THAT MUSIKAL HEALING MIXX!
This particular joint is for everyone going through something in their lives right about now. We all hope for the best, but we never really know when things may change for the worse. Some people are suffering more than others, especially during the holiday season. I truly feel that music heals the soul and can lift your spirits when life takes an unfortunate turn. I call this joint "Musikal Healing" just for that reason. I hope you enjoy it, and maybe it will make you feel a better about whatever maybe going on in your life! As always, thanks for your support!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Goodies List:

Beautiful - Mary J. Blige
Lucky - Dionne
Today - Avery Sunshine
Just Can't Get Enough - Robert Kelly
Out On The Floor - Brian McKnight
I Like The Way - Jeff Hendrick
Walking - Mary Mary
Lay With You - El DeBarge/Faith
Hard Love - Sunshine Anderson
I Get Joy - Coko
Who's Gonna Comfort You? - Kindred
It's Gonna Rain - Kelly Price
I Like The Way You Work (Remix) - Blackstreet
It's Me - Carmen Rodgers
Givin' It Up Is Givin' Up - Patrice Rushen/DJ Rodgers
The Making of You - Lauryn Hill
Boogie Nights/All Night - Erykah Badu
Tomorrow - Tevin Campbell/Q
Breathe Love - Marcell & The Truth
Muzikal Healing - DJ SoundNexx

I leave you with one of my favorite Christmas joints below:

NEXX IN HEAVY ROTATION!

I get asked frequently what I am currently listening to in my iPod, so I decided to do a post showcasing of the joints I currently have in rotation. Place your eyes on the albums covers below:

When I first came across this Nottz album "You Need This Music" I wasn't expecting much. Nothing against Nottz personally, but most rap music today stinks. However, after putting ears on this joint, it has grown on me like a rash. It's fully of solid rhymes and catchy production. Plus, featured guests include: Dwele, Bilal, Royce 5'9, Black Milk, Little Brother and Joel Ortiz!

Slakah The Beatchild is one of the hottest producers in the game, and his latest joint "Something Forever" showcases some of his best work to date! This is good stuff no matter how you slice it, so don't sleep!

If you are looking for some smooth grooves with an old school feel, you need to put ears on this new El DeBarge "Second Chance" album. I was surprised how good this joint sounded, but I may be biased because I am a serious DeBarge stan.


You may not know about the soul singer Iman Williams, but you need to! Her new album "Stupid Human Tricks" is definitely my kind of soul music. Sweet vocals and solid production.

The new R. Kelly album "Love Letter" is definitely his best in years! He's back to actually singing instead of thug rapping. Welcome back Kels...we missed you!

2010 has been a great year for music, and I hope 2011 is even better!

SOUND SPOT: KNXWLEDGE
Time to pay homage to one of my favorite underground beatmakers and his name is Knxwledge. This post has been a long time coming actually. I have been supporting this kat for a minute now, and I get emails asking about this dude all of the time. I have slipped many of his hot beats into several of my past mixxes. His beats always keep my head bobbin' so whenever I can fit one into my mixx I do so. I consider myself a beat-hound, so I have hundreds of instrumentals in my musical archives. In the upcoming weeks, I plan on dropping another instrumental mixx to showcase some other dope producers that you may not know.

Until then, get you ears filled with some beats by Knxwledge:

GET YOUR KNXWLEDGE HERE!

REGGIE NOBLE VS. REDMAN!
All these hip-hop blogs on the Internet, and I am not seeing
enough about my dude Redman's new album! This kat is a veteran, so anytime he drops a new joint I'm all over it like diarrhea. Lyrically, Reggie hasn't lost step after all of his years in the game. The new album is simply titled "Reggie" and it's 13 tracks deep. Featured guests include: Saukrates (when this dude dropping a new album?), Method Man, Melanie Rutherford, Bun B, Faith Evans, DJ Kool and some others I have never heard of. I feel musical taste is personal, and that's why I don't do many album reviews. However, I must state my peace about this latest Redman album. Overall, the rhymes are on point, but I feel the production is lacking something. I miss the days when Erick Sermon handled all of the production duties. If you consider yourself a Redman fan, then I suggest you give it spin. Right now, it's only $8 on Amazon:

GET REGGIE HERE!

