God Is A Woman On Al Rogers Jr.'s New "Luvadocious" Album

November 11, 2015 in Music

Back in April, we spoke to Baltimore's eccentric, harmonizing rapper Al Rogers Jr. upon the release of his track "BlueGreen". At that point, he was gearing up to release his second project which was set to be titled Baby Al and spoke about the role of love in his work: "Love is the most important factor in my life. Without it, I would not have any drive to continue at all; it's the origin of passion and the origin of hate. My music from the beginning has always been very personal and it's not just about falling in love, it's about the act of love itself."

Today, Rogers released his second project, Luvadocious (instead of Baby Al) -- an alternate universe where God (Godina),who is played by long time local radio personality Ladawn Black, is a woman -- which stays true to his desire for love, getting through trying relationships, family struggles and overcoming odds. Luvadocious is solely produced by Baltimore-based producer Drew Scott and features Joy Postell, Baltimore club legend Blaqstarr, and Blacksage. Stream the album below:

All Production was done by Drew Scott (1/2 of Blacksage) except for "U>Me (Unplugged)" which was arranged by The Breedz. Vocals were done by me (Al Rogers Jr.) This is a collaboration effort between Drew and I, enjoy! Luvadocious is a world where love isn't feared and pursuing your passion is accepted. In this world called Luvadocious people believe God to be a woman and her name is Godina. Baltimore Radio personality Ladawn Black is the voice of Godina and she narrated the entire project. I wanted to give off the feeling that you're on a voyage through a brand new world and you're being guided by God himself in this case herself. The project is about faith, struggle, love, heartbreak, and of course passion. :-)

Recap: FLATOUT w/ Cakes Da Killa, Kelow, DJ Juwan, Dakidd Moo and Abdu Ali

September 29, 2015 in Music

Visual Qué? stopped through the fourth installment of our party, FLATOUT, to capture sets by Cakes Da Killa, Kelow, DJ Juwan, Dakidd Moo and Abdu Ali this past weekend. Peep the video above.

Interview: La Misa Negra

August 03, 2015 in Interviews, Music

La Misa Negra (which translates to the “black mass” or “black ritual”) blends the vintage sound of 1950’s cumbia, the rhythms of Afro-Colombian dance music, and the stage presence of chicano rap and heavy metal.

ounded in mid-2011, the band found -- and lost -- various members before settling on the nine musicians that make up the band today. Earlier this summer, the band embarked on its first tour of the east coast, making stops along in the way in major cities including Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn before heading back to California.

La Misa’s live show is not for the faint of heart. Immediately after all nine members get on stage, the countdown starts and the stage becomes smorgasbord of instruments. A tenor sax, clarinet and upright bass join güira, accordion and guitar for a true big band feel. Breaks were few and far between; lead singer Diana Trujillo instructed the crowd to jump in sync with her throughout the night. When we weren’t jumping, we danced the basic cumbia step, which both veterans and newcomers of the style did instinctively.

I interviewed founder and guitarist/bassist Marco Santiago on the formation of La Misa Negra, how they developed their live show and the concept behind their debut album Misa de Medianoche (“Mightnight Mass”).

How and why did the band form?

Santiago: I felt that there wasn’t a band that was playing that golden era style of cumbia and big band Colombian music, so I decided to start my own. I started looking for musicians in the summer of 2011 and found most of the first members through Craigslist. None of them lasted very long and over the next couple of years, I slowly pieced together the band that currently makes up La Misa Negra.

Our current line up has been together for about a year. Our sax player, Justin Chin AKA El Chino Sonidero, is the veteran of the bunch. I met him via Craigslist in December of 2011, so he’s been with me the longest. Diana Trujillo, our lead singer, joined us in the Fall of 2012. We heard through the grapevine that there was a Colombian singer in the Bay area who was performing with various salsa bands. We hit her up and invited her to audition for the band.

