WOWOW, Duck Sauce (A-Trak + Armand Van Helden) just dropped the video for their 2nd single Barbra Streisand, which was stuck in my head for weeks when I first heard it on Annie Mac’s BBC show months ago. Now, this isn’t some boring New York set video, the video goes all out cramming so many cameos, that my fingers cramped typing everyone I caught. But it’s not pointless cameos either, pretty much all of them are neatly worked into the fun party video concept that goes hand-in-hand with the song. I was able to spot: Yelawolf, DJ Premier, Kanye West, Chromeo, Pharrell, Santigold, Questlove, Just Blaze, DJ Mehdi, Buckshot, Fat Jew, Dust La Rock, Ryan Leslie, Diplo. Who did I miss/wasn’t cool enough to recognize?
On HNR, producer Lee Bannon channels the rawness of early Wu-Tang while MC Chuuwee provides an intricate verbal braggadocio. Bannon has slowly established himself as a master of roughly sketched Madlibian beats. Songs start and stop and cut off abruptly. The tape’s staticky closer “Change em” doesn’t even have drums. Clocking in at just under 19 minutes, Hot N Ready is ripe for multiple listens.
“Give Me Some of You” is the second leak from Terrace Martin’s upcoming EP, Here, My Dear. Fans already know what to expect. Monster drums and crazy sax. Look out for the EP dropping September 28.
The Virgin Mobile FreeFest is tomorrow in Columbia, MD at the Merriweather Post Pavillion, and since ML hascovered manyVirginFestivals in it’s history. We think it’s appropriate that we share our picks on who to check out this year.
The Temper Tramp (killed Bonnaroo this year.)
Trombone Shorty (Yes, the same guy from HBO’s Tremé)
Will Eastman (DC DJing god, yes please.)
T.I. (Sike! He’s not coming.)
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (To hear Home is reason enough.)
Neon Indian (ML’s chillwave fav).
Thievery Corporation (To chill out for all the raging that will happen afterword)
Chromeo (2 things: Bring dancing shoes & try to not OD on funk)
Ludacris (The (sole) RAPPER of the festival!)
Sleigh Bells (you brain will melt from this electronic group)
M.I.A. (A lot of prayers from fans that her live show returns to form here. The B-More dance child Rye Rye might appear, too.)
LCD Soundsystem (Must catch these guys before their impending retirement, your grandchildren will be jealous)
If you are looking for some non-music things to do, my guy James from Fanscape suggested ML readers check out State Farm’s Club 17k where they will hook you up with chair massages, custom t-shirt printing and a boat load giveaways (trust me, it’s their job to giveaway stuff.). If you click that aforementioned link and install a ringtone they’ll even bless you with some VIP treatment at their compound.
ML’s attendance this year can be best compared to a star football player coming back from an injury– a last minute decision. So if ML does end up crashing the Virgin Mobile Fest gates, we’ll be sure to rant on twitter.. or mess around, and *gasp* make a review post.
While the free tickets are long gone, there have been some $30 tickets released, and that craigslist site is sure to be flooded with them. Lastly, check out the nice preview Express put together.
On Friday evening (I know, I know) I was aimlessly flipping through the ol’ cable box, ready to turn the TV set off, when I saw RZA’s face on NBC. Apparently, RZA was guest starring on a new NBC show starring Jimmy Smits (of NYPD Blue fame). I only saw the tail-end of the episode but RZA was playing.. a wait for it..a person jailed for a crime he didn’t commit. Anyway if you care to see RZA’s acting the embed is below.
Now, these days, a rapper appearing on a TV series are more common than bedbugs in Manhattan, but then I stumbeled across this on youtube.
Late pass please.
RZA co-starring with Joe Jonas (Jo Bros!!), Jake Gyllenhaal, & Lil’ Jon in a video for indie darlings Vampire Weekend’s Giving Up The Gun?
Yeah.. all of that combined let me to ask the question that you see in the title of the post. I’m not in the least bit upset or worried about RZA doing all this stuff, I’m just saying, hopefully there is enough beats to do a 2nd Beat Drop this decade.
New York may have found a secret weapon in Harry Fraud, who manages to make the otherwise generic French Montana sound decent. Also check out his work with Sean Price and Ill Bill.
If you don’t count Madlib, Lee Bannon is today’s chief purveyor of dirty lo-fi hip-hop sounds. On “I Need That,” he chops up a psych rock sample so thoroughly that you can barely discern a melody. He and fellow Sac-Towner Chuuwee are dropping their project HNR (Hot N Ready) September 21.
