I’ve had this track on repeat since I first heard it, and I’ve finally got a minute to blog it!
‘Go Girl’ is the second single from Detroit’s very own Frank Nitt, taken from his forthcoming ‘Jewels In My Backpack’ EP, featuring Problem and produced by Terrace Martin.
Available to download on iTunes right now… keep you eye out for the EP due to drop on May 25.
Loving this video too, really works with the song and compliments Frank’s unique, laid back style. If you’re not too busy checking the ladies in this video, be sure to look out for a few familiar faces in there too!
Frank says: “The Go Girl record is a fun, sexy record that is really about strong, intelligent, uplifting and beautiful women,”.
Lennon is a 17 year-old native of Connecticut who whilst has only been producing for 4 years now, has a mature sound that’s far ahead of his years. Lennon grew up on Dilla and mentioned some of his influences being Kanye, 9th Wonder, RJD2 & Alex Goose, which is evident in his music. Apart from influences spanding through all music genres, Lennon also draws great inspiration from the legendary Spike Lee’s movies.
Currently, Lennon is working on a new project with the Cosmic Souls Collective (one of the members, EPonym, rhymes over Lennon’s ‘Like That’ track on ‘Beat Tape’) which he recently joined, a couple of blog mixtapes & is always looking for opportunities to produce for other artists. Looking to the future, Lennon’s dream would be to work with people like Eminem, Dre, Flylo, Drake, Jill Scott, Lupe & The Roots. Given his talent at such a young age, the sky’s the limit really.
‘Beat Tape’ is Lennon’s most recent project and displays a variety of his production styles. On the mixtape you will hear a remix of a Madlib track, a Masta Ace classic & also a load of great jazzy, soulful & even eerie instrumentals. Lennon also has a couple of other tracks & another beat tape for download on his website, check it out here. Big up to Lennon for help with the post.
I headed down to the Jazz Cafe last Wednesday to witness hip-hop’s fastest rising star of the moment, Jay Electronica.
I rocked up just in time to catch the end of Eglo record’s Fatima’s set, her voice sounding just as powerful live as it is on wax. If ya don’t know, check out her track ‘kleer‘ produced by Funkineven, & preview her incredible-sounding forthcoming ep here featuring Dam Funk. Next up K-lashnekoff performed a short set including classics such as ‘Murder‘ & his take on ‘Welcome to Jamrock‘ – a few embarrassing slips aside (forgetting the lyrics to his new single probably wasn’t a career highlight) -he was a welcome surprise, & reminded me just how powerful his voice & flow are, I’ll definitely be checking for his new LP out soon.
After K-Lash there was a good hour & a half wait ’til the main act.. I heard many impatient comments from the audience, but I was personally happy as a pig in shit wildin’ out to a killer set by Benji B – a fine choice of underground hip hop classics (big props to anyone dropping ‘The Enemy‘ by Big L & Fat Joe), some funk/disco rarities & a good half hour of well-chosen Dilla productions.
And so on to the man of the moment, Jay Electronica eventually stepped to the stage fully suited up, & proceeded to give one of the finest performances I’ve heard for a long time to be delivered by a simple MC & DJ combo (not that the dj did much!). His delivery was clear, his energy was as up as you’d expect from a man riding the wave of newly found stardom, the crowd was super hyped, & dude straight killed it. I was much-relieved to discover him to be as great a performer as he is an MC, & would probably make a half-decent comedian, offering shots of jack to nearby punters, & getting away with asking all the ladies in the house to make noise if they enjoy a little mild choking during sex! Jay performed a dope selection of his material, but of course Exhibit’s A & C were the joints that really shut it down, with most of the crowd rapping along to the whole tracks (big up London for knowing our shit!). If he makes a return to these shores anytime soon, don’t miss out.
Peep the video above, taken from the second night’s performance (& pinched with love from DJ Semtex’s blog) for a taste – & download his recent ‘Victory’ mixtape free of charge here.
