Video: Rapsody - "Betty Shabazz"

One of the few female MCs that honor the craft, Jamla Records resident emcee, Rapsody, recently dropped the visuals for her cut from the album, "9th Wonder Presents: Jamla Is the Squad (Deluxe Edition)". Always bringing honest lyrics and a mellow flow to her tracks, Rapsody always sounds serious about her role and never resorts to the Nicki Minaj-esque, clown or Barbie tactics to get her point across. Culture over everything indeed!

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://smarturl.it/fdst2s

Fine Art Friday: Matt Cusick - "Defacements" Series

I first came across the work of Matt Cusick when I saw the cover art for the "Benthic Lines" album from Dan Lyth. I liked the subtle ocean/sky combo which was enough to prompt me to look online for more of his work. I then came across his Defacement series, where he takes pages from old schoolbooks and alters them by sanding and scraping away everything except the page number, an illustration, and a few chosen words. They end up becoming these unintended poems that seem to resonate with a power stronger than the source material. Personally, I enjoy the unearthing of a hidden message or intent in the mass-produced pages of discarded books. Check it out and see how a simple concept can be executed with minimal elements.

ARTIST WEBSITE
http://mattcusick.com/defacements

Listen: Ladi6 - "Automatic" Album

New Zealand songstress Ladi6 and Detroit's Waajeed (of Platinum Pied Pipers, Slum Village, and Dilla association) collaborated on a spacy, futuristic, soulful album of original, hip hop-influenced RnB entitled "Automatic" and the results are damn near perfect. Chopping up elements of rock, Dilla-esque drum kits, outer space synth's, and Ladi6's voice all connect for a hypnotic and seamless collection that stands up the the "skipless" test that is rare these days in any genre, so Waajeed's production perfectly matches Ladi6's voice throughout. Showing that everything you hear on the radio is not the true standard, Ladi6 and Waajeed bang out some honest, new school RnB without resorting to Dubstep or syrupy cliches. Check it out and support some international music.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://ladi6.bandcamp.com/album/automatic