She blew us away and got the gig on the spot. As the band began to make a name for itself it became easier to get other people involved. Craig Bravo became our drummer in 2013 and everyone else, Anthony Anderson (trumpet), Elena de Troya (percussion), Erich Huffaker (upright bass), and Morgan Nilsen (clarinet), joined us in 2014.

Are there any artists or bands that were reference points for La Misa Negra?

Pedro Laza, Lucho Bermudez, Pacho Galan, La Sonora Cienaguera, Los Corraleros de Majagual, and bands like that. The big band sound is the thing that really drives what La Misa Negra does.

We also tap into the stripped-down, accordion stuff though, like Andres Landero and Gildardo Montoya. Los Corraleros is the band we come closest to. They did the big band thing, the rootsy thing, the straight-ahead cumbia stuff, the fast and wild gaita stuff, and everything in between. That’s pretty much the band we’re trying to be but with our own take on things. Collectively, we all listen to many different styles of music and it all seeps into what we do, in one way or another.

Misa De Medianoche - Debut album by La Misa Negra © 2013 La Misa Negra. All Rights Reserved. Official Website: www.lamisanegra.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/lamisanegra Twitter: www.twitter.com/lamisanegra Instagram: www.instagram.com/lamisanegra Youtube: www.youtube.com/lamisanegra

How was your experience on the East Coast? What did you think of the audiences?

This was our first time playing on the East Coast and it was amazing. People really seemed to embrace what we were doing and it was pretty clear that they hadn’t seen a band quite like ours. We’ve been killing it on the West Coast for a couple of years but it was really validating to come out East and be able to leave our mark the way we did.

We played for about 800 people when we opened for Balkan Beat Box in Brooklyn to a mainly non-Latino, non-cumbia audience. Shows like that are some of my favorites because most people there may not know what they’re in for when we walk out on stage but we win them over every time.

It’s very cool to be able to introduce people to a genre they may not have heard before and that’s one of my favorite things about being in this band. I grew up listening to cumbia, so to be able to share this music with people on a larger scale like this is simply amazing. It’s very different from doing hip-hop, which I used to do, and performing for a 100% hip-hop audience.

Were you familiar with any artists from the D.C. area?

Not current ones. Mainly, the only DC bands I’ve followed of are hardcore bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains. I can get down with some go-go though.

What was the concept behind your debut album?

We tried to make a record that had a vintage feel to it. The album starts off with that vinyl crackle and pop to make the listener feel like they’re about to listen to something really old. We tried to give the album some rawness in the way we recorded and mixed the whole thing, while at the same time keeping some more modern elements, like fat bass.

Frank Merritt, who masters a lot of the Soundway Records releases, like the stuff by Ondatropica and Miticos del Ritmo, as well as most (if not all) of their Latin and West African compilations, mastered the album. He was able to give the entire thing some additional texture and the right aesthetic.

Musically, we tried to have the right balance of original material that fits well with the vintage songs we cover on the album. Our style is rooted in the big band Colombian sound of the 1950’s and 60’s, so we do our best to adhere to some very strict rules in order to retain those unique characteristics that made that kind of music special.

We color outside of the lines here and there but we do a pretty good job of staying within the confines of that sound. Certain bands from that era also delved into some faster rhythms. We’ve taken some of those rhythms and play them even faster. People often think we’re playing ska or punk but we’re taking a direct cue from what cumbia bands were doing at the time and just injecting a little guitar and bumping up the BPM’s a bit.

We really try to be loyal to the sound. There are plenty of other bands that turn cumbia into something else. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re just on a mission to deliver authentic Colombian cumbia and an intense, high-energy Afro-Colombian sound.

How did you develop your live show?

My favorite artists to see live have always been those that bring a lot of energy on stage - mainly metal and hardcore punk bands but also certain hip-hop groups like Cypress Hill, Public Enemy, Psycho Realm, and Beastie Boys. I knew when I started this band that, even if we were doing cumbia, we still had to bring an extremely high level of energy to whatever we did.

It comes very natural to me to jump around and bang my head but for some of the others in the band it’s been a bit of a process for them to come out of their shells. We play some very intense and infectious music though, so it’s hard to keep your body from automatically moving.