Checkout Redman speaking about the current Def Jam situation below:

PETE ROCKTHABEAT MIXX!
There are average producers, great producers, and then there are legendary producers. Pete Rock is a hip-hop legend by every definition. He is one of the reasons why I fell in love with hip-hop music. The classic records he's made with CL Smooth in the past could still rock a party in 2010! There are so many hot tracks by the duo that it's not worth trying to name them all. I know there are plenty of people out there that never really liked Pete Rock spitting lyrics on the microphone. However, I have always felt Pete was solid as a producer-emcee. No he's not a Rakim or KRS-One, but he's no MC Hammer either. Just in case you forgot how Pete Rock used to bring it back in the day, I am sharing a mixx of his musical goodies I call "Pete RockThaBeat" just in time for Christmas.

PETE ROCKS THA BEAT HERE

REVIVE YOUR EARS WITH SOUL!
Now, that Turkey Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are in my rearview mirror at this point, it's time to get back to the music. Soul music that is, black gold, urban glee. I dig Indie soul artists, so my latest joint is showcasing some of my favorites. I call it the "Earotic Soul Shock Mixx" so put ears on it if you want to hear some refreshing musical vibes. If like something, please support the artist(s) by buying their music and spreading the word about them. Your musical investigation is only a Google search away. Quality music is slowly becoming overshadowed by the mainstream nonsense, so lets help keep this great music alive!

GET EAROTIC SOUL HERE!

CROSS COUNTRY COLLECTIVE (C3)
It's time for some more musical goodies to satisfy your listening cravings. Music is pratically like family to me. It's been around as long as I can remember, so me and Mrs. Tones got a thang going on. Discussing and sharing music with this blog over the years has provided me the opportunity meet a few really cool and like minded individuals online. Two of those people are Fave and The Big La. These two music minded gentleman have joined forces with Mr. Fresh to create the group C3. Fave plays the keyboards, Fresh is on lead guitar and Big La is handling the drum programming. Together they create some smooth grooves that definitely set the mood! Their debut 5-track EP titled "ContempoJazzSoulHop" can be downloaded for free. Two of my favorite joints on this EP showcase classic tracks from Stevie Wonder and Tom Brock. Don't hesitate putting ears on this C3 EP immediately by clicking ---> c3music.bandcamp.com

Keep up the good work fellas...

RAHEEM SOUL HIPPIE MIXX!
It’s time to drop another soul artist dedication mixx, and nexx up is Raheem DeVaughn. What I appreciate most about this artist outside of musical talent is his aggressive grind. The guy stays busy leaking free music and doing guest appearances with everyone. Personally, I appreciate it! Lyrically, Raheem touches on several topics like love, life, relationships and sex, but I enjoy his music the most when it’s socially conscious or politically motivated. There’s not enough of that in the music today, so I applaud artists that challenge the listeners. No matter what you think about the man or some of his past business decisions as an artist, you have to respect his hustle. For that reason I took some time out to put this mixx together I call the “Raheem Soul Hippie”mixx. This joint showcases some of his old, new, unreleased and remixed tracks, including some guest appearances. Enjoy!

GET SOUL HIPPIE HERE!

www.raheemdevaughnmusic.com

Support quality music and the artists that make it!!

THE SUNSHINE HAS RETURNED!
This has been a great year for female soul artists coming back on the scene after years of being absent. Monica, Faith Evans and now Sunshine Anderson. True R&B is back in 2010! About four months ago I heard Sunshine doing a radio interview, and she somewhat explained her absence. To sum it up, it basically came down to label issues (which is typical). She took her time away from music to focus on her personal life and family. Sunshine wasn't sure if she would ever release another album, so it was nice to see that her new joint had dropped. It came out of thin air with little to no promotion. It's called The Sun Shines Again and after listening to it, I can hear that she hasn't lost a step musically. More music dealing with love, life and relationships with that Sunshine spin on it. Her facial expressions are priceless. Put eyes and ears on Sunshine speaking about her new album below:



