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...

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