Cross one off the bucket list.

I go to almost 100 shows a year, and even with that startling fact I have never seen Kanye live. I own all of his albums and as a fellow middle class black dude I felt a connection to him, but when given the chance I chose Radiohead over The Glow In The Dark Tour (#kanyeshrug). So when I got my VIP invitation to the Heineken Red Star Access event I jumped at the chance. I even rearranged my vacation so I can be in the building.

The vast confines of Skylight One Hanson (aka where they hold the Brooklyn Flea Market in the winter) was a fitting location for Yeezy. The high ceilings (which are an acoustic nightmare) create the almost sanctuary-like settling that accompany most of his live performances these days.

Photos by Tim McGurr/13thWitness

Although doors opened at 9, the concert took place at 12 AM on the dot, as openers Mano and Q-Tip did their best to console an ever weary crowd. When Kanye took the stage, starting off with Power, it was clear that he was in command of the entire evening. Sure, this could’ve been just another a ‘Ye show, but it was more of a G.O.O.D. music showcase similar to the setup of the show 2 years ago at SXSW. It’s a shrewd move. Many a boutique label manager have let their artist whither on the vine, yet Ye is at lease using his er Power to give his signees some shine.

Pusha T, CyHi Da Prynce, Big Sean, Kid Cudi and even (surprisingly) Mr. Hudson were in the building for the night. Pusha (obviously the most veteran of the MCs) followed Kanye, mixing in tracks from his My God mixtape with the more obvious Clipse bangers. Sean and CyHi try to follow up but simply can’t match Pusha’s authority. Having that said, the obvious other star of the night was Kid Cudi. His extended set garnered the most excitement from the audience other than Yeezy himself and hands down the most comfortable on stage.

After the showcase, Yeezy returned to the stage, even taking request from the audience (dropping verses from “Through The Wire” and “All Falls Down,” before ending with his now trademark MPC track “Runaway.”

I know I’m supposed to be one of those jaded industry dudes right now, but honestly, I entered the venue as a fan and left…a fan. Ye is a consummate performer, and the only pop star in this world other than Lady Gaga. (Trust me). But the question remains, can his G.O.O.D. music counterparts achieve similar success? Only time will tell.

This year, many of my favorite songs came in the form of a remix or cover. In many cases I actually preferred the remix or cover over the original. Here are my top nine tracks that had my ear buzzing in 2010.

9.		Dan Black Feat Kid Cudi – Symphonies (Symphonies Remix)
		UK Electronica singer Dan Black partnered with Kid Cudi for this dope hip hop remix of Symphonies. Black and Cudi vibe very well off of each other and one can only hope that there is more to come.

8.		The xx – Crystalized (Jaime Jones Booty Remix)
		Although “Crystalized” is probably my favorite song from The xx – I really enjoyed Jaime Jones’ attempt at upping the tempo a bit.

7.		Belleruche – Mirror in the Bathroom (The English Beat Cover)
		London trio Belleruche did a superb job at turning the 1970′s Ska classic by The English Beat into an awesome lo-fi electronica banger. Although the beat has been flipped the mystique of the original was left perfectly in tact.

6.		Emily Wells – Juicy (Notorious B.I.G Cover)
		Surely when Biggie was alive he never imagined that his classic hit “Juicy” would get a symphonic-like makeover a decade plus later. But it did. And it came from a young violinist from New York by the name of Emily Wells. It is very tastefully done and my ear will certainly be on her in 2011.

5.		Lenny Kravitz – Breathe (Chromeo Remix)
		A Lenny Kravitz remix done by Chromeo? YES please. That collabo sounds dope on paper and fortunately it’s even doper in my headphones. Chromeo gives “Breathe” a very nice funk upgrade making it much better than its predecessor. The world could def use more of these two together.

4.		Seu Jorge & Almaz – Everybody Loves the Sunshine (Roy Ayers Cover)
		Seu Jorge’s album was definitely a summer sleeper. The actor/singer did a marvelous job at covering the Roy Ayers classic “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” which was the first single off his debut album . His beautiful baritone voice coupled with his awesome experimental band Almaz , put my mind at ease many-many nights this summer.

