She is back…and what a way to do it! In this age of Autotune and re-crafted vocals, Whitney Houston returns to the scene with a masterful blend of pure uptown-funk crafted by none other than Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys. They chop, filter and loop up one of my favorite Loleatta Holloway track from her self-titled 1977 album, “We’re Getting Stronger”, truly an apt description for the new, huskier and sexier-voiced, Whitney. She easily outshines her contemporaries with a raw and infectious track worthy of a spin on the Studio 54 dancefloor. Check out both tunes below:
Whitney Houston – Million Dollar Bill | Arista
Loleatta Holloway – We’re Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together) | Gold Mind
Posted in good music.
Tagged with uptown-funk.
By needles
– 2009 September 15
My apologies for the hiatus; I have been bouncing around the country and making some moves, but I am now back in The Lab and ready with some fresh music. The sonic assault from southern Cali continues (what’s up New York? Brooklyn where we at??)… Pac Div has been dropping gems for a few years, but a few months ago dropped their very strong mixtape: Church League Champions. Of course, it’s full of sports metaphors, but lyrically they touch on a lot of issues and cover many styles. Pac Div also recently made an appearance on the wonderful L.A.U.S.D. compilation/mixtape that I posted on last month, along with fellow Cali rappers U-N-I, who I posted up the month before that. Apparently Pac Div is now signed to Motown / Universal, who will be putting out their full-length sometime this year. You can check up on Pac Div on their website, but be sure to download their mixtape here. In the meantime, here is a taste of one of the stronger cuts from the mixtape:
Pac Div – Whiplash | mixtape
Posted in recommended mixtapes.
Tagged with rap.
By needles
– 2009 September 14
Nike has been doing a series of mixtapes (Nike+ Original Run) aimed at runners for a few years now. Since 2006, The Crystal Method, Aesop Rock, LCD Soundsystem, Cassius and A-Trak have all done running mixes. Earlier this year, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of 3 Feet High and Rising, Nike tapped de la Soul for their 6th in this series, and de la’s first new music since the very solid The Grind Date. All the production is credited to Flosstradamus, but I really feel the influence (or work) of AOI-era de la and Supa Dave West beatcrafting. “Baby Phat”’s production comes to mind as soon as I hear “Big Mouf”. What do you think?
de la Soul – Big Mouf | Nike
Posted in good music.
Tagged with rap.
By needles
– 2009 September 2
I think I first heard of Joyo Velarde through the Soul Sides website. I have since learned that she forms half of a power couple with Lyrics Born, so any of you that are fans of his or Latryx’ music are probably already familiar with her work. She has a strong and well-rounded singing voice, but it’s Melanie Veloria’s production that really made me a fan of this track. The horns that begin to blow in the second verse are icing on the cake. She has a video for this single up on her website right now as well. But don’t take my word for it, listen to her yourself:
Joyo Velarde – Take You Home | Quannum
Posted in good music.
Tagged with neo-soul, uptown-funk.
By needles
– 2009 September 1
Why should I post a 50 Cent mixtape? Because his last two have been unlike anyone else’s out there. With Forever King, and Sincerely Yours before it, 50 subtly presents a theme that threads each mixtape into a cohesive and unique experience. I can’t help but admire the artistry of it. On Sincerely Yours he rapped straight ahead over classic 80s r&b cuts, kind of like how Ghostface Killah smothers those sweet-soul records. On this go-round, 50 goes over 90s r&b acts such as Intro, Case and Jeff Redd (save for the special Michael Jackson tribute). It’s not that the rhymes are ground-breaking; that’s not the point of this mixtape. Instead, they have a natural and easy-going flow to them, and dare I say it… swagger. I’m not talking about that swagger that everyone and their mom has been arguing over, but rather that classic, effortless delivery. It’s like Melle Mel playing the MC to Grandmaster Flash at Bronx Science in 1978, except that 50 Cent is playing hype-man to (himself?). You get the idea… You think 50 Cent has captured that fun “rock the party” vibe here? Check him out rhyming over an old Horace Brown track or download the whole mixtape here:
50 Cent – Forever King [mixtape] | mixtape
Posted in recommended mixtapes.
Tagged with rap.
