Mac Lethal "11:11" on Rhymesayers Ent.

K.C. rapper, Mac Lethal made a little noise back in '03 when he freestyled his way to a Scribble Jam Emcee Battle victory and was quickly signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment. At which point he promptly fell off the fucking map!! I don't know why but he was signed at the same time as label mate Psalm One and her record has been out for at least a year!! Finally his debut album "11:11" sees the light of day and it is a pretty nice effort. Mac Lethal finds deals with pop-culture, lust, sleep, food, drugs, and alcohol. Standard Rhymesayers fare. Check it out.

Download "Make Out Bandit"

Dan Johns ft. Supastition "I Don't Write For"

South Carolina MC Dan Johns drops this single about why he does and does not make music. Supastition drops in and blesses this smoothed out track with a hot 16 bars.

Download "I Don't Write For"

Lupe Fiasco "Can You Let Me Know" with Verbal & Sarah Green

Here's another track from the upcoming Lupe Fiasco album "The Cool." This time he's got asian mc Verbal (of M-Flo) and vocalist Sarah Green along for the ride.

Download "Can You Let me Know"

Kanye West & Trick Daddy love da kids!!

A pretty cool up tempo collaboration between Trick and Kanye. I like the typical Kanye sped up vocal sample.

Download "Can't Say No"

DEL'S NEW ALBUM ON DEF JUX in '08!!!!

This is some crazy shit right here!! Looks like Del Tha Funkee Homosapien is gonna become a def jukie!!

press release:

(September 26, 2007 - Brooklyn, NY) Seminal rapper, hip-hop icon, and founding member of the mighty Hieroglyphics crew, Del The Funky Homosapien has embarked on the beginning of a 2-month long nationwide tour in support of his long anticipated album, The 11th Hour. The tour, which shares the name of his upcoming album, will also feature fellow Hiero founder A-Plus, along with Devin The Dude with the Coughee Brothers, Bukue One, The Serendipity Projects and special guests Knobody and Junk Science to perform on select dates.

On the 11th Hour Tour, Del will be performing a mix of classic cuts from his previous albums along with new tracks from the upcoming album, including the tracks “Sit Down” and “Workin’ It.” The aptly named The 11th Hour marks Del’s first solo release in almost 7 years. Having experienced his fair share of life’s trials and tribulations over the course of his long and successful career, Del explained the reason for the album title. “You can’t fully control all the different variables that come into play in your life. Something is bound to be faulty and set you back,” says Del. He explains, “I’ve spent the last couple of years dealing with drama in my life, touring the country several times over, and diving deep into studying music theory.” Fans can celebrate the fruits of Del’s labor of love with the release of The 11th Hour in early ‘08.

For The 11th Hour, Del has partnered with legendary New York based indie hip-hop label Definitive Jux, with the backing of the label he helped create, Hiero Imperium.

Bursting onto the scene in 1990, Del the Funky Homosapien started his professional career writing lyrics for his cousin Ice Cube’s crew, Da Lench Mob when he was still in high school. Soon, Elektra Recording Group signed him and released the critically acclaimed album, I Wish My Brother Georgia Was Here. After releasing another album, No Need For Alarm in 1994, Del, along with grammar school buddies, Souls of Mischief, Casual, Pep Love, and Domino, founded one of the most successful indie hip-hop collectives of all time, The Hieroglyphics. Hiero Imperium has etched out their place in history as the trailblazer for artist owned and operated hip-hop labels and also for embracing the internet as a means of selling their merchandise as early as 1997. Del, along with the rest of the members of Hiero and their third-eye logo are recognized around the world for their lyrical prowess, great live shows, and dozens of critically acclaimed releases which have sold over 3 million units collectively.

11th Hour Tour Dates:

Del the Funky Homosapien, featuring A-Plus (Souls of Mischief), Devin The Dude with the Coughee Brothers, Bukue One, The Serendipity Project and special guests Knobody, Junk Science, and Iller Than Theirs to perform on select dates

Freddy Kreuger DUNKS R.I.P.

It is with great sorrow (and the certain knowledge that this will increase the hype around any samples of this shoe floating around out there) that I must announce here on Kicks-n-Jams the CANCELLATION of the Nike SB "Freddy Kreuger" Dunks. I have it (straight from the horses mouth) (a little bird told me) on unimpeachable authority that Nike has been served with an injunction from the Nightmare On Elm Street owners, New Line Cinema. It always comes down to the money and I guess New Line wanted more than Nike was willing to pay.
This just seems like a dumb move on New Line's part. Wouldn't the shoe increase awareness of their property and once again re-invent freddy? Whatever the reason, don't go lookin for the shoe anywhere but on ebay because it isn't comin' "To A Store Near You" this holiday season.

Nike Dunk Lo Hot Asphalt

The 25th anniversary of the Nike Dunk is just around the corner and they are rolling out some cool shoes! It comes with a premium suede upper and in two colorways - purple/black and khaki/orange. Both feature a black outer sole that looks as if it was dipped into hot asphalt. The entire mid-sole has textures running over it.