Stussy has produced a 3-part documentary on J Dilla’s life during his later years in Los Angeles, interviewing a few of the people he worked with in Los Angeles. Part 1 – Introductions – is here today. Part 2 (Detroit to Los Angeles) will be shown 2/17, and Part 3 (Donuts) on 2/24.
The limited edition J Dilla t-shirt created by Stussy in conjunction with the Dilla Estate and Stones Throw will be released this Saturday, Feb 13, and celebrated with in-store release parties in L.A., Vegas, D.C., Toronto and Vancouver. Check here for dates.
Cold Legistics: After hearing some of their beats, I got in contact with Chris Brassard, one half of Cold Legistics, to get a bit of background on them and their sound. Cold Legistics started about 4 years ago, and consists of Chris Brassard & Teddy Rosenthal. Teddy goes by the name of Teddy Roxpin, lives in Boston, MA, and works with a lot of rappers in the Boston area. Chris, a native of Providence RI, currently lives in Portland Maine studying at Uni and started producing when at high school, at the young age of 15. Chris’s main influences are Dilla, Dj Premier, Pete Rock, Hi Tek, RZA, Kev Brown, and Bullion. Apart from the ‘Deeper Than You Think’ EP, Cold Legistics’ most recent release is an album released online last week called ‘Northern Star’, which can be downloaded at the link below:
Deeper Than You Think EP: Cold Legistics uses clean, intricate drum beats and have immaculate use of sampling. Throughout the EP you can hear samples of Marvin Gaye, Gil Scott-Heron, Redman, Big L, David Axelrod and even The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, all used in moderation to compliment the beats. The album takes you on a journey through different tempos and sounds, from the laid back ‘Didn’t Want To’ with it’s Kev Brownesque guitar samples & vocals subtly echoing in the background, the Dilla inspired genius of Sampling Interlude’ and ‘I’m Gone’, to beats like ‘Coming Home’ and ‘Traffic Interlude’ which could be mistaken for 9th Wonder produced masterpieces. This EP has a unique sound and is my favourite of what I’ve heard from Cold Legistics, but do check out the ‘Northern Star’ album too.
Future Releases: Apart from future Cold Legistics releases, Chris and a crew consisting of Maine locals O*zee, Shane, Reis and Essence, will also be dropping an album soon under the name ‘In the Attic’. I’ll keep you all posted on news regarding that one.
Happy New Year!! Check out the latest edition of Fresh Cuts Radio for the freshest US & UK Hip Hop every month..
This month sees the return of guest Dj’s Druskillz (the Kraftsmen) & Daredevil (DMC/Droppin’ Science), part mixtape, part knowledge, all fresh!!
Tracklist:
01. Matman & Daredevil (The Brothas Grimm) – Fresh Cuts Radio Intro
02. Jay Electronica – Exhibit C
03. Sareem Poems ft. Ken Starr & Oddisee – Rude Awakening (Oddisee Remix)
04. DJ Daredevil – Up Yours 6
04. Skyzoo – Ghetto America (astronote remix)
05. Krs One & Buckshot ft. Talib Kweli & Geologic of Blue Scholars – Oh Really (Marco Polo Remix)
06. Black Ripper ft. Pierre & Loudmouth Melvin – Just a Dream
07. DJ Daredevil – Kilo
08. Statik Selektah ft. Reks, Termanology, JFK & Kali – The Best
09. Strong Arm Steady ft.Phonte – Best of Times
10. Endemic & Cappo ft. Cyrus Malachi & Iron Braidz – Hacksaw
11. Doom – Gazillion-Ear (MADVILLAINZ remix)
12. DJ Daredevil – Revenge of Matthew
13. Rakim ft. Jadakiss, Styles P & Busta Rhymes- Euphoria
14. J-Dilla – Make Em NV (DaveNotti Maxymus Remix)
15. Mystro – Thorish
16. DJ Daredevil – Monday Morning
17. Skillz – 2009 Rap Up
Stream/Download here, or subscribe via itunes using the link below:
