6.29.09: Michael Jackson - Tributes


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Photo courtesy AuditoryThreshold.com: Apollo Theater, Harlem, NY, 6.25.09

I spent this past weekend on "vacation" in New York City, where plans to further the completion of our Funkadelic Freestyles x Rappers I Know mixtape were significantly altered (that's a whole 'nother story). I arrived Friday evening, nearly 24 hours after a momentous celebration of life had commenced outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem. As I ventured onto the subway, I could feel the subtle pain and confusion collectively shared by various New Yorkers. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, had left this world the night before in a surprising and shocking manner. Yet despite the insensitive media coverage covering the airways, the typical MJ fan just wanted to hear one of his records - at least once or twice every hour. It was a soothing medicine, and a reminder that Michael had left behind an extremely deep catalog. Now, various (living) artists have (immediately) begun to pay tribute to their musical hero. Here's a somewhat comprehensive list of some of our favorites so far. Special thanks to fwmj, OKP, 2DopeBoyz, & Michigan Hip-Hop.



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DOWNLOAD: Wale & 9th Wonder - Back To The Feature


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No more delays, postponements, or broken promises. Wale & 9th Wonder's long-awaited mixtape, presented by LRG, is finally here. Perhaps you should key in on the last word in the title - you'll understand why the guestlist is so packed. Featuring Royce Da 5'9", Kenn Starr, Tre of UCB, Mark Ronson, Young Chris, Bun B, Black Thought, Torae, Kingpin Slim, K'Naan, Jean Grae, and...(*whew* I ran out of breath) many more! Mixed by Boston's pride-and-joy, Nick Catchdubs. In the mighty words of DJ Jerome Baker III, let's gooooo!!!

Tracklist:
01. Wordplay (feat. Curren$y & Tre) [produced by 9th Wonder]
02. Cypher (feat. State Property) [produced by 9th Wonder]
03. Chillin [Catch vs 9th] (feat. Lady Gaga)
04. Tito Santana (feat. Joe Budden) [produced by 9th Wonder]
05. 5 Minutes (feat. Skyzoo) [produced by 9th Wonder]
06. Life's A Bitch (feat. Talib Kweli & Joell Ortiz) [produced by 9th Wonder]
07. Night Life (feat. Young Chris & Tre) [produced by Mikey Rocks]
08. Pat Your Weave (feat. UCB)
09. Hot Shyt (feat. Peedi Peedi, Black Thought, & Tuphace) [produced by Ritz]
10. Wonder Why (feat. Big Sean, Kenn Starr, & Mike Posner) [produced by 9th Wonder]
11. Pot of Gold (feat. Daniel Merriweather) [produced by Mark Ronson]
12. Sharp (feat. Torae & Kingpin Slim) [produced by 9th Wonder]
13. Warwick Avenue (feat. Duffy)
14 The Sun (feat. Memphis Bleek) [produced by 9th Wonder]
15. Rather Be [Vagina Is For Lovers] (feat. J. Cole & Curren$y) [produced by 9th Wonder]
16. Goodbye (feat. Jean Grae) [produced by 9th Wonder]
17. Say It Again (featuring Royce Da 5'9") [produced by 9th Wonder]
18. Talkin Shyt (feat. Bun B & Dre) [produced by Cool & Dre]
19. Nothing To Worry About (feat. Peter, Bjorn, & John)
20. Rhyme N Reason (feat. Tre) [produced by Warren G]
21. "Ce n'est Pas Bon" (feat. K'Naan) [produced by Mark Ronson]
22. New Soul (feat. Yael Naim) [produced by BKS]
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MP3: DJ Spinna - Lyrics Is Back (feat. Torae)



I figured I'd take full advantage of my day off from work by making my return to the blog, but who's gonna notice anyway?! If you're wondering why the first page is pretty "outdated," there's a reason! This August, we'll be taking part in a brand new venture involving a radio/web merger that might just blow your mind. I'm not really allowed to speak on it yet, but imagine the perfect combination of indie hip-hop, mainstream club joints, style, and DC cultural news. And before we even get to there, we'll be releasing our first official mixtape in July along with FWMJ's Rappers I Know featuring original material from folks like Oddisee, Che Grand, UCB, Random, Pro'Verb, Lyriciss, E-Major, and many more. The list looks small now...but you just wait! A thorough and more detailed press release will follow next week. 

Okay, totally forgot about the reason I made this post. DJ Spinna is the man responsible for all those wonderful tributes (especially his Stevie Wonder gigs). Torae is a NY emcee with a pitch-perfect cadence and has a new album (Double Barrel - cop now) in stores now with the producer Marco Polo. As of the moment, they're two of my favorite artists, so it was a no-brainer to post the first single off Spinna's new album, Sonic Smash (you can only HOPE that somehow there will be a Charles Hammy diss track on there). Pick it up in stores on June 30th and check for more features from Phonte, Elzhi, and Fresh Daily. 



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VIDEO/MP3: Wale - Chillin (feat. Lady Gaga) x Family Affair



Today in the life of DC's Wale was, well...interesting. Early this morning, some overly-ambitious bloggers leaked an unfinished version of the "Chillin" video, causing quite the ruckus on the internets. Then, Wale delivered on a promise: leaking "Family Affair," produced by Best Kept Secret and to be featured on both video director Rik Cordero's debut mixtape and Back To The Feature (Wale's next tape). The folks at elitaste surprised everyone with a speedy correction on the "Chillin" joint around 3pm EST, and now the video you see above is the official flick that will begin to air on MTVJams soon. All of these things happened on the day of the monumental home-coming show for his Attention: Deficit Tour at the 930 Club, which you should start walking to right...now (something like 80 tickets left). Wale also said the video for "Family Affair" will be dropping tomorrow. I won't speak on the blog bullies, but I will say: please stay in your own lane and your own business. Damn. (c) Hov



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MP3: X.O. - Crabs In A Barrel


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Produced by AB The Producer. This is the first official record X.O. has done with his new Studio 43 affiliation and the first leak off his new project with AB, Monumental. A few friends and I had a discussion a few weeks back concerning the 43 move - particularly whether or not Mr. Unknown Origin's gritty sound would be compromised - and all bets were going off the deep end. With this new joint, "Crabs In A Barrel," he proved us wrong. Download and enjoy.



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