pics via Sneaker Freaker

Cinematic ft. Mr. Lif & King Britt

A remix album of great orchestral film scores from the 20th century might seem like an odd idea – after all, a lot of this music is considered old-fashioned. But Six Degrees co-founder and executive producer Bob Duskis knew better: “A lot of electronica producers are huge fans of these film scores,” he says. And for the collection Cinematic, “I wanted producers who had a cinematic sense to their music anyway, or had done soundtracks themselves. We didn’t want DJs just adding beats to the orchestral tracks.”
Mission accomplished. Cinematic is full of creative and often provocative arrangements of music by some of the greatest film composers ever – Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, and Henry Mancini among them. Of course, this music was never satisfied with being accompaniment in the first place; like the best music in any style, these scores suggested their own stories and their own landscapes. No surprise then that they work so well apart from their films. What is surprising is how adaptable these classic scores are, at least when the right producers get hold of them. When Duskis first brought the idea to King Britt, underground hip-hop hero from Philadelphia, he says the immediate response was “Are you kidding? They Call Me Mr. Tibbs is one of my favorite songs of all time!” King Britt then came up with two different remixes. The first is instrumental, full of James Brown horns, a funky groove, and a Sam-and-Dave-meets-the-London-Symphony-Orchestra vibe. The second is a vocal version, where the texture is thinned out to make room for some typically memorable word play from one of underground hip-hop’s most fierce rappers, Mr. Lif (Definitive Jux). Cinematic includes hip-hop, but is not a hip-hop record: it ranges stylistically from Zeb’s electro-tango remix of Mancini’s “The Tango I Saved For You” (from the film Gaily Gaily) to a deep ambient recasting of Inherit The Wind by Tom Middleton (of Global Communications and Jedi Knights). But as Duskis points out, “hip-hop has been sampling movie music for a long time – just think of Wu-Tang Clan and the way they used music from the old Blaxploitation films and the fact that RZA is now an in demand film composer.” So Mark de Clive Lowe contributes an inventive arrangement of the music from Hour of the Gun, featuring Ohio rapper Replife – who name checks both Wyatt Earp and Tupac, in the same line. “Hour of the Gun is a Western,” Duskis explains; “and Mark heard it as a gangsta piece. So the words are political, about how this is a violent time, the hour of the gun.” Cinematic’s pairings of producers with film scores yielded some inspired results. Partly that’s because musical elements that were hinted at in the original were dragged and dropped into the spotlight in the remixes. That is the beauty of Cinematic. You don’t need to know the original films, or the original film scores. The classic soundtracks have always been strong enough to exist apart from their movies. Now, this collection of 14 remixes suggests that you can imagine your own films to them."

Download "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs"

BEST OF THE BAY AWARDS SHOW MONDAY NIGHT

The Best Of The Bay Awards Ceremony is tonight!!
My crew RED TIDE is up for a readers poll award for best hip hop act.

Women's New Balance 574 at Classic Kicks

Classic Kicks has some really sweet lookin' women's New Balance 574's as well as a shoe that I have been fiendin' for for a few months now. The Japan release "Conbini Pack" is now up on the Classic Kicks site!! Score!

New Balance x Size? 577

Here comes some new colorful New Balance x Size? 577's. The sneaker features a nice mix of pink, purple and cyan on the upper, mixed with black croc skin and a splattered sole. The shoe was designed with old school fruit machines in mind.

Harking back to the era of 10p gambles and repeat Jackpots there will even be two special ‘fruit machines’ installed in the Carnaby St and Covent Garden Size? Stores, as well as online, where punters will have a chance to win a NB Jackpot pair. There are two colorways and the one that you see here is the jackpot that one will be able to win. Via Canoe Inc.

The sneaker will be available exclusively at Size? stores and limited to 250 pairs.

New Balance set to release ST33 "Elements" Collection

This ST33 pack is just absolutely phenomenal!! I haven't been this excited over a shoe set since the first ST33 "Fish Pack."

The conceptual aspect of the shoe design is well thought out and the materials are, of course, premium and in line with the best that New Balance is known for. Above is a pic of the water element sneaker.

Available in three exclusive designs, this new limited edition collection celebrates the complementary Yin-Yang interplay of the elements in the cycle of life. The “Fire and Metal” 1400 shoe honors the role of fire as it refines metal, while the “Earth and Wood” shoe pays homage to our planet and the way it nurtures all living things. The third design, “Water” is a standalone tribute to the power of water.

"This exciting new range represents a global collaboration and a deep commitment to individualism that is unique in the footwear industry,” said Qing Ni, New Balance regional marketing manager for Asia Pacific. “Details include elaborate designs on the tongue of each shoe, the sole insert, and even the outsole. Every Super Team 33 Elements shoe is truly a limited-edition, sophisticated work of art.”

Super Team 33 Elements footwear features design details that reflect each of the three elemental concepts. For instance, “Earth and Wood” features brown contrast stitching, an eye-catching tree pattern, a distinctive tree-trunk pattern embossed on the New Balance logo, as well as two sets of laces - one in green and one in brown. “Fire and Metal” features a striking black and red design with metallic embroidery, a silver insole, and a laser-etched phoenix rising from the flames. “Water” embodies Zen-like serenity and tranquility, with a blue/white colorway, transparent rubber and a recurring pattern of Chinese junk boats and water bubbles.

To give each shoe a distinctly Chinese touch, the heel of every Super Team 33 Elements shoe features the Chinese character that represents that shoe’s element. The collaborative elements, namely Earth/Wood and Fire/Metal, use different characters on the left and right shoe, while the Water design features just one character. Transparent panels on the box showcase its contents and color-coded lids explain the meaning of the Chinese characters on the rear of each shoe.

The Super Team 33 project has been designed by the New Balance Asia Pacific team and will feature a theme inspired by the elements – wood, water, earth, metal, and fire. The Elements 1400 shoe will debut at 33 select retailers worldwide on October 20, 2007 and retail for $200.00.

Jay-Z to release soundtrack album for "American Gangster"

I don't know. This track is not getting me nearly as excited as the movie itself. I am truly on the edge of my seat for the film but this Jay-z / Pharrell track doesn't give me that fire that I woulda expected from the two of them. Check it out and see what you think.

