I STILL LOVES A RAP BATTLE!


I don't know about you, but I believe that the freestyle battle is a critical piece of hip-hop as a whole. It seems to be missing in the game right now for some reason, so when I came across this little ditty of video footage I had to post it. It's Lady Luck and Reece Steele going at it. These two gutta mowfed broads are dropping a few curse filled verses towards each other for our listening pleasure, so check it out. I can't guarantee that these rhymes are off the top of the dome or not, but if it sounds good who really cares, right?

SUNDAY LOUNGIN' MIXX!
I have missed feelings about Sunday. It's known for being a day of rest, reflection, family outings, worshipping, etc., but it's also the day before Monday. I dread Mondays with a passion, but it's a necessary evil that I have to deal with to get my full paycheck every two weeks. The "Rat Race" can be a bizzitch sometimes, but whose complaining. Unemployment is a bigger bizzitch, so I'll leave it there. As far as I am concerned, Sundays are about getting as me time in as I can. Most of the time it's about loungin' and listening to music that soothes my mind.

Today, I am sharing a mixx that is perfect for loungin' on Sundays or any other day for that matter, so when you get some time put ears on it. Make sure you kick your feet up when you play this mixx. It sounds better like that! This joint is full of soul classics, jazzy flavorz and a few other genres sprinkled around for good measure. I present to you "The Sunday Loungin' Mixx"...

SUNDAY'S PLAYLIST :

01) Ease My Mind - Jazz Liberatorz ft. Fat Lip/Tre Hardson/Omni
02) Twilight - Obsidian Blue
03) Daykeeper - Foreign Exchange ft. Muhsinah
04) Silly - Deniece Williams
05) Sorry - Noel Gourdin
06) J Dillalude - Robert Glasper
07) Swept Away - The Roots
08) On The One (Sa-Ra Remix) - RH Factor
09) Baracoa De Cuba - Robb Scott ft. Jill Jones
10) I Know You Know - Esperanza Spalding
11) The Facts - Afta 1
12) Shoot Em' Up Movies - The Deele
13) There'll Never Be - Switch
14) Never Give You Up - Raphael Saadiq ft. Stevie Wonder
15) Smooth - George Howard
16) Good Thang - Impromp2
17) As The Wheel Turns - Nicolay & Kay
18) Sidewalk Jazzin' - Oddisee ft. Kev Brown
19) Be Careful - Phyllis Hyman
20) You Got It All - The Jets

LOUNGIN STARTS HERE!

A LETTER TO OBAMA!

Personally, I try not to get into deep conversations about religion or politics with most people because it normally leads to someone getting punched in the mouth. Not literally (in most cases), but figuratively. As you know the BIG election is coming up in November 2008, and who you are planning to vote for is a personal choice, so don't think that I am trying to sway you in any way. But, last week my dude Fatt Father (Fat Killaz fame) passed the word that he was dropping a new track on his myspace page called "A Letter To Obama" that he thought I should hear. Normally, I am not too impressed with political records in most cases, but I must say that I totally dug Fatt Father's track. The beat was sickenly dope and his lyrics were heartfelt. I felt the message behind the rhyme. I was moved by this joint that I decided to do a post about it! No mater if you are rolling with the red or blue, I would suggest that you check out this track for the hip-hop's sake. If you dig the track after giving it a good listen, leave the homie a message telling him so. I'm quite sure he'd be interested in what you think about it...

Check out the track by clicking below:

www.myspace.com/fattfather

SPIKED PUNCHLINES MIXX!

If you desire some dope hip-hop, you should definitely put ears on this mixx!

Don't talk, just listen...

01~Madlib vs. Nas (Remix) Intro

02~GZA -7 Pounds

03~KO ft. Black Milk/Skyzoo/Median/Emilio - Start It All Over

04~Little Brother ft. Kanye West/Consequence - I See Now

05~Snoop Dogg - Those Gurlz

06~S1 ft. Rah Digga - Life Is Like A Movie

07~Roddy Rodd ft. Finale/Y.U. - Neva Find Me

08~Bumpy Knuckles - Part of My Life

09~Busta Rhymes - Still Shining

10~Illa J - We Here

11~Jake One ft. Elzhi/Royce Da 5'9 - Glow

12~De La Soul - The Future

13~Q*Tip - Gettin Up

14~Lone Catalyst - Make It Better

15~Samiyam - Quesadilla

16~J*Live - Yes!

