Bold, experimental and dark, and absolutely fitting for a festival like South by Southwest, an insanely immense microcosm especially good at highlighting fringe genres. Shabazz Palaces emerged onto the scene shrouded in carefully-crafted cloud of mystery, much like the electro-transcendent synth taps, deranged drum beats and mbira cut-ins weaved between the cryptic lyrics. The project is the creation of Palaceer Lazaro, or Ishamel “Butterfly” Butler of Digable Planets. Suffice it to say, the planets have left the solar system.

Shabazz Palaces also just recently announced the drop for their sophomore album, “Black Up” on Sub Pop records May 31. Normally, I laugh at record label album descriptors, but the one Sub Pop wrote for “Black Up” takes you to that sleep-deprived kind of laugh where nothing and everything make sense together.

Black Up is the new sonic move from Shabazz Palaces. Like rich velvet hijabs or gold threaded abayas. Luxury as understood by the modest. Shabazz Palaces. If Bedouins herded beats instead of goats and settled in Seattle instead of the Atlas Mountains, this would be their album. Forward thinkers but nostalgic for a sparer time when ancient astronomers only recognized five planets. Hip hop. Black light uses electromagnetic radiation to eradicate microorganisms, but shabazz didn’t come to kill a sound, just to shine their own incandescent lamp on this. Hear. Hard and clear. Fifty thousand years in the making. Honorable. palaceer pink gators. Produced by Knife Knights. plcrs at Gunbeat Serenade Studio in Outplace Palacelands. It was recorded and mixed in Lixx-alog by Blood.

You can sample one of the tracks, “An Echo From the Hosts that Profess Infinitum,” as long as you’re willing to sacrifice your email address. But, if you’re going to be in my beloved Austin, Texas for SXSW, definitely make time for some Shabazz.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Shabazz Palaces at SXSW 2011

Thursday, March 17
Pitchfork Day Party @ East Side Drive (In 1001 E. Sixth St, 2:00 pm)

Friday, March 18
Gorilla vs. Bear Day Party @ Klub Krucial (612 East 6th Street, 5:00 pm)
Sub Pop Showcase @ Red 7 (611 E 7th St, 8:50 pm)

Life is fiction, competition and contradiction
Petty perceptions, window dressing for misdirection
Love is a lotto, I know I know you know what I know
Hope is so hollow, that’s why winos follow the bottle
And people pressure, make death a hidden treasure
A guilty pleasure, lonely language inside a letter
It’s now or never, move it, move it, love it or lose it
‘Fore it’s recruited, then included in something stupid
It’s nature’s nature, pay the player and say your prayers
Naysayers, the haters, the major players, the beggars
You ’bout it, ’bout it, don’t allow it, pout witout it
Then those who doubt it, doomed to die to death of cowards
The world is yours, in a world we can’t afford
So ignore the law; start a fire, then start a war
If you’re sick and tired of your access denied
Free will died long before blogs and iPods…
(c) P.O.R.N. “Radio Daze”

P.O.R.N. is featured on two tracks on the album, “Walk Alone” and “Radio Daze”, the latter being quoted in a review by Andrew Shapter of The Huffington Post, “Why The Roots May Have The Best Album of 2010″.

Not a shabby introduction for the West Philly native and Money Making Jam Boy member. P.O.R.N. is currently hard at work on his mixtape due out in January. Philly DJ’s Mike Nyce and Rich Medina are collaborating on this upcoming project, and he’s expecting contributions from fellow Jam Boy, Truck North and Philly rapper Peedi Crakk among others.

You can follow P.O.R.N. on Twitter at @porndmc and check back here at The Couch Sessions for info and download links when available…this is a project from a dope new emcee you won’t want to miss!

The Money Making Jam Boys consists of: P.O.R.N., Truck North, STS Slim, Black Thought and long-time Roots Crew affiliate Dice Raw.

A soulful Philly beatmaster + a Brooklyn-born (but Queensbridge influenced) emcee = The Grey-Area.

Kil produced the entire album and Vegas laced it. Kil’s beats gave me a 9th Wonder feel, and at times the music outshined the lyrics, but with only one collabo on the entire album, Vegas held his own.