Download "blue magic"

Stussy x Hectic x Undefeated New Balance MT580

Here's a look at the Three Threat project between Stussy, Undefeated and Hectic and New Balance. This time the theme is "3 The Hard Way" and they worked on the New Balance MT580. I love the 580 and have always felt that it was the most comfortable shoe in the NB line. For the first time they present a more subtle collection of overall three sneakers. On two of the three sneakers they gave the leather a distressed look on the upper and mixed it with slightly shiny mesh. I really am looking forward to getting this collaboration when it drops! Don't know when it will be released, but it's coming soon.

Robert Hubert R.I.P.

Once again back is the incredible!!!
The Blog animal
The incredible LAZY
public enemy number 1
5-0 said freeze!!
and i got numb..

I'm back bitches!!!

Illinois both sucked and was great in equal parts. My grandfather died. I'm not happy about it but at the same time I'm glad he's outta pain. Watching a loved one die is not a pastime I'd recommend. When it's my time I hope that I can go with some dignity or at the very least, quickly! But from sorrow comes joy! I got to see my extended family for the first time in years and got to meet all the young children of my cousins. That was really great and made me look forward to fatherhood even more than I already have been. Plus I got to be a city mouse visiting the country!! Haha! I got to run farm machinery and pump water from a well! Check the pics and note my farming kicks...

Luckyiam Drops "Most Likely To Succeed" In Stores Now!!

I am outta town dealing with some family stuff at the moment. I got a minute to sneak out and chill in a Barnes & Noble. I brought the Luckyiam album "Most Likely To Succeed" with me, and let me tell you, it is excellent!! I'll post up more on this later.

Ok, it is "later" and I still like this album. If you don't know Luckyiam then you may not be a fan of West Coast hip hop in the last fifteen years. He co-founded Living Legends, was a member of Mystik Journeymen, and honed his craft in L.A. at the Goodlife Cafe alongside, Freestyle Fellowship, Pigeon John, Busdriver and a ton of other artists. He is on tour with Atmosphere, and is set to take over the world with his 3rd installment in his "Extra Credit" series of releases. Consider this record Lucky's solo "GRADUATION" because, for real, Lucky is gonna do big things and this is your chance to get in on the ground floor.

Download "Tear Him Down"

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Kanye West & 50 Cent Drop Albums Today 9/11

I have to admit it...I'm caught up in the hype today! I woke up early and immediately started trying to figure out ways to track the 50 vs. Kanye sales competition.
I've talked on the phone about it, I've e-mailed about it and now I'm blogging about it.
Why do I care?
I've already stated that it's a little like comparing Republicans and Democrats (i.e. not much difference). But I guess just like people who have no political agenda but go out looting during riots, or guys who cheer for sports teams or fighters despite the fact that they have no particular affiliation with them except in the moment and with a group of other excited fans, I too am caught up in whatever this mini cultural gas bubble that is Ye vs 50 IS!
I can't help it!

Anyway, there have been these two tracks floating around the internet for a minute now so I'll drop them on you if you haven't already heard 'em. One from Kanye and one from 50. Enjoy!!

Download Kanye West "Good Night"

Download 50 Cent "What Do You Got"

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Remember when Dr. Dre was overweight?

Not anymore...

Kid Robot & Lacoste collabo

Kidrobot and Lacoste have created a small collaborative collection of sneakers. They are limited to 500 pairs and each come with a matching toy, created by eBoy and Kidrobot. Kidrobot added their own flavor to the sneakers and instead of just choosing colors, they added some of their most popular patterns from their clothing line to the shoes. I don't know how I feel about the actual shoes. I love the design elements and Kid Robot is un-fuk-witable on the colors and patterns. But the shoe itself has gotta be wearable and I'm still not sure if that is the case with these. My favorite is the purple and black one with the blue sole. Besides the toys, the shoes also come with custom inner soles and 3M reflective material, something Lacoste has not tried on their sneakers until now.

Pics Via Sneaker Freaker.

The sneakers will hit all Kidrobot stores (including the new one coming to Miami this fall) some time in November.

Willie The Kid & La The Darkman "Invisible Rules"

50 Cent In Paris!?!

I don't know where Nah Right got the MTV VMA pictures from so fast but this shit is really funny!!

First he gives her the cash...

Then she gives him the...

Prostitution is legal in Las Vegas but I guess what happens in Vegas doesn't STAY in Vegas anymore. hahahaha!

ENTER SHIKARI (or - The English do Screamo?!)

Enter Shikari (MySpace), a London-based quartet that Tony Wilson hailed as "the most exciting band I've seen since the early Sex Pistols gigs back in '76/'77."

Wow.

The tracks are engrossing because you can hear these really disparate influences in the music that are just totally unexpected in, for instance, an American Screamo outfit. Weird old school rave melodic lines, Van Halen synths from the "1984," album (especially "Jump")and other odd bits abound to make this really interesting, and genre defying, stuff. I don't know why but I hear Coheed and Cambria in the vocals just a very little bit (especially in"Sorry You're Not Winner"). Plus it's kinda funny to hear the gut screaming and sudden crooning mixed together with an English accent!

Wu-Tang Clan "8 Diagrams" New Album Drops Nov. 13

Status Ain't Hood blog has a review of the 8 tracks that Rza has released for media review thus far. I don't think anybody believed that a new Wu album would be coming out, so this is an exciting event. How great is it to hear all the Wu on a track!?!! The re-instituted SRC/Loud is gonna come off lookin' like a genius label if this album breaks through.

Download "Watch Your Mouth"

Pick up this album on Nov. 13th on SRC/Loud

Buck 65 on Piracy

I saw this at Grand Good (a great blog that everybody should check out) and was really struck by Buck 65's comments.
Here’s a really great interview with Buck 65 over at Analogue Magazine.

