest asset. Plus, his music is hot too!

I have good news for D-Brock fans. On December 29th (tomorrow) Mr. Brockington will be dropping his new mixtape “The Cold Case Files” for the masses to hear. It’s full of tracks that D-Brock has been working on over the last couple of years. Even though he’s been traveling around the world with the super-group Foreign Exchange, he was still able to create some new music.

You can grab the new mixtape at www.dbrockmusic.com

Peep his classic track "Beautiful" below:

2010: THE MILK IS STILL BLACK!
Hello world! My break was lovely, but it’s time to get back to business as usual (well, sort of anyway). Let me start things off by talking about one my favorite producers from Detroit. He goes by the name Black Milk. Since, you should already know who he is by now if you’ve been hanging around here for any length of time, I won’t bother with his back story. If you don’t know Black, I suggest that you Google my archives to get a better understanding. The dude is dope! The man himself has stated that he will be releasing a new album in the first quarter of 2010. The new joint is titled “Album of The Year” so be on the lookout for it. Black has already leaked a new track from the album on the wonderful Internet called “Keep Going” which has my other favorite producer Daru on the drums, and the underground soul singer Aaron “AB” Abernathy on the vocals. The track is laced with that Black Milk production energy we’ve come to know and love. If you haven’t heard the new track already, take a listen to it on his Myspace page.

www.myspace.com/blackmk

Black Milk - "Losing Out" featuring Royce Da 5'9"

NEW SLUM VILLAGE EP!
New Villlaaaa!! You already know how I feel about Slum Village, and if you don't, you should. My favorite local rap group has gone through some unfortunate circumstances over the years. Both Jay Dee (J Dilla) and Baatin split from the group for different reasons back in the day. Local emcee Elzhi teamed up with remaining member T3 to keep things going. Dilla rejoined the group only to die from illness before they could develop the anticipated reunion album. Elzhi and T3 mended their relationship with Baatin and the three worked together on the upcoming album. Everything was going good until Baatin suddenly past away earlier this year. Even with all of the tragedy that has been suffered by the group over their existance, I am happy to say that they are still releasing new music for the fans. Slum Village will be releasing the "Villa Manifesto EP" on December 15th. It will only be available digitally, so check for it on Amazon and iTunes.

You can listen to the EP on their Myspace page right now, so put ears on it immediately! The new album drops in the first quarter of 2010.

www.myspace.com/slumvillage

That is all!

SOUND SPOT: JACKSOUL
Clear your music mind before you begin this journey into the Jacksoul movement. Remember, SOUL music comes in different shapes, sounds, flavors and colors. Meet Haydain Neale and the Jacksoul band. Haydain was a musician from Ontario, Canada and lead singer of the Jacksoul band. Jacksoul's musical sound reminds me of a Seal and Van Hunt combination. The band delivers acoustic type grooves while Haydain delivered raw vocals. Canada is a buffet when it comes to various styles of music, and you definitely hear that diversity when you listen to Jacksoul doing their thing. They just released their fourth album entitled “SOULmate” a few days ago, but I only discovered them about three months ago. I still haven’t checked their previous releases, but I will soon enough.

Sadly, the group’s lead singer Hayden Neale lost his life to lung cancer back in November of this year. Fans were saddened by his death, but happy to have one last recording to cherish.

If you are listening out for something different from the norm, checkout Haydain & Jacksoul and hear what you think. You can hear songs from their new album on the www.jacksoul.com web site.

www.myspace.com/jacksoul

SOUND SPOT: MATEO
Here is another up and coming young crooner for all you R&B fans out there. Everywhere you look these days there are male singers galore. A small few are great, many are average and most are cookie-cutter clones trying to make a quick buck. I feel most of these young singers are trying to follow in Usher's footsteps, who actually developed his style watching legends like Michael Jackson (RIP). Shamone-nah, I know that I am not the only one that feels that way. However, just recently I heard a track called "Get To Know Me" by a new singer/musician named Mateo. The song actually had a traditional musical feel to it. It's a simple track, but very effective. Mateo plays the piano on the joint, which is rare by today's standards.