By needles
– 2009 August 31
When I first heard this dude, I thought: “is this MIMS?” David Dallas has a similar voice, but is way more interesting lyrically and half a world away from New York. Most of the foreign (non-US) rap artists that have made it to our shores seem to be stuck in an early 80s-style on-beat flow and so never rise out of the underground scene. (Of course, we have our share of American stuck-in-the-80s flow artists – Chamillionaire comes to mind.) So here comes this cat from New Zealand with his Young MC delivery (he cites Young MC as an early influence) and humble charm. He also just released this video for the track on his website. His sound is young and early, but certainly has potential… and the production, especially the horns, sounds great. Check it out:
David Dallas – Big Time | Dirty
Posted in good music.
Tagged with rap.
By needles
– 2009 August 26
Hailing from Manchester, UK, Mr. Scruff seems to have a more expansive view of his art form than many other musicians: he incorporates ideas about fish into all of his albums; does his own artwork, including cool animations for his website; and even owns his own line of tea. His work is primarily informed by his experience as a DJ. You can hear the influences of hip hop, jazz, soul and the like in his tunes. His latest album, which came out in late 2008, is called Ninja Tune, the same name as the label he has spent the last few years recording with. The track from that album that stands out most for me is a swingy bit of British Soul, with a bit of a steppers feeling to it. I don’t know too much about the guest singer, Andreya Triana, except that she is on the same label and is also from England. Enjoy the track:
Mr. Scruff – Hold On (f/Andreya Triana) | Ninja Tune
Posted in good music.
Tagged with soul, UK-soul.
By needles
– 2009 August 25
What I hope to be an increasingly popular trend, rap artists have increasingly been forming “super” groups. Of course, some, like Slaughterhouse, are more well-known than others, but usually, it’s a nice way to showcase and leave behind all the filler you get with 19 tracks can get from a solo artist. (Did it really take two years to make Loso’s Way, Fab?) The Los Angeles Unified Sound District (L.A.U.S.D.) consists of a grip of MCs and producers that include Diz Gibran, Blu, U-N-I, Pac Div and many others. The thread that ties them together here is the subject matter on this mixtape and the production: rhymes about mid-90s LA culture (post-Chronic era) over beats by Polyster, L4zy Lou and a few others. You can download the mixtape directly from their website here. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of this “mixtape”. In the meantime I have included two of the tracks (the first one features Jack Davey from J*Davey on the guest vocals) I have in heavy rotation right now:
L.A.U.S.D. – iFeel (f/Blu, Jack Davey) | mixtape
L.A.U.S.D. – It’s Not Right (f/Smooth, Diz Gibran, El Prez, Polyster, Dnez, L.Iv) | mixtape
Posted in recommended mixtapes.
Tagged with rap.
By needles
– 2009 August 24
Back in 1993, Tame One and El da Sensei burst onto the scene with their classic ode to graf-writing, “Wrong Side of da Tracks”. The beat hit hard, the rhymes were fresh and the imagery, especially in their video, was something that rap fans hadn’t seen before. At the same time, New Jeruz (New Jersey) was entering it’s own rap Golden Age with Redman, Naughty by Nature, Lords of the Underground, half of das EFX and The Fugees. A few years ago, I got my hands on this demo version of The Artifacts’ first single, probably recorded around 1992. The delivery is a little bit different, and their rhymes lay on top of a Quincy Jones “Ironside”-based beat. Listen for yourself to hear the difference from the T-Ray-produced studio track:
The Artifacts – Wrong Side of da Tracks | demo
Posted in dusty demos.
Tagged with rap.
By needles
– 2009 August 20
I took another look at this latest Wu-Tang release the other day and developed a new appreciation for the quality of the project. Here’s the deal: Brooklyn-based group, The Revelations, lays down the grooves, M.O.P.’s Fizzy Womack, also from Brooklyn, produces the tracks, and each track features at least one Wu-member (but not the GZA, the MZA or Masta Killa) and one New York veteran. Each track is also interspersed with a spoken-word joint by RZA. Kung Fu flick samples abound and most of the tracks work really well. The guest artists here make a lot more sense than, for example, The W. You may recognize The Revelations from a previous post I made, and Tre Williams does make an appearance on this album as well. For your listening pleasure, check out this joint from the middle of the album with Raekwon, both members of M.O.P. and Kool G Rap… nice combo!
Wu-Tang Clan – Ill Figures (f/The Revelations, Raekwon, M.O.P., Kool G Rap) | E1
Posted in good music.
Tagged with hardcore-rap, soul.
By needles
– 2009 August 19
