Daily Breakdown 10/13/11

I tried to make this playlist pretty upbeat. I can almost guarantee that you haven’t heard all of these songs and if you want to broaden your aural palate this would be a good place to start. Again, most of these little mini playlists I make are designed to have about 20-25 minutes of playing time and a little extra if you read the comments I have under the tracks. I think that these are perfect if you love music and have 30 minutes to fill.

1.              eLZhi – Love It Here (prod. J Dilla)

eLZhi is probably one of the best active rappers in terms of technical skill. Due to his realness and being from Detroit, he’s privy to let his lyrics roll over the melodic chops of one James Yancey. Side note: my J Dilla “Donuts” poster came in the mail the other day. It’s the best thing ever.

2.              Cormega – Rap’s a Hustle (prod. Ayatollah)

I will be the first to admit that I was fast asleep when it came to Cormega. He’s a hell of a rapper, he’s honest and he has a good ear for beats, which basically makes him like Rick Ross except for the talent and the honesty.

3.              Gang Starr – Work

Is there any other group that has used the same methods over and over and has had a comparable amount of success and acclaim to Guru and Primo?

4.              One Be Lo – MEGAchile Pluto

Off of labor. Only people who dig deep will have heard this.

5.              People Under the Stairs – Montego Slay

Same comment as Gang Starr without the commercial success. I’ve grown to really appreciate a good sample and this song is a perfect example of the music that led me to this belief.

6.              A Tribe Called Quest – Youthful Expression

Throwback Thursday track. Still great.

Daily Breakdown 10/11/11

1. Tyler, the Creator – She ft. Frank Ocean

The rise of Odd Future was almost inevitable in retrospect. Due to the sped up nature of today’s society (which is magnified in regards to pop culture) the hole of personality left by the Young Money crew into the commercial radio stations of America needed to be filled immediately. Along came Tyler, Earl, and Hodgy with a wild blend of synths and sinisterly clever lyrics along with the crooning of R&B protégé Frank Ocean, and it was just what we wanted and needed. This song combines hoodrat shit, teen love/lust and the joy of being goofy very well, and it’s the kind of songs that make me really like OFWGKTA.

2. TiRon & Ayomari – Jack Kerouac

Their album “A Sucker for Pumps” came out fairly recently and was one of the few albums I actually bought this year. I’ve been listening to TiRon for awhile and I was really impressed with MSTRD which why I ended up purchasing this. This song really sets the tone for the entire album, so I recommend you listen to it a couple times before you decided what to do with the rest of the music.

3. Blue Sky Black Death – Sleeping Children Are Still Flying

BSBD seems to have really mastered the art of weaving different song elements together. (Kno, the producer and sometimes rapper from CunninLynguists, is also quite good at this). This song deserves to be played with the lights off and also deserves your full attention.

4. Kendrick Lamar – Alien Girl (Today with Her)

One of my friends from high school begged me to listen to Kendrick Lamar. I heard some stuff the first time and hated it. He called me a douche and told me to listen to O.D. I did and my opinion of K Dot took a 180, and that’s advanced to the point that I honestly think he’s the best young rapper on the West Coast (with Fashawn right behind)

5. Charles Hamilton – She’s So High

The Dreams are the only thing keeping this from being a downtempo song. It’s that chilled out with it’s keys and disconnecting vocal sample. This is one of the rare songs where Sonic seemingly planned for what he was going to do before he started recording. It’s a song about biddies and partying, but it’s a really good song about biddies and partying.

6. CunninLynguists – Dance For Me

And of course I’m going to include a CL song. “Emily’s enemy was Emily, feelin’ me?”

[Mini-Playlist] Daily Breakdown 10/5/11

It’s Wednesday, which basically sucks. Here’s some shit to get you over the humpday.

1.      Louis Logic – Mischievous

A cut off of the Drunken Dragon’s best-known album, Sin-A-Matic. If you like the Slim Shady LP, I can nearly guarantee that you’ll appreciate this song. Listening to this twice in a row, the comparison’s are pretty clear, from the lowered maturity level to the multi-syllabic flow. A good song for aspiring shit starters.

