BIG NARSTIE X VISSACOOR

MYTH - FREE EP

Previously on track with Rabit - he's dropped a free ep of grime instrumentals this was the soundtrack to my run this morning.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/qmzg1m

For more sounds check : https://soundcloud.com/mythproductions

FACT MIX 408 - ECLAIR FI FI

THIS. Check her FACT mix of baltimore, jersey & miami trax  here.  Brick Bandits, Night Slugs / FTM, Kerri Chandler, early Nu Groove and even Whitehead Bros.  Where do you find girls like this??

THROWING SHADE - MYSTIC PLACES

Late night moesh from NTS DJ Throwing Shade. Out now on Kassem Mosse's Ominira.

SHE DO THA DO

http://fatkidsbrotha.bandcamp.com/

If you haven't already copped Miloh's mixtape Suite 404 do so now via Datpiff. It seems to have slipped under the radar but the ATL rap songstress will be the news real soon.

GORGEOUS CHILDREN - SOUR

Post Hallowen the gruesome twosome drop some new heat from their forthcoming mixtape ICE on Jacques Greene's Vase imprint.  If you're late to the party cop all their other stuff here. 
Hope he's still going to put out Rochelle Jordan's shotgun but no word yet...

WIZKID X FEMI KUTI - JAIYE JAIYE

Wizkid finally drops the video for his hit single with son of Fela Femi Kuti which features scenes from his performance at this years Felabration which just passed. Hopefully this sees an official release because I need a HQ version. TINA.

My Fela post soon come.

MSSINGNO - XE2 VIP

And again, and again,and again...

SUNDAY THERAPY : CLARA LA SAN

Calm before the storm. 

GO ALL NIGHT

No more reason to complain at the brevity of the original because the Morri$ produced number is now released on Solange Knowles' label Saint Heron via iTunes.

Elsewhere in Clubland :

Forthcoming Night Slugs. Read about the project with Berliner Andreas Fischer - here.

Bristol gang catch LLesca and Neana at Timbuk2 Nov 9th. Check the Facebook event.




Head over to the Truants site to check the interview he gave to accompany the mix. Look out for the DJ Milktray and Samename joints. FIRE. 

He's also recently released a freebie under his bassline alias DJ Sharda via Don't Watch. DL here.

Goon Clubs 002 from the mythical Mssingno. Pre order here. Don't sleep on this one.

'Whether he’s toying with the slick ‘n’ sensual, as is unashamedly evident on the heated 808-driven opener ‘Skeezers’, or bittersweet quasi-R&B twisters on one of the year’s more unlikely watery-eyed earworms ‘XE2’, Mssingno’s first excursion on wax is earnestly dedicated to the feels; all of them. Case in point: ‘XE3’s weary-hands-in-the-air sunrise synths juxtaposed perfectly by ‘124th’s hood-up cap-down gulliness.'


EP launch in a couple weeks. Hit attending Facebook for £3 entry. 

ANALOG GIRL IN A DIGITAL WORLD

I don't know anything about the age of aquarius but Ms. Badu was part of the the Soulquarians and she called out Drake to respond to Kendrick's 'Control' verse. In the same way the grime mc's used to clash hip hop was about battling it's a part of the culture that traces back to Jamaican deejays which now has sadly disappeared. Rapper's nowadays (except Gucci and a few others) are scared to call each other out - apart from on twitter. Even Frank Ocean and Chris Brown had 'beef'. 

That's probably why his verse was talked about so much because people aren't used to it anymore. What happened to friendly competition? It keeps everyone on their toes and encourages people to actually practice and perfect their craft. At the end of the day he wasn't actually dissing anyone...besides Drake has nothing to prove. 

Why wasn't Erykah on the original BDKMV? Too many Kendrick abbreviations! She's just at home with the organic sounds of Dilla & Madlib as she is with newer artists like Flying Lotus, Bonobo and Burial and whilst there are sonic similarities between all of the artists her talent is so great that era and genre don't matter. Her music is conscious, spirital and sensual. You need only look at her personal style and previous lovers to see the sort of head space she occupies. Can you imagine a conversation between her Andre 3000, Common & Jay Electronica?! 

A TRIBE CALLED...NEXT

So Mr. West has embarked on his Yeezus tour accompanied by  'white Jesus'  showing that he knows all to well how to shock and confuse people. He will also be accompanied by Kendrick Lamar and  A Tribe Called Quest. The NYC leg of tour will be ATCQ's last show EVER. 

This is significant for numerous reasons.  

With the nationwide resurgence of 'conscious' hip-hop from the likes of  T.D.E on the west coast , the East coast Beasts (Beast Coast) and the Save Money Crew out of Chicago - ATCQ are symbolically passing the baton on to the next generation of Native Tongues by bowing out. Birthed at the height of afrocentricity in NYC during the 80s ATCQ have been purveyors of unadulterated rap music and torch bearers of hip hop culture - whilst  much contemporary rap music might not seem it let's not forget that it is an art form.  

Kanye's sound has evolved from classic boom bap backpack rap through electro to punk rock and he has always kept the art in the mainstream. He's just have replaced the breakers for ballet dancers and the graffiti for George Condo. Most recently he's been urging buyers to 'please add graffiti' to their copy of Yeezus allowing them to partake in the creative process. G.O.O.D marketing!