Now, checkout the new video for the single "Lie To Kick It" below:

www.sunshineanderson.com

www.facebook.com/sunshineanderson

CHRISETTE IS BRINGING "REIGN"!
One of my favorite voices is back with on the scene with some new music, and her name is Chrisette Michele. Not only does she have new music, but she has a new look as well. If you look closely, you'll notice Ms. Michele has cut all of her hair off, and is currently kicking a natural style. She considers this transformation a rebirth of being healthy, and it starts at the top of her head. Nina Simone is one of Chrisette's greatest influences, and you can definitely tell by her overall style. Nina was a trendsetter back in the day, and I believe Chrisette is becoming just that in 2010. Chrisette's new album Let Freedom Reign hits store shelves on November 30, 2010. The first single from the project "I'm A Star" has been creating a buzz over the last few weeks. If you haven't heard it yet, put eyes and ears on the new video below:

www.facebook.com/chrisettemichele

www.chrisettemichele.com

LISTEN TO THE NEW CEE-LO!Mr. Cee-Lo Green releases his new album The Lady Killer on November 9th. If you haven't heard his hilarious single "F*ck You" by now, you've been locked in a closet, or you don't come to this site enough. Regardless, take this opportunity to put ears on his new album for free right now (while you can) by clicking the link below:

CEE-LO GREEN ALBUM LISTENING HERE

IT'S A LAZY AFTURNOON MIXX!

I've had fun discussing and sharing music from the "new schoolers" over the last few months, but it's time to show some love to old school! If you consider yourself a scholar of soul classics (or just a fan), you definitely need to put ears my latest Lazy Afturnoon Mixx for sure. The mixx tracklist is in the comments section. I actually went crate digging for some of these jams in my private music stash. It was fun putting this joint together, so I hope you enjoy it.

Also, if you don't recognize that beautiful woman in the picture above, that's Minnie Riperton who had one of the sweetest voices ever heard by these ears. No music collection is complete without some Minnie, and that's why she starts my mixx off perfectly like an angel...

GET LAZY RIGHT HERE!

SLAKAH HAS "SOMETHING" NEW!
Guess who's back! Slakah The Beatchild straight out of Toronto. He's the Indie producer/singer that we've all come to know and love. Slakah's beat making is impeccable! It's hip-hop, soul, smooth, catchy and straight dope, just the way I like it. Check for his debut album "Soul Movement, Vol. 1" if you missed it to hear what I mean. Then when you finish with that one, put ears on his new joint "Something Forever" which is a 7-track EP. After my first listen of those new tracks, I can honestly say that this music is Slakah's best work to date! The vibe is incredible! Support this artist and his great music (if you dig it). It's stuff like this that keeps me loving music...

Here's a music snippets video for the new tracks:

Get the a digital copy of the new EP here: SLAKAH MUSIC

www.myspace.com/slakahthebeatchild

SOUND SPOT: J. TAIT
Are you ready for some more soulful talent from the new Motown era? Of course you are! Nexx up is Mister J. Tait who just happens to be a song writer, music producer and a dope singer. I call that a triple threat. I had the privilege of seeing this young man perform live during an unplanned performance at the recent Eric Roberson concert intermission. The host of the show spotted him in the audidence and called him on stage. J. Tait did his thing! He kicked a nice acapella that had the crowd vibing. At that time I didn't know that Mr. Tait's "Things On My Mind" EP Part. 1 was on the streets. Once I put ears on it, I quickly realized that he is a great singer. He's has an old school feel with a new school twist. His EP has a retro soulfulness to it. If you enjoy soul singers like Jaheim, Calvin Richardson and Urban Mystic, Dave Hollister, Sam Cooke, J. Tait should be on your radar.

Put eyes on J. Tait's first official music video for "It's Just My Imagination" (Temptations classic remake) directed by and starring Dwele:


Get the J. Tait EP here--->Tait on iTunes and there--->Tait on CD Baby

Find out more about J. Tait by clicking on any one of the following links:

www.myspace.com/jtait1

www.facebook.com/j-tait

KANYE'S VERY LONG RUNAWAY!


Kanye West is one of those artists that people love to hate. Even when you are a fan of his music, he seems to do something that makes you say "what the hell was he thinking?" Actually, that is part of his appeal. You never know what to expect from that kid. I'll be the first to say that his last album was a creative disaster that I am glad to forget. I gave him a pass though because his mother had just died around that time.

