Hands down one of the best interviewers I've ever seen, the man, the myth, the legend that is Nardwuar "The Human Serviette" hit up the 2012 SXSW music and film festival in Austin, Texas this past couple of weeks. While he was there he interviewed a bunch of great hip-hop acts and I've picked out his interviews of 4 of my favourite MC's at the moment Action Bronson, A$AP Rocky, Danny Brown and Kendrick Lamar. Narwuar delivers these interviews in his customary quirky "show and tell" style and his research is once again second to none. It's always awesome to see the surprise on the artists' faces when he pulls out a little known fact or a significant piece of music memorabilia from their childhood. Check out all four interviews after the jup and if you like what you see head over to Nardwuar's YouTube channel to have a look at some more of his unique interviews (some personal reccommendations are the J.Cole, Drake, Nas and Odd Future interviews). Also if you haven't heard any music from the above artists I've included some links to a selection of their best material after the jump. So keep on rockin' in the free world and doot doola doot doo... doot doo!
Continuing on the R&B tip, Usher recently released a new track "Climax" which is the lead single from his upcoming album "The Shanertance". The track which was produced by Mad Decent head honcho "Diplo" and is genuinely the best thing I've heard from Usher since his Confessions album way back in 2004. Even if you're not an Usher fan there's no denying Climax is a real slow burner. Don't anaylyse it, just listen to it and get a bit of good R&B back in your life. Stream Climax below and check out the official video after the jump.
First post in quite some time, but how could I resist posting another Frank Ocean banger? This time the Odd Future crooner has dropped the track "Whip Appeal" which was previously rumoured to appear on the deluxe edition of his very dope "Nostalgia, Ultra" album. This track definitely needs to be played loud while you're cruising in your whip late at night. Ocean is killing it right now, he's got his fingers in countless pies for other artists yet he continues to put out bonafied R&B hit after hit. He's by far the pick of the Odd Future crew (well in my opinion Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt are the only two good things to come from Odd Future) and definitely one to keep an eye on. Give Whip Appeal a listen or 10 below and stay tuned to Ocean's Tumblr page for more leaks.
So this particular mixtape, "GetingMAD" by Tenda McFly ended up coming across my virtual desk in September after a referral by my man Spoz of Spoz's Rant fame. I gave it a few spins back then and was pleasantly surprised but I've only just gotten around to posting it up on the site. McFly describes himself as a:
21 year old rap artist and spoken word poet from Brisbane. My music borrows a lot from other genre's and can be best described as an amalgamation of indie pop culture and hip hop. My influences range from the xx, phoenix and miike snow to Theophillus London, Jamie-T and Kanye West.
According to McFly the The 13 track mixtape is inspired the 1976 film The Network and is "centered on the concept of accessing the emotion of madness and expressing a discontentment with the current state of affairs".
OK, so I might be more than a little bit late with this video but as I'm a big Frank Ocean fan I thought it was well worth highlighting. So the story goes that Odd Future member, Ocean initially leaked "Thinking About You" onto the interweb back in July and it was later revealed that the song was actually a reference track for Roc Nation arist, Bridget Kelly's debut album. Then in September High 5 Collective released the official video clip for the song. So who knows where this this track will end up, all you need to know is that it's Frank Ocean and it's good. The video is unsurprisingly weird involving some vengeful Native Americans, catatonically sick children and of cource Ocean, making a brief appeareance as a male nurse. This is definitely one of my favourite tracks of 2011 so stay tuned to see if this makes it into my best singles of 2011 list, which I'm currently compiling. Check out the full Thinking About You video after the jump aong with stream/download link.
There's an old saying that goes "in the right place, at the right time" and this most definitely applies to whomever it was at Hypebeast who captured this particular photograph. The apltly named "The Clout" has some of the biggest heeayweights in the music business all in the same place, at the same time... oh yeah and there's Aziz Ansari. I'm still trying to work out who the girl in the picture is that 'Ye seems so enamoured with, so if you know who it is, leave a reply in the comments section. Check out The Clout in all it's glory after the jump.
It's no secret that I've been a huge fan of up and coming remix collective Urban Noize for quite some time now, so I was pretty hyped when they announced the release of their new project, "Brooklyn. Chicago. London (The Urban Noize Remixes)". The release pays homage to Jay-Z, Kanye West & Adele, bringing together all Urban Noize's best remixes from the trio of superstars. As I've mentioned previously remixes or mash-ups like this can be a bit of a hit and miss affair in my books, but yet again Urban Noize come through with the goods, they are truly masters of this kind of music. There's not one bad remix on this release and if you're a fan of Jay-Z or Kanye West or Adele or all three artists this is a must listen. Stream/download Brooklyn. Chicago. London (The Urban Noize Remixes) below or head over to the Urban Noize website for full details, alternate download link and to check out more dope remixes.
