In Rappers Will Die Of Natural Causes, Open Mike Eagle, a soft spoken rapper/singer from Chicago, navigates comfortably through beats that sound like outtakes from Antipop Consortium or Flying Lotus, while developing an aesthetic that owes as much to the leftfield beatmakers as it does to nu-soul heavyweights Sa-Ra Creative Partners and Steve Spacek. I see great things ahead for this guy.
Señor Kaos - No More, from “The Most Interesting MC In The World” LP
Rappers, even conscious ones, rarely, if ever, present themselves as interesting (although rap intelligentsia sometimes enjoys portraying moronic numbnuts as complex characters). MCs would rather have said intelligentsia interpret an underlying narrative, be it relevant or not, but the truth is many of those rappers couldn’t come across as interesting even if they tried. Failed attempts at humanizing or deeeming relevant comic book character-like personas in the rap world are abundant, so to present yourself as the most interesting mc in the world is an ironically bold statement. And a humorous one, at that. “No more”, a Marcotiks beat oozing with harmonies, lays the perfect setting for a few positive-minded boastful verses from the Atlanta native. Really just good clean fun. Señor Kaos might fall short of proving to be the most interesting mc in the world, but few other MCs are failing as gracefully.
b - Jesus, from “Jesus” LP, out 08/23.
This guy usually lets the work speak for itself, but this time he almost went too far. B, the artist formerly known as Blu, has a new record out featuring production from Madlib, Alchemist and 9th Wonder, and the thing is sure to end up in my year-end list. The “b” alias first appeared as an intriguing bandcamp page, but Nature Sounds eventually caught up and is releasing the thing next month. Blu sounds as good as ever, effortlessly cruisin’ through raw soulful beats, like this one from Madlib.
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Action Bronson
—Shiraz
Action Bronson is the closest thing to hope in music right now.
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—Jamie xx - Far Nearer (limited vinyl & download out now - http://farnearer.com)
A Short Eulogy for a Band of Substitute Teachers
“There’s this amazing photo of us taken backstage on this tour, and it looks like a teachers’ lounge; a bunch of middle-age misfits. And for this band of substitute teachers to go out like this, kicking the asses of bands that actually look like bands… that makes me very excited.”
— James Murphy, Spin Magazine (January / February 2011)
I know a thing or two about being a late bloomer. I had my first kiss in the eighth grade. I lost my virginity at 18. I received my first guitar at 20. At around nine months or so (and even shorter if you only count “being official”), I’m currently in the longest tenured romantic partnership I’ve ever had by a margin of five months. Though I’ve had a great deal of shitty life experience that has opened my eyes to the world, I’ve only recently felt as though I’m as accomplished as a 27-year-old with my sense of ambition should be.
James Murphy was 32 when he released “Losing My Edge”. Though he had been in bands throughout his twenties, that brilliant single was the world’s introduction to him. There’s a fitting irony that LCD Soundsystem’s debut single was written from the point of view of an aging hipster desperately trying to grasp onto some sort of cred, some semblance of shallow “coolness,” because the song turned this schlubby white dude quickly approaching middle-age into a musician ahead of the curve, a bona fide trendsetter, one of the coolest people in the genre of music just as obsessed with “cool” as any other. James Murphy was the regular guy who snuck into the back door of the party and ended up being the life of it.
Kid Cudi’s stoner friend lights one up with the visuals for the first single off Gift Raps, the much anticipated project with Chuck Inglish. Over the past couple of years, Chip Tha Ripper got style down to a science, perfecting his hip-hop persona through strong web presence, an impecable fashion sense and blunt-adoration imagery. “Light One Up” is born of minds alike, a perfect combination of slowed down tempo and effortless rhymes spit under the speed limits imposed by Chuck’s production. There’s nothing really new to it, meaning it sounds and looks just as cool as you could expect.
(Source: opwgkta)
Can’t get enough of Lex Luger.
Most of us who witnessed the jaw-dropping appearance of Tyler The Creator on Fallon probably already knew MCs could rap over futuristic synth-fed beats, only we couldn’t care less. Take away the fine-tuned aesthetic around the actual song (zombies walking on stage = instant cred), plus the punkish vibe evoked by two kids frantically jumping around during a televised stage performance, and all you ‘re left with is a decent track from the Odd Future leader, a 19-year old kid whose greatest qualities are not giving a fuck and not bragging about it. It felt pretty genuine, though, and that’s more than most can brag about.
After joining the G.O.O.D roster, Pusha T was a frequent guest on Kanye’s G.O.O.D Fridays, but didn’t really stand out. If there was a grammy for best supporting role in a hip-hop track, he’d probably be nominated for “Runaway”, only to end up losing to Nicki Minaj’s verse on “Monster”. So it feels good, and proper, to see him march solo over this Hit-Boy beat, tailored to the grandiose needs of the Virginia crack-selling hero we’ve come to love.
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Wiz Khalifa
—02 Cabin Fever
Wiz Khalifa - Cabin Fever
With the interweb still recovering from Tyler’s late night appearance, Wiz unexpectedly drops a new mixtape filled with some fairly monstrous Lex Luger and Drumma Boy beats. Paper stacks keep rising and Wiz makes sure we’re aware of his new BBC membership every two verses, which is fine by me. Expectations are running higher and higher for Rolling Papers, slated March 25th. While you wait, get Cabin Fever here.
