What? You’ve never heard of and yet you call yourself a beat fiend? Okay, maybe you don’t call yourself that, and I don’t actually blame you for not knowing about him.
BK-One is probably most famously known as the dj of Brother Ali. And he just dropped his own album featuring a whole slew of guest artists. Brother Ali, Murs, Slug (from Atmosphere, if you don’t know) and a veritable who’s who of the indie hip hop scene.
The album, titled Radio Do Canibal and is supposed to be heavily influenced by Brazilian music and culture. You can’t tell that much from the leak track below, but it’s dope enough to be worth a listen.
You can stream a whole bunch more tracks off his , so if you’re looking for more take a peek. And for those of you who are heading out to pirate this, BK-One has a polite message for you:
If you downloaded it, I’m glad you’ve gotten a chance to hear my music…but you’re really missing out. The packaging is pretty innovative and is made from 100% recycled material. Inside, you’ll find English translations to all the Portuguese interludes (they help to explain the connections between Brazil’s music history and American music from the past and present).
Dope track and a dope idea. We’ve promoted this same type of thing before, but try and give credit where it’s due. This is a dope international e-collaboration with “8 people with 5 instruments from 4 Continents speaking 3 languages for 1 song.” The emcee below, Dumbfoudead, is decent.
Check it out below, or head over to YouTube to check the lyrics as well.
I jacked some of the credits from the YouTube sidebar just to help hype these artists. Check ‘em out.
I know this is a bit of a dated post, being that the earthquake happened some time ago, but I thought I would take the opportunity to highlight some of the work being done, hype up some fundraising opportunities, and talk about the tight connection between hip hop and Haiti.
I’m sure most of you have heard about , the charity started by Wyclef Jean. He is probably one of the most prominent hip hop artists with direct Haiti ties, but certainly not the least. And yes, there has been a fair amount of with the organization, with some accusing it of misusing raised funds. Wyclef has strenuously denied these, and I believe him. Even if procedures were not followed to the letter, I do not believe there was any attempt at fraud or anything like that. And it’s hard to deny that Yele has been doing some good for people on the ground, so I’m more than willing to overlook minor transgressions (providing they were accidental and that they are not repeated).
Looking at other Haitian hip hop artists, you can remember former-Fugee Pras as well. Above that, you’ve got Trugoy from De La Soul, and, sadly, Tony Yayo.
Perhaps it’s because some fairly prominent rappers are Haitian, or perhaps it’s because of a professed affinity for a struggling black community, the hip hop community in North America has responded tremendously to the need for aid.
A bunch of hip hop artists supported Clooney’s telethon, which was heartwarming, entertaining, and informative. Though it’s funny to me that Kanye was specifically to be a part of George Clooney’s Hope for Haiti telethon. The argument was that he had repeatedly proven that that he was more interested in promoting himself and seemed to disregard the greater good. Now, I’m not going to say that I support this, but I’m not exactly going to advocate against this. Still, hate him or not, he does get attention, and bringing attention to Haiti is something I do support.
Better still, hip hop was clearly a major influence on the remake of We Are the World. Kanye got his moment by appearing here, as did Wyclef, Snoop Dogg, Drake, LL Cool J, will.i.am and others. What tripped me out the most is that Lil Wayne from the original We are the World.
[Update: Video is below]
Some key things to remember.
Feb 12 is the last day for the Canadian government to match donations. So hit up any of these listed charities for donations. Try or the . If you’re a texter: The Canadian Red Cross Society: Text REDCROSS to 30333 ($5); The Salvation Army in Canada: Text HAITI to 45678 ($5);UNICEF CANADA: Text GIVE to 45678 ($5).
In the US, the donations are conveniently consolidated by . Or text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts; text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts.
If you’re like me, you may feel that Talib and Mos have never stood a chance. Their solo stuff so far has just not been able to live up to the astounding collaboration record they released as Black Star. Sure there are standout tracks every once in a while, and Mos’ Black on Both Sides is fantastic. But somehow, I can never shake the feeling that Black Star was close to the perfect record.
By that I mean one of those records you just don’t ever want to change tracks on. You play it through over and over again. One end to the other.
is reporting that they got together for a track on Mos’ new album The Ecstatic, and have finally released the video for it. I like the track.
[Ed: Angie B. Fresh is the host of 'The Corner' on in Victoria, B.C. She's also the newest contributor to 4080 Records! Read on for her inaugural post: a passionate, articulate survey of the last decade's best hip-hop. And if you know what's good for you, tune in to her show every Friday from 5-6 p.m.]
Being a child of the late 80’s, this past decade has been the first I can remember from start to finish. And while I can’t speak for my generational peers, I will always feel as though the 00’s belonged to me. Rolling Stones called it the “decade of lost chances”, Time called it the “decade from hell”, but I look back on the double-zero’s as the decade of my musical awakening. Thanks to my brother, I was introduced to hip hop in my early teens and its been my passion ever since. On that note, I’d like to take a quick look back on the music that served as a soundtrack to my life.
In the interest of keeping this short and sweet, I picked one song per year. Consider first that Pitchfork Media‘s feature on the best music of the decade contained 500 songs. Picking just ten favorites was not an easy task, but here goes!
2000
For a long time after I heard this Grammy-nominated love song I only had ears for Common. Produced by the legendary Dilla, this soulful and sensual tribute is uplifting and romantic in the most genuine way. Common’s well articulated love and respect for his woman had ladies everywhere wishing they were Erykah Badu. “It don’t take a whole day to recognize sunshine”
2001
An instant classic from one of the biggest names in rap, One Mic still gives me goose bumps. The slow and subtle start, the crescendo into his rage-filled declaration of power, no wonder critics called in legendary. Two years ago I took a short road trip with a few fellow heads to watch Nas perform in Vancouver. Hearing the opening bars to this track live was an experience of almost spiritual proportions.
