MIXTAPE 102 – THE MAMIKO SHOW


MIXTAPE 102 -THE MAMIKO SHOW

Yeah, so that’s where I’ve been the last few days. I got my wisdom teeth pulled, and you know how they usually give you a choice between getting knocked out or just doing anaesthesia? Well, the surgeon took one look at my X-rays and said “Son, we generally like to give our patients a choice in the matter, but you’ve got four impacted choppers in there, and I’m gonna have to put you under. No arguments accepted.” I’ll spare you the bloody details, but suffice to say that there was a lot of sawing involved and I’m not able to talk just yet.

Now, most people would just take a break and enjoy the vacation from rappidy rap podcasts, but I promised myself February would be special. But I was in no condition to speak into a mic – so a few scrawled messages on napkins, promises I have no intention of honoring, and sad puppydog looks later, I managed to con Mamiko into recording the intro for me. Everybody, please, a round of applause for Mamiko.

A lot of good music this episode – let’s get into it.

Tracklist

mamikolude – Bullion – God Only Knows. Yes, the Beach Boys flip. I gotta put this dude on – next beattape, I promise.

Labratz - Grow. Is Labratz a new name to you? It shouldn’t be. More of the same raw post-production (especially on the I mentioned the first time I played these dudes. Too many quotables in here, but all the same – “It gotta precipitate / Before you levitate”. Take that one with you today.myspace.com/thelabratzmusic.

Jay Electronica – When The Levees Broke. I’m not sure who produces some of these more unconventional tracks (it may well be Jay himself, come to think of it), but the understatedness of this cut…man, just listen.

Jay Electronica – Departure. The title of the second part of this cut (not included here – next time!) is what inspired my original name for this episode before Mamiko took it over, but the spirit is still there. Vividly autobiographical track. See that “embed” function up here? You might consider using that to share this with your friends.

Penuckle - I Love Being Black. As do I. I’ve been meaning to get Penuckle on the show for some time, so when he hit me with the track just before February kicked off, I knew this one was a given. Black History Month – do your research. Thanks again, P (by the way, who handled production on this one?). myspace.com/penuckle.

G.L.C. – Honor Me. Not the Welsh group. Not them. No. The flow and beat on this are obviously dope, but what does it for me is that extra vocal tweaking on there. Everyone, more delay, please. The trash talking at the end is kinda funny, but doesn’t take away from the intensity of the track. Shouts to Vince for putting me up on this track. myspace.com/glc.

C.L. Smooth – Multi Barz of Fury (prod. Pete Rock). Yes, you read that right. Is the coldness between the two masters over? I have no idea, and technically this isn’t that much of a new track considering that Pete released this cut on the Surviving Elements as an instrumental called “You Remind Me”. So what does this mean, CL? Are more Pete/CL collabs on the way? myspace.com/clsmoothmusic

Saroc – Black Dot. Exclusive courtesy of Sol Messiah (Labratz). I got an email from dude referring to Saroc as his “secret weapon” with this cut attached. I’m not sure how much longer he’s going to be able to keep her a secret, but the lyrics are definitely impressive. The production? Signature Sol. Make sure to play this back a couple times to make sure you’re absorbing it all – in the meantime, I’m waiting for more from Saroc.

Erykah Badu- Real Thing (prod. Madlib). Anyone else out there miss Erykah? Fortunately we won’t have to wait that long – her new record is coming pretty soon. I wouldn’t mind hearing more collaborations between these two. myspace.com/erykahbadu.

I’m excited for the rest of this month. I’ll post the particulars in a bit, but I’m craving milkshakes again. Thoughts on the show are welcome, as are suggestions for food that won’t make me pass out.

MIXTAPE 100 – BEAT TAPE 4 – KING EDITION


MIXTAPE 100 -BEAT TAPE 4 – KING EDITION

Most of us here are far too young to remember this, but when Dr Martin Luther King, Jr died he was extremely unpopular in the mainstream US media – primarily because of his stance on the war. This sermon could have been delivered this morning and still have been relevant.

I’m of course not satisfied with this, because it’s really not possible to do the original justice, but this is what I’ve got. I really could have just thrown the acapella on here, that’s a good enough #100 for me. They say we’ll nod our heads to anything said over a beat and they lament the fact that too much of what is said over those beats is destructive.

So here’s something good to nod your head to.

Tracklist

Words: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr – The Drum Major Instinct Sermon. Delivered 4th February, 1968. He was assassinated two months later, to the day.

0’35 – Jay Electronica – The D.O.C. Song (loop). This is really just a loop taken from the beginning of Jay’s song by the same name. Not sure what the title of the cut means.

2’58 – P Dukes – Brown Leaves.

5’40 – J Dilla – Anti-American Graffiti (Reprise). Kinda hard to do one of these without the D on here.

6’45 – Suburb – Jazz on Acid.

9’00 – Kenny Keys – Set ‘em Up. Mean cut.

10’40 – Madlib – Old Age (loop).

11’45 – Ayatollah – Listen.

13’40 – Madlib - Pyramids (Changes). If you don’t already own everything that Madlib has put out, you should probably get started now. Stones Throw is a label worth supporting.

15’30 – Suburb – synth+strings. Do yourself a favor and make sure that you listen until the end.

holler.

