THE P-MIXES BY PUDGE!The underground producer that goes by Pudge has released another compilation of remixes showcasing his very different approach to production. These days when you hear or see the word "REMIX" it is usually just some added vocals on the same beat from the original track. I hate when that happens because that is pretty lazy in my opinion. If you are going to remix a track, then remix it dammit! That means taking the original song in another direction totally. At the minimum I expect to hear a different beat on a remix. Anything is less than that is not a remix...period!

Pudge has dropped some old and new remixes of several classics hip-hop tracks he calls "P-Mixes: The Deluxe Edition" for all to hear. This kat dismantles these tracks and adds his crazy-fresh production to create a whole new vibe for each joint. Some of the artists featured on these remixes include: Kanye West, MOP, Jay-Z, Slum Village, Snoop Dogg, Mobb Deep, Lil' Wayne, Beanie Sigel, Dre, Frank-N-Dank and Tupac.

There are 9 remixes total, and its free for download.

GET THE P-MIXES HERE

DON'T TALK, JUST LISTEN!I have much love for the underground hip-hop artists. They're like roaches, never dying and always living (DJ Premier quote). The underground is where hip-hop remains fresh, fun and interesting. Since, most of these artists are not making much money (if any) from their music, a lot of them do it strictly for the love of the art. I appreciate that, and that's why I support these artists by posting about them and purchasing their joints. It's the least I can do...

Today, I am showcasing some of my favorite underground tracks for your ears to explore. I call this joint the "Still Listening Mixx" because that is what you need to be doing. Listen, Google and then support!

Trackademics:

1) Onra-L.I.A.B. 2) Fashawn/Talib Kweli-Life's A Bitch 3) Access-I Got Em 4) Common/Latifah-Next Time 5) Eric Lau/Oddisee-No Regrets 6) The Wu-Gunshowers 7) WrittenHouse/Sick Six-Mathematix 8) Akrobatik/LB-Be Prepared 9) 88-Keys-Nice Guys Finish Last 10)Black Starr-History (Remix) 11) Pancea-Collard Fried Grey Sky 12) Othello-Feel Good Music 13) Black Spade/Stoney - Things Change 14) N/A-The Undaground 15) Fred Joachim-Mist 16) Donwill/Von Pea-Star From Shining 17) Dom Kennedy-Still Me 18) Strong Arm Steady/Talib Kweli-Get Started 19) MURS/Suga Free-Let Me Talk 20) Sadat X/M-1/Kurupt-Pray 21) Little Brother-Tigallo For Dolo 22) Donwill/Kay/Uzoy-Girl Girl 23) Von Pea-Web 24)Theophilus London-Accept The New

LISTEN HERE!!

THE WEIRDO: GREEN TEA!I forgot to give some shine about this joint earlier in the year, so consider this post better late than never (as they say). The artist is Ms. Green Tea from D.C. in the place to be. Dang, did I just make that last line rhyme? I've been practicing my freestyle skills in the shower for years, so I am battle tested if didn't know! Anyway, Green Tea dropped a hot mixtape that went under the soul radar of many music lovers, so if you missed it check it out. It's called the Beautiful Weirdo Mixtape. Who said mixtapes were only for the rappers?

All of the beats on this joint are Outkast instrumentals from various tracks you'll definitely recognize. She sings effortlessly over these grooves too!
Me likey this mixtap a lot, and you probably will as well.

Get the mixtape here: greentea.bandcamp.com

THE NEXX VIDEO HOTBOX!




What do you know about Vikter Duplaix? What do you know about Jesse Boykin III? Probably not enough, so get familiar! Both are very soulful artists that make original music worth your attention. Checkout these new videos from both of them...

www.vikterduplaix.com

www.myspace.com/jesseboykinsiii

ACCESS IMMORTAL HAS DREAMS!I just wanted to quickly speak on Access Immortal and his new album "Birth of a Dream" which is available now. I've had this album in constant rotation for several weeks now, and I am still not tired of it. I have been following Access' career for some years now, but he is still an unknown to most rap fans. Personally, I think he's a solid emcee representing New York to the fullest. No, he's not changing the game, but I will say that he's better than most of the rap trash being showcased these days.

If you are interested, Google the kid and check him out for yourself. He definitely has plenty of solid mixtapes floating around in cyberspace, so see what you can find.

In the meantime, checkout his new album here: BIRTH OF A DREAM

www.myspace.com/accessimmortal

TANYA IS SANDWICH SHOPPING!
Underground hip-hop is definitely in the building. One of my favorite hip-hop groups making it happen right now is Tanya Morgan. BTW, if you slept on the kid Donwill's debut solo joint "Cuzack..." check for it immediately. Anyway, Donwill & Von Pea of the TM crew have decided to drop a free mixtape called "The Sandwich Shop" for their fans. It's 9 tracks deep. All of the beats were provided by The Roots with the Brooklynati duo providing all of the verses. Guest appearances on the joint include emcees Che Grand and Jermaside. Keep your ears out for Jermaside, that dude has the gift of gab too. This is what true hip-hop is really about. Making music for the love of it. It's not always about the almighty dollar, and I wish more artists would understand that. This is just another reason why I support Tanya Morgan's movement. Keep up the good work fellas!