2002
I can clearly recall the first time I heard this song; 7 years have passed and I still love it. Produced by Kanye West, it became Talib’s biggest hit to date as a result of its commercial appeal. The beat is deliciously funky with its piano loops, handclaps and Nina Simone samples, while the lyrics are positively righteous: “They need somethin’ to rely on/ We get high on all types of drugs, when all you really need is love, to get by”.
2003
9th Wonder’s beat samples Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” while Phonte and Big Pooh lament the fact that no one listens to full albums anymore or pays enough attention to the lyrics. This is a song about hip hop by hip hop fans. “I got suspicions your ear’s to the street where we’re whispering/ are you listening?” I know I was…
2004
Epic beats from one of the most versatile producers in hip hop, nay music, combined with the inventive and energetic flows of a very talented but underrated MC resulted in a near perfect album. It was hard for me to pick just one track off this album as the whole thing is clever, creative and fun so I opted for the title track. It’s a real shame that this project was so slept on because the kind of musical chemistry found with this dynamic duo doesn’t come along often.
2005
Zumbi’s lyrics in this ode to hip hop don’t really put it in the same realm as “I Used to Love H.E.R.”, however the sincerity of his unconditional love for the culture is obvious. And when his poetry is coupled with the beautiful synthy production provided by Amp Live- complete with subtle strings and pretty piano loops, what you get is a deeply soulful tribute. “She’s my heart, my mind, my spirit and my bones/ She’s the only one I know that would go across the globe/ Meet me in a foreign land, treat me like I’m home”
2006
This was a tricky pick for me because of the commercial success it garnered. However I truly believe that good music is good music despite who listens to it. I was late getting into Lupe, but once I did I knew I was hooked. The master of metaphor, his slippery lyrical prowess is in full effect in this Jill Scott collabo. The concept is imaginative, the sound is wonderfully jazzy, what more could you ask for?
2007
This album came out of nowhere and then proceeded to blow my mind again and again the more I listened to it. If you were like me you were asking yourself where the heck this kid Blu came from (he was 22 at the time of its release). Exile has since become one of my favorite producers, (check last year’s “Radio” if you like instrumentals) and Blu one of my favorite MCs. Every beat is perfectly matched to its lyrics; every verse is revealingly heartfelt; this is an album I’ll be listening to for years to come. “Hell is what you choose to call the present/ That’s why you’re going through it/ I just choose to call it stressin’/ To tell you fools the truth, I don’t feel that’s what I’m destined/ So you can call it hell but bro, I’ll just say I’m below the heavens”
2008
This sophomore release was a long time coming and worth the wait. Being a Tribe fan, I welcomed that familiar high-pitched voice back into my playlists immediately. The vibe is mellow and warm at points yet Tip sounds enthusiastic and energetic throughout. With help from the likes of Raphael Saadiq, D’angelo, and Norah Jones, Q-Tip put together a smooth sounding and perfectly timed celebration of life and love; you can’t help but get into the spirit. Welcome back Tip!
2009
Hands down my favorite album of the year, Brooklynati had me wishing I could take up residence in this fictional locale and spend my nights watching the “Hardcore Gentlemen” perform their 15 year old hit 15 times (only people who have been to Brooklynati will get that one). “She’s Gone” has been described by some as our generation’s “I Used To Love H.E.R” (so I like Common okay??) and it’s just one of the many infectious tracks on the album. Production from Von Pea and Aeon will have you reminiscing about the so-called Golden Era of hip hop when well-cut jazz loops and soulful samples laid the canvas for thoughtful, witty rhymes. This is one you can pop in and listen to front to back and not have to hit that skip button.
In what has to be one of the better things I heard over this Christmas break, is a 9-piece live band that goes around and performs the entire Endtroducing album.
I’m assuming most of you are familiar with , which just so happens to be one of the greatest albums of the last 20 years. You’ll hear deejays and emcees talking about this album all over the place, saying it’s one of their biggest inspirations or just that they feel it’s dope. And I must agree. That album is part of what made me love music so much. It’s beautiful and well-crafted, and these guys truly do it justice. I’m impressed with how they’ve managed to take an album composed of samples and turn it back into a premium live band performance. It’s a really interesting reversal of the whole idea of sampling.
This isn’t nearly as snarky as that headline comes off. This guy is actually pretty talented. He does impressions of LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, DMX, and Jay-Z.
Just a little something to distract you for a few minutes.
Here he is doing it on a radio show. A little bit different, but still entertaining.
You read that headline correctly. has gone ahead and made his own kind of . Urban has mashed up Jay-Z and Coldplay into an album he has titled Viva La Hova.
I was totally taken aback because I never would have thought of matching those two artists, but I guess that actually might be why this idea sort of works.
I’ve got something of a weak spot for mashups, more for the idea than the result. In general, I sort of like the idea of putting two incongruous artists together into something new. It either really adds something to an artist or abruptly forces you to rethink why you liked the artist in the first place. This album does both of those things. Listen to the Life of Clocks and you’ll get what I mean. Coldplay’s mellow beats honestly overwhelm Hova’s rhymes, and it seems like it sort of exposes Jay’s lyrics as being just absurd. On the other hand, a track like Science is Ignorant works a little bit better.
But yes, the end result (as with most mashups) is that it entertains you for a few minutes and then you sort of get bored of it. But it’s worth looking at. You can download the album .
