K'naan - What's Hardcore

K'naan knows a little something about hardcore. I heard an interview with him where he talked about trying to talk to people like 50 Cent about using his voice for a more positive effect. K'naan has some very special skills and an even more special message.

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The Prodigy - Voodoo People

There was a time when The Prodigy was the dopest ish on wax. They brought an aggressive nature to applying hip hop funk to techno instruments in the spirit of punk. This was something to bug out to and the video is still creepy to this day.

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Mr. Lif - Brothaz

I'm willing to bet that Mr. Lif's favorite group growing up was Public Enemy. His art is the culmination of education and the revolutionary spirit. El-P made a track that seems full of fear and uncertainty. Mr. Lif laces it with facts and inspiration to get off your but and enact real change, not just vote for it. Lif is good at showing the moral corruptness that plagues the elite in rich America. This is the type of the stuff that would scare my parents when I was a teenager. You're never too young to try to wrap your head around the truth and to see it as it really is. If you wish to live in ignorance, Lif's probably not what your looking for.

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Kid Acne - Eddy Fresh

There is this new rapper named Eddy Fresh, totally dope. If you're going to try to do something goofy like this, you'd better actually be good at what you're doing or you will absolutely flop. Lucky for us, Kid Acne is quite daft at the whole Beastie Boys meets Ali G gig. Seriously funny. It's OK, go ahead and like it alot. I found that after seeing this video, I had to watch some others to see if it was for real. By the time I viewed South Yorks, I was totally and completely on Kid Acne's dick and it's only a matter of time before all these other bitches are too.

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Munk feat. James Murphy - Kick Out The Chairs

Possibly a MC5 homage showcasing how the new rock should sound. See our posting of Munk's "Live Fast Die Old" to start getting the message of how special this group is. The draft James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and DFA Records fame to grace the mic with his typical trash talk that will capitulate him to the status of icon any day now. Groups like the Ting Tings, nurturing playful pop are undoubtedly influenced by the genre James Murphy has been carving for years. Someone come up with a new name that fits for the genre-bashing music that is evolving in the new millenium. As soon as you do, it will probably be dead and on to the next. Oh yeah...WARNING EXPLICIT LYRICS. Why not?

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Kool Keith - Plastic World

There was a time when it seemed that Kool Keith could do no wrong. Fresh off the heels of a very successful and scandalous Dr. Octagon cult classic, Keith looked like the strange future of hip hop. I believe Plastic World is off of Sex Style, one of my favorite Keith albums. Although at times it seemed rushed, it proved he was capable of holding his own without the help of an all-star producer in Dan The Automator. Unfortunately, it seems that every hopeful release since has fell inevitably short of the once great expectations for Kool Keith. Did you ever have that friend that was hilarious in middle school, but in high school seemed to miss the fact that everyone has to grow up. That's kind of what Keith has become in the hip hop world.

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Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

The Gorillaz are more than just a band, they are an artistic venture that has reinvented the studio band. From creating animated characters for all it's members to cherry-picking any artist they want to continuously pump out hits, the Gorillaz are just to good. They don't need me to plug them on this blog, but I see no reason to exclude them for their merit of success. I love them and they manage to do what it is they do, leaps and bounds above everyone else in the game. This song is infectious and hearing it for the millionth time, damn it still sounds good.

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Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message

This song still sounds great almost 3 decades later. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five were marching to the beat of their own drum. Their fashion would still look hip on the streets of New York today. The beat has been recycled so many times. The message still rings true and will always be one of the best hip-hop anthems ever.

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Evidence - Mr. Slow Flow

When I first started getting into underground hip hop, I bought a compilation called "Bomb Worldwide" that featured a track from a then little known group called Dilated Peoples. Since then, none of the groups featured on that classic album have had near the successs than that of Dilated. Evidence is one third of the group that defeated all pre-conceptions of underground hip hop as soft and poorly produced. Not only have they re-defined the genre, but they've done it with turntablism at the core of their efforts with the help of the world famous DJ Babu, beat junkie extraordinaire. Evidence is now embarking on a solo career and this track is a good indicator that he is likely to have much success. This one's a slow-burner!

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NOVEMBER 2008 PLAYLIST

11/27/08 - TOBACCO "Gross Magik"
11/26/08 - The Afghan Whigs "Debonair"
11/25/08 - "San Diego Super Chargers"
11/24/08 - The Reflecting Skin "Traffickers"
11/21/08 - The Black Keys "Same Old Thing"
11/20/08 - Alice Russell "Got the Hunger"
11/19/08 - Dj Format "No Man Worries Remix"
11/18/08 - Anathallo "The River"
11/17/08 - The Matthew Herbert Big Band "The Story"
11/14/08 - Brazilian Girls "Losing Myself"
11/13/08 - Dj Mujava "Township Funk"
11/12/08 - Clutchy Hopkins "Eyes and Ears"
11/11/08 - Jacki Chain "Rollin Diplo Remix"
11/10/08 - Pepe Deluxe "Lying Peacefully"
11/08/08 - Late of the Pier "The Bears Are Coming"
11/07/08 - Madlib "Boulder Holder"
11/06/08 - Dj Babu Feat. MF Doom "The Unexpected"
11/05/08 - Dan the Automator "Only When I Lose"
11/04/08 - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings "What Condition My Condition"


Late of Pier "The Bears Are Coming" (Official Video)



Jacki Chain "Rollin (Diplo Remix)" (Not Official Video)



Clutchy Hopkins "Steamboat Willie" (Not Official Video)



The Matthew Herbert Big Band (Live)



The Black Keys "Same Old Thing" (Not Official Video)



The Reflecting Skin "Traffickers" (Not Official Video)



Safe Travels for the Holiday,
E.L.