Video: DJ Dister X AG - "Stop Frontin"

It will always be disappointing to me how quick America is to ignore the talent in their own background. AG, of famed group Showbiz and AG, linked up with London's DJ Dister for a feature on Dister's album "Roll Wit Dis". The results are a throwback vibe with eerie piano keys and a slow rolling boom bap beat. Complete the with scratched chorus and grimey video, DJ Dister pays homage to the 90's sound and one of the heroes of hip hops Golden Era with this track. The video reminds me of the Shook Ones video from way back when, but the sound and AG's flow remind us all when people didn't rely on special effects to make music. Check it out and see how other countries appreciate our music more than we do.

Listen: Nicholas Cheung - "I AM" album

I recently came across the work of Nicholas Cheung, who just dropped the short EP titled "I AM" on Cult Classic Records. Though the cover made me think it might be indy rock, I was surprised by a mellow mix of jazzy, contemporary production that walks the line between pop, trap and jazzy hip hop of older times. Some of the tracks sound like they are worthy of BIG KRIT and some sound like Drake instrumentals, while still others sound like the work of Foreign Exchange. The mix can be a bit jarring, but the fully instrumental approach shows his range as a producer and talent for sound. It is a bit of a curveball from what I typically rock to, but the more I listen, the more I like the different directions. Check it out and support an up and coming producer from overseas.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://cultclassicrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-am

Throwback: Naughty By Nature - "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"

Though I did not grow up in the mean streets of New Jersey or New York, I did grow up without a dad and suffered through hard times as a broke kid who had to start working for money at age 10 for anything I wanted. While I knew I wasn't the only one in the world, the first time I heard this track, before it had a video, I started to realize that it was OK to be angry and that the struggle I faced was more universal than I thought growing up in the south. Treach is still one of my favorite emcee's to this day because of this track and almost the entire first NBN album. His verses spoke to me more so than any other artist I had heard at the time. His mix of trash talk, humor and creativity was impressive to my young, dumb ears. The track managed to keep an upbeat vibe to a sad but common tale about dead bat dads and life decisions we all face at one time or another.