Famous Bands Who Got Busted For Sampling

For all the grief hip hop gets for sampling, I found this interesting series of write-ups on famous bands that got busted for sampling or stealing another artists work, which should show you that it is and always will be done by all forms of music and culture. Click after the jump to read more. (via HuffPost)

Fine Art Friday: Ari Marcopoulos

As the internet catches fire for Jay-Z's "MCHG" project, I wanted to shine a light n the lesser known aspect of this project; the artwork and photography of Ari Marcopoulos. Ari's work has played the background for decades and I've enjoyed his gritty photos of cities and people around the world for a long time.

Listen: Devine Carama - "No Child Left Behind" Album

I'm proud to support my fellow Southern boy and Kentucky rep Devine Carama and his latest album "No Child Left Behind", which features the LuvJonez produced track "We Are (Kings and Queens)" featuring Michelle Hollis among many other standout tracks. If you are not familiar with Devine Carama and you think southern rap is all trapped out, then you need to check Devine's discography. He mixes soulful sounds, real-life stories and honest lyrics about growing up in a lesser known place on the map and the struggle to make quality music in the face of popular trends. Check out the new album and support quality music wherever it comes from because there are too many talented cats in the world like Devine Carama that get hella slept on and deserve to have get some light.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://devinecarama.bandcamp.com/album/no-child-left-behind-album

Video: Dynasty - "Magnificent"

In the annals of rap, there have been very few quality female MC's, and even fewer that stuck with it. I hope the same isn't true for Dynasty AKA Ya Girl DY. She just dropped the visuals for her single  "Magnificent" from her upcoming album "A Star in Life's Clothing". It reminds me of The Fugees "Ready or Not" only because of the Enya-like sample that runs in the background, but I like the way she fits her lyrics to the song and stays on subject. Here's hoping that she continues to put out quality music and doesn't fall into obscurity or go the Minaj route.

Listen: Green Steez - "Music For Muffs"

In my neverending search for beats and lesser known artists, I cam across the work of Green Steez and his collection titled "Music For Muffs". Though the title and artwork made me think twice about clicking his Soundcloud page, it starte playing automatically in the background while I was surfing the interwebs and I found myself clicking back over to see what it was. Needless to say, I was impressed with the chilled out and soulful chops of this cat from Chicago. I don't know much about him, but I know I started checking for his other work right after hearing this. Keep an eye out for one of the many talented cats from the Midwest.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/greensteez/sets/music-for-muffs-1

Throwback: AZ - "Sugar Hill"

Forever immortalized on Illmatic as the only guest feature, AZ kept the momentum going from that key appearance with the single "Sugar Hill" from his debut album Doe or Die. AZ always stood out as one of the few cats in an emcee's "posse" that could actually hold his own as a solo artist. He continues to drop quality music and build his career, but every time summer roles around, I think of the first time I heard this track and fond for the days when cats like this actually got radio airplay.