Yuna - Live Your Life

Yuna Zarai’s natural talent is that nice top layer that should be left untouched. No dressing it up, no glam, all that stuff is like replacing a cold commercial franchise with a warm mom and pop store. We see a true passion project in the singer/songwriter that feeds the streets, the grassroots way. She translates her poetry either from her native Malaysian tongue or performs it in English to the acoustic vibes we can digest—straight no chaser.

With a new album on the way she drops her new single featuring production from Pharrell Williams:

Questlove pays homage to J Dilla with a tribute mix | Free Download

Friday February 10th 2012 marked the 6th anniversary of the passing of one of Hip Hop music’s greatest producers… J Dilla. Detroit born and bred, the man born James Dewitt Yancey influenced more than a generation of Hip Hop artists, producers, writers, designers, fans and many more across the hip hop community with his unmatched and pioneering production work.

During the late 90s early early 2000s, Jay Dee was part of a Hip Hop and ”Neo Soul” collective know as the Soulquarians consisting of members Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, Questlove, Common, James Poyser, D’Angelo, Q-Tip, Bilal and J Dilla. In honer of his unfortunate passing  Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson of The Legendary Roots Crew paid homage to his Soulquarians brethren with a 63 minute tribute mix of  timeless classics from Dilla’s incredible production back catalogue, live on Hot 97. Stream and the mix below. Rest In Peace… J Dilla.

Michael Kiwanuka-'Tell Me A Tale'

Here's the sum total what I know about Michael Kiwanuka: He's from North London. He's 23. He's supported Adele on tour.

His new single, Tell Me A Tale, is allegedly a brand new recording, but I'd be willing to bet he found it down the back of Bill Withers' sofa, and is now trying to pass off as his own work. It's just too authentically rootsy to be a product of the 21st century.

But amazingly, somehow, Michael has managed to replicate the compressed, analogue recording techniques of Donny Hathaway and Bobby Womack: The vocals are too hot; the drums are mixed with casual disregard; the brass section is apparently punching its way out of a cardboard box.




Track list:

01.Tell Me A Tale
02.I Need Your Company
03.Worry Walks Beside Me

D’Angelo – Live @ Le Zenith; Paris, France 1-29-12 (Full Show Download)

If you haven’t heard by now, you clearly must have been living under a rock, but D’Angelo is back. This past week, he resurfaced, doing his first live performances in over a decade. Judging from the first couple shows on his European tour, his music is just as strong, performing old classics and debuting new music (yes, we finally have new music from D’Angelo). The internet went into a frenzy this past week with visual evidence of D’Angelo’s return flooding YouTube and many music blogs. When he first announced his comeback tour, I was cautiously optimistic a full audio recording may surface, and it didnt take long for our prayers to be answered. Big thanks once again to the great folks at 'All the way live', here is the full audio of D’Angelo’s set @ Le Zenith in Paris from a few nights ago. Setlist and download are after the jump, as well as a stream of one of the new songs.

Setlist:

1. Playa Playa
2. Feel Like Makin’ Love
3. Ain’t That Easy
4. Devil’s Pie
5. Chicken Grease
6. The Line > The Root
7. The Charade
8. I’ve Been Watching You (Move Your Sexy Body)
9. Shit, Damn, Motherfucker
10. Solo medley (Brown Sugar, Jonz In My Bonz, Spanish Joint, Me and Those Dreamin’ Eyes of Mine, Cruisin’, Higher, One Mo’Gin, Untitled (How Does It Feel)
11. Another Life
12. Sugah Daddy
13. Space Oddity

D'Angelo & The Testimony - Sugah Daddy - January 29, 2012 Paris, France - Le Zenith by Funk It Blog

Stray Phrases - Dilla Tribute

Stray Phrases played Donuts Live at the Tea Lounge BK, NY Feb 3rd 2011.
Check out an audio download of the full set at http://www.itsallthewaylive.net/2011/02/stray-phrases-performs-j-dillas-donut....

@strayphrases
Follow us on Facebook
www.myspace.com/strayphrases

Version Excursion 30

The Probe- 'The Day'

Brooklyn Insiders: Lee Quinones

Brooklyn Insiders: Lee Quinones from Chuck Gibson on Vimeo.

Brooklyn Insiders is a video project that allows us to get to know influential people and the realities around them. For this episode BI take a look at their environment and let them tell us how and why Brooklyn is the reason they stay relevant.

Lee Quinones is considered the single most influential artist to emerge from the New York City subway art movement. He is a celebrated figure in both the contemporary art world and in popular culture circles, faithfully producing work that is ripe with provocative socio-political content and intricate composition.