Sunday, March 26, 2017

The New Hotness Vol. 5

I update my New Hotness YouTube playlist every time I find a new favorite song. It's better than television.

1. Gorillaz - "Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)" 2017  Gorillaz is doing it waaaay better than anyone else; try harder. Damon Albarn was one of the first artists I felt compelled to post about on this site back in 2009. 




2. Sa-Roc - "I Am Her" 2017  I couldn't be more excited to witness this woman spread her messages across the US and Canada on the Own Light Tour. Peep her bio on the Rhymesayers site for an intro to Sa-Roc.




3. Jorja Smith - "Beautiful Little Fools" 2017  If you appreciate beauty in any of it's forms, this video is for you. I was hooked on Jorja Smith when I saw her video for "Where Did I Go?" last July.




4. Princess Nokia - "Hands Up" 2017  It's hard not to love Princess Nokia. I'm sad to miss her show at The Crocodile on May 11 but I'll be en route to Oakland with the Brother Ali/Sa-Roc tour so life is pretty damn good.




5. Little Dragon - "Sweet" 2017  I love it when artists get weird with their videos.





6. DJ Harrison - "Rule The World" 2017  STONES THROW  "I live in Richmond, VA, studied the masters and the techniques they had before us, and trying to put the puzzle of my life in this recorded diary they call music. I record the instruments, reside with the instruments, mix them, and believe in them. I like tape. ReeltoReel tape. Cassette Tape." -bio from his Bandcamp page.




7. Steve Lacy - "Ryd / Dark Red" 2017  This 18 year old has a long career ahead of him; he's been a part of The Internet since 2015 and has been kicking ass ever since. Here's what The Fader had to say about him last year.




8. BADBADNOTGOOD feat. Snoop Dogg + Kaytranada - "Lavender (Nightfall Remix)" 2017  Shoutout to this crew for pissing off cheeto.




9. Oddisee - "NNGE" feat. Toine 2017  Oddisee is crushing the scene in the best way right now.




10. Reverie - "Critique Like Me" 2017  Click to learn about Reverie from this OC Weekly article. I know we'll be seeing a lot more of Reverie in the next few years.


Monday, March 13, 2017

13 More Music Videos with Street Art

I put all the Street Art Music Videos I've found so far on a YouTube playlist for you. #YouTubeNchill


1. Oshun - "Stuck" 2014  These two couldn't be more awe-inspiring. If this video doesn't convince you, their Team Backpack performance, their video for "Protect Your Self" and this interview with The Hundreds will help you love them more.




2. Joey Bada$$ - "Christ Conscious" 2014  Seeing Joey Bada$$ perform this song live may get you closer to believing this could be true.





3. DJ Premier feat. Rakim, Nas, + KRS-One - "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)" 2007  DJ Premier, Rakim, Nas, and KRS-One will always be classic (definition - serving as a standard of excellence).




4. Run The Jewels - "Lie, Cheat, Steal" 2015  If you are hoping to learn some life lessons from the Run The Jewels team, let it be their ability to sustain long careers in the music industry. Lying, cheating, and stealing to get to where you want to go will not keep you at the top.




5. Pro Era (Capital STEEZ, Joey Bada$$, + CJ Fly) - "Like Water" 2013  I couldn't be more impressed by the rise of the Pro Era crew. Joey Bada$$ first appeared on my website back in 2013 with his timeless classic, "Waves," on a compilation of Music Videos With Rooftop Scenes.




6. Gangrene (Alchemist + Oh No) feat. Action Bronson - "Driving Gloves" 2015  They are incredible musicians but they will fuck your shit up. Simon Rex/Dirt Nasty is the perfect car rental agent.




7. The Internet - "Get Away" 2015  The Ego Death album is on point.




8. Heltah Skeltah Feat. Originoo Gunn Clappaz - "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" 1996  This is a Where's Waldo graffiti wall spotting that probably belongs in the Music Videos With White Backgrounds list. But I will put Heltah Skeltah on ANY list just because.




9. Aesop Rock - "Freeze" 2003  Soon, underground clinics like this may be our only affordable source of health care; Aesop Rock is the oracle?




10. Selector Dub Narcotic - "Hotter Than Hott" 2016  This K Records gem premiered on Pitchfork. The video reminds me of LCD Soundsystem, Thom Yorke dancing in "Lotus Flower," and Christopher Walken dancing in the Fatboy Slim video.




11. Mad Lion - "Take It Easy" 1994  I'm waiting patiently for the next Mad Lion feature...




12. Kazi + Madlib - "To Be Lost" 2016  According to this 2DopeBoyz article, this song/album (Blackmarket Seminar) was recorded back in 1996 and recently re-released via Below System Records (Netherlands).