Vegas isn’t a rookie to the hip hop game. He started rhyming in 1994 with his cousin Ill Will and their crew in Queensbridge. In the ‘Introverse’ Vegas describes himself as “a little bit of underground, a little bit of commercial, somewhere in the grey area…” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Kil has collaborated with a variety of artists & musicians – Osei Morland, Sean “Mocha” Banks, Khalil Byrd and M.O.P. name a few.  Working with this producer, Vegas got the whole package – DJ, writer and beatmaker.  And it worked well.

Track 2 “Here And Now” Vegas recounts his past and how he arrived at where he is today. Backed by a horn-heavy track on “Human (I’m Only)”, Vegas unapologetically admits his shortcomings like only a street poet can. “Don’t Let Me Down” is by far my favorite track on the project. Vegas takes us through his sorrow over his cousin’s death and addresses his less than perfect father, as well as himself – you can feel his pain and ambitious hustle in the track. On “Finale” Vegas raps “preparation is everything, karma is life…” and when the music breaks, he flows and the spoken word feel moved me.

If The Grey-Area is an indicator of his karma, there should be great things coming for this talented emcee.

You can download the project HERE on his page and follow Vegas & Kil on Twitter.

My native home town of Minneapolis has produced a very talented hip-hop star named Toki Wright. Known most recently for being Brother Ali‘s opening act, Wright brings a passion and energy to his music.  Rhymesayers Entertainment is releasing on its RSE “Spotlight Series” which, according to the press release is “aimed at giving developing talent a platform to bring their message to the masses.”

You can get a quick preview of the tracks here on the official label site for Toki Wright or go to the MySpace page for full versions of the tracks.  Here are my thoughts from a few I sampled:

“State of Emergency” features an intro from George W Bush (yes, really) and begins with a verse about an injured Vietnam War veteran.  Toki then turns the track to make observations about racial profiling and police brutality.  He also has a lyric about Minnesota having less than a 10% black population.  Racial profiling is a problem in the Twin Cities so I was glad he broached the subject.

“Good” features a great slow groove which almost reminded me of Ice Cube’s “Good Day” but Toki does a much better job with his lyrical presentation than Cube on this type of track in that he’s more fluid and musical rather than Cube’s style of just basically talking on that track.

“Devil’s Advocate” features another great funky, 70′s style groove.  The background vocals are soulful and provide a nice backdrop for Toki’s rapping.  The track overall is about trying to become a better person chorus has “trying to change my evil ways”

“Next Best Thing” seems like a boastful track where Toki says he is the “next best thing is standing right here.”  I enjoyed the lyric “I’m the first Minnesota rapper who’s ever toured Africa.” He throws in some more great Minnesota references include the lyric “from the home of Prince, Dylan, and collapsed bridges.”

Toki really is proud of his Minneapolis roots as not only does he do a lot of work in the community, but his videos also give nods to the Twin Cities.  If you look carefully you can see he is wearing a Minnesota Twins t-shirt  in his video “More Fiya.” In “Devil’s Advocate” you can clearly see the skyline of downtown Minneapolis behind him.  Definitely great to see the Twin Cities represented so well for so many to see!

According to his MySpace page, you’ll be able to see Toki at upcoming gigs in Milwaukee on July 17th and Minneapolis (with Warren G!) on July 30th. Check him out, you won’t be disappointed!  You betcha!

Keep chillin’

-Chris

chris@chilloutscene.com www.chilloutscene.com www.twitter.com/chilloutscene

Toki Wright

A Different Mirror- Track listing

• 1 Foundation
• 2 More Fiya
• 3 Devil’s Advocate
• 4 Good
• 5 A Different Mirror
• 6 Rise Featuring Scarub
• 7 Next Best Thing
• 8 The Law Featuring I Self Divine
• 9 State Of Emergency
• 10 Truth Or Dare
• 11 The Feeling Featuring Brother Ali
• 12 Little Girl
• 13 Poison Ivy (Afreecan-American)

by Unkle Funkle

So I’m sitting on my couch…smoking a hookah pipe and enjoying the health benefits of the herbal cookies I had earlier.  After reading the Creative Loafing article on the 12^th anniversary of Outkast’s landmark album Aquemini, I decided to listen to the album in its entirety so that I can remember why it was one of my favorite albums to begin with and why it’s still important now.

