Among my favorite stops for inspiration is a shop in downtown savannah called The Paris Market;

When I walk in, the coffeeshop section in the corner featuring shiny silverware and coffee accessories always catches my eye.
Beautiful books on photography, fashion (and dogs) are stacked beyond the tables of cottage country knickknacks and parisian soaps. 
The warehouse-y lower level is littered with wildlife taxidermy and beautiful modern-vintage mixed furniture.

If only I had about 8000 more dollars…aged beauty comes with a price tag after all.

However, my visual appetite is certainly whetted with this eclectic gem.

Here is just a taste, from their website:

image sources for: cakestands, carnival noses, and bakery cabinet

This place has me dreaming of fluffy pastries and strong coffee, leafing blithely through a coffeetable size book of black and white photography; organizing my stuffed coyote and belgian carnival noses on a rustic country cabinet; monogramming my entire house with delicate curled metal lettering.

Expect jewelry from me to come from this musing.
I’ll let you know what happens.
If nothing else, maybe I’ll have a Darwin-esque field journal.

If you are in Savannah, you should certainly check it out. It’s on the corner of Broughton (of course) and Whitaker.

This
Here and now
With you

Oh please don’t ask me who i am
Or when and where my life began
Or why i ended up like this or how
Don’t ask me what i was before
If i was anything at all
Its nothing you can know
About me now

You hold my spinning head to stare
And strip me bare of memory
Your black eyes burning into me
So slow
The sounds and lights and others fade
And fall away in symmetry
Your black eyes burning hungrily
And unafraid i know

Everything i ever dared forget is here
Too scared before i never let
Tonight be all i need
Everywhere i never tried to get is here
Too tired before to ever let
Tonight be all i feel
Every time i ever thought regret is here
Too caught before i never let
Tonight be all i dream
There isn’t any yesterday
Tomorrow starts a day away

This
Here and now
With you

I can’t believe this is coming true
I’m up so close to kissing you
A breath away from never going home
I don’t remember getting here
It seems to be sometime next year
I hope you wont be
Leaving me alone?

No please don’t tell me who i am
Or when and where my life began
Or why i ended up like this or how
Don’t ask me what i was before
If i was anything at all
Its nothing you can know
About me now

You pull my shaking body close
To make the most of tangency
I bite your mouth so fearfully
And slow
The taste of summers yet to shine
A perfect time to change the scene
I bite your mouth in urgency
And terrified i know

Everything i ever dared forget is here
Too scared before i never let
Tonight be all i need
Everywhere i never tried to get is here
Too tired before to ever let
Tonight be all i feel
Every time i ever thought regret is here
Too caught before i never let
Tonight be all i dream
There isn’t any yesterday
Tomorrow starts a day away
This here and now with you is how
Always should always be

This
Here and now
With you

I promise it is not insurance fraud.

I look in the mirror the picture’s getting clearer
I wanna be myself but does the world really need her

[...]

My depression keeps building like a cup overfilling
My heart so rigid I keep it in the fridge
It hurts so bad that I can’t dry my eyes
Cuz they keep on refillin’ with the tears that I cry…

But I’m addicted to complication

And I think, I think, I think I think too much

« Hey little girl keep on smiling!!
‘Cause they don’t wanna hear you complaining
You’re a lucky girl
Your life is so exciting
So I’ll keep on making bad jokes
‘Cause you think I’m strong
And it might be the way you like it
Oh how I need you to like me…

Please now just don’t count on me
I can’t handle it anymore
And don’t ask me why
If you don’t want me to lie
But don’t be alarmed
Don’t you see that I’m just down
Just don’t worry soon
I’ll be back on the tracks

Smiling!!
‘Cause I’ll get tired of complaining
I’m a lucky girl
And I’m doing exactly what I wanted
So I’ll keep on making bad jokes
‘Cause I need to be strong
And it might be my only chance to get out of it
And now I really need to make it!! »

