NEXX ERYKAH BADUINIT MIXX!
Erykah Badu has taken the music scene by storm in 2010! First she redefined what sexy is by showcasing her assets in that infamous Window Seat video, and got fined for it. She even outshined that controversy by dropping one of the hottest albums this year! That got me thinking about all of the hot tracks Erykah has been apart of over the years, Amerykah Pt. 2. Ms. Badu has collaborated with numerous artists with very different musical styles, but she always manages to bring her own flavor to the records. Her funky, fresh and sometime playful style of music making is always appreciated by this fan.

Now, it's time to checkout some of my favorite Erykah Badu collaborations and remixed joints: BADUINIT HERE

-1:Bandy Bandy = Zap Mama
-2:Hold On = Pharoahe Monch
-3:Poetry = Roy Hargrove
-4:Get Live = Strange Fruit Project
-5:The Light Remix = Common
-6:Come Close Remix = Common/Pharrell/Q-Tip
-7:I C U (Doin It) = ATCQ
-8:Fly Away = Sa-Ra/Georgia Anne Muldrow
-9:Back In The Day Live = The Roots
10:That Heat = Sergio Mendes/Will.I.Am
11:Next Time Remix = Linslee
12:Master Teacher = Georgia Anne Muldrow
13:Precious Love = D'Angelo
14:The Blast Remix = Talib Kweli
15:You Got Me = The Roots/Eve
16:Searching = Roy Ayers
17:Everybody Loves The Sunshine = Roy Ayers
18:Honey Remix = Little Brother
19:One = Busta Rhymes
20:Southern Gul = Rahzel
21:Wanna Be Where You Are = The Roots

That is all!!!!

THE MIDDLE EAR E.P.!

Listening out for some new sounds and grooves for your MP3 player? Well, you are in luck! One of my favorite hip-hop/soul artist Wes Felton and Jah-I-Witness have joined forces to create Middle Ear. They have dropped their self-titled EP for FREE DOWNLOAD. Wes Felton is handling the vocals, so if you are a fan you should dig this joint. If you are not already a fan, become one. It's fresh and new, so put ears on it...

GET THE MIDDLE EAR EP HERE!

DANNY BOY FINALLY FREED!
Well, well, well...looks like Suge Knight and the Death Row camp have decided to free another one of their musical captives. Remember, that R&G crooner known as Danny Boy from the 1990s? He had a couple of decent singles "Slip-N-Slide" and "Come When I Call" that dropped back in the day, but that was about it. The official album never came out, so Danny Boy remained a musical hostage and ultimately a victim of the Death Row machine. There were so many talented acts on that label that never got a chance to get their turn to shine, so it's nice to see Danny Boy finally getting that opportunity. After listening to Danny's album "It's About Time" (which is perfectly titled) sounds like it was made back in 1995. Actually, these are probably the original tracks that were never released. Yeah, I am pretty sure. I mean Roger Troutman, JoJo and DeVante (Jodeci) are guest featured on a couple of songs, so that says it all.

Regardless, it has a real R&B feel to it. No autotune or Lil'Wayne guest appearances either. Most of the production duties were handled by DJ Quik, so it can't be all bad.

Checkout Danny's album here--> IT'S ABOUT TIME

LOUNGE WITH THE "QUAVO"!This musical delight definitely has a mellow vibe. I called it the "Quavo Loungin Mixx" for some reason? It's one of those mixxes perfect for a late Sunday afternoon while you lounging around the house. There is plenty of soulful and jazzy tunes throughout to put you in "chill mode" for sure.

Full Crate/Mar: I Said

Suff Daddy/Mar: Deep Shit

Guru/Chaka Khan: Watch What U Say

Roots/Jill Scott: Complexity

Shafiq Husayn/Bilal: Cheeba

Guru: Feel The Music

Kool & The Gang: Too Hot

Najee/Eric Benet: We Gone Ride

Rich Brown: So Many

Pieces of A Dream: Fo-Fi-Fo

Shelby Brown: All Out

Jaspects/Chantae Cann: Find My Way To Love

Giovanca: She Just Wants To Know

Erykah: 20 Feet Tall

Guru/MC Solaar: Le Bien, Le Mal

Esperanzah: Dizzy Dance

J Davey: Slooow Remix

Jose' James: Black Majic

Guru/Erykah: Plenty

Support quality music and the artists that make it!

