The 20th anniversary of Black on Both Sides has been getting a lot of attention on social media. And it’s clear why: the album is a legit classic. When it dropped in 1999, Black on Both Sides was heralded as a rallying cry for intelligent hip-hop, a strike back against the genre’s capitulation to profit […]
Micro-Chop Newsletter
I want to show some love to Gino Sorcinelli’s Micro-Chop newsletter, which covers all things beat making, sampling and production. Gino hustles non-stop to put out good quality content, including interviews with producers and deep dives into the stories behind new and classic albums. Paid subscribers get the newsletter three times per week. There’s also […]
Kid Abstrakt and Emapea – Jazz & Coffee Pt. 4
Saturday morning vibes on this new track by Kid Abstrakt and Emapea, which captures the warm, laid back feel of East Coast 90s jazz rap without feeling dated. Just head nodding dopeness that you can spin on repeat. If you’re feeling this jam, you can check out previous editions of Kid Abstrakt’s Jazz & Coffee […]
Fly Anakin and Big Kahuna OG – Holly Water
Fly Anakin and Big Kahuna OG are members of Richmond, Virginia’s Mutant Academy crew. On Holly Water, their first album, the two emcees trade verses over downtempo, pensive samples and crunchy drums, their raps dense with observations about their lived experiences. As Big Kahuna says on “Shaky on the Phone,”: “I don’t rap for the […]
Robert Glasper – “Fuck Yo Feelings” (Mixtape)
Pianist and producer Robert Glasper has released a new mixtape, “Fuck Yo Feelings” to mark the start of his new residency at the Blue Note night club. The tape is a sprawling blend of styles, featuring an impressive list of guest artists including Yasiin Bey, Rapsody, YBN Cordae and the jazz legend Herbie Hancock. There’s […]
Medhane – “Voyager” feat. Deem Spencer
Medhane and Deem Spencer complement each other nicely on this new track, “Voyager,” which is built on fuzzy, reverberating synths and thumping kicks, the whole effect dream-like and meditative. You can listen on Youtube but there’s a higher quality version on Spotify. Photo credit: Ade Sayeed
Gang Starr – “Family and Loyalty” feat. J. Cole
It’s been a minute since I’ve contributed to this site, so it seems fitting that my first post in over year is about the new Gang Starr track, “Family and Loyalty,” featuring J. Cole. The group’s first new music since 2003’s The Ownerz, the song was dropped as a surprise after DJ Premier teased the […]
Pete Rock – One, Two, A Few More
Pete Rock’s releasing a sequel to his now-classic beat record, Petestrumentals (although I actually prefer The Surviving Elements). Yesterday he dropped the first track from the new album, “One, Two, A Few More.” Obviously it has that classic Pete Rock bounce – how else do you describe that groove? – and it heralds good things […]
Rapper Big Pooh – Augmentation
New music from Rapper Big Pooh, with Apollo Brown on production. Called “Augmentation,” the track is off Rapper Big Pooh’s upcoming album, Words Paint Pictures, out on March 24.
Kenny G and Warren G Perform Regulators on Kimmel
In case you missed it, here’s two Gs, Kenny and Warren, performing the classic track “Regulators” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Weird on paper, this actually somehow works, and both dudes look like they’re having a blast. #RIPNATEDOGG