AWmusic

Today something caught my attention, a special treat for myself that I thought would also be a fantastic gift to you.

Brother Ali’s recent release, “Us”, has taken an inward approach. The focus of his writing takes a look at the places, religious beliefs, people and situations that have led him to this point in his career, as well as the directions he is striving for in the future. Although blowing up and becoming one of the most celebrated underground artists today, Brother Ali remains humble and realizes his friends and fans are what have really helped him progress in life, not just as an artist.

The following is a high quality video from a set recorded live in Paris, France at Glaz’Art last month. If you are already a fan of Brother Ali then this is something special. If you haven’t heard of Brother Ali but are just curious as to what makes the essence of conscious rap…. This video is also for you.

Want more? Me too. Click here to watch the entire set at Grandcrew.com

As I’m in the mood for giving, here’s an mp3 from “Us”:
Brother Ali – The Preacher

Everytime I listen to the album “Check Your Head” a feeling comes over me and whisks me back to the summer before my first year in High School. Beastie Boys had always been a constant in my playlist, but “Check Your Head” was something special and it hit me on a level not many other albums could. As soon as I heard those first chords I knew this was it – a sound that would grow with me and help to define a musical path. It was like nothing I could have imagined…. Hip hop with crunch and a raw feel brought on with elements of punk. The mixture of those three unique voices had such blended qualities and worked amazingly well together.

Last night I got the email that would help re-define these feelings. Max Tannone, the man behind the Radiohead/Jay-Z mashup albums “Jaydiohead” and “Jaydiohead: The Encore” dropped his newest project “Doublecheck Your Head”, a free seven track album that mashes the songs of “Check Your Head”, coinsiding with it’s remastered re-release.

I was instantly blown away. In rushed feelings of reminiscence, but also feelings of discovery – like the exploration of something new with a weird feeling of deja-vu. As the first chords of ‘3’s What’cha Want’ hit I felt warmth in my heart. This is exactly what I needed, but didn’t even know it. Tannone is truly gifted in his ability to take songs and mold them, knowing which elements will best suit each other in order to perfectly pair together.

The last track on this album is not a mashup, but a remix of ‘Too Many Rappers’ – a song featuring Nas that will be on their forthcoming album “Hot Sauce Committee Part 1”.

If you are a fan of the Beastie Boys then this is a must have. Hell, even the Beastie Boys think so, they have already featured four of the songs on www.beastieboys.com. You can stream online or download the album for free in it’s entirety at www.doublecheckyourhead.com.

In the meantime, here’s a taste:
Beastie Boys – 3’s What’cha Want
Beastie Boys – Pass The Gratitude

Goldstein had battled an addiction to crack cocaine throughout his early 20’s, but in an interview in 2007 he claimed to have been clear of it for the last 9 years and had recently twittered about just completing a reality show for MTV about drug addiction.

Last September, he and Travis Barker of Blink 182 survived a plane crash that killed four others. The crash happened as the private plane was heading down the runway for take-off, both Goldstein and Barker were badly burnt.

A former member of the group Crazytown, Goldstein was well known for his high-profile romances including Nicole Richie, Mandy Moore and playmate ex-wife Shanna Moakler. Friends of Goldstein in the New York area gathered outside his apartment while other across the globe showed their respects, flooding the social network Twitter with messages.

Speaking of Twitter, Goldstein’s last post before this tragedy quoted Grandmaster Flash lyrics. “New York, New York. Big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain’t always what it seems.”

A rep for DJ AM just issued the following statement: “Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein was found deceased this afternoon in his New York City apartment. The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. Out of respect for his family and loved ones, please respect their privacy at this time.”

DJ AM is also set to be featured in the upcoming game DJ Hero, scheduled for release on October 27^th.

I’ve grown to have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. Even with the litter of spam messages telling you to check out some slutty girl’s fuck-for-cash profile or useless tweets about how someone just brushed their teeth and are now going to bed, there are some beautiful things that can emerge. This past week I was lucky enough to find that beauty in the music of Magen Melancholy. Magen recently released her 8 song debut EP, titled “The Short-Lived Life Of Magen Melancholy”.

There’s something about this EP that caught a hold of me instantly. Could it be the production? Could it be the sultry vocals? Could it be Magen’s proclaimed feeling and emotion in every song? I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a combination of all these elements that makes it something special. Listening to what she says, you get to understand who she is and receive an honest taste of her short-lived life.

Malark3y (with some featured help from Yamil Rodriguez) has given this EP’s production such a smooth, down-tempo feel that blends perfectly with Magen’s vocal style – a mix of spoken-word, hip hop and deep soulful singing. I generally hate artist comparisons, but thoughts immediately went to Dessa when I heard Magen’s combination of vocal ability, but be aware Magen is most definitely her own artist with her own musical projection. Although there is distinct sadness in some of what she speaks, it’s not a “woe is me” kind of approach. Magen seems to embrace the melancholy in life, realizing that this is just as much a part of being alive as happiness is. In fact, maybe the ability to understand and fully accept this side of life puts her at a better place, being able to realize and be open with sadness gives her more ability to grasp at true happiness.