If you are interested, I recommend reading Mateo's lengthy bio on his Myspace page. It discusses his journey up to this point and it's a good read. Without further delay, please put eyes on the video that inspired this post:

Get more information on Mateo and download his latest mixtape "Underneath The Sky" at www.mateoonline.com then stop through www.myspace.com/mateo if you want more.

NEXX PRODUCER: DARU BEATS!

Remember the name Daru Beats! Why? Well, because the guy is still on the come up and he is straight FIRE with the beats. His unorthodoxed style of production has me hooked like a druggie, and I am not too proud to admit it either dammit! What I dig most about this kat is that he has true love for music and his craft, plus he's from Michigan. I also appreciate how Daru shows love to his soul singing sister Rena by lacing her with some of his hottest beats. If you've been listening to my mixxes for any length of time then you already know who she is. Unfortunately, Daru is an unknown to many, but it is time for folks to pay attention and take note. If you are unfamiliar, get familiar. You can start by putting ears on Daru's new compilation album "Spirit & Soul-Hop Sampler 09" available for free download.

Go to this web site: darujones.bandcamp.com and grab it!

The track list is available at the web site...

DE LA SOUL IS 20 DEEP!
One of my favorite old school and hip-hop groups in general is De La Soul. They had definite “swagger” before it became the misused and overused term that it is today. De La developed an original style of speech and a dress code that took the hip-hop community by storm. When their debut joint “3 Feet High and Rising” dropped back in 1989 the game would never be the same. Twenty years later De La Soul is still a force to be reckoned with in hip-hop. Don’t let the receding hairlines and weight gain fool you. These kats have consistently delivered quotable verses and music that remains relevant even in these misguided times of the hip-hop genre. De La is still a refreshing break from the monotonous BS that is camouflaged as hip-hop on the mainstream airwaves today. I always look forward to every project that De La releases, and that won’t change until they have finally retired.

In celebration of De La Soul’s 20 years of being in the music game, Mick Boogie, Terry Urban, Lemar and Daulet have put together a tribute mixtape called “Le Da Soul: 20 Years of De La Soul” paying them homage. Actually, this joint plays more like a compilation rather than a mixtape. It’s a well organized collage of classic and well-known De La Soul tracks being reinterpreted by various underground artists. Overall, this mixtape was orgastrated very well and it does the legendary group justice. When Mick Boogie is involved with any mixtape it is always in good hands. Some of the featured emcees on the joint include: Tanya Morgan, Chaundon, Skillz, Asheru, Talib Kweli, Phife, Camp Lo, Kardinal Official, and many others.

TRACK LIST:
1. Intro: Senor Kaos, Von Pea and Homeboy Sandman (produced by Dave West)
2. Me Myself and I: Kardinal Offishall (produced by Diabolic)
3. Pease Porridge: Phife Dawg (produced by Dj Rasta Root)
4. Breakdawn: Tanya Morgan (produced by 6th Sense)
5. Oooh: Fly Union (produced by Fly Union)
6. Baby Phat: Skillz & Colin Monroe (produced by nVMe)
7. Stakes Is High part 1: U-N-I (produced by 6th Sense)
8. Say No Go: Chaundon, Esso + The Kickdrums (produced by The Kickdrums)
9. Rock Co Kane Flow: Shawn Christopher & Pheo (produced by Garbs)
10. Ego Trippin: Asheru (produced by The Els)
11 Ooodles of O’s: Camp Lo (produced by Apple Juice Kid)
12. Sunshine: Christian Rich + Curtains (produced by Christian Rich)
13. Plug Tunin’: Tabi Bonney + Stalley (produced by Judah)
14. Hey Love: Chip Tha Ripper (produced by Remot)
15. The Bizness: Big Pooh, Butta Verses, and 6th Sense (produced by 6th Sense)
16. I Am I Be: 6th Sense (produced by Hasan Insane)
17. Eye Know: Daytona & Mike Maven (produced by 6th Sense)
18. Saturdays: Niko Villamor, Brittany Street & Kidd Neer (produced by SMKA)
19. Watch Out: J.Sands (produced by J. Rawls )
20. Stakes Is High part 2: Talib Kweli (produced by eJones)

GET IT HERE!

Shoutout to OP