Tag Archives: beatsmith

Flip Side :: BoomBaptist Completes The Rick James Co-Release With Lakim

Posted on December 1, 2021 | Leave a comment

Last week, Lakim dropped I’m Rick James, Bitch​.​.​., one half of a shared single release with the homie BoomBaptist.  This past Monday marked the official full release of the project, meaning that everyone who got a fix with I’m Rick James, Bitch​.​.​. finally got their follow-up dosage via Boom‘s contribution, the super infectious Jerry Mane.  Much like Lakim, Boom takes the well known Rick James classic Mary Jane and not only chops it up to stack funk on funk, but he also follows the same structure of sample nods by including several hip-hop samples referencing or sampling the original.  Definitely click the image above, because you can not only get access to the tracks via Bandcamp, but there are a world of shirts and multi-colored vinyl options available as well.  

-chief

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The Infamous :: BoomBaptist And Lakim Team Up For An Off The Wall Rick James Tribute

Posted on November 22, 2021 | Leave a comment

Motown legend Rick James certainly lived a full life comprised of many ups and downs, up to and including the final year of his life where his star rose to as high as it had ever risen thanks to assists from Dave Chappelle and Charlie Murphy.  It’s been a minute since he’s been gone, but his impact and influence have certainly not been forgotten, so it’s no surprise that BoomBaptist and Lakim have taken two Rick James classics and given them their respective production special touches, resulting in a pair of singles that recontextualize songs we are deeply familiar with in wonderful ways.  Currently you can listen to Lakim‘s effort, the head-nod inducing I’m Rick James, Bitch, with BoomBaptist‘s Jerry Mane releasing the day after Thanksgiving and finalizing the release of the dual single.  All of the physical merch appears to be gone, but that shouldn’t stop you from copping the digital release if you can while streaming and sharing regardless.

-chief

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Fall Footwork :: Poolboi Blu Drops Surprise ‘318!’ Single

Posted on October 12, 2021 | Leave a comment

As a longtime friend and fan of poolboi blu, I’ve enjoyed seeing his growth as a songwriter, recording artist and performer, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t admit that the foundation of my fandom is his production.  My earliest exposure to his work (outside of the stellar and slept on cloudy w/ a chance, which he sang on and produced) were his beat tapes like potpourri., fine dining… & breathing. and Chocolat, but as he bridged over into the aforementioned cloudy era that transitioned into ANTSY, DIXIE and MASON (not to mention Rain of the Squids and a recent single run), I was preparing for poolboi blu to go full evolution into his version of a traditional recording artist.  jubilee showed me he hadn’t lost his production chops, but the recent 318! drop is a remind to me (and everyone else) that poolboi blu is still dropping bangers that will work in your club and party mixes.  Enough with my impromptu history lesson though… go check the single, run the numbers up, comment on the track for maximum engagement and share it around just because!

-chief

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Joyful Noise :: Calvin Valentine And The Cream Dream Team Drop ‘Mayobenz’ Single

Posted on September 23, 2021 | Leave a comment

The homies Bird Peterson and BoomBaptist, the creative minds behind Cream Dream Records, hit the ground running in 2021 with a handful of releases built around their creative solo outputs and collaborations with Texas homies, but their latest release finds the label expanding their reach via Calvin Valentine, a Los Angeles-based beatsmith whose sound falls right in line with the rest of the roster.  Mayobenz, the lead single off of the forthcoming Weed Is Awesome, is quite the powerful introduction with its solid mixture of boom-bap drums and spiritually uplifting melodies.  If Mayobenz is any indication of what Weed Is Awesome holds in store, then best believe I’ll be right there on release day ready to check it out… if you’re smart, you’ll be doing the same.

-chief

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Divine Dissonance :: Tunnel Vision Drops ‘TV1’ On SoundCloud

Posted on August 12, 2021 | Leave a comment

Tunstle, the producer and half of the lyrical powerhouse duo Homeroom, recently hit me up with notification that he and producer Mero were collaborating on Tunnel Vision, a new production-based project.  It took me a while to get around to checking TV1 out, as my docket has been solidly packed for a minute now, but I’ll definitely be putting this trippy journey through dusty and distorted head nodders into heavy rotation moving forward.  If you find yourself enjoying those YouTube streams where producers pump out nearly identical sounding SP404 beats, then give this one a listen so that you can educate your sensibilities and reward your sonic palette with something that has a bit more edge and adventure to it.  If you dig the track, like it and leave a comment, and share it with those folks that love to get lost in-between the headphones as well.

