"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
Hunter S Thompson
Actor and director Michael Rapaport's upcoming documentary, "Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest", will be playing at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows the group during a 2008 tour and showcases their current dynamic as well as examines their musical legacy in hip hop. The documentary will be interspersed with interviews from many who witnessed their development and are fans of their music. The trailer is coming soon and you can read more about the film here
Busy Bee is a Hip-Hop MC originally from the Bronx, New York who has worked with many of Hip-Hop's founding fathers, including Afrika Bambaataa and Melle Mell. Busy Bee (a.k.a. Busy Bee Starsky) was in one of the first documented rap battles versus Kool Moe Dee in 1982, was featured in 1982's Wild Style, the first Hip-Hop film, joined Afrika Bambaataa's Zulu Nation, and won the 1986 New Music Seminar's MC World Supremacy Belt. He released three solo albums: 1988's Running Thangs (Strong City), 1992's Thank God for Busy Bee (Pandisc Records), and 1998's Look In da Sky Who Do Ya See (Jazz Child Records). He has also appeared on records with Funkmaster Flex, De La Soul, KRS-One, and Marley Marl.
Ledisi is a soul singer-songwriter from Oakland, CA (by way of New Orleans) who has released four studio albums and earned four Grammy nominations.
Ledisi Young (whose name means "to bring forth" in Nigerian) began performing at age eight with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. She continued performing in the Bay Area, including singing, acting, playing piano, and studying opera. In the '90s she formed a group called Anibade which combined Jazz, soul, and funk. In 2000, Ledisi independently released her first solo album, Soulsinger: The Revival (LeSun Records), and followed it in 2002 with Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue (LeSun Records).
After a five year haitus, Ledisi reappeared on the Verve label with 2007's Lost & Found, earning her Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B album. During a case of writer's block following the success of Lost & Found, a friend recommended she listen to Buddy Miles' Them Changes, an album she says influenced her to change her vocal and musical styles. She released Turn Me Loose (Verve) in 2009, which combined rock, blues, soul, funk, and Hip-Hop and was produced by Raphael Saadiq, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, among others. Turn Me Loose was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Spinderella is a DJ, best known as a member of the groundbreaking Hip-Hop group, Salt-N-Pepa. The first all-female Hip-Hop group, Salt-N-Pepa broke boundaries both as women in Hip-Hop and as Hip-Hop artists crossing over into pop music.
Born Deidra Muriel Roper, Spinderella joined Salt-N-Pepa as their DJ at age 16. Salt-N-Pepa released their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious (London), in 1986. Its single "Push It" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1989 and helped the album go platinum, a first for an all-female Hip-Hop group. Their second album, A Salt With a Deadly Pepa (London, 1988), would garner another Grammy nomination for "Shake Your Thang." On Blacks Magic (London, 1990), their third album, Spinderella took on producing and vocal parts, in addition to DJing. Blacks Magic featured "Let's Talk About Sex," which became one of their biggest pop hits and was re-recorded as "Let's Talk About AIDS" to bring attention to safe sex and AIDS.
Their fourth album, Very Necessary (London, 1993), featured a more sophisticated, mature Salt-N-Pepa. Spinderella once again produced tracks on the album and lent her vocals to the music. Very Necessary featured "Shoop," "Whatta Man" with En Vogue, and "None of Your Business," for which they became the first women in Hip-Hop to win a Grammy. The album also went multi-platinum, crossing another milestone for women in Hip-Hop. Their fifth album, Brand New (Mercury), was released in 1997 and would be their last album as a group. Salt-N-Pepa officially broke up in 2002.
Spinderella continues to DJ, as a radio host and at parites. She hosted a nationally syndicated radio program called The BackSpin and recently developed an online community also called The BackSpin.
Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson have been working together on a wide variety of projects, beginning in 2004 when Niño hired Atwood-Ferguson's string quartet to perform on Dwight Trible & The Life Force Trio's Love is the Answer (Ninja Tune). The J Dilla production “Antiquity” also comes from this project.
Suite for Ma Dukes initially began in 2007, on what would have been Dilla's 33rd birthday, when Niño & Atwood-Ferguson recorded and released their strings, brass and reeds-only version of J Dilla & Common’s “Nag Champa” to DJs, producers and fans over the internet for free. They had written the entire piece to accompany the record as a their tribute to Dilla, feeling that the producer was still in the track not by his presence but by his absence.
The 4 tracks on Suite for Ma Dukes cover Dilla's productions from “Antiquity” and “Nag Champa”, A Tribe Called Quest's “Find a Way” and Slum Village's “Fall in Love”. Get Here
Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins are Los Angeles-based musicians who have released numerous albums as solo artists and together under the name G&D.
Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins are Los Angeles-based musicians who have released numerous albums as solo artists and together under the name G&D.