So as I sit and listen to “The Short-Lived Life Of Magen Melancholy” for the umpteenth time this week, I have secured recognition in that the best artists are the one’s doing it for the love of the art. Self produced, engineered, distributed and promoted may not land you on the shelves of HMV, but if you have that deep rooted passion for what you do, these things will land you right in the hearts of the true fans.

I know we’re still only in summer, but I’m going to go on record saying that this is one of my favorite albums of the year. Check out her website at www.magenmelancholy.com for more information and to listen to the album in it’s entirety. Oh and be sure to buy it, $7.52 isn’t a lot to ask for something so beautiful.

Magen Melancholy – FU

Eyedea & Abilities have recently released their newest album titled “By The Throat” on Rhymesayers. After their 5 year hiatus (during which they both took on personal projects) they are back, but with a completely different sound than one could have anticipated.

Although Abilities never followed a set rule when it came to production, he’s completely gone off in a different direction with this release. I’m not sure how I feel about the new album yet. It’ll take me some time to get used to it.

They recently dropped the video for ‘Junk’ – with it’s grungy production, Eyedea starts by spitting rhymes with a familiar cadence… Then comes the chorus. Maybe not my favorite part of the song, but I’m pretty down with the rest of it. The video does fit the music very well though – distorted and dark. With a mess of hair and scruffy beard and his new approach to the music, it’s almost looking like Eyedea is on his way to becoming the Kurt Cobain of Hip Hop.

I’m so excited! I’ve been waiting with huge anticipation for this album and now it’s finally here.

I’ve been a fan of Cage since his Eastern Conference days, but since being on Def Jux I’ve grown even fonder – this label just seems to suit his demeanor a lot more. F. Sean, EL-P, Aesop Rock and Camu Tao (R.I.P) bring the darker side of production and with Cage’s past and it’s reflection in his songs, this is a perfect fit. Despite the comments made by Vast Aire regarding Def Jux as a whole, but more a shot towards Cage – making claims to him being “emo rap”… I think after living the life Cage has, abusive neglecting family, a teenage life filled with drugs and alcohol, being subject to a mental institution with mis-diagnosis and the forcing of multiple anti-psychotic drugs that caused him to reach a suicidal state, being “emo” is pretty much justified.

“Depart From Me” is a direct reflection of his past and it almost seems to be put together in journal form. I’m not going to go into this song by song – this album is a whole collective, not a product made up of individual pieces. You can definitely feel pain in his words and the manner in which they are delivered, backed by rugged production packed with hard drum beats, distorted synth and guitar and deep bass.

If you’re a fan of the darker side of hip hop then take a listen. This is not an album you’ll be dancing to. No tracks with repetitive hooks. No club bangers. This is an album to sit down and listen to. It’s packed full of amazing vocals with a real message, a look deep into the man behind the persona of Cage. There is truth in what he says and whether or not you’ve gone through any of the situations he’s talking about, the picture gets painted and will open your eyes to the darker aspects of life.

Pitchfork shit on this album, but I say “fuck them”, as far as I’m concerned they shit on almost everything. I’ll admit this album isn’t for everyone, but at least take the opportunity to form your own opinion.

Cage – Dr. Strong
Cage – Look at What You Did

Now, let’s get this started…
(more…)

1 pm, making my way to the front gates of Rock the Bells, I already felt an energy run through me as the sounds of Biggie echoed through the air. After picking up my ticket and passing through the minimal security, I entered the grounds and as Red 1 took the stage I looked around, getting a feel for what I was in store for for the next ten hours. The relentless blast of sun mixed with the marijuana haze that continually covered the crowd. The $7 beers being injested just as quickly as the free flowing water provided. After a couple minutes of wandering, I made my way closer to the stage to catch teasers of classic Rascalz tracks “Northern Touch” and “Top of the World”… Not a bad start.

After grabbing some much needed water, I met up with friends and proceeded to get as close to the stage as Chali 2na stepped up. This set blew me away…. Live band backing. A bass player that looked like he just fell out of the 80’s provided some of the most rugged basslines I’ve heard come out of hip hop. Chali 2na has a vocal flow that matched any of the sounds, whether they were funky or dark. Up next was Slum Village and although I haven’t listened to much of their stuff, I was really impressed with their set – still going strong despite two fallen members (R.I.P).

By this point the sun was starting to cook me, I’m really not a summer person. Begging for shade I made my way over to the small spot of covered area and crammed myself in with everyone else feeling the drain of the weather. This is where I would stay as Slaughterhouse played their set – I can’t lie, I’m not the biggest fan.

Up next was Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko, I was waiting for this. I made my way as close as I could get and as they tore through tracks like “Welcome To The Midwest”, “Riotmaker” and “Caribou Lou” (can you tell Everready is my favorite album) the energy in the crowd continually grew. Even prompting a couple girls flashing their tits…. With a little coaxing from Tech N9ne, of course.

