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I AM NOT A BET NEW FRESH FACE…

But my radio show, Au80, is beyond young, fresh, and new.

I promise.

Don't believe me yet? Please check out this week's featured guests, Mr. Kev Brown, http://kevbrownmusic.com/, rapper ESG, and Havana, http://www.havanamuzik.com/. Dope. Yes, I know.

Estoy respirando live from http://kanm.tamu.edu/, Sundays, 11 PM ??? 1AM, eastern.

Besos,

~A.

Tags: Mandrill

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Negroclash!

Interview: Cufi and Cosmo of El Pus

A month or two back, I posted about an up and coming band called El Pus. After listening to their album Hoodlum Rock: Vol. 1 non-stop for about five weeks, I decided to try and get in touch with them for an interview. If you get a chance, check these guys out. Their fun and up beat music will brighten your day and bring a smile to your face. Cufi and Cosmo, the lead vocals, guitars and the essential starters of the band, were more than happy to oblige my request.

How did y’all get into music?

Cufi: I think that everyone in this band has been into music almost their whole lives…we all either had solo aspirations, or were in other bands and groups before we came together as El Pus. Cosmo and I have been in groups together for almost 10 years, everything from hip hop to playing bass and guitar in punk bands, we just fused it all to create El Pus. Woodchuck had a record out before as a solo rap artist before he started playing bass. CJ has been writing music and playing guitar since he was a kid, and Young Pete has been playing drums almost his whole life, so I don’t think any of us have ever not been into music.

Cosmo: I got into music out of my love for music. At an early age coming into the knowledge of music and growing an appreciation for music, I wanted a vehicle to buy as much music as I could.

The back-story to how El Pus became a rock band is really great. How did you come together in the first place?

Cufi: Basically the first El Pus album was just me and Cosmo (it’s out in Japan on EMI, but never came out in the US), and we had just been doing music and stuff for years. Cosmo and I used to rap together and make beats, then basically, when our sampler got stolen, it forced us to find a new direction. Since we both played guitar and bass a little, we decided to add a drummer and make it a 3 piece band….we’d just play riffs and then rap over it. That really ended up being an exciting direction, so we stuck with it. Later on, we added CJ, Pete, and Chuck because we were having a hard time playing AND rapping and still having an interesting live stage show. Once we added the fellas, it just became a machine…that’s where we are now… a 5 piece band, and now me and Cosmo have the freedom of either JUST being vocalists, or playing our instruments, it’s the best of everything, and the guys are such better musicians than us, it just makes everything come together nicely and takes the music to the next level.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Hip-Hop, New Music, R&B

LA Music: Ankore

It might be another sunny day in LA, but Ankore MC Akili Shine is on the grind, sitting on the beach with a MP3 player and some headphones, trying to persuade people to check out his group’s album, The People Said…. “They don’t make conscious hip-hop in LA anymore,” he says as he sits on a bench in Venice Beach. Tired, and weary, the hustle looks like it would be taking a toll on the LA-born MC. However, the fact that the group has sold over 10,000 CDs based on this method alone, gives Akili the will to continue.

At first, I was weary about yet another MC trying to hock his tape to me while I was on vacation, cause it happened to me 2 other times that day. But unlike the other groups that I encounted in LA, Ankore stood out. I found myself listening to The People Said… over and over again, appreciating the CD’s 23 tracks more during every listen.

Ankore is trying to change the perception of LA hip-hop and somehow put the West Coast back on the map. The group, consisting of MC’s Akili, Nkrumah, and the songstress Aanis, combines R&B melodies, and conscious hip-hop, coupled with inspriational and motivational messages about black pride, self motivation, and community improvement.

Check out these song samples (MP3) and let me know in the comments if you’re feelin’ these guys.

• Ankaduction
• Black Rose
• Gifted
• K10033

The group has shared the stage with The Roots, Talib Kweli, Ludacris, and others. Right now, they’re only performing only on the West Coast, but I’m sure that some East Coast dates will be on the agenda soon.

You can purchase The People Said… from CDBaby.

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Write Lil' Kim

By special request, here is Lil Kim's address in jail:

Kimberly Jones / Inmate #56198-054
Federal Detention Center
POB 562
Philadelphia, PA 19106

I could say something about a “dirty underwear fetish,” but I'm not gonna!

Tags: Mandrill

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Update: Baltimore Music Conference

Just got an update about the Baltimore Music Conference. Regulars might remember The Couch Sessions interview with one of the conference's organizers a few months back. The conference will actually go down October 8 - 9 (this coming Saturday, 10am-9pm and Sunday 10am-8pm) at Ostend/Russell Park Arena (NOT Patterson Park as originally planned). Again, participation in the conference is open to all who are interested, regardless of musical genre.

Read Baltimore Does It Big With Its First Music Conference

Visit the official website for the Baltimore Music Conference

Tags: Mandrill

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Album Preview

Dangerdoom Album Preview on MySpace

Hells yeah. Click here to hear the full album preview.

It's edited, but its all good. I knew that MySpace is for more than just booty calls.

Update: I'm halfway through right now. This might kick AZ off the throne for rap album of the year.

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Don't Pop Ya Collar?

I don't know how it is in your town, but the whole “pop your collar” thing is getting out of control here in DC, so its about time that someone came to their senses.

