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BlogRoomHouse….

DJ OB-ONE & DJ Fashen are two of the top clubs DJs out today. OB-ONE is based out of Vegas and kills it all over the southwest, while Fashen has been Phoenix’s top DJ for 20 years and plays everywhere from Montreal to LA then Hong Kong. Anyknow these two guys got together to release “Nu Rave Vol. 1″ which is a collection of your favorite blog house/club/rave songs that are killing it now and bring them together for a seemless mix. Its good, download it.

http://www.zshare.net/download/53736474891193e8/

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UK Sounds

Truth or Bad Internets Rumor: Lupe Fiasco as Japanese Cartoon?

So I haven’t even gotten over my New Year’s Hangover, and I already came across the first Internets rumor of 2009. Apparently some people are beliving that Lupe Fiasco is mascorading as a singer with a bad British accent in a post punk band called Japanese Cartoon. I orginainally dismissed this as bunk, but apparently its gathering major steam in the blogosphere.

The tracks that are posted to the MySpace page are…..alright. Nothing spectacular. Still, if any rapper can pull this off it would be Lupe. It seems like the dude has been dying to break out of the hip-hop shell for a while now and this might be the way to do it. And the dude has branced out as well by signing Chicago electro band Hey Champ to his 1st and 15th Label. Still, I won’t belive this until I get real confirmation.

So, is this Lupe or some aspiring UK shoegazer trying to get attention. As your friends at Fox News would say…..We Report, You Decide? (via DJ Rooftop)

myspace.com/japanesecartoon

Tags: Japanese Cartoon, Lupe Fiasco

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Best of 2008: Top 50 Albums of 2008

I’m an old soul. I’ve been reading reports about how the album format is dead, and that more and more people are choosing to buy a couple of singles from iTunes than cop a full album from your local mom and pop record store. Times have changed, and I’m sure that writing is on the wall for the album format, just like it is for newspapers, magazines, and broadcast television.

But as much as I love tracks and remixes, there is nothing that substitutes for an album. Sure, ANYBODY can create a track these days, but it still takes a true artist to create an album.

My top 50 albums of the year might surprise some of y’all. First off, there is a scarcity of hip-hop in the top 15 albums. Also, the biggest album of the year, Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter III is at 49. And finally, the album is missing some critical favorites, such as Black Milk’s Tronic. But hey, it is what it is. These albums are the one’s that I’ve listened to in 2008, and unfortunately Tronic slipped through the cracks. Also, to those who lament the lack of hip-hop, I offer no apologies. This list is compiled from how many spins each album got on my iPod, and just like that female at the club, I can’t help what I’m attracted to.

Without further adieu, here is the list. The top 15 is here with the rest after the jump.

15.) Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing

Even though he didn’t even drop an album, Wale has had a big year. The DC rapper has been on everybody’s “it” list in ‘08, and the 2009 debut is going to be massive. This year, the dude had the nerve to create a Seinfeld (a show which I’m boycotting because of you know who), and still retain his swag. Even if you question his 90s television refrences, you have to agree that he’s one of the best upcoming rappers in the game right now.

14.) Brittany Bosco - Spectrum EP

Brittnay Bosco is going to tear s*#t up in 2009. The Savannah/Atlanta artist’s EP showed a creativity and versatility that most R&B singers lack these days.

13.) Estelle - Shine

Performance wise Adele blows Estelle out the water, however, I found myself enjoying Estelle’s album Shine even more than 19. Producers like Kanye, Will.I.Am, and Wyclef created an album that not only had pop hits like “American Boy,” but more mellow tracks like “Back In Love.” This album isn’t no Miseducation, but a classic nonetheless.

12.) Solange - Sol Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams

While Beyonce was busy being Sasha Fierce, her little sister crafted one of the best R&B albums of the year. Whether Solange’s love of Dilla and Zero 7 is genuine or a record company ruse is yet to be known. However, Solange is taking the place of Kelis as the left-field R&B chick everybody wants to get with.

11.) Santogold - Santogold

Santi White’s first solo album carries over her rock sensibilities from her punk days while incorporating that Brooklyn hipster swag that is the big thing in music nowadays. This was a big year for Santi, who not only got sampled by Kanye (a feat usually reserved for 70s era soul singers), but also by licencing every track of her album for TV shows, movies, and commercials, ensuring that she will be getting paper well into 2009.

10.) The Black Keys - Attack and Release

Attack and Release started out as collaboration with Ike Turner until his death in 2007, which would have been off the chain. However, what remains is The Black Key’s finest album to date. The Danger Mouse produced disc is their first studio-recorded album and their best selling so far.

9.) Danny - And I Love Her

Danny Swain is still the most underrated hip-hop artist of the past decade. The Couch Sessions Approved artist has been creating hot tracksfor years now, and he’s past dude for his shine. And I Love H.E.R. is a concept album that was better executed than most, with Danny’s nonchalant rhymes and incredible beats (with some of the most random samples imaginable), make this album a hip-hop lover’s dream.