Recently, Mr. West has been on the grind releasing one hot track after another for his fans. The dude is back and focused, which is obvious by the quality level of his leaked tracks. Now, he's released a 30+ minute music video "Runaway" showcasing some of his new music. It's no Michael Jackson epic, but it's definitely interesting and creative. I'm sure there is more meaning behind the visuals and madness then I got from my one viewing, but that's cool with me. Now, it's your turn to peep the new extended video (if you haven't already)...

STR8 ERRO MIXTAPE!As I continue on with my soul artist dedications, Erro is up nexx! I have been following Eric Roberson's (a.k.a. Erro) career since the beginning, and this soul singer has not lost a step throughout the years. I have made it my business to turn as many soul music lovers onto Erro as possible because he's a deserving talent. All of Eric’s albums are great in their own way, but it wasn’t until I saw him perform live at an intimate venue that my “fanship” heightened. He sounded exactly the same live as he did on his CDs. That was very impressive. Erro’s music remains timeless, so I decided to create a musical collage showcasing some of his guest appearances and rare tracks, which are several of my favorites from his body of work. I call it the Str8 Erro Mixtape. If you consider yourself a true Erro fan, then you should definitely give this joint a listen...

Put ears on this joint here: ERRO MIXTAPE

www.ericrobersonmusic.com
www.myspace.com/ericroberson

BLACK THOUGHT/J. PERIOD MIXTAPE!When it comes to top-notch veteran emcees, Black Thought is definitely one of the most underrated greats! I don't this guy knows how to spit a wack verse. If one does exist, I haven't heard it. The Roots are legendary as a band, but this lyricist is who gives them credibility in hip-hop. Fans like myself are still waiting on that official Black Thought solo album, but in the mean time and in between time we've been blessed with a dope mixtape.

J. Period put together a live mixtape showcasing Black Thought doing what he does best. It's called "The J. Period Live Mixtape (Illadelphia Edition)" featuring a bunch of tracks recorded live at The Manifesto (a Toronto hip-hop festival) back on September 26, 2010. If you've ever seen or heard The Roots live, you know what to expect. Real emcees like Black thrive on stage. This joint is a must have for true hip-hop fans, so grab it immediately!

Click this link for the mixtape: www.jperiod.com/livemixtape/

NEW DWELE "WATCH ME"!

This is why I love Motown! It's full of dope artists. A few days ago I posted a dope freestyle from my hometown homie Elzhi, and today Dwele drops a musical gem for his fans! It's called "Watch Me" and it's definitely worth watching. This is the kind of stuff Adwele does when he's bored. Calling him talented would be an understatement! Now, I just need to get the MP3 for this joint...

ELZHI+FREESTYLE=UNDEFEATED!

Here is a new unreleased (officially) freestyle video from Elzhi titled "Undefeated" featuring Madlib on production! This is more like a snippet, but it's hot nonetheless! Lyrical this dude is official, so watch what he does with words in less than 2 minutes...

Stuff like this is why I still dig hip-hop!

WES FELTON'S SHEEP MUSIC!

Wes Felton is back at it again with more of his brand of conscious verbiage with a blend of soul and hip-hop. The new album is titled "Land of Sheep, Ran by Pigs, Ruled by Wolves" and it's a mouth full. It's deep too! Talk about going against the grain and using music as a vice for change. Remember, when that used to happen more often? I stay woke! After you finish doing the Dougie and listening to Maybach music, put ears on this Wes Felton joint. It's available for FREE download, so there are no excuses for not checking this album immediately. You just might learn something...

Click here to get the new album--> wesfelton.bandcamp.com

NU MARSHA AMBROSIUS IN 2011!
I was one of the many saddened fans that heard the bad news about Floetry breaking up. I didn't really know what to expect from those two ladies as solo artists. Could they actually do it alone? Well, Marsha Ambrosius took the microphone by the cord and ran with it! She dropped a couple of mixtapes soon after the divorce to showcase her solo abilities. The first mixtape joint was mediocre (IMO), but the second one was dope! My confidence in Marsha was restored. Natalie Stewart a.k.a. The Floacist seems to be still trying to find her lane as a solo artist. However, I do like her new track featuring Musiq Soulchild, so we shall see. In the meantime, everything is looking up for Marsha. She turned her once chunky-monkey frame into a slim goody! For that reason her score for sex appeal has gone up a several points. She pulled a Jennifer Hudson for real.