My fondest memories of this album always involve me riding with my best friend while she blasted it in her yellow X-Terra.  I was 19 years old.  All I knew was that it had just received The Source magazine’s coveted 5 mics, which meant that it was pretty much a classic.  At the time, I didn’t understand how significant this album would turn out to be in the history of the hip-hop movement.  Now, at 31 years old, I get it.  And after reading that article (which is one of the most interesting and entertaining pieces of journalism I have read in years), I have more of a 3-D insight into what it took to actually get this album made.  Reading the track-by-track analysis from the entire Dungeon Family and all of the musicians that worked on them is such a rare treat for true music lovers. 

I have pretty much fallen in love with this album all over again. 

What I understand about Aquemini today is that it was really a spiritual journey of an album.  It’s feels like church for folks that don’t really do church but could certainly some in their lives.  Big Boi and Dre were searching for higher ground, and not only did they elevate themselves as artists, but they elevated the entire genre of hip-hip and showed everyone how to step outside the proverbial box…by floating about it.

There are a ton of highlights on this album, but there are two tracks that changed my perception of the type of music that could exist on a southern hip-hip album:  “SpottieOttieDopalicious”, a pimped-out spoken word piece with that often-repeated tribute to Florida Evans (damn, damn, damn James!!!), and “Liberation” with its 9-minute psychedelic soul cipher.  

Delving further into the album is like driving deeper into Georgia, yielding trips through backwoods and bayous that were previously off limits to those who are not natives. 

I am pleasantly surprised at how fresh this album still sounds.  If I were to put this album up against a popular hip-hop album of today, I would ultimately choose Aquemini for its sheer boldness and musicality which is sorely lacking in music today, hip-hop or otherwise. 

Thank you, Outkast, for taking the time to create this masterpiece.  You gave everyone a tool with which we could contemplate, meditate on, and escape life’s hardships, or celebrate them if we wanted to.  We could just lay our souls bare on the altar, as y’all did, and not be judged.  This album shattered so many perceptions and stereotypes of what it means to be southern, what it means to be an MC, what it means to be a black man in America, and not just Georgia.  And for that, I applaud you.

If all of their albums are crown jewels, then Aquemini is the diamond centerpiece that helped pave the way for them to be able to become the fearless, visionary leaders that they are today. 

In honor of the 12^th anniversary of Aquemini’s release, I invite everyone who owns it to pull it out and put it back into heavy rotation.  For those who don’t own it, get your asses on the bus, move to the back of it, and travel that road to redemption.  You can thank me later.

SpottieOttieDopaliscious

12 SpottieOttieDopaliscious

Liberation

15 Liberation

Picture courtesy of Last.fm

The blazing fast rhymes of Baltimore native TK Wonder were brought to this mixtape called “Mars” on Giant Step Records on June 22nd.  The mixtape ranging from breakneck (“Testarossa Autodrive” by Kavinsky) to downtempo (“Yeah Boy” by Bloody Beetroots) features a number of big name producers with TK’s hip-hop flavor added to them.

The highlight for me on this mixtape as a Radiohead junkie was the remix of Thom Yorke’s “Hearing Damage” track from the New Moon Soundtrack.  TK Wonder’s lyrics were added on top of the pulsating electronic bass beat.  I especially liked the sound of waves crashing during an intermission of sorts in the middle of the track.  Loved the lyric “Breakin’ more backs than the New Orleans levee” which is especially relevant during these tough times in the Gulf of Mexico area.  TK maintains the original great qualities of the track and as my “dawg” Randy Jackson would say, “made it  her own.”

I also really enjoyed the remix of CocoRosie’s beautifully haunting retro track “Lemonade.” It definitely has a summertime feel to it (at least the chorus from CocoRosie’s original track does). TK’s remix version is even more interesting than the original track in that her rapping creates a sense of urgency to an otherwise meandering track.

The bass-filled title track “Mars” has probably TK’s best rapping on it.  The lyrics roll off her tongue and her vocal performance combined with the driving beat make for an awesome hip-hop dance track.