Among other things, he speaks very candidly about bootlegging and how it affects him as an artist as well as on a personal level. I’ve never heard an artist comment about music piracy in the context of his/her relationship with the fans before. I wonder if Buck’s sentiments are common among those in the same predicament.

Link to Analogue Mag article.
and a Link to an article about Canadian music downloading at PimpWiz

"…on my last tour, I tried to help out my own cause. At a certain point, what becomes the focus for me is trying to make a living, and I don’t really have a fall back plan, so I have to figure out ways within this one thing I know how to do, to try to get my rent paid. So on my last tour, I put together a whole bunch of bootleg titles, and I was selling them, and about half way through the tour, I started to see the sales go way way down, and you know it didn’t take a genius to figure out it only took that number of weeks for it to spread all over the internet. But I was coming face to face with people who were walking up to the merch table, looking at everything that I had available there, and saying, ‘I’ve downloaded all this stuff, there’s nothing here for me’, and then just walking away. It’s kind of like, it’s one thing just to know that it’s happening out there, and it’s invisible. But to be confronted with it, face to face, to have a person walk right up to your face, and to say ‘I’ve stolen all your art, and I don’t give a shit, fuck you, you have nothing for me,’ and then just walking away, it’s weird, it’s really weird. Then later that night, you’re on stage, and you’re looking at all these people, and you’re performing for them, and you’re there to provide a service for them, and at the same time trying to remember all the things that are valuable and good about what you’re doing in the first place, i.e.: ‘I love this, I love music and that’s why I’m here’. But sometimes you have to fight off the feeling that your audience is also your enemy in a weird way. They’re the people preventing you from putting food in your mouth. At the end of the day they don’t give a shit about you. They will rob money right out of your pocket if they have the opportunity to do so. You have to try really hard to not think about that, but the reality of it is, essentially that’s what’s going on, and it’s gotten to the point, where people don’t mind telling you right to your face, ‘I don’t know who you are as a person, you may or may not be nice, but as far as what you can do for me, you know, it’s just a matter of what I can take from you, and if you can make some sort of separation, and separate out the human part of you, and really think about it in terms of, I don’t know what, cause it’s not business, stealing doesn’t really fit into a definition of business in a way that really makes sense..."

Aesop Rock "None Shall Pass" video

Aesop Rock's "None Shall Pass" debuted at #50 on Billboard's Soundscan charts with less than 15,000 units moved.

This video for "None Shall Pass" is pretty tight!

Macka-Chin "LAST" Asian Hip Hop That Doesn't Suck

Yeah, I can't understand a thing these cats are saying but just to prove the universality of this music...I FEEL IT!!! I don't need a translator. This is hip hop!

Macka-Chin is a producer/emcee from Japan. His crew, Nitro Microphone Underground, were signed to Def Jam Japan! If you want, you can think of him as their version of The Rza (underground producer and emcee who got snapped up and put on by a major label) and Nitro Microphone Underground as Japan's Wu Tang. They were the first Japanese hip hop group to achieve national success without having to go Pop.

Fans of Massive Attack are gonna feel the layered beats and samples on "Last." The production is unabashedly left field but the drums bump really hard. Macka sometimes strays into electronica to mixed results. His strength lies in the darker, ambient, soundscapes, not the four-four thump of dance music.

Some of his best instrumental tracks are sadly, truncated, leaving the listener wishing that he would carry the songs out and develop the themes to some sort of conclusion. "Meet In The Shinto Shrine" stands shoulder to shoulder with any ambient track released by Irresistible Force but lasts less than a minute and a half. The dusty beat workout of "Universal Gravitation" is another track that begs for an extension.

Despite these minor complaints the best tracks on "Last" lift it up into a very pleasurable experience. "Firm Ground" and "Diver" are standout tracks. I'd love to hear more from this entire crew.

Pick up the album here.

Download "Firm Ground"
Download "Diver"
Download "Meet In The Shinto Shrine"
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Xczircles "The Urge" E.P. on hiphopcore.net

Hip Hop is worldwide. I feel stupid and cliched just writing that. Nothing makes this fact more obvious than when some of the most interesting music is coming from places that your typical American would never expect. Why is it necessary for another country, another culture, to maintain and nurture the art form that was created here? The artists who live here? I don't know, but Soulja Boy isn't being released by an overseas label...

France; Jerry Lewis is funny, Air is a pop sensation, and they surrender a lot. Typical cliched assumptions right? Well how about aggressive, darkly claustrophobic, beats on a par with DJ Shadow, Dan The Automator, and RJD2?
That's what you get if you check out "The Urge E.P." from beatmaker Xczircles.
Now Xczircles is from California but he was approached by the French website hiphopcore.net to release "The Urge E.P." as an exclusive download release available for FREE at their site.
Click over there and check it out.
You won't be disappointed.
If only Allhiphop.com would pay attention to an artist like Xczircles...
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Nike SB X Strummer before n after

Nike carries on with their rock pack concepts (Guns n Roses, U2 etc.) with an SB modeled after Joe Strummer's (of The Clash) '66 fender guitar. Apparently they have a couple versions. One is the brand new guitar and the other is the guitar after years of use by Strummer. No release date but I hope The Skate Park Of Tampa is gonna carry 'em.

Speaking of The Clash, Julien Temple has released a documentary on the life of Joe Strummer that will debut at 2007's Sundance Film Festival.