On top of that, we thoroughly enjoy ourselves on stage and that just adds to the positive energy that fills the room. I don’t like to feel like we’re just performing but more like we’re throwing a party and we want people on the dance floor to party as hard as we’re partying on stage.

Do you think you captured that live energy on the album?

We tried but I think it’s probably impossible to capture what we do live on a record. The album is a great way to appreciate the music and the songwriting but what La Misa Negra does live is something that can only be experienced in person.

Pick 'Em Up: Blastah, Imaabs & Sugar Shane

February 10, 2015 in Music

Blastah- Give It Up To Me

More info: http://dotheastralplane.com/2014/09/02/premiere-blastah-give-it-up-to-me/ Follow: @blastahlx @do-the-astral-plane

I constantly have my ears open for unique productions of club music and "Give It Up To Me" grabbed my attention immediately. Located in Lisbon, Portugal, Blastah seems to have created his own personal blend of Baltimore and Jersey club in this track. A classic club beat drives the track while blasting gun shots, bed squeaks, and chopped up vocals accentuate its every unique twist and turn. "Give It Up To Me" has a comforting way of feeling very familiar while feeling so brand new and rejuvenating all at the same time.

Imaabs- Grafito

More info: http://dotheastralplane.com/2014/11/25/premiere-imaabs-graffito/ Follow: @imaabs @traxcouture

"Grafito" is a whole different monster here. It feels very dark and industrial as an ominous whirring and sounds of "machinery" add intriguing textures to the production. Imaabs, of Santiago, Chile, seems to thrive in mystery and darkness here as he blends warehouse techno with the hyperactive stylings of Jersey club music. Techno is usually pretty hit-or-miss for me but I'm so impressed with the way Imaabs expertly integrates that signature bass you'll only hear in Jersey. If you're feelin' this style, you can hear more on Trax Couture World Series Vol. 2.

Sugar Shane- Kill That Bitch (Promnite Remix)

Download mixtape: http://athletixx.club/Athletixx%20All-Stars%20Vol.%201.zip

Sugar Shane's "Kill Da Bitch" in its original form is already a certified club banger, but Promnite's remix elevated the track to critical mass. If Sugar Shane's stinkeye and super sass in "Kill Da Bitch" wasn't enough of a beatdown, New York-based producer Promnite kicked the joint into overdrive. "Kill The Bitch" takes on a future club sound at light speed with hints of vogue, heart-pounding bass, and a pitched-down chant that urges you to "go for the kill".

Photos: SXSW 2014

March 25, 2014 in Music

A couple weeks ago I went down to Austin to experience my first SXSW Music Festival. There was a lot of bullshit going down but it was matched by all the unexpected experiences I had while down there. I'm being vague because my full day-by-day log of the festival lives over at Frank 151 (Read it!). Before you get into the recap, check some of the photos I snapped at the many showcases I went to.

TT The Artist

Larry B

T.E.A.M.S.

Mykki Blanco

Mykki Blanco's Sick Holiday Initiation Tour

December 30, 2013 in Music

This past weekend I was lucky enough to catch Mykki Blanco live for the second time in Baltimore this year, as his Initiation Tour is coming to a close on what seemed to be an eternal string of shows. As always, and something that's stood true since I first saw him play in Boston in the summer of 2012, Mykki gave a great fucking show. He kept the crowd engaged from the jump and played the best shit from his catalog (except "NaS Gave Me a Perm" which I was dying to hear). "Wavvy", "Feeling Special", "Bugged Out" and "HazeBoogie" were all jamming and the production from the unreleased material he played was crazy. Seriously, in hip-hop, we really have to start championing these artists that are putting in overtime on creating QUALITY performances; with Saturday being my third time witnessing Blanco live, every time has gotten more interesting and entertaining. When he's on the stage, he leaves Earth for a bit and as audience members, myself and others, have taken that trip with him—you can't help but to. The green stage-lighting was perfect for his mutant persona, too. His shit just makes sense, and even though it's supposed to, it happens so infrequently. Yeah, I'm probably rambling but I can't help but to get excited when a rap show in 2013 doesn't include pointless moshing from dudes who've never been in the pit, 39 people on stage being cool and the rapper standing in one spot his entire performance before bouncing up and down because he couldn't think of anything else to do. Whew. Anyway, in the midst of enjoying the show, I snapped some photos of Mykki, DJ Larry B, T.E.A.M.S. and TT The Artist (from True Laurels Volume 1). Check them in gallery above and share your thoughts.

