Nas X Jay Electronica: The big "What If?"

According to Nas, interviewed above on BBC radio, Jay Electronica was supposed to produced the entire "Untitled" album. What? I remember reading that Jay Elec gave Nas his demo and Nas liked it, but never before has there been any mention of him as a producer of anything other than an intro, let alone enough of one to hold down an entire album for a major label MC. How has this never been talked about before now?

"I wanted to get him to do the entire Untitled album, the N-word album. He had ideas. He was pulling records from J Dilla… He was pulling records, and he was there with me while I was working on it, and he did the first record on there and it would have been so ahead of its time, because no one at that time, he wasn’t signed, he wasn’t out there like that," Nas said.


"It would have been great right now to go back and say this dude produced my whole album years ago. It would have been cool. He’s ahead of his time like that. Now, yeah, but everyone knows who he is now and some of the mystique would be gone if he did that but who knows how it would come out? It would probably be crazy still."


Among other mentions of wanting to spit over Dilla beats, but not knowing who he was (yeah right), Nas goes on to mention his DJ Premier album that has yet to be made and discusses the new Life is Good.


Between breaking up the Illuminati Rothschild's and meditating in ancient temples, Jay Elec continues to carry buzz despite putting out only Sprite commercials and no albums to show for his time signed to Roc Nation. If this dude doesn't put something out on par of "Exhibit C", he may go the Ma$e route and be a homeless, preachy has been before we ever see the light.

I will still check for new Jay Elec until the world explodes and hope that he can hold down an entire album with no features and not turn into the modern day compilation album with techno-house rap songs that seem to happen to everyone in 2012 and beyond.

UPDATE: 
Not sure how legit this post is or if it will actually ever come out, but this teaser of the tracklist for Act II (the first official album) was posted by Jay Elec on his Twitter today. WTF! Note the Illuminati guest list.

Interview: DJ Khalil - In The Lab

Highly sought after Aftermath producer, DJ Khalil breaks down how he created the Clipse single, "Kinda Like A Big Deal" for this interview. Obviously, this in an older interview, but you get some good insight about the details of creating the music for some of the standout artists of mainstream and underground. 

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Fine Art Friday: Banksy, Escif, Joram Roukes

BANKSY: OLYMPICS AND EXPLOITATION
Banksy is no stranger to controversy and continues to cement his legend with clever jabs at the establishment, in this most recent work it is the Summer Olympics of 2012. With humor and wit, Banksy addresses the ridiculous fervor of the games in contrast to world poverty and exploited workers and countries. Check out his site for more here or check the images below for more details. Think about what you are really cheering for next time!

ESCIF: SENSITIVE STREET ART
Escif is quickly establishing himself as a force in the street art world. His thoughtful pieces remind me of Herbert Baglione and Os Gemeos, but his skill with black and white illustrations are always interactive in the space he posts them and I am a fan of his movement.

Escif's politically conscious and thought provoking street work attempts to bring awareness to many of the current political and social issues of his native Spain. Part of his newest work is entitled “Los Mercados Nos Dan La Bienvenida” translated to “Markets Welcome Us.” 


Check out more of his work here and see some highlights below.

Below from the "Market" series 

JORAM ROUKES
I have to admit that I am not too familiar with Joram's past work, but after discovering it, I have been fascinated by the textures and depth of his collage style. He uses abstract textures and surface movement with balanced heavy details of key areas of the faces that I find very skillful. I am a hue fan of the "mash-up" idea and his style crunches pop culture and what seems like Francis Bacon level horror and mixes them for a lethal combo. Roukes says of his work that they "refer to the moral dillemas one may find himself in, viewing todays western society." Ain't that the double truth! Check out his work online and below and check back for more in the future. (via Juxtapoz and ek)

New Music: LuvJonez - Mental Rental

LuvJonez - MENTAL RENTAL

Still building some of the promotional items up, but the new album is scheduled for release in 2 weeks.


Pre-order "Mental Rental" before August 7th, if interested! 

25 tracks of instrumental hip hop for your listening pleasure + bonus material! 

Check for it at:http://luvjonez.bandcamp.com/album/mental-rental

REKS - REBELutionary: Obedient Workers

Among the more insightful songs of REKS latest album REBELutionary, I keep coming back to the song "Obedient Workers" (video above). REKS gets his Public Enemy on as he discusses the soul-crushing poverty in out country and uses a quality George Carlin quote to drive the point home. I am glad to see an artist willing to take on harder subject matter and creating a mood of introspection, hardship and motivation for the listener.