3.		ClaraCMusic and Jason – Nothin On You//Airplanes (B.O.B Cover)
		B.O.B’s “Nothin On You” will without a doubt be topping many ‘best’ list this month. Which is understandable -it was a pop smash. However, it was a cover done by a prolific Korean-American instrumentalist by the name of Clara Chung (AKA ClaraCMusic) that made me really pay attention to this song, She and her homie Jason recorded this mash-up in a homemade studio in LA – and it had the internet blazing this past Spring. Her voice is simply beautiful. Check out the video here to really grasp the magic these two created.

2.		Belleruche – Backyard (Kidkanevil Remix)
		This joint only officially dropped a few days ago but I am 100% sprung. The UK DJ, Kidkanevil easily produces tracks that are as dope as his name. He took Belleruche’s “Backyard” (which was released in 2008) and turned it into a mangled mix of spaced-out beats and bird chirping? Throw in the lovely voice of Kathrin DeBoer and you have a remix that immediately deserves multiple spins.

1.		Jill Scott – Spring Summer Feeling (Ron Trent Remix)
		Really there is no need to explain why this is my favorite remix of 2010. If you take one listen to this song you should instantly understand why. Jill Scott is without a doubt an immensely talented vocalist. She has an amazing gift that allows her to wonderfully belt out soulful tunes that just makes your skin crawl. But man… A Chicago house-music DJ by the name of Ron Trent struck gold when he decided to take Jill’s 2004 love ballad, “Spring Summer Feeling” and give it an amazingly dope acid jazz makeover. This is by far the best nine minutes I spent listening to music all year.

Kid Cudi, Best Coast, and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend have teamed up with Converse (yep, the shoe company) to deliver a smokin’ track called All Summer” just in time for the hottest time of the year.  It appears Converse is looking to bring its brand to the forefront of pop culture by becoming more involved in promoting/producing various genres of music using the “Three Aritsts, One Song” theme.  This is the second of such efforts, the first being “My Drive Thru” which was released two years ago and involved Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D., Santigold, and Julian Casablancas of The Strokes.

The track opens with a harmonious intro and then Kid Cudi’s lyrics start in with a thumping bass drum kick beat.  The chorus features the vocals of Bethany from Best Coast accompanied by some fast surfer punk guitar.  The overall production by Rostam maintains that breezy Vampire Weekend sound with the similar use of harmonies.  I believe the hip-hop rhymes of Kid Cudi, the surfer punk style of  Best Coast, and the harmonies of Vampire Weekend blend together nicely to form a very unique hybrid of musical style.  It definitely makes for a great soundtrack to enjoy this summer with your car stereo blaring and windows down.

There’s also a very well done video where the principle players all wear HUGE masks of themselves.

Track is available for free download at Converse.com.

Keep chillin’

-Chris
www.chilloutscene.com
www.twitter.com/chilloutscene
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I’ve been hooked on LA-based singer Lissie ever since her track When I’m Alone graced my monitor, but I’m even more enderard to her after watching this cover that she did of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness.”

Loving the rock star swagger that she exhibits, combined with a raspy voice that sounds like old school Sheryl Crow. She’s getting pumped up real heavy in England right now, with appearances on Radio 1 and Jools Holland. Good look.

Kid Cudi – REVOFEV

We all know that Kid Cudi likes to cruise in his own lane. While Drake and other rappers from the Class of ’09 chase fame and fortune, Cudders is  comfortable sitting on his couch, rolling a blunt, probably watching World Cup.

This aversion to the typical hip-hop traits has made him fans and haters at the same time. I’ve respected Cudi for sticking his middle finger to what hip-hop should sound or look like (even though his debut album was a stinker), so I’m not surprised that his “first single,” REVOFEV continues this trend.

If this single is any …, Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager will follow up exactly where the first album left off–Cudi’s monotone voice half singing over dark dreary instrumentals. The lazy drumbeat (produced by his g0-to guy Plain Pat with help from legend Larry Gold), spooky choir, and Cudi’s line “Where will you be for the Revolution?” almost sound like a 2000s version of 60s psychedelia, which wildly appropriate since he was found with liquid cocaine and PCP earlier this week.