A-Trak and Armand Van Helden AKA Duck Sauce are back with the hilarious visuals for their latest single "Big Bad Wolf". The Keith Schofield directed video sees the duo playing the part of some enthusiastic male appendages getting up to all kinds of mischief. This is a genuinely creative and humorous video and it gets especially crazy towards the end (cue the ping-pong ball). Also if you didn't read the "Not Safe For Work" title it's probably not a good idea to watch this at your place of employment unless you have a very lenient boss. Check out the full video after the jump or head on over to the iTunes store to purchase a digital copy of the Big Bad Wolf single.
American rock duo The Black Keys have announced the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2010 Brothers album, "El Camino". As well as unveiling the official cover and track-list the band have released a pretty funny fake commercial starring Bob Odenkirk AKA "Saul Goodman" from Breaking Bad which reveals the full details of the album. El Camino, which was co-produced by Danger Mouse will be feature 11 fresh tracks and will be released on December 6 through Nonesuch, while the first single "Lonely Boy" will be revealed on October 26. Check out the full commercial after the jump along with artwork and full album track-listing or head on over to The Black Keys website to pre-order the El Camino LP.
One of my current favourite rappers, Action Bronson is teaming up with one of my favourite producers, Statik Selektah to release a collaborative album entitiled "Well Done". The album doesn't drop until November but to give fans a little taster Statik and Bronsolini have dropped the first single, "Time For Some" featuring Lil' Fame of M.O.P. This track is a straight up banger and Bronson sounds real good over a vintage Statik Selektah beat and Lil' Fame bodies the chorus. Stream/download Time For Some below and check out a little video announcement of Well Done along with album artwork and track-listing after the jump.
As we near the end of the year there are several events that everyone starts to anticipate - Christmas, New Years..... oh yeah and the annual BET Hip-Hop Awards show which has rolled around once again. Even though the show itself is usually pretty crappy overall there's one segment that everyone always looks forward to and that's the cyphers. Once again BET has brought together some of the best and most respected lyricists to showcase their skills in the cypher. After watching all 9 cyphers I would say that the Shady 2.0 Cypher featuring Yelawolf, Slaughterhouse and Eminem was the pick of the bunch (Eminem was on fire and Royce Da 5'9's "Hi Rihanna" line was classic) although I was genuinely surprised by Chris Brown who is definitely improving as a rapper and Machine Gun Kelly, Skills and B.o.B. all had classic punchlines to finish off their verses. Check out all 9 BET Hip-Hop Award 2011 cyphers after the jump or head on over to the BET website for a full run-down of the award show.
Stones Throw artist and one of my favourite soul singers Mayer Hawthorne recently dropped his sophomore album "How Do You Do". The lead single from the album is the track The Walk for which he has also released an interesting set of visuals. It's a strange combination of song and video with the mellow break-up track put against the backdrop of an all-out gunfight between two lovers, Mr. and Mrs. Smith style. Check out the full video after the jump or head over to the iTunes store to buy yourself a copy of How Do You Do.
Queensbridge MC Nas has dropped the visuals for his single "Nasty", taken from his upcoming tenth studio album "Life Is Good". The track was originally released way back in June and has been hailed as a long awaited return to form for the rapper. The Jason Goldwatch directed video sees Nas trading in his lavish lifestyle and making a return to his roots and the projects of Queens. The video is somewhat symbolic, mirroring the rapper's return to the raw hip-hop sound of his early career. I for one am very much looking forward to hearing Life Is Good when it drops sometime in 2012. Check out the full Nasty video after the jump and stay tuned to The Benjamins for more Nas album updates as they come to hand.
NZ rapper David Dallas has unleashed the new track "Feel Like Oasis" which will appear on the deluxe edition re-release of his very dope "The Rose Tint" album. The new track is produced by Fire and Ice and also features cameos from Tayyib Ali and The Kid Daytona, plus it references Oasis and has a Liam Gallagher sample which will make anything a winner in my books. The deluxe version of The Rose Tint will feature 4 new tracks (including Feel Like Oasis) along with a bonus disc, chock full of instrumentals. Even though I'm an Aussie and D.Dallas is a Kiwi and there's is a long standing rivalry between the two countries I can honestly say that he's a true talent and one of most talented artist's around, and both Something Awesome and The Rose Tint were quality albums. So there you go, that's the one and only time I'm going to talk up a New Zealander, and if you see the man tell him to do the right thing and come and do a show in Adelaide, sometime soon. Stream/download of Feel Like Oasis after the jump and make sure you show your support and purchase a copy The Rose Tint (Deluxe Edition) when it drops on November 8 in the US and November 14 in NZ and Australia.