P.H.I.L.T.H.Y., Love Songs For Losers & Ballads For Ballers EP
What is love? Lansing emcee P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. looks to answer that question with Love Songs For Losers & Ballads For Ballers, his new EP with Los Angeles producer Jansport J. Whether it’s romance, family, friends or God, P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. covers all the bases with this concept project. The EP’s single, “Say It,” has been praised by URB, 2DopeBoyz, Kevin Nottingham, and other music blogs across the Internet. With Love Songs For Losers & Ballads For Ballers, P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. and Jansport J continue the rich tradition of quality hip-hop produced by meshing prime Michigan talent with California’s elite.
[Download at MichiganHipHop.com. Follow P.H.I.L.T.H.Y. and Jansport J on Twitter (@p2dahi and @JansportJ) and MySpace (/p2dahi and /JansportJ). ]

For the rest of this week’s Fantasy iTunes roster, check under the cut.

Blitz The Ambassador, Stereotype
While I’m excited about the new trend of rappers bringing live bands to back their performances instead of instrumentals, I’ll be the first to admit that it doesn’t necessarily turn shit into gold. It takes a certain type of emcee to ably rock the stage with an ensemble of musicians, and when I saw Blitz The Ambassador do so at an AllHipHop.com Breeding Ground event in New York City last autumn, I pegged him as a member of such an elite class. He had also gotten the cosign by my homie Kevin Clark, and when I saw HipHopDX give him a coveted 4 out of 5 star rating, I decided to give this album a shot. And after putting this into full rotation, I’m thisclose to giving it a personal 5-star rating. A diverse collection of live instruments keep every song energetic and engaging, and Blitz doesn’t take one verse for granted. As the reviewer Andres Tardio wrote: “Whether speaking on the culture (“Breathe”), love (“Lover’s Remorse”) or political injustice (“Ghetto Plantation”), Blitz spits with purpose and skill evenly.” Do yourself a favor and get a hold of this album. Not now, right now.
[Listen to Stereotype at Blitz The Ambassador's BandCamp page, and click on "Buy" to get your own copy. Trust me when I say it's worth every penny.]

Diamond District (Oddisee, XO and yU), In The Ruff
Oddisee has been one of my favorite artists ever since he was the second artist I’d interviewed in my journalism career back in 2004. The Washington, D.C. dual threat gets my vote as the best rapper/producer in the industry today, and he’s got the catalog to back it up. His remix projects and freelance game have all been official – he’s crafted beats for the likes of Freeway, Talib Kweli, Little Brother and others – but his own projects are the strongest points of his discography. His beats maintain a versatile trademark sound with equal parts soul and trunk rattle factor, and his hooks are catchy as hell, despite him not being a “mainstream” artist. His rhymes are smooth and substantial: he’ll spit braggadocio, vivid narratives, or knowledge about the genocide in his homeland of Sudan with equal ease. His new squad Diamond District – the trio of him, XO, and yU – looks to use In The Ruff to define Washington, D.C. the way that seminal East and West Coast emcees brought listeners to their respective stomping grounds with their music. Armed with able-bodied lyrics use local street names and landmarks to help depict their hometown and Oddisee’s incredible set of soundbeds, Diamond District’s mission is accomplished.
[Download at Diamond District's blog. Also, check Oddisee Music.]

Royce Da 5′9″, The Revival EP
My allegiances may  go back to politics as usual once Jay-Z drops Blueprint 3 next month, but Royce Da 5′9″ is slowly becoming my favorite rapper; period. He’s always had great lyrics, but after adding in the flow he’s had since his The Bar Exam mixtape in 2007, he’s untouchable. He did his thing alongside Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I on the new Slaughterhouse album, but I’ve been listening to this The Revival EP on a more regular basis. He’s got the punchlines, he’s got the beats, and the mixes are great…but that damn flow is undeniable. The Revival EP is four songs from Royce’s upcoming album executive produced by DJ Premier, Street Hop. And if the rest of the disc is as solid as these tracks, Royce may have the classic that he’s always been capable of.
[Cop the EP for $3.96 on iTunes, but check out "Gun Harmonizing" and "Warriors" (feat. Slaughterhouse) on MichiganHipHop.com. BONUS: Two other tracks from Street Hop, "Shake This" and "Part of Me"]

–

The other member of his week’s Fantasy iTunes roster – Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue – is getting a separate post, but here are a few “loosies” (©TSS), just in case you don’t have time to digest an entire album.

