The ever so sucessful Rhymesayers rarely expand their roster of artists, but if it wasn't for the obvious talent of Toki Wright...they got to be out of their mind to not pick up this dude!!! Toki seem like a dude that represent the thoughtful mindfulness reflecting the reality for grown people.
The first video "Devils Advocate", off his EXCELLENT album "A Different Mirror". Do not sleep!
What do you think about Toki? Being the Devils Advocate can be interpreted in many ways, right? Being in a relationship...towards friends...well in all aspects of life. I've been in the situation many times where you feel you have to do things that might not be to benefit of everybody. Taking a stance meaning you mighy "look bad" just because you have to stand up for your set of beliefs. It's all about being honest. All the way. And straight forward. Or else you'll end up being the devils advocate.
In Stockholm on November 12th - the Reunion of PETE ROCK & CL SMOOTH!!!
The last time I saw them together as a group were back in 2003 at Vega in Copenhagen. A VERY STRANGE EVENING! This is what went down that night...
Went to the show in company of my fellas Why Dolo and the usual suspects back then in my Malmö days. Patrik of Playground also came along and it was a seriously cold winter night we got on the train to Copenhagen and took a stroll down from the central station to VEGA where the show was going down. Once we made it down the street I was walking ahead of the others and walking past a hotel I noticed a black dude in beach flip-flop shoes standing outside the lobby in the snowy weather. That was CL SMOOTH standing outside having a cigarette... we paid our respects to one of the dopest mc's to ever bless a Pete Rock production. CL was a humble dude, no question, he was happy that we came out to see them rock Vega.
Well we went to the spot and saw a MAGNIFICENT show!!
With one huge exception.
The temperature was high in the Vega concert-room at the end of the show. And they kept the crowd on hold for their No.1 classic joint "They Reminisce Over You"... For every song that came on you started feeling that "OK, now they gotta do "TROY"..please".
Suddenly. Security guards enters the stage and SHUTS the whole thing down. Electricity OFF. Lights ON.
The crowd went absolutely NUTS. Slowly the situation started to get out of control. People realized that they were not going to see "T.R.O.Y." this night. The security staff had been informed by their superiors that PR&CL went "over time" and Vega was having a night club event after the PR & CL-show.
CL Smooth was lurking on stage for a long while trying to explain to the security staff the importance of that specific song.
It didn't happen. We went home. Frustrated. Sad. This time around when Pete and CL seems to have worked out their differences (man I've read some NASTY interviews where these two say seriously fucked things about each other).
November 12th. The day I'll hopefully get to see this song performed live in Stockholm;
Damn...couldn't they've come up with something more creative than just a red colour when making a Redman-watch?!? Maybe a "mud-o-meter" or something? Well might work for those of you haven't understood the colour is GREY for this year. Period.
What do you think of this Casio creation?
BELOW, this is SERIOUSLY CREATIVE way of making a new watch, can we agree on that one??? Watch Concept by Alexander Stasinopoulous.
Sounds of the west coast right here...from Bordeaux, France that is. Black Kent and S2KEYZ teams up on "Pass That" with L.A's Bishop Lamont.
This sound doesn't always "speak" to me... but sometimes those thumping beats and basslines make my head nod. Hard! This sounds like something Dr Dre and his studio-rats would've came up with on a good day. But get it straight, it's S2KEYZ behind the boards on this one. His arrangement on the track are magnificent, and that bassline is CRAZY.
Black Kent ft Bishop Lamont "Pass That":
While I'm at it, it seems as if Snoop Dogg wants to pick up that hardcore Deep Cover shit all over again. Here's a new track from his new album "Malice in Wonderland" out soon. Supposedly produced by Dr Dre (?):
Kanye West will launch his new clothing line Pastelle soon, no word on exactly when it will hit stores. The picture above is an example from the collection...
All I can say is I would never put that shirt on. Abso-fuckin-lutely hell no...! What will we hear next from Kanye? A remake of "Eye of The Tiger" and Kanye running up some stairs in that horrific piece of cotton? LOL!