13. Metasota - "All Luv" 2016  I was blessed to see Metasota at The Crocodile recently when he opened up for Prof on the TimeBomb tour. He's headlining his own tour this June...


Wednesday, March 8, 2017

11 Music Videos With Special Effects VII

My Music Videos With Special Effects YouTube playlist is up to 77 videos... #YouTubeNchill

1. A Tribe Called Quest - "We The People" 2016  This album was released at a time when everyone needed the joy of a new favorite album, bless you Tribe and thank you to Phife Dawg for leaving us with so much great music. Here's hoping there's a tour.




2. Sims - "Brutal Dance" 2016  Sims is currently leaving a trail of smitten and devoted fans across the U.S. while on tour with P.O.S., Dwynell Roland, and DJ Fundo. I was blessed to see his performance at The Crocodile recently and was overwhelmed once again by the emotion and effort he puts into his art.




3. Old Grape God - "Do 4 U" 2016  PORTLAND MUSIC   Grape God was one of the first Portland musicians I met and I've been seeing all 4's ever since. To see Grape God embrace his weirdness live is to love him and that's pretty much what life is all about.

"Do 4 U" - Old Grape God from Noah Porter on Vimeo.


4. The Seshen - "Flames + Figures" 2016  This Bay Area group is headed out on tour in the spring and will be the closest to Seattle when they play the Treefort Fest in Boise, ID on March 22-26. Treefort seems to be unaffiliated with the corporate music slaughter system so I'd love to attend.





5. Anderson .Paak - "The Season / Carry Me / The Waters" 2016  "The Waters" is one of those songs that makes you bite your knuckles with a beat nasty face...I can't be the only one.




6. Sevdaliza - "Marilyn Monroe" 2016  I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Hirad Sab and Sevdaliza discussed their ideas for this video; it's beautiful.




7. Daniel Haaksman "Akabongi" ft. Spoek Mathambo 2016  Daniel Haaksman is a DJ (etc.) from Berlin who is known for "his own productions and releases, numerous remixes and globally party-proven DJ sets, Daniel Haaksman is considered one of the leaders of the worldwide tropical club sound." Spoek Mathambo released two albums with Sub Pop circa 2011-2012. More about his life's journey can be found on his artist page on the Sub Pop website.




8. Luna God feat. Rell + Astro King Phoenix - "LGEP pt. 2" 2016  SEATTLE MUSIC  Luna God is quickly becoming one of Seattle's most active and sought-after producers. Follow him on Twitter or like his Facebook page to keep up.




9. Joyce Wrice & Kay Franklin - "Rocket Science" 2016  You really can't get much smoother than this. I'd love to see a show with Joyce Wrice, Mndsgn, and Swarvy in a room with purple lights, couches, and art.




10. Gabriel Garzón-Montano - "Everything Is Everything" 2014  Gabriel recently became part of the Stones Throw family; it's a perfect fit.




11. Brakebill - "Rochester Rut" 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC  This is the first visual release from Brakebill's Hiding Places album which he released last June. The lightbulbs in this video really do it for me.


Monday, March 6, 2017

The New Hotness Vol. 4

The New Hotness YouTube playlist is updated every time I find a new favorite song.

1. Dwynell Roland - "Devils" 2016  This song is on track to go from zero to overplayed in 3-5 days. Dwynell Roland is currently on tour w/ P.O.S. (who makes a cameo in this video), Sims from Doomtree, and DJ Fundo. Their show at The Crocodile on March 2 was incredible.




2. SiR - "Queen" 2016  It can be tricky for me to overplay a song that isn't on Spotify but I powered through it via Soundcloud and YouTube and am almost sick of the song already. SiR is one of the latest signees to the TDE label.




3. 10.4 Rog - "The Hand Drawn Rhythm Machine" 2017  I can't possibly say enough good things about 10.4 Rog; a former Seattle area resident now living in Oakland. His collaboration with Tacoma, WA's Noo is on my Top Albums of 2016 list. I bought this the moment I realized it existed.




4. The Mouse Outfit feat. Truthos Mufasa + Black Josh - "Sit Back" 2013  UK HIP HOP  I found this while internet mining this Bristol New Years Eve Hip Hop show flyer. It will appear again on the site on an upcoming Weed Anthems list. Four year old songs can still be The New Hotness if they're new to me; I listened to this song on repeat recently while roaming the streets of Barcelona.






5. Falon Sierra - "Mr. Prez" 2017 (Produced by Noo)  Falon Sierra, a Home Slice veteran (I made this show flyer and curated the lineup), has been kicking some serious ass at the 2017 SoundOff at MoPop recently; no surprise there. Noo was on the same Home Slice as Falon Sierra because I have really good taste (brushes shoulder).