Pics via SneakersBR

Puma Clyde gum sole

I've never owned a pair of Pumas. For the most part I've never cared for the Clydes. I was sorta interested in the "Cheech Wizard" Clydes but they were so limited that I didn't really chase 'em. On the other hand I am a sucker for a gum sole! I can't help myself. These are simple color ways and the classic Clyde silhouette but with the gum sole added in. makes 'em kinda sweet. A winter release is expected.

check hypebeast for more info.

Onitsuka & Tokidoki join forces

Legendary Japanese athletic company, Onitsuka Tiger is now joining forces with another Japanese heavyweight… Tokidoki, which is mostly noted for their vibrant artistic take on Japanese culture. Since art and fashion are so closely related, it just makes sense to match Tiger’s history of quality products with Tokidoki’s keen eye for modern Japanese art. Beginning in May 2008, plan on seeing the brainchild of these two companies on a bi-annual basis.

via Hypebeast

Dudley Perkins & Georgia Anne Muldrow are G&D

Sometimes stars align. Sometimes kismet is irresistible. Fate. That which is meant to be. All these concepts apply to the collaboration between Dudley Perkins (aka declaime) and Georgia Anne Muldrow. G&D "The Message Uni Versa" on Look Records is the natural, and not unexpected, product of fate. These two star travelers HAD to come together. Both artists are loosely affiliated with Stone's Throw Records (Georgia released an album or two through S.T. and Dudley is immediate crew with Madlib who has produced a considerable amount of his work). Both are difficult to define; often wandering around the edges of hip hop but just as likely to attract fans of funk, soul, or the astral jazz explorations of Sun Ra. Both have shown a proclivity to run, not walk away, from convention.

I haven't been a great fan of Georgia up until now. All of her releases displayed a talent and artistic vision that impressed, but did not move me. Conversely, Declaime has always been one of my favorite artists. He's always been the black sheep in a crew filled with black sheep. It takes a lot to seem weird while working alongside Madlib. But Dudley has always danced to his own funky drummer. "The Message Uni Versa" seems to have combined the strengths of both artists and created something even greater.

The Funk has been making a re-appearance in the last few years. Plant Life sewed the seeds. Pharrel ("Angel" & "Beautiful" in particular) & Cee-Lo (initially with "Cee-Lo Green And His Perfect Imperfections" and most recently as Gnarls Barkley) dropped it on the mainstream world. Now indie hip hop is gonna get a chance to let the, "Fonk set 'em free!" Because make no mistake, just like Prince Paul and Bernie Worrell's Baby Elephant project, this is a funk album. It is one hell of a funky ride too. Georgia on production (an exciting proposition in and of itself to have a woman formulate the funk) and Dudley delivering the revolutionary funk-laimations spells nothing but good times.

The album drops Sept. 25th. Pick that thing up here!

Download "One"

Foxy Brown "We Will Not Surrender"

To the cops maybe!! :-)

How did foxy have time runnin from the cops and every litigious flower & jewelry sales person to record a track?? Well she did and here it is.

She was sentenced to 1 year in prison for violating her parole.

TMZ was in the courtroom when it all went down, and Judge Melissa Jackson slammed Foxy’s pleas for mercy, calling her a "great actress," and saying that if this were the first time she’d apologized, she might be believable, but not now. We’re told that Foxy was visibly distraught by the verdict.

Download "We Will Not Surrender"

At least they found her. Rap News last reported she was missing on July 10th.

Lupe Fiasco Leaks Single "Superstar"

Lupe Fiasco Live @ Myspace Secret Show


I know, I know. This coming week is gonna be an avalanche of 50 vs. Kanye stuff. But I wanna drop this new Lupe Fiasco on ya early cuz you're gonna be fiendin' for it in a month or so. This will be the next big hip hop release of 2007 and you can get the hot shit right now. Don't ever say I never did nothin' for ya.

I like this track a little more than "Dumb it Down" (and I really liked "Dumb It Down"). This one is on the emotional tip while "d.i.d." was more of an ironic club banger.


Lupe Fiasco feat. Mathew Santos - "Superstar" - Atlantic Records

You're gonna wanna pick up the album "THE COOL" when it drops Nov. 20th

Download "Superstar"

DJ KRUSH in St. Pete!! Oct. 17th

This is pretty major! Dj Krush drops down in the dirty burg for a show alongside St. Pete representers Positive Response...

And It's All FREE!!!
Show at 10 PM
Bishop Tavern Downtown St. Pete


DJ Krush visuals

Fool's Gold Label Announces Tour

Too bad they're skipping Florida... :-(

After a non-stop summer of boombox detonations and stadium invasions, the entire Fool’s Gold roster gets extra-shiny for their Fall tour of the US and Canada. It’s everything you’d want from a night at the club: new-school rap princess Kid Sister, tag team DJ sets from the world-renowned A-Trak and his brother from another DJ Mehdi (Ed Banger), electro madness from Daft Punk’s favorite DJ, Kavinsky, the Cool Kids’ back-to-the-future boom, and brand-new jams from Nick Catchdubs, along with surprise guest appearances along the way.

DJs A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs founded Fool’s Gold earlier this year, bringing together the hip-hop and electronic music they play in their sets through official releases like Kid Sister’s debut single “Control” and A-Trak’s Dirty South Dance remixes (in stores now). “This DJ scene that we're a part of in North America has influenced music scenes across the world, but ironically there aren't enough labels that represent it,” says A-Trak. “That's where Fool's Gold comes in.”

Dim Mak Collection will be producing limited-edition tees for the tour, featuring original artwork by Fool’s Gold in-house graphic designer Dust La Rock. The label will use their tour momentum to launch a slew of releases for the rest of the year, including new singles from Cool Kids, Kid Sister, Kavinsky and new signing Kid Cudi, an EP of ‘90s dance re-edits by Sammy Bananas called High Top Fades, international bass rattlers from Jokers of the Scene (Ottawa) and Bag Raiders (Sydney), and more.