• Bun B feat. Royce Da 5′9″, “Hood Love”  (prod. DJ Premier) – Nickel and Bun are focused as usual, but the best part about this song is hearing DJ Premier step away from his usual scratch-heavy formula to offer a reserved beat that’s conducive to introspective rhymes. [via MichiganHipHop.com]
• Ryan Leslie, “You’re Not My Girl” – One of R&B’s brightest emerging songwriting/producing talents has a new single that lets people know that he’s not as sappy as he thinks. [via The Fader]
• Black Milk, “In The A.M.” – Per usual, Black Milk spits hot rhymes over a beat that sounds that much progressive than what he had put out before. Banger. [via MichiganHipHop.com]
• XV feat. Big Sean, “Life Vs. Livin” – There isn’t much that gets me more excited than hearing a song from an artist that I don’t know anything about, and getting excited at how dope it is. I loved Big Sean’s verse on this song, but XV isn’t a slouch himself. The beat and the format of the song are also well done. [via MichiganHipHop.com]

I usually rely on younger talent for my Fantasy iTunes rosters, but there are certain veterans that just don’t miss. 50 years ago from this Monday, August 17, Miles Davis’ seminal album Kind of Blue hit record shelves. This is the best-selling jazz album of all time – and you don’t have to be an aficionado of the genre to appreciate that. Here’s an excerpt from an article about the construction of jazz’s definitive album:

So Kind of Blue sounded different from the jazz that came before it. But what made it so great? The answer here is simple: the musicians. Throughout his career, certainly through the 1950s and ’60s, Miles Davis was an instinctively brilliant recruiter; a large percentage of his sidemen went on to be great leaders, and these sidemen—especially Evans, Coltrane, and Adderley—were among his greatest. They came to the date, were handed music that allowed them unprecedented freedom (to sing their “own song,” as Russell put it), and they lived up to the challenge, usually on the first take; they had a lot of their own song to sing.

…Kind of Blue is a one-shot deal, so dreamily perfect you can hardly believe someone created it. Which is why it remains so deeply satisfying, on whatever level you experience it, as moody background music or as the center of your existence. Listen to it 100 times or so, and you still marvel at its spontaneous inventions; now and then, you’ll even hear something new.

“And it takes no time to fall in love

But it takes you years to know what love is

And it takes some fears to make you trust

It takes those tears to make it rust

It takes the dust to have it polished

[...]

It takes some silence to make sound

And it takes a lost before you found it

And it takes a road to go nowhere

It takes a toll to show you care

It takes a hole to see a mountain”

This has been a long time coming. Pac Div – the Los Angeles rap trio of Mibbs, Likewise and BeYoung - had flew under my radar before I interviewed them for HipHopDX’s DXNext column, but once I got ahold of their blend tape Sealed For Freshness, I understood what the hype was about. First of all, they’re hilarious personalities who I’d hang out with if I had the chance. Quotable gold from the interview is as follows:

On their influences:

Carl Weathers is one of our biggest influences.

On their audience:

We make music for niggas who wear diamond earrings and live in apartments. Niggas who spend they last $5 on a beer, and not get no food.

On what each member brings to the group:

I’ma speak for the fellas. BeYoung delivers the hoes! Nah, I’m playing. BeYoung is the quiet, more savvy, he’s more like the AZ. Nah, he’s not AZ. He’s more real savvy, quiet. He’s smooth, laid back, he’s a mystery, we call him the Quiet Assassin. He’s a man of few words, but he definitely delivers a punch when he spits. Mibbs is more animated. He’s the Redman, he’s like a Busta Rhymes. He don’t look like Busta Rhymes; his neck is thicker than Busta Rhymes.

What’s really great about these guys is that they have respect for the old school, but they don’t use it as a crutch at all. They’re nostalgic, but they’ll get you just as excited about where hip-hop is going. That’s exactly what Pac Div did for me: they lead a trio of  rap acts that made me believe that record labels were finally catching the hint that signing different acts was the best way to success. Hopefully, Universal/Motown handles Pac Div better than Warner Bros. handled Wiz Khalifa, smh.

