Fine Art Friday: Keith Haring - "The Message"

Daily Motion and Arte Creative combined their efforts and recently posted a 6 part series about the work of Keith Haring that makes for a fun, time-traveling overview of the 80's and the origins of the early hip-hop impact on the world of fine art and the general lawlessness of the NYC art and youth movements of the time. Check Part 1 below and the last 5 videos (of the 6 part series) after the jump. Zone out and get your learn on!


KEITH HARING, THE MESSAGE 1/6 - Downtown NYC by ARTECreative

Listen: DertBeats - "The Gift"

For those who patrol the internets looking for instrumentals, you may remember coming across the work of Dert when he dropped his flip of Pink Floyd rhythms a few years back. Recently, to help promote the work of underground beatmakers who catch his attention, DJ House Shoes has been dropping compilations of lesser known producers via collections known as "House Shoes Presents: The Gift [enter artists name]". With volume one, he showcased Nameless and with Volume 2, he has gathered up some dusty favorites of DertBeats for the masses to digest. Below are links to his site and his Soundcloud page for previews, but support this cat if you can and watch him shine a bit brighter.

DISCOGRAPHY
www.dertbeats.com

Listen: Ohbliv - "Ritual Swing"

SP404 maestro and beatsmith,Virginia's own Ohbliv, recently dropped a new album entitled "Ritual Swing" full of lo-fi, soulful beats that continue to showcase his mastery of grimy, tape-hiss sounds for the zone-out enthusiast in us all. Dropping his third release in the past five months, you can tell that Ohbliv is ready to for more shine. Check it out below and support an and coming beatsmith from a lesser known corner of hip hops map.



DOWNLOAD LINK
http://ohbliv.bandcamp.com/album/ritual-swing-2

Video: RA The Rugged Man " Learn Truth" ft. Talib Kweli

R.A. The Rugged Man and Talib Kweli are two of the most legendary lyricists of the modern era, and they made the dreams of hip hop fans worldwide come true with their recently-released smash hit "Learn Truth". The duo teamed up after years of discussion for a track that weighs heavy on the troubles of the world over a chilly beat from underground beat smith Mr. Green for an epic track. Check out the entire album, as RA drops a full length album full of gems for a new generation of hip hop underdogs.

DOWNLOAD LINK
Order standard or deluxe - https://store.nature-sounds.net/store...

Video: Julian Malone - "7 Milli"

Underground juggernaut and taste makers Stones Throw dropped the visuals for Julian Malone's mellow heat rock "7Milli" back in December, but I just got around to hearing it today. Needless to say, I was impressed that a young cat from Chicago can bring more hazy, soul-influenced tracks to the masses for the left coast label. Julian Malone seems to have a lot of potential so hopefully he can drop more projects like this to keep the flame going for 2013.

Listen: Add-2 - "More Missed Calls"

Chicago's own ADD-2 recently teamed up with 2DopeBoyz to bring the world his project "More Missed Calls". The album showcases a mix of soulful beats, poetry breaks, and an upbeat vibe overall which help Add-2's passionate verses sound solid. There are times on the album that the album sounds like a one-man Pharcyde or College Dropout-era Kanye, but the range of topics and vibes show a determined artist ready to make his mark for Chicago artists not about the gang-life. Check it out and support a midwest underdog trying to make noise in a more positive light among the crime ridden streets of the Chi.



DOWNLOAD LINK
http://add-2.bandcamp.com/album/more-missed-calls-presented-by-2dopeboyz

Throwback: INI - "Fakin Jax"

One of the most storied Pete Rock projects of the 90's that never saw proper release until the early 2000's was the group formed with his brother Grap Luva and friend Rob O, collectively known as INI. They created a full length album entitled "Center of Attention" with a mellow sound bed provided by Pete Rock and honest lyrics from all of the members. Had it come out at the right time, this album would have been an instant classic, but was shelved until the mid 2000's. By then, the sound of hip hop had evolved from boom bap soul to a heavy "down south" sound (think Cash Money, etc.) and fell into relative obscurity. Among the stand out tracks, "Fakin Jax" was the only one that saw a vinyl single release, but it was a great chilled out showcase for the vibe of the overall record. Check it out and research the entire project if you haven't heard it and hear some of the most slept-on talents of the golden era at work.