8.) Lykke Li - Youth Novels

I initially dismissed Lykke Li, but she had me at this one line from her track “Little Bit”: “For you I keep my legs apart/and forget about my broken heart.” From that moment I was sold. The album itself is a stripped down, organic affair with Lykke’s voice being the main instrumental. And the girl has cred with fans like David Banner, Kanye, and Q-Tip among others.

7.) TV On The Radio - Dear Science

As someone who simply hated TVOTR’s disjointed musical style and downright depressing lyrics, I was so presently surprised by their new album that it made the top 10. TVOTR made a downright upbeat and danceable album that still retains their trademark vocal styling and instrumentation.

6.) Kanye West - 808 and Heartbreaks

I had REAL low expectations for Kanye’s venture into experimental avant garde emo and thought that this album would be a dud. However, Kanye not only knocked this one out of the park but AGAIN flipped the script on Black popular music in America. You may hate Kanye all you want (and I still do), but let’s face it: Kanye West is Steve Jobs. He’s a outlier (props to Malcom Gladwell) who sees the future and where music is headed way before we can comprehend it. Just like Job’s said we wouldn’t be using floppy drives way back in 1998.

5.) Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

Even though Gnarl’s sophomore release didn’t get the attention or sales numbers it deserved, the Atlanta duo’s return marked their best work so far. Their lead single “Run,” couldn’t match the juggernaut that was “Crazy,” but songs like “Can You Save My Soul?” and “Going On,” have cemented the duo as a musical force.

4.) Q-Tip - The Renaissance

Q-Tip’s return to the rap game marked a return to the golden era rap that hip-hop needs right now. Q-Tip never really changed his formula from Amplified, yet crafted an album that that the grown and sexy can cling to without being ultra nostaglic about the past.

3.) Jazzanova - Of All Things

Jazzanova makes music for people who love music. I’m not talking about people who love to dance to music or those who simply just cop CDs or go to concerts, but for those who are simply obsessed with the art of music. The German collective has arranged some of the greatest heard and underheard talent this year–Phonte, Dwele, Jose James, Bembe Segue and Ben Westembach to name a few and created music around each artists’ personal style. This album should be in every music lover’s collection.

2.) Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It

When I heard Raphael Saadiq was doing a Motown album, I dismissed it outright. I thought that he was yet another artist jumping on the bandwagon. Even if The Way I See It could be called “bandwagon jumping,” Saadiq has not only set a standard for what a revival album should sound like, but raised the bar so high that I doubt any artist will ever come close.

1.) Foreign Exchange - Leave It All Behind

When Foreign Exchange dropped their latest album, I almost felt like it spoke to me. Phonte’s soulful voice, combined with Nicolay’s always organic, smooth beats, made this album a must own for frustrated rap fans like myself that wanted something deeper in their music. Instead of played out cliche’s about poppin’ champange in the club, the duo made an album about breakups, and self deprecation. Billbord chart topper? No. But do we really care anymore?

Albums 50-16 after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Brittany Bosco, Danny Swain, Estelle, Foreign Exchange, Gnarls Barkley, Jazzanova, Kanye West, Lykke Li, Q-Tip, Raphael Saadiq, Santogold, Solange, The Black Keys, TV On The Radio, Wale

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Wow. This Just Makes My Day

(via Flickr)

If you haven’t watched The Wire, you might be scratching your head right now. Here’s a primer via YouTube:

Tags: The Wire

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Reader Best of 2008: Rob from Bold As Love

The Black Rock Musical Passing Strange

We’re ringing in 2009 with our reader Best of 2008 lists. I reached out to several of our readers to give their Top 5 of the best releases of the year. I’ll be profiling a new reader each day over the next several weeks. Today’s Reader is Rob Fields of Bold As Love.

Name: Rob Fields
Location: Brooklyn
Website: http://www.boldaslove.us

TV On The Radio–”Dear Science”.  See DLZ and Love Dog
Passing Strange original cast recording.  A great show full of music that shines light on our humanity.
Gnarls Barkley–”The Odd Couple”.  I can’t think of a more introspective, and in some ways, existential album put out by a Black artist
Saul Williams–”The Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust”. Hard-hitting and truth-telling.
BLK JKS–”Mystery” (EP)

Honorable mentions
Chewing Pics–”Tarantula” (EP)
The Knux–”Remind Me in 3 Days…” Just a lot of fun

Tags: BLK JKS, Gnarls Barkley, Passing Strange, Saul Williams, TV On The Radio

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Reader Best of 2008 - Christie (BONUS Chicago Edition)

Hey Champ!

We’re ringing in 2009 with our reader Best of 2008 lists. I reached out to several of our readers to give their Top 5 of the best releases of the year. I’ll be profiling a new reader each day over the next several weeks. Today’s reader is Christie, who also provides us with her top 5 Chicago tracks of the year.

Name:  Christie
Location: Chicago, IL
Blog:  Nope, unless you count my GMAIL statuses….