Marsha's new album "Late Night & Early Mornings" was supposed to drop this Fall, but now it has been pushed back to January 4, 2011. Let's hope nothing side tracks that from happening...

Here is the first single from Marsha's upcoming album:


Also, here's that Floacist featuring Musiq video as well:


That is all!

FREE THE HARD WAY!
Do you remember the first female host Free from the original BET show 106 & Park? Some of my women visitors might not remember her, but I am sure the fellas do. What man could forget a sexy lady like that? She was really the only reason why I watched that show, and once she departed I stopped. Free left the show abruptly, and never really explained why she made that decision. Rumors had spread that she'd left to pursue her own music career as a rapper. I was one of the fortunate people to hear some of her early tracks that had leaked onto the Internet. Personally, I thought they were decent, but they seemed a little ruff around the edges. The foundation seemed solid, but they needed more work. Needless to say, her album never came out. Then she vanished from the scene. I thought we'd never see her again.

Recently, she popped up on the 106 & Park 10th Anniversary special that aired on BET last week. During the show Free mentioned that she had just dropped a new EP of music. It's called "Free The Hard Way" and there are 4 tracks total. It's available for free download at her website: www.freesworld.com

You be the judge. Is it hot or not?

NEXXCLUSIVE: ADWELOGY II! The "Adwelogy II" mixx is finally here! This joint has been long overdue, but for true Dwele fans it's definitely worth the wait. The new mixx starts where the first one ended, with more guest appearances, live and rare tracks from my hometown homie. Click on the link below to put ears on it immediately:

ADWELOGY II

If you missed the original Adwelogy mixx from 2006, click the picture above to hear it!

www.dwele.com/

Support quality music and buy "Wants World Women"...

MUHSINAH AS VOCALIST SAFIA!Muhsinah fans take notice. This soulful and talented lady is back with a new tune for her fans using the name Safia. The acoustic cover track is called "Use Somebody" and it available for free download below:

www.vivasafia.com

EAGLE NEBULA & DARU!

There is a free music overload happening across the Internet right now, and I'm not complaining. My dude Daru Beats and Queen Eagle Nebula have released an EP with four hot tracks called "Love Bomb" for the fans. Daru on beats and Nebula dropping verses sounds like a win-win to me! Grab this joint while you can by clicking the link below:

EAGLE NEBULA BANDCAMP

THE PEA VON SPIT MIXX!This joint is long overdue. Von Pea of the dope Tanya Morgan crew has been one of my favorite emcees for a minute, so it's only right that I show some luv by blending up a few tracks showcasing the kid. Von's new solo album is coming soon, plus Tanya Morgan has tons of projects available right now. They will all keep your head bobbin'! Support real hip-hop you biddies!

Thanks to Von Pea for the shoutout to your boy on his website! Check it out: CLICK THIS!

Download to the "Pea Von Spit Mixx" here

www.myspace.com/vonpea

www.vonpea.com/

www.myspace.com/tanyamorgan

www.myspace.com/donwont

Shoutout to Donwill and Ilyas!

VALVIN ROANE'S FANTASY!
Do you remember the soul singer Valvin Roane a.k.a. V? Back in 2006 the man released one of the best albums of that year, which still gets heavy rotation in my iPod in 2010! A few tracks on that joint are timeless as far as I am concerned, so if you still don't know get familiar. V is back at it with a new single entitled "Fantasy" from his upcoming third album Formation dropping in 2011. The track is pretty catchy, and I like it! He remains true to the his soulful stylings, which is nice to hear. I want to the thank V and my homegyrl Trelly for providing fans with some free music. Put ears on it now by clicking the link below:

V - Fantasy

www.myspace.com/vsign

V. PEA'S GOTTA HAVE IT!
Hip-hop music can be original, predictable, boring, dope, moving, interesting, satisfying and annoying, which is still why I love it! I have been a fan since its early beginnings, and I still support artists that keep me interested. One of my favorites since I first heard him spit many years ago is my dude Von Pea (Tanya Morgan member). His rhymes always seem effortless, but they're interesting. One minute he might be making a joke about life, and the next he's dropping some real ish (while keeping it fun)! It's a nice balance, and he never takes himself too serious, which works well for this emcee. Von has released a couple of solo mixtape/albums, and on October 12th he'll be dropping his latest musical endeavor called "Gotta Have It" for the fans. I gotta have it (pun intended)!