Mayer Hawthrone is unique. What started as playing around in the studio...got serious when people listening to it got amped. Dude got signed to reknown label Stones Throw and now he's creating that sweet soul with a feeling.
When I first heard his music and saw a picture of Mayer I got a strange feeling that I recognized this guy... after a minute of thinking it struck me, that's DJ HAIRCUT of Athletic Mic League from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Back in 2002 I used to bump their album "Sweats & Kicks" every day...and I mean, EVERY day for a while...back then he was the "cracker in the box", being the group's Caucasian DJ.
Well, still with Lab Technicians squad behind him he's now doing gigs that building an incredible buzz with that unmistaken 70's soul feeling. The new single "Green Eyed Love" is just a good, as his previous work. Look out for his album "A Strange Arrangement" out later on this year.
Xzibit has made quite a journey since coming through with Tha Alkaholiks back in the early 90's. If you would've asked me when I heard the dude rhyming on tracks back then I would've been a "non-believer" if someone said he was going to make a movie with Nicolas Cage. Well now he did.
Xzibit seem to do the role very well. And Eva Mendes is looking DAMN HOT!
Check out the trailer for "Bad Lieutentant" that will premiere soon.
When listening to radio and TV nowadays I always feel like the program directors are targeting children/childish people. With few exceptions... Those directors definitly target people with a childish preference when listening to music, or just weak minds that are easily effected by messages that are built on monetary objectives. Most people are like that, or what do you think? Well, some people just want to dance. I respect that. But either way, the program directors must've created a "formula" for radio-play; melody and uptempo rhytm, simple lyrics, a gimmick, sex appeal, bling-bling and whatever that might appeal to people basic needs. Plain and simple music that only can get one label, STUPID! Being in Sweden I accidently watched ZTV and it was only Lil Wayne, Kanye, Slim Thug, Young Jeezy...whaaaaaathaaaafuuuuuck????!!!??
Masta Ace and Edo G are two hiphop icons that always manifested their integrity by making music that do not compromise the basics, in total opposite to that "formula". From their collaborative album "Arts & Entertainment" they had the first single leaking during the summer and now they got GREAT video for "Little Young":
Think about the "formula"...and the childish shit we have to put up with because a majority out there enjoy that bullshit. Also do not miss out on Masta Ace tutorial on how to make fronts from foil...! LOL! Behind the scenes of the making of the video. DON'T MISS OUT!
The Roots been making some serious moves for the past year since retiring from touring (I dont think anyone ACTUALLY believes they will NEVER return to the life on road, do you?) and getting onto the Jimmy Fallon (which is actually quality entertainment at times for sophisticated people who want your host actually be able to pronounce the artists on the show)
...ever since I heard their single on a mp3-rip this summer I was amazed that they for the first time made a cross-over musically that feels HONEST. No bullshit. Ever since "Illadelph Halflife" I haven't really checked for their stuff more than on rare occassions when they catch that "You Got Me"-vibe.
Don't you think The Roots-crew tried to sort of "fine tune" the instrument/live side of their music and when doing that it lost that cutting edge? It got to the point where Black Thought sounded like he was getting tired of being the vocal part for a band that went in a direction that kind of left the formula of rawness that made them come through back in the mid 90's...
But now, 2009 and a new album is coming... Hands down! The Roots have made a magnificent journey and landed in perfection, and the video for "How I Got Over" is very viewable.
Zacke från Luleå står för det i särklass viktigaste vid skapande av musik. ÄRLIGHET, vilket pressreleasen också lanserar som hans primära egenskap. Skarp självinsikt och självmedvetenhet om sitt eget skapande vill jag påstå. Kristallklar ärlig approach mot alla inblandade. Mot sig själv. Mot lyssnaren. Mot en skivbransch som bara ser snabba pengar o´ch billiga kopior på amerikansk skräp-musik.
