beats from the underground part 1

MCs, rappers, lyricists, hip-hop artists, whatever you want to call them, first and foremost the ones i dig the most deliver their social/cultural commentary to a funky beat. a beat to which you can't help but get out of your seat and move your feet. secondly, the ones i dig the most don't spend the whole song rapin about how fly they are, or how tall their rims are, or how gold their teeth are, or how hot their girls are, or how deadly their guns are, or how expensive their drinks are, or how fashionable their cloths are, or basically how thug they are. that was original a long, long time ago. as in like a couple decades ago.

so with that in mind the next few week's posts will feature/highlight some of those artist who don't spend their whole rap trying to say the same thing in a new and clever way. these artists have something new to say, and they spit it in a completely unique way.

the first post in this series is dedicated to a small collection of artists from rhymsayers entertainment. rhymsayers is an underground hip-hop label based in minneapolis, MN, and is probably most notable for the duo atmosphere. though there are many artists on this label, i've only got time this week to feature a couple. however, stay tuned for future posts containing reviews of the new felt album as well as eyedea and abilities.

given that the "state of the union" address was last night, i feel it's appropriate to lead off with a few brother ali tracks, specifically "uncle sam goddamn". yes, Brother Ali is not actually a "brother". Yes, he is actually albino. and yes, that doesn't matter one bit...

uncle sam goddamn - brother ali

continuing with brother ali, these next few tracks show off not only his lyrical skill, but also his ability to disassemble/reassemble/retell a sociopolitical/cultural story.

truth is - brother ali

us - brother ali

next up is a couple atmosphere tracks. these first two are off the new album and are definitely a little dark.

your glass house - atmosphere

shoulda known - atmosphere

you - atmosphere

and the alternate video of you that i like better

and ending on a lighter note, here's a track off of atmosphere's free download album strictly leakage. this album is much lighter and funkier than the usual stuff they do as you can hear from the following track. enjoy!

domestic dog - atmposphere

do you take requests...

requests? uh, no. no i don't. you can make a suggestion, and if i have it, and if it would work with what i'm currently doing, or if it will work into something i may be doing later, then i'll do my best to work it in. but no. no. i won't play just anything that is requested. briteny spears? toxic? no. no i'm not going to play that. why? because i don't own it. yes, really. why don't i own it? because it sux. and no. i don't have a list or book of music you can look through. i'm not that kind of dj. and no. no. i'm not having a bad night. i'm not trying to be an a-hole. i'm not trying to offend you by refusing to play what you request. i'm just not that type of dj. oh, so you want me to "play something good"? so i guess that means what i've been playing isn't good. but all the people dancing right now seem to think what i'm playing is good. and didn't you just request that i play britney spears. have you heard the expression "it's all relative"? obviously what i think is good, and what all the people dancing think is good, is not the same as what you think is good. because if i play your request right now everyone dancing will stop and look at me with an expression like i just dropped the worst ass gas ever. I'd probably make a smelly fart face myself. so to recap, no, i don't take requests; no, i won't play briteny spears; and aside from this conversation i'm having an excellent night.

so usually i get a couple people a night who want to make a request. usually it's a request for something i intend to play later or already played. however, sometimes it's a request for something i have no intention of playing, because i can't, because i don't own it, because i think it's crap. usually the requester takes the request rejection with a smile. but this friday i had a couple girls get really bitchy with me when i rejected their request. or maybe i got bitchy with them. whatever. their shock at me refusing to play their song combined with my shock at the stinky request they made resulted in a bitchy conversation.

aside from a couple bitchy conversations, this friday was killer. i found myself playing a lot of dancehall, house and mashups instead of the usual collection of hip-hop-etc. it apparently went over pretty well as, just like last week, the dance floor was packed from about 9:30 on.

so the following blubeat collection includes some of the new and old tracks i've been digging this week, and i believe all of them were played this friday. enjoy, and if you come down next week, be sure to come down early as i heard the line to get in was pretty long this last friday.

i know kanye = a-hole drama, but damn, homeboy can make some good music. here's a couple older kanye tracks i've been diggin' lately.

heard 'em say - kanye west featuring adam levine

touch the sky - kanye west featuring lupe fiasco

this next track is by nextmen et al. good stuff and prolly influenced my tendency towards a dancehall vibe this last friday.

blood fire - nextmen featuring dynamite mc

how 'bout some dj spinna? ok. cool. this guy has produced some of my favorite tracks. this one is classic spinna. super smooth.

