Hip Hop and Breakz

It was with sadness that I read via El-P's Blog today that rising Def Jux star Camu Tao had passed away. Although he had only released a couple of 12"s, appeared on The Def Jux Presents series of compilations as well as a few guest appearances it was clear the dude had talent. RIP and I send my condolences to his family and friends. Below is the B Side to the Hold the Floor 12". The track is called Wireless and is a good example of Camu's style. Wireless

When I heard that Madlib had teamed up with Mamao, drummer from the legendary Brazilian Jazz-Funk group Azymuth I knew that the outcome would be incredibly funky. The album has finally arrived and as with most Madlib projects it is being released under a pseudonym, Jackson Conti and the album's title is Sujinho. The outcome of this collab is an album that mixes Madlib's bass heavy, fuzzy style of production with some of the jazzier Azymuth compositions of late and although on paper it sounds like it shouldn't work, it does. There's some drum machine beats on the album, but a large part of the percussion is acoustic too which creates more depth than before from Madlib. It kind of sounds like Yesterdays New Quintet have taken a holiday in Rio. The keyboards on this bring back memories of Azymuth's Legendary recordings of the 70s. Guitars, flutes, sax's and other instruments are thrown into the mix with great effect. This is an incredible album and if you...

ALBANY, N.Y. - New York Gov. David Paterson is granting a full and unconditional pardon to rapper Ricky "Slick Rick" Walters for the  attempted murders  of two men in 1991.The pardon is expected to halt efforts to deport Walters to the United Kingdon, the country he left as a child. The eyepatch-wearing star behind the '80s rap classic "La-Di-Da-Di" served more than five years in prison after the shooting of his cousin and another man. Both survived. The governor says Walters is now a rap artist and landlord in the Bronx who hasn't had any criminal problems since his release from prison in 1997. He also says Walters has volunteered to counsel youths against violence.   This is fantastic news for Rick and also Hip Hop as a whole.

The Roots performing in promotion of their latest studio album, Rising Down on Green Lantern’s The Invasion. Live in Sirius Studios on the 28th of April 2008.   Jam Boyz (??) (ft. Dice Raw) I Will Not Apologize Star Long Time RIP Jay Dee Proceed Intro (RIP Dilla) Get Busy (ft. Dice Raw) Like A Pimp Freestyle Remix ft. David Banner Rising Down (ft. Styles P) Rising Up 75 Bars Bonus: Rising Up (ft. Wale, Chrisette Michele) (Live on Letterman)  Check that Illadelph Flava out

This is a collection of breakz I did for a friend and figured I'd post it on this blog. Most of these I ripped from vinyl myself and they cover many genres including Jazz, Soul, Funk, Reggae & Rhythm & Blues. These have been sampled by some of the best including Pete, Premier, Kanye and Rza amongst others. They have all been sampled in pretty dope hip hop tracks but they are also fantastic songs in their own rites, well worth Downloading.   Joe Simon-Drowning In The Sea Of Love  Lee Oskar-Our Road  The Mad Lads-Gone, the promises of yesterday  Max Romeo-Chase the devil  Gil Scott Heron-Home Is Where The Hatred Is  Atlantic Star-Second To None  Ronnie Laws-Friends And Strangers  Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery-Mellow Mood  Dorothy Ashby-The Windmills Of Your Mind  Gary Burton-Las Vegas Tango  The Ambassadors-Ain't Got The Love Of One Girl  The Spinners-Ain't No Price on Happiness  The Commodores-High On Sunshine 7" mix  Isaac Hayes-Hung Up on my Baby  Mel ...

Every week I'm going to highlight a particular group or artist who has been sampled and post some of their songs that have been sampled.  This week I am covering MFSB.   MFSB  (which stands for  "Mother Father Sister Brother" ) was a pool of more than thirty resident studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios. They worked with record producers Gamble and Huff and Arranger Thom Bell.  They backed up such groups as The Bluenotes, O’Jays, Stylistics, Spinners, Three Degrees, Jerry Butler, Wilson Picket, and Billy Paul. Starting in 1974, MFSB started recording for the Philadelphia International label.  They released 11 albums between 1972 and 1980. MFSB have been sampled by a number of hip hop artists including De La Soul, EPMD, LL Cool J, Gangstarr, Canibus, UTFO and Main Source to mention a few.  I have compiled my six favorites MFSB songs that have been sampled by Hip Hop artists for you to check out. 'Love is the message' from their 1972 al...

Welcome to my blog.  I hope you enjoy it right now its empty but soon I'll be posting about breakz and good hip hop as well as some music.  Please check back soon.