I don’t listen to much Lily Allen music, I think we all know that mainstream music isn’t my thang, but hearing her on Oblivion’s dubstep remix of “Not Fair,” all I can think of is damn what a kinky little bitch. And there’s nothing better for a heavy dubstep remix than one kinky little bitch.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/24255746" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]Weezy with The Fray, it’ll at least be interesting. 21azy’s sampling of the two doesn’t sound like a good idea from the start, but it’s all about if he pulled it off (he did). He may have laid The Fray’s vocals down as pleasant as ever, but when those Weezy vocals hit, I was lost in the transition. Such a pleasant track that it’s even gotten me liking Weezy auto-tune (eh).
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/26167090" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]Xaphoon needs to do something with Gambino cause these two match up better than just a mashup. But as far as mashups go, this is another one that sure as hell competes with the originals. Well done, 21azy – Minnesota rep.re.sent!
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/25207329" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]Basic Physics is a mashup producer that hails from the good ol’ Midwest. I’ve been following his career for just over a year now and every once in a while a mashup of his pops up that blows me outta the water. He may not be the most prolific masher, spitting out one or more every week, but when you see a release by him, you know he took the time to get it right.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/3754516" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" width="55%"]This is our first label in the Soundklout series. The biggest reason I chose them first is because there are slim pickings when it comes to hip-hop on SoundCloud – I’m trying to recruit more.
Rhymesayers is a collective of hip-hop acts from all over the U.S., but is based out of Minneapolis, MN. I was originally going to show a few tracks from their most notable act, Atmosphere, but thought there’s a lot more to Rhymesayers than just that. However, if you don’t know Atmo, get to, they maybe overrated compared to the rest of Rhymesayers, but they’re underrated compared to the rest of rap.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/11060906" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]Can’t believe how many tracks are weaved into this, but even so, it comes out sounding like one solid mashup. With a heavier bass, ominous tunes and even more experimental sounds than GAYNGS’ original, “Faded High”, BAHLER’s “Love Me” is one heavy mashup that doesn’t rely on pop vocals to make it a success – a success that it is.
[audio:Love-Me.mp3|titles=Love Me]Like all festivals, events and any large gathering, the most interesting thing to watch at Soundset 2011 were the people. Ranging from the majority, punk-ass teenagers, to the older crowd with kids, Soundset grew to over 20,000 people this year.
I don’t know how many of you like to crowd watch as much as I do, but as someone trying to cover the event, most of my time was spent gazing at the mess of fans feelin the vibes off the performers: a majority of acts that many had not heard before and the headliners that brought us all together. As impressive as the headliners were this year, especially De La Soul, I wanna point something out about a few of the other acts […]
[audio:Wanna-Be-Like-You.mp3|titles=Wanna Be Like You]Soundset 2011 is right around the corner, so I thought I’d gather the best remixes & mashups of the lineup. Well, I quickly found out that people don’t really mashup underground hip-hop, so I turned to the top three headliners – Atmosphere, Big Boi & De La Soul.
De La Soul had a decent amount, but the good ones weren’t easy to find (e.g. Emancipator’s mash). Big Boi, as expected, had well over any of the others and wasn’t easy to narrow down to seven (yes, it was hard to narrow it to 7!). Lastly, Atmosphere was by far the most difficult to find. I don’t know how in hell […]
[audio:Trouble-Water-Remix.mp3|titles=Trouble in the Water (De La Soul // Emancipator Blend)]The Family Sign brings an intimate look into the members of Atmosphere. In their recent video therapy sessions, the group sits down with Dr. Ralph Borka and hashes out some of the issues they’ve had as a group over the years. However, the real sentiment lies is in their seventh studio album, where Slug dives into his life as an aging emcee and the group, more than ever, shows where their roots truly lie.
The most noticeable change in The Family Sign is Slug’s style. Many have criticized it, claiming he’s lost his edge over the past few years. As true as this may be, when you’re almost hitting on 40, edgy may not be what you’re going for. But with the loss of a youthful arrogance, a more humble emcee emerged, expressing the sentimental side of Sean and pushing the group in a different direction. But as fresh as their new style is, it still relies on the place that made them so great.
We all know Slug is know for his Minnesota love, but The Family Sign, more than ever, is a true ode to MN. The album shows clear Minnesota ties through its themes and choice of instrumentals, but more importantly is a representation of the Twin Cities’ growing scene. Atmosphere may be the most influential group in the area right now, but they’re only at the tip of the Minnesota music culture.
[audio:I-Dont-Need-Brighter-Days.mp3,Something-So.mp3,Who-Ill-Never-Be.mp3|titles=I Don’t Need Brighter Days,Something So,Who I’ll Never Be]I first caught Basic Physics with their Lil’ Wayne // Pretty Lights // Phoenix mashup. I posted it up against another Lil’ Wayne mashup – Lil’ Wayne vs. Bob Marley – in which initially I liked the Bob Marly mash better. However, since then, not only has Basic Physic’s mashup become my favorite, but I’ve come to love a few other singles they’ve recently released – all cumulating into their first mixtape, Nightlife in the Northwoods, which just released today.
Unfortunately, I’ve only had a few run throughs with Nightlife in the Northwoods, so I can’t give my full thoughts yet. I will, however […]
[audio:Bow-Chicka-Wow.mp3,Somebody-To-Love.mp3,Sleeping-With-The-Undertaker.mp3,Starry-Eyed.mp3|titles=Bow Chicka Wow Show,Somebody to Love Our Style,Sleeping with the Undertaker,Starry Eyed E.T.]