Peep this "Boombox" track off the new joint:


www.vonpea.com

IS FAITH EVANS GONE ALREADY!

Faith's new album drops on October 5th! I've heard 4 tracks off her new joint, and I like them all. It's good to hear that Faith can still bring it in 2010. Put eyes on her new video for the track "Gone Already" because it's hot. Welcome back Ms. Evans. We missed you...

THE VERBIAGE MELLO JOINT!This is a hiphop joint I put together for myself to vibe with, and I decided to post it for my visitors. I call it VerbiageMello due to the laid back beats and rhymes. Tracks feature Kay, Black Star, Rhymefest, Treklife, Braille, Black Spade, J. Rawls, Slum Village, Ken Ross, Blu and many other dope artists.

Turn the BS off and get with that real hiphop flavor!

NEXX BOX: INCOGNITO VS. SLAKAH!




Here is one of my favorite tracks off of the new Incognito joint "Lowdown" featuring Chaka Khan, and the album is hot! Also, here is a new video from Slakah The Beatchild showing love to the B-Boys. If you haven't done so already, checkout Beatchild's Soul Movement Vol. 1 compilation...

WILL DOWNING NEW MUSIC!
Mr. Will Downing is a respected and cherished voice in R&B, soul and jazz music. A few years back Will had some medical issues that many of us thought would end his singing career, but he recovered stronger than ever.
Now, he's back with his 15th album release called "Lust, Love & Lies" for his fans. This album is unique because it plays like a novel, with 20 tracks full of songs and skits discussing lust, love and lies. It's basically a tale about modern love and relationships. Each song is a leadway into the next portion of the story. The music can stand on their own even without the albums' theme, but they work beautifully together. It's a very interesting listen on a lazy afternoon. All lovers of that sophisticated soul music needs to put ears on this one for sure!

The digital download is here: WILL DOWNING - LL&L

Here's one his classics before you exit:

MIKE BAKER: NICE WORK!!

This mixtape is definitely the flavor of the month! The Mike Baker "Body of Work" joint. My kind of hip-hop for real! It's a fresh twist on some throwbacks and classics from the 90s and beyond. Get it where? Click that-a-way: Body of Work

That is all...

MY JAZZ-PERCEPTION MIXX!

It's magnificent jazz again! The young lady in the pic above is Andreya Triana, and she has a wonderful album entitled "Lost Where I Belong" that is definitely worth checking out. It's mellow, jazzy-soul at its finest, so check her out at www.myspace.com/andreyatriana for more info. Independent artists is where the real soul music lives...

Onward to my latest endeavor on the jazzy tip. I find this is great way to introduce newbies to some of that good ole' jazz flavor without overwhelming them. There is plenty of great jazz musicians out there that go unheard, and I feel they deserve some shine too. Good music IS good music, right! I call it JazzPerception and will surely put you in a mellow mood.

Goodies list:
Andreya Triana-Up In Fire
Mike Phillips/Jamal - Right Person, Wrong Time
Kem-Can You Feel It
Carlos Cannon-As We Lay
Incognito/Chaka/Mario-Low Down
George Duke-No Rhyme, No Reason
Michael Franks-Tell Me All About It
Jonathan Butler - Good Times
Brian Culbertson/Avant-Skies Wide Open
Knowledge-Seleckt
Zo/Phonte-Flight of The Blackbird
Fourplay-Lets Make Love
Esperenza Spalding-Little Fly
Anita Baker-Mystery
Ronny Jordan-After Hours
Earl Klugh-Canadian Sunset
Gregory Parker-Illusion

CEE-LO & MIKE BAKER GOT GROOVES!

It's songs like these that keeps my loving music! Both are original and very catchy, which keeps my head bobbing. Cee-lo is such a pathfinder when it comes to his sound and style that no one can compare. Not everyone likes Cee, but I am a fan! I can't wait for his new album to drop, so FU and FU2...

