Joining a podcast full of hilarious people is always a blast, and when it’s the From Left Field crew of Wendy Simmons, JJ Summers and Morgan Davis, it’s always good for a laugh or two, as well as the occasional bit of thought-provoking conversation or trivia. This time around, I joined the crew along with special guest and director Stefan Gill, and with the season’s theme being Saturday Night Live and its lineage of films, everyone sat down to talk MacGruber (a personal favorite of mine). The topics came fast and furious, so check it out and have yourself a good old time.
Hip-hop is known for the cycles that it goes through, and how it folds back in on itself to create fresh sounds out of new-sounding elements that are deeply rooted in its own past. That being said, with 808s making the resurgence they have as of lately, it only makes sense that the boom-bap era is due its time in the sun near future. Acclimated Assassin, and Austin-based hip-hop producer (by way of Maine), seems to be in that same mindset, as Restoration finds him putting an updated and personal spin on familiar drums and stabs that made the boom-bap era such a prolific one. The result is a handful of tracks that you wish you’d heard Black Moon, O.C., Casual, or any name from the absurdly long list of monolithic MCs that emerged from the early to mid-1990s rap on. Definitely check this one out asap, spread it around for others to dig in to, and cop it if you have a few bucks.
I’m always happy when the homies are productive, especially the ones I knew before any of us were turning our dreams into reality. That’s why any Orthy has new work out, I’m all in, considering I’ve known the dude well over half of my life. In anticipation of his upcoming album Fable Living, due out in January 2020, Orthy has released the first single, an appropriately magical piece of synth-pop titled Your Spell. The energy is high, the arrangement is lush, and it sets a nice, high bar for what the album may possibly hold in store. Check out the track now, and get ready for the full-length when it touches down, no doubt.
It’s been a bit since I anticipated a local release on the level of a major label release, but when I recently determined that The Vapor Caves had their debut project, Feel Yourself, up on iTunes and ready for pre-order, I went all in on that purchase. After a handful of clever and unique promotional campaigns for their leading singles, it was pretty much a given that I was going to purchase this project, and my first few listens have been incredibly rewarding. BoomBaptist and Yadira Brown are almost certainly guaranteed to make some noise with this project, so I recommend getting in on the ground floor for this one. Check them out on your favorite streaming service, or purchase the limited edition vinyl via the Bandcamp link above. Whatever you do, though, don’t sleep on The Vapor Caves.
Chuck Duze, member of the FOCI collective and Austin-based hip-hop creative, just dropped a gem in the form of Waiting…, a reflection on action versus observation in hopes of riding the inspirational wave. The D-Low produced track is a lush, low-key bed of drums and melodic elements, and this foundation allows Chuck Duze and fellow MC You F. Oh to display their unique but complimentary styles. The video leans slightly into the realms of absurdity, with the duo donning full body animal costumes as if they’re normal attire while strolling the streets in a seemingly self-imposed daze. When it comes to independent work, this checks all the boxes in the top-notch category. Check it out, leave a like and a comment, and share it around for others to do the same!
“Kwamé Vol.01 is a compilation of moods that I’ve been going through expressed through house music. I grew tired of creating the same style of music and decided to branch out and find myself again in a new lane. Each song represents conversations I’ve had with others and myself; themes of love, appreciation, doubt, miscommunication, self-care, and solitude.”
I’m definitely feeling that, and I know you will too. Check out the new project, share it around so others can do the same, and cop it if you have a few extra bucks.
After a flurry of solid music video releases, Feral the Earthworm has released his latest full-length project, Dumpster Fire. If you’ve visited this blog in the last two weeks, you’ve already heard me talk about how dope Feral the Earthworm is, so your best bet at this point is to jump on your favorite streaming or download service and dive in to this one. Do it. Like… right now.
Working over the past year and change with Mirage The GR8 has been both rewarding and educational. After collaborating with him on editing duties for The Amelioration Collection, we decided to collaborate again on a series of videos with different inspiration sources and criteria from project to project. For THE GR8, the concept was a simple one, but one that we’d seen work before : sync up a cartoon series to Mirage‘s raps, a la Ghostface Killah‘s underground classic video for Daytona 500. In all honesty, I couldn’t be happier with the finished product as an editor, and it seems that Mirage was equally satisfied with the finish product. Check it out, leave a like and a comment if you dig it, and share it around for others to do the same!
First and foremost, as a friend and a creative peer, I am extremely proud of and happy for Faylita Hicks. I’ve watched her grow from a poet into a hip-hop artist, from a hip-hop artist into an activist, and so on. A couple of years ago, she first started talking about her journey towards becoming a published author, and just like clockwork, about a year ago, she mentioned locking down a deal with Acre Books for the publication of HoodWitch, a collection of poems that reflect on her personal experiences, as well as experiences of black women in America on the whole. Now, here we are, about a year from that time, and the book has rolled out to respectable amounts of success. The first pressing sold out in rapid fire fashion, the feedback has been positive, and Faylita has been given the opportunity to do appearances in bookstores she frequented as a customer, only now she finds herself (and her work) placed among the very same pieces of literature that once inspired her to reach these heights. If nothing else, Faylita Hicks is living proof that a vision backed with pure drive and determination can become reality. Check out HoodWitch sooner than later via the links in the video description, and help Faylita Hicks reach a level where her books are on demand.
The homie Kinder has an innate ability to make luscious, textured tracks out of seemingly minimal elements. For his latest magic trick, Kinder took some field recordings and a Moog MG1, and the end result was And Longer Days Still, a slowly evolving, steadily paced meditation in layering elements on top of a deceptively shifting rhythm. I’m a fan of these particular tracks that Kinder releases, as they remind me of score material… hopefully one day, I can employ him to score a film of mine, and people will hear what I hear in his work. Until that day comes, be sure to check out this track, share it around, and leave a like and/or comment so that Kinder knows folks are digging what he’s putting down.
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 