Sep 13, 2013

Fine Art Friday: Erin Greenough



I see a lot of album art on a daily basis and only once in a while do I stop to see who designed or illustrated some of these designs. The she works within a music genre that I do not actively listen to, the work of Erin Greenough stood out to me, specifically her work with the group Harm Wulf. She uses hand drawn elements and eerie imagery to illustrate the music and I like the mix of skulls, children and beetles. Sometimes the art doesn't have to "mean" anything, but the more organic forms and effort is often enough to make me consider listening. If only hip hop artists would try this sometimes, instead of relying on mixtape graphics to create their image.

More images below:




Sep 12, 2013

Listen: Homeboy Sandman - "Musician"


Hip hop everyman Homeboy Sandman has been promoting his new album with snippets of tracks around the web, but his latest track from said album "All That I Hold Dear" entitled “Musician” drives home why he is so critically acclaimed. From the little intro about reporters asking irrelevant questions, he sets off on a mission to justify why hip hoppers are musicians and not "just rappers". Repping Queens from the Cali headquarters of Stones Throw Records, Homeboy Sandman drops knowledge over a catchy, soulful beat to wake up the "sleeping" public to the art of hip hop. Check it out and support quality music from across the map.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/stonesthrow/homeboy-sandman-musician

Sep 11, 2013

Video: Oddisee - "After Thoughts"



Though he has slowly been building his Mello Music Group empire like an underground Barry Gordy, and typically features heavy on the rapping, it is nice to see Oddisee take a break from the norm and drop an instrumental project for the world like some stuff from RJD2 or DJ Shadow. I am always curious to see how his production styles have grown from the Jazzy Jeff days, the first time I heard him and Kev Brown, and he never disappoints with his mellow vibes. If this new video for the track "After Thoughts" is any indication of the vibe of the entire upcoming "The Beauty In All" instrumental project, then we are all in for a new soundtrack to life. Check out the video and support the album when it drops. Quality non-trap, non-techno beats are hard to come by these days, so appreciate it when it happens.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-beauty-in-all/id687786079

Sep 10, 2013

Listen: Sean Born X Maffew Ragazino - "Trust In Me"


As a preview for his latest project, Low Budget emcee Sean Born linked up with Brooklyn native Maffew Ragazino for a super chilled out track entitled "Trust In Me", speaking on making hard life decisions and facing hard situations like a man. The soulful chops are brought to you courtesy of DC Beat Grinder alumni and contributor to all things Mello Music, Dunc of DTMD. Check it out and support the true school cats from the nations capital who are willing to be honest about life.



DOWNLOAD LINK
http://seanborn.bandcamp.com/track/trust-in-me-feat-maffew-ragazino-prod-by-dunc

Sep 9, 2013

Video: LMNO - "Dyslexic"



On the eve of dropping his new album "After the Fact", which is produced entirely by Evidence (of Dilated Peoples), Cali emcee, Visionairies crew member and Up Above Records affiliate LMNO recently posted the video for the lead single entitled "Dyslexic". The video is filmed backwards and shows the before and after of a day of imagined criminal episode with LMNO trying to disguise himself in plain view with the buzz of clippers running in the background.

Though LMNOs style is hard to digest for some, his clever lines and sometimes off-beat flow match the mood of Evidences beats well. Further proving that few can match his prolific output, he gets some support for his 14th album in 3 years from some of Cali's elite hip hop faction. Featuring guest spots from OHNO, MED, and Rakaa (Dilated Peoples), along with scratches by J Rocc (Beat Junkies), DJ Babu (Beat Junkies Dilated Peoples), LD, and DJ Romes (Lootpack), the album features plenty of variety for your ears. Check it out and realize that being different can work out sometimes.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/after-the-fact-feat.-evidence/id678306702