17~KO ft. John Robinson/Torae/Talib Kweli/Tiffany Paige - Somebody

18~Lil Wayne ft. Bobby Valentino - Mrs. Officer

19~Fusion Unlimited ft. LB/Skillz/Nickelus/HOF - The Sun

20~Consequence ft. John Legend - And U Say

SPIKE IT!

MS. KEYS + 007 EQUALS...
I was looking through the excessive amount of emails in my inbox today, and I came across this new track starring the sexy Alicia Keys. I was expecting some more of that popalicious mainstream love sap that seems to be common in 08, but I was totally wrong. This is the new theme music for the upcoming James Bond 007 flick and it's called "Another Way To Die" featuring Jack White. This track is rock heavy, but it actually flows pretty nicely overall. This song will definitely not appeal to all of her fans, but that's no reason not to put ears on it. I hope this is a sign of good things to come from Ms. Keys...


Click the on the gold brasserie to hear...

ROYCE IS BACK AT IT AGAIN!
No, not a Roles Royce, but Royce Da 5'9" from Detroit. One of the dopest emcees in the game today. The dude that still hasn't gotten the respect he deserves after all of these years of dropping hot verses. Yes, that guy! He's back at it again with DJ Green Lantern providing the beats. This mixtape is called "The Bar Exam 2" and it's just as nice as the first one. If you have never put ears on "The Bar Exam 1" mixtape by now, you have totally lost, especially if you consider yourself a fan of hip-hop. I haven't heard Royce rip verses that hard in a minute, plus the beat selection was excellentay-forealay! Personally, I am not a big fan of traditional mixtapes in most cases because there's usually too much talking and not enough music. Even when they're free, they still stink in most cases. The Bar Exam mixtapes are two exception! Get BE2 while you can and find Exam 1 in cyberspace...

Thanks to hiphopdx for sharing the goods...

Bar Exam 2 (right click & save as)

AT 23 I WAS FEARLESS TOO!
The music world seems to be seriously buzzing over Jazmine Sullivan, and for good reason I suppose. One thing she has on her side is having Missy Elliott molding and shaping her music career. Missy is a vet, and she definitely knows how to mentor an upcoming artist. Remember Tweet? Well, maybe not, but my point is that I think Jazmine is in good hands. Her first single "Need U Bad" being played on every radio and video station around the country, so I suspect the fans of that song are anticipating her debut album "Fearless" as well? Personally, her single does nothing for me, but I think she's bringing a little bit of that Lauryn Hill flavor and folks are feeling it. I did get a chance to hear some of her older unreleased tracks, and I must say that I truly enjoyed them! I am hoping that her new album will continue with vibe? Her album drops on September 23rd, so keep your ears open.

Until then, put ears on this little slice of ear pleasing candy:

NEED THIS!

Her sites:

www.jazminesullivanmusic.com

www.myspace.com/jazminesullivan

BIG BUB IS BACK BIDDIES!
Lead singer of the 90s group Today is finally back at it again in 2008, and his name is Lee Drakeford a.k.a Big Bub! Not only is he considered an R&B legend by most, but also he’s one of the Godfathers of the New Jack Swing movement that reigned in the 1990s. From movie soundtracks to guest appearances, Big Bub was definitely a force to be reckoned with. It’s his powerful and distinctive voice that made him stand out of the large crowd of R&B singers saturating the music scene back in the day. Even when Bub was apart of his former group Today, you could tell that he was the real star amongst the four members. Did you even know the names of the other group members? Of course you didn’t? So, when Bub finally dropped his first solo album “Comin’ at Cha” in 1992, I wasn’t surprised. His first joint didn’t do that good unfortunately, so he vanished until 1997 when he released his second album “Timeless” out of the blue. Personally, I like his second album mainly because it featured one of my favorite Bub singles “I Want Your Love” with guest appearances from Queen Latifah and Heavy D. Three years later he released his third album “Never Too Late,” which is my favorite Big Bub solo album of all.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard or even seen Big Bub, so I figured that he finally put his microphone on the shelf. Then recently I came across some new material from the crooner entitled “Tug of War” and it’s actually a double album. Taking a page from R. Kelly’s release “Happy People/U Saved Me,” the “Tug of War” project is an R&B and Gospel album all rolled into one. As stated on Bub’s website, he was unsure whether he wanted to make one or the other, so he decided to make both. After listening to both of them, I must say that both were an entertaining listen overall. On the R&B side the vibe definitely feels like a throwback to the 90s at some points. It put me in the mindset of what R&B used to be before everything got all mixed up. The Gospel side seems more spiritual driven than preachy. Bub has taken the Strange Fruit Project approach, which works well. I encourage Big Bub fans to check out his new release when you get a chance.