Then we have newcomer Mike Baker. I don't know much about this kat at the present moment, but this "La La La" track has stayed on repeat for days now. It's a sick track, and the video isn't half bad either...*suddenly clears throat* so check it out if you dare. His mixtape "Body of Work" is dropping in a couple of days, and the movie clips shown in the video are from the film Beyond The Valley of the Dolls (1970). It's real groovy baby!

THIS THAT B-BOY SERTIFIED!Hip-Hop is in the blogsphere, and it's time to showcase some of my favorite talent on the grind. Like what you are hearing? Get your 'Google on' for the research and make some financial contributions to these artists working hard to put these records together. This joint is "B-Boy Sertified" so hip-hop heads check for it.

The Ear Snacks: 1=Kankick-Herb Hintro 2=MED+Talib-Classic 3=Exile-Mega Mix 4=TrekLife+Olivier-Everything Change 5=Promise-The Bridge 6=Drake/TI-Fancy 7=VonPea+Lessondary-Faded 8=Rhymefest+Saigon/ADaD-Give It To Me 9=Roots-Hustla 10=Donwill-Leading Lady 11=John Robinson-The Visionary 12=Fred Joachim-That's Life 13=Kanye/Be/Unc Charley-See Me Know 14=Slum Village+Dwele-Don't Fight The Feeling 15=Rakaa+KRS One-Human Nature 16=Von Pea-Cantstandya 17=Joel Ortiz-Freestyle 18=Ras Kass-Scenario 2012 19=Blacksheep+Jean Grae-Party Tonight 20=The Hrsmn-This Sh*t Right Here 21=8thW1-Be On You

Here's a couple videos b4 you exit stage right:

CARLITTA DURAND STAYS BUSY!

Carlitta Durand has been on my musical radar for years now, and she's still pretty much an unknown the masses. I love her voice! I expect her work with the Foreign Exchange crew with bring her much shine in the very near future. Remember the "Doug & Patty" EP (shown above) that she dropped in the last quarter of 2009? Of course you do. It was a heater! However, if you were one of the unfortunate soul music lovers that did miss hearing the Carlitta EP, make sure you snatch it up immediately.

Take a gander at the 1st video from the EP for "Love Lost" featuring Jabee:

Carlitta Durand - Lost love feat. Jabee from BECAUSEUS on Vimeo.

PHONTE & NIC HAVE AUTHENTICITY!Foreign Exchange (Nicolay & Phonte) is a group that you can depend when it comes to bringing original quality with every release. Lucky for us they plan to releasing their third album "Authenticity" on October 12th! As Phonte explains it, the group has been religiously trying to find their own sound, and this new album is pretty close. The new joint will continue where the second album "Leave It All Behind" left off, but expect a fresh twist. This has been a good year for music, and it's only getting better...

The album tracklist:

1. The Last Fall
2. Authenticity
3. Eyes To The Sky
4. All Roads
5. Fight For Love
6. Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me
7. Don’t Wait feat. Darien Brockington
8. Make Me A Fool feat. Jesse Boykins III & Median
9. Everything Must Go
10. Laughing At Your Plans feat. Chantae Cann
11. This City Ain’t The Same Without You feat. YahZarah

www.theforeignexchangemusic.com

BLACK MILK/ROYCE/ELZHI!

THIS!!! Keep your ears out for that new Black Milk album!

ERIC ROBERSON LIVE IN DETROIT!

I videotaped this clip of Eric Roberson doing one of his many made up songs during a live performance at the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit. I titled it the "Astrology Song" due to the subject matter. These are the types of moments that reveals the silly side of Erro, which makes his shows so entertaining. If you haven't seen one of his live shows, make sure you do when he visits your town. You'll be glad you did. Enjoy the clip!

SOUL SPANGLE BANTER!If you haven't heard by now, Faith Evans (one of my favorite singers) is about to release her new album Something About Faith on October 5th. Mark your calendars. She has a new single featuring Snoop Dogg "The Way You Move" that is creating some buzz on the Internet. Snoop's rap sound slightly dated on the track, but overall the song is still pretty hot!

"Soul Spangle Banter" is my latest soul podcast, so please enjoy it.