Favorite Albums of 2013

December 17, 2013 in Music

1. Kelela- Cut 4 Me: What makes Cut 4 Me special is its production—it isn’t set up to be sang over yet it’s being contrasted with lyrics about failed relationships. The choppy sounds that give Bmore Club and D.C. go-go are more suited for warehouse dance parties but Kelela maneuvers through them with ease.

2. Kanye West- Yeezus: Kanye didn’t come to the table with a completely unheard-of sound, but for nerve and and being abrupt, he does get some points. Weird video game synths, industrial beats and an elevated level of fire and passion are the keys to this record. And even without his routine soulful samples, he’s still telling stories.

3. B L A C K I E- ONLY 4 THE REAL:Houston’s B L A C K I E is a fixture in the underground punk-rap scene with a small internet following. So naturally, his album, ONLY 4 THE REAL, was easily overlooked. But his pro-feminist practices in the pit, motivational sermons and healthy aggression are some of the year’s real gems.

4. Various Artists- Saint Heron:The first record from Solange Knowles’ label, Saint Records, Saint Heron is a masterful display of what modern-day R&B is and where it can go. The compilation features eleven artists including Jhene Aiko, Kelela, Cassie and Solange, who closes out. Atmospheric, foggy production topped with echoey vocals at its finest.

5. Migos- YRN:Champions of trap right now. Access to Zaytoven on-demand. Flows that haven’t been tapped into, and that would otherwise be annoying as fuck, slice through the insane production.

6. Drake- Nothing Was The Same:Albeit a douchey coming-of-age soundtrack for a bitter dude who’s always getting fronted on, Nothing Was The Same is Drake at his most polished. There’s more umph behind the rhymes, his confidence is at its height and his producer Noah “40” Shebib has never been so in sync with him.

7. Abdu Ali- Push + Slay:Some shit most of our music brains haven’t experienced yet. Categorizing it—damn near impossible. Rapping, creepy nasal chanting, harmonizing and screaming cut through the bass heavy beats. The theme of triumph vs desperation, mixed with extreme passion drive this where it needs to be.

8. Shy Glizzy- Law 2:Genuine street tales with the best voice in the rap game since Lil’ Boosie. Shy Glizzy, who seemed lost at times in earlier work, uses his nasal tone as an instrument over the slapping, trap-friendly beats. A collection of hard luck stories help you feel his desperation to make it.

9. The Weeknd- Kiss Land:Hazy, drugged out sound and echoey vocals crafted a modern classic with The Weeknd’s House of Balloons. On Kiss Land, his sound’s mystery has transitioned to a combination of gloomy and climactic. The crying victim and “too complicated for love” thing is getting old but the sound is still flawless.

10. Asaad- #COLDBLUE:Though much darker and cutting than usual, Saudi hasn’t spit like this in two years. It feels like a big audition; he’s showcasing his full repertoire of auto tuned crooning, flowing over soulful beats, diss tracks, endless bars. “Holy Matri” is one of the year’s best tracks. Feels like Asaad is onto something big.

11. Da Mafia 6ix- 6ix Commandments:It’s been more than a decade since this many members of Three 6 Mafia have been together but they show no signs of rust on their comeback tape, going by Da Mafia 6ix. Koopsta is creepy as fuck. DJ Paul has the best intros ever. Gangsta Boo and Lord infamous are still spitting like crazy. Just like old times. Even Juicy J put giving out twerking scholarships on pause to come hold it down on the outro.