TK Wonder is a enormously talented rapper and her lyrics were very naturally added to the remixes on this “Mars” mixtape.  Her rapid-fire rhymes allow for more lyrics per second which is probably why it seemed so natural for her raps to be in these tracks.  Definitely worth checking out this remix even if it is to embrace your inner-emo for the New Moon soundtrack tune from Thom Yorke.  I think if people search out this mixtape for the “Hearing Damage” remix, they’ll also discover a wonderfully gifted talent in TK Wonder.  Can’t wait to see what’s next from her!

Keep chillin’

Preview the mixtape via SoundCloud

Latest tracks by InterestingSomethings

Paige in Full: She Ain’t No Joke (Joke Joke Joke)
by sim1ontharun

Real talk: when I read the tagline for Paige in Full,–”a b-girl’s visual mixtape”–I rolled my eyes and thought, “A visual mixtape?! What the eff is that? Mixtape my bleep!” Since I was a child, my parents have dragged me to the theatre, and although there are a few classic films I’ve peeped more than once, I don’t remember a time in the last ten years when I attended a performance two nights in a row, unless I was in the show myself. So, when I tell ya’ll that I went to see the infinitely charming and talented brother-sister duo, Paige Hernandez and Nick tha 1da, in Paige in Full two consecutive nights, I hope you’ll understand that in the words of Rakim, “[This play] ain’t no joke…joke joke joke.”

As an emerging arts administrator, I was amazed to see an audience diverse in age, ethnicity, and background that multicultural marketing professionals like Donna Walker-Kuhne dream of. The Mead Theatre Lab, located in the creative incubator space, Flashpoint, was tiny. No, like, for real ya’ll, the jawn was like the size of a 45”. But with the Afro-futuristic projections to the side of the stage by Tewodross Melchishua, or what the hip-hop professor refers to as “visual jazz media,” the space felt a lot larger than its actual size. There was a karaoke feel up in there; throughout the show, folks were singin’ along to familiar hip-hop tracks. The audience was immediately at home in the space, connected by this culture that has imbued our lives with “joo-oooy. pain. sun-shii-iine. and rain” since we fell in love with it as kids. Within the first 30 seconds, Paige’s story became our story. And it felt good to be home.

Highlights included “Baltimore: the haiku series,” during which Paige launched into 5-7-5 character acts about crackheads, clubbers and her time at the Baltimore School for the Arts. The dancer in me was also in love with a sequence of swimming/drowning underwater movements and a crucial bass hum in a brief simulated bar encounter on DC’s U Street Corridor. But, the climax came when Paige mourned the death of fallen icons like ‘Pac, Big, and DJ K-Swift, going into a hip-hop conniption. The choreography began to disintegrate, her limbs flailing in fragmented bits of movement, until she lay lifeless on the floor. After a few moments of silence, the audience was audibly holding its breath. The discreet brother behind the turntables, Nick tha 1da, casually spun around to the front of the cassette player, ejected the mixtape and flipped it over to Side B, injecting new life into his torn down sister. She doubled back, ‘rewound,’ and it was all good. Brilliant!

The verdict: Paige Hernandez represents the truest voice of what hip-hop theatre can be for our generation: non-linear, dynamic, personal, intense, community-oriented in content and tone, and fondly nostalgic. The distinct moments of Paige’s life in this 60-minute act allowed us a window into all of our own lives, love, loss, triumphs and missteps, all with a hip-hop lens through which to examine them. There is no doubt in my mind now that #hiphoptheatreisreal and that #visualmixtapesdoexist.

Luckily, the 18 months-in-the-making Paige in Full will appear two more times this summer. For all of those who missed the first run, get Paige in Full and cop an autograph before this sister hits Broadway – or better yet, resurrects the Fly Girls for an Award Tour (with Mohammed my man). Catch Paige in Full at Sulu DC June 19th and at the DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival July 7th and 8th. The 2010 DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival takes place July 6-10.

Special thanks to Nick tha 1da for blessin’ us with an ill exclusive Couch Sessions Paige in Full mini-mix to rep the show. Listen below and enjoy!