Georgia Anne Muldrow came from a family of musicians with roots in the '60s and '70s progressive jazz scene. She released The Worthnothings EP (Stones Throw, 2004) and her debut full-length, Olesi: Fragments of an Earth (Stones Throw Records, 2006), which combine soul, jazz, and Hip-Hop and for which she was the singer, songwriter, and producer. Dudley Perkins, a.k.a. Declaime, began rapping in 1987 and has collaborated with tha Alkaholiks, Lootpack, and Madlib. He released A Lil’ Light (Stones Throw) in 2003. Three years later, Dudley met Muldrow while working on his follow-up album, Expressions (2012 A.U.) (Stones Throw), and they realized that they wanted to work together more. In 2007, they released The Message Uni Versa (Look Records) under the name G&D, and delivered a universal message of peace, love, rhythm, and rhyme. They have also released Presents Dudley Perkins & Georgia Anne Muldrow: Beautiful Mindz with 2Tall (Eclectic Breaks, 2008). In 2009, Perkins released Holy Smokes on SomeOthaShip, a label formed by Muldrow and Perkins, with Muldrow acting as producer.
Phonte is a rapper, singer, and songwriter who is half of Foreign Exchange and half of Little Brother. He has also recorded under the names Tigallo and Percy Miracles.
Born Phonte Coleman in North Carolina, Phonte began singing in his grandmother's church choir. While attending North Carolina Central University, he met the future members of Little Brother, Big Pooh and 9th Wonder. They formed Little Brother in 2001 and released their first official full-length, The Listening (ABB Records), in 2003. Their second album, The Minstrel Show, was released in 2005 on Atlantic Records. For their third album, Getback (2007), Little Brother returned to ABB as a duo with the departure of 9th Wonder. Their fourth and final Little Brother album, Leftback, was released in April 2010 on Justus Records.
Phonte met Dutch producer Nicolay online in 2002. They began creating music by sending it to each other over instant messenger, without ever having met in person. The debut Foreign Exchange album, Connected (BBE, 2004) was a mix of R&B, electronica, and Hip-Hop. Their second album, Leave It All Behind (FE Music), was released in 2008 and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Their third album, Authenticity, is to be released in October 2010.
In 2008, Phonte released an album with Detroit producer Zo! under the name of Tigallo. Their album, Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80’s (Hall of Justus), was a collection of covers of '80s classics like A-Ha's "Take On Me" and Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out."
Questlove, best known as the drummer for Hip-Hop band The Roots, is one of the busiest men in music today. Ahmir Khalib Thompson was born into a musical family in Philadelphia. As a child, he toured with his father's doo-wop group, Lee Andrews & the Hearts, learning how to play drums at age 7. He went to the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts where he met Tariq Trotter (aka Black Thought), with whom he would later found The Roots.
The Roots are a critically acclaimed band who broke Hip-Hop stereotypes with their musicianship, lyrics, general lack of sampling, and incorporation of different styles of music, particularly jazz, rock, and soul. In 1993, they recorded and independently released their first album, Organix. Their next two albums, Do You Want More?!!!??! (DGC, 1995) and Illadelph Halflife (DGC, 1996), were critically acclaimed records that did not find immediate popularity among Hip-Hop fans, in part due to their differentness from the rest of the genre. That all changed with their 1999 release, Things Fall Apart (MCA), and its single "You Got Me" featuring Erykah Badu, for which they won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2000. After four more studio albums, in March 2009, The Roots became the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon where they nightly exhibit their craftsmanship, deep musical knowledge, and ability to spontaneously perform nearly every style of music possible. In June 2010, they released their ninth studio album, How I Got Over, on Def Jam.
Questlove has also produced, arranged and/or drummed for Common, Erykah Badu, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, John Mayer, Slum Village, Blackalicious, Christina Aguilera, Duffy, Dilated Peoples, Fiona Apple, NERD, and many others. He has also released two albums in his own compilation series, Questlove Presents: Babies Making Babies; is an associate producer for the Broadway musical, Fela!, which won three Tony Awards in 2010; is a character in the basketball video games NBA 2K7, NBA 2K8, and NBA 2K9; has his own Nike sneaker and will be releasing his second Nike shoe in February 2011 - all while maintaining his day job with the legendary Roots crew every evening on Jimmy Fallon.