So far, it seems like they’re successfully using the Cool Kids approach: keep them relevant by way of live performances, advertisement deals, music videos and interviews, but only a limited amount of new music. They made fans wait for them and crave new material, instead of flooding the market a la Lil Wayne or Charles Hamilton. They had a self-titled iTunes EP (CLICK HERE to cop on iTunes, or HERE to cop on Zune) that had three of their best new songs, the occassional song leak, and music videos for “Fat Boys ‘08,” “Women Problems,” “Mayor,” and my personal favorite of theirs, “Taste.” This new tape was pushed back for what seems like half a year, but it wouldn’t suprirse me if they were just doing that to help with the buzz – and if they were, this is worth the wait. Hopefully, they can keep this balance of timeliness and anticipation while preparing the rap world for their Universal debut.

Enough from me, though. Visit the newly launched ChurchLeagueChampions.com for their philosophy behind the project, photo gallery, artist bio, and most importantly, a link to download the mixtape.

Nas & Damian Marley, “As We Are” (Snippet)

The globe is ready for change. This is the soundtrack to all of that.

Seems like it’s been a while since I’ve made a post that was solely about music, but this got me excited. As much as I’ve been pissed about Nas not doing an album with DJ Premier, watching this video and listening to this snippet made this collaboration project between him and Damian Marley make so much sense. They’re both just as socially aware (aside from the occassional factual slip-up from the homie Nasir) as they are talented, and their solo catalogs have reflected that.

I’ve said time and time again, that music is getting back to the way that it used to be. Sure, there’s still B.S. out there. But you see more and more artists not letting politics and egos get in the way of dope music. Nas and Damian Marley are doing an album together, and with an EPK, a snippet, and shows together on this year’s Rock The Bells Tour, it may actually come to fruition. Nas and Damian Marley are both huge artists who could’ve kept their solo thing going for monetary reasons (which is a main reason for the near extinction of the rap group), but they’re letting their musical chemistry and their passion for Africa guide them. The same thing for Slaughterhouse – normally, supergroups are limited to urban legend and bootlegged demos. But Royce Da 5′9″, Joe Budden, Crooked I and Joell Ortiz buckled down and didn’t only make an album, but found a deal for it and maximized their coverage leading up to it. Call me overly optimistic if you want, but I think these are good signs.

Under the jump, check Nas & Damian Marley’s previous collaboration, “Road To Zion.”

via HypeBeast x 2DopeBoyz

If there’s one thing that annoys me, it’s superfluous complaints about the music business. People usually 1.) Complain about the business without having any real idea about what’s going on, 2.) Complain instead of coming up with solutions, or worst of all, 3.) Just complain to fit in with other people who are pissed about the industry. That being said, the two videos in this blog by Ike Dirty are pretty on point to me. 

Initially, I had disagreed with the points in the first video (posted above), which are that today’s A&Rs don’t know enough about music. I think that occasionally, knowing too much about a certain thing can put you out of touch with others’ perception. For example, I’m a writer, and I know that certain pieces seem wack to me, but they’re really efficient to those who aren’t blessed with the pen. I think it’s quite possible that a trained musician can be so focused on details that they miss the big picture of how other people will perceive the music. But he’s still got a point: an artist is less likely to grow if their A&R doesn’t know much about music, because he doesn’t know what details/help to offer. He may know what he likes, but not how to get there – and that’s a recipe for a stagnant musical pallette. 

Check the second video after the jump.

The second video is dead-on, though. Just like Saigon said, “People don’t make hit records anymore: they buy them.” The thing is that just like Ike said, even sales are on his argument’s side, citing people like Aaliyah, Michael Jackson, etc. When an artist relies too much on somebody else’s buzz, listeners focus more on the bigger name instead of the one they don’t know. A great example would be Playaz Circle. Don’t know who they are? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one; what makes this bad is that this duo had one of the biggest hits of 2007: “Duffle Bag Boy.” But Lil Wayne is the star of the song, despite him only singing/rapping on the chorus. An artist who has it right, though, is Keri Hilson: she’s working almost entirely with Timbaland and Polow Da Don, crafted a smash song with Lil Wayne while still keeping the focus on her, and created a cohesive work that scanned 93,000 copies in its first week. Take notes, people.