Most of ya'll already know how I feel about the subject, so I applaud Cafe Saint-Ex for showing the poppies the door.

Tags: Mandrill

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Site Updates/Notes (The Support our Peeps Edition)

Here's what's up…

• First off, big ups to everyone for their support of this site. The response to the Couch Sessions has been enormous. Thanks to all of ya'll from around the world who visit the site on the daily. Like I said before, this site is only Phase One of our plan to take over the world the Couch Sessions project. I’ll let you know what's up when the time is right.
• We're delighted to have Autumn Caviness of KANM's Au80 Radio blogging for us. She'll be previewing upcoming shows as well as post tracklistings for the previous weeks show. Check out her latest show here (MP3).
• We're looking for a few more bloggers cause my job is about to get hectic. All you gotta do is send a writing sample to articleonline [at] gmail [dot] com. Why a writing sample? Because we don't wanna get burned again by adding bloggers who can't write. We had to do a “You're Fired” on some dude a few months ago and we ain't going through that again.
• Congrats go out to to Lesa and Cal for winning the Motown Remixed contest. Also, I forgot to mention that Andre and Nichole for winning our Verve Remixed Contest that we had a few months ago.
• Also, check out some of our partners in crime when you have a chance. Crayon People is an excellent resource for people of color, and also check out MobileUnderground.com as well.
• Speakin' of buying…please check out the music from our friends in the industry: Eternia, Sy Smith, Head Roc, Eurok, Noyeek, Tittsworth, Count Bass D, and El Pus. Do your part to support independent music.

Tags: Mandrill

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Music Update: Rosh Hashanah Edition

Being a Jewish person, I'm used to people asking me questions like “Oh, do you speak Jewish?” or “Are you from New Jersey?” or “Can you hook me up with a record deal, cause I know you own the industry…”(Just for the record none of these questions are made up. I have, at one point, been asked all of them.) But as of late, I have been getting a new question: “Do you know that Jewish guy who does reggae? You know…the one with the Jew costume?”

The artist in question is named Matisyahu and yes he does wear a certain kind of “Jew costume.” But you're most likely to get your ass beat if you call it that.

Matisyahu is Hasidic, part of a sect of Jews who practice Judaism that was practiced in 18th and 19th century Poland. They are known for wearing black pants and jackets, white shirts, and black wide brimmed hats. But not all of them do. What all of them do wear however is talit (traditional prayer shawl) and two forlocks which are called payos. Because of this distinct style of dress, the image of Hasidim has turned into one of the stereotypes of Jewish people. Matisyahu is different, however.

He breaks these stereotypes through his music, in which he brings together the Jewish faith and the reggae culture. To someone who is hearing his music for the first time, his lyrics may sound like lyrics of a Rastafarian. His beatboxing is pretty amazing too. But if you listen closely, you realize that he is speaking in Hebrew. For example, in his song “Aish Tamid”, he talks about the destruction of the Temple and the rebuilding of the Third Temple. To a non-Jewish ear, the reference may be lost. But to a religious Jewish person (or even a secular one) there is a realization that there is a place for Judaic references in popular music. His two albums Shake Off the Dust…Arise and Matisyahu: Live At Stubb's have been flying off the shelves. Below is a track of Live At Stubb's:

• King Without A Crown (MP3)

But by no means is Matisyahu the first Jewish person to go over to hip hop or reggae. And he certainly is not the last. There are a variety of Jewish artists who turn to their Jewish roots as influence for their music:
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Mandrill

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Autumn STAYS fly I I I I I I with Sirius, Carlos, & Havana I I I I I I

The Couch Sessions (TCS): So???yeah Autumn, Autumn Caviness, Au80, whatever your nickname of the season is???a pleasure meeting you last week, as well. But for future reference, try spelling the super premium helado that you so adore as Haagen-Dazs, as opposed to your inaccurate Haagen Daaz??? And next time, attempt to keep the so very necessary introduction to so very succinct??? Mmmkay?

Autumn Caviness (AC): Lovely. I shall do my best.

TCS: So how???s the Au80 guest lineup shaping up for Sunday???s show?

AC: Well, I have 3 incredible guests, stopping through???of course, via telephonic interview. First up is Mr. BJ Stone, the current director of R&B Programming for Sirius Satellite Radio, http://www.sirius.com, expect myriad preguntas about the stasis of contemporary commercial radio. After Mr. Stone???s incredible apperance is incredible producer and artist extraordinaire Mr. Carlos Mena???his music is beyond lovely. I stay rotating his remixes, throughout the contours of my Sunday???s show. Not to mention, Senor Carlos, always ensures that I have the freshest mixes available from his personal collection, www.casamena.com/. And lastly, dope soul vocalist, Havana is reaching the show via Southern Cali connection to contemplate LIFE and her debut album???http://www.havanamuzik.com/.

TCS: Finished?

AC: Almost. If you have a moment, please feel free to tune in Au80 on your system???s respective media player. My show breathes live from http://kanm.tamu.edu/, Sundays, 11 PM ??? 1AM, eastern. And as always, if you have questions, let me know???I will most certainly inquire.

TCS: Your personal aphorism for the upcoming week.

AC: I gotta stay fly I I I I I I I I until I die I I I I I I I??? (c)

Tags: Mandrill

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