Mr. & Mrs. Carter - Part II (On The Run)

Jay-Z's 12th solo studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, was released on the 4th of July exclusively to Samsung users. Or so they thought. Through an app on Samsung devices, at midnight (U.S. EST), the album was unlocked to those subscribers. Unfortunately, for a number of fans, the app crashed and by the time they were able to receive the album it was already on the Web for the world too. Anyway...

The album itself has been labelled as rushed, amazing, a poor effort, his best since The Black Album, worse than The Blueprint 3 and I've seen a few people on Twitter call it a classic. A classic? It's only been out two days!

Obviously these are all opinions and I'm not even going to discuss the album. But I do want to mention one track that I was expecting to hear a lot more about but haven't. Jay and Bey making "Part II (On The Run)". Personally, I think it's a standout song on the album and a great sequel to "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Beyoncé sounds great on the laid back beat and I think she stole the song.

Here it is, along with their first collaboration beneath.

Kings English - Dykstra (Mixtape)

New free music for the weekend. 

Kings English drops his first solo mixtape to add to your playlists. The tape is executive produced by his brother, Party Supplies, who you should know from his collaborative album "Blue Chips" with Action Bronson last year.

Kings English and Party Supplies were previously a hip hop duo named Folk & Stress who had a number of solid singles with features from Aesop Rock, Vast Aire, Blu and also GZA. Unfortunately their album, "The Box", never materialised. A shame, but they're both still making music which is the main thing.

Get the mixtape below and also check a few of the projects both Kings English and Party Supplies have been a part of after the link. (Incidentally, Folk & Stress' "New York Ginseng feat. GZA" was the first track I ever featured on my Watch Deez Mixes ")

Justin Timberlake - Tunnel Vision (Video)

Justin Timberlake drops the latest video from his 20/20 Experience album. Doesn't look like there was much of a budget for the ladies wardrobe in this clip so keep that in mind if you watch this at work.

Shad + Skratch Bastid - The Spring Up

Just a small post for an EP that was released early last month from Shad and Skratch Bastid. A good little collection of tracks as a warm up to the upcoming new album from Shad. How the EP came about is explained below, followed by the Bandcamp link. A couple of videos of Shad's older music can be seen after the link.

"The Spring Up is the result of fortunate timing, grapefruit Perrier, a shared high school obsession with Outkast's Aquemeni, and a couple of sessions at Skratch Bastid's Toronto studio this April. The 5 track collection marks a moment in time for the pair; embodying the spirit of Spring and also serving as a sort of prelude to Shad's upcoming full-length, to which Skratch Bastid also contributes. The collection features a production assist from DJ Jazzy Jeff, and a turn on the mic from compatriot Cadence Weapon."

Remy Shand Making A Comeback?

Remy Shand is one of those artists where I've never met a single person who's heard of him. I may be wrong, but it's a real shame if you haven't and you should change that as soon as you can.

The Canadian soul singer made waves back in 2002 with his debut album, on Motown Records, with The Way I Feel. There were a number of singles released, my favourite being, Take A Message. Within a year or two of these singles, I never heard anything of him again. Until now.

In May he appeared on Youtube with a couple of new compositions, to the delight of his fans who had been commenting under his old videos for years wondering where he was and when he would be back. A new single, that is dedicated to his mother, has appeared on Bandcamp. The track, named Springtime, can be streamed or bought below. Hopefully there is more to follow.


Also, keep an eye on remyshandworld

Ugly Heroes (Apollo Brown, Verbal Kent & Red Pill) - Desperate (Video)

Apollo Brown, Verbal Kent and Red Pill, collectively known as Ugly Heroes, drop the second video from their UGLY HEROES project available now. 

Hennessey Vs. Nas (Video)

This was filmed a few months back when Nas was invited to Cognac, France, to have a tour of the Hennessey headquarters. Below is a short film on his trip and also an hour long live performance.