IT'S THE QUAVO!

R.I.P. TO MY DUDE GURU!
I knew that Guru was very sick, but I was shocked to hear about his passing this morning. There are not too many rap groups that I feel shaped my love for hip-hop, but Guru and DJ Premier a.k.a. Gang Starr did just that! These kats were hip-hop and everyone knew and respected them for it. Their music was like comfort food for true fans like myself, and they always delivered with each album dropped. Guru made Premo's beats sound better, and Premo's production made Guru a better emcee. For that reason I was pretty upset when I heard that the group had ended their run together. I saw the writing on the wall, but I didn't want to see it happen. After the break-up, I still appreciated Guru's efforts, but something was definitely missing. In the back of my mind I alway hoped that Guru and Premo would put their differences behind them, and finally reconnect as Gang Starr. I guess that will never happen now, but Guru will still be missed. Another one of our hip-hop legends has left us too soon...

R.I.P. Guru!

SAUCE MONEY RETURNS!


If you didn't know the East Coast emcee Sauce Money from the 1990s is back on the scene again. Sauce used to be down with Jay-Z and The Roc camp back in the day, but things didn't work out as planned. Sauce exited the spotlight and began making his money behind the scenes doing plenty of ghostwriting for several popular rap acts. It's obvious that he's been eating really good for all of these years because he truly resembles Big Pun in 2010! His knuckles even look overweight?

Anyway, his new track is called "No Average Joe" which will be featured on his untitled album coming this Fall. The song sounds like a throwback joint he made in the 1990s, but his lyrics are still on point. It will probably be difficult for Sauce to resurrect the buzz he once had, however, nothing is impossible these days.

KISSEY & DARU = SO GOOD EP!
I don't Daru Beats sleeps! It seems like every couple of days this man has some new live video footage, a hot remix or an EP hitting the Internet! I'm definitely not complaining because Daru consistently releases quality work. For all of you "sometimey, only releasing new material every 14 months" type artists, please take some notes. Shoutout to my dude Raheem DeVaughn for raising his grind meter to 10 as well over the last few months. He's been dropping hot joints like bird turds too! Anyway, Daru is back on the production tip again, and this time the vocals are being provided by soulstress Kissey Asplund. Now, this young lady has her own style. I am a fan of hers too! Kissey and Daru are like chicken and biscuits. They sound good together. Nuff said!

Download the "So Good" PD EP ---> CLICK HERE

darujones.blogspot.com

somewhatstrangelife.blogspot.com

YAHZARAH'S "BALLAD" SAMPLER!Yahzarah has dropped her "The Ballad of Purple St. James" album sampler for all to hear, so what are you waiting for? Click the photo above and download it immediately! The new album will be released on May 4, 2010...

www.theforeignexchangemusic.com

THE "LIGHT MY SOUL" MIXX!

This is my latest contribution to the music lovers out there! Some of the artists featured on this joint include: Common, Reggie B, Erro, Muhsinah, Von Pea, The Roots, Donnell Jones, Phonte and Ryan Leslie. The official track list is located in the comments section. Put ears and eyes on it below...

LIGHT YOUR SOUL BY CLICKING HERE

LINK 2

MARCELL SINGS THE SYMBOLS!
I am using this post to backtrack on an album from 2009 that shouldn't have gotten overlooked. If you don't know 'bout Marcell & The Truth, consider this your introduction. I had the privilege to see this smooth group of brothers perform live back in 2006, and I have been a fan ever since. After chatting with a couple of the group members, it was clear to see they were some very humble dudes. They are just glad to be making music. The voice behind the group belongs to Marcell Russell, and his vocals can make any song sound good. The boy can sang! Don't believe me, well listen for yourself. Marcell & The Truth released their second album "Symbols" back in late 2009. Even though you may have missed out, it's never too late to get quality music. This album is definitely for the adult-contemporary soul lovers out there. No Lil'Wayne, Ludacris or Nicki Minaj guests features on this joint. Just straight R&B...straight R&B!