12. Prodigy & The Alchemist- Albert Einstein:In 1999, The Alchemist produced two songs for Mobb Deep’s Murda Muzik. Since Mobb’s gotten on shaky grounds, duo-member Prodigy & The Alchemist picked back up on collaboration with this year’s Albert Einstein. Alchemist’s syrupy slow beats topped with sci-fi and horror-movie sound effects has Prodigy sounding more menacing and effective than ever.

13. Chief Keef- Almighty SO:Keef is doing a lot with his voice; most of this tape isn’t strict rap. In place of spitting, a lot of times, he’s flowing and harmonizing. Yeah, he’s mumbling his way through raps, but he’s engaging. The autotune packed emotion is one of the key things to take away from the tape.

14. Chance The Rapper- Acid Rap:One of rare occurrences when someone is trying to come off as eclectic and it works. Acid Rap is rap, jazz, blues and spoken word all at once. There’s nothing new being offered here. It’s soulful rap and he sounds like so many distinguishable rappers wrapped in one...but it works out.

15. Matic 808- Yeezus: The Baltimore Club Edition:The first Baltimore club record I’ve been excited about since middle school. Matic made this shit fun again. The hilarious loops of Kanye’s most memorable lines like “Hurry up with my damn croissant!”, signature “ay”’s in the background, and bumping base make a more danceable version of Yeezus

16.M.I.A- Matangi:Nothing out of the ordinary for M.I.A, which is still better than the vast majority of shit. She continues to do what makes musical artists dangerous: creating meaningful, politically charged content and placing atop the best danceable production that’s out.

17.Marian Mereba- Room For Living Remixes:An up-and-coming singer out of Atlanta, Marian Mereba takes the atmospheric trend in R&B and layers her strong and calming vocals on top, in contrast to the airy, echoed voices that most of the genre's songstresses display right now. Each track is remixed by guest DJ's so, like Kelela, they double as dance songs. Her voice is amazing.

18. The Underachievers- Indigoism: Rap that rappers like. Issa Gold and AK reach back to their Brooklyn roots with the heavily-90’s influenced style in their raps. They also take it back to psychedelic rap, filled with hallucinogens, Egyptology and do-the-knowledge themes. If none of that gets you, the stamina they display by tightly packing words in each bar will.

19. Earl Sweatshirt- Doris: Somehow this album seems like it’ll hit way harder in the next decade. It’s free of hits and the run-on sentence flows are tailor-made for stoner kids eating chips on the couch playing Xbox. Earl’s unique and unconventional delivery of jam-packed bars make this album special.

20. Death Grips- Government Plates:This was a fairly disappointing record when you pit it against earlier Death Grips work but their give-no-fucks attitude and refusal to do the expected works here in patches. The first track bangs then there’s a scattered amount of gems within the album, which is 75% instrumental. Still, those instrumentals are insane.

21. Danny Brown- Old:Arguably the year’s heaviest rap album. It paints a vivid story of Danny Brown’s troubled past—mostly due to drugs (what he’s seen others do and what he’s done to himself)—and the chilling realization that he’s still an addict. Solid production that loses value because of his intentional compartmentalizing of his two extremes.

22. Tyler The Creator- Wolf:This album is a helluva lot more cohesive than Goblin, but its impact is minimal in comparison. A good deal of songs, especially in the album’s middle, start to sound the same and the Neptune’s influence is a bright red blinking light. Tyler’s vulnerability in “Answer”, his brashness is “Jamba” and his willingness to take the backseat in “Treehome95” are highlights.

23.Cabalerro- Laisse-Nous Faire Vol. 1: Cabalerro is one of French rap’s most polished newcomers. His production is a mixture of 90’s boom-bap and fresh samples from European classical music. He proves that he can flow anything thrown at him here. If you don't speak French, the sound and his style will still keep you engaged.

24. A$AP Rocky- Long.Live.A$AP:Some of the year’s best production, without question. But as the year went on, the absence of lyrical creativity gradually drop this album’s stock. “Suddenly” and “LVL”, where he’s talking about semi-personal stuff, shine the brightest.