Känslan som infinner sig när man lyssnar på Zacke´s senaste video "Allitd Öppet" är otvunget att han beskriver sin verklighet utifrån de normer som gäller i Sverige. Glöm påklistrade attityder och fördummande förenklingar som präglar amerikansk rapmusik som lanseras i majoriteten av våra svenska medier. Zacke skapar smart, finurlig och genomtänkt musik som är skapad med respekt för lyssnaren. Movits bygger en ljudbild som i mina öron låter som en påbyggnad på en svensk folkmusik/jazz-tradition med känsla för sväng och själ.
NEWKID hörde jag för ett tag sen...enligt min uppfattning den totala motpolen till Zacke. Det blir mycket tydligt. I bloggar och på nyhetsidor hissas den här killen till skyarna som en frisk fläkt (???) på den svenska musikhimlen. Kidsen går bananas i forumen och hävdar att Newkid skulle vara nåt nytt och fräscht. Jag frågar mig benäget hur man hävda något sådant? Banala texter och autotune-sång (?) över överproducerat studioslammer med uppenbara pretentioner som skriker radioanpassat. Reaktionen från min sida? Att höra någonting som är så uppenbart radio/TV/klubb-anpassat triggar min kräkreflex till max. "Skippade" igenom den nya grabbens album och blev dels förvånad över att något så håglöst och uppenbart ryggradslöst... känslan av 90-talets eurodiscovåg är det närmaste jag kan relatera känslan till.
Om det Newkid är musik som sätter nivån för vad ungdomar pumpar i sina mobiltelefoner och laptops är vi illa ute... På allvar. Jag kan inte svara för vad Newkid´s syfte med musiken är, men jag hör bara en ung kille som härmar vad han hört på radion under sina unga år. Kanske vet han inte bättre... stackarn.
Hursomhelst...För min del är det smärtsamt när artister gör kompromisser. "Jag vill synas och höras. Då gör jag en singel som spelas på P3." Resonerar inte många på det sättet? Kanske ett fenomen för Sverige? Ett sätt att överleva på en musikscen där många är svältfödda ekonomiskt och skapandemässigt vad gäller uppmärksamhet. Sätt ett pop-arrangemang på det vanliga text-receptet...så kallar vi det för UTVECKLING...??? Använd autotune på ett oblygt sätt eftersom de komersiella radiokanalerna är slavar under trender, och cheferna på dessa är så klart blinda för de amerikanska trender som ramlar över oss. Det här leder i längden till näringsbrist på den svenska scenen.
Är enda chansen att synas och höras att "lura" till sig till speltid i svensk media. Är det inte dags att vi rakryggat ställer oss upp och frågar oss om man helt skamlöst bör göra musik för att synas och höras.
Vad hände med genuint skapande? Är det Idol-komplexet ,där alla vill "vara nåt", som drabbat majoriteten av människor (även sk artister) fullt ut?
Vi alla måste våga ifrågasätta, och ställa oss själva frågor om vad det är VAD vi lyssnar på. Zacke hade för några månader sen även ett fullgott svar på den här typen av frågor i "Spela Mig På Radion"...
För första gången på MYCKET länge ser jag fram emot ett svenskt albumsläpp på svenska. Zackes album "Visst Är Det Vackert" släpps i början på november.
For quite a while it's been in my head to set up a blog after doing the news for Kingsize Magazine. Well, I need to let my thoughts out...and not limit myself to music or a genre that many people do in Sweden. Too simplistic...the easy way. I can't personally understand when did it become "okay" to strip things down and taking subject matter to the point where you only use certain parameters to look upon music... and life in general. Like "swedish hiphop"? That's why we have an "island of 'not knowing whats up' within this certain community of people. To me, it's like disconnecting "football" or "cooking food" from an international perspective... We need to get up out of the sandbox for children....let's discuss, ask questions, share opinions, take a stand, have fun/make fun or just share thoughts. You will get some of that here, raw & uncut...
Former contributor/writer for Club YES!, MTV The Beat, Kingsize Magazine...basically a music-addict/beatmaker breaking down new music, videos, shows, thoughts... and everything in between.