Shoutout to WrighTrax for putting me up on game

If you’re well-versed on your classic rap records and know what the title of this blog is a reference to, then you’d probably guess that one of my most anticipated albums for 2009 is coming from the Brooklyn emcee on the left. But the white guy on the right doesn’t seem too shabby, either. And I know, I’m making a list of these albums three months into the new year. But in the words of my younger brother, “Don’ t care, don’t care, don’t care.” Follow the jump to see Ketchums’ Most Anticipated Albums For ‘09.

Most Anticipated Of ‘09: Mos Def, The Ecstatic
In my (and many other hip-hop heads) opinion, while Mos Def is at his best, there aren’t many that embody the essence of the emcee as much as he does. He’s got the poetic, thought-provoking lyrics; he’s got the distinctive voice; and he’s got a contagious energy that makes the listener just as passionate as he does. His Black Star album with Talib Kweli and his solo debut Black On Both Sides are both widely considered as seminal hip-hop classics (the latter is actually one of my favorite albums of all time). But his issue, seemingly, has beenhis focus: The New Danger was full of rock n’ roll experimentation, which shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, considering Black On Both Sides’ standout track “Rock N’ Roll,” and his Black Jack Johnson band/offshoot project. But with the apparent laziness behind Tru3 Magic – both musically and otherwise, with the album even lacking an album cover and eventually being pulled from stores – made a lot of people, Ketchums included, lose hope. But once Mos exploded back on the scene with his verse on The Roots’ “Rising Down,” he showed that he hadn’t lost a step. With The Ecstatic lined up for a June 9street date – which, along with being the day before my brother’s birthday, happens to be the 10 year anniversary of the release of Black On Both Sides – I’m looking for Mos to take back his spot as one of rap’s elite.

Michigan Hip-Hop, ‘09 Is Still Your Year:
Eminem, Relapse … Slum Village, Untitled … Royce Da 5′9″, Street Hop … Random Ax, Untitled … One Be Lo, B.A.B.Y. … Finale, A Pipe Dream and A Promise … Big Sean, Finally Famous
Y’all thought that Michigan held it down in ‘08? Well this year, my home state is going even harder.

• Even though the only new Eminem material I’ve heard his “Relapse Freestyle” and his verse on the 50 Cent and Dr. Dre-assisted “Crack A Bottle,” it’s clear that Eminem’s flow is still crisp, and with his best friend Proof getting killed and having five years off from solo albums, I’m sure he’s got a lot to say.
• Slum Village isn’t that far behind Em, though: they’re coming back strong too, as the duo of eLZhi and T3 have brought original member Baatin back in the mix, have the timeless Yancey blood flowing through the project by involving Illa J, and they’ve got a ridiculous crop of producers (Black Milk, Young RJ, Hi-Tek, Pete Rock) giving them beats. 
• Royce Da 5′9″ is finally dropping his highly-anticipated Street Hop album, executive produced by DJ Premier. Riding the momentum he’s built with his Bar Exam mixtape series, album cuts like “Shake This” and “Part Of Me” show that Royce is as sharp as he’s ever been at any period from his rock solid discography. And his Slaughterhouse cohorts – Joe Budden, Crooked I and Joell Ortiz – are contributing, too. He’s got a recipe to win, and I think he’s going to deliver.
• Random Ax = Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, and Sean Price. That should already justify this pick, but if you’ve heard “Run” from Guilty’s Ode To The Ghetto, or the snippet at the end of Black Milk’s MySpace Beat CD, then you know that there’s even more reason to be excited.
• One Be Lo always brings it, but B.A.B.Y. steps it up a notch: he carries the concept (“Being A ____ Youth”) throughout the project, and he’s finally enlisted guest appearances from other emcees: Akir, Guilty Simpson, Illite, Juice, Ka Di, Octane, Phonte, Royce da 5′9, Supastition, and Zion I, plus a few other surprises I can’t let out the bag here. He really shows what he’s capable of, and I can’t wait for the world to hear it.
• I go into more detail on Finale’s A Pipe Dream And A Promise HERE, but here’s the abbreviated version: unpredictable flow + substantial rhymes + beats by Black Milk/J Dilla/Oddisee/Flying Lotus/Nottz/Khrysis = wow.
• Big Sean’s talent and fun, youthful energy on the mic are already a lot to look forward to. But with WrighTRAX’s incredible production, the much-anticipated Pharrell collaboration, and presumable Kanye West contributions, the Detroiter’s G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam debut should be something to look out for.