Intergalactic – dj spinna featuring phonte of little brother

and this last track has a bizarre/bad video, but i dig the track. seems like i've been digging everything from santigold, but all the vids are weird/bad. anyway. enjoy.

creator - santigold

oh, what a night...

well that was another one for the books. the dance floor was packed last night from the word go, and by the word go i mean about 9:30. four hours later the nectarites were still going crazy. what a great crowd. and not a single hater in the bunch. thanks to all who came out last night. epic!

i started the night off with some new People Under the Stairs, and by People Under the Stairs i mean the LA based hip-hop people, not the Wes Craven scary movie people. i've been a big fan of this duo for many years now (and have a stack of records to prove it). their style is 100% about the party at hand. missing from their raps are any mention of their cars, money, guns, girls, etc. their dedication to the vibe of the music as well as the raps make nearly every track they put out capable of moving the dance floor masses.

this first track was the lead off batter last night and is from their new album, Carried Away

down in LA

this next one is also from their latest album and features a pretty goofy video. don't think i played this last night, but pretty sure it's going to end up in steady rotation soon.

trippin' at the disco

lastly these next few are some of my favs from their second album, O.S.T.

suite for beaver part 1

suite for beaver part 2

Intro

change is the only constant...

the beginning of the year is a peculiar thing. one day you're buried under all the afflictions you've brought upon yourself over the last year (and beyond), and the next day you've forgiven yourself in hopes of shedding your personal demons. THIS year i resolve to fill in the blank. THIS year i resolve NOT to fill in the blank. so silly. it's like the beginning of the new year is the only time for introspection/self evaluation. like the new year is the only time to do something about the things your conscience has been nagging you about. or is it?

i personally believe that stagnation is one of the most evil things that afflicts humans. and it's not just me that thinks so. apparently "sloth" is one of the 7 deadly scratch and sniff stickers (sins) in the christian moralisphere. so, i challange myself and i challange everyone else to, as Heraclitus said about 2500 years ago, "make change a constant". this year, resolve to be dynamic; resolve to by flexible/ply able; resolve to not get stuck in the muck; resolve to "make change a constant". if you do so, come NYE 2011, you will have nothing left to resolve. to me, as MS says, "that's a good thing".

i guess, given this soapbox lecture, i should resolve to be dynamic about something. so, in the spirit of the new year, and it's obligatory resolutions, i resolve to continuously evaluate my judgmental attitude this year, with the intention of constantly changing it. however, this resolution shall not pertain to musical taste (or lack thereof). if you request i play briteny, miley, ludacris, or whatever crap music you like, don't expect me to let you down easy. i have a pretty open mind to most any music, artist, song, but even i have limits.

in a superficial demonstration of change, I've changed the blog look and feel a bit. feel free to comment (honestly).

as i mentioned in the last post, besides the resolutions, the other thing that happens this time of year is "best of" lists. SO, i'll leave you with some of my favorite blubeats this year. this list contains some of my favorite tracks acquired in 2009. enjoy and have a happy, fruitful and dynamic 2010!

Lovin It – Little Brother (feat. Joe Scubba)

Way Down – N.A.S.A.

Illasoul – Illa J

The Field – Sound Providers

Another (BBQ) – People Under The Stairs

All Praise Due – Cesar Camanche

Alright – Thes One & Raashan Ahmad

Anything’s Possible – Zero dB

Roof – Wale (DJ Ayres mix is also sick)

Illa Noyz – Boot Camp Clik

Dop Transmission – Sound Providers

Finally Moving Remix – Pretty Lights

1940 (Amp Live Rmx) – The Submarines

Are U Ready? (feat Slum Village) – DJ Jazzy Jeff

Keep it Lit – Oh No, MED & Wildchild

Take Me Home – Polyrhythm Addicts & Pharaoh Monk

Mind Transit - Y-Love