Four long years have passed since Evidence's last album release but the Dilated People's member is back with a brand new album entitled Cats & Dogs. I'm a little bit late on this particular video but the second single from the album, the very dope "You" was released a little while back along with its accompanying visuals. The track which was produced by none other than the legendary DJ Premier features a classic Evidence flow against a signature Premo beat while the video is nothing to be sneezed at featuring some super cool visual effects. Cat's & Dogs is available for purchase now and features a swag of awesome guests including Aloe Blacc, Raekwon, Rass Kass, Roc Marciano, Prodigy, Slug, Aesop Rock and a heap more. So head on over to the iTunes store to show your support or check out the entire You video after the jump.
Up and coming rapper Gilbere Forte has pushed back the release of the second installment in his 87 Dreams mixtape series "87 Dreams 2 Reality". However to keep fans happy he has announced that he will be unleashing an 8-track EP titled "Some Dreams Never Sleep". Forte has also dropped the first track from the EP entitled "HELLO". The song features production do turned singers "The Kickdrums" and it's a nice upbeat track that has a drop string arrangement. Gilbere Forte's Some Dreams Never Sleep EP is set to drop on September 27 while his 87 Dreams 2 Reality album will follow sometime after that. Check out HELLO ft. The Kickdrums below with the awesome trailer for the EP after the jump.
It was no secret that legendary Queens MC Nas and soul singer Amy Winehouse formed a close friendship over the years that was reflected through their music. Now remix extraordinaires Urban Noize have paid tribute to the pairs bond with the release of their Just Friends (Hey Nas) Remix. The track mashes up Winehouse's "Just Friends" taken from her smash hit album Back to Black with verses from "Hey Nas" taken from Nas' 2002 album God's Son. Ironically both of the songs were also produced by Salaam Remi. This is a great track and Urban Noize never cease to amaze with their always solid remixes. Stream/download Just Friends (Hey Nas) (Urban Noize Remix) below.
Aussie producer "Ashley Anderson" AKA Katalyst has teamed up with Monster Children to unleash the second installment of his three part mixtape series in the lead-up to the release of his new album "Deep Impressions". The mixtape entitled "Children of the Apocalypse" showcases a cool mix of beats and breaks and will definitely be getting many spins at The Benjamins over the next few weeks. The mixtape is free but is limited to 1000 downloads so make sure you get in quick if you want a copy for you iPod or phone. Katalyst's third studio album "Deep Impressions" is set to be released next week, so make sure you grab yourself a copy of that as well. If you haven't already heard part 1 in the mixtape series "Back to Basics" head over to Katalyst's Soundcloud page to download a copy, quicksmart. Artwork and stream/download of the Children of the Apocalypse mixtape after the jump.
Blue Mountains beatsmiths Hermitude make a welcome return from a 3 year break with their new single "Speak of the Devil", taken from their as yet untitled fourth studio album. The track is a certified banger and it's sure do big things for the duo in the leadup to summer. In celebration of the release "El Gusto" and "Luke Dubs" are heading out on a national tour during November and December, so make sure you check them out if they are in your neck of the woods. Hermitude's fourth studio album is set to be released sometime in Febraury 2012 so stay tuned to The Benjamins for further updates closer to the release. Check out the new single along with the Speak of the Devil tour dates after the jump.
Great news everyone! Legendary funky man of "Diggin' in the crates" (D.I.T.C.) crew, Lord Finesse is returning to Adelaide for an outdoor show at The Old Exchange on September 24 with support from DJ Sheep, Nick Arks and Nixon. I'm sure I don't need to tell you all how much of a legend Finesse is, with a CV that would make even the most seasoned hip-hop musicians weep. For those of you that still need convincing Finesse is the triple threat, producer, MC and DJ and a true hip-hop icon. He has produced tracks for the who's who of hip-hop including "Suicidal Thoughts" from The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album "Ready to Die", the majority of the late Big L's debut album "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" and "The Message" taken from Dr Dre's seminal solo album "2001". As previously mentioned he founded the legendary D.I.T.C. crew who's members include Buckwild, Showbiz, A.G., Fat Joe, Diamond D and Big L. Finesse also provided the vocal sample that DJ/musician Fatboy Slim used for his 1998 hit single The Rockafeller Skank. (Yes, that track and that line "Right about now, the funk soul brother").