Following these North American dates, A-Trak and Mehdi embark on a two-week European jaunt that the bass bros have dubbed “The DJ Mehdi & A-Trak Spectacular Review.” A-Trak’s also been shaking dancefloors on his own, with thumping official remixes for Digitalism (Kitsune), Bumblebeez (Modular), Architecture in Helsinki (Polyvinyl) and Roc-A-Fella’s own Kanye West.

OCTOBER 2007 FOOL’S GOLD TOUR DATES (NORTH AMERICA)
10/4 – Montreal (Club Soda - Pop Montreal)
10/17 – New York (Hiro Ballroom – CMJ Showcase)
10/18 – Vancouver (Celebrities)
10/19 – Los Angeles (Roxy)
10/20 – San Francisco (Mezzanine)
10/21 – Chicago (Empty Bottle)
10/22 – Toronto (Revival)

DJ MEHDI & A-TRAK SPECTACULAR REVIEW TOUR DATES (EUROPE)
10/25 – Glasgow (Sub Club)
10/26 – Cabaret Voltaire (Edinburgh)
10/27 – Clockwork (Bristol - with Kavinsky)
10/31 – Venue TBA (Paris)
11/2 – Chibuku (Liverpool)
11/3 – Venue TBA (Moscow)

Nike Alphabet Pack

Sneaker Freaker strikes again with some cool pics of a new Nike release. The Air Max gets the treatment on this one but of the three different versions I'm really only feelin' the more reserved brown Air max 90. Go over to Sneaker Freaker and check out the detailed pics of all three. No release date yet but they also come with a backpack! Crazy!

Mestizo "Dream State" Drops 9/18 On Galapagos4

Galapagos4 the home of Typical Cats, Qwel, Qwazaar, Maker, Offwhyte, Meaty Ogre, and more drops another album on us. West Coast MC Mestizo hasn't put out an album in a couple years so "Dream State" is ostensibly his re-introduction to listeners. The album is described as "Mestizo's interpretation of his native land of California, which is a dream world in itself, filled with eccentric beings entranced in a dream state."

The music (handled entirely by production duo Julian Code) is right in line with the album's title. Dreamy soundscapes, loopy samples, & dusty drums are all to be expected from a Galapagos4 release. However, one is left to wonder why Mestizo passes on the prodigious talents within his own label. Maker, Meaty Ogre, and Mike Gao are all oddly absent. That aside, Julian Code provides listeners with plenty of cool, 60's lounge-style, organ/keyboard samples and meandering guitar loops. It sends the listener into an era when the Rat Pack was jetting off to Vegas and making the original "Ocean's 11." Laid back. That's the record in a nutshell. Laid back. Nothing wrong with that, but I was left wishing that Mestizo would have pulled out a little something more aggressive and urgent on a track or two. "Tolerance," featuring Qwel, teases us with a simmering late 60's / early 70's funk that hints at what Mestizo and Julian Code can do. He is, without question, capable of delivering fiery lyrics, but seems to have opted for a slow burn rather than a 4 alarm fire on "Dream State."

You can pre-order or pick up the album at Galapagos4. It drops Sept. 18th.

Download "Tolerance"

J.J. Brown mixes Hall & Oates & Gym Class Heroes

J.J. Brown is makin' major moves! Following the mainstream attention he received for re-working Ludacris' most recent album using Jackson 5 songs as the template (you can download it here), J.J. has taken on the task of melding Gym Class Heroes "As Cruel As Schoolchildren" with Hall & Oates entire catalogue!!

"We've been making indie rap records since 1998, and Trav has always been a huge fan," Brown explained of the relationship, which began a few years ago when the Heroes opened up for Brown's crew. After the Luda album was released, McCoy called up and asked if Brown and his 5G Productions team could do the same with the Heroes' album.

"We asked him if he had any suggestions for catalogs — and he didn't know our camp were huge fans of Hall & Oates — and [McCoy] stuttered a bit and said, 'What about Daryl Hall and John Oates?' since [the Heroes' summer] tour was called 'Daryl Hall for President,' " Brown recalled. "The timing was crazy, because we almost did the Ludacris album with Hall & Oates, so we had the stack of records waiting for the next thing."

Not only did 5G not get a cease and desist from the Hall & Oates camp, Brown said, but in a remarkable coincidence, a company that bought the blue-eyed soul duo's catalog sent out an e-mail to the managers of several hot groups earlier this summer asking them if they had any ideas for new ways to market the tunes. That led to a meeting with the new owners of the H&O catalog, which Brown said went better than he could have imagined. "We got past song number two, and everyone is on their Blackberries!" he said. "Hall & Oates' managers are on the phone, the original producers of the tracks are on the phone. When I imagine in my fantasy world what might happen with a great idea, it was happening. We're New York hip-hop producers, and we're used to sampling things and hoping the artists don't catch us. Now we're doing it with their blessing and they're impressed with what we're doing."

How impressed? Two weeks ago, Brown and his partner were given the VIP treatment at a Hall & Oates show in New York, where the duo were as excited to meet Brown as he was to meet them. "I was trying not to be star-struck, but whenever I paid them a compliment, they hit us back with five more."

No release date has been set for the Heroes match-up album so far, but Brown said he's been told it might be part of a package the group is planning to release before the end of this year.

Download "7 weeks" Gym Class Heroes
Download "Re-Release Therapy" Ludacris & The Jackson5


interview via MTV.com

Daryl Hall Interview at Pitchfork

One more reason why Hall and Oates is so fucking cool! The guy is all about the upcoming Gym Class Heroes Hall & Oates Mash up Project!

Pitchfork: We've also just heard that the Gym Class Heroes produced a mash-up album with your music. What do you think of people sampling your music?

DH: I love it. I talked to the producers that did that, John and I both talked to them, and we're working on a project with them. Out of all this came a probable collaboration. What they did was really artistically groundbreaking, I think...And it created a really interesting piece of music. To me, it's like the spirit of Sacred Songs. That's what it reminds me of. It's that experimental spirit that breaks new ground artistically, and I really like it.

To answer your question about people using my samples, once I do something it belongs to the world. Now, I like being paid obviously, but other than the credit, financial and-- you know, real credit, I love it. Do whatever you want. Mess with me. It's fair game.

Read the full interview at PITCHFORK

Promise & Numonics "First Name Basis"

Got a pretty hot E.P. today and figured I better let folks know about it.
Promise & Numonics "A Brief Introduction" is just that, a quick hit into the talents and abilities of Trendsetters members, Promise & Numonics. It's also the introduction to their soon to be released full length album "First Name Basis"

Tampa's been seeing some talented artists on the come up lately (Acafool, Strizzo, Dutchmassive, Breakdown, Surreal). It seems like only a matter of time before somebody breaks big around here. I don't know if these are the cats ta do it but I don't know why they shouldn't either.

The opening track "Ya'll Ain't Ready" is an urgent banger, wrapped up in horn stabs, and sped up vocals (ala Kanye West). What's most striking about the entire E.P. is the extremely well crafted production. Numonics delivers just the right mix of sampling and clean drums, and MC Promise rides the beat with a delivery that usually fits right in the pocket. Numonics, however, is the star here. More than just a beat maker, his tracks have movement and a progression to them that isn't always in effect for most producers these days.

His talents are most notably on display in "Sick & Tired" when the song opens with bongos and a vocal sample and quickly swells into an uptempo, 70's guitar driven, fiery, anthem. They do fall into a cliche or two here and there (suffice it to say that if I never hear another song about smoking weed I'll be just fine) but overall these are some talented cats that you're gonna wanna pay attention to in the very near future. Plus Numonics rocks Mishka gear so I gotta give him love right?!?!



Don't take my word for it. Check 'em out!


Download "Ya'll Ain't Ready"

Download "Sick & Tired"

New Balance Fall '07 Releases

I just took a look at the New Balance Fall/Winter 2007 releases that have been posted at Overkill Berlin.

Here is a more detailed pic of the New Balance "Ndividual" project. Note the "N" text within the replaceable "N" logo. It's growing on me I have to admit.

They received a nice M576 with great brown leather and gold applications.

They also got two fresh WRC574 lady sneakers - one black with woven multicolored upper (kinda like your grandma's couch material) and lacquer “N”-logo; another one with bone white suede upper and glimmering gold colored material.

In addition New Balance drops two brand new models called H754 that veer dangerously close to an air jordan silhouette if Air Jordan made a hiking boot...or something. They feature waterproofed leather uppers and special lacing. The "N" logo is part of the mid material which is a new twist for NB. Not sure what I think of 'em yet but New Balance always keeps it movin' forward.

Overkill always has the dope New Balance releases.

Other Music I'm Listening To

Hope you all had a nice 3 day weekend. How 'bout some music???

It's come to my attention that it may seem as if all I listen to or check for or enjoy is hip hop music. Nothing could be further from the truth. I, in fact, love all different kinds of music. With that in mind let me put some shine on some CDs that've been in my player for a minute. It's been a lotta female artists lately. Maybe because there are so few women in hip hop these days...

Vedera (formerly Veda)- "The Weight Of An Empty Room"

The Falling Kind



My not so guilty pleasure is female fronted indie rock bands from the 90's. I love The Blake Babies, The Cranberries, 10,000 maniacs, Sinead O'Connor, The Sundays, Belly, Aimee Mann and all that stuff. So a band like Kansas City's Vedera is gonna quickly rocket into my most played list because Kristin May and her band obviously came up on these very same bands. They do add a little something extra with Kristin's crystalline, and searingly powerful, vocal delivery and Brian Little's almost U2-like effected guitar dynamics. Anthemic deliberations on heartache, relationships (both beginning and ending) are at the core of the album. As my friend Mudd so correctly points out on a regular basis, Kansas City does not let a mediocre band out on the road. Both live and on record Vedera is a captivating experience. I can't wait for their next album!! They have apparently signed with Epic so here's hoping that a big label knows how to work them properly and they get a chance to really shine.

Download "Trade This Fear"

The Forecast - "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen"



Now here is a band for long road trips and whiskey soaked nights. They're from Peoria, Illinois (a little farm town that I spent my childhood summers in, visiting relatives, and attempting to stave off boredom) but don't hold that against 'em. One of the tightest rhythm sections in indy rock music today. Seriously, like metronome precision. Driving guitars, equal parts earnest and soaring vocals about love, loss and the joys and pains of traveling the open road in a van with your friends. I am constantly reminded of another Illinois band, Pegboy. But the Forecast is no knock off. Original and exciting with just that perfect sense of world weary melancholy that you might not expect in a band so young. They'd tour with Murder By Death and Brazil in my perfect world.

Download "A Fist Fight For Our Fathers"

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "100 Days, 100 Nights"


Now hear is a funk and soul sister number 1!! None of this fake-the-funk, flash-in-the-pan, trend hoppin', Amy Winehouse, bullshit for Ms. Jones. Serious funk from this Augusta, Georgia born, Brooklyn bred lady. After years of non-stop worldwide touring and recording, Sharon Jones and her mighty Dap-Kings give you their finest full-length effort to date. As Sharon says, "If you cant feel the music on this album, then you must be a dead ass!"
Daptone Records releases this album October 8th.

Download "Keep On Looking"


Now go and pick up some of these albums. I really recommend them very highly.

Knobody "Tha Clean-Up" drops sept 18th on Hiero Imperium

Hieroglyphics Imperium has been adding new artists to their roster lately. O.C. was their high profile acquisition but he's no longer alone. Along with former Rhymesayer Musab, and Prince Ali, comes Bay Area rapper Knobody. Knobody came to the attention of Hiero's resident A&R man, veteran MC Casual, at a show that he was performing at in '06, and was signed to the label within weeks.

Download "What U Think"

Knobody's first album on Hiero, "Tha Clean Up," will hit stores on September 18. "Tha Clean-Up" is a heavy hitting, cohesive album that aims to do what a clean-up hitter does on a baseball team: smack some balls out of the park. With featured appearances from the hottest underground rapper in the Bay, Mistah Fab, as well as Casual, Opio, & A-Plus it looks like a guaranteed quality release from the next generation of Hieroglyphics artists.

Grab the album when it drops fools!!
Hit Knobody on Myspace.

More from Hiero coming soon.
tracklisting for the album
01. Message from Quiana(intro)
02. Back
03. Supa ft. Francis S. & Jacoria
04. Im On It ft. Radio
05. Sacrifice ft. G7
06. What U Think ft. Radio
07. I Neva Said ft. Ginger
08. Wrong Clock ft. Mistah F.A.B., A-Plus, Butchie, & Opio
09. On My Job
10. OthaWorld
11. Granted ft. Jacoria
12. Menace
13. tha Caged Bird
Bonus Track: Champion ft. Casual

IN STORES 09/07

Bizzy & Twista "Money"

Chicago emcee Twista (formerly Tung Twista) made his name initially as one of the fastest rappers in the game. He has since moved up into mainstream consciousness (and slowed his flow significantly) with high profile appearances on tracks from R. Kelly (his mainstream breakout appearance), Kanye, Jaime Foxx, Trick Daddy, Lil John, Faith Evans, Mariah Carey, Pharrell etc.

Bizzy (formerly of Bone Thugs & Harmony) also came up as a "fast rapper." His crew popularized the "sing-song rapping" that has been taken to nauseating heights by Nelly and many of his mid-west affiliates. Bizzy was always a little more interesting to me because he married his flow with a nasal delivery that threw his slang into a different range than his partners.

Bizzy has released a single that, I will admit, initially left me with little or no interest.

That's right! I was "PRE-HATING!" I admit it!

The track is called "Money" (wow! such an original concept that's almost never addressed within hip hop ...yeah right!) But damn if they don't both bring it over an extremely ill, synth-guitar driven, mid-tempo, banger. Twista flips back to his old style by speeding through his verse to a hair-raisingly dope snare rolling conclusion.

Seriously, go check out this track. I guarantee it is gonna grow on you.


This is the first single off Bizzy Bone's new album "A Song For You."

Also featured on the album are DMX, Jim Jones, Trina, Lyfe Jennings, Good Charlotte, Chris Notez and more!

Expected October 30, 2007!

Download "Money"

Association Of Freedom "free spirit"

I got this from a Ukrainian cat named Dorofeev Roman. It is some pretty ill instrumental music.


"Association of freedom" was formed in 2005 in Makeyevka, Ukraine. It consists of easterly electronic music. I wanted to pass the spirit of mystery and travel in my track. I also like to explore with different directions. I want that my music can hear people. This is my goal. "

Download "Free Spirit"

New Balance X Hanon M576 "SMU" re-released

Just saw this at the Hanon Shop website...

The original Hanon M576 is back! This is the first ever hanon x New Balance SMU ( Special Make Up) designed and released in 2004.

Assembled at New Balance's renowned UK Flimby factory, our first collaboration featured the classic M576 running shoe remixed with a combination of suede, full grain leather and airflow mesh. We released two styles to an edition of 196 pairs, each featuring notable details such as a contrast white saddle and the now familiar gold 'N.

What is the Vault and what was up with the green colourway?

Initially we designed 3 colourways but due to some difficulty meeting factory minimums, one unfortunately had to go. Reluctantly the green was dropped and only the navy and red were manufactured. However New Balance Japan liked the style so much they took up the production of the green colourway and the shoe was released as a special edition in the Far East. ( subsequent NB SMU's are now produced only once). Upon its launch, sneaker heads across the globe quickly picked up on the 3rd? model, and although never an official hanon release - was out there. The secret colourway!

The Vault.

The Vault includes our 'stash' and a short run of the green model from the allocated release. We opted in to piggy back on the production and pulled some as the style was to be manufactured once only. The opportunity arose to tag on to the line allowing us to hold all of our original colours.

All three can now be released as the original pack and the green ones are back home!

The Launch.

We have a short run of stashed vault stock which will be released this weekend. We dont have many and this is it. The last of them. If you missed out on the original launch in 2004 now is your chance to grab a pair before they disappear into sneaker folklore forever.

Saturday September 8th 2007. Instore from 10am. Up at 1pm (UK).

NEW BALANCE 1500 X SOLEBOX "Toothpaste Pack"

Pictures via Sneaker Freaker of the New Balance x Solebox Toothpaste Pack.

I think these are extremely nice shoes and a little different than both what has been released by New balance and the rest of the shoe companies lately.

The pack consists of two New Balance 1500's, each using a nice mix of premium suede, mesh and patent leather. The details on these are mad hot. I am especially feelin' the gum sole (I'm a sucker for gum sole sneakers!) and the understated use of patent leather. There is still no exact release info, but we'll keep you posted.