There are many other quality tracks on the album, but this track particularly seems relevant to the current economy and class struggles of our world right now! Listen to the album below and support quality hip hop music! Follow REKS on Twitter for more updates.

SNEAKER CULTURE: RANKING NIKE SNEAKERS BY DECADE, BY STEPHEN CHEETHAM

Let the debate begin! London-based designer Stephen Cheetham has created a series of illustrations based on what he considers to be the best Nike’s of each decade starting with the 70s, 80s, 90s, and ending with our current 00s (double goose eggs).

I am not a sneaker head by nature, as my lean budget forces me to "window shop" only when it comes to new and shiny kicks, but I always appreciate well crafted foot wear, good design and color theory.

Obviously, the classic Air Jordan 1 is going to make the list, but check out the great illustrations below and judge for your self!    (via slamxhype and upper playground)

Interview: DJ Premier X Bumpy Knuckles: Ageism in Hip Hop

DJ Premier and Bumpy Knuckles AKA Freddie Foxxx recently sat down with OutDaBoxMedia to talk about many things, most of which was age discrimination in today's hip hop scene. The two musicians spoke specifically on the age gap in Hip Hop, corporate radio, and paying homage to those who came first. DJ Premier summed up his thoughts best by saying "The age thing is really one of the biggest problems that we face in Hip Hop right now. Because it seems like everybody wants to focus on ‘when should you stop.’ And you never stop something that you love.”


Check out the interview above and get some insight from hip hop heads who do it for the love of the culture and less about fame and fortune.


“I think people have to be not so self-centered when it comes to the presentation of the music meaning don’t get boggled down with the corporate radio and all that stuff, I mean that stuff is definitely necessary you can’t front on that, but that’s not what it’s all about. Because if you really about keeping the culture alive and relevant there’s ways to do that.” --Bumpy Knuckles

Video: Phonte ft. Median - Eternally

Phonte ft. Median - Eternally

Phonte serves up another quality video for the song "Eternally" from Charity Starts at Home. I am always glad to see an MC with a sense of humor and creativity.  Props to Price Films for the visuals and for making a somewhat repetitive loop from 9th into an interesting video about being on a "mission" to spread the word about real, grown man level, hip hop.

Support quality hip hop!

twitter.com/phontigallo
theforeignexchangemusic.com
twitter.com/pricefilms

Interview: Nas Talks about DJ Premier, Life Is Good

I am glad to see Nas still putting out music and enjoying the creative process. Though I will always be suspect of his collaboration talk with DJ Premier, since they both teased us with the idea (maybe I should blame Scratch magazine) back in 2006, I would still love to hear a full-length album of Nas and Preemo, Nas and Pete Rock, Nas and Large Professor, Nas and Jake One, Nas and Just Blaze, and many more will-never-happen combos. I will keep dreaming, but there is something to be said about the fact that people keep talking about it, including Nas. Hopefully it will happen before Nas is 70 years old. Keep hope alive!

New Music: Alex Chadwick - Louisiana Sky

Alex Chadwick, of 3rd Brillyance, has started to leak early tracks from his upcoming project entitled SOULdope later this year. Though not available to download, it shares some mellow, grown man hip-hop topics for the listener. It is always refreshing to hear non-nightclub friendly tracks to relax with and make you think about life. Stay tuned for more!

"I went into two worlds on this soulful soundscape. My adult life but sharing habitat with my mother and father. Peace and blessings to all who support my music!"  ---ALEX CHADWICK

Video: Kim Dotcom - Mr. President

THIS IS NOT HIP-HOP. THE MESSAGE IS WHAT MATTERS. IF YOU DONT KNOW WHO KIM DOTCOM IS OR WHAT THE STORY BEHIND THIS IS, KEEP YOUR NEGATIVE OPINIONS TO YOURSELF. ITS FAR FROM A CHART TOPPING SONG BUT IT STANDS FOR EVERYTHING THAT ANYONE VISITING BLOGS, YOUTUBE AND USER-CONTENT DRIVEN WEBSITES REGULARLY SHOULD AGREE WITH. (via HHB)

Yes, the song is cheese-mo (black eyed peas style) but the idea that we, as users of the internet, are having our options dictated by corporations and lobbyists should concern you and motivate you to take any action against legislation that prevents internet innovation, freedom of speech and the sharing of information. Sign the petition here.

To put it into a catchier song form, do as Chuck D said and "Fight the Power"