Sleeper Hit Of ‘09: Asher Roth, Asleep in The Bread Aisle
I know that Asher Roth’s armed with a plutonium-selling iTunes single with “I Love College,” that his SRC Records label boss Steve Rifkind dubbed him as the “best lyricist [he's] heard in the past 10 years” (horseshit), and that he’s got the cosigns of DJ Drama, Don Cannon, and others. But here’s the thing: not many people expect his Asleep In The Bread Aisle debut to be that good. But I’m taking a gamble, here: I think he’s got an engaging delivery, clever punchlines, an image that’s intriguing enough to keep me interested, and a sincerity that isn’t as common in rap as it should be. Additionally, his song “The Lounge” from his The Greenhouse Effect was so well written that I’m looking forward to see how he shows his pen game on an album – and from what I hear, he doesn’t disappoint. Listen to “The Lounge” below:
 

Surprisingly, I’m Not Really Stressing This Album Release In ‘09: Jay-Z, Blueprint 3
Since I initially bought Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life, Jay-Z has been my favorite rapper – the only artist whose albums I’ve bought all of in one format or another (some on CD, some on cassette, some in clean versions, lol). But for whatever reason, I’m not going as apeshit about Blueprint 3 as one would think. I’m not sure what it is: “Brooklyn (Go Hard)” was pretty amazing, but I’ve listened to it more on the radio or at other peoples’ spots than I have on my own time; I’ve been bumpin’ Mos Def’s rendition better. Maybe it’s the fact that “Jockin’ Jay-Z” wasn’t nearly as dope as it should’ve been, considering it was a collab between him and one of his best-matched producers, Kanye West. Or maybe it’s the fact that by resurrecting the Blueprint title, that he’s setting us up for disappointment – the same way he did with the bloated, inconsistent Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse (Blueprint 2.1 came close, though).  Hopefully, Jay can keep up the momentum from his classic American Gangster.

“Screw This Up, And I’ll Ruin Your Life”: D’Angelo, Untitled
No bullshit: as soon as I put the D’Angelo photo in the WordPress editor, I saw a commercial for Duplicity, starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. And in said commercial, Roberts said, “Screw this up, and I’ll ruin your life.” I feel the same way about D’Angelo’s upcoming album. Dude’s immensely talented, and he’s shown that with two timeless albums under his belt (pause, in lieu of the “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” video): Brown Sugar and Voodoo. He’s gotten arrested since then, but within those nine years (wow, has it been that long?), he’s also had some incredible cameo spots, and he even snuck in the Grammy’s last year. With this long of a time period between albums, I don’t have any reason to think this won’t be another heater, but if it’s not…watch ya back, sir.

Los Angeles’ hip-hop scene isn’t as heralded as it was in the heyday of legends like 2Pac, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, but real hip-hop heads know what the deal is. Especially dedicated Michigan rap fans: we’ve shipped some of our best (Buff1, Now On, and of course, the legendary J Dilla) out there, and the environment on the left coast has helped them expand their clientele and fanbases. Don’t get it twisted though, because they’ve got homegrown monsters too: Blu, Pacific Division, and J*Davey are all making great music right now, and people are starting to notice. 