25. The Internet- Feel Good:Typical musical from The Internet which, if nothing else, is the best background music in the world. Syd’s content is getting stale but the smooth production and harmonies are A1.

Bonus List: 10 Albums I Really Wanted to Like But Didn’t, Outside Of A Few Songs:

1. Blood Orange- Cupid Deluxe

2. Pusha T- My Name Is My Name

3. SZA- S

4. OG Dutch Master-Blue Light District

5. Young Thug- 1017 Thug

6. Gunplay- Acquitted

7. Sky Ferreira- Night Time, My Time

8. A$AP Ferg- Trap Lord

9. Kid Cudi- Indicud

10. Yo Gotti- I Am

Favorite Songs of 2013

December 17, 2013 in Music

1. B L A C K I E- B L A C K I E...Is A Wasteland

2. Kanye West- New Slaves

3. Kelela- Send Me Out

4. Pusha T- King Push

5. PartyNextDoor- Muse

6. Cities Aviv- URL IRL

7. Abdu Ali- Machete Warz

8. Danny Brown- Torture

9. Asaad- Holy Matri

10. Kanye West- Blood On The Leaves

11. Death Grips- You might think he loves you for your money but I know what he really loves you for it's your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

12. Drake- Wu-Tang Forever

13. FKA Twigs- Papi Pacify

14. Shy Glizzy- I Am DC

15. Young Thug- Danny Glover

16. Pusha T- Numbers On The Boards

17. Migos- Adios

18. Shy Glizzy- Guns & Roses

19. Chance The Rapper- Lost

20. T.D.E.- U.E.O.N.O

21. Chief Keef- Blew My High

22. A$AP Rocky- Suddenly

23. Da Mafia 6ix-Murder on my Mind (Feat. Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony & SpaceGhostPurrp)

24. Kid Cudi- Immortal

25. Tyler, The Creator- Answer

26. Al Rogers- FIN

27. Antwon- Downtown Feat. Big Baby Ghandi

28. A$AP Ferg- Shabba

29. M.I.A.- Warriors

30. Meek Mill- Lil Nigga Snupe

31. BC Kingdom- Lockup

32. The Weeknd- The Town

33. Jay Rock- Number On The Boards Freestyle

34. Prodigy & The Alchemist- Breeze

35. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib- Deeper

36. Kelela- Floor Show

37. Marian Mereba- Last Call Lonely

38. Matic 808- I Am A God (The Baltimore Club Edition)

39. Mykki Blanco- Feeling Special

40. The Underachievers- T.A.D.E.D.

41. Earl Sweatshirt- Hive Feat. Vince Staples & Casey Veggies

42. Jay Z- Beach Is Better

43. CUNTMAFIA (Contessa Stuto & Quay Dash)- NEW YORK BOOM BAP

44. Caballero- Foume ca

45. SZA- ICE.MOON

46. Junglepussy- Picky Bitch Checklist

47. Future- Shit

48. Chance The Rapper- Juice

49. Action Bronson- Triple Backflip

50. Le1f- Cloud So Loud

Bonus List: My 10 Favorite Collabs of 2013:

