The New Hotness Vol. 12

1. Ari Lennox - "Night Drive" 2017  Ari has been touring the globe as part of J. Cole's Dreamville Records crew and collecting new fans every step of the way; myself included. This song went straight to the New Hotness Spotify playlist.




2. L'Orange feat. Del The Funky Homosapien - "Blame The Author" 2017  L'Orange is that dude 100%. One of the reasons I'm so all about his production is that he is smart enough to use samples with women's voices in them.  L'Orange's new album, The Ordinary Man, is due out October 27.




3. Falon Sierra - "Sprained Ankles" 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC   Love the effort that went into the video for this song, keep it up Falon! KEXP did a great interview with Falon around EMP Sound Off... peep it.




4.  J'Von - "Grey Beanie" 2017 SEATTLE MUSIC  I'll be a J'Von fan for life; I can't wait to see where his journey takes him. His animation always take his projects to the next level.



J'Von's latest EP was released on October 20.




5. Last Word - "Andrew" 2017  Can't say enough good things about Last Word and this mix hosted by Brother Ali. Last Word is Brother Ali's DJ/Tour Manager/Super Homie and is currently driving the van I'm writing this in... until it's my turn to drive again. He's giving this mix away for free.99 via the Fifth Element website.




6. Jessie Reyez - "Fuck It (Stripped)" 2017  I have yet to find a Jessie Reyez song I didn't like.




7. Wu-Tang Clan feat. Redman - "People Say" 2017  Wu-Tang Clan recently released an album many of us are afraid to listen to in fear it won't live up to our expectations. I will face my fears later today and get back to you...




8. WESTSIDEDOOM - "2STINGS" 2017 (Produced by Alchemist)  Alchemist = Beat Nasty Face every single time.




9. Akua Naru - "My Mother's Daughter" 2017  Akua Naru's Mother must be so proud and honored to be featured in her daughter's music in such a way. It's beautiful to see women pay tribute to each other with their art.




10. ODESZA feat. Leon Bridges - "Across The Room" 2017  Leon Bridges is just so damn classy.




11. ill Camille feat. Damani Nkosi - "Home" 2017 (produced by Georgia Anne Muldrow)  Still hoping to find a rabbit hole of dope producers that just happen to be women. For now, Georgia Anne Muldrow is the Queen.




12. LayFullStop - "YinYang" 2016  I discovered LayFullStop via the UK magazine/website Bonafide's 5 Essential New Voices In Rap. She's in a crew called Cul De Sac, a group whose video will appear on the next installment of bicycle videos (you should watch their 2016 video for "Know We Now" asap though, it's that awesome).



Her latest, released back in September...




13. Bomba Estéreo - "Internacionales" 2017  You best believe I just added this to the Roller Skating Music Videos YouTube playlist. Bomba Estéreo makes the most fuego videos of them all.




14. Tierra Whack - "MUMBO JUMBO" 2017  Bless you Tierra Whack for embracing the weirdness and making such a rad video.




15. Prince Paul - "REDUX ALBUM 2018" 2017  Prince Paul will always be in my Top 5 Producers. Here's hoping when I eventually meet him that I'll be smoother than when I met Dan The Automator. Prince Paul is giving this album away for free cuz he's that dude.




16.  ¿Téo? feat. Jaden Smith - "Uno Dos" 2017  At the age of 19, Jaden Smith has already surpassed most of us on his journey of self growth. I'm 100% on board.




17. Guayaba - "Live On KEXP" 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC  Guayaba is a Queen on this Earth with infinite potential. I love her.




18. Lute - "Morning Shift" 2017  From the Dreamville crew...




19. hERON - "hERON" 2017 SEATTLE/SAN ANTONIO MUSIC   In the words of the artists themselves...

hERON is a long-distance, Seattle-slash-San Antonio collaboration between Progeny of Chisme/Ghost Palace (MPC) and Rob Castro of Grayskul/Ghost Palace (bass). Instrumental trip-hop infused with a gloomy dreamlike melancholy, hERON’s cinematic sad bangers draw as much from psych rock, 70’s pop and Twin Peaks as they do from Seattle’s chief exports of hiphop and grunge.

In my words...

This is dope, I love it.




