To continue our recent spree of hip-hop related commercials (every time we post one of these, someone sends us a suitcase full of cash), here’s Black Milk’s surprising placement in a state-sponsored ad for Michigan products. At 0:22, he says “Fresh Milk!”
The ad does a much better job of promoting Michigan as a travel destination than say, Hex Murda.
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Royce and Budden rap 40 bars apiece about Benzino who made a song about Royce or something. More trivial rap beef, but at least we got a great song out of it. The Slaughterhouse MCs have redoubled their efforts on the microphone with ever more clever pop culture references and wittier punchlines. Rap rappity rap rap.
via Joe Budden
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The premise of this mixtape is pretty cheesy. Buckshot and KRS-One made an album called Survival Skills (with spectacularly bad cover art) which no one really cared about. The Survival Kit mixtape features Duck Down artists and friends paying tribute to Buck and KRS by reinterpreting their songs.
And yet, the mix is solid. The younger cats did a great job of channeling Black Moon and KRS-One’s early 90s vibe. Admittedly, underground rappers like Sha Stimuli, Chaundon, and the Kid Daytona never impressed me much, but they all mastered their contributions.
Skyzoo and Torae need to do an album together. I’m bringing that up at the next Duck Down box social. Oh you weren’t invited to the box social?
Track list after the jump
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Not as elaborate as other Madlib offerings, but I’ll take it. Another leftover from Strong Arm Steady and Madlib’s In Search of Stoney Jackson, “Jordache Look,” has been my walking to class anthem since it dropped.
Also, the album opener, “Best of Times” featuring Phonte.
via Grindstone
Gorgeous video for this Mos Def-produced gem, directed by Jonah Schwartz. Genuinely creative, I love it. Much props for starting with Antonio Carlos Jobim, too!
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Melvin Van Peebles is a pioneer in black cinema, having directed, written, produced, scored and starred in what many people consider the first blaxploitation film, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasss Song. The New York Times recently published a fantastic profile of Peebles’s attempt to turn Sweetback into a stage musical that’s essential reading, if only for passages like this:
In person Mr. Van Peebles is a throwback to the era of Afros and revolutionary rhetoric. His beard has gone ash white, but he still sports black leather vests and pants, purple-shaded glasses and vintage high-tops. He is rarely without a soggy cigar — occasionally lighted — or a bellicose zinger, like: “If somebody messes with me, it’s not a lecture they need. It’s a brick.”
Read the whole piece here.
Hip-hop fans may be more familiar with Peebles from Madlib’s prominent sampling of his music on his two Quasimoto albums; allegedly ‘Lib and Peebles were supposed to do a double album together back in ‘05, I wonder what happened to it?
Download: Quasimoto – Bad Character
Get up on a little of Peebles’ music too. Here’s “Come On Write Me” from his 1974 album, What The . . . . You Mean I Can’t Sing?!
Some of you folks may have seen this already on the WaxPoetics site. It’s an old Toyota commercial from the mid 90’s and it features Lootpack. Usually these things don’t really stick with me, but I have been watching this video on loop since yesterday. It’s taken my life, and it might take yours…
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The as of yet unnamed supergroup rocks over a prominent sample of Michael Jackson’s “We’re Almost There.”
My vote: The Corey Woods Experience Featuring Dennis & Cliff. And they would be wearing white tuxedos and top hats on the cover. Shut up, it’s my fantasy.
via Nah Right
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I wrote off Georgia and Dudley’s last few albums as bland neo-soul, but their new album Someothaship is shaping up. The verses are down-to-earth enough to keep the track from floating into the neo-soul ether. Declaime sounds a lot like ODB and the beat is extra afro funky.
To demonstrate their versatility, the Tanya Morgan boys jumped on an updated version of the Black Moon classic. Their album Brooklynati was upbeat and rosy, but Messrs Von Pea, Illyas, and Donwill sound right at home on “I Got Cha Opin.” Especially Illyas’ growling first verse. I would love to hear Tanya Morgan go all hardcore 90s boom bap on their next album.
Producer nVMe’s adjustment of the beat is unnecessary. The little flourishes detract from the grime of the horn loop.
The song comes from the Duck Down SURVIVAL KIT Mix CD, which features “today’s rising stars” paying tribute to KRS-One and Buckshot. The mix drops at 3PM EST today over here.
Also listen to Buckshot and Kardinal Offishall’s “I Got Cha Opin ‘09”
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