He's been harping on about the minimalism of his new music but If you want real minimalism just listen back to the first ATCQ records - each track is basically just a sampled break and sampled bassline. Speed up a track like 'Rhythm' and you've got the basis for Hardcore track. I digress, however, I really wanted to talk about the article - Rap's New Age of Aquarius (p.17) written by Piff Gang's Nick Bam for Lily Mercer's new publication Viper.

A coincidence (or fate) that a year ago today Kendrick released his debut album GKMC - so it's fitting that today is the first time I'll listen to it - didn't realise it had been that long! The first thing about the album is that it opens with a prayer:

Lord God

I come to you a sinner

And I humbly repent for my sins

I believe that Jesus is Lord

I believe that you raised him from the dead

I will ask that Jesus will come to my life

And be my Lord and Savior

I receive Jesus to take control of my life

And that I may live for him from this day forth

Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me with your precious blood

In Jesus name, Amen.

As an opening statement for an album this is about as clear as you can make it. Whilst artists may give their token 'thanks to God' when they receive awards or some like DMX and numerous R&B bands have  'prayerludes'  few nowadays are overt about their faith on record. I can imagine this being up to the label execs not wanting to alienate any potential audiences and maximise profit. His album recently surpassed the 1 million mark in sales so he must be  doing something right? 

He takes every rap cliché from smoking weed to women and flips it on its head. He doesn't glorify drugs, drink or gangs - I'm surprised I even like it! In my teens I would skip through rap albums to find the r&b / love song and on GKMC it's the opening track - it's like he read my mind so I can't hate. But it's more than a 'lust' song. We're introduced to his two main sources of temptation Sherane and 'the homies'.  'The Art of Peer Pressure' is a masterclass in storytelling. The whole album is cinematic but this song especially needs a video. It reminded me of 'Stan' - which is funny because my one gripe when I first heard it was  that he put on his slim shady-esque voice in 'Backseat Freestyle' but now I know the story behind it - it makes sense.

The next songs that struck me were the Neptunes produced 'Good Kid', 'Sing about me, I'm Dying of Thirst' and 'Black Boy Fly'. It 's hard to single out individual tracks songs because each one is an essential piece of the story. It's one of those albums that you just have to let ride. At times dark and reflective at others uplifting and energetic but always 'real'. 'Real' in the sense that the stories come from his actual experiences. Whilst many rappers think it's ok to lie for the sake of entertainment - Kendrick acknowledges the fact that he's not in a gang and that he doesn't smoke weed - but not in a holier than though manner - he knows what's good for him and stays in his lane (except when with his homies).

 He knows how to finesse the boundary between ignorant and conscious. A track like 'Swimming pools' has such a catchy chorus and uplifting beat that you could easily ignore or forget what the song is about. The harsh reality of alcoholism. For a casual listener 90% of the album will go straight over their head and that's part of the reason why I didn't rush to listen it because of the ridiculous amount of hype surrounding it. 

'Compton'  had  to happen and who better than Just Blaze to provide the epic soundtrack. He goes from being teen 'fresh out of school' to King Kendrick in 12 tracks - a journey that only a few have made in the past.  The real end of the album for me is 'Real' which shows his growth from the 'Backseat Freestyle' where he boasts naivety about manhood to the realisation that material objects bring no satisfaction.  If I remember correctly in his interview with Zane Lowe Kanye talks about the people suffering from a lack of self-belief so it fits neatly that the realisation in 'Real' is of the need for self-knowledge and self-value.

Nick Bam calls the album the 'first highly successful Christian rap album' so now might be the time to check out Lecrae? He highlights the overt pagan and occult references in much on the new wave of hip hop but having watched They sold their souls for Rock n Roll this is nothing new. A lot of artists now don't even try to hide it with back masking or other techniques - they're just blatant. So why shouldn't there be more references to God in music? There is an underlying spirituality in GKMC but it's not so heavy that it deters - it's clearly a part of his life that has has a positive impact so why not  'give back, with [his] words of encouragement [to] 'the black and brown kids in Compton' and all over the world.

I didn't mean for this post to turn into a mini review but the album is dope and definitely lives up to its hype. I just hope it's one that people keep on repeat because it needs multiple listens. No throwaways on this one.  Hip hop needs the positivity and knowledge that the pioneers brought now more than ever so Kanye's selections are just what the doctor ordered. Like Kendrick everyone has their Sherane's and bad friends but not everyone has their parents, a conscience or even a god to lead them and Kendrick's delivers a message finely balanced between spiritually and reality which I think can help people navigate through their own struggles.

THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED

'Revolt represent the architects who define and influence society. We are building an empowering platform for artists and our culture.' 

Bad Boy CEO Sean Combs launched his new TV channel / platform yesterday. There's a lot of potential for this so here's to hoping it does what it says on the tin. Either way a 'smart' move on his part.

BFI - LONDON FILM FESTIVAL

The British film festival came to a close over the weekend so thought I'd do a quick BHM selection.