20. John Legend feat. Chance The Rapper - "Penthouse Floor" 2017  The mainstream still has some cuts...




21. Nick Hakim - "Cuffed" 2017  My intro to Nick Hakim was his animated video for "Roller Skates" and I was hooked immediately; peep the video on 10 Animated Music Videos Part VI. If you're itching to learn more about him, check out his interviews with FADER and Pitchfork.




22.   Little Dragon feat. Faith Evans - "Peace Of Mind" 2017  This jam is almost too smooth... wouldn't mind if it hit a little harder but I felt the same way about Little Dragon's last release as well. I much prefer Faith Evans on this track to her "new" album with Biggie.




23. Zensofly - "Getting Started" 2017  I was blessed to meet Zensofly briefly at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina. She was headlining a show in the smaller room of the venue The #OwnLightTour was also performing in. Didn't get to catch her set cuz I was posted up at the merch booth but I loved discovering an artist in this way.




24. Method Man + Black Thought Cypher On Sway In The Morning 2017  Everything about this is whoa.




25. pinkcaravan! - "A LLAMA BROKE INTO MY HOUSE AGAIN" 2017  If I tried to find ten llama music videos, I may never get a chance to share her sad happy rap.




26. Everything Is Recorded feat. Syd + Sampha - "Show Love" 2017  A lyric video for people who aren't into lyric videos.





27. Bahamadia - "Dialed Up" 2017  Bahamadia recorded this entire EP in her car on her phone. Amazing what we can accomplish if we make the most of what we have!

14 Great Live Performance Videos Part V

The Live Performance Music Videos YouTube playlist has 75+ videos and still growing.

1. Jessie Reyez - "Figures (Live Acoustic)" 2017  Amazing what this woman can do with a guitar, her voice, and some imagination. I believe in you Jessie!




2. Jorja Smith - "Teenage Fantasy" 2017  When you're this good, all you need is a microphone. She just rocked that performance in a t-shirt like a boss.




3. Taylar Elizza Beth - "Live On KEXP" 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC  I've been a fan of Taylar since the first moment I heard her voice and she just keeps getting better. Seeing her at the Laser Dome with Sassy Black was truly epic. KEXP also interviewed Taylar for their Local Artist Spotlight back in June.



If you haven't heard her EP Fresh Cut Flowers yet; I've made it easy for you.




4. Gabriel Garzón-Montano - "Everything Is Everything" (Live Session Findspire) 2016  STONES THROW  He learned it from his Mama.




5. Mahalia - "Sober" 2017  I may have a problem, I can't seem to stop listening to this song. Could be way worse.




6. Fkj & Masogo - "Tadow" 2017  These two recorded this masterpiece at Red Bull Studios Paris.




7. Noo - "Without You" 2015  I'd really love to see Muzzy Legault pop in the screen to do her verse but she was far away in Canada... see below.




8. Muzzy Legault - "Cafe Nostalgica Ottowa" 2017  My intro to Montreal native Muzzy Legault was from the song above; I was an instant fan.



This jam I posted back on The New Hotness Vol. 7 clinched my fandom.





9. Tay Sean - "Live On KEXP" 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC  I was blessed to discover Tay Sean back in 2010 when he performed at Seattle Central Community College's Unity Fair as half of Helladope with Jarv Dee. Peep the link for a photo. The Helladope album I bought from them that day remains one of my favorite Seattle Hip Hop albums ever. I haven't been able to find it online but here's one of the tracks.




10. Masego - "Navajo" 2017  I've listened to the studio version of this song way too many times so I could figure out why I love it so much. Still haven't figured it out.




11. Kung Foo Grip - "Walk Alone 2 (Live On KEXP)" 2011  SEATTLE MUSIC  I loved these Caffe Vita Bean Room videos. Since they recorded this six years ago, they've linked up with the Cabin Games crew and released the EP below. We're all watching to see what they do next.






12. Shabazz Palaces - "Live On KEXP" 2017 SEATTLE MUSIC  Next level... once again.




13. Lizzo - "Live On KEXP" 2017  By being herself, Lizzo has already inspired thousands of young women to love themselves just as they are. #superheroshit




14. Dua Lipa - "I Would Rather Go Blind" 2017 (Etta James Cover)  Bold move to cover such a legend's music but she nailed it.



Here's Etta James doing it her damn self; rare to see performances like this these days.