DJ Premier On The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Watch part 1 of DJ Premier's appearance on the latest episode of The Combat Jack Show. He talks about a few things, including how Biggie's "10 Crack Commandments" started out as a promo by Jeru The Damaja for Angie Martinez's show on Hot97. 

I'll add additional parts of the interview as they arrive.

*Part 3 now added. See parts 1 and 2 below.*

Joey Bada$$ - Summer Knights (Album Download)

As promised, Joey Bada$$ releases his new album via LiveMixtapes.com. Tracklist and download link below.

01 Alowha [prod. by Kirk Knight]
02 Hilary $wank [prod. by Lee Bannon]
03 My Youth [ft. Collie Buddz] [prod. by Chuck Strangers]
04 Afterlife [ft. Kirk Knight] [prod. by Chuck Strangers and Patrick Eulmi]
05 Right on Time [T'nah Apex] [prod. by Kirk Knight]
06 Sweet Dreams [prod. by Navie D]
07 47goonz [ft. Dirty Sanchez, Nyck Caution and Rokamouth] [prod. by Lee Bannon]
08 Sit N’ Prey [ft. Dessy Hinds and T'nah Apex] [prod. by Navie D]
09 Word Is Bond [prod. by Statik Selektah]
10 Trap Dour [prod. by Alchemist]
11 Satellite [ft. Chuck Strangers, Kirk Knight and Dessy Hinds] [prod. by Lee Bannon]
12 95 Til Infinity [prod. by Lee Bannon]
13 Amethyst Rockstar [ft. Kirk Knight] [prod. by DOOM]
14 Reign [prod. by Chuck Strangers]
15 Sorry Bonita [ft. Dyemond Lewis, Chuck Strangers, Dirty Sanchez, A La Sole, Kirk Knight, Dessy Hinds, and CJ Fly] [prod. by Oddisee]
16 #LongLiveSteelo (Bonus track) [prod. by Kirk Knight]

Joey Bada$$ - Summer Knights

If you missed them, check the video interview on The Combat Jack Show and the music video for 95 Til Infinity here.

Manchester Barman Named World's Best Gin Bartender

 

Congratualtions to my old school buddy, Jamie Jones, on being crowned G'Vine Gin Connoisseur 2013 at the annual Gin Connoisseur Program in Cognac, France.

Check the article below.

Manchester barman named world's best gin bartender

The Return Of Luther

 

Recently, for the second time, I've been watching seasons 1 and 2 of the popular BBC series, Luther, starring Idris Elba. Today I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is a season 3 on the way. And a lot sooner than I expected. DCI John Luther returns to our screens on Tuesday the 7th July and below you can see the trailer for the upcoming series.  

 

 

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

 Any excuse to post the trailer for the Alan Partridge movie. Coming in August.

Links Of Interest

As this blog is very much in its infancy, please look to the right and be sure to check a few of the other sites I frequent. You'll find podcasts, news, gig & show listings and all sorts of other bits of information.

Of course, do come back here from time to time. I'll try to keep it interesting!

Joey Bada$$: Combat Jack Show Interview and 95 Til Infinity Music Video

At this point, it seems, the young spitter out of Brooklyn can do no wrong. Joey Bada$$ caught everyone's attention with his first mixtape 1999 and after leaking a couple of cuts from his upcoming album, the anticipation has been building.


Here, he sits down with the Combat Jack Show  crew, to talk about his entrance in to the music business through internet buzz, his meeting with Jay-Z, his 90's sound and a lot more. For someone so young, he definitely has a smart head on his shoulders and knows what he wants.

After the interview, check the new video for his track 95 Til Infinity which will appear on his album Summer Knights dropping for free on July 1st.

El-P + Killer Mike = Run The Jewels (Free Album)

For the first post of my new blog, here's the eagerly anticipated project from Run The Jewels aka El-P and Killer Mike. A ten track record that can be downloaded for free through Fools Gold Records. You can also buy physical copies in both vinyl or CD formats on the site. Check the track 36" Chain, beneath the site link. 

 http://foolsgoldrecs.com/runthejewels/