By this point I was starting to get a little drained, I’m not a kid anymore and I could feel the sunburn forming on my neck and arms…. So back to the shade it was. At this point Supernatural busted out some of crazy freestyles, including a point where he was asking for objects from he crowd and proceeded to incorporate those items into the rhymes. Afterwards the other host B-Real came out and busted out a couple classic Cypress Hill tracks, that set the crowd a blazin’ (with energy and clouds of marijuana smoke).

Next was Common, another set I wasn’t too eager for…. So I proceeded to rest my already tired legs, getting ready for the next couple hours of standing I’d undergo. Common was better than I thought, even dropped a couple of freestyles incorporating Vancouver landmarks, which was nice.

After checking the set list, it looked as if Reflection Eternal wasn’t going to play – “Oh shit, that’s who I wanted to see the most” said one of my friends. As RZA took the stage, we became convinced that was the case.

RZA was fantastic, dropping both Wu Tang and solo tracks. The best part of his set was “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” performed by Ol’ Dirty Bastards son….. Not saying it was a particularly great rendition, but he was funny as shit. Even after the set he almost refused to get off the stage as they set up for Nas & Damian Marley. Even when told he had to go, he just went up to the DJ booth and started dancing around there. Classic.

Just when I thought it was going to be the last set of the night – stage set for the last performance, Reflection Eternal make their appearance…. Well, sort of. A 20 min set was a little disappointing, being that this was one of the acts I too most wanted to see. Fuck.

Oh well, I knew what was coming next and had been anticipating this all day. By this time I was pretty exhausted from the day long beating from the sun and heat, but the excitement gave me that burst of energy. As Nas stepped out and the music dropped, that rush filled my body and I felt as though I could go all night. The hour and a half long set from Nas & Damian Marley was simply amazing. Both artists dropping some solo sets, as well as combined. As I looked around, the entire crowd was on their feet, a sea of people jumping, dancing and singing along. Without a doubt this set made the day, as long and draining as it became. 11 pm, I leave with a sunburn, beaten legs and a new collection of memories.

Although artists dropped out a couple days before, including KRS-One (that one pissed me off a little), the show was pretty damn good… I’m already looking forward to Rock the Bells next year.

Tech N9ne – Welcome to the Midwest
Reflection Eternal – This Means You
Damian Marley and Nas – Road To Zion

So, fuck it…. This is what you get in the meantime – something to give you a mushy cranium so I don’t feel so bad about mine.

Try and hate me for this post…. Deep down, you know you love it.

Brother Ali announces the release of his new album “Us” on September 22, 2009 from Rhymesayers Entertainment.

According to the Rhymesayers website “Ali has turned his gaze inward, and started examining the human condition from the outside in. A profound personal glimpse into a vulnerability seldom seen or heard in music, Us touches on the strengths and flaws of the human condition, exploring drug abuse, divorce, homophobia and many more topics that most people are scared to touch in their own lives, much less on an album for the world to see.”

Ant is again the man behind the production and “Us” will feature appearances by Chuck D, Freeway, Joell Ortiz and Stokley Williams of Mint Condition. Also, a tour for this release will be rolling through Vancouver and Victoria this October with label mates BK One, Toki Wright and Evidence of Dilated Peoples (who recently signed to Rhymesayers).

Visit www.fifthelementonline.com to pre-order your copy.

Full tour date listings:

09.22 – Duluth, MN – Pizza Luce
09.23 – Mankato, MN – What’s Up Lounge
09.24 – Iowa City, IA – The Industry
09.25 – Sioux Falls, SD – Nutty’s North (Outside)
09.26 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
09.27 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
09.29 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
09.30 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
10.01 – Colorado Springs, CO – The Black Sheep
10.02 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
10.03 – Boise, ID – The Venue
10.04 – Missoula, MT – The Badlander
10.06 – Spokane, WA – The Boulevard
10.07 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
10.08 – Victoria, BC – Element
10.09 – Vancouver, BC – Venue
10.10 – Bellingham, WA – The Nightlight
10.11 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
10.12 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
10.14 – Arcata, CA – Humboldt State University
10.15 – Reno, NV – The New Oasis
10.16 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
10.17 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
10.18 – Santa Clara, CA – Avalon Nightclub
10.20 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
10.21 – San Diego, CA – Cane’s
10.22 – Tempe, AZ – Club Red
10.23 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
10.24 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
10.26 – Lubbock, TX – The Foundation
10.27 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
10.28 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Alternative Lounging
10.29 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
11.01 – Orlando, FL – The Social
11.04 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
11.05 – Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar
11.06 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
11.07 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
11.08 – Boston, MA – The Paradise
11.09 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
11.10 – Portland, ME – The Asylum
11.11 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street
11.13 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
11.14 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s Music Diner
11.15 – Louisville, KY – Uncle Pleasants
11.17 – Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig
11.18 – Chicago, IL – Metro
11.19 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre
11.20 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

Rhymesayers has also released the title track for free download

Brother Ali – Us
Brother Ali – Lookin’ At Me Sideways off ‘The Undisputed Truth’ album