One of those artists is Jansport J. Along with hitting the studio with the likes of Taboo of Black Eyed Peas, he produced two songs on L.A.U.S.D.’s Curly Tops & Nautica Jackets album. I haven’t even listened to it yet (I’m going to bump it today while working out), but I can already guarantee his songs are piff: the 2 A.M. Tape I posted on this site was incredible, and he’s produced the entire upcoming Love Songs For Losers, Ballads For Ballers EP from my artist P.H.I.L.T.H.Y., so I confidently cosign this cat. Besides, the album’s got all three of the key LA names I mentioned above, along with U-N-I, Tiron, and whoever matters on the left coast who isn’t named Crooked I.

Download this mixtape HERE.
Check out his MySpace page HERE.
And follow him on Twitter HERE.

When Charles Hamilton first started getting his buzz throughout the blogs and such, I never listened to him at all. No particular reason as to why or why not: I just didn’t give a fuck, and I didn’t really distinguish him from any other Internet rappers that I had heard about. I caught a glimpse of his talent while my homie was bumpin’ one of his many mixtapes in the ride; he had one line where he was like, “If you don’t believe that I’m nice, then go somewhere and die like Scott Peterson’s wife.”

My response: O_O

But I had to review this new Well Isn’t This Awkward mixtape for HipHopDX’s Mixtape Wrap-Up, and I’ve actually been running behind on this review just because I’ve been listening to the same song or two over and over so much that I haven’t listened to the entire tape until now. This dude is immensely dope: he makes his own beats (that are incredible), he’s got relatable lyrics, and his hooks are flawless. And his relationship rhymes are incredible; as someone who primarily writes relationship rhymes himself (and they’re actually my forte, according to people who I let hear ‘em, lol), I can definitely appreciate them. Hell, he even articulated a situation I had in the past better than I could myself:

She said, “Why I gotta invite you to my house? It’s not like I didn’t invite you to my mouth/
And you know I won’t do nothin spiteful, but I doubt if we end, that I would still like you, so I’m out.”

Das real.

Here are the two songs from the mixtape that have got me trippin’ out so much. The production is rich, the lyrics are relatable, and those hooks…man, those damn hooks.

“Neverland”
 

“Match.com (Commercial Break)”

To download the entire mixtape, CLICK HERE. To keep up with Charles Hamilton, check his blog HERE. And to check an interview of Hamilton talking about the mixtape, hit the jump.

I’ve already given Ryan Leslie my stamp of approval, and videos like this are part of the reason why. Here, the singer/producer/songwriter rehearses “Zodiac,” a song that he finished writing after the release of his self-titled new album.

You can see me singing parts as I hear them in my head for the instrumentalists. Based on this rehearsal, it’s a strong contender as a bonus number in the set list for my shows on March 11 & 12. The energy is magnificent.

Shoutout to Herfection, that’s where I found this at. Check Ryan Leslie’s site too, it’s pretty dope.

Wow, talk about a song I’m hearing a day late. If I had heard this song yesterday, I would’ve been much better. I agree with Che, in that this song is better than any of the songs leaked from Mos’ upcoming The Ecstatic album. This song is….just fucking listen. Now. This is perfect Mos. It sees him using both his rhyming talents and his singing talents, and it really captures the energy that he’s known for. And the beat is beautiful.

Click on the “DivShare” logo to download, or the Play button to just stream it here.

via Che Sing The Cool.

Missy’s I’m Really Hot song inspired me at Louise Lapierre Danse and I found a Benny Bennassi rmx with it on www.archive.org. Remix by SicNic. Here it is.

Over my shoulder
Loosing my way.

Over the daylight
Loosen my cage.

Cold. Dry. Cold. Drawn.

Over my feathers
Long time I wait 

Feels like I’m falling
Loosing my way.

Cold. Drunk. Cold. Drawn.

Miss Porrent regrets
She’s unable to lunch today.

The moment before she died
She called me up to tell me that
Madam,

Miss Porrent regrets
She’s unable to love today.

Picked plenty of Pussycat Dolls’ When I Grow Up remixes I loved and stuffed them together! Tell me what you think.

This is my GarageBand remix from various Missy Eliott and Timbaland songs I love. Enjoy

My remix made on GarageBand. Gimme Feedback.