1. A$AP Rocky w/ Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T. - 1 Train

2. Tyler, The Creator & Frank Ocean- Bimmer

3. Da Mafia 6ix w/ SpaceGhostPurrp, Bizzy Bone & Krayzie Bone- Murder On My Mind

4. Asaad, Grande Marshall & Wyo- AK47

5. Kavinsky The Weeknd- Odd Look

6. Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica- Control

7. Mac Miller & The Internet- Objects In The Mirror (Live)

8. Dre Green & The GTW- Neymar Night

9. Rich Homie Quan & Young Thug- Get TF Out My Face

10. 2 Chainz & Pharrell- Feds Watching

October Faves: B L A C K I E, Cities Aviv, Danny Brown + More

October 31, 2013 in Music

1. B L A C K I E- ONLY 4 THE REAL:

It took me a while to let this dude fully in—probably because I was fanning out too hard on Death Grips for a while. But nonetheless, Houston's B L A C K I E has a contagious agro-approach to his brand of noise rap. When the tape's intro —"Girl In The Front"—hits, the intensity of his industrial production, the "listen up" assertion of speech and the "no bullshit" kind of empowerment doesn't dip throughout the entire project. He's especially on fire on two tracks, " B L A C K I E...is a wasteland" and "Revolutionary Party Vol.2 (Sex, Drugs & Illegal Activity)". The latter is a constant chant of "No time for fear" woven through by more-conventional spitting than B L A C K I E usually delivers over harsh synths. "B L A C K I E...is a wasteland" is the tape's hardest-hitting track; it's a big confessional "Fuck the world" coming at everything fraudulent. As the beat halts for an a cappella, he says, "I get pissed and piss on critics that get rich pitching bullshit with false lyrics/ Leave a lipstick on the tip of dicks of fraudulent major label dipshits with no spirits". It ends with a "LOVE MYSELF, I WANNA HATE THE WORLD." chant. Yeah, it's giving crazy energy. Really, ONLY 4 THE REAL is a firm, "This is how punk-rap is done". Go listen.

2. Cities Aviv- URL IRL

In the last quarter of 2012, Cities Aviv released one of the better projects of the year, on the low, with Black Pleasure. I still have yet to put that record on the back-burner but at the end of September (of this year) he dropped the first single from his Come To Life LP, "URL IRL"—a track that he produced which takes familiar sampling of soul/disco but instead of flipping that into rappity rap, he loops the sample, speeds shit up and makes rap that is actually danceable. To put it plainly, the song is fucking nuts. In what he describes as being a meeting between the digital world and physical being, "URL IRL" is a persuasion to wake up and realize what's really going on.

3. Kelela- CUT 4 ME

I'm just really happy that R&B is back. And no I don't mean back like "the good ole days". There are enough good artists in the genre now putting out quality material to have substantial discourse on the topic, which wasn't the case less than five years ago. We're really on a different wave in the 2010's—even if the better chunk of R&B artists are channeling 90's sexy, chill swag of Aaliyah, Total and R. Kelly. Truth is, they can't duplicate that era, even if that's what may be the motivation for some. Kelela did a great job with her debut album, CUT 4 ME, at exposing her influences all while fitting into a gap that wasn't occupied. Mostly all of her labelmates on Fade To Mind are DJ's and producers that specialize in meshing sounds from all genres and there's no difference in CUT 4 ME, except that Kelela is soulfully crooning over those sounds. "Enemy" sounds like it belongs in a video game or should be played at a rave, sans vocals, but somehow she made a way for it all to fit with fluidity. Here's to more weird R&B! This shit is so good.

4. Danny Brown- Old

What made XXX so good was the insinuation of carelessness throughout the album. At one second, DB was facing blunts and right after that he was giving a guide to how fucked up Detroit is and not far after, he was telling you he wouldn't conform to making radio songs. He did all of this while snorting Adderall. The seesaw effect was incredible; you didn't know what was gonna happen next, which made perfect sense for how his music sounded and how he looked. Old was an uncomfortable shift in pace. This time around (to both show people he could still rap the way he did before Fools Gold and to say "Fuck you, I did it" to those same people) he split his character in two. Neither side is bad; Danny Brown can rap his ass off and his delivery is entertaining enough to keep you engaged, but that becomes more difficult when he's forcing you to absorb only half of what makes him great at a time. The introspective, thoughtful Side A is a good insight into the root of his drug problems but it gets boring when you have to hear ten straight tracks of only that. Same with the wilder, "new" DB on Side B. We all like to drop Mollie and get high but bashing your head on a wall for nine tracks in a row after telling us how doing this shit is ruining your life and killing you, makes me uncomfortble as a listener and quite bored. Maybe that's the point? Maybe Danny is saying fuck everybody. But where will he go from here? My faves are "Torture", "Dubstep", "Clean Up" and "Smokin' and Drinkin'".