GET THE SANDWICH SHOP HERE!

www.brooklynati.com

www.myspace.com/tanyamorgan

www.myspace.com/vonpea

INGLOURIOUS KLASSICS MIXX!

Ready for some soulful goodness? If so, click on the headphones pic above and make your ears happy! Continue to support quality music!

Tracklist after the click...

LEELA JAMES "MY SOUL"!

Leela James is one of the many female soul singers on the scene right now, but her throwback sound is what separates her from the pack. I love Leela's voice just like the next soul music fan. However, I haven't been the biggest fan of her two album releases up to the point. Her 2005 debut album was decent overall, but I didn't care for her second album "Let's Do It Again" from 2009. I don't particularly like remake tracks, and her second project was a remake album. Personally, I am still waiting on Leela's breakout album, and hopefully her upcoming third project "My Soul" will be just that. Her first single from the new joint "Tell Me You Love Me" is hot, so I can't wait to hear this album. "My Soul" drops on May 25th, so if you are a Leela fan mark your calendars.

View the official video below:


www.leelajames.com

HAPPY MOM'S DAY DA MUSICAL!
I would like to wish all of my mothers and every other mother holding it down a heartfelt "Happy Mother's Day"! If you are lucky enough to still have a mother, grandmother and/or godmother that is still alive, make sure you show them love all year long. You don't need a holiday to dictate when your mother deserves special attention. Make everyday "Mother's Day" and you'll be grateful you did. One of my female friends (who is a mother as well) asked if I could make some mixxes showcasing some of my favorite soulful tracks from my past years blogging. That idea sounded good to me, so today I present Volume 1 of my "Bestest Uv" soul music series. This mixx give shine to many of my favorite and overlooked underground female soul singers.

Some of the artists on this mixx include: Lalah Hathaway, Carmen Rodgers, Porsche, Lina, Ayah, Eska, Brittany Bosco, Algebra, Conya Doss and many others...

The complete track list will be available sooner than later, so don't fret. Until then, put ears on this mixx expeditiously!!!

B.U. VOLUME 1 MIXX (CLICK HERE)!

YAHZARAH DOES HER BALLAD!
Funky, sultry, original, sassy, sexy and eccentric are just a few of the adjectives I'd use to describe the soulful musician Yahzarah a.k.a Purple St. James. After chatting with her a few times at past events, I feel confident in stating that she is definitely a handful! I dig her frank honesty, and the fact she is comfortable being herself. What you see is what you get. I have posted about Yahz many times in the past, so I won't bother discussing her origin. She's back with a new album worth your attention, so lets get into it. Her new project is called "The Ballad of Purple St. James" and this is a solid album. The combination of Nicolay and Phonte's production works well with Yahzarah's vocals. The lean 13 tracks total on the album leaves no room for filler, which is greatly appreciated. Every song has a purpose, and adds to the overall theme. Yahz keeps it in the Foreign Exchange family by only utilizing Phonte and Darien Brockington for guest appearances on the joint, which are two of my favorite tracks.

If you have never checked for Yahzarah in the past, this is good place to start. Don't sleep! For fans this is a no-brainer, so make sure you support this quality music. Save the illegal downloading for the wack suckaz...

GET THE SONG "WHY DONTCHA YOU CALL ME NO MORE" HERE

www.myspace.com/yahzarah

www.theforeignexchangemusic.com

Checkout the new album HERE or click the album cover above!

NECO REDD: NO DISCIPLINE!
I truly believe that you can talk people up sometimes. Just the other day I was talking with my homebwoy (TB) about various artists and tracks we were checking for, and Neco Redd's popped up. I expressed how I was bothered that one of my favorite local soul-songstresses from the "D" had not gotten her chance to shine. Neco's debut album "No Discipline" was never released in 2008 as originally planned. Her fans never got any definite answers about if and when the album would be released. Personally, I had given up hope . So many talented artists have suffered the same fate over the years, I have gotten used to it. A couple of days ago while I am going my huge amount of unopened emails, I see a message that has Neco Redd's name in it. I opened it up with the quickness, and there was a link for a free download for Neco's "No Discipline EP" joint. There are 8 previously unreleased soulful tracks on the EP, so I had to share this one with my people. Thanks to Downtown for the linkage...

Get this joint here: NECO REDD "NO DISCIPLINE EP"

Hopefully, this means that Neco is working on some new material...