Click on the link below to hear some of his new tracks:

www.quantumbeats.net/bigbub/

You know I couldn't leave you hanging without sharing some of my Big Bub favorites from his past and present. Today was one of my favorite groups back in the day, so I've included them as well. This mixx is called th "Big Bub Today Mixx" and it will surely bring back some of those good old memories of the 1990s!

Bub’s Playlist:

01-Today – Why You Get Funky on Me
02-Big Bub – I Like Your Style
03-Big Bub – Whatcha Going To Do
04-Big Bub – Father’s House
05-Big Bub – Get Down
06-Today – I Got The Feeling
07-Big Bub ft. Heavy D/Queen Latifah – I Want Your Love
08-Big Bub – It Is What It Is
09-Big Bub – One Love
10-Today – Let Me Know
11-Big Bub – I Don’t Mind
12-Big Bub – Material Girl
13-Today – Self-Centered
14-Big Bub – Simon Sez
15-Big Bub – I Want U 4 Me
16-Big Bub ft. Yo-Yo/Redhead Kingpin – Touch Me

GET IT HERE!

KARDINAL IS DEFINITELY OFFICIAL!

I have been a supporter of the Canadian hip-hop movement for an extended minute now! Even back in the days when Michie Mee was making Jamacian Funk: Canadian Style. Only the real headz know about Michie Mee though. After her run there were a few rappers from Toronto that hit the American hip-hop scene throughout the 90s, but none were that rememberable except for Saukrates, Choclair and Kardinal Offishall. Saukrates was actually my favorite from the bunch, but Kardinal was definitely a close second. Since, Choclair and Sauk have both been M.I.A. for the last few years, Kardinal has moved into the first position. My favorite part of Kard's music is that reggae flavor that he incorporates into it. He has the ability to go from straight underground hip-hop, right into some reggae splash the same track. He's no slouch on the mic either, so don't sleep!

K.O. has just released his latest album entitled "Not For Sale" and it's pretty entertaining overall. It's filled with solid beats and rhymes, plus a slew of guests appearances from artists like Rihanna, J*Davey, Glenn Lewis, The Clipse, Akon & Estelle. Unlike the album title, this album is definitely for sale, so go pick it up!

Put ears on this track and hear some of that reggae flavor:

K. Offishall - Nina

THE KING OF HIP-HOP SOUL!
Since, we all know whom the reigning Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is already, why hasn't there been a King named yet? A know plenty of people that would quickly disagree, but Mary J. Blige has been the Queen since her first single dropped back in the early 90s. Many have tried to remove her from the throne, but it hasn't happened yet. I don't know if it ever will actually? None of these young chicklettes in the game today can hold a torch to Mary, but there is one singer that could giver her a run and that's Faith Evans. I actually like Faith's voice a little better overall! Okay, enough about the Queen. Let's talk about the King of Hip-Hop Soul. His name is Donell Jones! The reason why is because the dude is nice with his vocally, plus over his career he's blessed several hip-hop beats and ripped each of them. Both Donell and Mary have the gift of singing effortlessly over the hardest rap beats, and making them even better than some of the rappers that spit on them originally. Even though the average music fan has slept on Donell's whole catalog of music over the years, this kat has managed to stay relevant. If you don't have any Mr. Jones in your music collection, you are definitely missing out!

I have all of his albums and they are all DOPE! They all still get heavy rotation around my way. While the majority seems to prefers the Ne-Yos, Chris Browns, Dreams and Lloyds in the game right now, I'm sticking with Donelly. He's been consistent throughout his whole career, so I can't abandon that for some fly by night pop act. I'll be glad when folks finally stop sleeping on Donell Jones and start giving the man his deserved props...