MIXTAPE 93 – LOVE


MIXTAPE 93 – LOVE

Yep. Halloween is right here, and here I am with a love concept episode. You’ll see what it is soon enough. Let’s get into the…

Track List

Intro Instrumental: Deltron 3030 – Love Story. Intro featuring SuhBURB as the player mentor myspace.com/delthefunkyhomosapien.

Black Spade – To Serve With Love. Ridiculous-ass parachute pants mention in the intro aside, this is just simply a great track. I think this was my introduction to Black Spade back in mid 05 or so – then he shows up on the Nicolay release and rips that one apart too. myspace.com/blackspade

Unagi - Hello Girl. I think this is actually the track that inspired this episode, which I’ve been compiling and conceptualizing for longer than I’d care to admit (who knew – good, recent rap music about love is sort of hard to find). Unagi was kind enough to send me like his entire catalogue some time ago, and this was one of my jams. Thanks, fam. unagi442.com.

C Boogie + Kenyatta - Blackanese Invasion. Okay, I was joking about the title. This dances very close to the “ooh baby let me describe your silky brown skin / hips / good hair / etc” that generally gets the Further Adventures Of Lord Quas Track #13 Treatment* from me – but that’s just because I have an extremely low tolerance for that sort of thing. But – I liked this track. That says something. It’s good. myspace.com/cboogie.

* First one to explain that reference gets a shoutout in the next show. ell oh ell.

Little Brother – That Ain’t Love feat Jozeemo. I haven’t personally listened to all of “Get Back” yet, but word is (okay, my man B has been telling me every day on AIM) that “it’s brilliant” and “hasn’t left his CD player for a week” and “oh my god dex I woke up this morning and I made Orange Tang and I listened to the CD and it’s so good man you need to stop listening to that Bathin Apes shit and get with this good music”. Forsooth, I’ve been listening to Soulja Boy on repeat since September and haven’t had time for that LB. Anyone got the real thing and want to corroborate B’s findings? I do like this song.

Quasimoto – Hydrant Game. Speaking of Quas…This isn’t the Jaylib remix (which is great, and appears on the 2K8 soundtrack), but the original. If you don’t already own this release, you really need to get on it. Shouts to Stones Throw myspace.com/quasimoto.

Pharoahe Monch – The Trilogy Pt 2 feat Dwele (Soul Essentialz Re-Edit). Cut is mean. I still haven’t gotten to listen to this whole record, but remember this joint? Man. R Kelly who? myspace.com/pharoahemonch, and myspace.com/soulessentialz.

Marion Brown – ‘Don’t Take Your Love From Me (Solo Sax)’. 30 seconds. Yep.

Darondo – Didn’t I. I don’t know, you tell me. Darondo on Ubiquity.

Outro Instrumental: Three 6 Mafia – Don’t Call Me No More. Not that I would listen to the normal song much, but the beat is pretty cool.

Share your feelings in the comments below. Bonus points for anyone who recognizes the background picture in this episode artwork.

MIXTAPE 89 – HELLO CANADA


MIXTAPE 89 – HELLO CANADA

So I got interviewed on the Canada Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio One, on a show called Search Engine. Haven’t listened just yet, but it’s about the Jena 6. Shouts to Jesse for making that connection.

By the way, if you’re looking for the Jena 6 episode, you can click here to see the original post.

This episode, we’re pushing forward with more good music.

Tracklist:

Jaylib - Mission Remix. There’s not really too much to be said that hasn’t been said about this duo. Dilla on the rhymes as well, and as you expect, he tears it up. The strings in this cut are ridiculous. stonesthrow.com.

Specifics - My Tunes. Straight outta Vancouver – and with this, I believe that I’ve exhausted my supply of Specifics tracks. For some reason I found this on my iPod when I was still in China, and jammed it for like three days straight – then I accidentally deleted my hard drive. They just really have this jazz loop thing down. In case you hadn’t noticed, I like this group. Go Canada. myspace.com/specifics.

UGK - You Don’t Know Me. Wondering why UGK gets so much respect back home? This is one reason. Thanks to cocaineblunts. myspace.com/ugk.

Phonte - Interlude: Wack Freestyles. I couldn’t resist this one. It’s just so…meta. Come on. He’s making fun of mixtapes. And this is a mixtape! Get it? Okay yeah but a good sign of a poor rapper is someone who can’t string together a decent demo without using an established song as a crutch. I’ve got no problem with unofficial remixes and bootlegs (check the archives on this very hip-hop podcast) but unless you have a specific reason for doing otherwise, find your own beats. If you need help with that, ask me – I know plenty of talented producers. myspace.com/mickboogie.

Gif - Alicia Keys Freestyle. And that prior thing was in no way related to this cut, because a) it’s a different flip, and b) it’s hot. Gif, could you explain your name to us? myspace.com/dagif

Wise Intelligent – Go With Me. Another storytelling joint. I won’t ruin this one for you, but check the very end of this cut. myspace.com/wiseintelligent

Polyrhythm Addicts
– It’s My Life feat Phonte.
I was a bit late on this one, but with DJ Spinna on production, this one’s an easy call. Dig what Phonte is saying about independence as well. myspace.com/thepolyrhythmaddicts.

And the bonus cut: Suburb - Synth + Strings (snippet). Again, the kid is ridiculous. I’ve got more from dude. Anyone want more? myspace.com/suhburb.

Intro beat: Specifics - Life’s Work
Outro beat: Mathematics - Untitled.

And that’s this week. More coming very very soon. Any requests?