6. Omen feat. Donnie Trumpet - "49 Laws" 2017  This Interscope release is instant beat nasty face.




7. Radio Concuss S01E01 feat. Silas Blak, Specs Wizard, + DJ Able Fader - 2017  SEATTLE MUSIC  Rob Castro of Concuss Creations has been making shit happen in the Seattle area for a decade plus. Fun fact, I drove all three of these artists to Castro's for the filming and I appear in one of the photos on their Facebook page. They launched Radio Concuss on March 2 at Monkey Loft in Seattle. I will most definitely be keeping you posted as new Radio Concuss episodes become available.



This was the promo video for the show; I love it when people go the extra mile to do this.




8. Anderson .Paak - "The Come Down Gospel" 2017  It's beautiful to see artist's creative visions grow as they gain confidence, fans, and financial support. Even with his Malibu release being my number one album of 2016, I truly believe that he's just getting going and the best is yet to come.




9. Shark Dentures - "Bog Slump" 2016  SEATTLE MUSIC I was late to the game on this one but music is forever...if we're lucky. Add it to your Soundcloud playlists here. As both of us are devoted fans of the local and worldwide Hip Hop scenes, I've had the pleasure of meeting Shark Dentures on many occasions but only just now heard his music for the first time; can't wait to see what he does next!




10.  "NEK030: retrox novela" Compilation 2016  Before I even got through the full album, I had to buy Nekubi's mix on cassette, all 40 tracks are that good...plus it comes with a 20 page booklet and some stickers. I had never heard of a single artist on this rabbit hole of good music. Goldmines like this are exactly what inspired me to start my own website/rabbit hole in 2009 and it has led me on an adventure that I never thought possible. This is only the first of the 40 mixtapes this artist has on their Bandcamp site; life is good.




I found this via my genius friend Dax AKA Diogenes's Bandcamp page; following him on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Twitter, etc. will expose you to more amazing music than you thought possible. He is the driving force behind the Filthy Fingers United crew, an incredible musician, graphic designer extraordinaire, and a truly wonderful human being (among other things). "Death & Acid" from 2015 is linked below purely because it remains to be awesome. Seattle based but worldwide, FFU releases a name your price compilation on the 20th of every month.




11. Luna God + Taylar Elizza Beth - "Managing" 2016  SEATTLE MUSIC  Luna God and Taylar Elizza Beth are two of Seattle's most promising artists; I will forever support them in their endeavors. Both artists are Home Slice veterans.


Wednesday, March 1, 2017

The New Hotness Vol. 3

1. Grimes ft. Janelle Monáe - "Venus Fly" 2017  This is one of the best music videos I've ever seen in my whole life. Speechless.





2. Taylar Elizza Beth - "Stop Calling My Phone" (prod. Luis Vela)  SEATTLE MUSIC  A Taylar Elizza Beth performance will literally take your breath away. This woman inspired me to abandon my only posting music video ways because she's that awesome.




3.  J Dilla - Ghetto Wishing "ADBT" 2017  This is part of a documentary of the legacy of Detroit Hip Hop Production. See below for more info.


A/V Installation #2
The Unseen - A Detroit Beat Tape
A Film By Gus Sutherland

The Unseen explores the soul and roots of Detroit Hip Hop Production, mirroring the sketchpad
style format of a beat tape. Loosely acting as a prequel to the L.A. based "All Ears" documentary,
The Unseen provides rare insights into a scene that has remained distant from the public eye
while giving birth to some of the culture's richest and most influential sounds.
The film glimpses the hidden and elusive characteristics inherent in a city often
depicted in a one dimensional light.




4. Air Credits (The Hood Internet + Showyousuck) + Sims - "GEAR SHIFTN" 2017  These are seriously some of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I love the effort that went into this video and can't wait to see what they do next.




5.  Onry Ozzborn - "t h 3 B1RTH of c v p ii d" 2017 SEATTLE MUSIC  Nothing but respect for Onry and his grind lately. #props




6. Big Baby D.R.A.M. - "Cute" 2017  D.R.A.M.'s smile is contagious as f....




7. MonoNeon - "Thoughts In The Morning Time" 2017  Bless you Okay Player for guiding me to Prince's bassist, MonoNeon.




8. Little Dragon - "High" 2017  They must have had a blast making this video and I'm pretty sure that is what life is all about.




9. Brother Ali - "Pen To Paper" 2017  The release of this new Brother Ali album, "All The Beauty In This Whole Life," on May 5 has provided me with the job of my dreams. Stay tuned...




10. Porter Ray - "Watercolor" 2017 SEATTLE MUSIC  Yet another always smiling Seattle artist I had to share even though he hasn't released any music videos for this project yet. This Sub Pop backed album contains features from The Palaceer of Shabazz Palaces, STAS THEE BOSS of THEESatisfaction, Nate Jack, and many other voices you may recognize...if you've been paying attention.