Your chance is now actually. I have put together a little mixx showcasing some of Donell's joints that have those ear pleasing hip-hop grooves that we all know and love. I call it the "Donell Jonesin' Mixx" because you'll probably be jonesing for more of his music once you hear this mixx? After listening to this mixx, if you have another male candidate that deserves the King's crown, please let me know. Hit me up in the comments section or the shout box on the right and present your evidence...

DONELL JONESIN' MIXX TRACKLIST:

01^u know what's up ft. xzibit, cuban linx, p. monch, fat joe & treach
02^you should know
03^shut you down
04^all about you
05^take it there
06^if u want (raggidy demo mix) ft. bun b
07^you didn't
08^waiting on you ft. rico love
09^when i was down
10^guru ft. donell jones - hustlin' daze
11^treat u right
12^the only one you need
13^it's alright
14^where u are
15^don't leave
16^baby it's u ft. rico love
17^i'm gonna be (remix) ft. the clipse
18^kick in the door outrolism

HERE!

You can't have a King without his Queen, so if you missed it the first time around:

QUEEN MARY IS HERE!

VMAs = VERY MEDIOCRE ATTRACTIONS!
Dammit MTV! As much as I don't watch television on the norm, it really burns my hyde when I watch it and it stinks! I just finished suffering and yawning through the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, and overall I'd give the whole show 4 thumbs down if I had another pair of hands. Talk about a waste of eye juice. I've watched this award show before and I can't remember it being this bad in the past. It's running neck and neck with Soul Train Music Awards at this point. The host was boringly-awkward and so was 90% of the performances. I don't know what I actually expected from watching this event, but I know what I saw wasn't it. Oh yeah that's right, I expected to be entertained, but I wasn't. Here are few questions that really had me puzzled. If anyone can answer these questions for me, please do so...

Why does Lil Wayne continue to walk on stage with no shirt on while wearing those sissy tight pants saggin' down to his knees? Dude needs to step his wardrobe game up just a lot! Why did it seem like Lil Wayne and Rihanna performed about 8 times each during the entire show? Was there a limit on acts willing to participate this year? When is Sway going to cut those damn dusty dreads? I don't know how much bigger that pillow case hat he wears can get? Why is T-Pain In My Azz dressing more and more like a circus clown at every award show? Why was Pink and Kanye's performances the most entertaining part of the whole damn show? Do I ever plan on watching another VMA show in the next decade? Take a guess...

Kanye's song "Love Lockdown" sounds like it could be pretty interesting...

His new album drops in December 2008!

SOUNDNEXX RU&ANGEL MIXX!
Today, is a day that will go down in his-story! Detroit's Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick has resigned from office as part of plea bargain to save his behind. I can't really say that he actually saved anything after it was all said and done, but I guess this outcome is better than 10 to 15 in the state pen. The city has mixed emotions overall about this turn of events, but it is what it is. There is no rewind button on life's remote, so we must move foward as a city and a state regardless of what has occurred. Since, I know the media will be running this tidbit of news all across America for the next few days, I won't bother with the specifics. Personally, I wish that young black man well on his future endeavors.

Kwame is a spiritual man, and he can use an angel by his side right about now. Hell, I think we all can actually! Life can be a beast and we can use all of the assistance available just to make it through the week sometimes. Music gets me through most of it, and after you finish listening to this mixx you'll feel like you've been touched by an Angel...


You definitely need to add this joint to your music collection...


TRACK LISTING:

• 01-Angel ~ Pharell
• 02-Angel ~ PPP
• 03-My Angel Is You ~ Jean Grae
• 04-Angel ~ Illogic
• 05-Angel ~ Dwele
• 06-Guardian Angel ~ Jimmy Abney
• 07-My Angel ~ Bobby Valentino
• 08-Angel ~ Myron
• 09-Angel ~ Anita Baker
• 10-Perfect Angel ~ Minnie Ripperton
• 11-Let Me Be Your Angel ~ Stacy Lattisaw
• 12-Angel ~ Angela Winbush
• 13-Angel ~ Chaka Khan
• 14-Come Live With Me Angel ~ Marvin Gaye
• 15-Angel From A Far ~ AB & Souljourners
• 16-Angel ~ Simply Red ft. Wyclef ~ Angel
• 17-Another Angel ~ Lizz Wright

HERE!

