memo to fern.

you’re guess is as good as mine.

Jay Electronica – Colors (snippet)

Jay Electronica & Zed Bias – The Cauldron

Zed Bias out of the UK. his blog about the WorldWide Awards and linking up with Jay.

video

cuz i won’t be blu always…

this guy decided to shoot a video, but he couldn’t decide where so i was like, ’shoot it in Diego.’

so he did.

all kinds of people came through, Deep Rooted, Gonjasufi, DJ PWC, DJ Cleancut, CashUsKing, LRG, etcetera, etcetera.

the shoot was very professional, efficient and fucking baller. the director was very much into the music and was passionate about the project.

these are some flicks i took before blu hated and kicked me out.

got a lil deuce deuce tool to blast with, but that just make me dirty, the same sewage.

I first heard about the MC known as Blu about a year ago.

at first, like I always am towards new music or people or anything really, I was cynical and pessimistic.

but damn if this motherfucker didn’t make me change my mind in the course of one song, ever since then Bee El You has been one of my favorite MC’s (and one of thee best out the west).

but this isn’t about him, it’s about Co$$ aka CashUsKing.

when i first interviewed Blu, he said that Co$$ was his “major rap inspiration right now.”

so I immediately had to find out more, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I had a full entry written to elaborate more on Co$$’s dopeness, importance and relevancy, but I showed it to Blu before I was gonna post and he told me it was garbage.

so he wrote one instead

(no, I don’t know why he does that space-bar thing, deal with it)

photo: Kyla Wright

CashUsKing,
IsTheWestAllInOne.
Co$$(HisAliasMostReferredAs),HasItAll.

Lyrics@ItsFinestSinceRassKass.
Delivery@ItsMostPassionateSincePac.
TheWestCoastChillFactorOfAnEarlySnoop,
AttitudeOfThatNWA/BombSquadCube,
YetHonesThatFunAuraThatPharcydeGaveOff.
MyFavoriteLyricistOnThisCoastRightNow,
AndhasBeenForAWhile.
YouCanPutThemAllUp
SomeMayRockLiverShows
SomeMayBeInMoreMags
SomeMayHaveMorePunchlines
SomeMayBeMoreGangsta
AndSoOn&Such
ButNoneHoldTheEssenceAsHighAsCo$$Does.
Co$$KeepsACloseEyeOnHisSurroundings
AndPensItDownInADaliEsquePainting.
HeSongsAreScenesOfMoviesToldFromTheDirector’sChair.
NoActor,JustAGreatWriter.
YouAlwaysFeelTheBattleGoingOnInEverySong.
ThatDayToDayStruggleBetweenTheSpirit&Flesh,
ItsAlwaysAJourney.
AndImSureThereIsNoOneWhoHasHeardAsMuchOfHisMaterialAsIHave,
SoIAmSpeakingOnWhatIsToCome.
So,
ConsiderYourselfWarned.

Blzz
yaGirlsFavColor

CashUsKing – One Day (Love, Love)

CashUsKing – Reasons

CashUsKing – World Gone Blind (snippet, prod by Blu)

king of the beats

so at first I wasn’t going to do a Dilla post. I mean I kind of told my story on the man last year

especially after seeing the internet flooded with them in the past few, but there’s some things that i feel haven’t been addressed yet, so…

it’s been 2 years since his passing, but the story’s still the same.

Jay Dee (aka Jay Dilla aka John Doe aka a bunch of other shit) was a musical genius, humble, completely dedicated to his craft and creatively light years ahead of what everyone else is doing.

it’s been 2 years since his passing, and the aftermath has been bittersweet.

more and more people know the name Dilla and Detroit as a whole seems to be finally be getting the attention they deserve. still, his much circulated beattapes are caught up in legal red tape and the hospital bills aren’t going away. like i said it’s bittersweet.

for the music scene it’s been extremely beneficial. Dilla has been establishing himself as a cornerstone for the future generation of hip hop. This has and will continue to make people step their game up, i believe, because the legacy Dilla left was concentrated on the music, not an image or a message. simply incredible music.

what else is their to say?

it’s been 2 years since his passing

and Dilla’s still king of the beats

a few of the most fun, poignant and beautiful Dilla related cuts.

Invincible – In The Mourning

1st Down – No Place To Go

Mos Def – Saturday Night (jay dee remix)

Carlos Nino & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – Find a Way

Steve Spacek – Eve (jay dee remix)

Jay Dee – Think Twice instrumental

Worldwide w/ Gilles Peterson – Jay Dee tribute (February of 2006)

episode III.

intoxication. yes.

Classic Drug References presents …

*all pictures provided by US 

a minute ago, Blu, Shoes, Elzhi, Sene and JKim came down to San Diego for a show I threw at a pub.

first of all i wanna personally thank DJ’s Norm Rockwell and PWC, 2 DJ’s in San Diego actually doing what DJ’s are supposed to do,

the homies Aaron and Elijah came through as well, providing flicks and whatnot.

the turnout was decent, but overall the show was crackin,

big thanks to all parties involved, good looks all around

Blu came out hard (do i gotta say pause?)

anyone that wasn’t already going to the show for Blu were won over pretty well,

his set was a combination of songs from Below The Heavens and newer, unreleased joints that were dope.

don’t miss a chance to catch this cat live, his performances are the kind you can actually have fun to

Blu/Co$$ – CityOfLos(t)Ang(e)les

Blu’s homie and Brooklyn’s own Sene took to the mic as well,

look out for this cat

Shoes did his thing as always, working through technical difficulties like a professional

Shoes also loves tofu

DJ House Shoes – Dublab podcast: Man’s World

when Elzhi took the stage there were a handful of people in the room that were familiar with Elzhi’s caliber as an MC

by the time he stepped off, the rest had a pretty good idea.

El ripped it.  plain and simple.

It’s rare to see an MC keep up such energy as well as quality of execution for as long as Elzhi did

this dude is nuts

my personal highlight of the show;

after going through SV Classics, a few Dilla features, personal highlights from his Outta Focus EP and the Witness My Growth mixtape, Elzhi’s ready to wrap it up.

after one last song,

now since i’ve been up on Elzhi, my favorite track of his has been Love It Here, a Dilla produced joint off his Witness My Growth mixtape. The beat is so intense and soulful, and Elzhi does the exact same thing on the mic, making it one of his most impressive and enjoyable tracks to me.

so of course, he closes the show with …

Elzhi – Love It Here

peace

when my nerve’s bad i empty out a herb sack

opposite of where the earth’s at, off the at-a-las.

Black Milk & Fat Ray – Bad Man ft. Guilty Simpson

i don’t recommend it, but if you’re going to commit illicit and/or illegal activities, this is your soundtrack. The Set Up is going to be banana-nutty.

CRAC Knuckles – Buy Me Lunch

they already got this blasted out through Nah Right, a very good look for them dudes. Piece Talks is coming soon, stay tuned for more shit on the CRAC collective.

oh yeah,

Blu wants you to have this…

Blu – Glass O’ Wine

CashUsKing aka Co$$ – Long Live

LA has some shit. trust. meet your next favorite rapper.

Jay Electronica – Abracadabra

don’t get too excited, this is actually an OG version of Departure/Are You Watching Closely that’s been around the internets. Act II coming….soon.

europe for dummies

episode II

check the archives for the feature done w/ Shoes, Illa Jay, Exile and Aloe on their Oslo stop.