About // Contact

• Home
• Interviews
• Music
• Podcast
• Reviews

Negroclash!

Video: Gnarls Barkley - Who’s Gonna Save My Soul

Hmm…..Gnarls drops another er….interesting video for my favorite track off of The Odd Couple. The beginning was great, the ending, not so much. That heart looks like The California Raisins from back in the day.

Having that said, The Odd Couple is a remarkable album, even though it was not commercially successful. Pick it up today. Gnarls is playing the 9:30 club here in DC and it’s predictably sold out. Time to hit up Craigslist.

Tags: Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple

---

Flying Lotus - “Robo Tussin” (Lil Wayne A Milli Remix)

Flying Lotus - Robo Tussin (Lil Wayne A Milli Remix)

Yeah, I know most of us are tired of “A Milli” or anything sounding remotely close to it, but this Flying Lotus remix is hands down the best remix of any song I’ve heard in years. This track has gotten permanent status in my iPod right now–I might even make a new playlist for it.

If you didn’t know, Flying Lotus is the Cali-based hip-hop/trip-hop producer who does music for most of the bumps on Adult Swim as well as stellar remixes like the one above.

(from Gilles Peterson)

myspace.com/flyinglotus

---

Hip-Hop

New Rhymefest - “Bring It Back”

Rhymefest - Bring It Back (produced by DJ Jazzy Jeff)

Rhymefest - Real Nigga Quotes (produced by DJ Premier)

So some random internets thug named Prometheus sent Fake Shore Drive an email claiming that he found Rhymefest’s iPod and will leak a new track from his forthcoming album, El Che unless Fest and Allido records moves up the release date. The dude claims he’s a “fan” and that the people have “NO FUCKING IDEA how hot this shit sounds!” Sounds like an intern at Allido is getting a little bit TOO creative doesn’t it?

Rhymefest responds in typical gangsta mentality and claims the whole Prometheus this is a joke and that these tracks were already leaked months ago. Then he goes after the Internet “haters” in some long winded fashion that was too damn long for me to read.

I try not to post bullshit like this because personally, this is the stuff that turns me off to hip-hop. I wouldn’t even touch the subject, but the tracks that Prometheus “leaked” are actually quite hot, and I respect Rhymefest as a rapper and thought that Blue Collar was one of the most underrated albums of 2006.

If Rhymefest or his people did leak these tracks to create drama or publicity then he deserves a huge FAIL. These songs are good enough to stand by themselves musically, and if people need drama or bs for them to be interested in an artist, then they probably aren’t listening to Rhymefest anyway.

myspace.com/rhymefest

Tags: Rhymefest

---

Lets. Go.

---

Couch Sessions Appoved Artist

Review: Danny! - And I Love HER

Danny
And I Love HER

It’s a damn shame that Danny Swain isn’t more known in the music industry. While some acts, even those who aren’t even signed to labels, generate massive Internet hype, Swain, who is signed to the venerable Def Jux can’t even get his label to return his phone calls.

But its all good. Swain has resorted to what he does best: producing, writing, packaging, and distributing this records by himself. And like his last CD that I reviewed here two years ago, this D.I.Y. approach can hold its own with any major label CD on the market this year. (And no, I’m not biased, this is my honest opinion.)

And I Love H.E.R. is a concept album, and that concept is one that most guys know all to well–our frustrations with women. But of course, there is a duality to all this: the “woman” is hip-hop. As a dude who hasn’t gotten the ink that he deserves in the hip-hop industry, the frustration is well deserved.

Danny Swain - I Want Her (Snippet)

What strikes you first about this album is its production. Headed by the 24 year-old Danny and ATL producer Alex Goose, the sound leans very heavily on 60s era jazz samples and skirts into the Motown sound. Sure, the cover and the title pay homage to the Beatles, but the sound stays fresh and modern. Even if tracks like “The Groove,” “I Don’t Know”, and “After the Love Has Gone” have some 60’s cheekiness, it’s handled with in a way that’s tasteful and not annoying (Think “Hey Ya, not “Rehab”), and songs like “At What Price,” having an ending which I can only describe as amazing.

Danny Swain - At What Price (Snippet)

As a producer, Danny has a knack for putting a fresh spin on the tired hip-hop “backpacker” vein with production that emulates the jazz-centric “golden era” of hip-hop but dosen’t imitate it. Tracks like “Not The One,” “Wanderland,” “Do You,” and “Never Change,” have song of the year status on my iPod and the thump of “Yoko Ono,” can put almost any street song to shame. In fact, why doesn’t Danny have a production deal?

Danny Swain - Wanderland (Snippet)

As for the lyrical side, Swain brings fire as always with a nonchalant flow that never tries too hard. From his lyrics to the liner notes (mastered at Roscoe Mastering and Waffles?) Swain never seems takes himself too seriously, which is a rareity in hip-hop. Of course many people compare him to Kanye West (which apparently he’s still salty about–he mentions it about 4 times on the album), but Swain leaves the egotistical nonsense at home. Tanya Morgan’s Che Grand and Naledge from Kidz In Da Hall are recruited for the ride.