The New Hotness Vol. 11

The New Hotness YouTube playlist is looking pretty damn good these days...


1. Indian Agent - "Life Keeps On Spinning" 2017  These people amaze me (Silver Jackson, OCnotes, + Zak Dylan Wass). I don't write sentences as grand as the following so I'll let Jonathan Zwickel of City Arts Magazine etc. speak about the album...
It's a dreamy, wavy montage of broken, downtempo beats, Galanin's relaxed, distorted vocals, hypnotizing guitar and ambient electronics, ghostly in its sound and urgent in its themes.  (told you it was good)




2. Princess Nokia - "Bart Simpson + Green Line" 2017  Princess Nokia is no stranger to The New Hotness; she puts out so much high quality material that it is hard to take your eyes off her.




3. Stop Biting Beatmakers Vol. 2  SEATTLE MUSIC  The Stop Biting crew has done more for me than they could ever know and I love them all. Standing at LoFi nodding my head to their music will always be one of my happy places. These days Stop Biting is the last Tuesday of every month, you should definitely go.



They released this documentary with Volume 1 back in 2012...




4. Kari Faux feat. Jerry Paper - "Gotta Know" 2017  Kari Faux had me hooked with "Fantasy" off her 2016 album Lost En Los Angeles. I posted "Fantasy" on Ten Artsy Weirdos You Should Know back in December 2016 alongside 9 other artists who just happen to be women; look at it, the list rules. I have yet to listen to her latest album, Primary, but it is patiently waiting for me to stop listening to Rapsody, Wiki, and Princess Nokia.




5. Mahalia - "Sober" 2017  This went directly to currently overplaying status in my world; still not sick of it. The version she did for A COLORS SHOW is flame emoji too. Mahalia is now officially on my radar with this track I found via YouTube algorithms.




6. The Flavr Blue - "Fetti + Spaghetti" 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC  The Flavr Blue's perspective on life and commendable grind has helped them to far surpass being labeled Seattle artists even though they happen to be Seattle peeps. This song premiered on Complex today with a some back story on the visuals and the announcement of their upcoming album, Blue Dream, due out October 27.




7. Sudan Archives - "Water" 2017  STONES THROW   Did you know Sudan Archives traveled to Ghana to teach children music production? Me neither, til I read this... #superheroshit




8. 316 (Oneohtrix Point Never + Ishmael Butler) - "The Rapture" 2017  We actually do live on the same planet as these people, they've just transcended to another plane unreachable to those who have yet to visualize their maximum creative potential. Adult Swim has been killing it with their single collection; even if some of them have gone missing.




9. RVN - "GREYNEON" 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC  Thanks for being 100% you RVN (formerly Raven Matthews), the universe needs your weirdness. One of Seattle's most interesting people has just released a new album and it's just as unique as we knew it could be. Keep it up RVN!




10. Billy Blaze - "Here + There" 2016  SEATTLE MUSIC  I can't believe I missed this when it came out; this is the Rainwater Conglomerate jam I love the most on their EP I posted on The New Hotness Vol. 9. Here's hoping we get to see more visuals from this crew; I'd love to see them pull together a full album and launch it with gusto via social media... here's hoping.




11. The Mouse Outfit feat. IAMDDB + Fox - "I Wonder" 2017  UK HIP HOP  I love pairing "local" artists from all over the world together; in theory, it will help them to link up so they can do shows together and share a planet-wide fanbase. Lofty goals can be exhausting and I'll never know for sure if I finished said bridge but I'll have a great time building it. Pretty sure this crew has yet to tour the US but I'd prefer to see them overseas anyway.



In case you were wondering, this is what's going on with The Mouse Outfit...




12. Lizzo - "Truth Hurts" 2017  I can't say enough good things about this woman and all that she represents. Lizzo is a hero amongst humans and has inspired more people to love themselves than most; I love her.

Ants... Everyday Robots... A Fan Video For Macro Nerds Like Me

I made this with the Moment Macro Lens attachment on my iPhoneSE, iMovie, and some well-placed rocks. How sad would it be if I had done nothing with this footage? #usewhatyougot

@TheRingOfDOOM 0007: Banksy Lets His Alien Show In Park City

This is the official third theory about the identity of Banksy; he's an alien, duh.