Nick tha 1da PAIGE IN FULL mini-mixtape

Kidz in the Hall feat. Just Blaze & Colin Munroe – Take Over the World

New music from hip-hop duo Kidz in the Hall. They are about to come out with a new album, Land of Make Believe, due March 9th, but I’m feeling this new leak featuring Just Blaze and singer Colin Munroe. The Canadian singer, who also released his own Flashing Lights mix+cover a few years ago, is also coming out with a 2010 release, Don’t Think Less of Me as well. Check ‘em both out!

Colin Munroe - I Want Those Flashing Lights

This song can only be only be found on iTunes if you purchase Wale’s entire album. It is one of two bonus tracks.

Wale – My Sweetie (directed by tabi Bonney) from tabi Bonney on Vimeo.

The time has finally come. After months and months of hard work, press and promo E Major is set to officially release The Major Major Mixtape presented by Under Sound Music & PedX. This thematic collection of songs features E Major collaborating with artists such as Substantial, Cynthia Hawkes, Hezekiah, Dre Beloved, J Soul & more.
DJ Sat One, Eddie Pearson and Dre Beloved lend their production skills to the mixtape as well. DJ Face of 9th Wonder’s True School DJ crew, mixed the project. The Major Major Mixtape is available for FREE download exclusively at http://emajor.bandcamp.com/.

Rifle Recoil – “Prototype” (Originally by Outkast)

I first heard about this cover of Outkast’s “Prototype” by Jeff Kessel aka Rifle Recoil over at Imageyenation. It’s a beautiful guitar rendition of the funky electro sounding original, and Kessel’s voice gives it a sort of a naivete. It reminds me of puppy love.

Jamie Cullum “Frontin” (Originally by Pharrell)

Brit Jamie Cullum is well known for his cover songs. But possibly one of his best known covers is the one he did of Pharrell’s “Frontin’”. Cullum’s version is one I could probably play for Mama Glock and she’d enjoy it as a great jazz tune. It’s very Micheal Buble

The Fray “Heartless” (Originally by Kanye West)

The Fray, a band whose music may or may not have Christian overtones, did a cover of Kanye West’s song “Heartless”. They also released a really beautiful video for it, which, like the original video, included some really cool animation.

Dynamite Hack – “Boyz In The Hood” (Originally by Eazy E (N.W.A))

To the best of my knowledge, this was the only popular song Dynamite Hack ever put out. Their cover of Eazy E’s “Boyz In The Hood” was actually on an album called Take a Bite Outta Rhyme: A Rock Tribute to Rap. For me, this song is the only negative cover I’ve listed…the video, while trying to be ironic, isn’t that funny and the fact that they are white singing the all the lyrics to a well known gangsta rap song is also problematic (be warned, they don’t censor themselves). It sort of seems like an really big excuse to use the N-word. Which also might explain why they’ve only had one single.

I’m pretty sure there are more Hip Hop tracks sung by white boys, but this is all I’m posting for now…If I left any out, please, leave notes in the comments.

Lil Wayne – Wasted (freestyle)

Most people know that I’m not the biggest Lil Wayne fan. I respect the man’s hustle, and I think he’s dropped more than a few quality rhymes here and there, but I hesitate to call him the greatest ever or the greatest of all time like some stans are hard pressed to do.

However, I feel sorry to know that Wayne is staring down almost a year in jail for a bullshit gun possession charge. This is the same BS law that got Plaxico Burris locked up in the “great” city of New York as well. In the end, these stupid laws only result in more and more men going to jail, and does not even address the social inequalities that would encourage someone to carry a gun in the first place.

Take my city of Washington, DC. We had a “gun ban” on the books for almost 30 years, yet we’ve been held as the “murder capital” more than once in the past decade and a half. On average we see at least 150 murders a year. Insane. These laws do nothing to stop gun violence from happening. But I digress.

Of course, hip-hop will soldier on. People thought that the genre would die when T.I. got locked up (which I agree with..dude had an army of weapons), and Tip was able to come back better than ever. I see the same thing happening for Wayne.

I’m not even a fan of Wayne and I’m going to actually buy Tha Carter III this week.