Danny Swain - Where You Goin’ (Snippet)

The Verdict: “And I Love HER” ain’t your typical rap CD, and that’s a good thing. Solid production. Solid rhymes, and an a refreshing atmosphere that is neither backapcker nor hood makes this album a must buy for 2008. Seriously.

Buy And I Love HER from CD Baby

Tags: Danny Swain

---

Hip-Hop

Video: Shawn Jackson - Countdown

Shawn Jackson is a force to be reckoned with! Do not sleep on this LA-based artist because major things are about to happen. (via 15 mins)

myspace.com/shawnjackson

Tags: Shawn Jackson

---

Hip-Hop

Video: Kardinal Offishall feat. the Clipse - Set It Off

It’s been a hot minute since I heard anything from Kardinal, but things are looking up for the Canadian MC since we first wrote about him on ‘05. It’s been a long struggle for the dude, who has bounced around labels in Canada for years. But things have taken off for Kardi since he got signed to Akon’s label. With such names as The Clipse behind him, and major label and radio support here in the US Kardinal is set to become a household name.

His album, Not 4 Sale, drops on September 9th.

myspace.com/kardinaloffishall

Tags: clipse, Kardinal Offishall

---

RIP K-Swift

Whoa. Just got a text message this morning that the Baltimore Club Queen K-Swift died this past weekend. And damn, blog reports and her MySpace page are confirming that is this is true. This is crazy. I remember seeing her on Friday night and its crazy to see a life taken so quick. It’s a very sad day in B-More and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

From Low B MessageBoard:

It’s with the deepest regret, the heaviest heart, and in a state of an almost paralyzing shock that we’re to report that the Queen of Baltimore Club Music died last night due to a drowning accident in the swimming pool at her home. This information is coming directly from our family at Unruly, and as soon as a more detailed explanation is available, we’ll be sure to pass that info along.

Bio (from Diplo) after the jump…
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: K-Swift

---

Dizzee Rascal - Dance Wiv Me

I was talking with one of our readers the other day about the apparent trend of UK Grime rappers abandoning the genre for a blend of rap and US-style house music. This “house-hop” has proven pretty successful, with Wiley scoring a huge hit over there with “Wearin’ My Rolex,” and now Dizzee Rascal going to number one with his single “Dance Wiv Me,” which wasn’t on his last album Maths and English but released as a separate single.

This track is not as entertaining as Wiley’s Rolex track, or even the ever ubiquitous “Rolex Sweep,” but its the perfect evolution of house music from back in the day. Unlike “Rolex,” it has more of a soulful house feel with Chrome and Calvin Harris providing decent hook even if Dizzee’s rhymes a are little weak.

These moves would have hip-hop purists in the US scratching their heads, but the UK hip-hop culture is a lot more intertwined with dance culture. Grime evolved from UK garage and 2-step, which in turn was a take on US house music.

Can house-hop break in the US? Well, I heard “Wearin’ My Rolex” at that party in Baltimore and the dance floor went crazy so I can see B-More club DJ’s breaking these tracks in the States.

Bonus: Dance Wiv Me (Acoustic Version) live at Glastonbury 2008

---

Maybe I Need a Ghostblogger?

(image from ldntimes)

I’m really not following the whole Kanye ghostblogging “controversy” and personally I really don’t care. I do read Kanye’s blog on the daily, and I have questioned the fact that the dude has at least 10 posts a day while he’s supposedly touring or producing, or whatever else the dude does.

But when you look at Kanye’s posts, they’re usually one line long, and really don’t have any skill or depth to them. He needs a Ghostblogger for that? Dude, I could do postings like that from my Phone.

Anyway, the whole ghostblogging point is null and void. Wannabe gossip blogger Sandra Rose accused Canadian blogger Marcus Troy as being Kanye’s Ghost Blogger after he wrote this sorta tongue and cheek post about wanting to become a Ghostblogger–NOT that he was a ghostblogger. Either Ms. Rose can’t read or she had some type of vendetta, because obviously the dude said nothing about being Kanye’s Ghostblogger. Of course, with Kanye being Kanye, he unleashed an assault on the dude and posting pictures of himself er….blogging.

This is the type of blogging bullshit that makes me want to dust off my old IBM typewriter from my mom’s closet and become the unabomber. As much as I love blogging, I’m hating the fact that this medium is becoming like cable news–where blogs are competing to one up each other with “scoops,” and “Breaking News.” Obviously, this chick Sandra Rose thought she had a scoop on Kanye, but if she just re-read the damn post, she would see that it was just some dude with a blog posting nonsense. Maybe it was her Ghostblogger? She should learn not to outsource those things.

Disclaimer: If you didn’t know–The Couch Sessions is 100% GHOSTBLOGGER FREE. I would hope the misspellings and the 4 -6 week lag time it takes for me to do reviews would give it away.

---

Connect

Podcast

Features

Reviews

Events

Quick Hits

Last.FM

Popular Tags