Top 5 albums of 2008

5b. Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
5a. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
4.   Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
3.   Santogold - Santogold
2.   Beck - Modern Guilt
1b. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
1a. Radiohead - In Rainbows *
(*The internet release was in Oct. 2007, but the record came out Jan. 2008.
Since I listened to this album nonstop for probably the entire first
half of the year, I think it still classifies as my Best of 2008)

Honorable Mention: Black Milk - Tronic

Top 5 of 2008 - Chicago

5. Yaw - “Where Will you Be”
4. Andrew Bird - “Plasticities”
3. Hey Champ - “Cold Dust Girl”
2. The Cool Kids - “88″
1. Kanye West - Tie between “Street Lights” & “Love Lockdown”

Top 5 Singles of 2008

5.   MGMT - “Electric Feel”
4.   Santogold - “L.E.S. Artistes”
3b. Bon Iver - “Blood Bank”
3a. The Helio Sequence - “Lately”
2.   TV on the Radio - “Halfway Home”
1.   M.I.A. - “Paper Planes”*
(also on the Best Soundtrack of 2008 for the Best Movie of 2008: Slumdog Millionaire)

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Negroclash!

Video: Kid Cudi Interview

We all know that Kid Cudi has contributed to one of the best tracks of 2008 (Day N Nite), but what do we really know about the Cleveland artist? Eighty81 caught up with the dude for an in-depth interview about how he got to where he is and his advice for artists in trying to break into the industry.

Tags: Kid Cudi

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New Music: Wale - Chillin’ (Produced by Cool and Dre)

Photo by Lady Glock

Wale - Chillin’ feat Quest (Produced by Cool and Dre)

This track randomly ened up in my inbox the other day, so I don’t know if this is going to be off of Wale’s upcoming 2009 album or not. It’s a dope track that should hold y’all over until his Interscope release later this year.

Tags: Wale

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Hip-Hop

HAPPY NEW YEAR: Skillz - The ‘08 Rap Up

Skillz - The ‘08 Rap Up

I look forward to Skillz’ year end “rap ups,” every year, and the Virginia MC has been doing them since 2002. Skillz pretty much touched on every high and low that took place last year, from R Kelly getting off, to OJ getting sent up the river. To be honest, I forgot how much stuff actually took place this year. Skillz dropped The Million Dollar Backpack this year but I never got around to listening to it. Is it any good?

Tags: Skillz

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The 5 Most Annoying Songs of 2008

Like I’ve said before, I don’t mind mainstream music. Sure, I rarely blog about it here, but that’s only because I would rather use my platform to feature artists who don’t have million dollar production budgets and payola on their side. Even if radio had some standout cuts (Ryan Leslie’s Addiction, Ne-Yo’s Miss Independent, and T.I. and Rhianna’s Live Your Life to name a few), your local top 40 station was also probably filled with some grade A certified poo as well. These are the top 5 songs that made me change the station with the quickness.

5.) Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl

I’m not in the target market for this song (err, a 15 year old white girl from Iowa), but I find Katy Perry’s song annoying nonetheless. The first time I heard formulaic wannabe rebellious, formulaic, piece of junk I knew it was going to be a number one hit. And seriously, who is Katy Perry? I thought this was Ashlee Simpson for a minute there. Apparently, this song is about “female empowerment,” or something like that. Sorry, but I would rather put on a real female like Alanis Morrissette on continuous loop.

4.) Lil Wayne - Lollipop

Most of y’all know that I can’t stand Lil Wayne (although A Milli rests at near the top of my Best songs of the Year List–go figure), so of course this dude makes the list not once, but twice this year. Even though Kanye somehow got by with singing via Autotune, Wanye’s attempt at crooning falls far short. The dude really need to stick to rapping because he can’t sing nor play guitar, but hey, the 16 year old girls love this song, so what do I know?

3.) Ron Brownz feat Jim Jones - Pop Champagne

First off, who the f#$k is Ron Brownz? No seriously, I don’t know who the hell this dude is. He dosen’t even have an entry on Wikipedia. Anyway, this song is yet another example of how AutoTune needs to  be taken around the back of the barn and shot. Ron Brownz (again, who?) sounds like the robot band at Chucky Cheese had a malfunction. And seriously, people in the club go wild for this track but can you really dance to it?

2.) Beyonce - Single Ladies

Beyonce is Sasha Fierce, as in fiercely annoying in this track. Not only is the patty-cake like beat gut-wrenching but the subject matter is as well. Bey screeches the line, “If you like it then you should’ve put a ring on it,” throughout the chorus. Seriously? You’re gonna dump a dude cause he didn’t buy you a diamond ring and your gonna go and make him jealous at the club? Child please. The young girls of America are gonna be tainted by this song. (And don’t get me started on that song “If I Were A Boy,” which plays off of stupid ass gender stereotypes. But I digress)

1.) Lil Wayne - Officer

I really love the vibe to this song, but Lil Wayne destroys it for me. The dude’s nonsensical ramblings over such a dope beat makes this track one of the biggest wastes of a song that I’ve seen in a while.

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