The Goodies: 1)14KT-The D Light In You 2)Dwele-Give Me A Chance 3)Muhsinah-Stay Here 4)Miles Bonny-Learnin To Fly 5)Erro-Bad 4 Me (live) 6)Faith/Snoop-The Way You Move 7)Electric Wire Hustle/Stacy Epps-Walk On 8)Foreign Exchange-Let's Music 9)Nadine Charles-Kisses In The Morning 10)Me'Shell N'degeocello-Come Smoke My Herb 11)Zo!/Phonte/Carlitta-Say How You Feel 12)Soulful!-Damn Thing 13)Geno Young-The One 14)J. Mitchell-Your Summer Song 15)Wes Felton-Slow Down 16)Colin Munroe/Drake-Cannon Ball 17)Conya Doss-What We Gone Do 18)Bilal-Someday We'll Be Free 19)Darien Brockington-Desire 20)Angela Johnson-Days 21)Macy Gray-On & On 22)Eric Roberson-A Tale of Two (remix) 23)Raheem DeVaughn-2 Be U

SOUND SPOT: NADINE CHARLES
I recently rediscovered an independent soul artist from London that I had forgotten about, and her name is Nadine Charles. She's worked with Raphael Saadiq, and provided vocals for electronica-soul groups Silhouette Brown and 2000Black. Don't know those groups? Look them up! Modeling is another passion of hers, so checkout some of her photos online. I sent a newer track of hers entitled "Kisses In The Morning" and it is a lovely track! For that reason I showcased it on my latest soul mixx, so keep your ears open for that one. I put these mixxes together to give music lovers an opportunity to discover and support artists that I feel are dope! Without support these artists may not be able to continue to make this great music we love...

Checkout these websites to discover more about Nadine Charles:

www.nadinecharles.blogspot.com

www.myspace.com/ncharles

COULTRAIN IS SEYMOUR LIBERTY!
Mr. Coultrain is an Indie soul music artist that has been working pretty hard over the last few years trying to make a name for himself. If you purchased, stole or listened to the Platnium Pied Pipers (PPP) last album (Abundance)which you should have if you like good music) then you've already been introduced to Coultrain. He provides the vocals on several of the PPP laced tracks, which made that album a success in my personal opinion. He has very soulful voice that reminds me of the good ole' days of soul music from the 70's and 80's. I was hoping we'd get some more tunes from this dude sooner or later, and my prayers were answered.

Coultrain recently release an EP "GodMustBeABoogieMan" for his fans. There are 13 songs on the joint broken into a musical story format of three chapters: APrince'sDeparture, ARoofTopXperience and ACharlatan'sReturn. Most of the production duties are being handled by Patrice Rushen and Yesterday's New Quintet. It's fresh music worth you taking a listen. Soul music lovers take notice!

Click Here!

www.myspace.com/coultrainmusic

NEW DONNELL JONES MUSIC!


That's right, Mr. Donnell Jones has a new album entitled "Lyrics" hitting the streets on September 28th. A new single from the album "Love Like This" has made its way onto Internet, so if you haven't it put ears on it above.

ESPERENZA'S CHAMBER MUSIC!
I consider myself a fan of all types of jazz, but there are only a few artists from today's list that I stop what I am doing to pay attention. The female jazz musicians that tops my list is definitely Esperanza Spalding! She's dope in so many ways that I won't bother trying to explain them all. Her stage presence is overwhelming and her skills on the bass are effortless. Esperanza's voice just brings everything together with a strong, but smooth quality that I consider hypnotic. Watching her live is amazing! I remember channel surfing one late Saturday night last year, and I was lucky enough to catch a live performance of hers in Central Park (located in Manhattan, NY). That was one of the best live musical performances I've watched on television.

Anyway, Esperanza is about to release her third album "Chamber Music Society" on August 17, 2010. The new album is a mixture funk, soul, acoustic, classical and jazz. Even if you just think you like jazz, I would suggest you take a listen some of Esperanza's music. You just might like it.

www.esperanzaspalding.com

THIS SONG REALLLY CRACKS ME UP!

Recently, I was surfin' the Internet, and came across this video/song called "Doin Your Mom" by some dude named Ray William Johnson. This disrespectful song is hilarious! They are rapping, but don't expect anything like Mos Def or Black Thought type of lyrical prowness though. Thing more Beastie Boys meets Weird Al Yankovic!