Happy Birthday Guru

Happy Birthday to Guru, on what would have been his 52nd birthday. Not really much else I can say about the man that hasn't already been said before.

Rest In Power.

                        

Robin Thicke - Ain't No Hat 4 That (Audio)

Surely everyone knows about Robin Thicke by now. His worldwide hit "Blurred Lines" finally made him a household name despite the fact he's been writing, performing and producing for a very long time.

In the lead up to his new album, also named "Blurred Lines", Robin has been previewing songs from it and the couple I've heard haven't impressed. The EDM influence is just too much, even with Timbaland on the boards for one of those tracks. The latest track to be unveiled is in more familiar territory and doesn't disappoint. Co-written with his father Alan Thicke (he wrote this theme tune), it definitely stands out as a pre-album favourite.

Listen to the stream below. The album drops July 30th.

Tech N9ne - Fragile feat. Kendrick Lamar, ¡MAYDAY! & Kendall Morgan (Single)

Kansas City's Tech N9ne releases a new single in anticipation of his album, "Something Else", dropping on the 25th of July through Strange Music.. This collab includes a verse from Kendrick Lamar, which was bound to happen sooner or later. The kid's in demand so Tech's probably been waiting a while.

*The two have collaborated previously on a track named "I Love Music". Thanks for the correction Phil!*

Listen to the track below.

Mack Wilds - Own It (Single/Lyric Video)

After my post of Typesun's "The PL", I thought another summer tune couldn't hurt. This time it comes from Mack Wilds. You'll probably recognise him as Tristan Wilds from The Wire and 90210 fame. The track, written and produced by Salaam Remi and Ne-Yo, is bound to be something you'll be hearing a lot of. The "Eric B. Is President" drums are a nice touch too!

Watch the lyric video below and it's available for purchase on iTunes.

Dilated Peoples European Tour 2013

After a long time away from the UK as a whole unit, Dilated Peoples finally make their return to our shores as part of their European tour starting in November. The group, featuring members DJ Babu, Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence, are set to release their fifth album together on the Rhymesayers Entertainment label. The album, "Directors Of Photography", will hopefully be released in time for the upcoming tour.

Check the tour dates below. Also see video of their Rhymesayers announcement from March. 

Run The Jewels - 36" Chain (Video)

El Producto and Killer Michael drop off their new video for the track "36" Chain". Watch the two fight to rescue the apparent third member of Run The Jewels, Mr. Killums, in violent fashion.

Don't forget to download the Run The Jewels album for free at Fools Gold Records.

Jay-Z Interview With Zane Lowe

BBC's Zane Lowe interviewed Jay-Z at Abbey Road Studios recently and throughout this week Radio 1 will be playing all four parts at 7pm (GMT) Tuesday through Thursday. Part 1 aired today and is available here. Alternatively, watch the video below. The remaining parts will be added when available.

Typesun - The PL

Wanted to make a post about this tune for a while now. Having been around for half a year, with it's release in January, Bristol's Typesun has made one of the best soul tracks I've heard for a long time. I must admit that it was a totally random find on Bandcamp but I'm so happy that I stumbled upon it. With it being a favourite to the likes of Gilles Peterson, Mr. Scruff and Jazzanova, Typesun is in very good company.

Bandcamp's description,

"Deep, minimal, underground soul music from Bristol's Typesun, this time featuring vocals from a man who would rather keep his identity on the down low for now."

Listen/buy the track and a remix by Behling & Simpson below. 

*Update. Video added.* 

 

Alchemist Releases 3 Track EP

In tandem with a limited edition snapback by Starter and SSUR, today The Alchemist dropped a 3 track EP. Features include Blu, Freddie Gibbs, Evidence, Roc Marciano, Action Bronson and more.

Listen to a track from the SSUR Empire State EP below. The three songs can be purchased through the Soundcloud player.







SSUR Soundcloud

Ka - Off The Record (Video)

To coincide with the physical release of his new album, "The Night's Gambit", Ka releases the second video from it. Digital downloads of the album should be available from Monday.

Peep the clip below.

Ka To Drop New Album Tomorrow

Tomorrow in NYC, Brownsville native Ka, will be personally selling copies (vinyl and CD) of his new album "The Night's Gambit". After dropping one of last year's best LPs with "Grief Pedigree", his fans will be happy with this news. The digital version of the album will make it's way online a day or two afterwards.

So if you're in New York tomorrow, Ka will be outside the old Fat Beats location in the West Village at 406 6th Ave from 2pm.

Check the first video from the new album and another from the previous one below.

Justin Timberlake - Take Back The Night (Audio)

Following the brief teaser video for the upcoming album in September, Mr. Biel releases full audio for the first single lifted from it. The track is produced by Timbaland and can be downloaded with pre-orders of the album.

Listen to the track below.

JT Teases New Album (Video)

So a second part to Justin's 20/20 Experience is on the way as you can see from this clip that went up today. The date isn't revealed but a snippet of the track "Take Back The Night" can be heard throughout.

Tony Touch Talks About His New Album (Video)

DJ, producer, artist and all round embodiment of Hip Hop, Tony Touch, released his new album this week; The Piece Maker 3: Return Of The 50 MC's.

Fuse TV's Esteban Serrano caught up with Toca for the latest episode of his "The Mixdown" series. A few tracks are previewed and he talks a little about his album making process. Check the interview below followed by a short track from the album featuring Eminem.

Adrian Younge & Souls Of Mischief Album Announced

Adrian Younge has a new concept album on the way. After his collaboration with Ghostface Killah on their "12 Reasons To Die" project, he'll next be behind the boards with Souls Of Mischief on mic duties. It will also be narrated by A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammed.

He had a few words to say about the concept album in a recent interview with XXL Magazine.

"…It’s a project that if somebody misses the sounds of 93 ’til Infinity meets The Low End Theory meets De La Soul Is Dead. If somebody misses that kind of sound, they’ll be happy to hear this album because it goes back to that time, you know. Kind of like how the Ghostface album [12 Reasons To Die] kind of went back to that time. And I love both styles of music back then, so I’m very, very excited.
“And it’s also a concept album too—Souls of Mischief almost gets killed by some dude that was just crazy and the whole album just starts off with this incident, and then it blossoms into these different stories that are a result of this volatile incident. And that’s basically what that album is about."

The album is due in September on RZA's Soul Temple Records.