5. PARTYNEXTDOOR- Muse

I'm not fully proud of liking this song (LOL). Maybe because this dude's name is really PARTYNEXTDOOR and that he's basically Drake's attempt to have his own version of The Weekend signed to OVO, even if that version is a super poor-man's version. Going back to 90's-inspired R&B, this guy is all about reaching for that aesthetic, while still being heavily reliant on autotuning his voice (very now). He's your average Canadian singer that raps/rapper that sings (my assessment of "average" is solely based on The Weekend and Drake) about strippers, dudes who aren't cool as him and all that other passive-agressive jerk talk. But it sounds so good! I don't get it. My iTunes says I've played this song 128 times already and it just came out last week...WTF! Am I bugging?

Wyo Joins Philly's Street Culture & Young Bul Rap w/ Asleep At The Wheel

September 04, 2013 in Artcles, Music

Wyo is a rapper you could easily skip by but once you realize you did, you'll be pissed at yourself. After listening to a shit-load of Asaad tapes, he became that random guest rapper that was added incentive to even listen to Saudi. Best thing about Wyo is his ability to be Philly as a whole--like covering all grounds that any rap listener would care about: He's not completely get stoned, eat Chinese food on the couch and play Xbox as Grande Marshall nor is he the super shit-talking street rapper that Meek has become, and he's definitely not as all over the place as Asaad. He has throwback Philly grit of a Beans or Freeway that none of those aforementioned new guys can seem to capture with any authenticity yet he still manages to be as compelling and experimental sonically as new wave rap continues to move. When I talked to him on Labor Day he attributed his assortment of styles to being a real person and not spending too much time in the studio; he'd rather spend his time living life so when he finally does get into the studio, he can flow with as much ease as possible. Asleep At The Wheel, the EP he released last week is a mash-up of styles and Wyo is sounding more polished than ever.

From the jump, he does the classic mixtape thing by hopping on Dom Kennedy's "My Type Of Party" beat for "Block Party". It's usually bad news to hop on a beat that's neither a classic hip-hop staple or a currently hot one but somehow for a split second before realizing, "Oh. this is that Dom beat", Wyo has you thinking that this is all original material—which is either a testament to how good he raps on this or how less I've cared for Dom's music these past two years.From there, Asleep At The Wheel is really just rappity rap at its best and nothing else, which is completely fine here. His endless wind is Meek-like on tracks like "Idol Talk (Kill Your Idols)" where he barely takes a breath. The wordplay is on point too: "Golden Era flow, they should put me on vinyl/ This kid need riches, you be bitchy like Nicole, I get bitches like Lionel/ Lions in the jungle get tamed by the bull/ Now the killer lines open got some strings to get pulled". He's Grande-like on the dual track (Something Asaad typically does) "Release a Wy/ Fuqq On Top Of The Money" as he spits for 7-plus minutes over stoner-centric cruise production. He's at his most experimental on "That's What You Get"; the production could easily go to some teenybopper kid but he takes it and goes harder than he does on the rest of the project.

Most of this EP is Wyo taking time out to show how many flows he can properly execute and he accomplishes each try. Getting back to his real-person-ism, taking jabs at phony rappers and ones that can't meet the mark talent-wise is also a big theme here too. Wyo keeps alive something that weirdly gets overlooked in internet rap right now, the ability to rap really well. Every track is a lyrical exercise, which alone is entertaining. That's what makes Chance The Rapper, Earl Sweatshirt and Underachievers all worth listening to right now...they can actually fucking rap. In that same conversation he told me that Asleep On The Wheel, more than anything, translates to him being on autopilot with rap; he's spent so much time in studios sharpening his technical skill, that he sometimes doesn't notice what he's doing, which is why he can fit a package of flows into one song. Since he has that part covered, concepts and ideas is what he has to focus on now. The delivery is there. This EP proves that.

Stream & Download Asleep At The Wheel HERE .