A few short weeks ago, I was lamenting the idea that both Jesse Boykins III and Theophilus London go unnoticed to most music fans. Update their respective scorecards since Theo’s recently got his own blue suede bucks courtesy of Cole-Haan and now Jesse’s crafting tracks for Nike Sportswear and their “Always On” campaign. Read the rest of this entry »

Too often, blogging becomes a narcissitic endeavor where one person pushes their likes on a larger audience. So instead of taking my word for it, check Steve-O’s description of the two of the game’s best talents – Theophilus London and Jesse Boykins III Read the rest of this entry »

JBIII adds his complimentary touches to Jhene’s “Stranger” and he does so well that I almost included his picture as the focal point of the post. But what kind of fool would I be to skip a chance to post another pic of shorty? Read the rest of this entry »

Play Jesse’s latest one after dark or while you’re chilling inside trying to beat the heat. Read the rest of this entry »

So far, everything about The Great Debater has been excellent. “The Definitive Prayer” kicked things off with a bang a little less than a month ago, as Skyzoo put on a dazzling display of lyrical skill. As the weeks passed, he continued to drop strong tracks, only increasing my excitement about this project. Hell, even the Cosby-inspired art that accompanied each release was unique and cool. Now, finally, the mixtape is here. Read the rest of this entry »

During the process of familiarizing myself with Oakland’s own Mara Hruby, one of the standout tracks I’ve seen others rave about was her cover of Mos Def’s “The Panties.” It represented a respectable starting point and one suited for a lazy Sunday summer the season routinely brings. To keep the steam behind her From My Eyes project, Hruby and director Jessie Boykins III bring the song to life. Read the rest of this entry »

Not that I know much of anything about Mara Hruby because the fact is I know nil. But I do feel like it’s hard to lose when you combine factors like a beautiful face, the voice of a siren, Dilla and The Roots’ “Stereolab” and Brother JBIII at the helm to shoot and direct a clip. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to conquering the male species, they say a pretty girl is our weakness and the stomach is the key. Melo-Xtra decided to go the two bird route and mix both connotations in his big ‘ass bowl of gumbo to create a harmonious dish. Even the most accomplished musician has a funny side and he and his band of rude boyz, The Redd Strypes, Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah, the song’s co-stars only appear in the theoretical sense (read: the sample), but let us dismiss all thoughts of a Beatle and Bella for a second. Melo-X successfully taps into the harvest grove of love by puppeteering R&B to carry out his Hip-Hop deeds. With his power for passionate songpieces, he doesn’t let a moment to make “music” with his woman slip by until she’s gone…baby…gone. Read the rest of this entry »

Melo-X strives to be a producer’s producer and you have to respect that type of creative drive, no matter how familiar you are with his work. Too often we see beatmakers presenting compilations that resulted from dozens of emails where files were received and resent without maintaining any sort of congruity. The Brooklynite’s newest and freshest project to date, More Merch, aims to keep the glue between beats and lyrics. Read the rest of this entry »

Jesse Boykins III simply does not get enough credit. A think a lot like Theophilus, he doesn’t fit into a neat box, thus he’s left to the side and partially ignored. Read the rest of this entry »

VA$HTIE’s birthday was one day last week so happy belated to her. To cap it off, there was a party @ Santos in honor of the birthday girl and I think it doubled as a released party for Theophilus’ I Want You mixtape. Relevance? Not much really, but really, don’t these kids just seem to live a great life? Plus, I f#cks with them both so you’re stuck dealing with my whims at times. Below, footage of TL & Jesse Boykins III (and his hair) performing “I Want You” for the crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

In the morning equivalent of being allowed to indulge in French toast and a big bowl of sugary sweet cereal, Theophilus serves up “Accept The New.” The song, which will be included on his upcoming I Want You mixtape, finds Mr. London remixing the work of another creative genius (Dãm-Funk’s “Fantasy”). Backup vocals and sounds provided by Jesse Boykins & VA$HTIE.

I Want You releases on April 28th and I couldn’t be happier. Read the rest of this entry »

“You survived another Friday on some Ice Cube shit, get some rum and get some Coke, let the ice cubes hit.”

While I’m still petitioning for the release of the other song (Yo @TheophilusL, send me the mp3 early!), Mr. London was nice enough to emancipate “Life Of A Lover” when he introduced himself @ his Hypebeast guestblog. Quite jazzy with the horn samples. Quiet & wonderfully lazy. Ultimately, it’s more audio proof as to why this guy will be cornering space on your iPod sooner than you realize. Read the rest of this entry »

Basic Vocab serve notice that their second LP A Better Way could be a 2010 sleeper, with lead single “Shine Like a Star.” The track betrays the groups’ Miami roots, trading Latin rhythms for the jazz pianos of the NYC. And their lyrics aren’t sizzle like some other South Beach denizens (you know who I’m talking about Boss). This all steak—deep well-structured rhymes on living in hard times.

The LP drops April 13. We’ll see then if they got more star tracks up their sleeves. Read the rest of this entry »