Listen to new Symbols album --> http://www.marcellandthetruth.com/

Here is one of my favorite tracks from their first album "Hopes Too High" called Breathe Love:

TONE TREZURE'S DESTINY EP!
Haven't you heard? Latonya Givens a.k.a Tone Trezures has dropped her EP called Destiny for her fans. It's 5 tracks from Trezure's chest that have never been officially released. Think of it as a small snack before the main meal. Tone is not just a soul singer. She's also a dope producer as well. That's different from a beat maker. None of those loopy-beat-making programs that the kids are using to rearrange soul samples in Tone's studio. Her production consists of precise musical arrangements and live instrumentation. I think that gives her beats a more organic sound. I applaud Tone for taking her production process back to the days of the greats like Patrice Rushen and Quincy Jones.

If you want to know more about Tone Trezure --> Click HERE!

Get the "Destiny EP" ---> www.thetrezure.bandcamp.com

This Strange Fruit Project track "Crush On You" is one of my favorites with Tone Trezure on the hook:

FREESTYLE SESSIONS WIT TOUCH!
I still love a good freestyle! It's the old school hip-hop head in the me. I know in 2010 freestyles ain't really free no-mo, but it still gets me hype to hear an emcee truly handling the mic-device. Whether written or off the top, it doesn't really matter to me as long as it is D-O-P-E! Over my many years of music travels, I have heard the best of the best that ever did it. For that reason I am not easily impressed, so these newer kats have to really say something for me to take notice. Confidence is key, and if it's lacking I will immediately hit pause and change the station. I feel that a freestyle is just like a resume for an emcee. It's an opportunity to make that first impression on potential fans, so don't blow it. You wouldn't turn in a poorly crafted resume if you were trying to get a job, so rappers shouldn't be freestyling with garbage rhymes. If you can't freestyle, stay in your lane and just make records. Everybody is not built for the freestyle game.

Recently, I came across several freestyle video clips from the Shade45: Toca Tuesdays hosted by Tony Touch on Sirius. Here some of my favorites freestyles from the bunch. Potential rappers take notes...

That is all...

MICHIGAN STATE MASHUP MIXX!
Not only am I a huge music fan, but I also consider myself a serious sports fan as well. I support all of my local professional sports teams like the Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings and the *cough* Lions *louder cough* even if they stink. I also dig our college teams, especially the Wolverines and Spartans. If you haven't heard, the Michigan State Spartans basketball team is playing in the Final Four Championship this year. You may not care, but here in THE MI this is a big deal! To show support for the Spartans, I have decided to put together a mixx that was dedicated to music artists from the state of Michigan. It's a mixture of old and new tracks from artists that I respect from the local music scene. You should already be familiar with most of these artists if you have been listening to my mixxes for any length of time. If you don't know some of these artists, do yourself a favor and find out about them...

Playlist:

Finale - Paid Homage
Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Workout (Remix)
MarvWon/Elewd - Mad At Me
Elzhi/Spinna - Colors (Remix)
J Dilla - The $ (Remix)
Royce/Kay Young - Thing For Your Girlfriend
Waajeed/Neco Redd - Right Here (Remix)
L'Renee - Yes (I Do!)
Elewd - What's Not 2 Love
K'Jon - Dancing Shoes
Big Tone/L'Renee - Chocolate
Tone Trezure -
Waajeed - Tron
Monica Blaire/Daru - Confused
Zo! - The Watch
Guilty Simpson - Cali Hills
Phat Kat/Melanie Rutherford - Lovely
Fatt Father - RICH
Ro Spit - Needing A Win
Illa J/Affion Crockett - DFTF
Daru & Rena - Your There 2
Danny Brown - Greatest Rapper
Ta'Raach/Invincible - Bombs Away
Black Milk - Dreamz
Zo! - Holding You, Loving You

MASH IT UP

Support quality music because it is the right thing to do...