Tracklist 01. (00:01:27) Talib Kweli - After The Rain (Prod. by 88-Keys) 02. (00:04:11) Talib Kweli - Gutter Rainbows (Prod. by M-Phazes) 03. (00:03:15) Talib Kweli - So Low (Prod. by Shuko) 04. (00:03:58) Talib Kweli Ft. Sean Price - Palookas (Prod. by Marco Polo) 05. (00:03:37) Talib Kweli Ft. Nigel Hall - Mr. International (Prod. by S1) 06. (00:03:56) Talib Kweli - I'm On One (Prod. KHRYSIS!) 07. (00:03:46) Talib Kweli Ft. Kendra Ross - Wait For You (Prod. by S1) 08. (00:03:58) Talib Kweli Ft. Outasight - Ain't Waiting (Prod. by 6th sense) 09. (00:02:36) Talib Kweli - Cold Rain (Prod. by Ski Beatz) 10. (00:03:58) Talib Kweli - Friends & Family (Prod. by E. Jones) 11. (00:02:57) Talib Kweli - Tater Tot (Prod. by Nick Speed) 12. (00:04:05) Talib Kweli Ft. Blaq Toven - How You Love Me (Prod. by Blaq Toven) 13. (00:04:16) Talib Kweli Ft. Jean Grae - Uh Oh (Prod. by Oh No) 14. (00:03:15) Talib Kweli Ft. Chace Infinite - Self Savior (Prod. by Maurice Brown) 15. (00:04:16) Mohombi Ft. Talib Kweli - Bumpy Ride (Remix) (Bonus Track) 16. (00:02:57) Talib Kweli - Back It Up (Start It Up Freestyle) (Bonus Track) 17. (00:03:29) Talib Kweli Ft. Iron Solomon And Jean Grae - Chicken Soup (Prod. By Ty Neg) (Bonus Track)
01. Quantic & His Combo Barbaro - The Dreaming Mind (Part 1) (04:35)
02. Kylie Auldist - In A Week In A Day (Ashley Beedle's Streetsoul Edit) (06:31)
03. Flevans - Lay Back Feat. Sarah Scott (Regal Mix) (04:30)
04. Belleruche - The Itch (Acoustic Version) (03:37)
05. Bonobo - Kota (05:24)
06. Quantic - Time Is The Enemy (03:41)
07. TM Juke - Pencils For Dolphins (05:49)
08. Nostalgia 77 - Quiet Dawn feat. Beth Rowley (Bonobo Mix) (07:08)
09. Natural Self - The Rising feat. Andreya Triana (Broken Keys Remix) (03:29)
10. Kinny - Afro Love Forest Feat. Hint (04:13)
11. Milez Benjiman - Chop That Wood (05:40)
12. Lizzy Parks - Forever And A Day (Eric Lau Remix) (03:20)
13. The Bamboos - I Don't Wanna Stop (Acoustic Version) (03:47)
14. Alice Russell - Sweet Is The Air Feat. Natureboy (04:47)
15. Stonephace feat. Adrian Utley (Portishead) - Yellow Brick Road (07:21)
Following on from her infectious and highly acclaimed debut, sublimely soulful vocalist Stac returns with a host of remixes from a selection of producers all at the top of their game. This is the first of two remix projects (the second to be released in February 2011) featuring a stellar line up who've been queuing up to add their stamp to Stac's trademark vocals. On Volume One of "The Remixes" you'll find producers de jour, Blue Daisy and Greymatter, along side more established names such as Natural Self and TM Juke, as well as newcomers Elias Linn and Royce Wood Junior, and many more. Look out for producers including Nu:tone, Kidkanevil and DJ IQ in Part 2!
01. Seasons 02. Surrender 03. Get Choze Feat. Mr. Brady & Diamond D 04. Pour Another Glass 05. SLNGBNGrs! 06. Hi(gh) Music 07. Cringe Feat. Pac Div 08. DreamLand Feat. Andy Allo 09. Life Of A Lover Feat. Theophilus London & Jesse Boykins III 10. Wonder Why Feat. Blame One & Exile 11. Merci Me Lord Feat. Ta’Raach 12. Jazz (Tribute Remix) 13. Sour Patch Kids (Remix) Feat. Asher Roth & Talib Kweli 14. Razor Blades 15. Steel Remains 16. So Perfect 17. KeepItGoing Feat. U-God 18. Excuse Me (Make Room) Feat. Mic Holden
Tracklist
01 – Rock Star (Poser)
02 – Lapdance
03 – She Wants To Move
04 – Provider
05 – Maybe
06 – Fly or Die
07 – Brain
08 – Thrasher
09 – Run To The Sun
10 – Baby Doll
11 – What’s Wrong With Me
12 – Lil’ Suzy feat. Kelis
13 – Things Are Getting Better
14 – Truth Or Dare feat. Kelis & Pusha T.
15 – Maybe (Sander Kleinenberg Remix)
16 – She Wants To Move (Justice Remix)
Yep we’ve barely started 2011 and there is yet another release to be on the lookout for cause somewhere in March 2011 Raphael Saadiq is about to drop yet another soulful album by the name of ”Stone Rollin”.
Of course I wouldn’t be reporting on this if I didn’t have additional news to keep you on the edge of your seat with. To hold us down till the album drops the first single “Radio” will be released on the 11th of January 2011. If this is any indication of how the album sounds … I guess we can expect a lot of that old Motown sound he’s been keeping alive these days.
It’s not clear if this track will be featured on Vikter Duplaix’s upcoming album “Love Machine” but the one thing that is clear is the fact that “Morning Fun” rates very high on the dopeness scale … so enjoy!!
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