-chief

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Party Restarter :: Poolboi Blu Returns To Form With Release Of ‘Sincere (Volume 015)’ Mix

Posted on June 4, 2021 | Leave a comment

A lot of us had momentum going in different areas prior to the sudden and shocking pandemic-based shutdown caused by COVID-19, and one of my favorite examples of this was poolboi blu‘s instantly classic mix series s i n c e r e R A D I O.  You’d think that with the world shutdown, the series would continue (if not gain traction), but instead, poolboi blu seemingly turned his DJ focus towards Twitch streams in order to hold (and grow) his audience.  Now that some version of normalcy seems to be making its way slowly into our collective lives, it makes since that poolboi blu would lace us with sincere (volume 015), an instrumental-heavy affair that showcases his growth as a DJ.  Here’s a quick tracklist : 

 

You already know the drill… check it out, leave likes and comments, and spread the mix around for everyone to enjoy.

-chief

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Revolution Rock :: Acclimated Assassin Goes Heavy Soul With ‘I Call This Place Home’

Posted on June 2, 2021 | Leave a comment

I put on I Call This Place Home, Acclimated Assassin‘s brand new release, this morning while driving to work.  I was immediately moved by the samples from Punishment Park (a personal favorite underground film of mine), and I knew I was in for something not only moving, but timely (and in an ironically bittersweet way when the subject matter is considered, timeless).  I was formulating a bunch of eloquent words, but then I took a look at the description that Acclimated Assassin provided for the project, and I felt those words to be more appropriate : 

“One part dystopian world one part modern day America.  That’s what invoked the production and direction on Acclimated Assassin‘s newest beat tape.  I Call This Place Home is a look at what plagues the world, with many of the beats on this tape crafted after watching the film Punishment Park and being reminded of the many issues this country faces.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.  There are plenty of merch options for this release, so support if you can, but spread the word about this one regardless, because it deserves to be heard by as many people as possible.

-chief

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Hit Singularity :: Th’Mole Hits The Masses With ‘Rise Of The Mole People’

Posted on March 15, 2021 | Leave a comment

Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve formed a pretty solid working relationship with Th’Mole.  After a few requests to take part in remixes and compilations, he recently reached out to me to collaborate on a full project (keep your eyes and ears open for that down the road), and not too long after that, I was invited to be a part of the #WeirdRapDiscussionGang, a semi-regular YouTube show and podcast centering around discussions about often overlooked aspects of hip-hop culture and music.  With my awareness raised on Th’Mole, I recently became hip to his latest project, the instrumental giant Rise of The Mole People.  His signature, epic, cinematic sound is present and accounted for, and if one takes the song titles into account while listening, it’s not all that difficult to envision your own movie in your mind to go with the sonic stimulus.  If you’ve got a few bucks to support, definitely do so for this project, but at least give it a listen and spread the word about it if nothing else!

-chief

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Groove Food :: Ben Buck Beatbox Blasts Listeners With ‘WHATABANGER’

Posted on March 10, 2021 | Leave a comment

For the unfamiliar or uninitiated, Whataburger is a Texas institution.  Most anybody from Texas will give you a detailed account of their love for the fast food chain, if given the chance, so it makes complete sense that the homie Ben Buck would dedicate a bit of his beatsmith prowess to WHATABANGER, an unofficial sonic ode to the fast food giant.  The production more than lives up to the banger expectation set in the title, and for good measure, Ben Buck throws in every burger-related vocal sample that you could imagine.  If you’re looking for some good beats to keep your head nodding, then look no further than this collection… cop it if you’ve got a few bucks to spare, and share it with all of the other Whataburger lovers you know so that we can all celebrate together!

-chief

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Sonic Singularity :: Robotfingers Releases ‘Finger Foods, Vol. 1’

Posted on February 26, 2021 | Leave a comment

Houston-based producer Robotfingers seems to have some big plans for 2021, and his first item on the list is the release of Finger Foods, Vol. 1, the first installment in series of beat tapes he plans to lace the masses with.  For this volume, the unifying theme is space, so if you’re in to concept albums and instrumental fare, then don’t sleep on this one.  Cop it if you can, share it if you can’t, or find it on your favorite streaming service and boost those analytics!

-chief

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