Portrait of Jason by Shirley Clarke

This documentary by Shirley Clarke was recently restored thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign by distributor Milestone who are helping to keep many black and independent films in circulation - notably Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep which Spike Lee recommended in the interview with Pharrell I posted. A quick intro if you're unfamiliar with her :  she was student of Hans Richter and a pivotal member of the New American Cinema movement. Their statement of intent contained a strong critique of the spread of hollywood-style film culture:

"The official cinema all over the world is running out of breath. It is morally corrupt, aesthetically obsolete, thematically superficial, temperamentally boring."

 Alongside fellow director Maya Deren she pushed the boundaries of film and led the way for women in film.  The Connection and The Cool World tell stories of outsiders; Jazz playing heroine addicts waiting to score and gangs in Harlem, she also directed a documentary on Jazz legend Ornette Coleman and an Academy Award winning piece on poet Robert Frost. I included her in this BHM post because black people tend to be the focus of her films and regardless of her motivations for this the quality of her works speak for themselves.  

Her films are extremely hard to find (The Cool World is on youtube) so for that reason alone I recommend going to see this. Jason, a friend of her long time collaborator Carl Lee, was a gay hustler and 'alcoholic genius' who Clarke interviews in her apartment over the course of 12 hours discussing sexuality, race, class and everything in-between. Whilst it may not sound like the most 'exicting' film Ingmar Bergman called it 'the most fascinating film' he's ever seen -  so that has to say something, right?

For more info about Clarke check this in depth interview with Lauren Rabinovitz here.

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The next film directed by Nigerian Chika Anadu, B For Boy from Nigeria is her debut feature film.  B For Boy is a contemporary drama set in Nigeria about the pressures placed on women to give birth to a male child. It has been shortlisted for the First Feature competition. 

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Mother of George was directed by Andrew Dosunmu with cast featuring Isaach de Bankolé (Chocolat, Ghost Dog, Casino Royale), Danai Gurira & Bukky Ajayi. Another Nigerian film from a Nigerian director dealing again with fertility; this time it's set in the Nigerian quarter of Crown Heights, NYC. A former design assistant at YSL, music video director and fashion photographer it's no surprise that teamed with cinematographer Bradford Young it won best Cinematography award at Sundance.

'Mother of George depicts what happens in today's world when the pressure to prove one's fertility becomes fused with the ultimate sacrifice for love, when tradition clashes with modernity, and when secrets in families lead to surprising choices and devastating outcomes.'

In other news Dosunmu has also taken over from Steve McQueen for the Fela biopic. 

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Gone Too Far by Destiny Ekaragha




Bringing it back the U.K Malachi Kirkby plays a British-Nigerian teenager whose just starting to become to popular when his 'freshy' (bush or whatever you wanna call it)  brother lands from Nigerian, played by OC Ukeje (Half of a Yellow Sun) who just won best lead actor  for Hoodrush in the Nollywood 2013 Awards , and things take a turn for the worse. Adpated from Bola Agbaje's theatre production of the same name, Ekaragha's debut feature is a coming of age story set in Peckham that explores issues of race and perception whilst maintaining her signature balance of comedy and seriousness.

Check her award winning short Tight Jeans from 2008 below.



Post on 12 Years a Slave and Half of a Yellow Sun to follow.

70s & 80s LONDON BY ALAN DENNEY

 “As time progressed, my photographic gaze moved to different subjects. At first it was just family and friends, but as my socialist ideas developed, I began to see photography as a catalyst for social change, as a way of achieving some sort of social justice.”

 Check out his flickr for more here.

DEEP DOWN WITH DENNIS BROWN : COOL RUNNINGS AND THE CROWN PRINCE OF REGGAE

15,16,17

Count Shelley

The Four Aces was a legendary club in a disused cinema in Dalston run by Newton Dunbar where the likes of Sir Lloyd Coxsone, Dennis Bovell and his Sufferer soundsystem  and Louisa Mark - who sadly passed away two years ago today made their mark. Penny Reel called The Four Aces 'the north east London epicentre of an evolving Jamaican music scene' and from all the interviews and features it was clearly a key part of black british culture in London. Sadly it was demolished by the council to build flats. This venue is steeped in history - from the 60s to the 90s all big stars from soul and reggae to hardcore and jungle played there just check the trailer at the bottom for the never ending list - there's also some footage of Labyrinth on youtube if you like old rave videos - plenty of comedy chin wobbling.

Louisa was only 14 at the time of this recording. After winning the talent compettion at the Four Aces 10 weeks running she was taken to Gooseberry Studios by Coxsone and Bovell to record what would be the first ever Lover's Rock single. 


(Menelik Shabazz's The Story of Lover's Rock)

Legacy in the Dust, a documentary about this venue by Winstan Whitter  is an essential watch to understand the historic and cultural significance of this club. It was shown in Notting Hill for Oxjam a couples weeks ago - he also filmed the U.K skate documentary Rollin'. 

Head to the Globe and Mau Mau for some vibes on Saturday as part of Oxjam Notting Hill

Gem : 
Check out these old photos of Dalston, Hackney  Stoke Newington, Nigeria  and more from photographer Alan Denney here.