WHERE YA AT WU-TANG FANS??

Where are all of the Wu-Tang Clan fans at in 2008? It's amazing how things have shifted in hip-hop these days. While I was on my daily Net surfing the other day, I came across this GZA album that just dropped over 2 weeks ago. How come nobody is talking about it on the hip-hop blogs around the World Wide Web? I remember back in the day when true Wu fans would never let a project from that camp go unrecognized. Personally, I consider myself an ex-Wu fan. I was burned one too many times when I made blind purchases from the Clan in the past, so I just stopped buying their stuff. Since, I wasn't buying their stuff, I really stopped paying attention to their releases. Today, I am clueless about the Clan's movements. I'm pretty sad about that though. I missed the days when the Clan was nothing to fuck with...

If anybody has put ears on this new GZA joint, please leave a comment or hit the chatbox and let me know how it sounds. GZA was on in my Top 4 of all the Clan members, so I might check it out...?

THE EXCHANGE IS COMING...
Hip-Hop music is about to get a mojor jolt of life this year! Talk about an early Christmas gift. When one of my favorite emcees and producers get together on one project, it's the highest point of dopestivity! I still remember how much effort I put into making people aware of this group a few years ago. It was back before their first joint dropped when I got a promo copy of the album from a local record store. Truthfully, I didn't know what I had in my possession until I finally listened to the album. I was immediately blown away! Little Brother was still pretty new and unknown by the majority of heads. I chose to go on a Foreign Exchange awareness campaign from that point on. Everyone that I knew who was really into quality hip-hop got an ear full about The Exchange. In 2008, they are a household name in hip-hop. If you don't know about them by now, be ashamed. Be very ashamed!

NOW, there second album "Leave It All Behind" is dropping this year, as we impatiently wait for them to tighten up a few loose ends on the project. Premo is to Nas, what Nicolay is to Phonte. Nic's beats bring out the best in Phonte in my personal opinion, so I'm pretty hyped about the new album! You should be too dammit...!!!

The 3rd Message From F.E.

Digital release of the album drops on October 7th and the CD (including the instrumental album) hits the streets on October 14th! The vinyl release will include 2 bonus remixes not found anywhere else does not have an official release date yet.

www.myspace.com/theforeignexchange

SOUND SPOT: ESPERANZA SPALDING
For those that didn't know, the Detroit Jazz Fest has our downtown area on lock this weekend, plus the Detroit Grand Prix and Senator Obama being in town. With all of that going on things have been pretty live around here this holiday artists on several stages all performing for free is a definite win-win situation. The artists line-up included many of my favorites like Lalah Hathaway, Rahsaan Patterson, Benny Golson and Dianne Reeves. One of the true highlights of the 2008 Jazz Fest for me was definitely new comer Esperanza Spalding! This beautiful (physically and talent wise) bass player is a true joy to watch. She's done her thing everytime that I have seen her perform. I was initially impressed by her when I first saw her perform live a few months ago on a local morning show. I saw her just by chance actually. Watching her small frame rip the stage with that huge bass was amazing by itself, but it was the great music that she shared that had me sold. Personally, I am not into to many jazz bass players, but Ms. Spalding has definitely made her way onto my small and distinctive list. Did I mention that she's a music teacher at Boston's Berklee College of Music?

After watching Esperanza perform, I immediately went online to find out about her album. She actually has two albums under her belt, but it was the her latest project "Esperanza" that I was interested in. After putting ears on that jazzy joint, I must say that I was pretty impressed with it overall. She incorporates different types of songs on this project, which showcases different aspects of her skill. Outside of her bass playing abilities, Ms. Spalding is a wonderful singer as well. Actually, her singing was the highlight of this album for me. She reminds me of Corinne Bailey Rae with a hint of Minnie Ripperton at times, but she still manages to develop her own identity. This album is definitely getting many spins around the house. This is great background music! I still haven't heard her first album that dropped back in 2006 entitled "Junjo" just yet, but it's definitely on my list of things to do. From the snippets that I've heard on Amazon, that project seems a little more like traditional jazz..?

If this post has sparked your interest in Esperanza's music, click the links below to check out some of the tracks from her new album:

www.esperanzaspalding.com

www.myspace.com/esperanzaspalding

Put eyes on this clips: