Film Review: Black Panther

Certainly it has been years since my last post. Even still the fire for quality content has not died, though maybe the spring from which non-mainstream media once sprung has now run dry. Today is not a day to lament that however, it is a day to return to writing for the people or for no one. It is a day I write for you about this movie.

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Just Watch This

I'm going to have to leave this one for you to watch.

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This Is A Good Cover

The Mahogany Blog is good about showcasing artists that we here in the States may have not otherwise heard of. So when I heard this cover, I had to step away from my 'No covers' stance and appreciate the song.

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Top Videos of 2014

As all people who write about music do, I am writing a list of my favorite video of 2014. It’s difficult to watch every single video that has been released, and I will be straight forward in saying that I haven’t.

I have however given considerable time to watching many videos, and I will highlight my favorites. The watching period for this year is from December 25th, 2013-December 24th, 2014.

Riiiight!!

The first time I'd heard of Smoke DZA, it was right after he dropped Substance Abuse. If you take a look on Live Mixtapes, that would date Substance Abuse to some time around 5 years ago. If that's not a throwback, I don't know what is.

After Smoke Dizza dropped Substance Abuse, he came through with

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Finally!

Since The Water[s] dropped this August, this particular song has been on my playlist. It is one of the years best rap songs, using great lyrical content, hook, and instrumental.

Mick Jenkins may have had a hand in this concept, but whoever the director of this video is definitely outdid themself.

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Believe Me

The first time I heard Sha Stimuli, I wasn't sure if I was grasping the song I heard fully. There seemed to be a mix of satire and truth wrapped around lyricism with a hint of pain. I'm not sure if that description is totally fitting, but I think it combines elements of Sha's style.

He is one of the better lyrical artists I've heard, and even though songs in his catalog are dangerously similar, he provides messages through each track. I like him so much I actually bought his work, and that's saying something.

Today's Throwback Thursday track will be that very first song I heard from him, Believe Me. The video attached to the song is indeed silly, but may help you follow along with the lyrics.

Below Believe Me, check out Sha in the Backroom on BET.




Sha Stimuli's Backroom Freestyle

Something Of Interest

Chris Rock has one of the funniest stand ups I've ever seen. Everybody Hates Chris was definitely a show chalked full of social and racial commentary in a comedic exterior. He is arguably one of the better comedians of this time, albeit his voice is madd annoying.

On December 12th, he'll be releasing a movie entitled Top 5, about a man's fictional rise to fame and subsequent drought of creativity and lacking humor. The trailer below is a sneak peek into the movie.

If you're looking for more updates on the project, check out the Top 5 YouTube page, and see Mr. Rock on Twitter. Go to the Read More section to see the full trailer.

Also, who are your top 5 favorite rappers?

Toss Me

I don't know a lot of people that are into Dom Kennedy like I am. If you do listen to him, you may know that he's referenced to both DJ Quik and Suga Free before. (Check this song, and this song.)

They've all linked together to provide a Old-West-Meets-New-West banger that's been on my radar since it dropped.

Life Jacket is a mellow song, Suga Free and DJ Quik of course bring a very Old West flair to the song, and Dom adds the rap that we're used to today. Check out the video below.

It's Been A While

Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Stavely better known as the trio The Staves have been rather silent on the creation end as of late. They have toured and  created a partnership with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) who will be producing their next full length entitled Blood I Bled.

The creative silence is now over. The sisters have released the video for the title track that will be on the Blood I Bled EP (October 28th). The video is a treat, and will take you on a cinematic journey in India. To find this song and their other songs, check their SoundCloud. Enjoy the video below.


*Their album name has been changed to If I Was, and it's set to release March 25, 2015.

Believe In H.O.P.E.

Back when Jhene Aiko was tweeting him on the regular, I found  Hope Wright, (rap name H.O.P.E.) on 2dopeboyz. I enjoyed him almost immediately with his unorthodox word play, and since he was apart of the New West, I had to play. Today's Throwback Thursday song is just like the picture with Jhene, a throwback gem.

Bliss was created long before its 2011 project, Believe in H.O.P.E. Wright debuted, yet is still an impressive song. I adopted the mantra, "Chasing my happy," from the track. Enjoy it below, and if you want to see the video with H.O.P.E.'s then adorable young-one in it, go to the Read More section.

The song looks like it doesn't work, but if you press play, it will.

Sade

Courtesy of mis padres, I stumbled upon a vinyl entitled Promise. It's artist is Sade. We know her from songs like Sweetest Taboo, Ordinary Love, and the famous Smooth Operator. She was a huge artist in the mid 80's to the early 90's, recording and touring with her band of the same name.

The music is heavily rooted in jazz and takes on some of the early characteristics of what we consider today to be classic R&B. Today's Throwback Thursday song is a little known gem by 20-something and younger, yet is a miraculous opener to a wonderful album.

The video is very 80's-esq, but weaves a story around a wonderful song. Enjoy.

Speaking Of James

There was a post about Daniel Caesar and how he is similar to James Vincent McMorrow. This is true, but I'm not sure who would have heard Mr. McMorrow or not. Regardless, he is being presented today.

One of the covers Mr. Caesar did was of Cavalier, which originally played by James Vincent McMorrow.  This song is extremely cryptic and hard follow along with, but the video enhances and gives meaning inspite of all of this. The close angles and limited perspective provide an introspection of the main character and his emotions.

 There is also another song, If I Had A Boat, that is much easier to understand and still just as "life giving" by Mr. McMorrow. I encourage you to check each out below.




James Vincent McMorrow - If I Had A Boat

Inspired By Recent Events

Who remembers DJ Ill Will and DJ Rockstar? What happened to them anyway?

When Wiz Khalifa cared about rhyming (I'd say Kush & OJ and before) he dropped this random gem of a mixtape, Burn After Rolling. The name was probably inspired by the hilarious political dramedy, Burn After Reading. Check out the covers and say that there was no influence.

Today's Throwback Thursday track is inspired by Wiz's recent marital trouble and supposed split from wife Amber Rose. You can view that here.

In the meanwhile, listen to When U Find by the divorcee. It almost seems that with the allegations Mrs. Khalifa has thrown against him, he tailor made this song for her in 2009.

In The Sun

If you've heard of James Vincent McMorrow and James Blake, then you'll understand their style is cross genre filled with cryptic lyrics and hidden meanings. If you like them, then you're sure to like who would be their musical child together, Daniel Caesar. He's also done covers of their songs, go figure.

Mr. Caesar showed us his skill earlier in the year with his EP, Birds of Paradise with a lovely cover of James Blake's Scream. Now, in his most recent EP, Praise Break, Mr. Caesar drops off a fresh blend of R&B and other electro-synth-soul sounds for us all.

Violet is not only a great song, but the video gets better each time I watch. it. Check it below, and check out Praise Break underneath the video.




Daniel Caesar - Praise Break EP

No Love Dying

There are days when music can fall into your lap and change your mood for the whole day. This song falls into that category.

I've never heard of Gregory Porter, but he is a talent if we're basing it off of this work. No Love Dying is a simple tale that reinforces it's title: there will be no love dying while he is around.

It's hard to stress how amazing this song is, and courtesy of The Mahogany Sessions, you can enjoy below.


 

I Really Wanna Be

Rap, if no one has noticed, has it's central hubs. Favorite J. Cole, although from Fayetteville, North Carolina, got signed to Roc Nation while he lived in New York City. NYC is known to be a central hub for music as well as the birthplace of hip hop.

Kendrick Lamar, although from Compton, California blew up from L.A. Our hometown hero Big K.R.I.T. hails from Meridian, MS which I dare anyone to locate on a map, moved to Atlanta to get his career to take off.  Chicago has hosted and helped launch several careers also. Houston has always taken care of its own, as has the Bay (San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, etc.), Miami, Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans,  and other cities.

As rap is universal, it is not confined to the above cities. To keep a long story short, some of the rappers I have admired most throughout life are from across the map. Rap has not always been kind in some cities however, maybe contributing to a lack of knowledge of these individuals. The rappers featured in today's Throwback Thursday are indeed from Sacramento, CA and Las Vegas, NV respectively.

Trade Voorhees and Illecism (now know as Xuice Hades) were in a collective (prior to the rise of collectives) known as Fly High. They garnered a lot of attention on the Internet through various releases. Illy has remained in the shadows of hip hop since his name change to Xuice Hades, and has relinquished his social media presence to sporadic mixtape and EP drops.

Trade is continually working, although his pace has slowed also. He seems to have focused more on his productions ability.

Regardless of this, these were two rappers that I highly favored and spoke of highly when I stretched my small legs into the pool of hip hop.

Today's tracks come from Mr. Mike Televisions solo release Trade Voorhees II and the joint EP released between Illy and Trade, Child's Play. Enjoy, and if you dare, ask Trade what happened to Illy. I'm curious to know.

I Wanna Be... is dedicated to the people who have a dream bigger than them. Continue to pursue it.






Trade Voorhees - Water ft. Illecism (Xuice Hades)

I Can't Wait

I'm nearly sure that most people aren't extremely familiar with J. NiCs , yet he has put out consistent drops each year since he began his rhyme slinging. The raspy voiced Miami spitter continues to impress with his unique flow,  and the Throwback Thursday track today comes from him.

2011's Champion Rizla started off with this track, The Return. Take a listen and check out his new release, DJ Saved My Life from his upcoming album SNAS (Southern Niggas Ain't Slow). Both songs are heat.



J NiCS - The Return (Prod. by Numonics) from UnkleLuc on Vimeo.


J NiCS - DJ Saved My Life

We'll See

The years have been strikingly unkind to the poet-rapper known by no other name than Wale. His album releases have spanned a myriad of topics that have his "day one" fans wondering what the hell he's doing, and his add on fans confused at times also.

The MMG member has finally admitted that, and hasn't promised better, but promised an album for the people about nothing. The Album About Nothing is on the way and Wale has released a trailer in support of it. Check it out below, and weigh in in the c-section on what you think of Wale's career so far.

October 14th Will Be Amazing

This man Justin Scott is coming to Indianapolis on October 14th. He'll be performing at the Emerson Theater in support of his Pay Attention Tour. This will be more than exciting, and he'll probably be playing cuts off his 2013 super mixtape, King Rememberd In Time. The tickets are ultra cheap ($20 general admission) and there is a meet and greet plus package available. Check out the song Pay Attention below, check out the Cadillactica preview if you haven't seen in, and gather the rest of the ticket information here.




Cadillictica Trailer