I recently had a case of the random nostalgia; you know, when you look up random stuff that wowed you before you became a cynical bastard. My latest fix had me looking up The Pharcyde’s music video for “Drop.” Read the rest of this entry »

In an effort to make every vinyl collector on the planet jealous, The Doctor’s Orders have unearthed these rare snaps of Jay Dee taken while he was fine-tuning Common’s Like Water For Chocolate in Studio A. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night Black Star performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon but I fell asleep. Thank goodness for the Internet otherwise I would’ve forever missed their performance of “Little Brother” and, more importantly, Questlove sharing the song’s intriguing backstory on the show’s site. Read the rest of this entry »

A mellow dedication is the last song anybody would expect from the usually aggressive Immortal Technique. His message remains strong as ever but his methods are quite unorthodox on “Toast to the Dead.” Read the rest of this entry »

There are plenty of takes on A Tribe Called Quest’s nostalgic salience—some of which sound more like PhD dissertations than actual music commentary. However, Tribe’s impact isn’t that complicated to grasp, even if some want it to be. The collective was just a very, very good group whose sound resonated with a lot of people. The Beats, Rhymes & Life film exemplifies that idea, among other things, Read the rest of this entry »

Love. What a beautifully dangerous word. Some kid from Queens, NY once said, and I’m paraphrasing, that love changes, and best friends become strangers. Ironically, he said that a couple years before even a hint of bad blood surrounding one of Hip-Hop’s most beloved groups, fellow Queens natives A Tribe Called Quest, became public knowledge. Just prior to the release of the The Love Movement, Tribe let the public know that it would serve as its final album. Read the rest of this entry »

Every musical act has that one pivotal moment that forever alters their history — for better or worse — forever. For A Tribe Called Quest, that signifier arrived in the form of Beats, Rhymes and Life, smack-dab in the middle of 1996, also a pivotal time for Hip-Hop music in general. Read the rest of this entry »

Directing duo Tuomas Vauhkonen and Jeremias Nieminen have stashed a little extra J Dilla-flavored dough in the back of the fridge for summer days like these. Lucky for viewers, they’re in a benevolent mood, cooking up an interesting visual to Dilla’s “Last Donut of the Night.” Read the rest of this entry »

Swag. Sex appeal and marketability. Producer credits. All the above have become liabilities masked as proprietary essentials to blow up in rap music. I ain’t buying it. TSS ain’t having it. And Rocky Rivera refuses to sell it or give away. Already proficient in the art of LP-making with her 2010 self-titled debut landing a coveted spot in stores, the Cali-bred lyricist is challenging the pop culture standard and slipping it poison for supper with her new tape, Pop Killer. Read the rest of this entry »

Relax back for a second and let R&B take the spotlight for a second. JoiStaRR hails from the City of Angels and she’s aiming to give the music world a heaping dose of her heavenly voice with Broccoli & Noodles, a full serving of harmonious nutrition hosted by Don Cannon. Read the rest of this entry »

The ghost of James Dewitt Yancey–better known as J Dilla–still looms large over the entire music industry. From the obvious influenced artists such as Common to the less obvious such as Flying Lotus and chillwavers Toro Y Moi, Dilla’s omnipresence still triggers sonic waves today. Count classically trained duo, Live Footage, among that inspired set. Read the rest of this entry »

Dilla “Behind The Beat” poster which depicts the Detroit producer working on his craft in LA, summer 2005. Photo by Rafael Rashid, from the book Behind The Beat. Available @ Stones Throw for a mere $12. Read the rest of this entry »

Candyland

Coco & Her Sister Kristy In Black Men Magazine (NSFW) [Spizzy]

NBA Jam For iPhone [Gizmodo]

Valentine’s Day By The Numbers [Cool Material]

How The Grammys Are Really Decided [TheLoop21] Read the rest of this entry »

In some way, shape, or form J Dilla has been involved with the creation of most of my favorite music. Some of these names should ring a bell.

The Pharcyde. A Tribe Called Quest. Busta Rhymes. De La Soul. The Roots. Mos Def. Talib Kweli. Ghostface Killah.

And that’s just scratching the surface of his resumé. Read the rest of this entry »

Stones Throw Records has unearthed a Friday gem, providing an unreleased J Dilla and Madlib track, “Louder,” set to appear on Madlib’s upcoming LP, Low Budget High Fi Music. “Louder” rumbles along with the same fierce stomp the late Detroit luminary imbued in many of his tracks, as scratches and samples accent the muscular beat. The sparse production elements might leave a few questioning the sound quality, but it’s signature Jaylib every time those drum kit’s kick. Read the rest of this entry »