2.              Spaceghostpurrp – CVPTVIN PLVNXT (Captain Planet)

Alright, now you’re grooving. This song could act as your interlude between pregaming and partying. Featuring swagged out lyrics over an extraterrestrial beat this song will have you bobbing your head and slowly build your excitement.

3.              Pusha T – Raid ft. Fiddy & Pharrell

I assume the beat is courtesy of the Neptunes but even if I’m wrong, this shit goes. Pusha is the more public half of Clipse and provides some good bars. 50 Cent does whatever the hell he’s been doing for the last decade and Pharrell provides a pretty nice hook.

4.              Ma$e – Feel So Good

Take it to the dance floor with Preacher Mason Bethea. P Diddy does a great job stealing a song from the 80s (and bragging about it in the bridge, which is bold) and turning it into a pimpin’ song. If you are able to understand Ma$e’s muffled, lispy lines about living the good life, you’ll have a pretty good night. If you’re not, find a biddy and just enjoy the sounds.

5.              Mickey Factz – Paradise

I usually don’t like overtly hipster rap but this is a pretty nice song. This is one of those songs that has to be listened to with good subs to be properly enjoyed and as such it’s perfect for the (hopefully sober) drive back to wherever you’re crashing.

6.              James Blake – Measurements

This was almost Cool James’ “Around the Way Girl” but since I’m not an unreasonable person, you get James Blake instead. “Measurements” fades into oblivion just like most champs would at the end of a good night, so put this on repeat and turn off the lights.

(Or not. I couldn't find this on YouTube. Sorry.)

Total Time: 22:56

Mood: Is it Friday yet?

[Mini-Playlist] Daily Breakdown 10/3/11

These are the easiest kind of pieces to do because it's merely writing about music I already know and love. I want to do several of these per week with the ultimate goal of alerting people about new music. For those who don't know me well enough, I'm not trying to rub my music in your face; I'm trying to get you to listen to something new, something that you might not otherwise be interested in and something great. With that in mind, check out these songs.

1.     Girl Talk – Jump on Stage

Starts a sped up loop of Portishead’s “Sour Times” under a verse from Big Boi. Pretty dark by Greg Gillis’ usual standards. Then it morphs into some sunshine synths that I don’t recognize but sound nice as they play host to hip-hop’s favorite one hit wonder, Skee-Lo. Eventually we get to the ODB/”Creep” mashup, which is just too perfect. RIP Big Baby Jesus. There’s some real danceable shit about wobbling and hustling before the Beastie Boys and Lady Gaga do a little dance. Besides how easy Girl Talk is to listen to I respect how Gillis makes it seem necessary to play almost song at max volume.

2.     Gnarls Barkley – Who Cares

I didn’t get into soul music until relatively recently, which helps explain why I was so late getting into GB. Now that I'm broadening my horizons a bit, I can truly appreciate the chemistry between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo. DM’s beats always seem so chaotic but they always make sense and I think he’s pretty special in that sense.

3.     Murs – Belief’s Blues

Damn, I must be in a mournful mood today. The sample of the maddened wailing that is really the hallmark of the song is pretty brutal to listen to. I haven’t been able to track it down yet but it’s chilling to think of the kind of pain that would cause someone to sing like that. Murs is so consistently good and he really steps up on this song, off of his Varsity Blues EP.

4.     Kendrick Lamar – Faith ft. BJ the Chicago Kid & Punch

I’m going to review Section.80 soon as part of a series of my favorite albums of 2011, which I started with Krit’s R4 release. This is such a rainy day song and it’s just so mellow. BJ the Chicago Kid and Frank Ocean were two of the main reasons that I decided to start investigating neo-soul and R&B and such. The man can flat out sing.

5.     Danny! – Wanderland

One of the most underappreciated rappers of the last decade in my opinion. The drums are a little Kanye but the beat is all Danny! He has such a complex layering of sounds in most of his tracks and it really boosts the replay value. The first verse is about a failed rapper, the second is about a stripper and the entire song is about how people strive for things that are just so unrealistic. A little gloomy but honest as fuck, and it’s a nice way to round of the list.

Total time: 22 minutes

Mood: Contemplative