Say what you will, but Cudi makes some solid tracks when he’s focused. Though emo-hop is a fledgling genre, Cudi is insistent on carrying the flag.

Why wouldn’t Snoop and Cudi get together for a song called “That Tree”? I don’t think the world would expected anything but. This is video is funny and bugged out video and I am especially digging Cudi’s flow. Check it out:

I gotta confess something: An industry source told me about Kid Cudi filming a pilot for an HBO show months ago. At that time, I couldn’t tell anybody, and to be honest, I still can’t picture Cudi as an actor (on the flip, Drake would’ve been good with this and he has acting experience, but I digress).

Think Entourage set on the East Coast, with two twentysomething hustlers (Ben Epstein and Cam Calderon) trying to “make it big,” in the city by pumping various schemes and side gigs. Cudi joins them as the friend Diego, and even Luis Guzman is in the cast.

The preview doesn’t show much–it’s another HBO show with quick cuts, cutting edge music, and hip production. But for this show to match the sheer perfection that is Entourage (both shows are executive produced by Mark Whalburg) the show needs likable characters and clever writing, two things that don’t really seem that relevant from the trailer. However, Entourage took a few seasons for that show to gel, so I’m willing to give this show more than a few episodes before my free HBO from Comcast runs out.

What do y’all think?

How To Make It In America premiers this Sunday on HBO.

Dan Black has been making some mild noise on the low for the past couple of years. Reppin the UK this electronica artist released two singles in 2008 and gained some serious notoriety with his song ‘HYPNTZ’ – a mash up of Biggies ‘Hypnotize’ and Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’.  The original to Syphonies was released at the end of last year and Cudi recently jumped on the remix to flip it up a little bit. And I’m digging it. Peep both ‘Symphonies’ and ‘HYPNTZ’ below.

Funny story about this video. My friend called me up a few months ago telling me that he was going to be in a video shoot in Miami, and asking me “who the hell Kid Cudi and David Guetta was?” Explaining to him who these two people were was actually quite funny. Needless to say, whatever video he did show up for, this isn’t it. Actually, I don’t know if this his the official video or what, but whatever it is, it’s bunk.

Name: Christie
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Album: Miike Snow (self titled)

Their whole album is good, but for some In Search Of makes my top song played in 2009.

Album: Lungs – Florence + the Machine

Hands down my favorite find of the year.

Album: Man on the Moon – Kid Cudi

The is probably one of the rare times that I break away from the fearless leader Stone on his critiques.  I hear his points, for I could do without the narration by Common as well… but songs like Cudi Zone, Soundtrack 2 my Life, Pursuit of Happiness are fairly unique in their sound for a hip hop album.  For me it was a refreshing album, and to be honest filled the void for this genre for I just wasn’t impressed with 2009 in hip hop.

Album: Wolfgang Amadeus – Phoenix

Album:  It’s Blitz – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Show Your Bones would have been on my Best of 2006 had the list existed back then, and so I’m happy that their 3rd album ends up on my Best of 2009.

Even though I completely shitted on Cudi’s debut album (sorry fam!), I’m loving this video for The Pursuit of Happiness. Actually the track, produced by MGMT and Ratatat is one of my favorite on the album, and the video, an art piece, is a simple yet piteous critique on our club culture. (via Jabari)

Photos by Joann Gomez, Music Looks Like This. Follow her on Twitter @MLLT.

If you frequent the Internets as much as I do, then you already know about the infamous OJ Da Juiceman booing incident that went down at the CMJ showcase. Was it fair for him to get booed? Of course not. Anybody who gets on stage should at least demand courtesy and respect, but I digress.

The night was packed with established and future hip-hop talent, including Jadakis, Kid Cudi (don’t front, people LOVE him), Kidz In The Hall, Mickey Factz, Consequence, Kidz In The Hall, and more. The headliner Raekwon unfortunately had issues with his voice and didn’t get a solid performance but got great support from the audience.

Click on the Link below for More Pictures

Consequence

Currency

Kid Cudi

Mickey Factz

OJ Da Juiceman

Styles P

Jadakiss

Raekwon